Peaches and Cream has grown into one of Liverpool’s most recognisable brandsPeaches & Cream owners Kate Donnelly (left) and Nicola Smith“It was New Years Eve, we got a phone call and it was Pamela Anderson in the theatre wanting her nails done,” says Nicola Smith. Nicola, 38, from Crosby, alongside co-owner Kate Donnelly, 43, from Aigburth, are behind one of Liverpool’s biggest beauty brands, Peaches and Cream.Since 2005, the friends have grown their business from a stand at a wedding fair into a global success, with their makeup products being bought by customers across the world. Their Dale Street store has been a firm fixture of Liverpool’s beauty industry for 16 years, remaining one of the city’s most popular and well-known makeup studios all these years later.This popularity has led the business owners to welcome people from all over to get ‘peached’ at their Dale Street location. Unfortunately, that time around, the Baywatch star wouldn’t be one of them. “We had to be like, ‘Sorry Pammy, we can’t fit you in,’” Nicola adds.It’s just another tale of many in Peaches and Cream’s two-decade long story, which includes celebrity clientele, products going viral on TikTok and even an in-store proposal. Now, the beauty business is beginning its latest chapter after reopening the doors to the newly renovated Dale Street store on June 5.Peaches & Cream on Dale Street(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)But it all began more than 20 years ago at Hugh Baird College when the then students paired up for competitions. “Nicola knew me and my mum did good costumes,” says Kate.Their tutors told them that bridal was their “bread and butter,” convincing Kate to enquire about a stand at a St Georges Hall bridal fair. After learning it would cost £500, Kate sent out a text to see if any of her college classmates wanted to join her. Fortunately, Nicola was on board.Kate told the ECHO: “The wedding fair organisers said we needed a name, and that’s where Peaches and Cream came from. Funnily enough, [the name] all just comes from the fact we both like coral. We had peach shirts, we wanted business cards that matched, it was all done back to front really, there was no clever business plan.”From there, they started doing makeup for friends, mobile clients and weddings, eventually getting their first salon together on Garston Old Road in 2008. But as they grew in size and Kate’s mum spent her Saturdays directing people to the Garston shop, they knew it was time to move onto something new: Dale Street. “It just grew to the point where I was doing makeup out the kitchen,” Kate adds.Ever since, the store has welcomed thousands of people wanting to get ‘peached’ and the shop holds many special memories for the team, making Nicola teary eyed as she shares them with the ECHO. She said: “You’re making people look the nicest they’ve ever looked and making their dreams come true.”Kate added: “We’ve gone on journeys with our clients. We’re with them for the happy times, we’re there for the sad times. Although everything in here is about feeling good, people still have other stuff going on in the background. Here, you can talk about them, and we’ll cheer you up.”Now, Peaches and Cream has entered a new chapter after closing the doors of their Dale Street shop for a huge renovation. Kate told the ECHO that it was a “big decision” for the business owners to renovate, but they knew if they were going to do it they “really needed to do it big.”Customers will walk into a new retail space, which has been “kitted out” with a new swatching station, showing off the brand’s range of products. Their makeup stations have been given a “glow-up” and customers will now find tiered seating where staff will host masterclasses and educational sessions.The designs along the walls are a nod to Peaches and Cream’s previous chapters, featuring a tile pattern similar to the shop’s old tiled floors and Liver Birds to honour their roots in the city.Speaking ahead of the opening, Kate told the ECHO: “I think when you’ve been like that focused on getting all the jobs done, you can’t see past the jobs. Now they’re getting ticked off, I’m like, ‘Oh, God, like this has actually all happened.’”I’m just looking forward to seeing the client’s reactions because the last time we closed the door in January, I was actually feeling like I was about to set fire to everyone’s favourite makeup salon. I’m just now feeling confident.”Actually, I’ve done it justice. It’s better than any of us ever imagined. I am looking forward to basking in it.”
