18 Facts About Helena Rubinstein

Helena Rubinstein's father was a shopkeeper in Krakow, Lesser Poland, which was then occupied by Austria-Hungary following the partitions of Poland in the late 18th century.

Helena Rubinstein spotted a market where she began to make her own.

Helena Rubinstein had a falling out with her uncle, but after a stint as a bush governess began waitressing at the Winter Garden tearooms in Melbourne.

In 1908, her sister Ceska assumed the Melbourne shop's operation, and with $100,000, Helena Rubinstein moved to London and began what was to become an international enterprise.

Helena Rubinstein's husband helped with writing the publicity and set up a small publishing house, published Lady Chatterley's Lover and hired Samuel Putnam to translate famous model Alice Prin's memoirs, Kiki's Memoirs.

Helena Rubinstein threw lavish dinner parties and became known for apocryphal quips, such as when an intoxicated French ambassador expressed vitriol toward Edith Sitwell and her brother Sacheverell: Helena Rubinstein, who knew little French, asked a guest what the ambassador had said.

Helena Rubinstein summarily dismissed him because "he smelt of mothballs".

Helena Rubinstein opened up the boundless American market, and she skilfully used it, despite serious competitors.

From 1917, Helena Rubinstein took on the manufacturing and wholesale distribution of her products.

Helena Rubinstein commissioned artist Salvador Dali to design a powder compact as well a portrait of herself in 1943, titled Princess Arthchild Gourielle-Helena Rubinstein.

Eager for a regal title, Helena Rubinstein pursued the handsome man avidly and named a male cosmetics line after her youthful prized catch.

Helena Rubinstein took a packed lunch to work and was frugal in many matters, but bought top-fashion clothing and valuable fine art and furniture.

In 1959, Helena Rubinstein represented the US cosmetics industry at the American National Exhibition in Moscow.

Helena Rubinstein died April 1,1965, of natural causes and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens.

Helena Rubinstein pioneered the use of pseudo-science in marketing, donning a lab coat in many advertisements, despite the fact that her only training had been a two-month tour of European skin-care facilities.

Helena Rubinstein knew how to manipulate consumers' status anxiety, as well: If a product faltered initially, she would hike the price to raise the perceived value.

In 1973, the company Helena Rubinstein, Inc was sold to Colgate-Palmolive.

The Manhattan Jewish Museum hosted the exhibition "Helena Rubinstein: Beauty Is Power", the first museum show devoted to Rubinstein, from October 31,2014, until March 22,2015.