by: Melanie Brooks/Photos by Brian Connor

Beauty Rules! is a play on words. On one hand it stands for the rules of beauty, on the other it simply means beauty rocks! Located on the ground floor of 274 Newbury Street, Beauty Rules salon has comfortably settled into its second month of operation.

The owners, Richard and Kim Bruno, are sibling stylists with just under 30 years of expertise between them. I don’t know a lot of brothers and sisters who could successfully open a business together, but these two seem to balance each other out. Kim jokes that they’re “a reality show waiting to happen.”

“Over the years as hairdressers we’ve worked together off and on and realized we had a niche,” Richard tells me. As we talk I survey the scene and take in the overall feeling of the salon; if the Bruno duo for some reason quit their current careers, it’s safe to say that they could still make a successful living as interior designers. Richard and Kim started with an open space and conceptualized, built, painted, and decorated the entire salon.

Beauty Rules has a very natural and relaxing feeling. Circles are strategically used in the design scheme and compliment the beautiful bay window that looks out onto Newbury Street. The walls are painted orange, dark brown, and a green, shaggy rug adorns the floor in front of the eggplant purple window seats. The air smells herbal and soft music plays in the background. If I didn’t have an agenda I could very well have curled up and meditated.

Beauty Rules’ goal is to be a state of the art, modern salon without the pretense. “Upscale but down to earth,” as Richard puts it. In creating their salon, the Brunos keenly focused on the positive aspects from places they have worked at in the past and combined them into one great experience.

Currently Richard and Kim take care of all the hair services while employing two makeup artists. They are slowly building their team and in the future will offer manicures and pedicures. They are also offering a unique experience for women who want to primp before an event or girls’ night out on the town. For groups of four or more, Beauty Rules will stay open late night to create your look! It’s a low-key fun affair with appetizers and wine and would be perfect before a wedding, a night at the theater, or class reunion.

Kim and Richard don’t just stop at hair cutting, coloring, and styling, they have also created their own line of hair care products and make up! They even designed the labeling and containers they come in. These two obviously know what they want and will do what it takes to bring their ideas to life.

Born and bred in Massachusetts, the duo named their make up line Powdah Puff. Their signature hair products not only smell fantastic, the colors and textures of the shampoo, conditioner, de-tangler, and straightening serum look better than candy. I recommend their peppermint shampoo to wake up your scalp on cold winter mornings.

Their products are “geared towards hair that faces the elements.” They are jam-packed with moisturizing benefits and minerals. Richard and Kim claim no brand loyalty (except their own) and prefer to use what works best no matter who makes it.

It took seven years for Beauty Rules to come to fruition from the first business plan Richard and Kim put together. Needless to say their mother is ecstatic. “She’s been in every week since we opened,” Kim tells me. Along with a network of supportive family members and friends, both Richard and Kim claim that without their loyal clients “none of this would be possible. They’ve been great!”

Beauty Rules is located at 274 Newbury Street. Their new website is also in the works - you can take a peek in the interim at www.beautirules.net.