After working hard in college majoring in International Business, Mandana was sitting in a restaurant going through the want ads looking for a summer job.  The person sitting near her noticed what she was doing and after getting to know Mandana asked if she might be interested to work for her.  It was the Vice President of Marketing for Estée Lauder.  

After working the summer, Mandana realized she really loved the business.  She went on to work for other major cosmetic lines as a national  make-up artist such as Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Chanel and Guarlain.  She gravitated towards French companies because of her ability to speak fluent French (she also speaks Persian, English, Spanish, and even some Japanese).

Trained by the manufacturers, she started working in department stores demonstrating their products and training other make-up artists.  She realized she had a real knack for making women beautiful. And she used her techniques on women who were looking for a quick make-up with a natural look. 

"I always told my clients not to buy everything, just what they would actually use", Mandana said. She found women in San Francisco want make-up that is simple and quick. "They may want more dramatic make-up for evening wear, but generally they want to look natural" she said.

Since Mandana has spent the last nine years seeing what women want, she decided to start her own line of cosmetics.  Her focus at first is with the lips.  She sees this area greatly neglected by women.  When asked her web site: http://www.mandana.com she says:  "I don't see it as  the first and only way to sell cosmetics, but it is definitely a way for someone to re-order after they have sampled the product."  She hopes to one day have her products in all major stores like Neiman Marcus.

So far the lessons she's learned in this cosmetic business is to keep it simple with clients. "It is more important to make friends and be honest than to over-sell," she advises.

Mandana is a real princess.  Leaving Persia during the revolution there in 1979 her family settled in San Francisco and she loves it there.  Her title comes from her father who was part of the 250-year old Qajar Dynasty.  Her grandfather was born Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Firouz.  Over the span of his long life he acquired the titles of Salar-Lashkar (head of the army),  Nosrat-Doleh (victory of the state), Amir Tuman (chief of a thousand {soldiers}), and finally, the most illustrious of all, Farman Farma (commander of commanders).  After the Pahlavi's took over and deposed the Qajar dynasty, the family  kept the Farman Farma title as their last name.

If you would like to talk to Mandana call her at (415) 931-3445 or check out her web site at http://www.mandana.com.