JUST before COVID-19 became a reality, lash and brow artist Char Bloomfield sent a message to make-up artist and hair stylist Bonnie-Lee Mooney, who she'd met only a handful of times.
"It sounds airy-fairy but it said, 'I have and idea and a vision and I feel like you could be part of it'," Ms Bloomfield recalls.
The vision was to create a communal beauty space for Newcastle's leading artists and beauty specialists.
"There are so many collectives that do hair under one roof but nowhere that invites other brow artists, which is an expanding industry. Then we thought it doesn't have to stop there - if someone comes in and wants to do life coaching or massage, they can," Ms Bloomfield says.
When the Hunter lockdown began, the two women were forced to park their businesses - The Wanderloft (Ms Bloomfield) and Makeup By Bonnie Lee - and had time to plan their business.
Goldn' Studio recently opened in Alma Road, New Lambton, above Corner Lane Espresso. The business website will launch on Tuesday, stocking skincare, wellness and self-care products.
"The name reflects a way you can feel about yourself and want others to feel," Ms Bloomfield explains.
The three-room studio can accommodate up to 10 artists, many being part-time.
"There's such demand for so many different freelance beauty artists - whether its makeup or specialties like lashes - and many of them don't have the opportunity to work for themselves, or don't have a space to work from," Ms Mooney says of the need to create the new collective.
Scone-raised Ms Bloomfield did a beauty therapy diploma after school then worked for seven years in administration in the mines while continuing her beauty hustle. She founded the WanderLoft in Newcastle in 2016, at first renting a room before running it from home.
Ms Mooney, who specialises in bridal makeup, says the business journey has been positive.
"We have the same vision and work hand in hand. Our morals align and communicate well," she says. "We've become so close and the best thing is it was formed over a genuine connection."
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