Think outside the box: the pizza box, that is. One couple did, and found a new way for advertisers to reach their customers

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2004 by Nichole K. Torres

Strugano's mother persuaded a chemist they found through the Yellow Pages to not only take a chance on the young entrepreneur, but also to waive the expensive lab fees, charging only what Strugano could afford. Turned away by packaging companies, she bought jelly bean jars from a craft store, and her mother's friend decorated the caps. Working on her own from home, Strugano was able to place her sparkle sets on consignment at several trendy stores in the Los Angeles area to see what kind of clientele would be attracted to the product. Each store sold out of girlactik in the first month.

She's since expanded the redesigned product line to include brushes, mascara, lip gloss, shimmering eye and body powder, and more. Today, celebrities like Ali Landry and Kelly Osborne are glowing with girlactik, which projects 2004 sales of $500,000 to $600,000. Sold in boutiques and beauty stores across the country and online at www.girlactik.com, Strugano has now signed a deal to offer girlactik products in Japan. Even with little start-up capital, she's succeeded in reaching for the stars.--April Y. Pennington