We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Shae recently and have shared our conversation below.
Taylor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
As we know in the beauty industry, trends are forever changing at a fast rate and one of the biggest I’ve seen thus far, are clients actually learning how to do their own beauty maintenance wether it’s hair, makeup, nails, even lash extensions now. As a professional in beauty, we are now tasked with having to compete with TikTok and YouTube University. I feel like this is mainly in part due to the current state of the economy as well as the emergence of influencers. While I have personally seen a shift in my business, I’ve welcomed the change with open arms as it has allowed me to really advocate for myself and my talent. It has forced me out of my shell and into spaces where I can network and connect with my community. I now know that my clientele continues to come to me because they see the value in my services and can appreciate good customer service. And that in itself is enough for me to keep moving forward.
Taylor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Taylor Shae and I am a 31 year old Charlotte native. I am the owner of Blush Blvd Studio & Blush Blvd Cosmetics. My love and passion for beauty has always been there since I was a child. I was heavily influenced by my mother who made sure we got our hair and nails done together every two weeks growing up. Those were times where I feel like I was able to bond with her while simultaneously being made to feel beautiful by my service providers. I can truly say I grew up around the salon experience. I went to college at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. One of my many talents is that I can draw really well so decided to go to school for fashion design. I majored in Consumer, Apparel, & Retail studies with a minor in Business Administration. As we all know, the fashion industry is an extremely tough business and over the years since graduating my interest shifted from clothing into makeup & skincare. Peak 2020 Pandemic I actually started making my own lipgloss and selling it as a side hobby. I was also at home doing my own makeup and posting pictures on social media. This created such a buzz in my area, that people started requesting I do their makeup. Thus, Blush Blvd, LLC was born. I knew that if I truly wanted to be taken serious in this industry that I needed to do things the right way. I enrolled myself into esthetician school so that I could become professionally licensed. I started my business with the intent to make people look & feel like their best selves just as I had been made to feel that way growing up. I currently specialize in makeup artistry & semi permanent lash extensions with the hopes of expanding into even more services this year. My beauty line, Blush Blvd Cosmetics, is currently sold out with a relaunch of Summer 2024. We will be restocking some original faves and introducing new products as well.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
How i put together initial capital for my business was using my paychecks from my full time corporate job. This for me was fairly easy in the beginning because I started my business during quarantine in 2020. It was easy for me to invest in myself because I really did not have any outside influence. We couldn’t go anywhere so I had to figure out how I could take what money I was making, and multiply it. That’s why I always say being quarantined was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me. Still to this day I work a full time corporate job to continue to invest in my craft and my business. My hope is to one day be able to acquire outside funding for my brand.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source of new clients for me has hands down been word of mouth. In such a social media driven world, I think we sometimes forget the importance of word of mouth and how far it can really take you. I take pride in that simply because I believe that gaining new clients through word of mouth is a reflection of the service provider. Being able to provide an experience so unique and unforgettable that a client just HAS to tell someone is such an awesome feeling!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blushblvdstudio.as.me/
- Instagram: @blushblvdstudio
- Facebook: Blush Blvd Studio
- Other: TikTok: @Taylortheestie