Meet Brielle Bishop of Vade Mecum Beauty in Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brielle Bishop.

Brielle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started this business at 18, working three jobs, unable to support myself. All of my funds went into growing Vade Mecum and my time was spent reaching out to as many individuals in this industry as I could to get to where I’m at today. I really had no clue what I was doing or how to get my business to take off, but I did everything I could to “put myself out there” and show people that I had a valuable skill set and was worth their time. I was working at an Ulta during the startup and the discount was a huge bonus due to the fact I was getting paid minimum wage and I needed all the help I could get. It also allowed me to build connections with my customers and gain some clients along the way.

As far as Vade Mecum goes, the name of my business was original “Brielle Bishop Beauty,” this didn’t seem to fit and I knew I was more creative than that. I always thought it would be neat to start a cosmetics line where all of the products were named after literary works and that jump-started my search; synonyms for books or guides and that’s where I discovered “Vade Mecum.”

“va·de me·cum

ˌvādē ˈmēkəm,vädē ˈmākəm/

noun

a handbook or guide that is kept constantly at hand for consultation.”

My mission statement is to educate and show individuals makeup is an art form, not a necessity. You should have fun with it, learn a new skill, and overall realize your natural beauty is amazing – this just accentuates what you already have and is a form of expression. I’m here to act as a guide through individuals’ cosmetics journey, provide them with a quality service, and build a solid connection that may teach someone something about themselves along the way.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. At the time of my business startup, I was relying on the food bank to provide me with my groceries, trying to find time to balance my three jobs, a social life, financial responsibility and my business. Overall, I put Vade Mecum before anything else because I knew the hard work would pay off in the end. The first year-year and a half were accepting trade based work as I knew I needed to pay my dues. This included driving all over the valley, even as far as Tucson just to build connections and my portfolio.. all unpaid. I would relive those moments in a heartbeat as it helped me grow a lot and form bonds with individuals I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Another struggle was my mental health, as I have battled with manic depression and anxiety my entire life. This caused me to lose sight of my self-worth often and question why I was even doing this when my personal life became overwhelming, the bills weren’t getting paid, and I was wearing myself thin. It was throughout all that I came out a stronger person with more drive to accomplish my goals and not succumb to an internal obstacle.

Vade Mecum Beauty – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in makeup artistry, also skincare as I am a licensed aesthetician and the two go hand in hand. I’m known for being able to create looks of all sorts; whether it’s makeup for your wedding all the way to making someone unrecognizable as a zombie or odd creature for Halloween.

What I am most proud of as a company is my willingness to set myself apart from most makeup artists throughout the industry. My goal isn’t about hiding your natural beauty, it’s about accentuating it and educating you on it. I also harp on the fact that makeup is a form of expression and it’s extremely fun to experiment with new products, colors, looks, etc. It makes you feel a heightened sense of self-worth when you learn a new skill set and my goal in whatever I decided career wise was to make people feel good about themselves.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career was when I put on an entire fashion show for Phoenix’s Raw Showcase. I scouted seven models, planned all the avant-garde looks myself, got a team of stylists and hair artists together, and we put together an entire runway show in about a month. Watching it come together solidified the fact that I am capable of anything in this industry and I will continue pushing limits and stepping out of my comfort zone.

Pricing:

• $70 basic application
• $80+ for special FX

Contact Info:

• Website: vademecumbeauty.com
• Phone: 573-825-1226
• Email: briellebishop@gmail.com

Image credit: 
The white look: Shot by Travis Seale Styled by Parisa Zahedi of Curiios Model Paulina Poleyumptewa
Long haired brunette: Shot Shannon Gilpin Model Lindsay Thornson
Stickers: Shot by Sydney Cisco Model Kennedy Stearns
Confetti: Shot Brielle Bishop Model Kayla Dewees of Cerulean Magazine
Horns: Shot by Ryan Walsh Horns made and model by Brielle Bishop
Plants and lace dress: Shot by Briana Bedwell Styling by Kayla Dewees of Cerulean Magazine Model D’arcy Goodman
Red heads: Shot by Mark Felix Models Eryn Trudell and Callaghan O’Hare
Swim suit: Shot by Sydney Cisco Model Brielle Bishop

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.