Written by Megin Potter  |  Photos Provided 

She made on-site hair and makeup the norm in the Capital District. Then, her salon garnered fame earning the reputation as Saratoga’s event day experts. Now, Alayne Curtiss is flirting with ecommerce and creating new ways to look great every day.

Alayne Curtiss was the girl in high school who, with Kaboodle in hand, did all her friends’ makeup at sleepovers. At that time, however, beauty wasn’t typically considered a career, so Alayne, a local native who grew up on 5th Street on Saratoga Lake, studied marketing at Southern New Hampshire University and worked for Clinique on the weekends.

Sitting around the kitchen table one day experimenting with the Fabulous Faces makeup line, the words – “Oh my god, make me fabulous!” were uttered and the impetus for the Make Me Fabulous salon was born.

Alayne was more surprised than her family was that this would become her career, she said. “It was innate, it was just who I was, and they knew it.”

Alayne’s family is full of successful entrepreneurs; they owned a restaurant called the Ashgrove Inn, a car dealership, and a construction company. Alayne’s grandmother (an Italian immigrant who came to America at the age of 14 to help support her family of eight brothers and sisters) opened Mangino’s Ristorante, a wildly popular spot that finally closed in 2018 after 70 years in business.

A licensed esthetician and cosmetologist, Alayne opened the first Make Me Fabulous as a 300 sq. ft. space in Malta Commons. Leaving that location for one twice its size at 102 Milton Avene, Ballston Spa, they soon grew again, expanding into a 2200 sq. ft. space at 32 Milton Avenue, before moving into their current location, in 2017, at the former Pavilion Grand in Saratoga Springs.

Stunning, Camera-Ready Looks

On the path to becoming a hair and makeup specialist, the most valuable lesson Alayne learned came from her first commercial job experience, she said, when two women called to complain about her work.

“I made them look like what I thought they should look like, but what I learned was women want to look like the best version of themselves, not like someone else, and there’s such a fine line between the two.”

Following this new-found philosophy catapulted Alayne’s career and thrust Make Me Fabulous into the spotlight.  The cover artist for a long list of local and national publications and two New York State governors, they have also consulted for NBC WNYT Newschannel 13, HGTV, The Today Show, MTV, VH1, and the prestigious New York Bridal Fashion Week runway shows. Make Me Fabulous has been named one of the country’s Hot 100 Salons, recognized as a local favorite many times, and has won numerous awards from respected online industry sites including the Knot and Wedding Wire.

Slaying it Everyday

After three decades of figuring out which products performed best, working as many as 300 weddings a year, and being a brand ambassador for Bobbi Brown and Bare Minerals, the Alayne Curtiss Bridal Beauty Satin Shimmer line of lipsticks was released (each named for a Saratoga Street!!) in shades ripe for any occasion.

By asking the right questions, Alayne learned that her clients wanted more, so she developed Makeup Artist in a Box sets, that make it easy to achieve smooth, glowing skin for less than $150. This curated selection of 16 looks is created with prestige-quality ingredients, and these long-wear products come with instruction cards and video tutorials that take the guesswork out of DIY makeup.

Working directly with the manufacturers to create superior anti-aging blends was way more work than she ever imagined, said Alayne, but staying true to her goal of providing affordable, approachable color options has been yet another adventure that has kept her humble and relatable.

Travelling the country for training and coaching, Alayne spent the last two years developing and documenting the systems in her company so that she may share her expertise in the art of aesthetics, cosmetics, and great hair. Using all the knowledge she collected over the years, Alayne has helped others including a spectacular million-dollar bridal services company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

“There’s a client for everyone and no need in the beauty industry to discredit one another. Find where your expertise is and you’ll find your client,” said Alayne.

For more information about Make Me Fabulous products and services, find them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and at makemefab.com