The Faces of Passion, Boldness & Inspiration

We expect models on the covers of magazines to look amazing, fresh-faced and exuberant. Naturally or edited, they are easy to spot in the fashion landscape. Beautiful as they are, however, there is always something surreal about them. Many women, then, view such super-beauty as suspect, not to be trusted. Admittedly, it can be difficult to trust the beauty advice of a model or Hollywood starlet with access to plenty of botox and $300 face creams!

What is the real deal advice for hardworking women in business to put their best face forward everyday at the office? Who should be our role models? Well, real businesswomen of course!

Beauty products come and go, and although these vibrant women with beautiful skin might inspire us to remember to cleanse, freshen, hydrate and protect our skin from the elements everyday, but they also remind us of the glow success brings.

Ruzwana Bashir, Angela Ahrendts, and Oprah Winfrey are beautiful women in business who vary in age from 31 to 60 years old and work tremendously busy schedules. All of them have beautiful skin to go with their beautiful and successful careers. Although a fresh looking face might entice a woman to have a chemical peel or splurge on an expensive night cream, no topical product can generate their variety of beauty; the type of beauty that is fueled by passion, boldness and inspiration.

PASSION: Ruzwana Bashir
Co-Founder and CEO of Peek, an online and App source for customized travel matched with the traveler’s interests, Ruzwana Bashir is young and glowing. Bashir, recently featured in Tumi’s Global Citizens campaign is the perfect “muse” for professional women, with an impressive resume that includes an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BA in Economics from Oxford University. Her company bio calls her a “travel junkie” who “navigated her way through 40 countries.” Passion for one’s job certainly appears to agree with Bashir’s skin. Perhaps one secret to beautiful skin is loving one’s job even when working 16-hour days, six days a week. Passion brings vibrant color and life to a woman’s face.

BOLDNESS: Angela Ahrendts
Angela Ahrendts, the woman charged with taking Apple Retail operations to new heights as the Senior VP of Retail and Online Stores, has a reputation for boldness. In her previous role as CEO of Burberry, Ahrendts turned the fashion house around and dramatically increased its market share and returns on stock by boldly leading Burberry into the digital age. Ahrendts sought to refocus Burberry and make something old, tried, and true, new again. Ahrendts understood that brand consistency was an integral part of Burberry’s past and future. Therefore, Ahrendts refocused the company’s attention on their very recognizable print to make it a household name known for luxury around the globe. Boldness firmly smoothes fine lines more effectively than wrinkle creams or moisturizers when a woman stands firm in her beliefs and goes where others do not dare.

INSPIRATION: Oprah Winfrey
Only a handful of people in the world are so well known that they are recognized by only one name: Ghandi, Elvis, Madonna…Oprah. Oprah Winfrey was the queen of branding before branding became a “thing.” A hallmark of Oprah’s brand is inspiration. She inspired audiences to diet, to read, to live life to the fullest and to own everything about them good or bad.  From her talk show to her magazine and now to her OWN network, Oprah’s name is synonymous with an infectious positivity. She inspires women to do more, to be more, and to hope for more. Inspiration creates a glow that no scrub or facial mask can provide.

Choosing the right cleaner or moisturizer might temporarily make your face appear fresh and bright, but the long-term effects of the wrong position or a career path you dislike will eventually take their toll. To put your best face forward everyday, follow the paths of these amazing women. Do that which you are passionate about, be bold in your endeavors, and find and share inspiration. Passion, boldness and inspiration will make you more beautiful than cleansers, moisturizers and masks any day.