![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Reece-Leiker.png?resize=256%2C255&ssl=1\")
About four years ago, Leiker\u2019s largest exposure to makeup products and techniques came from an affiliate company she worked for, where she was taught by a celebrity makeup artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe most I had known at that point was mascara, and I was absolutely lost with just about everything else,\u201d Leiker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After two years, Leiker realized how much she loved working with clients and wanted to forge her own path in the industry. She said it was so fulfilling to watch womens\u2019 confidence grow with their makeup skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using makeup to enhance one\u2019s outer beauty provides the outlet to discuss inner beauty, which is very important to Leiker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo many times, we associate makeup with \u2018I\u2019m going to morph myself into somebody else, and I\u2019m only beautiful if<\/em> I wear makeup,\u2019\u201d Leiker said. \u201cBut no\u2013 we\u2019re just enhancing <\/em>your natural beauty. It\u2019s already there. We\u2019re not creating something new.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Studying cosmetology through Hays Academy of Hair Design is what solidified Leiker\u2019s passion to educate herself and others about makeup, all while standing for her brand message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Leiker, there are two main points where the beauty industry is lacking: clean, high-quality products, and education. These were the gaps that she wanted to fill with DEFINE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After conducting research, she found the chemistry behind makeup was just as important as the techniques used to apply it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you actually look at the U.S. in cosmetics, they only ban 11 ingredients,\u201d Leiker said. \u201cHowever, my skin is really sensitive, and if I\u2019m putting makeup on every day, I don\u2019t want it to be harsh. So, I found something that was EU-approved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEU approved\u201d refers to a standard set by the European Union (Europe is a world leader in cosmetic exports). Products that are EU-approved are free of over 1,300 harmful ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a much<\/em> higher standard than what the U.S. has,\u201d Leiker said. \u201cSo, if that\u2019s as clean as you can get it, that\u2019s the kind of product I want to use and the kind of product that I want other people to experience. Yes, you can go buy foundation for $10 out at Walmart, but you don\u2019t really understand what\u2019s in it. You don\u2019t know what the chemicals are going to do long-term, or how that affects your skin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To build her own line of products, Leiker sought out companies that produced a wide variety of EU-approved formulas and designs to be sold through small businesses like hers. The goal for DEFINE was to keep the brand beginner-friendly while maintaining professional quality. Leiker expressed that the amount of makeup included in each product would also help customers \u201cget what they pay for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leiker\u2019s beauty brand is actually her second startup. Her first was Pure Roots, a nonprofit organization where she and her brother, Channing, sold homemade laundry detergent to help build homes for the extremely poor in Nicaragua. They secured a corporate sponsor so 100% of their funds could go towards their cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Leiker said her mother, Taryn, has been her biggest inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe asked us, \u2018What could you do to make an impact in the world?\u2019\u201d Leiker said. \u201cI was like, \u2018I\u2019m 11, why are we asking these kinds of questions?\u2019 But that sparked the whole thing. I wanted to help somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leiker said every failure and challenge has helped her learn and grow. Before Pure Roots was founded six years ago, Leiker said she was extremely introverted and even had trouble looking people in the eye when she spoke to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, through her experiences running a nonprofit (which is still in operation), she was able to learn the skills necessary to manage and grow DEFINE today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven in the launch of DEFINE, I was procrastinating, so she\u2019s been really supportive, really encouraging, and she\u2019s celebrated all of my milestones with me,\u201d Leiker said. \u201cIt\u2019s awesome to have my biggest cheerleader and someone who pushes me to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leiker is currently retailing her products in-store and online through Fancy That, her family\u2019s boutique on 8th Street. Looking to the future of DEFINE, she plans to start accepting payments for makeovers once she gets her license. She also wants to make education front and center on social media, so that more women can gain the skills to do their own hair and makeup for any occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n