From Beirut to U.S. Beauty Entrepreneur

The beauty industry is rich with immigrants who succeeded in America ranging from Helena Rubinstein to Anastasia Soare. Helga Arminak hopes to join that club. Her journey to become a beauty entrepreneur started in war-torn Beirut. A bomb not only destroyed her father’s jewelry store and his entire inventory, but also her home as well. When she was 12 she was able to come to the U.S. Helga Arminak  Like many new to America and not conversant in English, Arminak felt alienated and often bullied. At age 16 she took on any job she could to save money, including a role at a department store where she became a makeup artist. She amassed $3,000, which she used to start a cosmetics packaging business in 1999 with a dream of creating her own beauty company. Within three years she turned a profit and the company now has nearly $80 million in annual sales. Taking her business beyond packaging, Arminak launched Measurable Difference, an all-natural, drug- and paraben-free line that does not test on animals. The collection spans 131 products, including everything from liquid lipsticks to cellulite creams. The color cosmetics prices range mostly from $1 to $12. Skin care reaches into $60 for a sculpting

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