As head makeup artist for the hit TV series Dancing With The Stars, Melanie Mills needed to solve a problem; a key product she used on the dancers and celebrities just wasn’t working. So, Mills took it upon herself to create something that would, and now her brand of body makeup is hitting its stride. Mills shares her story:

The aha moment that led me to launch my own company/product: I was head makeup artist for Dancing with The Stars and the sunless tanning was way over done leaving the skin streaked, dry, and sometimes green/orange/muddy brown. The body makeup available on the market at the time wasn’t working for my needs. Out of frustration I started to mix up my own concoctions. The dancers were the ones that named it “Gleam” as they felt their skin was “Gleaming!” When dancers, celebrities and models started driving out to my house for little bits of it, I thought maybe I should go to market with it.

Our hero product is: Gleam Body Radiance, soon to be renamed  Gleam Face & Body Radiance. It’s absolutely stunning as a primer or mixed with foundation. Nowhere else can you get a gorgeous glowing complexion and flawless sexy gleaming legs all with one product. We have six shades and the most popular is Rose Gold.

Our newest product that I love is: Gleam Body Sealing Spray. It’s an aerosol that is lightweight, not sticky and infused with botanicals.

The biggest business mistake I have made with my brand was: accounting/bookkeeping. Hiring people that ended up not being qualified in this department had really set me back.  I hired a “CFO” to come in and get me straight, forecast and budget to find out he wasn’t doing his job either but making me feel like he was. After years of this nonsense and some expensive mistakes, I am finally together and I know now how to look after what needs to be done properly and what to look for.

Heather Swanepoel of Rinse (our October 2018 profile) wants to know: as a leader and entrepreneur where do you see the indie personal care and beauty movement going? I’m hoping the surge of demand for indie brands will encourage the multi or bigger beauty stores not only to focus on big brands, that are already known, but also support and cultivate new and exciting indie brands.

Something you wouldn’t know about Dancing With the Stars is: the pro dancers have a lot of input on how they want their partners to appear with the makeup and look. This is especially true of the male dancers. I used to have so much fun collaborating!

The big story for Melanie Mills Hollywood in 2019 will be: more exposure on a home shopping network and bigger shopping outlets. The EU will see more of the brand now that we are certified. I have a lot of new cosmetics and accessories ready to launch, too.