Beauty shop gets a makeover

Take a few steps in Bella Faccia, and you’ll realize you’re not in your typical beauty supply store.

The small retail space that was damaged in a December 2004 fire has been reborn into a specialty boutique with Travertino tiled floors, Asian-themed water walls and dozens of high-end beauty and skin-care products displayed on dark mahogany shelves mounted on hand-painted walls.

Costa Mesa businessman Stan Sir is launching the venture, hoping to combine the selection of a department store with the upscale atmosphere of a Beverly Hills boutique. Bella Faccia is also home to well-known Orange County aesthetician Kelley Cahill who operates a private studio in the rear of the boutique.

Sir, who also owns 17th Street Beauty Supply, said he launched Bella Faccia after becoming disillusioned with the traditional beauty industry.

“From a business perspective, the beauty supply market has been saturated,” he said. “A lot of the business are just prostituting themselves to see who can have the lowest prices. I want to do something that educates the consumer.”

Sir has brought on popular make-up artist Shellena Gonzalez to help run the small boutique, as well as several trained beauty technicians to give the space a high-end credibility and help customers with the complex web of skin-care products. The small boutique also offers makeup lessons and applications for special events and weddings.

The boutique will include a small wellness center with dietary supplements and special teas to boost the health and immune system, Gonzalez said.

“We want people to feel good from the inside as well as the outside,” she said.

Sir said he chose the 17th Street location because the popular retail corridor was seeing an increase in high-end businesses as consumers from Newport Beach and Costa Mesa look for more convenient ways to pick up products than shopping at large lifestyle centers.

“It’s definitely a mixed area rather than an affluent area,” he said. “We cater to a sophisticated customer base that knows about these types of products and appreciates their value.”dpt.03-bizspot-CPhotoInfoP41PINDD20060403ix4be4knLINDA NGUYEN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Owner Stan Sir, skin care specialist/esthetician Kelley Cahill of De Haven’s Retreat located in the back, certified makeup artist/manager Laura Cisneros, certified makeup artist Simone Smith are very excited about the opening of their new beauty salon Bella Faccia.