listening,” she says. “You don’t
often have makeup artists who were
at counters working with normal
women, listening to women every
day saying ‘I need this,’ ‘I really need
that.’”
Lisa Yaeger was Williams’ first
client. When Williams told her she
was developing skincare products,
Yaeger says she “jumped at the
opportunity” to test them.
“I have super-ridiculous dry skin,
and was fed up with every product
Ihad tried so far,” the Scotch Plains
resident says. “[After trying her line]
I was hooked. There are honestly
so many of her products that Iuse
to this day.”
Yaeger says Williams has always
been honest about her products;
some of her favorites include the
Gentle Milk Cleanser and the Silk
Cream Moisturizer.
APLYING MAKEUP: KAITLYN KANZLER; PRODUCT: COURTESY OF RIN’S FACES
CLEAN BEAUTY (Top) Erin’s Faces owner Erin Williams tests one of her lipsticks on an employee;
(above) serums that firm, clarify and carry anatural rose scent..
GREENBEAUTY
Williams started out by going into
people’s homes and selling her products
there in what she called “green
beauty workshops.” Going into
homes and speaking with potential
customers made it alot easier to figure
out what she would put into her
clean product line. “With makeup, I
knew what I liked and I knew what
people liked to work with because
Iused to teach alot of makeup
lessons one-on-one,” she says.
“So Iknew my client was not
someone who was going to do
eight eyeshadow shades with a
cut crease and a fake lash.”
Williams doesn’t discourage
anyone from doing more enhanced
makeup styles, but knows that many
of the women who like her line want
a slightly enhanced, natural look.
In addition to a full array of
makeup and brushes, Erin’s Faces
offers a variety of skincare products
for women with different skin types,
as well as for men and babies. This
includes some cast members of some
Broadway shows. The women in the
cast of Hamilton used her foundation
because it didn’t make them break
out; the actress who played the greenskinned
Elphaba in Wicked, wore her
skincare products to counteract the
harsh effects of scrubbing paint off
every night.
FINDING AHOME
When Williams’ husband got a job
in Princeton, the couple moved to
Maplewood. They specifically
purchased their home because it had
an addition where she could continue
to run her business.
In January 2019, Williams rented
a space in Maplewood for Erin’s
Faces, and spent thousands of dollars
renovating the space. But within
six months, they had to leave due
to flooding and leaking. Erin’s
Faces then moved toatemporary
space in South Orange for three
months. Williams was dreading the
thought of moving her company back
into her home.
She described what she needed
to a real estate agent, who suggested
a space at 15 Bleeker St. in Millburn.
“I love the community here,” says
Williams. “I’m excited to be a part
of it. It seems like a community that
wants to embrace small business and
support it.”
Because most of Williams’ business
is online, she didn’t need a storefront,
though before the coronavirus pandemic,
Erin’s Faces was open to the
public on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m. and once a month on Saturdays.
Williams held green beauty workshops
and posted their dates and
times on the website.
Prior to the coronavirus, Erin’s
Faces produced a hand sanitizer for
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