Iman Putting Her Best Face Forward

The statuesque supermodel poses, hands on hips, like she’s got the keys to Manhattan, while photographer Troy Word snaps away. It’s one of the last looks of the day and Iman’s full of energy, standing posed and poised with the city skyline and Hudson River peeking through the floor-to-ceiling window of the Standard hotel in the Meatpacking District. She has earned the right to rule in New York City. The Somalian-born beauty and former supermodel is now the CEO of IMAN Cosmetics, Skincare & Fragrances, a global beauty products brand. In 2007, the savvy businesswoman launched her signature accessories line, IMAN Global Chic, on the Home Shopping Network.

When Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid lived with her family in political exile in Kenya and studied at the University of Nairobi, she could only dream of where her career would take her. A chance meeting with photographer Peter Beard in 1975 was the divine intervention that ultimately altered her course in life.

“As mothers, we should never forget about ourselves. We take care of others and the kids, husbands, grandma, grandpa. You should have one day in a month that is really yours.”

Although the daughter of the former Somalian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, was fluent in five languages including; Somali, Arabic, English, French and Italian, her college scholarship only covered one year. What has become apparent is that her destiny was calling from across the Atlantic — and she answered.
After three days in New York and on her first photo shoot, the makeup artist asked Iman if she’d brought her own foundation. The question offended her because the photographer didn’t make the same request of the Caucasian models. Looking through hindsight’s pristine lens, that annoying request catapulted her resolve to celebrate and empower women of color, which she does with immense grace.

Iman, who says that the beauty and fashion industries are always late in catching up with the zeitgeist of pop culture, has one of a handful of cosmetics lines that address the needs of all women of color — meaning African American, Latina, Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, multicultural and multiethnic women. She counters that we live in a celebrity obsessed culture that’s fueled by hype — with icons like Beyoncé, Halle Berry and Eva Mendes endorsing brands that don’t offer a full product line for women of color while continuing to reap huge profits from minority women.

Advancing her efforts to raise the consciousness of women who have been underrepresented in American society, she’s written two books; her autobiography, I Am Iman, and a full-color guide to makeup for every skin tone titled, The Beauty of Color: The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color.

The mother of two, daughters Zulekha, 30, from her marriage to former NBA player Spencer Haywood, and Alexandria, 8, from her current 18-year marriage to British rock icon David Bowie, raves about motherhood. Here she shares her beauty regimen with other mothers and discusses how to achieve recherché glamour, why it’s important to put ourselves first and being business savvy.

How do you maintain beauty?
I have always believed that the skin that you take care of in your 20s is the [skin] that you will inherit in your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Take care of it. SPF is really a big deal. The sun does not discriminate. Your skin care doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s cleansing, hydrating and moisturizing. Think about it like brushing your teeth. Do it in the morning and the evening.

What are your beauty secrets?
Foundation is the key. It has to match your skin tone exactly … not redder, not yellower, not grayer and not lighter. Use a complementary powder or loose powder, because a powder can alter your foundation. A bronzer for all skins light skin, brown skins, or medium tones, it doesn’t matter. It makes the skin look more alive. Lipsticks, lip glosses and lip liners — I am the girl that uses a lot of lip gloss. It make the lips look yummier. Eye shadows are debatable but you have to have a perfectly groomed eyebrow. The rest depends on your lifestyle. Go easy with makeup and you can add more, later. Experiment with different colors. IMAN Cosmetics will not break the bank.

What advice do you have for busy mothers?
As mothers, we should never forget about ourselves. We take care of others and the kids, husbands, grandma, grandpa. You should have one day in a month that is really yours. If you can, get to the spa [and] get a massage. Remove yourself from your environment, even if it’s [just] with your girlfriends. I don’t mean just Mother’s Day. Don’t forget about your husband, you have to have romantic nights out — if it’s just a movie, coffee or a walk around the park. If you have more than one child, try to spend different, quality times with each one of them.

How can mothers look fabulous?
Be easy on you. Be forgiving on yourself. Do not think that you can look like Beyoncé because she isn’t a mother. Let’s take it easy on ourselves. Take care of yourself. Work out. Try to be happy and content within your own skin. Find your bliss. We all have it. It will work for you.

How have you grown professionally and adapted to changes in trends and the economy?
My mantra has always been that change is good. Any kind of change directs you to another type of opportunity. You [can’t] take the same road over and over again and expect a different result. When I was creating my brand, one of the things that I vowed to myself is that I would not follow the trends and not keep up with the Joneses. I would be the maven of skin cosmetics. I wanted to be the master at foundations and powder [to achieve] a flawless face — not a jack-of-all-trades.

What will your legacy be?
I have found great fulfillment in being a businesswoman because I have control of my own brand, my own image. I have been able to create a product that has given so many women joy. Women stop me in the streets and show me the IMAN Cosmetics in their bag. Now I have created the bag [from Global Chic] that carries their cosmetics. It has given me joy because I have found that is what my legacy will be. I will be remembered [because] I was one of the models that broke barriers. But I will be more remembered for IMAN Cosmetics.

Where can women find IMAN Cosmetics?
When I wanted to really make IMAN Cosmetics available to everybody, I thought, why not go to mass-market [retailers]? So it’s available at Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, Duane Reade, just visit imancosmetics.com and click on store locator. There is one near you.

Iman-ism …
Beauty is the best revenge. You have to put your best face forward. If you are going for an interview, that is what you will be judged on. Look the best that you can be.

Favorite models today …
Jourdan Dunn, Chanel Iman and Ubah Hassan

The muse of renowned photographers like Steve Meisel, who is famous for exclusively using black models in the July 2008 issue of Vogue Italia; and fashion designers like Yves Saint Laurent, where she was the house model for his African Queen Couture collection, Iman encourages women to define beauty by their own standards and do it on their own terms. Turning 54 this year, Iman shares that no matter what stage of life she’s in, her mother’s encouraging words, “Know your worth,” are the basis of her good fortune.

Models You Should Know

Jourdan Dunn
Dunn made her runway debut in the New York shows in the fall of 2007, walking for Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren, among others.

Chanel Iman  
Iman took part and won third place in Ford Models’ Supermodel of the World 2006 competition, and ended up signing with the agency.

Ubah Hassan  
Somalian-born Ubah was 17 when she was discovered and signed to Click Model Management in New York.

Michelle Obama
First lady Michelle Obama brings style and class