Tyra Banks on Fierce new cosmetics line TYRA: ‘Makeup is the Great Equalizer’

She's more than just a pretty face.

Victoria's Secret supermodel-turned-entrepreneur Tyra Banks is proving her fierceness in the business and beauty arena with the launch of her eponymous new makeup line, TYRA.

"I wanted to make a makeup line because of my personal story," the 40-year-old Banks told the Daily News. "Believe it or not, I don't wake up looking like a supermodel," she continued. "My beauty is enhanced by things in a bottle ... Makeup is the great equalizer.”

And like everything Banks has a hand in, from the "America's Next Top Model" empire to other entrepreneurial pursuits, nothing is ever dull or subtle. It's not just mascara, it's "Smack My Fat Lash" mascara. And don't call it a makeup line — it's a "cosmetics experience."
"I didn't want to do just a mascara or any blush," Banks told The News. "We're obsessed with being first, unique or best. All of our products took a long time to develop, and we had our fair share of problems."
One problem? How to get the perfect cat eye. "One gets thicker than the other, then you have all of these mistake marks over your face," Banks laughed. Total drektude.
The solution? A double-edged liner duo with a felt "oops" section to correct the most egregious of flicked liner.

That, Banks said, helps any woman get the perfect "smize," or smiling eyes.
But Banks didn't enter into the entrepreneurial arena cold. The former model took a nine-week executive education training program at Harvard Business School in 2012, something she said prepared her for the nuts and bolts of business — from the importance of accounting to anticipating the needs of the customer. And all of TYRA, she said, is so far self-funded.

"It's very much like Silicon Valley," she said. "A person on my team is living at home with me — day and night we're thinking about the brand, figuring out how to improve."
Banks, who said she was also inspired by her mother's incredible work ethic in order to give her and her brother a better life, is planning to sell the eyeshadows, blushes and face contour exclusively through "BEAUTYTAINMENT." What's that, you ask?
Like a fiercer Avon lady, these Beautytainers will sell directly to consumers — meaning that you won't be able to buy "Sculpt in a Stick" at any Sephora. This, Banks said, is to give women financial freedom and be empowered all at once.

"We are often told we can't have brains and beauty, and I really hope that my message is that you can put on that red lip and curl your hair and put on that power dress — you don't have to sacrifice one for the other," she said.
"I think we should be unapologetic that we excel — and look beautiful while doing it."