Ilona's Within.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Cool Colorado Stuff - Brief Article

ILONA'S WITHIN: Like many other Hungarian immigrants, Ilona Makari fled her war-torn country in 1956, setting in New Jersey. She was a trained esthetician (skincare professional), but worked in a handbag factory and a restaurant before going into the facial business in 1965. She traded the East Coast for the Mile High City in 1971, opening the Ilona of Hungary salon on Colorado Boulevard before moving to Cherry Creek North soon thereafter. The original formulas for her skincare products came by way of an odd bargain with a Hungarian pharmacist. "He didn't want money--he wanted a car," said Robert Makari, Ilona's son and the company's CEO. "They traded him a new automobile for...