Right in the heart of Georgetown in Washington D.C., beside upscale shops and vibrant restaurants, is a salon and spa that bears the name of Erwin Gomez.

Famous among Washington D.C. bigwigs and Hollywood celebrities, not too many know that this 40-something artist is a Filipino.

Allure magazine has named him one of the country’s top make-up artists. He has glammed up Grammy awardees and A-list stars from Eva Longoria to Rosario Dawson to Kate Walsh.

But he knew that US President Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration would be like no other. So, Gomez wrote to First Lady Michelle Obama and offered his services for free.

“Sinulat ko, I am an immigrant. I am a business owner in Georgetown and I voted for you even if I knew my taxes were gonna go up. I didn’t care. I wanna be able to show you the quality of my work. And I don’t wanna charge you because the economy is hurting right now,” he said, reciting the contents of his letter.

“At the Blair House [US President's Guest House], I had the opportunity to massage her [First Lady's] hand. I massaged her hand, Michelle Obama, but I got hired to do Michelle Obama’s sister-in-law and Michelle’s brother.”

Working for the best

Gomez was 17 when he got into the make-up business. And since he wanted to work for the best, Gomez walked into Chanel and insisted he work for the company.

“I wanted to be in the make-up business but they wouldn’t hire me because I was a man. It was very conservative, and I had to prove myself. Within three months I showed them I could really do this and deliver,” he said.

He later worked for other companies like Chevy Chase, Elizabeth Arden, Prescriptives, and others.

Twenty years ago, his dream came true. He moved to Washington where he opened his own salon and spa. Here, he’s known for perfectly-waxed eyebrows that cost $55 on the first visit and make-up that is picture perfect for $155.

“During the inauguration, we were the only salon that was open 24/7. We spent the night here, upstairs, with my staff. We took care of the CNN anchor people at three in the morning, we did the Oprah show, and also we did the Latin ball. But we didn’t raise our prices like everybody did,” he recalled.

His salon is unaffected by the economic slump. And he hopes to keep it that way by not raising prices and giving money-saving tips to his clients.

Gomez has been a make-up artist for almost 27 years. He is the only Filipino business owner in Georgetown, and after his work at the inauguration, more success awaits this Filipino. Abs-CbnNews.com

Tags: Erwin Gomez, Fil-Ams