The history behind the name: Family-owned and operated brand Chantecaille is run by mom Sylvie, a French woman with more than 25 years in the beauty business. Her husband Olivier and their two daughters Olivia and Alexandra also work for the company, which is based in New York City.
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Guerlain
How to pronounce it: gerr-lahn (the n is silent)
The history behind the name: The Guerlain family fragrance business stretches back over five generations and is among the oldest in the world. In 1828, perfume maker Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain hung his first shingle on 42 Rue de Rivoli in Paris.
For 12 years he and his two sons created custom fragrances for an exclusive clientele and in 1840 opened their flagship boutique on Rue de la Paix. By the mid-19th century, the house had been named "His Majesty's Official Perfumer" by France and they soon created fragrances for many members of European royalty including Britain's Queen Victoria.
When it comes to makeup and beauty brands, there are those good old, simple-to-say American brands like CoverGirl or Revlon. Then there are intimidating foreign names like Shu Uemura that can leave you feeling like Nomi in "Showgirls" when she says her couture gown is "Ver-SAYCE" instead of "Ver-Sa-Chee." Read: more than a little mortified.
So why is it so hard to figure out how to say the names of some beauty brands? (Heck, even non-beauty brands -- Miu-Miu, anyone?)
Number one: many hail from far away lands where they make complete sense to the locals but are undecipherable to us foreigners. Number two: more than a few are simply foreign people's names -- again easy-to-pronounce if you're from the specific country but less so when you're not. (ie. Yves Saint Laurent = Eve Sahn Loran) Number three: some are simply made up words derived from the founder's past or some driving force behind the business. Those are the most difficult to figure out because, unlike trying to pronounce, say, an Japanese or French last name, even the bilingual among us don't have a clue where to begin.
In an effort to help you become the most well-rounded makeup and beauty brand connoisseurs possible, Total Beauty brings you unbiased reviews, and proffers all sorts of beauty advice. Now we're here to offer up this pronunciation guide. Click on through and you'll find out how to say the names of 10 very popular brands -- and you'll also learn a little bit about their history and what/who they're named after.
Banished forever will be those moments spent cowering at Sephora too shy to ask for a product by name. (It may be hokey, but knowledge really is king.)
