Talking to… Ana Klein and Ellie Wright

The co-founders of make-up’s answer to Drybar tell Lollie Hancock about how they’re shaking up the make-up service industry, one client at a time

The story behind Beam starts in New York City, where, in 2015, jewellery marketing and PR executive Ana Klein pitched her friend, Ellie Wright, an idea: to create an open an inviting salon with a sole focus on make-up.

“We were 21 when we had the first conversation, and I asked Ellie to be my business partner when I was ready to start. She agreed, but, of course, when you’re that young you never think it’s actually going to happen,” reflects Klein

“Six years later, I was living in London, and Covid hit. I was doing an MBA at Central St Martins, dropped out, quit my job a month later and called Ellie to say, ‘I’ve handed in my resignation, do you want to do this with me now?’.”

Beam is born

Now, nearly a decade after the initial conversation and two years since they began working on the brand concept and perfecting their services, the pair have opened the door to their first ever Beam pop-up on London’s King’s Road, creating a safe space for consumers to come and explore their relationship with make-up, whether that be trying one of Beam’s signature looks, through a one-to-one lesson with one of the eight resident MUAs on hand, or a custom full-glam look for a big occasion.

“Our core service is the Beam 30, a 30-minute makeover, which is what the idea was really built up from – from Ana’s time in New York, where she could go and get a blow dry in half an hour,” explains Wright. The premise was simple: a make-up space that is fully focused on the service, with no pressure to buy products and no single-brand loyalty.

“We took about two years of really perfecting the service, trying to understand what people want,” says Klein. “Ellie and I went out and just interviewed people on the street, asking them specific questions about where they usually go to get their make-up done, what have been the limitations, things like that.

Stepping back from brands

“The majority of the time, they were going to brand-specific counters in department stores, getting their make-up done there, and having products pushed on them, only to hate how they would look, go home, wipe it off, and be stuck with the product.”

When selecting products for use in their services, the Beam co-founders turned to their team of MUAs for suggestions and guidance, as well as partnering with Observ and The Face Planner to provide skin analysis and skin prep through mini facials.

“The partnerships filled the gaps and completed the services that we wanted to offer,” explains Klein. “It really helps us to understand our clients and what their needs are, and tailor the treatments to that.

“Ellie and I didn’t start out in the beauty industry. Of course, I love make-up, have tried new products throughout my life, and I know what brands I like, but we’re not professionals, which is where our make-up artists have been so amazing.

“All we required was that brands have to be cruelty free, but the MUAs told us which brands they wanted us to have and which specific products to invest in.”

In line with Beam’s goal to help people become more confident in make-up, the team even allows clients to bring in their own make-up bags for services, so the MUAs can help clients learn how to build up their skills with their own products.

“People can actually learn from the MUAs and go away knowing what to do, rather than feeling as though they’ve had products used on them but are leaving with no clue of how to apply it themselves at home,” explains Wright.

“We get clients to do parts of their make-up themselves as well,” adds Klein. “So, in the ‘Discover 60’ service, half the time is the make-up artist showing you what to do on one side of the face, and then you do it yourself on the other side, so you actually leave with new skills.”

Building the team

When building Beam’s seven-strong team of MUAs, creating a group with a diverse set of skills was a key factor for the founders. “We wanted to have a diverse team to be able to tailor all kinds of looks. Each of them has a particular style and a signature, but the skills to create any look for any client,” says Klein.

“In the beauty industry, everyone knows everyone – it’s been funny to see how our make-up artists knew each other already from shoots or other jobs. Some of the first MUAs we brought on recommended others to us, so it’s a really nice family.”

The pair ensure the MUAs feel a part of the brand too, giving them creative opportunities through designing Beam’s “signature looks” for clients who don’t want to fully tailor their experience.

“We gave all creative control to our make-up artists – they are such an important part of the business and we really wanted to show off their artistry and put them as the face of Beam,” explains Klein. “We asked each of them to create two looks for Beam – a day look and a night look. We wanted them to feel that they can have creative input in the business. Apart from the Beam Signature (a bold blue eyeliner look inspired by Klein’s own signature make-up), all the rest have been created by our make-up artists.”

INTERIOR SHOTS: PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBIN QUARRELLE; INTERIOR DESIGN: EJ STUDIOS CAMPAIGN IMAGES: PHOTOGRAPHY: SAMTURRELL; MAKE-UP: BEAM

The future of Beam

With the first pop-up coming to a close soon, the pair are already looking at next steps to bring Beam to everyone. “The initial idea was to pop up in different locations, but after seeing how it’s going, we definitely want a permanent retail space eventually,” explains Wright.

“Our ultimate goal is to be on the high streets, and to make Beam accessible to everyone. But whether we do go for a permanent space right now, or pop up in different locations first, is something we’re still looking at.” Whichever route they go down, we’re excited to see where they end up.