Mini Makeovers with Gus Hamberg of Stylists at North
This post has two parts to it, so I apologize now for its length.
The first is about my friendship with Luis, the owner of Stylists At North. Despite being neighbors and having mutual close friends, we never really knew each other. A few years back our friend Donnelly finally set us up on a friend date; she was so confused as to why we didn’t know each other. We met for lunch at Ada’s and I left wondering how this wonderful human had not been in my life sooner.
Not only is he a kind and generous friend, he is a remarkable business owner. We were sitting and chatting about business and he looked at me and said, “Who is your mentor?” Now, I have tons of people I admire and to whom I look up. But I realized after being in business probably 19 years at the time Luis and I met – I never had a real mentor. He was shocked when I responded, and he offered to take me under his wing. I’m not sure I really knew what it meant until he started emailing me tasks and things to think about. Fast forward a few years and it’s obvious I’m the world’s worst mentee, but I was really impressed about the way he looks at things, and how he asked me to view and think about my business. I, of course, have never returned a document to him like I should have. But I think about the things he asked me about all the time. Basically, it’s crystal clear to me why he has such an amazing business. It’s because he puts so much time and energy into it. Basically, you get back what you give.
Okay, so onto the second part. Something people don’t know about Stylists At North is that it has a boutique inside the salon with tons of great beauty lines. Not just hair products, but makeup and skincare, too. You also might not know that they also have an amazing makeup artist, Gus Hamburg. If I could just see Gus every morning I would look – and feel a lot better about myself.
Gus has a gift and I wanted to make sure more people know about this world-class talent right in Old Town. He has done my makeup for photo shoots and my daughter’s for dances. I am always stunned at the transformation that happens from the time I sit down to when I leave. If you have some special event you really should book Gus to do your makeup.
But Gus is also there to help clients learn about the products they sell at Stylists At North. I asked my friend Ali to come with me for a 10 minute makeover. I am horrible with makeup; Ali is much better. But we all need a little help now and then and I also think that when we transition from summer to fall it’s a great time to assess the products you are using.
Ali and I both have two kids and own our own businesses and want to look put together when we leave the house. Ali is also much better at this. We asked Gus to help us get our acts together. I think the photos will show how much better we both look with a little Gus magic, and some great products from Stylists At North. It shockingly didn’t take a ton of products or time, and I left feeling confident I could replicate what he did at home - which after trying it for a few weeks I really think I have accomplished. Of course I will never look as good as Gus made me look, but I dare to dream.
Next week we are hosting our Veronica Beard Trunk Show, our first get-ready-for-fall event. We asked Gus to come to help us kick it off with mini-makeovers at The Hive – on the house. On Thursday, September 19, we launch our Veronica Beard Trunk Show and you can come shop this great event AND have Gus help you get your face ready for fall, too! He has 30-minute slots from 4 pm to 7pm, sign-up at this link, or if you don’t have time to come to the event you can always see him at Stylists At North on your own. You’ll be glad you did!
