It is not easy for a business to stay around for 25 years, especially in the up and down economy we have had in the last seven years, but Stevens and Cross has done just that.
Stevens and Cross specializes in make-up, hair, and cosmetics, and beauty and taking care of yourself is an essential element in Newport Beach.
They invited their clients, friends, and family to celebrate their milestone this past week. I love to support small businesses so I was happy to be invited to share their success and tell you their story.
They are a business that does full makeup, eyebrows, and hair for women who want to look their best for both special occasions and for everyday living. My guess is that they also will trim men’s brows, ears, and hair.
I became a client when realizing that my eyebrows would never be the same after losing all facial and scalp hair during cancer treatment. Some things grow back the same and other parts do not. If they do not then it is time to find someone to help reshape them. It was Richard to the rescue through Sherry the massage therapist.
People have many different reasons for using their services. They have clients that are very ordinary people, young and old, as well as those that are running for political office, and hold high profile positions in and around the area.
There are the regulars for continual updates, and those who come in when they are invited to or running a special party or fundraiser. And of course there are times when you just want to ensure that you are looking your best no matter the occasion.
I never know who I will run into when in the shop, and it is fun to see who else in the local area is willing to sit in the make-up chair in front of a few people starting out not looking your best and moving to that place where you see yourself looking polished and ready to face anything when you walk out.
Richard Stevens and Julia Cross keep all the conversations to themselves unless you allow them to pass on information. Beauty and information (gossip) go hand in hand, which makes a visit all the more fun.
Make up trends come and go as we have all seen through the years as we look at our old pictures, old movies, celebrities, and today’s teenagers. What has not changed is that beauty is an on-going process that requires time, energy, rest, and working out. It is constant work and constantly changing. Stevens and Cross reinforce these concepts and their approach to makeup.
I asked both Richard and Julia what they think is most important to looking your best that does not change.
Richard, who has been in the business since about 1971, still sees the eyebrows, powder, and lip color as essential elements to beauty. This is a response from a man who has done over 25,000 faces.
Julia echoes that with accenting the eyes. Both of them, while owning the business, are the primary people who use their collective expertise to make their clients look their personal best. Your face is their artistic palette. They also teach people how to do their own makeup and recommend products that are tailored to your face and the look you want for your personality and lifestyle. A clean fresh look that does not look too made up is always my preference. A person should look healthy and rested not like a corpse in a casket in the last journey of life.
I congratulate Stevens and Cross on their continual pursuit to make us look better, listen to their clients perception and needs for age appropriate make-up, and encouraging us to get that make-up on everyday even if its just mascara and keeping those eyebrows in good shape.
For those of you looking for a special and very personal gift for someone you care about consider a gift certificate from the shop for your special person or yourself. If you are going through cancer and lose your eyebrows and eyelashes as I did, you can fix that with temporary eyebrows and lashes for a short time. I grew tired of looking like a species from another planet while finishing treatment in 2005 and got myself into a shop and out for family and friends special occasions.
My friend Nora, who just went through brain cancer last February, has done the same thing and looks great when out and about.
For hair loss you can buy wigs in many places when you are tired of wearing a hat. You can also put the wig on, visit your hairstylist and let her cut it to look like you. Thanks Cara for that idea.
That is my Take
