I was born in Beirut, Lebanon. I left when I was 18 and lived in Montreal where I studied Chemical Engineering. I was on a work assignment here in Houston in 2002 and met a very tall, handsome guy and decided to marry him <3 . This is what brought me to Texas and I’ve been here ever since.

This is a perfect question for me, since I own a skin care line and I create all the formulas, so naturally I am biased. I would have to say that even on a desert island, I would still like to look good. Therefore, my beauty products of choice would be my Anti-Aging System, which consists of an eye cream a dark spot corrector (important to keep my skin clear), a day cream and a night cream. After all, looking beautiful and young is very important.

I tend to wear conservative clothes and like understated chic. But, since living in Texas, I have tried to incorporate more colors and more fashionable pieces. I am an admirer of beauties like Sophia Lauren and I also love Christy Turlington’s easy and effortless style. I would also wear anything Armani.

I love dark chocolate. I was recently in Belgium and went into every single Belgian Chocolate boutique and brought back almost 10 lbs of chocolates for my friends, staff and family. The customs guy was a bit concerned with my huge bag of chocolates but he let it pass. It does nothing for my waist line, but it is a great indulgence that I appreciate more and more.

I lived a great and comfortable engineering life until I decided, 4 years ago, to start my own business. Being an entrepreneur is truly amazing, but comes with a lot of emotional upheavals. One day, when sales were low and I was feeling down, one of my Spa owners, who has a very successful business noticed me, came up to me and said ” Christiane,you look sad. I have been in this business for 30 years and being in business is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Just hang in there and it will happen.”  Best advice anyone has ever given me.

I love the District in downtown. I also really like the new restaurant on Post Oak called North Italia. The atmosphere is simply amazing and the food is really good. For clothing, I love French Cuff Boutique.

We are currently finalizing the formulas for our next collection, the “Signature Collection” to compliment our Anti-Aging and Spa Collections. We will have 3 new treatment products launching next year: a wrinkle erasing eye cream, a triple Vitamin C serum and a day/night phospholipid based moisturizer. I love this part of my job and am always thinking about the next creations.

You are going to laugh at mel, but I am a really geeky engineer and spend a lot of my down time thinking up new formulas and testing them in my kitchen before they make their way to the lab. My husband is so fed up with having skin care products lying around mixed in with food that he made me dedicate a special area in the pantry that is the “Jenetiqa Ingredients only” section. It tends to bleed a little since the ingredient list keeps growing. Right now, I am testing out new lip balm formulas, if anyone would like a sample. But seriously, I also like hanging out with my twins and my husband and I love a game of golf here and there.

It may not be hidden, but I love art glass and I love to go to Eclectic on 19th Street in the Heights. They have the most amazing selection of home decor, and I love the guys that own the store..genuine entrepreneurs.

I like Belle and Clive. They always have great designer products. I love truth imaging.com. They carry our brand and they have unbiased views on skin care products. They also carry other small, niche skin care lines that are really good. I also like houzz.com for great photos for the home and garden.

You are right up my alley. To stay beautiful, I believe you have to develop a relationship with your skin and be serious about your beauty regimen. So many of us take the time to dress nicely, shower, boom and do all those necessary things to make us look good and feel good, but I often hear women telling me they have no time for a beauty routine. Flawless skin is the foundation of beauty. As we get older, slowing aging becomes an important part of the daily routine. I always take the time to do: either a scrub, a peel or mask everyday. It takes 10 minutes and goes beyond cleansing and toning. It keeps my skin soft and luminous and improves cellular energy. I layer anti-aging products to get maximum antioxidant benefits and I never skip the serum or sunscreen. I also eat a lot of antioxidant based foods to keep my skin healthy from the inside.

My La Creme Premiere all day cream. It fixed my rosacea that I had for years and I never have to worry about pimples again. My Lift Maestro Peel, the best creation for lightening the skin and slowing the formation of dark spots. Also my Nespresso Coffee Machine.

I fear being mediocre and boring.

I love the South of France: the beach, the mountains, the colors, the food and the atmosphere.

Creating is my forte. I love the creative part and I have been painting since my twenties. I would love to be a professional painter of abstract art.

I read Dracula recently and really liked it and started saying words in Olde English, which made people around me frown. I also really liked the movie by Tom Hanks, Bridge of Spies. I also really enjoyed Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, a must read for any foodie.

Founder and CEO, Jenetiqa Luxury Skin Care.

I am proud to be 46.

I am fluent in French and English is my third language, so I often tend to translate things and make anything French sound like English which confuse people. I used to say “close the light” instead of “turn off the light” and my husband always corrected me. Now, even my Texan kids say “close the lights” to the irritaion of my husband.