beautyblender prototype makeup sponge
date: label: date made
content: 2005
notes: label: Description
content: This object represents the history of the beautyblender Company, which was founded by Rea Ann Silva (1961-). Silva began her career as a make-up artist in 1989. After spending more than a decade honing her craft, Silva became one of the first make-up artists to begin working on clients in high definition TV, working with artist such as 2Pac and Brandy and on televisions shows such as UPN’s Girlfriends. Silva began creating what is now the original beautyblender sponge in 2002. Her sponge replicated the effects of airbrushing, but without requiring cumbersome equipment. By 2003, Silva incorporated the company and the iconic hot pink sponge hit the commercial markets, immediately making a splash. Since the creation of the sponge, the company has expanded its offering to include makeup brushes, cleansers, primers and most recently, a foundation line called Bounce. Always setting trends, Bounce is notable for its extensive color range of 40 shades. Silva, a Latina, has never shied away from asserting her pride in being a woman of color. In fact, she credits her heritage, personal background, and perseverance through adversity as contributing factors to her success.
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, Los Angeles
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Work
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2019.0335.01
label: accession number
content: 2019.0335
label: catalog number
content: 2019.0335.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sponge, makeup
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: hydrophilic foam (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: orange (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3.5 cm x 2 cm; 1 3/8 in x 25/32 in