Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Need A Name For My New Make-up Artist Business

Posted by shelly.grahamak on 12/24/2012 at 5:36 AM ET 250 Points
I live & work in North Pole, Alaska., I've been working on & off for over 20 years as a Make-up Artist and need a CATCHY, REACH OUT & GRAB YOU name for my new business!
I have worked on Models, Brides, Wedding Parties, Television Personalities,Various Photographers have hired me for all types of Photo Shoots, i.e.; Glamour, Family, Engagement, Boudoir and Before & After. I also teach ages 6 and up basic skin care techniques & the application of make-up to ENHANCE their beauty rather than mute it.

My name is Shelly Marie Graham (not big on just using my name). The women of this area of Alaska are not known for wearing a lot, if any make-up on a daily basis. My target clientele will be anyone wanting to look SPECTACULAR for Special Occasions, i.e.; Christmas, New Years Eve, Birthday Parties, Anniversary, Weddings, Glamour, Boudoir and Engagement Photos and teaching pre-teens.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll be able to come up with; I've hit a wall!

Best regards,
Shelly Graham
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Moriarty on 12/24/2012 at 7:34 AM Accepted
    Hi Shelly,

    I'm a 50 something farmer's daughter from South Africa. I should have been a farmer's wife in Rhodesia, but life took a few other turns ...

    What would you say to get me to come along and have myself tidied up for Christmas? Bear in mind that my partner wouldn't really notice makeup or the like even if I had had it done specially ... and I doubt that your prospects' husbands are much different! Can you imagine that when you have made the breakfast at 5.30, fed the children, chickens and polar bears - or whatever it is that Alaskan farmer's wives feed in the mornings ... in any case, you will know better than I what people in cold wintery Alaska do of a day. If you can do a better job of describing your customer than I can, all the better. It's your business after all! Once you know your *best* customers well, you will really be steaming.


    The point of my saying this is that you have hit a wall because you were describing what your business is - when you should have been focusing on what your customers see of it.

    A few ideas:

    Shelly Graham - look great with what looks like a hint of makeup
    Looking cool for that special occasion
    Overdone? Shelly takes the subtle route to your beauty.
    Those red lips turn me off! Enhance your natural coloring.
    Eyes that shriek? No way! Look like yourself - only better.

    I'm sure you can do better!

    Moriarty (which is what my partner calls me!)

    Merry Christmas
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 12/24/2012 at 2:22 PM Accepted
    Are you currently working for someone else and are thinking of launching your own business, or are you thinking of renaming your existing business? In the latter, if you've been around for 20 years, and people can already find you, then why would you want to change your business name?
  • Posted by shelly.grahamak on 12/24/2012 at 9:03 PM Author
    Couple of things I may have left out; I've worked as a second job as a Make-up Artist and always for myself. But I moved from the larger more metropolitan city of Anchorage, Alaska to North Pole/Fairbanks. Women living here go to Anchorage to shop for special occasion clothes. Women living here tend to be made from a "hardier" stock, winter temperatures in the North Pole/Fairbanks area get as low as 70 BELOW ZERO (It's currently 52 below zero) and as high as 40 Degrees. Summer temperatures go from the 60's to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. We would be classified as a Desert Climate, if not for the large amounts of snow received each year; it's extremely dry.

    I guess didn't explain myself clearly or my potential clientele in my previous post. I'm not looking for the woman who NEVER wears Make-up, this type of women will never wake up one day and suddenly decide she needs a make over. My target clientele are recently relocated from the lower 48, or a larger city in Alaska, who may or may not work outside the home, may have an upcoming Special Occasion; they type they will "buy a new outfit" for, i.e.; Husband's or Employers Work Christmas Party, New Years Eve Party, Wedding, Divorce, Photo Shoot, and/or a change in the Seasons (Weather) and suddenly that AWESOME color of lipstick they wore in Chicago or all Winter makes the appear DEAD.

    I've always used my name in the past as a Make-up Artist; but due to the limited income earning potential here I will be working for an employer full-time in a completely different field (absolutely nothing to do with the Beauty Business). The issue is my name will be prominently used and featured in various publications and throughout the community, which is why I need to have a "Business Name" instead of just my name.

    When I said I wanted something that reaches out and grabs you; what I meant was that I want something clear, concise and memorable, nothing cutesy or cuddly. Something to clearly point out or point to the nature of the business, but also let the customer know I am EXPERIENCED, PROFESSIONAL have EXTRAORDINARY imagination, EXCEPTIONAL, EXCELLENT & OUTSTANDING artistry and customer service skills. BTW, I forgot to include my nicknames, Shekele (pronounced SHAH-KELL-EE), ShellyB, Shelby, ShellBell, ShellyMarie (pronounced as if it's all one word). My maiden name is "Bornschein" (pronounced BORN-SHINE) and my middle name is Marie (pronounced MAH-REE).

    A couple of my BUSINESS NAME IDEAS ARE: "Aurora Borealis Make-up Artistry", "Beautiful Faces by She", "Make-up Magic with Shekele", "Face Perfection, Make-up Artistry by Shelly", and "The Art of Beauty by Shelly", "Fabulous Faces by Shelly", "Beauty by .....", "Extraordinary Eyes, Make-up Artistry by....", "The Essence of Beauty, Make-up Artistry by....", "The Beauty Boutique", "Shimmering Lights Beauty Studio", Legendary Looks by...."

    Tag line ideas; "Allow me to discover your hidden beauty", "Expertly Enhancing your Natural Beauty", "If eyes are the window to your soul, a beautiful face is the doorway!", "Refine, Enhance and Enrich your Beauty", "Allow me to help you uncover your hidden assets", "Discover the beautiful woman inside"," Discover the beauty inside and outside", "As Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and your eyes are the window to your soul, allow me to uncover your true essence and allow the world a glimpse of your beauty."

    If you have any ideas, or "like" any of the ones I've come up with please let me know.
  • Posted by shelly.grahamak on 12/24/2012 at 9:33 PM Author
    Moriarty - thank you for the ideas & I hope I answered your questions regarding my target clientele.

    Jay & Phil - I hope I answered your questions. I'm looking forward to hearing any ideas you may have. BTW my market research revealed the majority of my clients will be ages 13 to 30, and desiring one of the following: basic skin care techniques, special occasion make-up, teaching how to conceal blemishes, birthmarks (including Port Wine Stains) and scars everyday make-up and photographs, Boudoir, Glamour and Before & After Photo Shoots.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 12/26/2012 at 10:23 AM Member
    Given your description Shelly, I'd recommend a name that connects to a major city in the "Lower 48" (to connect with the sophistication that you're trying to invoke), such as

    NYC Makeup (or NYC Makeup Artistry)
    LA Makeup (or LA Makeup Artistry)

    Your tagline will need to make it clear that you're locally located, such as:

    Big City Looks Now Showing In Alaska
  • Posted by NovaHammer on 12/26/2012 at 10:56 AM Accepted
    Sublime

    Thinking of understated versus clown/stage makeovers also connects with hardy sub zero temp area..

    Connect with Jays Big City Sublime ....
  • Posted by Moriarty on 12/26/2012 at 11:22 AM Member
    I like Jay's idea of invoking another city's glamour.

    "Feel like Fifth Avenue"

    "Step out with a face as cool as Broadway" (= choose your street in Manhattan).

    "Looking as cool as Manhattan Island"

    What do you think? M xx
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Taglines/Names)