By ERIKA MARTIN | Reporter
From personal shoppers, to nail salons, to blow-out bars, the modern woman barely has to lift a finger to look her best. To complete the lineup, Palisadian Stephi Maron founded Blushington Makeup and Beauty Lounge, a salon that makes a polished makeup look as easy as picking from a menu.
The brand has expanded to five locations across the U.S. since its first store opened in West Hollywood in 2011, and it’s become a family affair with CEO Stephi’s older sister Nicki Maron on board as chief marketing officer and dad Mark Maron serving as chairman and chief financial officer.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Clients can pop into any of Blushington’s glamorously decorated rose-pink and silver salons for a range of beauty services, including “eyes only,” faux eyelash application, brow reshaping, lip or chin waxing, full-face makeup application and more.
With the mantra that “feeling pretty is priceless,” the goal was to create an inviting space that makes professional makeup application accessible.
“We wanted a place with a great dynamic and family culture that still had a great price,” Nicki said. “It really is helping women change the way they think about makeup. Makeup can be for every day; it doesn’t have to be for special occasions.”
Clients can choose from four tiers of makeup application—full face, camera ready, eyes only or on the move—with a range of palettes and looks for everything from a day at the office to red-carpet events. The goal, Stephi said, is to provide a simple solution for any woman’s primping needs.
“We find that our model really works everywhere,” she said. “We’re really trying to make it the Starbucks of makeup, where it’s consistent and you’re getting the same quality of makeup and services in every location.”
Blushington completes its offerings with a Blush on the Go service, house calls, Makeup 101 classes and private parties hosted in the store for bridal events, birthdays or just a girls’ night out. The salons even provide teen looks for ages 13 to 17 and a “Sweet Pea” option for children 12 and younger.
Stephi said the salons don’t try to cake up women’s faces but teach them that a polished, natural look is easy to achieve.
“The Blushington way is really natural makeup,” she said. “We can glam it up, but it’s the laid-back California makeup look.”
The brand expanded quickly, with the Dallas outpost opening in 2012, followed by Newport Beach, New York and, most recently, Topanga Canyon.
This was helped along by an unofficial partnership business-savvy Stephi built with Drybar, which let her know when spaces next door to their locations become available. So far, all Blushington salons are paired with a Drybar.
Each location features the same cheerfully girly décor and the sisters have managed to maintain a family atmosphere across all the locations, Nicki said. “We’re one team, one family,” she said. “We definitely have a strong family aspect.”
And now, clients can take Blushington’s signature nude-blush pink hue home in a $26 lipstick bullet. Stephi worked with fellow Palisadian and makeup artist Julie Hewett to create b.lovely, a shade that seeks to complement every woman.
“It was exciting because [Hewett] didn’t have matte lipstick,” Stephi said. “We just started mixing colors and I really wanted a blush nude that works for all skin types and skin tones. It’s really customizable and universally flattering.”
The shade has seen success since its November debut and Stephi said plans are in the works to create more Blushington makeup, which will likely hit shelves next year.
“I think one thing that sort of differentiates us is we’re not looking to compete with the giant Estee Lauders or Maybellines of the world,” Stephi said. “We’re trying to create products for which there’s a need in the marketplace.”
Stephi said she has seen a shift in how women think about makeup in the few years since Blushington was founded, and the Makeup 101 classes have become popular. “Just like it took [Drybar] a couple of years to make blowouts a routine thing,” she said, “we’re starting to really see that change in makeup.”
The Upper Bienveneda area residents also hope Rick Caruso’s Palisades Village project will bring an opportunity for a Blushington location in their hometown.
“We love the Palisades,” Stephi said. “We’ve seen a change in the Palisades with new and upcoming stores, and I think it’s great. We’ll see where I end up but I’ll always be a Palisadian.”
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