Where Are They Now – Michelle Pugh

By December 10, 2015Where are they now

Michelle Pugh started here working relationship with Tracey 14 yrs ago at the Sally Hershberger and John Frieda salon.

“I was fresh out of Cosmetology school, Tracey took me under her wing and on a celebrity red carpet ride!”

Remarkably, back then in the earlier days,  Pugh was Cunninghams only assistant and they still managed to work on 25 clients per day. “Tracey taught me not only the nuances of beautiful color but also the survival skills for working in this town at this hectic level”

Tracey has guided Michelle thru her first three awards seasons, countless hotel bathroom color sessions, and several dinners in a moving car on the way to late night house-calls after even after a full day in the salon.

Pugh’s first big career moment was 5 years ago when Tracey called her at 7am and told her to get herself to Malibu as fas as she can – I was to color JLo on set for her Gucci campaign. Michelle explains, “ I had worked with JLo as back up colorist previously, but my heart skipped a beat when I heard this request, that early, last minute. I didn’t even have time to be nervous, I jumped in my car, well, yes, with shaking hands and did the job. It wasn’t until I saw the print ad, in Vogue, that the magnitude of this career “moment” truly sank in.

Today I work at Meche, came on board the day it opened and it has been my fourth salon that I have had the pleasure of working with Tracey Cunningham. We have formed a strong friendship from this over a decade of working together.

I’m represented by the Magnet Agency. In this last year I’ve hit a career high of having clients on red carpets at ALL the major awards ceremonies (Oscar, Golden Globes, Grammys, Spirit Awards, Emmys, AMA, MTV etc), a Michael Kors print campaign (ss2015), a Lily Pulitzer campaign (ss2015), my first Vogue cover and my second one just shot the other day.  I was also a contributor to an American Salon magazine piece last Fall.

Tracey gave me a simple fridge magnet many years ago and the quote, by Winston Churchill said:

“Never never never give up”.

And I haven’t.

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