Author: Jamie Kern Lima
Believe IT tells the story of Jamie Kern Lima, who started as a struggling TV news anchor battling self-doubt and rosacea, then built IT Cosmetics from her living room into a billion-dollar brand. Her memoir explores how believing in your gut—and your worth—can lead to transformation beyond imagination.
Jamie wrote Believe IT after stepping down as CEO of IT Cosmetics, following its $1.2 billion acquisition by L’Oréal. Most of the story takes place in California, spanning from the late 2000s to the 2010s, as she recounts the rise of her company and the personal battles that accompanied it.
Jamie’s story begins in a newsroom. Her dream was to be a talk show host, but rosacea—a red, blotchy skin condition on her face—started to impact her confidence on camera. As makeup failed her under harsh lights, she had an idea: create cosmetics that worked for real people like her. In 2008, Jamie and her husband, Paulo, quit their jobs and launched IT Cosmetics from their living room.
It was a brutal climb. With no industry contacts, no money, and endless rejection, they hit dead end after dead end.
“It would be another year before I could pay myself, when my diet staples consisted of ramen noodles, $1 hot dogs… and frozen yogurt samples from the shop down the street.”
Still, she pressed on. Investor after investor turned her down, including one who bluntly said:
“I’m just not sure women will buy makeup from someone who looks like you. You know, with your body and weight.”
Beauty retailers echoed the skepticism. At a pivotal Sephora meeting, a top buyer told her, “Women don’t buy luxury beauty from images like that. You’ll have better luck going to mass.”
They didn’t believe natural faces, including Jamie’s with rosacea, fit the image of a luxury brand.
She disagreed—and kept going.
After years of hearing no, QVC, a television shopping network, finally gave her a chance: one ten-minute segment to sell over 6,000 units. Every expert told her to hide her rosacea and use flawless models. She didn’t. She went on live TV, wiped off her makeup, and showed her real skin.
“I was minutes away from what felt like the biggest moment of my life… and I was going to use my one shot to show them that ‘beautiful models’ should be every woman.”
The product sold out.
That moment sparked a movement. Jamie scaled QVC with hundreds of shows a year, always featuring real women—her own models, who were often women with acne, age spots, and shadows under their eyes. Still, opposition persisted. But her intuition never wavered:
“To venture into unmapped territory, sometimes we have to take the experts off the pedestal… and put our intuition onto one.”
In 2016, Jamie sold IT Cosmetics to L’Oréal, becoming the first woman to serve as CEO in their 100-year history.
Jamie wrote this memoir to share the truth behind her success—unfiltered, vulnerable, and honest. She wanted to show that self-doubt doesn’t disqualify you, and you can still win without fitting the mold. The key lesson she offers is simple but powerful: believe in yourself, even when no one else does. Whether you’re starting a business, facing rejection, or trying to feel worthy as you are, Jamie’s story proves that intuition and authenticity are stronger than any expert’s opinion.
“You have everything you need inside of you. It’s all in you already.”