The salon comes to you
Apps can bring a stylist, masseuse or trainer to your door, or find local appointments in a hurry.
Getting an entourage of beauty professionals to show up at your door is no longer a privilege reserved just for celebrities and the ultra-wealthy. Thanks to a growing number of on-demand beauty apps, summoning hairstylists, makeup artists, masseuses and even personal trainers to a home, office or hotel is not just possible, it’s often easier than swiping your smartphone screen to call an Uber car.
In fact, these services are being referred to by some users as “Ubers of beauty,” due to the convenience, accessibility to a high-end experience and ability to execute all payment transactions online.
“Beauty has always been about instant gratification,” says David Pirrotta, owner of David Pirrotta Brand Management, a Los Angeles-based firm that markets beauty lines including Rodin, Ilia and Sachajuan.
Lauren Remington Platt started an on-demand beauty app called Vensette three years ago after realizing there was no convenient way to transition her look from her day job in finance to the cocktail parties and charity functions she attended in the evening.
“I wanted to create something that my friends and I would want to use and also considered how women want to interact with beauty in the Digital Age,” says Platt.
Vensette, based in New York, now has artists available for hire in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.
Vensette artists are trained to re-create styles displayed on the company’s website.
“The key is consistency,” says Platt, who was impressed by the uniformity of Starbucks when creating her company.
In addition to on-demand beauty apps that dispatch artists for at-home services, several apps aim to make the booking process for beauty appointments more convenient.
Think “Open Table for beauty,” as some are referring to apps like Beautified and Beauty Booked, which allow users to make lastminute appointments at salons and fitness studios in various cities.
Beautified, which is available in New York and plans to launch in L.A. in 2015, partners with salons, spas and exercise studios such as Frederic Fekkai, Bliss and Barry’s Boot Camp.
“Women are time-strapped, and we provide them with a tool to help their day be more efficient,” says Beautified co-founder Annie Evans, adding that, for women who are traveling to a new city, an app like Beautified eliminates the often time-consuming process of searching for a salon or spa, then hoping for an open appointment.
On-demand beauty apps also offer artists for weddings, bridal parties and fashion industry events.
Fashion publicist Shana Honeyman discovered an app called GlamSquad when the makeup artist she hired to work on a client’s look book bowed out with food poisoning 45 minutes before a photo shoot. Honeyman was hooked. “I love a salon experience,” she says, “but when on a tight timeline, having someone come directly to you feels decadent and time-efficient. It’s the best of both worlds.”