Partners Since Day One

By Betty Adams

Twin sisters Deborah and Deanna have filled a need by teaching women how to apply their makeup so they don’t look like they are made up.

It’s not often business partners can say, “We’ve been together since day one!”

Not only can Deborah Netti and Deanna Cahill say it – it’s true. They are twins, and not only do they think together, they finish each other’s sentences. They are the owners and operators of Jumelle (it’s the french word for “twins”), a very personal hair and makeup service.

Their business is the culmination of 10 years of experience in skincare and makeup, experience that has led them to the credo: “Every woman is beautiful. There are no ugly women, just neglected ones.”

“We teach women to do their own makeup so that it brings out their inherent beauty without making them look made-up. We do this by simplifying the cosmetic industry, an industry that has confused and frustrated most women by inducing them to buy expensive makeup that they have no idea how to use. Most women end up throwing out their purchases without ever finding what really works for them.

 “We give women knowledge of how to use cosmetic products, We’ve developed a technique that prevents premature aging - and it doesn’t come out of a jar!”

Deborah and Deanna follow personal consulting sessions in the client’s home or at their studios on Monroe Avenue, if it’s more convenient, with phone calls and newsletters. A file is kept on each client, and the calls the two make are not to push a new product but to encourage and motivate their clients to keep up the good work – of looking after themselves.

Deborah says, “Everyone has the desire to be beautiful and feel good about oneself. After learning our techniques and continuing them, a woman can look in her own mirror and say, ‘I look great!’” Deanna adds, “Looking great leads to confidence and success, to conquer the negativity and rejection that’s out there every day.”

While changing women’s lifestyles, they teach them how to style their hair for three different looks – the professional look, a look for home, and a look for the evening. “We do the same things with makeup. We teach our clients how to make these subtle differences in their appearance.”

The two work with a private label cosmetic line that’s fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. “We never say our product is better than what a client is using. If what they’re using works for them, that’s fine. Ours is a simplified basic line with prices half to three-quarters less and with the same or better quality. Packaging and advertising make the difference in price.”

Because the two have worked with major lines of cosmetics – Jacqueline Cochran, Elizabeth Arden, and Estee Lauder – in their retail work, Cahill as a trainer and Netti as a makeup artist for models, they know the products.

They vow there are only two reasons women don’t wear makeup. “Either they don’t know how to wear it without looking made-up or they haven’t wanted to take the time. Our concept is to show how it can be done in five to 10 minutes and that it can become second nature. It becomes fun when you know how, and it’s one thing you can do for yourself.”

Or your husband. “Women tell us their husbands say it’s the best money they ever spent!”

The twins’ father got them started. “Even when we were in high school, he lectured us on how important personal appearance is in life, how society judges you. He’s always motivated and encouraged us.”

Jumelle prepares makeup gift baskets, gives business seminars to groups, and does brides. With a grin the sisters agree, “It’s a natural high when we do a wedding!”

Deanna is married and has two small children, so she understands the women out there who are doing it all. “Luckily I love what I do, so it’s not a job to me. It’s a special, special feeling when we make women feel happy, when we show them how beautiful they really are.”

They agree that they have put their dream and experience (please note that it’s the same dream) together to do just that. Their goal is to be a national company, as big as any of the major cosmetic companies out there. With a happy laugh they add “We’re open to negotiation for capital investment! We’re saying, ‘Move over Estee Lauder and Mary Kay – here comes Jumelle!’”