Area couples will soon have the opportunity to battle for beauty supremacy — and the ultimate winner will be Shelton-based Adam’s House.
Twin sisters Liz and Jessica Arrindell, owners of Luscious & Co. Beauty at 469 Howe Avenue, are celebrating Valentine’s weekend with their first-ever Newlywed Beauty Battle in which a couple will compete against other teams to achieve the "best look.”
This stylish event will be Saturday, Feb. 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the twins’ store — which has been newly expanded and renovated into a two-story, 4,000-square-foot space, and has more than enough room, according to Liz, to house this beauty battle royal.
And for the Arrindells, this opportunity was the perfect way to incorporate their love for the beauty industry with their desire to give back to the community.
The choice of Adam’s House as the beneficiary of their generosity was a personal one — with that group’s focus on helping children deal with the grief of losing a loved one tied so closely to the twins own personal experience.
“We had the opportunity of attending a volunteer training with Adam’s House, located here in Shelton as well, and we were blown away by the resources available to local families that need help grieving,” said Liz.
The Arrindells’ mother died when they were seniors at Shelton High School, Jessica said, and having seen how Adam’s House aids grieving families who deal with similar losses sends a powerful message of hope.
“We were so touched … we cried every moment,” said Liz about the sisters’ experience in the FIG (Friend In Grieving) program. “My first thought was how can we help further empower this amazing program. They have an incredible mission. The strength they show … it’s like nothing I have ever seen before.”
The Arrindells, who grew up in Shelton, opened Luscious & Co. Beauty five years ago, at that time with only two small rooms on the second floor in the Howe Avenue building. Five years later, the business continues to grow, both in customers and space required.
“Starting this business was about us wanting to employ and give a platform to hair stylists who want to learn the business and nurture their creative side,” said Liz, adding that the sisters have created a mentor program and have been involved with such programs as Capstone at Shelton High. “We are providing what we know about business, combined with our love for the beauty industry. We are providing those things to give a platform to future beauty professionals.”
The pair also wanted to open their business in their hometown, selecting a space in downtown because it could “use some love, a lift.”
What started five years ago with two rooms in a second floor space has since expanded to two floors and more than 23 employees. And in recent years, the sisters have begun to dedicate their efforts toward helping organizations that aid the community.
This year, that beneficiary is the Adam’s House.
“We wanted to do something fun and tie it into Valentine’s Day,” said Jessica. “We do close to 300 weddings a year, and we wanted to take that network of customers, who were just wed, and do a beauty battle. One spouse would choose to do the makeup, and we’ll have judges.”
All makeup, tools and lashes will be provided to each couple, said Liz, then each couple will be shown an inspired look. And once the clock starts, each couple will have 60 minutes to achieve the "look,” and the couple that comes closest to the inspired look will win a $25 Bad Sons gift card, and a $25 Luscious & Co gift card.
The mission of the Adam Wysota Foundation is to offer grief education and peer support in a home-like setting called Adam’s House — a healing place for families as they go through their eight-week grief journey.
At Adam’s House, children and their families gather to draw support from their peers and gain new strategies for dealing with their loss. The organization supports children struggling with any type loss — parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt/uncle or friend. All programs are offered at no cost to participating families.
For more information on the event at Luscious & Co. Beauty, visit lusciousandco.com/events/newlywed-beauty-battle