Soula-Marie Perdis is the wife of Napoleon Perdis and mother of 4. She is the Chief Financial Officer and leads the Product Development team for Napoleon Perdis and NP Set.
We recently interviewed Soula-Marie about work and family life…
B&L: Tell us about your role and involvement with Napoleon Perdis and NP Set Cosmetics.
Soula-Marie: Napoleon and I launched the company 15 years ago and in that time, I’ve done every job imaginable.
These days, I am the CFO, in change of finance and operations, as well as heading up product development for both of our brands. I am also the chief mother hen and guinea pig—I test all the products!
B&L: What is it like working with your husband?
Soula-Marie: Napoleon and I balance each other very well—it’s the classic yin and yang. He’s the more zany creative type and I am the more practical type. But then I, too, can get swept up in a gorgeous lip shade or stellar new foundation that we’re working on.
Napoleon travels a little more than I do with meeting retailers and media. But, as the mother of four young girls, I need to be home in LA, so that suits me fine.
B&L: Have you always had a love for make-up?
Soula-Marie: Certainly since I was a teenager, and saw it’s transformation powers. Napoleon and I started off doing make-up for brides when we were still at university. The idea of making women feel special, not just on their wedding day but every day has always motivated us.
B&L: How have you felt seeing the brand expanding into what it is today?
Soula-Marie: We’re incredibly proud of our achievements, and we’re always aiming to do better.
B&L: What is your favourite product from the range?
Soula-Marie: That’s a tough one. I’ll always love our Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer because it’s the key product for every look.
I also love our NP Set Primers, especially the Pore Perfecting Primer, for the same reason. I’m also partial to the NP Set Eye Palettes, especially Amsterdam and Dublin. The colours are divine.
B&L: How do you decide which products will be added to the collection?
Soula-Marie: We review endless streams of new formulas. We monitor trends and we work with our manufacturers around the world to create what we’re envisaging.
Sometimes it’s just a hankering for a new colour or an interesting new ingredient. Other times we are reacting to the fact that our customers lead increasingly busy lives.
This autumn, we’re introducing dual-ended pens and portable makeup palettes for NP Set that addresses this phenomenon.
B&L: What is your number one beauty tip?
Soula-Marie: I have 3, in this order:
1) Prime
2) Mascara
3) Perfect colour match in foundation.
B&L: What does being a woman mean to you?
Soula-Marie: It means the right to look and feel beautiful every single day.
Beauty and Lace is an online magazine for women. We hope you enjoyed this article!