Women Who Changed Fashion: The Beauty Gurus

Inspired by her chemist uncle, Queens-born Estée Lauder began working with him to mix lotions and skin products. In 1953, she created her first fragrance, Youth Dew. Unlike the popular French perfumes at the time, it was a bath oil and perfume all-in-one. Along with her other products, it became an instant success, establishing her relevance in fashion. She once said, "I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard."

In 1981, Essie Weingarten took 640 pounds worth of her namesake nail polish to Las Vegas. She left samples of her 12 original colors in the most luxurious casino hotels and salons, and within 10 days everyone called her back to place an order. Word spread around the world, and Essie was a major hit. Her complex approach to color, including vibrant shades, nudes, and metallics, expanded new possibilities beyond the traditional nude nail.

Known for her makeup line and eight successful books, Bobbi Brown brought a natural, toned-down look to women as a makeup artist in the '80s. When she officially launched her Essentials line in the '90s, she simplified women's lives with her easy, no-nonsense approach to beauty: 10 lipsticks and a small selection of foundation sticks, still a popular staple today.

Using the process of fashion design as her inspiration, Sonia Kashuk has created a beauty empire based on color, shape, and form. She began her career in the '80s in New York City and has worked with Cindy Crawford since the model was only 17 years old, collaborating on the definitive guide Cindy Crawford's Basic Face with her in 1996. Kashuk's brand soared to a whole new level when she became one of the first makeup artists to bring affordable luxury to the mass market at Target.

Pat McGrath has been called the most influential makeup artist in the world. With no formal training, she worked on shoots for publications like i-D . Later, she moved on to designers such as John Galliano and Jil Sanders to create extreme editorial looks and became known for her fashion-inspired combination of inventive materials and bold colors. In recent months, she has supported young talent with Instagram contests, allowing beauty lovers to gain opportunities to work with her during fashion week. She's recently launched her first beauty product, a gold, multipurpose pigment.

In the early '80s, Odile Gilbert collaborated with everyone from Helmut Newton to Steven Klein, before working backstage at major fashion shows like Chanel, Christian Dior, and John Galliano. She created larger-than-life styles that were just as important as the fashion on stage. In true entrepreneurial form, she launched her namesake line of hair accessories in 2001.

When the queen of celebrity hair opened her first salon in the city, she charged $600 for a cut, the most expensive in New York City at the time. She soon became the it-girl-slash-model of perfectly undone, cool (expensive) hair, creating Meg Ryan's signature shag. A new wave of the hairstylist as celebrity began, and she ushered in a new era.

The ultimate Youtube influencer brought makeup and beauty to a whole new demographic when she launched her innovative channel in 2007. Her videos sparked a revolution in fashion and beauty, with bloggers, magazines, and websites following her lead in narrated, DIY content. She has collaborated with Lancome and L'Oréal, and also launched her own beauty subscription service. To date, Phan has over eight million YouTube subscribers.

After realizing there was a lack of raw, honest beauty coverage in the fashion world, Emily Weiss launched her blog Into the Gloss in 2010. The site has won over its readers with witty product reviews and high-profile features with top models like Gigi Hadid and Cindy Crawford. Interviews providing access into the inner lives and bathroom cabinets of these stars inspired countless other blogs, websites, and magazines. When Weiss launched her first product line Glossier last year, followers rejoiced.

The British makeup artist has an editorial background working with Kate Moss, Mario Testino, Tom Ford, Gisele Bündchen, and more. However, her influence spans way beyond the world of high fashion. She launched her YouTube channel in 2012, building a cult following of women of all ages both there and on Instagram, before launching her chic line of products the following year.

Her name may be synonymous with perfect skin now, but Laura Mercier first started her makeup training when she was just 17 years old in her native France, moving to New York in 1985 as a part of the team that launched Elle in the U.S. Her work has appeared in various magazines and fashion campaigns from Bergdorf Goodman to Bloomingdale's; Madonna was such a fan that she tapped her as a personal makeup artist. Mercier finally started her eponymous cosmetic line in 1996 based on the values of natural beauty and creating the "flawless face," which still ring true with her brand today.