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Blanche Macdonald Nail Artistry Graduate Amy Nguyen, owner of Socialite Nails in White Rock, BC

BMC: How did you hear about the Blanche Macdonald Centre and why did you choose to study here?  

Amy: I first heard about the Blanche Macdonald Centre through estheticians that had graduated from the program. I knew that spas handpicked Blanche Macdonald grads when they were looking for new staff, so it was a simple choice. 

BMC: Tell us about Socialite Nails. What inspired you to start your own business and what makes it unique?

Amy: The idea for Socialite Nails came to me when I was working as a fashion buyer for an upscale retail store. My travels to New York City inspired me to go into business for myself. I knew that there was a niche in the Vancouver market for something unique!

Socialite Nails is a loungy, sophisticated and luxurious nail lounge. Clients come to us to get professional services from creative and certified specialists. We’re all about bringing glamour back to the nail industry! We believe in building long term relationships with our clients and educating them on the health of their nails, not just the beauty of them.

BMC: What were some of the challenges you overcame when you were starting Socialite Nails?  

Amy: There were many. My first challenge was trying to open the store as quickly as I could. Dealing with contractors, especially being female, took me into new territory. The second issue was all the red tape that a new business has to go through with the City of Surrey. Then I had to market and advertise Socialite Nails in a recessionary market! Phew.

Blanche Macdonald Makeup Artistry Graduate: Global Glamour with International Makeup Artist Janeen Witherspoon

Variety is the spice of life. And for Blanche Macdonald graduate Janeen Witherspoon, it’s the application of her makeup skills across a variety of industries that continues to take her around the globe.

From fashion shows with Jean Paul Gautier to shoots with Naomi Campbell and Cameron Diaz to music videos with artists including Oasis and Amy Winehouse, Janeen has done it all. Now working her makeup magic and running a successful hair salon in the fashionable English city of Brighton with her husband, Janeen’s story begins when she decided to move from her native Ontario to sample life in Vancouver.Now working her makeup magic and running a successful hair salon in the fashionable English city of Brighton with her husband, Janeen’s story begins when she decided to move from her native Ontario to sample life in Vancouver.

“I moved west and starting working for a wonderful man called Jon Paul Holt, who owns Avant Garde hairdressing in Yaletown,” she recalls. “I was fortunate to become one of his assistants. He took us on photo shoots and we were constantly exploring creative avenues. I knew I wanted to be part of the industry. I was training as a hairdresser, but a part me of wanted to do makeup. Jon Paul gave me a push. We started looking for schools and found Blanche Macdonald.”

Janeen liked what she found and signed up for the nine-month part-time Makeup Diploma Program.

Pro Hair Graduate Sophie McMullin Vancouver’s East Vanity Parlour: Where Nostalgia meets Punk Rock

They didn’t just break the mould when they made stylist and Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair graduate Sophie McMullin. They smashed the mould with a hammer, put the fragments in a blender, buried what was left and built condos over the top for good measure. Her extravagant plume of hair (black, white and purple at the time of writing) grabs your attention. The incredible tattoo of Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster on her right shoulder puts it in a vice grip. Soon he’ll have a tattoo of Elsa Lanchester, the original Bride of Frankenstein, on Sophie’s left shoulder for company. 

Sophie’s unique attitude and remarkable talent has turned her into one of BC’s most in-demand hair stylists, a star at Vancouver’s shrine to vintage glamour glory, East Vanity Parlour. 

“After I graduated from Blanche Macdonald I said that I was going to take half a year off,” recalls Sophie. “But within two months the girls from East Vanity Parlour had taken me under their wing. They do a lot of work with Vancouver’s burlesque community, and they had heard of me through someone I did vintage styling with. When I found this place I immediately felt at home. There’s obviously something different here, because of the focus on nostalgia and punk rock. And there are no senior or junior stylists. We’re all equal and we’re all good friends. I love it.”

Fashion Design Grad Lisa Malcic’s Maternal Magic Brings Beba Bean Babywear International and Celebrity Status

Inspiration can arrive from strange sources. A falling apple was Isaac Newton’s first step towards developing of his theory of gravity. Seeds sticking to George De Mestral’s dog’s fur led him to invent Velcro.

For Blanche Macdonald Fashion Design graduate Lisa Malcic, owner of the Beba Bean line of baby wear and gifts, inspiration came directly from her infant son, Alex. Every time she or her husband Peter changed his diaper, young Alex would take the opportunity to pee on his parents. In an effort to stay dry Mr and Mrs Malcic invented the Pee-pee Teepee, defensive cones of cotton to place over the little hose during danger moments.

The rest is history. Today the company that began with these pee protectors is sells its lines in retailers including Gap Home, Babies R Us and Barneys New York, and California boutiques like Kitson, La La Ling and Fred Segal. Beba Bean now has over 120 sales reps across North America and boasts A-list celebrity clients including Brad and Angelina, Will Ferrell, Colin Farrell, Nicole Richie, Jennifer Hudson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Matthew McConaughey and Gwen Stefani.

Blanche Macdonald Fashion Merchandising Graduate Claudia Da Ponte: Gram Slam - Spears, Spamalot and Superstar Style.

