{"id":642,"date":"2019-06-05T14:24:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T21:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=642"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T05:55:13","slug":"judith-august-and-the-magic-of-serendipity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/judith-august-and-the-magic-of-serendipity\/","title":{"rendered":"Judith August and the Magic of Serendipity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chic<\/span><\/div>
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This article was printed in the<\/em>
\n Spring\/Summer 2019 issue of Chic Compass Magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Judith<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Judith August<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Judith August and the Magic of Serendipity<\/h1>\n

BY JOAN S. PECK<\/p>\n<\/div>

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As we move through life, there are things that happen that we\u2019re unable to explain logically. If we\u2019re lucky those are the times in our life where things seem to fall into place and satisfy our desires, whether we\u2019ve only thought about them or have spoken them aloud. When I met with Judith August to discuss her life and her cosmetic business, she delighted in the idea that much in her life had been more than happenstance. So her story begins\u2026<\/p>\n

Judith was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 16, Judith went on a modeling interview to become the \u201cMay Girl,\u201d which meant she would become the image of the store modeling everything from fur coats to dresses to dishwashers. She got the job and her photos were all over the newspapers for the next three years.<\/p>\n

Part of her job allowed her to meet the models from New York City who came to strut their stuff on the runway and the photo department during the store\u2019s events. She became enamored with them.<\/p>\n

When she was 17, Judith met her mentor, Aida Grey, through her friend\u2019s mother, who was a client of hers. Aida Grey was the cosmetic guru of Beverly Hills and was the first person to develop custom-blended foundations. It was the beginning of a great business relationship throughout the years. Wanting more than what May Company had to offer, Judith packed her bags and left for New York City where she was successful working as a photographer\u2019s model.<\/p>\n

However, during that time, Judith ran into a serious hereditary problem which made it hard to compete in the \u201cperfectionist\u201d world of modeling. \u201cThe bags under my eyes would never allow for great camera work. No surgeon would operate because I was too young! While some girls would sink into the premature wrinkles of defeat, I took it on as a challenge and started the lifelong study of Camouflage Cosmetics. I realized that I was not alone because \u2018everybody\u2019s has something to hide.\u2019\u201d Judith mastered lighting, makeup artistry, and camouflage techniques, allowing her modeling career to flourish for almost 20 years.<\/p>\n

Judith married and moved to New Orleans with her husband. She wanted to open a cosmetics store but she had no money to do that. When she sought a bank loan, the bank made a deal with her. They\u2019d loan her \u00bd of the money needed if she could raise the other half. She came up with the idea to open her company as a Limited Partnership and again, fate stepped in. Through a friend\u2019s mother and her many social contacts, she was able to raise the money and open the cute little 300 sq. ft. store, Let\u2019s Face It. It presented many exclusive lines of cosmetics and perfumes and became an instant social success with lines of people waiting to squeeze into the small store each Saturday. It was definitely the place to go to get ready for all the parties, proms, and balls that the New Orleans was known for. The store received the \u201cYWCA Award for Excellence\u201d and was the \u201cMecca of Makeups and Makeovers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many celebrities and makeup artists from Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and New York came to the \u201cBig Easy\u201d as \u201cSpecial Guests\u201d on her television show, Let\u2019s Face It, broadcast on 36 different networks. It was a perfect platform for Judith and her guests to speak about cosmetics and her passion for concealers.<\/p>\n

In the 1980s, Judith moved back to Los Angeles and became the training director and community outreach person for the Aida Grey Company. She became in demand for her lectures speaking about how to look younger longer. She also developed contracts with plastic surgeons to help their patients after surgery to use concealer and makeup to cover any bruising that had taken place. Judith had come across a cosmetic pencil made in Germany that everyone seemed to love, but it had no contact information. She was not to be deterred. She worked with the doctors and developed her own cosmetic pencil formula and located a cosmetic laboratory in the United States that manufactured cosmetic pencils. When the final product was complete, the doctors asked Judith what exactly the pencil did. Her response was \u201cSimply everything!\u201d Thus, the Everything Pencil was born.<\/p>\n

