Jamie Kern Lima
Jamie Kern Lima | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Jamie Marie Kern July 16, 1977[1] Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Washington State University, Columbia Business School |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Known for | Co-founder of IT Cosmetics |
| Television | KNDU Big Brother Baywatch |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Spouse | Paulo Lima[2] |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Miss Washington USA 2000[3] |
Jamie Kern Lima (née Jamie Marie Kern) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and media personality. She co-founded IT Cosmetics, which she sold to L'Oréal for $1.2 billion, in 2016, becoming the first female chief executive officer of a L'Oréal brand.[4] Kern Lima has been included on the Forbes' list of "America's Richest Self-Made Women," since 2017.[5][6]
Early life
Kern Lima was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in the city and also San Rafael, California.[7] She was the first member of her family to attend college and went to Washington State University, where she graduated valedictorian.[4][8] She received her Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, in 2004.[9] During college, she was a waitress at Denny's and bagged groceries at Safeway.[4] She learned, in her 20s, that she was adopted.[10]
Early career
Kern Lima won the Baywatch College Search, in 1999, and appeared on an episode of the television series. She won the title of Miss Washington USA, in late 1999, and she competed in the Miss USA 2000 pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri.[11] After considering a career in finance, she applied, on a dare, to be a contestant in the first season of the reality television series Big Brother.[4] Kern Lima was the last female houseguest left on that season.[12]
After Big Brother, she started her career as a morning news anchor at KNDU in Tri-Cities, Washington.[13][14] She also worked as a reporter and anchor for KNDU in Kennewick.[15] In 2006, she left KNDU and moved to Portland, Oregon to work as a news anchor and reporter for KPTV.[16]
Cosmetics career
In 2008, Kern Lima co-founded IT Cosmetics after having difficulties with makeup products due to rosacea and hyperpigmentation.[17] The business struggled over the following years as beauty retailers rejected her products. Kern Lima was featured on a 10-minute QVC segment in which she wiped her makeup off, revealing her bare face to illustrate the use of IT Cosmetics concealers. All products sold out by the end of the segment.[18]
Kern Lima appeared in more than 1,000 live QVC shows and IT Cosmetics became the largest beauty brand on QVC's network. By 2015, the company had more than $182 million in net sales.[4] Kern Lima remained with IT Cosmetics upon its acquisition by L'Oréal brand in 2016 until August 2019, when she announced she would be leaving the company.[19]
Personal life
Kern Lima resides in Los Angeles, California. She is married to Paulo Lima and has two children.[20]
Publications
- Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable. Gallery Books. March 25, 2021. ISBN 978-1-9821-5780-7.
- Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life. Hay House Inc. February 20, 2024. ISBN 978-1-4019-7760-3.
References
- ^ "Big Brother - Guest Profile". webcenter.bigbrother2000.aol.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2000.
- ^ Collins, Allison (August 29, 2019). "It Cosmetics Founder Jamie Kern Lima to Exit Business". Women's Wear Daily.
- ^ "NW Productions". Archived from the original on July 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Hess, Abigail (May 30, 2018). "This CEO went from bagging groceries to building a billion-dollar cosmetics business—here's how". CNBC. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ Scipioni, Jade (March 9, 2021). "IT Cosmetics Jamie Kern Lima: 'I lived completely burnt out for almost a decade'". CNBC. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Katie. "The Youngest Of America's Richest Self-Made Women". Forbes.
- ^ Carter, Madeline (March 18, 2021). "Believe It: Founder of IT Cosmetics got her start at KNDU/KNDO". NonStop Local Tri-Cities/Yakima.
- ^ Kickham, Debbi (October 27, 2019). "Billionaire Jamie Kern Lima's Top Travel Tips And Trips". Forbes.
- ^ "Jamie Kern Lima '04". Columbia Business School. March 28, 2019. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Believing It: How One Woman Overcame Self-Doubt | Psychology Today".
- ^ "Meet the Former News Anchor Who Started a Beauty Line". ABC News. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ Mendoza, Michael (September 28, 2000). "Jamie's exit from house leaves all-male finale". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
- ^ "How this former news anchor turned her beauty problems into a paycheck". Yahoo Life. August 14, 2017.
- ^ "IT Cosmetics CEO Jamie Kern Lima on building her billion-dollar makeup brand - CBS This Morning - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. May 31, 2017.
- ^ Carter, Madeline (March 18, 2021). "Believe It: Founder of IT Cosmetics got her start at KNDU/KNDO". NonStop Local Tri-Cities/Yakima. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ^ Sitt, Pamela (July 15, 2007). "Some girls have all the luck". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ^ Collins, Allison (July 22, 2016). "L'Oréal to Acquire IT Cosmetics for $1.2B".
- ^ "Beauty & Style". People.com.
- ^ Sorvino, Chloe. "L'Oreal's Only Female CEO, The Founder Of IT Cosmetics, Is Leaving". Forbes. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Collins, Allison (May 17, 2016). "IT Cosmetics' Jamie Kern Lima Stresses Authenticity". Women's Wear Daily.
