Staff Highlight: STEPHANIE

Next up in our “Staff Highlight” series is Stephanie. Stephanie did her cosmetology training at Milan Institute of Cosmetology in Texas. Originally from Texas, she joined us here at Rouge four and a half years ago and is one of our most senior providers. Steph was the first provider to bring threading and hair cuts to Rouge Beauty Bar and it has absolutely taken off! Now one of our most popular services, Steph has assisted in training all of our other providers who offer threading. On top of offering services, Steph is also our cosmetic manager and helps with education and guidance of our cosmetology staff. With fifteen years of experience in the industry, she’s arguably the most experienced provider here and has so much to offer her clients and her coworkers. We all consider her a mentor and strive to have our books as full as hers! 

Her cosmetology career began, as so many young girls’ do, with her mother. Steph’s mom had originally wanted to be a cosmetologist but was unable to take the exam to receive her license because they didn’t have a Spanish speaking version. Her mother was one of the main inspirations for Steph to become a cosmetologist, but she finds determination within herself as well. When she was younger, her family had gone to a salon here in Springfield to get Stephanie’s hair done. They were told that they wouldn’t even take her on as a client, due to her ethnicity and hair texture. Steph is one of two providers at Rouge who speak Spanish fluently and she feels passionate about being able to service all people, despite their background, ethnicity, hair texture, and language!

Steph started doing hair and makeup for her friends and family while she was a junior in high school. She had no idea that what started as a hobby for dances and special occasions would soon become a successful, long standing career in the industry! Stephanie is a self-motivator of the highest degree, and her books reflect that. In the industry we consider Steph “booked and busy” and  it’s hard to get in to see her as she’s a frequent request of our clients! One of the reasons she’s so busy is because she is able to offer so many different services. 

She credits her diversity as a provider as the reason why she’s never experienced burnout. Her biggest accomplishment that she’s most proud of is just how long she’s been working as a stylist. Steph mentioned that many other stylists she knows personally have already experienced burnout and no longer work in the industry. Fifteen years is an admirable length of time to be working in the beauty industry, where the physical and emotional demand is often high.

Steph loves doing brows on her clients, as they’re the very first thing she notices on someone! And updos are her favorite services to perform on her hair clients. She loves getting to put all the bobby pins in! But when she’s not at work, you can find Stephanie spending time with her family at home. They enjoy going to parks together, going on nature walks, and Steph loves to work out and take care of herself. She also is very crafty and can sew and loves doing crafts with her daughter. Steph loves to sing and she considers that her hidden talent! 

As one of our most experienced providers, Stephanie is definitely one of the most successful as well and she has much to be proud of. While working hard at Rouge, being our cosmetology manager, she’s also a mother who works hard at raising her kids, running a tight ship at home. She’s also the first person in her family to get a degree and have a full time career. This is what she calls a “big girl job” and she considers her biggest accomplishment. One day she hopes to visit Italy and enjoy some well deserved rest and relaxation!

Steph is someone I personally admire a lot and I appreciate all the effort and care she puts into her work. With one of the best work ethics I've ever seen, no one is more fit to give advice to people getting into the industry. She has this to say:

“Keep practicing. You can only get better.”

Stephanie is extremely passionate about making people feel good about themselves and you can see that in her work. She understands that sometimes people just need someone to talk to, someone to brighten their day, or even someone to play therapist and just listen. Whether it’s a haircut, a hair color, facial waxing, or even threading, she puts her entire self into each and every client every time to deliver consistent, great results.