The Makeup Chair, Q Cosmetics
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza
After nine years in the cosmetics industry, Augustus Fraser, a 30-year-old entrepreneur, opened Q Cosmetics in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The second-floor boutique is the first of its kind for L.A.: a free-standing retail outlet--not a chain--that sells its own makeup line designed for women of color.
Fraser, previously a makeup consultant for African American cosmetic lines Simply Satin and Interface, says he created the all-natural line and got the idea for the boutique after talking to the many women he’s encountered in his makeup chair.
“I’m answering questions that black women have been asking for years, such as reducing oil shine and refining pore appearance, and I offer a variety of colors in shades custom made for their skin tones,” Fraser says. As for the location, “I consider Baldwin Hills home.”
On a recent Friday evening, “Q” (as Fraser is sometimes called) spent several hours with some of his younger clients as they stopped in to try out looks for their upcoming prom nights. Fraser says the five-employee store, which opened late last year, scheduled more than 100 free makeup consulting sessions for the prom season. One of the students, Chereese Waters, brought her friend to Q, saying she preferred to patronize a black-owned store. According to Fraser, that’s the impetus for most of his first-time customers.
“I’m a black makeup artist who owns a black cosmetic line. When you want soul food, you don’t go to Denny’s or Coco’s. I’ve got soul food, [other cosmetics lines] have hamburgers and hot dogs.”
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MARQUEL BENSON, 18
ST. BERNARD HIGH SCHOOL
Prom couture: “I didn’t want anything too dressy. I thought about black, but decided on a dress that is red and has stripes going across it, like fuchsia and peach. It’s really colorful, something like what they wear at the Oscars.” Makeup’s role: “I want my makeup to look just like the dress, you know, colorful. But I want the emphasis on my eyes.” Prom date: “My friend Sam. He graduated last year from my school.” Can’t live without: “Sometimes I wear foundation, but not eye makeup. I wear lip gloss occasionally.”
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MELLISSA WALLACE, 18
CRENSHAW HIGH SCHOOL
Prom couture: “I was trying to find something that was sexy but elegant. I decided on a dress that’s more formal. It’s silver and strapless.” Makeup’s role: “It’s very important because I want the makeup to match my dress. I want something for my perfect night.” Prom date: “A boy named Justin.” Can’t live without: “Nothing, really. Sometimes I just put on lipstick and mascara.”
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LaWANDA “STAR” ELZY, 19
CRENSHAW HIGH SCHOOL
Prom couture: “My dress is like a Chinese print, like silvery blue. I had it made.” Makeup’s role: “I don’t really wear makeup, so anything that makes me look pretty. I just want to look pretty.” Prom date: “My boyfriend. He raps. His stage name is Nonsense. His real name is Derrick Johnson.” Can’t live without: “Chap Stick.”
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CHEREESE WATERS, 17
ST. BERNARD HIGH SCHOOL
Prom couture: “I wanted to be original, different, elegant. The dress is strapless, like bubble-gum colored, with an A-line ballroom skirt. And it has a pink-and-silver lace shrug. A seamstress is making it.” Makeup’s role: “It’s important because it falls in line with your hair and jewelry. It accents the dress. And that just sets off everything.” Prom date: “Niais Taylor, a friend from school that I’ve known since 9th grade.” Can’t live without: “Clear lip gloss, and a lip liner on the weekends if I’m going to a party or the movies or something.”
