When Ravit Darougar arrived in America in 2009, she was shy and uncertain about her future. “I had high self-esteem in Israel, but it was exactly the opposite when I came here,” said Darougar. “[I was in a] new country [with a] new language.” 

Darougar’s first job was with a construction company, and her reaction could be a blueprint for all immigrants. “I needed to answer the phone in English,” she said. “I was like, OMG. How am I going to do that?” Darougar figured it out fast. 

“I had to build my self-confidence,” she said. “Slowly, slowly, they gave me jobs, the freedom to manage the office, even to do the union payroll. They did not teach me. I was self-taught. They were not in the office. They just threw me into the pool, the deep water. I started swimming.”

Darougar was always a hard worker as well as an entrepreneur. As a high schooler in Haifa, she and a friend planned a business. “We decided to sell toilet paper to restaurants since everyone uses it, and it is basic,” she said. “We made a list of restaurants, and we began calling them. But many of them did not understand what these 16-year-olds wanted from their lives, so it did not work out.”

“Once I had the experience and knowledge, I decided to create a makeup brand that customers could use as eyebrow kits that boost self-confidence.” – Ravit Darougar

When she came to the U.S., Darougar decided to follow her calling: cosmetics. “I always felt that beauty and makeup boost self-confidence,” she said. “I wanted to do something that would make people feel better about themselves.” When she wasn’t at her construction company job, she’d spend long hours in her garage working on her new business.  “I came up with a small idea,” she said. “Eventually it became sensational on social media and on television shopping channels like QVC.”

4Ever Magic Cosmetics, launched in May 2018, boasts 150,000 followers on its Facebook page. Its signature product, a two-toned eyebrow gel and brush, is available in more than 300 stores across the U.S. and online. The gel formula helps fill in bald spots and makes eyebrows look thicker and well defined. “Once I had the experience and knowledge, I decided to create a makeup brand that customers could use as eyebrow kits that boost self-confidence,” said Darougar.

When coming up with her product, she consulted with her community, friends, mom and mother-in-law. They are not business people, but they were struggling with their eyebrows. “[They were] perfect targets for this product I created,” she said. “I figured out there are a lot of benefits given the lack of eyebrow products on the market. Most products out there smudge. I wanted something smudge-proof.” After doing research, Darougar created a two-in-one gel that was unique to the market. However, she faced problems with manufacturing. “Usually when you get an eyebrow product, it is one color,” she said. “I had to put two colors in one glass jar. I thought this was possible, but apparently there is no such machine. The first lab quit on me. I had to create a machine and come up with a formulation, all while continuing with my business.”

Darougar has always been confident of her abilities. But she never thought about creating machinery. Now, suddenly, it was necessary. Where did that knowledge come from? “Part of it is being Israeli,” she said. “It’s all about innovation and not giving up.”

Darougar’s parents were educators; her father was in administration and her mother was a teacher. “My mom is very motivated,” she said. “She always pushed to take the money she made and invest it. Always pushing forward, creating something from nothing. She especially enjoyed investing in real estate. She has amazing skills as a businesswoman, even though she never had a business. I got this from her.”

In her work, Darougar ranks consistency as her most valued talent. “I am a big believer in my ideas,” she said. “And my passion. When I talk about my product, my brand, my story, people feel it. Before they try the product, they already are excited, because I have so much passion.”