Heather Hanson has two passions when it comes to makeup: color and affordability. And in the midst of bleak economic times, perhaps that’s why her business is glowing bright in a sea of dreary financial news.

Hanson’s online make-up company, About Face Cosmetics, which she started three years ago, has seen a 700 percent sales growth in the last year and opened its first retail location Wednesday in Westmont.

Hanson, of unincorporated Hinsdale, sells mineral-based eye shadows, foundations and lipsticks, which she manufactures in the back portion of the building that houses her boutique. Each product can be customized to match a customer’s skin tone or color preference, and though she has customers in 42 countries and all 50 states, she hasn’t spent a dime on advertising.

“It’s all viral marketing,” Hanson said, as her loyal clients have spread the word of her products by mouth and on Internet message boards and blogs. “Somehow we ended up on the message board for QVC, the home shopping network. ... I woke up the next day with 400 orders and it hasn’t stopped since then.”

In addition to her unique, all-natural products — which are free of the waxes, fillers, talc, fragrances and other ingredients that irritate some women — Hanson said her mission to keep prices low has kept business booming even while many people have scaled back spending. Her vivid eye shadows cost $5 and customized mineral foundations go for $18.

“I just kept hearing over and over that people are sick of paying so much for makeup,” she said. “On a personal note, I don’t want to gouge the consumer on high prices. I want women to have fun with color again, enjoy all the color options without having to take a second mortgage out on the house.”

Hanson, who formerly worked as a fashion show producer for Liz Claiborne in Manhattan, is a self-described “color junkie.” Using chemistry and her artistic eye, Hanson blends base pigments to create a spectrum of shades you won’t find at an average makeup counter.

“Any color, I can make it. Women find a dress and they want their eye shadow to match? Bring it in, I’ll match it. I have a photographic memory for color,” she said.

Almost as unique as her colors are the names Hanson assigns them. Some of her favorites include “Lack of Sanity,” a vivid green, and “Aphrodite Screams,” a sparkly peach, while others, like “Shards of Glass,” a dark, coal color that twinkles with slivers of silver, resemble their namesake.

“I’m known for my colors and my color names. I’m a little psychotic that way,” Hanson said, who carries around a notebook to keep track of color names if the inspiration strikes. “If I've had a bad day, quite often new color names will be a reflection of that mood,” which isn’t hard to believe with names like “Bed of Nails” and “Tear Jerk.”

Every month, Hanson releases a limited-edition collection of eye shadows that can be purchased as a set or individually. Last month’s “Cinderella Dumps her Fella” collection, which consisted of “multi-dimensional shades” that turned several different colors depending on the light, sold like hot cakes.

“It was the best-selling collection I’ve ever done,” Hanson said.

Her current limited edition collection, called “Live Inspired,” features 30 different shades of fall colors. The full set costs $125.