Entrepreneur Vision
Blowouts on call: New app from a former Uber driver shakes up Houston's pampering scene
A new Dallas-based app, Blownaway, is sweeping into Houston, with visions of making hair and makeup dreams come to life.
Blownaway is an on-demand beauty service that sends stylists to give you the star treatment of an at-home blowout. It's built around the luxury of being pampered in the comfort of one's home, office, or any other chosen place.
“Imagine you’re on your way home from work and in a hurry to get ready for an event that you have later that night. You may not have time to get to the salon or you may get stuck in late night traffic. With Blownaway, it’s awesome to have someone to come to you so you can focus on everything else,” says Ellen Flowers, a Dallas blogger who serves as Blownaway's social media & marketing manager.
“Blowouts really changed my life and made my days easier, which is why I fell in love with styling. I hope to help other women achieve that too."
Blownaway arrives in Houston shortly after a similar Las Vegas-based service beGlammed hit town, signifying something of a wave of new convenient app based services in town.
Blownaway, which launched successfully in Dallas last July, channels Uber as it business model inspiration. Company CEO Smoot Carter is a former driver for the ride-sharing company. Both his Uber experience and his venture capitalist background were a platform for the creativity behind the new beauty app.
The app boasts a quick and user-friendly experience, with only four clicks that walk you through the process of booking an appointment. You can choose between six hairstyles and five makeup looks or create a custom style of your own.
While the app is all about convenience, the Blownaway team says the goal is to create a positive experience for the woman, and ultimately make her look and feel more beautiful.
“Blowouts really changed my life and made my days easier, which is why I fell in love with styling. I hope to help other women achieve that too,” lead stylist Samantha Stewart says.
Blownaway’s Houston expansion includes a unique membership program that features two blowouts per month for $99. The beauty app also hopes to expand to new cities like Atlanta, and even grow to provide a nail service in the future.
"We want to give them a great service by offering a really thoughtful blowout experience," Carter tells Culturemap.
Blowouts start at $65 and go up to $125 for an up do; makeup treatments start at $70.
The new FIGS store will offer a Color Clinic and Customization Station to let shoppers personalize their FIGS uniforms. Photo courtesy of FIGS/Instagram