It's a chain of boutiques that spans the country, has merchandise carried by the nationwide cosmetics superstore Ulta and is a consistent top seller on QVC, an online and TV-based mass merchandiser. However, Bare Escentuals has never forgotten its local roots, nor does it ever plan to, according to CEO Leslie Blodgett.

A fact that many people don't know, she says, is that the first Bare Escentuals popped up right here in Los Gatos. It was founded by Los Gatos entrepreneur Diane Richardson, who ran the company until 1990. Blodgett, a Marin resident who frequently visits Bare Escentuals' many Bay Area boutiques, took the helm of the company in 1994. She brought many years of experience in the skin and body care industry with her, including a position with industry giant Neutrogena.

"The Bare Escentuals concept in the beginning was to be as natural as possible. When you think of the beauty products on the market at that time, having pure cosmetics with botanical ingredients was a very new idea," Blodgett says.

"It used to be, people would look at minerals in a jar and think, 'How can this be [facial] foundation? I need my liquid!' " she says, chuckling at the limited makeup formulations available two decades ago.

"Our loose powder has no talc or preservatives. It's just ground up rocks! It contains no oils, so it's good for oily skin. But the minerals are ground so fine that the powder has a creamy feel, so it's good for dry skin, too," she adds.

Nowadays, Blodgett says, many companies that manufacture makeup, bath and body products use earth- and plant-derived substances, but Bare Escentuals was the pioneer. It has since expanded to offer body washes, scrubs, lotions and effervescent bath balls; aromatherapy products custom-blended in the store; and glycerin soaps, lip treatments, candles, foot soaks and scrubs and facial exfoliators and masks. And then there's one of the shop's best-kept secrets: First Garden, an "es-sensual" line of exotically edible oils, balms, nectars, lotions and potions.

In connection with the recent updating and repackaging of Ethereals, its signature bath and body collection, along with recently earning Vendor of the Year recognition from QVC from among 2,500 other competitors, Bare Escentuals threw a party in its Los Gatos store, located at 155 N. Santa Cruz Ave., on
Nov. 15.

Blodgett says that some Bare Escentuals products debuted in Los Gatos before being sold in all the other boutiques. "The clientele here is perfect for our lines; they have great taste, and they care about what they put on and in their bodies."