Makeup line highlights beauty of Latina women
There were plenty of colors for white women, selections for Asian and black women, but none, she found, for Hispanic women.
So McShea went on a mission. And Pára Me was born.
A native of Argentina, she knew what women like her needed: Makeup they could wear without having to blend colors made for other skin tones.
Her Hispanic customers would complain that other makeup artists or companies didn't have colors that they could wear.
"There was not one line that really dedicated themselves to the Latina customer. I thought it a disservice ... because all women want to be beautiful," McShea said.
McShea created Pára Me about 2-1/2 years ago from her adopted home state of California, where it was picked up by Nordstrom in San Jose in March.
The makeup line consists of foundation, concealer, lipstick, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara and lip liner. The colors and composition are perfect for the yellow, golden and olive skin tones of Hispanic women, McShea said, as well as anyone with yellow-based skin pigment. Cosmetics range from $16 to $20, with additional skin care products priced from $28 to $34.
McShea said her makeup prevents Latinas from getting that "murky, ashy look" that comes from wearing blue- and pink-based colors that other companies have, but she recognizes that some brands do have makeup suitable to Latinas.
"Right now there's an explosion of people being aware of the Latina market," McShea said.
Cover Girl has Venezuelan actress Patricia Velazquez touting foundation and concealer in Honey and Tawny in television ads, while Maybelline and Bobbi Brown cosmetics have shades like Golden or Sand — all colors that Latinas can wear.
However, models-for-a-day JoAnne and Lawranne Yadao, a mother-daughter pair from Issaquah, said Pára Me was unlike any other makeup they'd worn before.
JoAnne, 50, doesn't usually leave the house without blush, eye shadow, mascara and eye liner, but has trouble finding a foundation color that suits her. She experimented with the Pára Me Pro-Finish powder foundation "Bamboo": "I like the way it's almost not there. It's very light."
Lawranne, 19, rarely wears makeup. The few times she has — for the high-school prom or homecoming events — have been nightmarish, she said, wrinkling her nose.
"Every time I put makeup on, I saw myself in the mirror and thought I looked like Mimi from 'The Drew Carey Show,' " Lawranne laughed, referring to the heavily made-up TV character.
After her mother applied Pro-Finish foundation in Cinnamon, Lawranne, who is Mexican and Filipino, said she liked the way it looked and felt — as if she wasn't wearing anything at all.
At $19 a pop for the foundation compact cases, JoAnne said Pára Me was a good alternative to the $30 plus she's paid in the past for makeup that best complemented her skin tone.
Pára Me is currently available via Nordstrom's beauty hotline (800-723-2889), and may expand to stores outside California if the cosmetics line shows potential, said a Nordstrom spokeswoman. Products will also soon be available through the company Web site, www.parame.com.
While other companies sell some products that Hispanic women can comfortably wear, McShea suggests she's got an advantage.
"I was born a Latina, so it's something I intuitively knew," she said. "I didn't have to train to cater to Latina women."