MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Raychel Wade, Founder/Creator of cheek to chic™
Making makeup easier is the mantra of Raychel Wade, Founder and Creator of Cheek to Chic.
Raychel Wade began her career as a makeup artist working for Saks Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills and New York City, for cosmetic lines including Nars, Bobbi Brown and Giorgio Armani. Her charismatic personality combined with her eye for color, skillful application and simple, yet beautiful makeup looks quickly earned her loyal clientele.
It was during her years at department stores that Raychel identified a niche in the cosmetics market for makeup application and education with a real focus on personalized attention. Thus, Cheek to Chic was born.
Cheek to Chic was founded in January 2002 to help those women who felt lost with the vast selection of product in the market, were inundated with their already overflowing drawers of makeup and felt helpless because they didn’t know how to properly apply or care for many of their items. The combination of this concept and Raychel’s skills has provided her and Cheek to Chic with a great deal of accolades and notoriety. She was voted ‘Best Makeup Consultant’ in New York Magazine’s “Best of New York” and has been featured on the pages of Allure, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, O, The Oprah Magazine, Lucky, Self, Fitness, ElleGirl, Bride’s and both New York Magazine’s annual Family and Wedding guides. Additionally she has appeared as a makeup expert on show such as Extreme Makeover, Glow, B. Smith with Style, Fox 5, CBS 2 and NY1. Whom You Know highly recommends Raychel Wade and Peachy Deegan first met her in 1990.
Recently, Raychel was independently hired by La Prairie to train their spa estheticians in Grand Cayman and Los Angeles. She has also done contractual work with Shiseido and Clé de Peau Beauté for special in-store events, to provide their clients with the unique services and skills that Raychel and Cheek to Chic are known for. Furthermore, Cheek to Chic partnered with a Fortune 500 company in December 2004 to be part of a New York City-wide concierge panel that assisted more than 800 of its top employees and their families in shopping with ease during the busy holiday season while on a visit to Manhattan. Most recently, W Hotels designed a Girl’s Getaway Weekend around Cheek to Chic, incorporating her shopping services for guests traveling to New York City.
Whether it’s creating the ultimate wedding day look for a bride-to-be, sorting through a self-proclaimed makeup junkie’s bag to help streamline her life or assisting a teenage girl in her mission for the latest in glitter and shine, without breaking the bank, Raychel Wade has the skills and resources to make makeup shopping fun and easy.
Peachy Deegan:What is your first makeup memory?
Raychel Wade: Applying Blue Wet-n-Wild eyeliner and Silver City Pink Lipstick in Junior High science class.
What prompted you to enter the field originally at Saks?
Money. I was just looking for a good part time job and they hired me. I really didn't know what I was doing and certainly never thought it would lead anywhere. I just thought it would be fun to dip my fingertips in eyeshadow for a few months.
What is the biggest mistake women make with makeup?
Searching for that perfect color. Most women can wear lots of colors. It's more about identifying your own personal style and committing to it. If you are drawn to cool colors, then go for it. If you are uncomfortable in red lipstick, all the makeup trends in the world aren't going to change that. Of course, makeup artists and cosmetic companies can provide some guidance, but you are the one wearing it, so make sure you are happy with the way you look and feel. Don't be bullied into buying something you don't like. It will ultimately just collect dust.
If you could only use 3 products what would they be and why?
Armani foundation-- it has a beautiful finish with great coverage.
Mascara-- It's Ok to wear mascara without eyeshadow, but eyeshadow without mascara looks incomplete.
Nars Babydoll gloss-- the perfect pink and looks great on virtually everyone.
What are the current trends in makeup and where do you see them going in the future? Effortless beauty. Everyone wants to wear makeup but no one wants to look like they're wearing it. Learning how to do your makeup is a huge trend. More and more companies are including tutorials and instructions to give their customers and edge on their application technique. And of course anything that shimmers and glows will always make women reach for their wallets.
What is your favorite place to be in NYC?
West Village. When I walk around that neighborhood I feel like I could be in 5 different countries.
What is your favorite shop?
Barney's (Passage)
What is your favorite drink?
A glass of Malbec
What is your favorite restaurant?
There are so many that I have to keep a running list, but to name a few...
Little Giant
Bellavitae
Mooncake Foods
Omai
Kashkaval
Kuma Inn
What is your favorite NYC book?
?? Not sure I have one specifically re. NYC
What is your favorite thing to do in NYC that you can do nowhere else?
I love to walk my dog in Central Park. Dogs can be off leash until 9AM and that time in the morning is such a fun mix of NYC.
What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
New Yorkers can be extremely kind and helpful and we get a bad rap for being gruff and rude. You get what you put out there... Overrated? The changing seasons! But I say that now during a very long, cold winter.
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