No one is going to hand your dreams to you. Blanche Macdonald Fashion Merchandising graduate Claudia Da Ponte understands that.

She’s talented, of course. But it’s Claudia’s positive attitude and work ethic that’s turning her into one of Canada’s leading young professional stylists. The Vancouver native has worked backstage at concerts by Céline Dion and Britney Spears. She’s styled models for European fashion magazines and high profile advertising clients. She’s even appeared on Entertainment Tonight Canada, providing the fashion expertise for Cheryl Hickey’s Makeover segment. In fact, she’s rapidly approaching celebrity status. The facebook page for her company, Da Ponte Style, now has over 850 official fans.

That number is poised to grow as she’s recently taken the plunge and relocated from Vancouver to Canada’s fashion epicentre, Toronto. Looking back, it was a move that was almost inevitable.

Blanche Macdonald Makeup Artistry Graduate Jenna Kuchera: Makeup Artist on Top of the World

There are plenty of great makeup artists, but not many can claim the title of World Champion. That’s one of the highlights of Blanche Macdonald graduate Jenna Kuchera’s resume after she claimed first place in the Beauty/Fantasy category at the 2009 International Makeup Artists Trade Show (IMATS) in Pasadena, California. Widely considered the Olympics of Makeup, her victory at the big event wasn’t exactly unexpected. Jenna had already placed first at the Canadian Makeup Show in Vancouver earlier in the year in no less than three categories – Glamour, Fantasy Runway and Body Painting/Airbrushing.

Pro Hair Graduate Ana Luisa Valdes: A Cut Above at Toni & Guy and the Contessa Awards

Not every student at Blanche Macdonald arrives with a crystal ball providing step-by-step directions to a glittering future career. For Ana Luisa Valdés, Blanche Macdonald Pro Hair graduate and Art Director at the multiple award-winning Kitsilano, Vancouver branch of Toni&Guy, success has more to do with seizing inspiration and opportunities than long-term plans.

Hailing from Tampico, Mexico, the precise details of the start of Ana Luisa’s journey to Vancouver have already faded from memory.

“I really don’t remember how I started cutting hair,” she laughs, taking a break from her busy schedule at Toni&Guy. “It was just for fun. I had no training. It was something natural to me. My aunts would call and they’d get me to cut their hair with the same scissors they used in the garden. My sister-in-law ran a hair salon in Tampico. She saw me doing hair and said that I should help her in the salon.”

When the suggestion came that she should enhance her natural talent with some formal training, Ana Luisa investigated the possibility of a dramatic change of scenery.

“I’d been to Vancouver before, and I’d always liked it. One of my girlfriends from Mexico lived here and said that I should try out Blanche Macdonald. I heard it was one of the best schools. And the brochure they sent me looked really interesting.”

From Paramore to Passion Pit; BMC Makeup Graduate Sarah Appleby takes a big bite out of the Big Apple

In May last year Blanche Macdonald Makeup Artistry graduate Sarah Appleby made the move from Vancouver to New York City to further her career as a freelance makeup artist for the fashion, print and music video industries. Since arriving there, she’s worked for clients like Victoria’s Secret, BMW, Dove and MTV, magazines like Rolling Stone, Nylon, Paper and Glamour and with musical stars like Little Boots, Tyson Ritter, Paramore, Taylor Hanson and Dave Matthews.

There may be more glamorous jobs than Sarah’s in the world, but it takes a while to think what they might be.





"The day it stops being a creative adventure is the day it stops being fun,” she smiles. "I love makeup. I love the creativity and the art of it. I love working with artistic, passionate people. My place in the industry lends itself to incredible opportunities, fun collaborations and such inspiring workdays. Working with people who are so good at what they do is such a privilege."

Line & Form: 2009 Annual Graduation Fashion Show

THE BLANCHE MACDONALD CENTRE PRESENTS 50 GRADUATE FASHION COLLECTIONS

Tuesday November 24 2009
The Westin Bayshore
1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver BC
Fashion Show begins at 7:00 pm



See footage from last years fashion show, Fashion Collective 08, in our recently released Fashion Show Video!

Sister Act II : Louise Dannhauer and Ailish Wallace, co-owners of Spa Time

Esthetics / Spa Graduates
Co-Owners of Spa Time, Tsawwassen, BC

The motto at Spa Time is "Replenish what time takes away from you", printed in delicate silver brush script across their tea-green gift bags. Sitting in the softly-lit waiting room on plush chairs while a gentle piano melody floats in from the reception area, one can understand why the people of sunny Tsawwassen, BC go to Spa Time to put their busy lives on the backburner and receive quality treatment. Sister owners Louise Dannhaur and Ailish Wallace are masters of the art of stopping time for the purpose of relaxation, and with the introduction of a new 1,500 square foot location, larger staff and wider range of esthetics treatments, they just keep getting better at it.

"We’ve kept all of our décor ideas and colours and themes all pretty much the same, but we’ve added a lot of new services," says Louise. "Microdermabrasion, LED, photo facials, and we now incorporate all different sorts of body wraps. We do gel nails now, too, which we never did before."