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vendor reviews: beauty: spas, hair & make-up |
Peach'Gloss offers fresh, modern make-up artistry expertise for brides of all styles Reviewing Nicole Richards, Lead Artist & Creative Director, Peach'Gloss
From brides who want that pristine, natural look to those that are looking to enhance their inner drama queen, Nicole Richards, Lead Artist & Creative Director for Peach'Gloss, knows better than most how to achieve that perfect wedding day look. She is known for her fresh, modern style and fun personality, and with twelve years experience on top of it, Peach'Gloss has earned a name for itself. Nicole's clientele has her beautifying a very big client list that ranges from brides and runway models to television and movie celebrities.
Part of the reason to love Peach'Gloss is that Nicole takes her make-up services on the road with her. She arrives at your (or your salon's) door with everything she needs to have you feeling fabulous in no time. She does both traditional and airbrush make-up services, tattoo coverage, tips on what make-up to buy and how to apply it, and even in-home make-up parties for bridal showers or stagettes.
We sat down with Nicole to find out more about her seemingly whirlwind career and what she had in store. What we found wasn't a surprise. This girl is make-up savvy both with the latest trends and how to use them and her knowledge shows in the reputation she's made among her loyal clientele, including over 400 brides! Let us explain...
Personally speaking... Nicole graduated from the Fashion & Cosmetic Management program from Humber College before upgrading her skills with informal make-up training through Stila, Laura Mercier, M.A.C. and Bobbi Brown cosmetics.
Her career as a make-up artist started twelve years ago when Nicole worked her make-up magic on various entertainers and models for fashion shows, photo shoots and advertising campaigns. Clients such as The Toronto Film Festival, Fashion Television, L'Oreal Paris and Shoppers Drug Mart (to name a few) have each utilized Nicole's expertise.
The Peach'Gloss brand has only been around since 2004, but in reality, some of her biggest clients have known her dating back to the beginning to 1997 when her business truly began. "I wanted to have a business that was more girly than bridal-y," she explains. "I wanted a brand that spoke to all types of women, a company that oozed fun and could not be characterized as your typical bridal company. I think taking the plunge to start my own business was scary but necessary. It's been a great ride and I've met such amazing clients!"
In the last twelve years, Nicole says she has provided make-up services for over 400 brides. She told us that while she has perfected her skills through working in many areas of make-up, her bridal clients are the ones who have reaped the benefits the most. "Being involved in the most important day of someone's life is so special for me," says Nicole. "I'm honoured to be able to service my clients by getting them ready for such an important event." Nicole likes the thought of making a contribution and she loves making brides feel overwhelmed by how beautiful they look. "That's what gets me out of bed at 5:30 am on a wedding day!"
For Nicole, her job isn't about making the bride look more beautiful, it's more about showing each client that they were already beautiful. "My job is just to add a little colour!... I just want to make sure the bride is happy and confident in how she looks before she walks down that aisle." She admits that one of her career highlights was working with a bride who's wedding was featured in a Canon commercial.
And in light of their success, Peach'Gloss is donating 5% of her proceeds in 2009 to The Kids Help Phone and Habitat for Humanity. "I'm passionate about these two charities. I want to give back to the community."
She's just peachy... One of the secrets to Nicole's success is likely her ability to get to know her clients, have fun with them, and often form friendships that last over years to come. She likes to laugh and keep things relaxed to take the sting of stress out of the often-so-stressful morning of the wedding. That's not to say that she's not serious about her work. "I'm quite the perfectionist. I want them to look and feel perfect before they leave my chair..."
With her diverse background in make-up application Nicole says she is able to create make-up looks for a variety of different styles both the traditional bride looking for "a more glamorous version of herself" and the not-so-traditional bride who is "a natural belle wanting to look just as pretty as the day she met her beau." Either way, Nicole listens to her client, "It's my job to take my client's vision of her wedding day and create a make-up look that works with her vision."
Whatever that vision is, Nicole uses it along with her style to create the perfect wedding day look. She describes her style of make-up application as "fresh and modern... I like the skin to look like skin... The make-up should look fresh and smooth." November 2006 bride, Lisa, described their style as simple, elegant, and sophisticated. "Nicole knows how to draw attention to your best feature... She was amazing to work with and did a fabulous job on everyone."
Irene Wu-Lau had Peach'Gloss do wedding day make-up for her, bridesmaids and family members in September 2003. She said Peach'Gloss understood the look she was going for. "Peach'Gloss was able to create a make-up style that incorporated my wants and their experience."
For July 2008 bride, Kara Towns, it was as much about Nicole's personality that had her choosing Peach'Gloss for her make-up. "It was Nicole's warm and friendly personality mixed with her extensive knowledge of products and beauty tips... She was great for general advice not just pertaining to my wedding day make-up."
