New Beauty Boutique in OTR

Nancy Dawson, owner of BRIDEface and FACEing

The biggest step for any small business owner is finding a place they can truly call their own and make their unique vision a reality. For professional makeup artist Nancy Dawson, owner of BRIDEface and FACEing, she finally found that perfect location after years of sharing spaces with other businesses.

The new BRIDEface/FACEing location is a glamorous oasis (photo credit: Mandy Leigh Photography)

“We have shared spaces with other vendors and conglomerates in the past,” says Dawson. “And over the years we have been growing and we just decided we needed our own space.”

Dawson has been committing acts of beauty in the Tri-State area since 2005. It was after working at Saks Fifth Avenue under the wing of celebrity makeup artist Laura Mercier that Dawson decided to start her own business. Over the years, Dawson and her BRIDEface/FACEing team have been awarded “Best of the Knot” and “Wedding Wire Top Pick” for three years running, and have been a coveted Little Black Book member of Style Me Pretty.

They originally had locations in the Ft. Thomas and Covington areas and only recently secured a location of their own in the developing Over-the-Rhine area. “We always wanted to be in the Over-the-Rhine area,” says Dawson. “I absolutely love the energy and it’s been on the cutting edge since they started to redevelop the area.”

Once she found the location, Dawson transformed it into a girly urban oasis of beauty. “I think of this new space as like a cozy basement space or like a little bungalow,” says Dawson. “The brides will feel that it’s an artistic girly place to have their consultations and makeup done.”

Dawson’s new studio space in OTR (photo credit: Mandy Leigh Photography)

The new space will also give Dawson and the other makeup stylists at BRIDEface/FACEing the opportunity to offer more classes and a wider variety of services. Since their old space was smaller, they had smaller, longer classes and were appointment only. Their new location will have larger, shorter classes, allowing for walk-ins and a greater volume of customers to come in through the door.

“We’re now located on Elm St. and there are bars and shopping that’s right next to where we are,” says Dawson. “Women can come in an do a smoky eye class and then go out on the town afterwards.”

As far as the future goes, Dawson hints at the possibility of expanding their retail. Dawson currently sells lipsticks, lip glosses, and brushes through her FACEing business but she would like the line to include eye shadows and blushes as well.

“So far, we have gotten such positive feedback about our new space – we have had people seeing if they can rent the space out for a baby shower or girl’s night out,” says Dawson. “We can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

To find out more about BRIDEface/FACEing, visit their website at www.brideface.com.