FASHION
MAKEUP MENTSH
BY KERI GUTEN
COHEN
■
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
B R E T T MOUNTAIN
Ramy crafted his
cosmetics to
counter ravages of
cancer treatment.
Ramy Gafni, New York makeup artist and cosmetics
maker, at Veronica's Closet in Northville.
ou've got to have some Jewish
blood in your veins to name lip-
sticks in your cosmetics line
Shiksa!, Chutzpah! and Kvetch!
Born to Israeli parents, Ramy Gafni grew up
in Brooklyn, with frequent trips to visit family
in Israel. His early education was at the Yeshiva
Day School of South Queens, and he speaks
fluent Hebrew.
So, what's a nice Jewish boy doing with his
own line of cosmetics — Ramy Beauty
Therapy — and a reputation as "eyebrow
guru" to the stars?
"I went to law school for a year, then
dropped out," he said by phone from his
RamySpa in Manhattan. "I wanted to get as far
away from New York as possible, but where
people still spoke English, so I went to beauty
school in Australia. I'd always done makeup as
a hobby, but never considered it a career
option, but I needed to find a niche or go back
to law school."
What followed were professional makeup
artist jobs back in New York at Barney's, Bobbi
Brown and the hip Brad Johns Salon as well as
freelance gigs that took him to Singapore and
y
Europe. During this time, he became known
for his artistry with eyebrows, which led to
work with such celebrities as Halle Berry, Cher,
Renee Zellweger, Debra Messing, Ray
Romano, Carol Burnett, Regis Philbin, Joan
Rivers and many more.
Then, in 1997, he was diagnosed with non-
Hodgkin's lymphoma. The cancer was caught
early, but six months of chemotherapy and
radiation treatments wreaked havoc on his
appearance.
"I had all sorts of tricks to make myself not
look like I was going through treatment and to
make myself feel good, not sickly," Ramy said.
Ramy Beauty Therapy was born from that
experience. "I wanted to share all my secrets
and tricks with others dealing with cancer,"
said the 38-year-old, whose book Rainy Gafiii's
Cancer Beauty Therapy: The Ultimate Guide to
Looking and Feeling Great While Living with
Cancer is soon to be released.
"Giving back is important," he said.
Profits from several of his products benefit
cancer organizations, for example.
Employing his long-standing philosophy of
"minimum makeup, maximum impact," Ramy
launched his holistic approach to beauty with
products formulated with anti-oxidant vita-
mins, avocado oil and sunscreens. "It's a com-
bination of science and nature that looks good,
but is good for the skin, too," he said.
His products are unusual in that he has a
basic line with a few universal shades that look
good on every skin tone and take some of the
guesswork out of selecting makeup. He also
makes products that are multi-purpose, such as
his Face Gloss, which is one color that can be
used on cheeks, lids and lips.
"When Ramy was here in October, we had
an incredible turnout — some people had seen
him on Oprah,"' says Veronica Golubovic,
owner of Veronica's Closet, a Northville bou-
tique that carries the Ramy line exclusively in
Michigan. "A lot of people walked in with
more makeup on their faces then when they
walked out because of his minimalist approach.
Ramy, easy-going and sincere on the phone,
said his goal is "very individualistic, based on
people embracing their own physical appear-
ance — imperfections and all — because it's
make us unique rather than a generic Barbie
doll."
❑
JNPLATINUM • JANUARY 2005 •
5