As a young mother in the city, Estée regularly visited the House of Ash Blondes, a beauty salon on West 72nd Street to get her haircolor “refreshed.” One day, when the owner inquired how she kept her skin in such good shape, Estée didn’t miss a beat. “It would turn out to be a great moment for me,” she’d later say, of the conversation that sparked her idea to market her family’s formulas. A month later, she returned to the beauty parlor with an assortment of homemade potions in tow and the owner was so impressed with the results, she hired Estée to run the atelier’s first beauty concession. Estée was in business.

As a young mother in the city, Estée regularly visited the House of Ash Blondes, a beauty salon on West 72nd Street to get her haircolor “refreshed.” One day, when the owner inquired how she kept her skin in such good shape, Estée didn’t miss a beat. “It would turn out to be a great moment for me,” she’d later say, of the conversation that sparked her idea to market her family’s formulas. A month later, she returned to the beauty parlor with an assortment of homemade potions in tow and the owner was so impressed with the results, she hired Estée to run the atelier’s first beauty concession. Estée was in business.