Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of North Shore
Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
EP #59 - Makeup Maven: Gia Zermani's Beauty Beyond the Brand
Gia Zermani's journey from a Clinique employee to the founder of Waalà Beauty highlights her commitment to personalized care in the beauty industry. Inspired by her best friend's talent and propelled by necessity during her time in the music industry, Gia honed her stage makeup skills and later worked with renowned brands like Sephora, Dior, and Chanel. She identified a gap in customer attention that led her to establish Waalà Beauty in Wakefield, Massachusetts—a sanctuary for vegan, cruelty-free products and customized services. Central to her philosophy is adapting makeup trends to suit clients' unique features rather than mimicking unattainable, retouched images seen on social media.
Gia's resilience shines through her story of overcoming a cancer diagnosis discovered during a pre-surgery mammogram. While navigating her personal challenges, she deepened her dedication to helping clients feel beautiful despite life's hardships. This ethos drives her mission of restoration and self-rediscovery, whether at her studio or through mobile services. Waalà Beauty is more than makeup application—it's a space for empowerment and transformation. To explore her work, visit waalabeauty.com or follow, @Gia7waalabeauty on social media.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Yvonne Godfrey.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Today, we're thrilled to have Gia Zermani with us. She is the owner and founder of Voila Beauty. Gia, how are you doing?
Speaker 3:I'm doing great. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:I'm really excited, wonderful, wonderful. We're so excited to learn more about Wallah, how long you've been in business, and as much information as possible. We're open, we're ready.
Speaker 3:Let's go. Let's go, your ultimate destination for makeup services and your go-to products that are vegan, cruelty-free and high performance and affordable. Beauty and mommy approved, right here in Wakefield 255 North Avenue, Wakefield, Massachusetts.
Speaker 3:Wonderful, wonderful. So how did you get into this business? Gia Got into it due to my best friend when I was about 18. She's an amazing makeup artist. She's older than me but boy is she talented and she hit the little button for me to be intrigued and want to get involved and learn about it. So I dived in and, 18 worked for Clinique and that was the start of learning all about the makeup and then going further. Being in the music industry, I had to learn makeup real fast because I had no budget. So I dived into that and learned stage makeup and just continued my journey working for the best of the best in the makeup industry.
Speaker 2:So you had to learn fast.
Speaker 3:Oh, very fast, very quick, especially in the world of Sephora, dior, chanel, trish McAvoy, tarte. There were so many incredible brands that I've been blessed to work with and learn from master artists and skincare creators that were just phenomenal, and I took the world of nature and science, put it in my back pocket and learned the techniques and continue to harvest and grow my talent.
Speaker 2:Wonderful, wonderful. You've earned your PhD. You are poor, hungry and desperate to learn this profession. Work in this profession and make it all that you need it to be for your future, exactly.
Speaker 3:In New York City, where I come from, where I'm from, and a transplant to Massachusetts, pizza was $1.25 and a 50-cent soda, so that was our happy meal every day, and so we got our paychecks on Fridays for amazing brands who make millions of dollars. You know, we did the hustle, we freelanced and and we did makeup services out of work. Fashion week, we rocked it out.
Speaker 2:Poor, hungry and desperate. But here you are today. Yes, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. So, gia, can you tell our listeners a little bit more about your company?
Speaker 3:So Walla Beauty was born for the fact that there's a void in the industry where I found customers were not getting the attention that they needed. In the world of Sephora, ulta, blue, mercury, department stores like Bloomingdale's, saks, I mean, there's so many of them, there's too many people and not enough artists. So here that person can get their customized makeup for any special occasion. They can come and sit and we can chat and I can find out what are the needs that they're looking for to perfect their look for that special occasion, and that you couldn't do in a department store or a Sephora because, again, not enough artists, a lot of clients, but they want to have that one-on-one attention and that's where we can sit and really curate what is you want to achieve, whether it's a natural look, an evening look or something that is fun and different.
Speaker 2:Wow, well said, well said, thank you.
Speaker 3:I mean, honestly, it's like even me going in and I'm a makeup artist and I still buy products because not every brand is the end all be all. You can't get everything from one brand, not even mine, so I still have to keep on the trends and I can see it the frustration of like they want to ask for the help they're not getting it. Well, you come to your neighborhood Walla Beauty Studio. You're going to get the attention that you need and that quiet time just to get that. Look, for you can be off and be beautiful, or I travel to you and the privacy of your home and you get your happy service.
Speaker 2:Mobile service as well. Absolutely, wow. That's icing on the cake. I love it, yes. So what are some myths or misconception in the cosmetic industry?
Speaker 3:That when a client brings me a picture and they think they're going to look like the image, you know it's not happening because that is a professionally done photo, social media or in a magazine, and it's a nice way to kind of get an idea of what the client wants, but it's not reality. But I am a master artist, pro artist when it comes to copying looks. I can do it, but I'm going to mold it into your face shape, your color of, your complexion and your eye shape. So with me it's makeup is about matching the hair color, eye color and complexion. So those pictures are great, they're fabulous, but it's not always going to translate that. That's going to be the look you're going to have. You'll get close to it, but you have to be realistic.
Speaker 2:Fantasy is so much more attractive these days. But yeah, I love what you're saying.
