The first step on that journey was becoming a freelance makeup artist. Drawing from her pageant and modeling experience - and picking up tips from her mother, who did makeup for friends and always looked gorgeous herself - Ramirez chose to go behind the pageant curtains and apply others' makeup. "One thing I learned from my mom," Ramirez says, "is to never leave home without trying look your best. I was always fascinated by how she [took] care of herself. It was so much fun for me to see her teaching and showing other women how to look their best." 
Ramirez hoped that she would be able to help other women avoid the experience of feeling masked by their makeup. But her options were severely limited by the products available to her on the market. She would mix products together to get more effective colors, but she knew that something was missing. And she knew she had to do something about it. "I was motivated out of frustration," Ramirez says. "It was a necessity." 

With a combination of her personal savings and what she calls an "angel investor," Ramirez was able to fund Zalia. Along the way she encountered not a small number of people who were concerned that Zalia's products would appeal only to a very small market. "They thought I was limiting myself," Ramirez says. "They didn't realize how much of a need there was." 
What Ramirez knew was that Zalia would be meeting the cosmetic needs of many women; it was not a question of limiting herself but of providing opportunities to the Latina community. "I felt and continue to feel that there is more to Zalia than just a cosmetics line that works well for certain women. Zalia is 'More than Beauty,'" she says. "It is a part of the Latino community; Zalia is a lifestyle."

 

After it was created four years ago, Zalia's products were tested in a few salons for a trial period. Ramirez, 28 at the time, was able to experiment with her products, make changes, and ensure that the shades and formulas would actually work for Latina complexions. Then, a year and a half ago, with the help of her business partners Khaled Haram and Peter MacDonald, Ramirez "started putting the wheels of growth in motion."

With locations already in New York and New Jersey, on Aug. 10 Zalia also became available at select Victoria's Secret Beauty locations in Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas and New York City. "We hope this new partnership will make Zalia products available to more Latinas in the U.S. faster," says Ramirez. The cosmetics line is also available online at www.zalia.com. 

Based on the idea of providing a service to a community that needed it, Zalia is dedicated to giving back in the form of charity as well. Since the very beginning Ramirez has donated three percent of Zalia's earnings to Latino charities that support job creation and provide entrepreneurial guidance, as well as to programs committed to the advancement of Hispanic women. Ramirez also sits on the boards of several organizations, including Loisaida Inc., which offers assistance to the children of low-income Latino families in the Lower East Side of New York City. 

Zalia is founded on strong principles regarding beauty, which Ramirez defines as "an attitude of pride, self-empowerment and self-expression. We are beautiful because of our energy, our passion and our confidence. Zalia understands our uniqueness, our ese algo that each of us possesses."