I want to make up with you!

January 21st, 2011

Really, if you knew me, you would like me.

Not much possible though, as I died in 1939. Still, could you live without me? To live without me is to live without modern “makeup” (a term my brother came up with), false eyelashes, the eyebrow pencil, lip gloss, cream makeup, water-proof makeup, powder makeup and much more.

True enough, I was born to a humble life. My father could not afford a formal education for his large family, and at an early age I became an apprentice to a pharmacist. Years of mixing potions gave me a love for something all women love- cosmetics.

Living my early years in Poland and Russia, I came to America just in time for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. I was able to get a booth for my cosmetics and made a name for myself, one customer at a time. So much so that Hollywood wanted me for their new “movies”.

Seems the grease paint used for stage performances was a bit “over the top” for the screen. Did I tell you I invented the first cream makeup? Very natural look for the screen.

Then came Technicolor, and the makeup used for the black and whites did not work- It was too shiny, and reflected the colors around it- not good. Did I also mention I invented the first “pancake” makeup? Not at all shiny - no reflections.

I was best at lips. Some of the lips that thrilled the early world of movie goers were my inventions - Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Judy Garland.

My strangest studio request? To invent a cosmetic to make the great Lena Horne look darker! Go figure. I called it Egyptian makeup- it worked like a charm. Get it?

So, my brother, Frank, he says to me “If you don’t let me sell this cosmetic, which I shall call “Makeup”, to the ladies of this great land, Maximilian Faktorowicz, I will never speak to you again!” Well, he was my brother- what could I do?

As it happened, the “ladies of this great land” went wild over the new “makeup”. Truly wild. We, poor immigrants, were successful beyond what anyone could imagine! How successful? My brother, Frank, sold the company in the early 70’s for something like a half-billion dollars! What would that be in today’s dollars? Well, no matter.

Now, here is what I can not understand. Why, after I died, did Frank change his name to “Max Factor, Jr.” ?

Lady, truly you look maah-vell-us, darling! Glad I could help…

Max