Pink Mascara: Leaving Its Own Mark
As the name suggests, Pink Mascara (www.pinkmascara.com) is a Web site for the feminine shopper looking for the latest fashion find. The e-tail site, specializing in contemporary fashion, is the brainchild of the mother-and-daughter team of Carol and Renee McCracken.
The Costa Mesa, Calif.–based site launched in 2002 with a product mix of primarily handbags.
“We didn’t anticipate the site would grow the way it has,” Carol McCracken said. “It started as a fun little project, and many of our competitors from back then are no longer around.”
The number of visitors to Pink Mascara has increased 30 percent a year, she said.
Since 2002, online retail sales have steadily grown. According to a recent research study conducted by Shop.org and Forrester Research Inc., apparel accounts for $26.6 billion in online sales, surpassing computers and automobiles.
With more shoppers flocking to the Web for their fashion fix, the McCrackens have come up with ways to ensure the site does not get stale. “We add new items every week and do new photo shoots,” Carol McCracken said. “We change the front page frequently and link to different social networking sites, such as MySpace.”
Pink Mascara opened a bricks-and-mortar store in Irvine, Calif., in 2007 to gain “more credibility with designers and brands,” according to Carol McCracken. The e-tail entrepreneurs saw the bricks-and-mortar store as an opportunity to expand their designer list and to create a local presence in the Orange County community.
Renee McCracken’s background includes a modeling career and a degree in film and television from Chapman University in Orange, Calif. As Pink Mascara’s principal buyer, Renee McCracken has her finger on the pulse of up-and-coming fashions and dictates the vision for the site, according to Carol McCracken, who handles the business and tech operations.
“The site can be a place to bring on new designers to try out and see how they do,” Carol McCracken said. One of Renee McCracken’s finds was footwear by Emeryville, Calif.–based Dolce Vita, and Pink Mascara was one of the first retailers to carry the brand. Another highlight for the site was the chance to take part in the HBO Luxury Lounge gifting suite at the 2004 Golden Globes Awards.
Current top sellers include Los Angeles–based Citizens of Humanity jeans, retail priced between $150 and $237; New York designer label Amanda Uprichard, retailing between $172 and $253; and Los Angeles–based Black Halo, retailing between $248 and $345.
The McCrackens said they plan to update the design of the site and add new features to the checkout functions. Also in the works is Pink Mascara Kids, which launches this fall with fashion and accessories for children. The childrenswear site was inspired by Renee McCracken, who recently gave birth to her first child. —Connie Cho
