A lot of people have asked how I brought Queen of the Madhouse to fruition and to explain it quickly is as baffling as it was doing. What actually started off as heel balm turned into lip gloss!

In 2009, struggling to find a decent heel balm for dry heels I decided to make my own, and it was [that] experiment that lead to making a fantastic thick lip gloss. I veered off a little from the heel balm as it was almost complete.

I was intrigued at how formula's would come together and to create something so beautiful.

It took me over a year to per-fect formulas and to get familiar with the ingredients, so it was then that I decided to create a line of lipsticks and glosses/gels. After spending a lot of time searching for manufacturers in Australia I was depleted by the enormous cost. I then researched manufacturer's overseas, China, Germany, France and America. I had conversation after conversation of what I had in my formulas and asked if they would be able to accommodate, and of course what was the cost.

Samples were sent from all countries but I found most of them to be of low quality. Despondent, I then received an email and samples from a company in America that could work with my formula, and as they say the rest was history. I was stoked, beyond stoked at the quality. 

I then racked up every credit card, borrowed from family and friends, took a mortgage out on the house and got over 200 products manufactured.

The great thing about this company is that you could put your own touch on products that were similar to my ingredients yet more thorough in the science of formulation. It saved me a whole lot of time, money, and resources as they could do everything, from the manufacturing to the packaging.

The cost would be higher due to the exchange rate (in currency - including fluctuations) and of course freight. Once I had organised my products of what I wanted, in my now, new line of cosmetics, I was to work on the image, the brand.

I had always loved fashion that was bold, different and a little out there. Adoring bustle gowns, wigs and fabulous frills, Marie Antoinette caught my eye. More research, but this time into costumes. It was then that I had a vision of my daughter to be the face of the brand and she would wear a costume that would emphasise pomp and ceremony and with a photoshoot that was a little mad! My products were exemplary, so to exaggerate the shoot, it was pretty much a no brainer to go over the top. I had tweaked something that had been hidden for a very long time and [that] was "my creativity" - I would lay awake at night and dream, searching, unlocking a labyrinth of hidden pathways. 

Boundless hours searching the internet became my reality. I was to find extraordinary wigs, gowns, boots and jewellery. The excitement I felt just pushed me harder to bring it all to fruition.

Initially the brand was to be called "Lady Muk" but unfortunately that name could not be used due to similarities with another brand.

One day out of the blue, whilst at work, yes I was working full time and creating of an evening. I hardly slept! This particular day it was mad crazy and the phone's were ringing off the hook. I mentioned I felt like the Queen of the Madhouse! It was a saying that was used often in my family and as my family is big, when everyone got together, well you can imagine. It was great. It was funny, very funny! So there it was. That was to be the name.

Everything kind of worked together. The name suited the costumes and the makeup was of high quality. We are so posh - [in our world anyway!]

2011 Queen of the Madhouse was launched and has been going ever since. 

A lot has happened along the way and at times extremely stressful. The throes of tragedy, death, health and Covid 19 threw it all into chaos, but just as I forged with tenacity in 2009 I have come to see 2023. 

I have learnt many a lesson in small business and took it all very seriously (of course), but too seriously was my downfall as it grew too big in the first couple of years, and as I found out the hard way, funds to replenish are not always available.

The year is 2023 and I have decided to rebrand Queen of the Madhouse to Haus of Queen as I felt it was time for a change of sorts and wanted to explore other avenue's and trends.

We shall see what happens, and just as I tripped over this, I will definitely embrace more of whatever is to come.

This is only a small insight, and to ask the question about my heel balm that I started, well one never knows what's around the corner!

​

X