Courtney Sercey first fell in love with doing makeup as an instructor for a Paul Mitchell beauty school in Dallas, TX. The New Mexico transplant even created her own curriculum, since the school had no makeup classes in the night school at the time. But she eventually tired of the 45-minute commute that got her home to Denton at 1 a.m., so she began renting a chair and managing a salon part-time.
Under her great new mentor, she learned how to run a business, create incredible updos and color hair to perfection. “She was so supportive of my ultimate dream of doing wedding hair and makeup full-time, and she still is,” says Courtney.
It’s inevitable that protégés set flight, and one day Courtney realized that a chair in a salon wasn’t the place to grow a wedding business—for one thing, there was no separate makeup area. So she moved to Salons by JC and named her new suite Courtney Sercey Hair and Makeup. It was the perfect-sized space and closer to her home, plus her best friend already had a suite there.
“At our location, there are many suite owners with different specialties,” says Courtney of Salons by JC in Denton, TX. “I refer perm or roller-set clients to other stylists, and those who don’t like to do brides refer them to me. We all run our own business but we meet up and talk about what is successful and what isn’t, and share the latest education and business tips. There’s a great team atmosphere and a culture of trust.”
Today, Courtney still does a lot of cut-and-color work—it’s any stylist’s bread and butter. But she’s also heavily involved local bridal shows and has done at least one wedding every month (often more). Now, 40-percent of her business is bridal, and she’s closing in on her dream.
“I usually do an entire bridal party up of to eight; it takes me 30 to 45 minutes for each person’s hair and makeup,” notes Courtney.
If that seems fast, remember that trial styles are done in advance and right now, the trend isn’t perfection. “Bridal looks today are more natural, for example, a low, messy bun positioned to the side to frame the face,” says Courtney. “Braids that are incorporated into a side style are also popular.
More natural bridal makeup is a trend, too, she adds. “No one should look like a stranger on her wedding day. Lashes are a must, and a foundation with a matt finish looks best with today’s HD photography. If a woman wants a dewy look, I use a touch of shimmer.”
Courtney is also a national makeup artist for Ultimate Face Cosmetics, a position that offers her many potential career options. For the immediate future, she is developing hair and makeup classes for consumers and eventually plans to offer them to other professionals. To keep up with bridal trends and Courtney’s future class announcements, follow her on Instagram @ courtneyserceyhmu or check out her Courtney Sercey Hair and Makeup page on Facebook.
