About Eyeko

The secret of our success is Max’s – my husband and business partner – entrepreneurial spirit. Our first product was Eyeko eye cream, which came in a cute blue and pink tub. Max gave Kylie Minogue’s stylist some for her to try. She told everyone that she got her glowing complexion from our cream, and it took off from there.  

Being able to talk to anybody is a skill l learned from being an only child. When I was young, I had to make friends. Since then, I’ve always enjoyed getting to know new people. In this business, it is really important to make everyone in a room feel welcome, whoever they are.  

I got engaged to Max two weeks after we met. It was 1999 when we were introduced in London’s Met Bar. We talked all night, and got married in Las Vegas a year later. It was all very rock and roll. He was living in LA then, mixing up nail varnish for Hard Candy, a brand I helped launch in the UK.

I was pregnant with Coby when we moved into this house four years ago. We wanted to design a home that was little-boy proof – practical and not too precious. We gutted it to create light and space, and I bought a metal dining table in The Conran Shop with the idea that the more bashed up it got, the better it would look – and it does. Coby’s end is covered in scratches and dents.

I feel very lucky to have been able to have children after establishing our business. I wanted to work from home, so I could be around in the early years, and I’m so grateful for that. Coby is four now, and Deia is eight.

It isn’t always easy: I usually go back to work when the children are in bed. Max will be up before the kids wake, to talk to Asia and then, at 10pm, we’ll often have a conference call with the States. It never stops. It’s not possible to be an entrepreneur without it taking over your life. But at least there’s always something to talk about after 13 years of marriage.

I guess you could say we owe our parents half the business. We really rely on them. At Christmas, we stay with Max’s parents in Florida, then leave the children with them while we rush off for meetings in New York. Or, if we need to travel during term-time, our parents help out.

My mum and dad are amazing. They babysit for us so I can have my girlie nights out and Max has his boys’ nights. We’re together most of the day, so it’s important for us to have separate nights out. I still love to party. London is the best city in the world.

I’m obsessed with travelling and find all the details in hotels very inspiring. It’s someone else’s aesthetic on a really grand scale. My favourites are the Mondrian hotels. There is also a lovely hotel in Palm Springs called Viceroy, which does amazing Regency-style glamour.  

Now that I’m 41, I’m drawn to things that are lasting and classic. We recently relaunched Eyeko, focusing on eyeliners and mascaras. After all the brightly coloured, bubble gum styling of our earlier packaging, we’ve stripped back to products that are simple and elegant.

I’ve always loved the clean, bright, modern aesthetic of Pop Art. I studied it for my thesis at university. Street art is today’s Pop Art. It has the same vibrant, colourful and ‘of our time’ feel. I love going to exhibitions and visiting artists’ studios. I’d rather buy a piece of art than a designer dress any day.