A bit of gloss for your glamour... Because she has worked in fashion, advertising, music videos and retail cosmetics, Nicole says she is quite flexible in offering on location traditional and airbrush make-up services. She also told us that airbrushed make-up (amazingly!) lasts from eight up to twelve hours! "There are various techniques I use to get that look and my clients appreciate that," says Nicole. "They also appreciate when it stays on for eight to ten hours just as I promised."
Nicole's clients like using Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Face Atelier and Stila cosmetic products all of which she says are the exclusive lines Peach'Gloss sticks with because of their wear-ability and colour varieties that go with any skin tone.
Nicole's bridal services and make-up parties go hand-in-hand, she says, as she launched the Peach'Gloss Make-up Party series in December 2008 and has almost as many of those booked as she does weddings for 2009. "With the parties, I think I'm booked because women want to indulge themselves and learn something new in the privacy of their own homes," says Nicole. "With weddings, I think I'm booked because women are looking for a fresh, modern view on wedding make-up."
Julia, who had Peach'Gloss do her trial and October 2008 wedding day hair and make-up, as well as make-up for her mother and maid of honour, says that the team at Peach'Gloss is down to earth. "They get that not every bride wants a traditional wedding face. They are ready and willing to add whatever elements you want... they have style, they are fashionable and they know that the traditional wedding look can be slightly outdated and brides have new visions for how they want to look and feel on their day."
Your martial make-up options For wedding day make-up, Peach'Gloss offers several different packages and options. You can book make-up services for just the day-of, or choose a package that includes everything from pre-wedding day trials and eyebrow shaping to perfect looks for the entire bridal party and day-of touch-ups. Having make-up done on-site is something that Kara really appreciated on her wedding day. "It allowed me, as the bride, to relax and enjoy the day getting ready with my bridesmaids as opposed to rushing from location to location."
The Aloha Package is for brides who have destination weddings. Peach'Gloss will show you how to weatherproof your make-up in one two and a half hour session. Plus they'll show you what to purchase that will be reusable before and after the wedding.
"When I used Peach'Gloss, the prices were very reasonable... The services and end results were beyond expectations," Irene told us, who would (and has) recommend Peach'Gloss to other brides.
Additional peachy services Peach'Gloss also offers tattoo coverage in case you need to hide a particular inky artwork on your wedding day, which Nicole says lasts for twenty-four hours and costs $50 and up.
One thing that Nicole says her clients love is her "ability to teach them some tricks," which is why Peach'Gloss also provides one-on-one make-up lessons and Peach'Gloss Make-up Parties. These parties could be used pre-wedding for a fun entertainer at bridal showers, or to help you and your friends paint' yourselves before painting the town red for your stagette party. It could also be a fun way to spend time with your bridesmaids while treating them as a way to say thanks for all their help with your wedding planning.
All services can be customized to suit your needs and can be held at the location of your choice. Here's a few of the parties and individual services that Peach'Gloss offers, but be sure to check out their website for more:
Girl's Night In is great for bachelorette parties and includes two hours of pre-partying pampering at the salon. You'll have your make-up applied and hair blown out. Plus, each guest gets a mini portfolio of product recommendations and a goodie bag.
Chuck it... The make-up drawer purge is a session during which time Nicole goes through your make-up, pitches some and keeps those items that are worth keeping, plus creates a list of what's easy to use and fits within your make-up wardrobe.
The recessionista offers girls a D.I.Y. make-up class in a group format where Nicole teaches tips and tricks of applying long-lasting make-up looks perfect for the wedding day or any other day you want to look beautiful.
Walking you through it... Nicole says that when brides need information on services or already love what they know and want to book, she can answer any questions via email or phone. In order to reserve your date with Peach'Gloss a 30% deposit is due at time of booking with the remainder due on the day of the services. Nicole says it's best to book your wedding date approximately six to eight months ahead of time.
Their website has PayPal for you to conveniently pay deposits and balances with credit cards or your checking account. When you book (or as soon as you know) be sure to let Peach'Gloss know the total number of services that are required for each attendant so they can make sure they are prepared for your wedding day.
On your wedding day, Nicole will arrive at the location of your choice. If there are parties with more than eight ladies requiring make-up then Nicole will bring her assistant who applies foundation and conceals the skin imperfections; then Nicole applies the colour.
Get your gloss Contact Nicole Richards by phone at 416-493-0288 or email at makeup@peachgloss.com. You can also check out the Peach'Gloss website at www.peachgloss.com to view her gallery of past bridal clientele, learn more about the services she offers and shop at her online store for all of your cosmetic needs.
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Peach'Gloss. * First photo by Andreas Avdoulos, Andreas Photo. Second photo by Click Photo Company Inc.. Fifth photo by Coyote Photos. Ninth photo by Jocelyn Fisher. |
