DORÉ

The Streicher sisters have mastered the art of “cool-girl” beauty. And I don’t mean “cool-girl” in the sense of this depiction, I mean it in the sense of that perfect easy, breezy, L.A. style of beachy waves, fresh makeup, and natural brows.

Each sister counts one of these areas as her specialty. Ashley does hair, Jenn does makeup, and Kristie does brows (she’s even trademarked her amazing Feathered Brow™ technique!). Together, they own Striiike–a creative beauty studio in L.A. Their mission is focusing on and highlighting natural beauty. Their method is collaborative, family-oriented, and artistic.

Their client roster boasts an impressive list of celebrities, but more so than that, I love that these three sisters are working together to provide women with the tools to love their natural selves!

Since it’s Creativity Month here at the Atelier, we thought we’d ask each of them a bit about their creative process, how they source inspiration, and what it’s like co-owning a business between sisters…

Ashley Streicher | Hair

How do you view hair as an art form and a heightened creative medium?

Hair is always moving and changing and flowing, therefore it definitely takes some technical skill. The artistic side of hair is creating the shapes and movement that hair makes. And also creating a look for somebody and their creative being!

Does your environment of Los Angeles, and all that the city has to offer, inspire your work?

Los Angeles is both amazing and tough at the same time. We have access to all things make up, hair, art, fashion, product which is a huge plus. Sometimes the hustle and bustle and creative hustle can get overwhelming. That being said, we also have access to AMAZING nature hikes, desert oasis and mountain getaways. I find I need to get out and into nature often, going hiking and being in trees inspires me and is sort of a mental cleanse at the same time. I am lucky to live in Laurel Canyon, in a very quiet, private part of Los angeles. Even spending time in my backyard gives me inspiration and the mental space I crave.

How is working with a client a collaborative process for you?

Well you can’t force someone or coax them into being/ feeling confident. So you really have to collaborate on what makes them feel their best! Listen carefully to them when they talk about their likes and dislikes and then relate that to hair. You must have an understanding for people and what makes them feel their best!

Kristie Streicher | Brows

How much do trends in brow-care affect your approach? Or are you a classicist when it comes to your technique?

I do not follow any brow trends when it comes to extreme shaping or hair removal. The hair on the brow often times gets confused with being as resilient as the hair on the head. We can cut hair and color bleach out and pretty much do anything we want to the hair on the head and it will always grow back; however, when the eyebrow hair is over-tweezed or waxed, it can actually cause damage and trauma to the hair follicle affecting regrowth.

I’m very specific when it comes to my Feathered Brow™ technique. I created the Feathered Brow, intent on rehabilitating thin, over-tweezed brow trends from the seventies, nineties, and early-2000s. The Feathered Brow look embraces a natural, fuller shape that is groomed into sophistication. The best results are achieved with strict adherence to our strategic tweeze only technique by our brow artist team and an equal amount of patience from the client. Clients will be just as involved in the (sometimes) year-long process of developing Feathered Brows. My most common advice is to embrace the natural shape and growth patterns. I try to help clients understand that it’s the natural characteristics of the brows that make them beautiful and unique. Whether it’s a cowlick, a uni-brow, or a brow scar, learning this help women appreciate what they have and that’s what we’re all about!

What is a typical day at Striiike like for you?

Between my Feathered Brow team and myself we care for close to 60 clients in a typical day. Usually seeing around 12-20 clients, I personally will see 3-4 clients for Microfeathering. This process takes anywhere from 60-90 minutes and takes place in a beautifully-lit, but sterile room. I then will see 9–15 traditional Feathered Brow clients for custom tinting and strategic tweezing.

I start the day with lighting a Palo Santo stick and walking it from room to room. I really love the smell – it reminds me of my dad and it clears the air without adding any perfumes or additional scents which can sometimes be irritating to clients. I like to put on music that suits the weather or vibe for the day from one of our curated playlists on Spotify. Then I’ll order lunch for myself and my team from a local spot if I haven’t brought leftovers from last night’s meal.

Once the day starts, it’s pretty non-stop until we see our last client. The day typically flies by as we try to keep a steady flow of clients, but also staying mindful of taking the time and care for each client– no one likes to feel like they’re at a factory. Even though eyebrows sometimes feel like just another part of the body to maintain, it’s so nice to see how happy we can make people everyday! It’s been so fun and rewarding to see the positive environment we’ve all created at STRIIIKE.

How do the three of you work together to create a unified vision?

That’s one of the advantages we have, we don’t really have to work to create a unified vision, we naturally share a pretty similar vision and esthetic. An important thread that runs through all three of our approaches when it comes to beauty is the idea of working with what you have. Enhancing one’s unique and individual beauty without changing or altering what’s inherent. We also really love inspiring a sort of confidence in our clients to take risks and try something new.

Jenn Streicher | Makeup

How do you balance the desire for a natural look with an interest in playing with color?

I like to add little touches of color. Like a swipe of color just on the lid of an eye, or adding a colored mascara to your “normal” eye makeup. I also love to play with a pop of color on the lips. And it’s easy to take off if you don’t like it.

What is your prep/ inspiration process like? Where do you look for your influences?

I do a lot of Pinterest-ing for all inspirations in my life (from home design to party ideas). I love looking through fashion magazines and I LOVE watching old movies for hair, makeup and styling influences.

What does co-owning this space with your sisters mean to you?

It always seems to be changing. When we first opened, it was really exciting and really scary. We were all doing something that we had never done before, but together. Then, the next few years were a lot of hard work and figuring out our rolls individually within the business. They aren’t lying when they say that mixing family and business isn’t easy. But, it has slowly gotten easier and time has made clear that what we all three do together is just as important as what we do apart.