Over the past few years, we’ve seen plenty of holiday-inspired retail gimmicks — from an “American Beagle”-themed dog clothing collection by American Eagle to green juice-flavored gummy bears by Pressed Juice and Sugarfina. Both of those debuted on April Fool’s Day, and both eventually became full-fledged brand projects at the behest of consumers who not only thought the ideas were funny, but kind of brilliant, too.
That’s essentially how Blushington’s new year-round father-daughter makeup class came to be. Initially launched as a Father’s Day celebration, the Makeup 101 class, which teaches tweens and their pops everything from skincare prep to an age-appropriate smoky eye, was such a hit that the makeup and beauty lounge decided to make it a permanent part of their menu.
In addition to the Father’s Day peg, Blushington CEO Natasha Cornstein says that the idea for the class was inspired in part by Cozy Cuts’ Cozy Friedman’s father-daughter braiding class, as well as an inquiry from a concerned father who wanted to help his daughters learn the right way to apply makeup.
“We started getting emails to our general email, and one inquiry was from a father who just returned from military service to two teenage daughters,” Cornstein tells The Hollywood Reporter. “He said, ‘I don’t know what they’re doing wrong, but I know it’s not right.'”
Considering dads — specifically the stereotypical ‘90s mustachioed dad, clad in a baseball cap and tube socks — have been such an inspiration to fashion as of late, it seems only appropriate that the industry give them a chance to get in on the fun and pick up on their daughters’ hobby at the same time. “What really struck me out of our class was this was the child sharing her passion with the parent,” adds Cornstein. “It’s a complete role reversal.”
During the 90-minute group course, which costs $50 per pair, both father and daughter work with an expert to learn about which products to use and when, and they then take turns applying the product with the proper tools. “It’s super-interactive, we’ve been pretty amazed at how engaged the dads are,” notes Cornstein. “The dads have been completely hands-on — we even had some of them testing Jouer lip prep on themselves.”
Many of the daughters who participated in the first few classes are just learning to use makeup, with the average participant between ages 11 and 14. And even though YouTube tutorials seem to reign supreme with the tween set, the Blushington courses, Cornstein says, are more about age-appropriate looks. “There’s so much engagement with tutorials and they’re seeing these trends and ideas, but they don’t translate to their everyday life,” she says. “In our course, they learn how to lightly, gently contour.”
Makeup 101 courses are available at two locations in Southern California (West Hollywood and Topanga), as well as in Manhattan and Dallas every Sunday beginning at 3:30 p.m. A private class, which can be scheduled at the client’s convenience, costs $125.
“Daughters are very proud of their fathers at the end of the class,” says Cornstein. “At an age where it seems like a parent can do no right, it’s a really special moment.”
More from The Hollywood Reporter
-
![]()
-
Sharon Stone
From Celebrity Panels to Wellness Workshops, How GenSpace Is Reframing the Aging Conversation
![]()
-
![]()
-
The Crowded Room
Events of the Week: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ ‘The Crowded Room,’ ATX and More
![]()
-
Victoria Clark
Tony Nominees Roundtable: Sara Bareilles, Jessica Chastain, Victoria Clark, Josh Groban, Corey Hawkins and Ben Platt on Broadway, COVID’s Legacy and the Writers Strike
![]()
-
![]()