When the Everything Pencil (pictured below) was featured as the Editor\u2019s Choice in Allure magazine in April 1986, the response to the small ad was overwhelming, and Judith August Cosmetics Solutions was born!<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Today, she constantly works in partnership with top cosmetic laboratories in the USA, and together they create relevant products that cover up and conceal just about everything for everybody. This includes under eye circles, rosacea, vitiligo, acne and blemishes, age spots, scars, post-operative bruising, birthmarks, tattoos and more. She designs her products to achieve beautiful and effective results, from simple annoying flaws to serious coverage. \u201cIt\u2019s all in the formulas, colors, and textures that make them work,\u201d states Judith. She realizes makeup plays a pivotal role in the psychological well-being of both men and women. \u201cLooking good is not superficial. It measures health and image and encourages self-esteem. If you\u2019ve got a problem, we\u2019ve got the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was blown away by Judith\u2019s very successful book, Gotcha Covered \u2013 The Compact Guide to Camouflage Makeup. It is an exquisitely illustrated, 110-page guide, providing detailed tips and tricks. This \u201cat home\u201d guide is available for purchase through her website (JudithAugustCosmetics.com<\/a>) and as a Kindle download through Amazon.com. When you leaf through this book, you will understand there is no better or more complete book than this for any cosmetic camouflage. It is the ultimate answer and primer for any person who wants to camouflage a skin issue or for anyone who is a makeup artist or in the cosmetic business. This book proves Judith is the maven extraordinaire of the camouflage business.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Judith<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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I was curious to learn what enticed Judith to write the book. \u201cTwo reasons, really. The book took five years to complete because of all the photographs, testimonials, and content. In my 40 years of being a part of the cosmetic business, I have a wealth of information that I wanted to share. This isn\u2019t just about beauty because everyone\u2019s birthright is to look good. It\u2019s certainly not about vanity. It\u2019s simply a motivational book on looking good and how to do it!<\/p>\n

I also wanted this book to be a legacy to my four grandchildren\u2014two of whom live in New York, and two in New Orleans. Since I don\u2019t get to be with them every day, they don\u2019t really have an understanding of who I am and what I do. This way, they\u2019ll have a better understanding of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all aging\u2014it\u2019s a fact. However, how we view that is what can make a difference. I read Judith\u2019s blog, The O Word, written in 2013, and thought by sharing it, you\u2019d have a clearer understanding of how she sees herself and others as we age. It\u2019s all about perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my birthday last month and my darling friends took me for lunch. As we were all \u201cliving\u201d in the second half of our century, we boohooed all the hateful words associated with the word old. \u201cOlder is a much better word than the word old,\u201d I said. \u201cThere is a marked difference in attitude and intent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Thesaurus describes the \u201cO\u201d word as aged, mature, elderly, cantankerous, prehistoric, primeval, archaic, outdated, obsolete \u2026 all terms that have no relationship to the way I feel every day. I am still 36 in my mind, although certain parts of my anatomy don\u2019t react in the same delightful way. (Who knew that peppers and sausage for breakfast would be stricken off the list of food to eat?) Bottom line, while I refuse to be stuck in the world of \u201cOld,\u201d I can handle the world of \u201colder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking around me, my friends do their best to stay in shape: walking dogs, water aerobics, Pilates; yet, many of us have more doctors\u2019 appointments than ever. Does that mean we have to get Old? \u201cGood Heaven\u2019s NO!\u201d My friend Barbara just ran a 5K marathon at 80-ish and wondered why she was so tired at the end of the run.<\/p>\n

Remember when you were 5 and your 28-year-old mother was \u201cold?\u201d And God knows as a teenager, you could never imagine sex at 60. Getting older is all relative.<\/p>\n

Aging can affect us in incredible ways\u2014both the bad and the good. Fortunately, with today\u2019s modern products and techniques, our bad habits don\u2019t have to show. Over time I\u2019ve watched the changes on my own face. Through my business, I am fortunate to work with chemists and colorists designing camouflage makeup that works for me and everyone else. I love creating wonderful products that give us a fresh, young appearance, covers age spots and dark circles, and fills in wrinkles, allowing us to look amazing right through the elegant years. (Notice I didn\u2019t use the \u201cO\u201d word?).<\/p>\n

I have a good friend who compares aging to the feline world. Babies are kittens, the 20s are kitties, 30s are cats, 40s are cougars, 50\u2019s-70\u2019s lioness, 80\u2019s the sphinx\u2014the wise one who simply looks back upon history with candor and interest. We can also change the dynamics of the word by simply adding a few letters: \u201cOld becomes Gold with Untold tales of adventure and Bold stories of glory and wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life is longer than ever\u2026enjoy, live, love, hug, and pass along wisdom. Be young in your mind. We still have a lot to do\u2026there\u2019s still time. Like I have always said\u2026old is someone else! It\u2019s just another \u201cO\u201d word!\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back upon Judith\u2019s journey to develop her business, I can see how serendipity worked in her favor at times. But the truth is that for fate to step into our lives, we have to have a desire we want to be met, and we have to recognize the Universe\u2019s \u201cgift\u201d as it is presented, and be willing to act upon it\u2014do our part\u2014to create what we want. When you meet Judith August, you can\u2019t help but admire all the parts she played in her success and continues to do so each day.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Judith<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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