A little makeup goes a long way. For Linda Tawil, it transformed Morphe, the Burbank brush supply store she co-founded with older brother Chris, into a global cosmetics juggernaut worth north of $2 billion. That’s all thanks to clever YouTube and Instagram marketing, and to Linda’s close friendship with a number of high-profile social media influencers, including Jeffree Star and Jaclyn Hill. And to some colorful makeup, of course.
Now the divorced single mom, 40, has added to her already eye-popping collection of personal residences by following her brother’s lead out to sunny Malibu, where she’s completed the $14.7 million cash purchase of a snazzy oceanfront home set on scenic Escondido Beach — one of the city’s best-kept secrets.
Completed in 1984, the strikingly angular and modern home recently underwent a significant renovation courtesy of the sellers, real estate investors Mike and Caroline Cusumano. The couple paid $8.8 million for the place in 2015, and the fully updated structure now sports all the latest luxe gadgets and amenities.
The property is set on a private road, and the house itself is additionally secluded behind a towering wall that wraps around the wood-sided residence. Inside, things are much more light and bright, with recessed LED lights, foldaway walls of glass that open out to oceanside views, and a “chef’s dream island kitchen,” per the listing, with thickly-veined marble countertops and designer appliances.
The kitchen opens to a poolside terrace with ample space for alfresco entertaining, while the plunge pool itself is set back into a side courtyard area and upgraded with a Baja sunbathing shelf and inset spa. Back indoors, the living room is decked out with its own fireplace, bar, and even a built-in aquarium.
Upstairs, the master suite includes another fireplace set into a marble surround, and there’s an ultra-slim private balcony with stunning whitewater views. Dual vanities, a steam shower, soaking tub, and floor-to-ceiling windows complete the master the master bath. Besides the two guest bedrooms, there’s a mirror-walled room that could be a fourth bedroom or office, but is currently outfitted as a compact gym. That space connects directly to a movie theater with hand-painted ceilings and a wet bar.
Numerous other home amenities are not limited to an outdoor pizza oven, top-notch security system, sophisticated home automation, automated window shades that can be raised or lowered at a button’s touch, outdoor shower, and a back-up generator.
Tawil and her brother have a long history of living within sugar-borrowing distance from each other; back in the day, they both owned modest homes in the same gated Porter Ranch community. Nowadays, in addition to their $40 million in Malibu real estate, they own side-by-side investment properties in guard-gated Hidden Hills that are collectively worth upwards of $25 million. But their current main residences are in the exclusive “Estates at the Oaks” enclave in Calabasas, where other residents include Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker, and Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine. Chris Tawil has a $9.3 million mansion within those gates; Linda owns an $11.3 million estate just down the street.
Chris Cortazzo of Compass held the listing; Branden and Rayni Williams of The Beverly Hills Estates repped Tawil.