Two sisters become millionaires by creating makeup brushes in their garage

Two sisters have become millionaires after selling makeup brushes to Hollywood movie companies. Sophie Pycroft, 30, and sister Hannah, 28, started making makeup brushes in their garage, turning it into a business, Spectrum Collections, which is now worth £12 million. 

The sisters have signed a deal with Disney to produce a collection of colourful brushes based on The Little Mermaid. Alongside this, the women also have a similar deal with Paramount with a Mean Girls range. Hannah said: ‘It is an incredible honour to be working with a global brand so rich in heritage.

‘We love Disney and the nostalgia it brings which has inspired our collections. It really is a dream come true for Sophie, myself and the team. ‘We grew up with Disney and for us it represents a magical, colourful and inspirational world. 

‘Combined with our own experience of starting in a garage and rising to great success along with how Disney inspires everyone to ‘dream big’, hopefully the collection is inspirational to our customers and fans of both brands. 

‘We’re really excited to be able to offer a piece of nostalgia, combined with on-trend design and ethical material choices which we hope will be a hit with consumers spanning generations.’ 

Hannah and Sophie came up with the idea for their makeup brush business while on a family holiday with their parents. They were brainstorming with their mum and dad around a pool.

Sophie said they began working from her garage in Barry, South Wales, to get their idea off the ground. She said: ‘There’s no window in the garage – we were pale and greasy, working in our pyjamas and living off Hobnobs. 

‘We had an Ikea bookshelf flipped on its side where we did all the packing and the only time we broke for daylight was when the Hermes van arrived or one of our dogs started scratching to go out.’

Sophie added that despite having little money in the business, she was always confident that the business was going to be a success. 

And it quickly turned into one after the girls built a steady social media following on Instagram, where the brand gained interest from major companies. 

She said: ‘We had no backers, we were relying on the generosity of our partners and family. We missed Christmas, birthdays, Valentine’s Days – we rarely saw our other halves. 

‘But we always knew it was going to work.’