If you’re an avid follower of all things beauty, you’re familiar with the constantly blurring line between makeup and skin care. More and more, we’re witnessing the creation of brands like Tower 28 Beauty that marry skin benefits with color cosmetics. To find out more about this category, we chatted with Amy Liu, founder and CEO of Tower 28. Ahead, she explains what makes her line sensitive skin-friendly (seriously, two products have been approved by the National Eczema Association!), what goes into her current beauty routine, and the moment in her career she’s most proud of to date. Tell us a little bit about your background in beauty and how you got started in the field?I've worked in the beauty industry for 16-plus years now. During my first year in business school at the University of Southern California, I went to a school event and sat next to industry legend Michelle Taylor (former CEO of Kate Somerville Skincare, former President at Kiehl’s). I offered to be her unpaid intern and commuted up to Santa Barbara for months where I received so much insightful experience. I helped her write a business plan for a cosmetics startup and was hooked. After that, I interned for Maybelline and have worked in the beauty industry ever since — sometimes at large companies and some smaller ones. I’ve worked with Smashbox, Kate Somerville, Josie Maran and more, always with the intention of doing something on my own in the future.What was the concept behind the creation of Tower 28? Why makeup for sensitive skin specifically?I've struggled with eczema my entire adult life. Having sensitive skin as a beauty executive is not easy, especially when you are tasked with selling in the latest and greatest skin-perfecting products and your own skin is unreliable to test on. I found myself looking for products that were clean and good for my sensitive skin, not to mention products that were fun and cool, not medicinal and clinical. There have always been options for sensitive skin in skin care, but less in color cosmetics. Tower 28 is my answer. Lifeguard towers in Santa Monica (where I live) are numbered 1-30, and Tower 28 was always the one I went to with my friends. Not only is it a literal sign of safety, but I also love that the beach is a place that symbolizes community — it's a place where everyone gets to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and that is super important to me, too.  Our products are all $30 and under because I want it to be accessible.
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