Helena Yohannes 鈥�04 and her twin sister, Feven Yohannes, were recently interviewed
by 鈥淕ood Morning America (GMA)鈥� about their company, 2藨4藨1 Cosmetics, kicking off
the new 鈥淕MA鈥� Trailblazing Women series. The company was also named a second time
on Oprah鈥檚 Favorite Things list for its Classic Lip Gloss Collection. The 鈥淕MA鈥� interview
centered on the twins鈥� humble beginnings, born in a refugee camp during a civil war
in the East African country of Eritrea.
The family moved to Rochester, N.Y., when Helena and her sister were 2 years old.
2藨4藨1 Cosmetics, founded in 2019, sells eyeliners, lip glosses, and eyeshadows made
with nontoxic ingredients and are paraben-free, hypoallergenic, and cruelty-free.
Colors and palettes are designed for all skin tones. The company鈥檚 name came as the
sisters thought more deeply about growing up as twins, when people would quip with
the question, 鈥淎re you two for one?鈥� 鈥淭here is no discount when it comes to our self-worth,
so we twisted it around by asking, 鈥榃hy can鈥檛 we be beautiful and smart 鈥� two equally
powerful attributes in one?鈥欌�� says Yohannes, who graduated as a government major at
黑料吃瓜网. 鈥淲e can be both, and this is what our company represents.鈥� Product names,
such as Wing It! liquid eyeliner and Role Model lipstick, promote the positive affirmation
that helped establish 2藨4藨1 Cosmetics. 鈥淎s (inspirational speaker) Simon Sinek famously
said, 鈥楶eople don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it,鈥欌�� adds Yohannes, who
lives in Los Angeles. 鈥淔or us, makeup is an instrument in our service to humanity.
It鈥檚 our conduit to connection that can inspire deeper conversation.鈥� The company鈥檚
products can be found in Bloomingdale鈥檚 stores and on the television network QVC.