Here, at the beginning and on a very personal level, I would like to dedicate this new website and blog to two ladies who have been of monumental inspiration to me.  The first, a former co-teacher at Moultrie Middle School, Cecelia Hall Dunleavy, who passed away last October after a long and courageous battle with ovarian cancer.  Her dedication to students, mathematics, athletics, community, and friends is truly something to emulate.  I’ve kept her glowing referral of my bridal makeup artistry, and it appears on my Praise for Pamela link.  I love and miss you, Cecelia.  My sons were blessed for having you as a teacher.  Lastly, I am humbled to know someone like my sister-in-law, Amy Lesch Varino.  Hers is the strongest work ethic I’ve known; time means nothing until the job is done properly, and the highest of standards have been met.  She’s loyal, fair, and possesses a love of quality that I always carry with me.  She plants idea seeds in my mind, and she doesn’t even realize it.  Both of these amazing women share a common birthday: February 24, the day my new site/blog was launched.  Different women, same pursuit of excellence, both truly inspirational.

Pamela Lesch Makeup: My Branding Story

Last fall I had the good fortune to become more acquainted with some top-notch industry professionals.  Some are local and have been in the wedding or event planning industry for many years; some are jumping into the tourism boomtown that is Charleston, SC and relocating from other big-city markets.  It was then that I decided I needed to seek the next level in my own business, whatever that may be.  This knowing was reinforced while attending a keynote address at The Makeup Show in November.  I aspire to a business brand that is not only appealing to Charlestonians, but to clients from all over the United States and the world.  I knew the time had come to “re-brand.”

Clarity was mine while listening to a makeup industry guru; three of his “Ten Words” helped me focus on the image I want to portray as a professional makeup artist. I’m in the business of building personal relationships with my clients and with other vendors, which is borne of trust.  I strive to provide each client with a top-notch experience that is difficult to match.  And I am most proud of the community of like-minded professionals that I have become associated with, and feel compelled to help grow.  Sprinkle lots of integrity on top of all that, and I suppose I’m on to four of his ten.

I knew I wanted my brand to represent my ideal makeup experience. From the moment a potential client finds my website, I feel that experience begins.  I wanted my site to convey these feelings: superior results, professionalism, clean & streamlined work, and of course beauty everywhere you look, whether in the images or in the words of my blog.

I knew just the lady to help me achieve this lofty goal.  Becky Hoppmann of Gracious Brands had previously designed my logo and business cards.  Because that was such a smooth experience, I knew when the time came, I would want to work with her for the big job of expanding my logo and working it into a broader, yet cohesive brand.  This process has been one of the most rewarding, fun, and creative things I’ve undertaken.  I have definite ideas and opinions, but I needed her brain to help me lay it out and interpret what I was envisioning.  The way only a great graphic designer can.

OUR branding journey began with a Brand Development Proposal from Becky that laid out everything: goals, design stages, tasks and timelines, research, and projected cost.  I was hooked!  My right brain runs rampant with all kinds of ideas, but I crave the structure that this proposal offered me.  I looked forward to our creative meetings every single time.  We began with stationery development, playing upon variations of my logo.  She listened to me ramble on about my “isms”. . . numerology, quirky likes and no-likeys, subtle and overt references, and on and on.  When I look at my new website, I see how she harnessed each and every one of them.  I’ve said this to her many times, but it means even more now with a finished product: Becky, you have such a beautiful mind.

One last thought that occurred to me when studying the font layout Becky chose for my logo/business cards, and it is total kismet, absolutely unplanned.  My first name appears in lower case letters, stacked on top of an upper case LESCH.  This is so appropriate.  I am a small part of an immense thing known as “Lesch.”  I am a drop in this amazing lake; I have contributed three more drops to it.  This is perhaps what I am most proud of.