Women To Watch: Trend Tracker® With Leslie Munsell
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Trend Tracker® Tara Gilani's focus for this week's "Women To Watch" is beauty.
So she tracked down Leslie Munsell; celebrity makeup artist by trade, equestrienne in her spare time.
"Here's an interesting combination," said Gilani, "Makeup artistry and horseback riding majesty. In a nutshell it's all about beauty. And not a bad way to spend the day, either."
Makeup and grooming pro Leslie Munsell is a beauty expert with her own line of popular cosmetics. For 25 years, her business has been making celebrities (and regular folk) look and feel better. She's worked for the best, including Aveda. Five years ago, she left the corporate world to create her own destiny.
"Thinking I'd experienced a lot of that already working with other companies I decided to go on my own, thinking 'Oh how hard can it be?' Oh, are you kidding? It's really great, super challenging every day, it's very exciting, but it is hard to go out on your own," said Munsell.
She created her own cosmetics brand "Beauty For Real" or BFR which is available online and by the end of March, Beauty For real for Aerie, will be sold at American Eagle stores.
"Each of us is beautiful and I want to celebrate the beauty that is, help women discover it, embrace it, enhance it, rather than covering up with a lot of makeup. It's to really figure out what your own individual beauty is, live it every day and enhance it cause a little bit of makeup can make a whole lot of difference," said the beauty guru.
You gotta love a woman who loves making others feel beautiful!
Leslie loves what she does.
"What's really great for me is putting makeup on a woman and having her look in the mirror and go 'Oh my God, I look so amazing'. It's incredibly gratifying."
Makeup is not just for women. One of Leslie's longtime clients is Dwyane Wade of Miami Heat fame.
"Well just to make it clear, Dywane doesn't wear makeup when he plays basketball," said Munsell.
Watch Trend Tracker® Tara Gilani's Interview With Leslie Munsell
In addition to bringing out the inner beauty in women and men, Munsell spends a lot of time with a real beauty in her life - Nabucco, a thoroughbred she stables at Equilibrium Farm in Southwest Ranches.
"I started riding about 10 years ago, well into midlife. The best thing you can do, the most beautiful thing of all, is to be happy. So you gotta figure out what it is that makes you happy. You gotta do it every day, something that's good for you, that makes you happy, cause then you'll smile and you will be beautiful. Caring for him and riding Nabucco makes me happy!"
When asked what she would like to be known for now and remembered for later, Munsell answered "helping empower women to discover their own beauty and celebrate that."
In response to a rapid fire series of questions, Munsell came up with what defines her:
I am excited and thrilled to get on this horse.
I will find happiness every day.
I promise to do my best, always.
I wish every day was as beautiful as today is.
For more on Leslie Munsell, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
