The character arc of Jamie Kern Lima
Born 16 July 1977 in Seattle, the first in her family to attend college. Between then and now sit shifts waiting tables at Denny's, years anchoring the local news, a beauty brand started in her living room in 2008, three years of rejection and a nearly empty bank account, a single QVC spot in 2010 that sold out in about ten minutes, a 1.2 billion dollar sale to L'Oréal in 2016 that made her the first female chief executive of a L'Oréal brand, and two bestselling books. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Jamie Kern Lima?
She built a billion-dollar brand from her living room.
She was born in Seattle in 1977 and was the first in her family to go to college, waiting tables at Denny's and bagging groceries to pay her way through Washington State University, where she graduated valedictorian. An MBA from Columbia followed, and then a career on camera, anchoring the local news in Washington and later in Portland, Oregon. On air she struggled to find makeup that worked for her own skin, and the idea for a company began there.
In 2008 she and her husband Paulo started IT Cosmetics from their living room. The line does not run straight up. For three years the answer was no: retailers passed, investors passed, and she was told more than once that no one would buy makeup from someone with her face and body. She did not pay herself, and at one low point the business had less than a thousand dollars in the bank. She kept going, betting the little that was left on one chance.
That chance was a ten-minute spot on the shopping channel QVC in 2010. The concealer she brought sold out in about ten minutes, and the brand turned. It grew into the largest beauty brand on the network, and in 2016 L'Oréal acquired IT Cosmetics for about 1.2 billion dollars, making her the first female chief executive of a L'Oréal brand in its long history. She left the company in 2019 and went on to write two bestselling books, Believe IT and Worthy, about the belief and self-worth that carried her through the years of no.
The moments
Jamie Kern Lima's timeline.
The 1970s
Born in Seattle
Milestone, and it changed her direction. Born in Seattle, Washington, the start of the line drawn here.
The 1990s
Waiting tables at Denny's
Everyday. The first in her family to attend college, she waited tables at Denny's and bagged groceries to pay her way through Washington State University, graduating valedictorian.
The 2000s
An MBA from Columbia
Milestone. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, then moved into a career on camera.
Anchoring the local news
Milestone, and it changed her direction. She worked as a local television news anchor, first in Washington and then in Portland, Oregon, where trouble finding makeup for her own skin planted the idea for a company.
Founded IT Cosmetics at home
Milestone, and it changed everything. She and her husband Paulo started IT Cosmetics from their living room, building skincare-based makeup for real skin concerns.
Three years of no
Setback, and it changed her direction. For three years the answer was no from retailers and investors, she was told no one would buy makeup from someone with her face and body, she did not pay herself, and at one point the business held less than a thousand dollars.
The 2010s
Bet it all, or fold
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: put everything on one spot, taken, or wind the business down. The concealer sold out in about ten minutes, and six years later the company sold to L'Oréal for about 1.2 billion dollars.
The QVC spot sells out
Milestone, and it changed everything. Given a ten-minute spot on the shopping channel QVC, the concealer she brought sold out in about ten minutes, and the brand turned.
Largest brand on QVC
Milestone. IT Cosmetics grew into the largest beauty brand on the QVC network, reaching net sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Sell, or keep building alone
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: join a global house, taken, or stay fully independent. The sale closed at about 1.2 billion dollars and made her the first female chief executive of a L'Oréal brand.
Sold to L'Oréal
Milestone, and it changed everything. L'Oréal acquired IT Cosmetics for about 1.2 billion dollars, and she became the first female chief executive of a L'Oréal brand in its long history.
Leaving the company she built
Everyday. She stepped away from IT Cosmetics, closing the chapter she had opened in a living room eleven years earlier.
The 2020s
Her first book, Believe It
Milestone, and it changed her direction. She published Believe IT, on going from underestimated to unstoppable, which became a bestseller.
A second book, Worthy
Milestone, and it changed her direction. She published Worthy, on believing you are enough, which spent many weeks on the bestseller list.
A podcast of her own
Milestone. She launched The Jamie Kern Lima Show, a self-improvement podcast with Oprah Winfrey as her first guest, which later won a Gracie Award.
Still building in 2026
Everyday. The line reaches 2026 with her still writing, speaking and hosting, carrying the story of the years of no to new rooms.
The line reaches today still building, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What the years of rejection set moving is already in the world: a brand millions use, and a plain, stubborn idea that being told no is not the same as being wrong.
In her words
Quotes by Jamie Kern Lima
Authenticity is your superpower.
Rejection is God's protection.
Your turn
Every story draws a unique line.
Hers is decades in and still being drawn. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about three minutes.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Jamie Kern Lima, verified 17 September 2026.
- Forbes, profile of Jamie Kern Lima, and How Jamie Kern Lima Built IT Cosmetics Into A 1.2 Billion Business, 2017.
- CNBC, Jamie Kern Lima on handling rejection while building IT Cosmetics, 23 February 2021.
- Foundr, Jamie Kern Lima Used 10 Minutes to Create a Billion-Dollar Business.
- L'Oréal Group, Visionaries: Jamie Kern Lima, Former TV News Anchor, Entrepreneur, Founder of IT Cosmetics.
- Simon & Schuster, official author page for Jamie Kern Lima.
- A recurring line from her book Believe IT and her public talks.
- Widely reported interview and talk remarks.