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Go Team! Westchester Native Figures Out A Better Face Paint Solution

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. -- Imagine rooting for your team -- with colorful face paint --- while also treating your skin to a facial.

A new face paint created by a Fairfield County mom alleviates breakouts.

A new face paint created by a Fairfield County mom alleviates breakouts.

Photo Credit: FanMasque
Bethel, Conn. resident Adrienne Austermann, founder of FanMasque.

Bethel, Conn. resident Adrienne Austermann, founder of FanMasque.

Photo Credit: Submitted
Showing team spirit with FanMasque.

Showing team spirit with FanMasque.

Photo Credit: FanMasque

Sound too good to be true? Connecticut Art Teacher Adrienne Austermann -- despite not having a business background or skincare experience -- has you covered.

Her new product, FanMasque, allows fans to wear their team's favorite shades -- on their face --  and not worry about breakouts or stains. 

Austermann, who grew up in Yorktown Heights, said she came up with the idea after viewing a friend's Facebook post which showed a picture of her children geared up to watch a Giant's game. 

"Her daughter was wearing a typical facial masque and the caption was something along the lines of 'My kids have their game face on,'" she said.

With Austermann's kids home from winter break, the three started a discussion about why many girls never used face paint at the UConn football games where they often tailgated. 

"I was expecting to hear things like, 'Because they're messy,' or 'We don't want to look silly,' things like that," said Austermann. "But the answers were always about the negative affects the face paints were having on their skin, breakouts, staining, little bumps along the hairline."

The entrepreneur -- a former advertising art director for an international firm -- said she thrives on creative challenges and so, set out to find a solution.

"I figured there was a need in the market and I was going to figure it out," she said.

She started backward, thinking about what ingredients would be good for the skin, how the masque would fit in with the environment, and what colors to use.

The experimenting took place in her kitchen after her day job where she'd work 'like a mad scientist 'until she was satisfied.

The result? Eighteen colors with the most popular being Bleed Blue Navy, Spirit White, Superfan Silver and Black Knight. She launched in July 2016 and then did a lot of customer feedback.

With Halloween, she saw sales spike. "It's perfect for that holiday," she said.

She also does custom corporate colors.

For now, Austermann, who now lives in Bethel, Conn., is focused on marketing and contemplating adding a more cosmetic friendly color pallet for body paint.

"I have so many ideas of how to expand this into a big lifestyle brand, but I'm taking things one step at a time," she said. 

One goal is to connect with breast cancer awareness organizations as she will donate 50 percent of any profits from the color "Think Pink" to breast cancer research.

At the moment, FanMasque, with the motto "Where Spa Meets Sport," is available online only though she is open to partnerships where there is an in-store point of sale presence at a retail location.

She stressed that even if you don't have a team you root for, FanMasque makes for a great at-home treatment. "FanMasque alone as a spa facial is a great value; plus you can get over a dozen full facials from one container which is a fun colorful, instagramable way to give yourself and your friends a facial."

Go to www.fanmasque.com for more information. 

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