Veronica Howell & Co. will make you ‘Blush’

By RAY QUIROGA
South Padre Parade
rayq@portisabelsouthpadre.com

Most people who visit a beauty salon or makeup studio usually look forward to a facial, a trimming of the hair, maybe even a new look for the season.

They don’t, however, necessarily hope their makeup will add 50 pounds to their weight, unless, of course, they’re moments away from filming a television commercial in a fat suit.

Such is the day in the life of Veronica Howell, owner and operator of Blush Makeup Studio located in downtown Harlingen which specializes in theatrical makeup artistry.

While they may not realize it, readers may have seen Howell’s work in a number of area publications and commercials, including Charlie Clark Nissan’s more recent productions.

As seen in the photo collage above, Howell and company literally put the word “artist” in the phrase makeup artist.

But Howell and her studio are much more than that. These days, she’s a very busy woman. On the day we caught up with her, she was simultaneously fielding accolades from a satisfied client, taking an appointment while on the phone and providing instruction to her employees. Indeed, Howell manages to somehow juggle it all, and have a life outside of her studio.

The balancing act, Howell admits, is the hardest aspect of her career and life, but somehow, someway, this amazingly talented, staunchly independent businesswoman has managed to do it all and be a role model to her friends, family and in her community, to boot.

Success in business is nothing new for Howell. A renaissance woman in her own right, Howell has done everything from teach high school English, to doing a bit of newspaper reporting herself, to working a more traditional job at a Dallas area college. It was during her time in Dallas that Howell studied and became certified as a makeup artist.

But she really came into her own as a businesswomen when she launched, then later sold, a drug testing company that found a niche by discretely testing teens and young adults at their parents’ behest.

Finding a need in the marketplace, then filling it, is one of Howell’s gifts as a businesswoman and that was exactly her intention when she opened Blush’s doors, she said. Of course, Blush doesn’t just specialize in theatrical makeup. Opened to the general public, Blush is a full service beauty studio that offers everything from haircuts, to facials, to pretty much whatever a woman needs for that “big day,” quinceañera, or any other special occasion.

Blush Makeup Studio features three certified makeup artists, one certified hair stylists and color expert, one certified aesthetician and one certified lash technician. Howell and her staff receive training and certifications in the latest makeup, hair and lash styles. Howell is assisted by Crystal Matamoros who is a licensed skin care specialist and stylist Violet Hernandez. All three ladies are featured above, and yes, if you have a costume party to attend, they’d be more than happy to give you that Sugar Skull look too!