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| Our Mission Founded in 2001, we have worked with over a thousand brides and their parties on their big day! This company was founded and designed specifically to accommodate a bride’s needs for looking flawless on the day of her wedding as well as to make sure the she looks her best the whole night through. What has set Madame Make-Up and Hair apart is the staff, the products, our commitment to our clients and the convenience factor. We are able to perform our services at the location of each bride’s choice while accommodating as many ladies as desired.
About the Owner When Britain Hayes graduated from college she had ambitious plans of going on to get her master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Texas. After all, this girl is no slouch. Academia - and a healthy smattering of collegiate socializing - had been her life up to that point. Her work, including her thesis, had been published in a number of academic journals and creative writing publications. She was bound for literary stardom. So she thought. In May of 2000, Britain’s mother was diagnosed with a serious illness. Without proper treatment it could have been life threatening. Britain and her mother had always been close and she knew she had to come home to San Antonio to be at her side during treatment.
The unexpected move and time away from her studies brought Britain to a crossroads. She knew she had to make a living. The girl needed a plan. With a bit of helpful prodding and list-making tips from her mother, this quintessential girly-girl eventually came up with make-up artistry. She immediately went to Saks Fifth Avenue to apply for a make-up artist position she had seen advertised. When she was told that they didn’t “hire people off the streets,” she didn’t lose her motivation. She combed cosmetics counters in every department store from Alamo Heights to Stone Oak until Estée Lauder finally hired her. And that was all she wrote - so to speak. With obvious excitement she recalled that she was “hooked. It was so much fun!” But it wasn’t long until she knew she wanted to do something more with her newfound love of cosmetics. Six months into her first cosmetics job, she started to hatch a new plan.
Britain drew from personal experience while navigating her next move. Her sister had recently been married and she recalled the wedding day experience vividly. “My sister had come from the salon to the church to get dressed for the ceremony. She was hysterical. She hated everything they had done. I remember she was brushing her hair frantically and trying to redo her make-up moments before the ceremony started,” Britain said. She also remembers that her sister had coughed up almost $400.00 to feel that bad. She was inspired to start a new business focused solely on special event make-up and hair. She also decided to make the services available on location, making the client’s convenience the central theme. The business focused on the client’s needs and desires. Priority one would be that the client would always be heard; her wishes would always be honored. Not yet a fully trained artist, Britain decided she would start the business as a make-up artist’s agent. Freelance make-up artists, just as artists working with any other medium, need organized representation. Thus, the “Madame” was born. However, though management proved to be fulfilling in its own way, Britain is a creative soul and eventually became a fully trained artist herself. She credits learning most of what she knows to Randy Maze, former head instructor for Joe Blasco Cosmetics’ Orlando Make-Up Center. Joe Blasco Cosmetics is famous for its world-class training and has produced many of the country’s top film and commercial make-up artists. She also chose to pick up the Joe Blasco line of cosmetics and uses nothing else on her brides. “The line is specifically made for film, television and photography. When applied, it needs very few, if any, touch-ups during the day. The coverage is awesome and it holds up in almost any weather. Your wedding day is the one day of your life you want to look your absolute best all day long and this is the only line I trust,” Britain explained. Today, more than 10 years after this business was but a twinkle in its mommy’s eye, Madame Make-Up & Hair (the “Hair” was added about a year after inception) is thriving. Her reputation is stellar and word has traveled fast. She estimates having serviced over 1,000 bridal parties. Some quick math puts that figure, conservatively, at over 10,000 faces. With a constantly growing clientele and referrals coming in from every angle, this girl shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. She has just opened a new location on Broadway in the Stewart Center. She is now able to offer what her clients have been clamoring for: a full service salon menu. From cut and color to up-dos and make-up, they do it all now. Not to worry, though. If you need the crew to come to you, they still make house calls.
– Article by Melissa Weltner
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