Photography courtesy of Muse Photography

One of Newcastle’s booming suburbs, New Lambton, is welcoming another new tenant to the area; premier beauty space, Goldń Studios.

Brought to you by two smiling and bubbly personalities, Bonnie Lee Mooney and Charmaine Bloomfield, Goldń Studios is Newcastle’s newest luxurious beauty studio for all things makeup, beauty, brows, lashes, and self-care.

Sitting within Goldń Studios are the girls’ separate businesses, Bonnie operating makeup by bonnie lee, and skincare and beauty services by bonnie lee, and Char specialising in brows and lashes under the brand, enforme, originally known as The Wanderloft.

Bonnie has been working in makeup for over ten years, working from musical theatre to doing makeup for friends and family to have a booming wedding makeup business.

“I guess I always loved the way that makeup made you feel… once I started doing weddings, makeup by Bonnie Lee really grew and now we have a team of ten. It’s so awesome, so busy and so crazy. A lot of coffee and wine keeps us going,” Bonnie said.

For Bonnie, the beauty side of her work has been a slow burn over the years. After finishing her Diploma and working for a number of therapists and day spas, the seed was planted for Bonnie to start doing her own thing.

“I specialise more in skin and I do both brows and lash lifts. I love results and I love being able to help people feel like they’re glowing.”

Charmaine (or Char as she goes by), kicked off her beauty treatments here in Newcastle only just three years ago. From starting out doing massages in a small space inside Lissome, to moving into her signature brows out in Carrington; moving into a collaborative space alongside Bonnie was a natural progression for her business.

 “Like Bonnie, I finished year 12 and went straight to Beauty college and completed my diploma… years later I moved to Newcastle and I was really struggling at the time because I wanted to be able to go to work and loved what I did but I wasn’t sure what that was. Then I decided there was no time like the present for me to pursue my own thing.

“I didn’t really know anyone here in Newcastle, but then I was going to Lissome, so I started renting a room upstairs and was only doing massage,” Char said.

Three years later, Char’s business has not only gone from strength to strength but has had a complete rebrand to reflect the new philosophy and style the girls have created at Goldń Studios.

The pair, whilst only knowing one another for a short time, have bonded over a mutual love for the industry and after spending only five minutes in their company it’s hard to believe they haven’t been friends for years.

“We knew of each other through a mutual friend. But, we have so much in common we’ve kind of naturally formed our own connection,” Bonnie said.

Coming to fruition over the first few weeks of COVID shutdowns, it was a few conversations over coffee, dinner, and no doubt wine, that the concept for Goldń Studios started to form.

“It would have been the second week of shutdowns and we just word vomited what we were feeling and shared our ideas. When we first talked, the idea of a space wasn’t even on our radar. Then one day, I remember us just saying, why don’t we just get a space together?

“We went home, had a look online, and had organised to meet with Petra, our real estate agent, and found this the next day,” Char said.

A few months later alongside a hell load of blood, sweat, and tears, Goldń Studios officially opened in January 2021 and has been showered with nothing but love since the girls opened their doors.

“We worked our asses off and brought this together which I guess is why we both have such a connection and love for this space. It really does feel like home for us, and it’s our baby,” Bonnie said.

With the interiors including an eclectic mix of products the girls picked up during the time of their renos, clients can experience a touch of luxe in the Byron Bay-Esque styled space, but without the price tag.

The communal beauty space is home to a range of services that are dedicated to authentic and genuine beauty with their carefully curated selection of beauty services and products.

“We are keeping all of our products Australian. We’ve also each got our own brands here as well. got a little bit of everything but that will expand as we get more of a feel for what people are looking for.”

Looking towards the future, the pair have big hopes to expand Goldń Studios’ offering including bringing in more creative freelancers.

“You know how a lot of hairdressers work as freelances under the one roof, they don’t have that often in the beauty industry and that’s what we want to create; having a range of beauty freelances under the one roof.

“I think we’re also quite driven on the education side of things too. Like doing vlogs and interviewing other people within the industry whether it be hair, makeup, beauty. Creating more of a warming community,” Char said.

We will give you all a heads up, Goldń Studios has received so much love over the last few months, with bookings booking out rather fast - but, after a visit myself, I can assure you the wait is well worth it.

Bonnie and Char are both so down-to-earth and humble and are nothing but rays of sunshine. Spending even just a few short minutes inside the Goldń Studios is sure to boost the soul and leave you walking out the door with a spring in your step.