For this quater’s Denver Small Business highlight, I wanted to showcase a Denver Hairstylist that is taking her client experience next level.
Being a Denver branding photographer I get to meet and work with some amazing women. Denver Hairstylist Blair of Beauty by B and I have worked together now for years and watching her business thrive has been amazing.
“I am Blair Smith, or B, an engineering student turned cosmetologist from the central valley of California. Though I still have a warm place in my heart for the fields of dairy-town California, I have been working happily in Denver, bringing some of my small-town charm with me! In my cozy suite in Downtown Denver you can find me serving up blended blondes, bold vivids, and perfectly boho bridal looks. I like to dip my toes in pinks and purples while also seeing the awe in a perfectly crafted balayage. My approach to color is always about precision and intention and longevity. Creating a custom color that works for you, your lifestyle, and your budget is what I do best!”
How/why did you become a Denver Hairstylist?
“I have always been a hands on and artistic person, and beauty in all forms has always been a passion of mine. I was always doing my little sister’s hair and makeup, giving my mom pedicures, and playing with my dolls’ hair. Education and academic excellence was always first and foremost for my parents, though, so I knew I wasn’t going to make it a career. I was in every AP and honors class I could take, in all the honors clubs, and graduated in the top 10% of my class. However, after graduating high school and being at CSU Fresno for almost three years bouncing around from major to major and knowing that I was not being fulfilled, I decided to take a leap and quit college. I toured The Paul Mitchell School of Fresno and FELL IN LOVE. I knew that is where I needed to be. I enrolled shortly after that tour and have been loving this life ever since. I went to night school while working two full time day jobs, it was grueling, it was tough, but it was completely worth it. I did not get a job in the field right after school, though. Life throws us curveballs, and trust me, I am no stranger to challenges and obstacles. I graduated from PMTS in the winter of 2015, moved to Denver shortly after in March of 2016, held a job at Starbucks (where I met my now husband!) and Vans and just kind of moved through life. One day I took a long hard look and wondered why I was wasting my time and not using my trade. I ended up leaving those two jobs and working for the Aveda Institute of Denver. Here is where my passion for hair and makeup was lit once again. I was finally back in the industry! I finally got my Colorado license in 2019 and my career has literally SKYROCKETED since then. I was an assistant for a year, was a booth renter in 2020 during the pandemic, and in January 2021 I decided that it was time to go off on my own and open my own suite business. I am so fiercely passionate about what I do and my clients, that in 10 short months I have grown my part time renter business into two fully thriving businesses — Beauty by B and Bridal by B. I am now in a double suite, hiring an assistant, hiring a commission stylist to work with me, and building a bridal team (all while expecting my first little girl!) I truly believe that my passion, good nature, and desire to connect with people as unique individuals is what has set me apart and driven the success I have. I have a super strong work ethic, and I am always looking for the next challenge. Y’all better keep an eye on the horizon to see what I’ll be up to next!”
Who can really benefit from working with you?
“I really cater to the socially conscious, laid-back, and feisty womxn of Denver and the surrounding areas. If you are looking for genuine connection and conversation, a holistic approach to your hair and/or wedding services, and want the education needed to maintain your salon hair at home, then I am your girl! Yes, I will give you amazing hair…obvs, but I also crave amazing conversation. I’ve been told I am an awesome “Blair-apist,” so whatever you got, just lay it on me! And, like, while we are at it let’s talk about how to keep plastic out of the ocean, local breweries and coffee shops in business, and how to destroy the patriarchy.”
Most rewarding part of being a Denver Hairstylst?
“I LOVE people. My clients are what keeps my fire lit and what keeps my job fun and challenging. I love that I have been able to turn my passion into a career. I get to be creative, use the mechanical and technical side of my brain, all while having my work be lived in on someone’s hair. My clients get to take me with them everywhere they go. It is an incredible honor to be welcomed into someone’s life in such an intimate way. I get to touch people’s lives through our conversation and connections in the salon, and that is truly the most rewarding thing.”
Follow Denver Hairstylist Blair on Instagram and book an appointment here.