Speaker 3:You can still give that look that is desired, yeah absolutely, and again, I'm going to customize it for you, for what you're wearing, because, again, the outfits they're wearing, you're not going to be wearing that outfit. You know, and it's also, you know, studio lighting, sun lighting. It's on a beach, it's beautiful, but I will, I will achieve it, but I'm going to achieve it for you. So you have similar, but it's your look I'm making for you and it's more realistic, correct.
Speaker 2:Love it, thank you. So, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Oh for fun I, when we don't get that time. But out of work, oh for fun when we don't get that time out of work. It's all about family. We are cooking, we are baking, we are bike riding. I love Scattergories. Personally, it's a brain thinker. It's opposite of doing makeup, it's just honestly. I love baking and seeing everybody's face eating my yummy cookies or my brownies, making some good pasta dishes with my husband and our girls. So my downtime is family time, to be honest, because we're always on the go and to get that it's super special.
Speaker 2:Yeah, family is very, very, very important to me as well. Yeah, you can't replace them, nope, and they grow fast, Absolutely. You got to enjoy the moment while you can. Wonderful, so changing gears. Can you describe one hardship or one of life's challenge that you rose above and can now say that because of it, you're better and you're stronger?
Speaker 3:had a health hiccup and I had to. Well, let's just be honest, people, we're going to be very honest. I was looking for a breast enhancement and I couldn't get the surgery if I didn't have a mammogram. Well, seven mammograms later, I found out that I'm atypical high risk with these cancer cells in the breast area and I was like what I said? Well, I'm not getting a breast enhancement, but I'm going to get the surgery.
Speaker 3:And only three people knew my mom, my husband and my boss at Trish McEvoy, erica Emeralds, who is a thoroughbred and an incredible influencer in our industry right now, and she couldn't believe how I just dived into work leading up to the surgery and, after me doing makeup on clients, took my mind off of it because I was helping them get through their moment and they had no idea what I was going through. So I went in quick surgery, took the bad cells out good health, hallelujah. Health, hallelujah. And I'm awesome ever since. And that just gave me the license to life of continue pursuing what you love. Do not let anything hold you back, and you have a tribe of people that will get you and elevate you and your faith in God. That's the ultimate truth. So I lived through that, I worked through that, I survived that, and that made me propel myself even more to come up with this brand to help other people and just be there for them for that makeup moment that they can forget their health hiccups and feel beautiful.
Speaker 2:You know you got to go through your own personal experience in order for your faith to build, for you to be able to say to God, be the glory Absolutely. It was nobody else but him working through those doctors to take away those cancer cells and give you back your life, give you back your health. He worked through those doctors. I'm very fortunate. Only you can tell that story Correct.
Speaker 3:And those are the only three people that knew and you know. One was impressed, one was like you'll be, you know you'll get through this. And one was like you know I need you. So I need to be strong. And the clients kept me strong doing makeup. Ironically, it's crazy to say, but me going in dressed and seeing the customer and doing the makeup and just making them feel good, knowing what I was going through, it made me just push it aside and say no, no, no. We're going to push forward and that's it. I'm not allowing anything to defeat me. So, because of that strength and that emotional moment that you go through, I know how to be there for other people because I'm going through it personally.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I love the rise from the ashes that you painted.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and this is the first time I'm actually talking about it. I've kept it very, very quiet, but I feel that you know, sometimes some stories need to be heard to help other women and give or people in general, general encouragement.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 3:And that they're not alone at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because people can borrow strength from someone else. Correct? Thank you for sharing. Absolutely so, gia. Please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about Walla Beauty.
Speaker 3:Walla Beauty is a place you go to to forget everything and just feel beautiful and regain something that may be lost because we go through our hormonal changes or something that needs to be found. So it's a place that you know you're going to get your attention. You're going to get that time the world deserved to be pampered and feel beautiful and transcend to whatever you want to be. It's Walla Beauty.
Speaker 2:We care about our customers. I love it. I love it. So, Gia, even though you've already shared it at the beginning, can you share with our listeners one more time? How can our listeners learn more about Walla Beauty?
Speaker 3:You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook GS7WalaBeauty GS7Y that's my name and 7 is my lucky number, and I was a recording artist in the music industry, so again had to learn stage makeup very quickly. There was no budget for makeup artists at that time and you can always go to the WalaBeautycom website W-A-A-L-A-B-E-A-U-T-Ycom, and there you can learn about a little bit of snapshot of our story, the history, and you can view the products and you can book your services. You can text me directly, email me, call me, whatever is the way you'd like to navigate, to communicate your service with me. I'm here for you, Beautiful, to communicate your service with me.
Speaker 2:I'm here for you. Beautiful, beautiful Gia, thank you so much for being with us, for sharing your story, for informing our listeners. We hate to see you go, but we really appreciate you being on the show with us today and we wish you and your business all the very best moving forward.
Speaker 3:I thank you very, very much and I appreciate this podcast and everybody just stay blessed and stay happy. And thank you very, very much and I appreciate this podcast and everybody just stay blessed and stay happy, and thank you for listening.
Speaker 1:Amen. Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP North shorecom. That's GNP North shorecom, or call 857-703-9406.