Here on BellaSugar, I'll be bringing you interviews with the faces behind some of my favorite beauty brands, and I thought I'd kick things off by chatting with Marissa Shipman, the founder and CEO of makeup company The Balm.

I recently lunched with Shipman in San Francisco, where her company is based, and we gabbed about how she got her start in the beauty biz, as well as her current and future products. After a number of years working in TV, the ingenue decided that she wanted to move from New York to the West Coast and start her own makeup company.

Shipman bought eleven makeup recipe books and began concocting her own potions in her kitchen. Her first product was a lip balm, and the name "The Balm" was born. The brand now has more than 10 products in more than 50 wearable and practical colors, and Shipman is humble, beautiful, and an extremely hard worker. To read the interview and get to know her better, read more