Peaches & Cream at 20: A Liverpool Beauty Brand Built on Creativity
Celebrating two decades of creativity, collaboration and growth
Working with family can be brilliant.
It can also mean getting a WhatsApp at 9pm saying, “I need this tomorrow.”
For Dock, this dynamic has been part of our reality for 20 years. One of our longest-standing clients, Liverpool makeup brand Peaches & Cream, is run by our Creative Director’s sister, Kate, and her business partner, Nicola.
The family relationship is something we haven’t always made a big deal of in public.
But after two decades of collaboration, it’s fair to say the partnership has been a success.
Peaches & Cream is now celebrating 20 years in business, the same milestone Dock reached in December 2025.
Here’s how a small South Liverpool salon grew into one of the UK’s best-known independent makeup brands, and how a brother and sister helped shape that success.
The Early Days
Kate Donnelly and her business partner Nicola met while studying makeup. They started working together, providing freelance makeup services for weddings and special occasions.
“We kind of didn’t even really know we were starting a business,” says Kate.
“We booked a wedding fair together, and they said we needed a name for the stand, so we came up with Peaches & Cream.”
The pair operated as a mobile service before opening their first salon in Garston. Around this time, Kate’s younger brother, Jack, had recently begun working in design. He was keen to help with Peaches & Cream’s brand identity from the get-go.
“Kate came to me when they were opening the first salon and we worked together to create the brand and interior for the space,” says Jack.
After several successful years in Garston, Peaches & Cream moved to a larger space on Dale Street in Liverpool city centre.
The move required a more ambitious interior design scheme and marked an important step in Peaches & Cream’s growth, as the brand developed from a neighbourhood salon into a recognised name across the city.
A Different Kind of Makeup Brand
From the beginning, Peaches & Cream wanted to create a makeup brand that was welcoming and accessible.
Kate had previously worked on makeup counters and felt that traditional beauty retail could sometimes intimidate customers and make them uncomfortable.
“I hated that feeling of people going to makeup counters and feeling a bit inferior,” she says.
“I wanted Peaches to be the opposite.”
The approach saw the salon develop a strong following. In Liverpool, the idea of professional makeup appointments for nights out and events soon became popular. As one of Liverpool’s first dedicated makeup studios, Peaches & Cream helped define the city’s distinctive style.
“We were kind of pioneers in that glamorous Liverpool makeup look.” says Kate.
Different Approaches, Shared Creativity
Kate and Jack’s work together has always reflected their different personalities.
Kate describes herself as more instinctive and hands-on. Jack approaches projects more structurally.
“I’m more of a crafter and painter,” she says.
“Jack’s very digital, neat and balanced. Between the two of us, we’re kind of the complete package.”
Jack describes their working relationship in a way only a sibling can:
"I make her chaos usable."
Their contrasting styles have defined the Peaches & Cream brand for two decades. Kate believes that the combination has been key to maintaining the brand’s identity.
“Our look only works because it’s a collaboration between the two of us.”
From Local Salon to International Sales
As demand grew, Peaches & Cream expanded into lessons and eventually into developing its own products. eCommerce was the next step in the brand’s evolution. Jack encouraged Kate to experiment with selling lashes and other products through the website.
Over time, this developed into a larger product range and a successful eCommerce operation. Today, Peaches & Cream sells directly to customers online, distributes through partners including Pretty Little Thing, and exports products internationally.
“They’ve taken a passion for doing makeup and turned it into a sustainable business.” says Jack.
During the pandemic, desire for Peaches & Cream products surged online. At times the team even had to pause orders to keep up with fulfilment, adding countdown timers to the website to manage demand.
Now products like the brand’s pink-handled makeup brushes are instantly recognisable on TikTok and Instagram.
Navigating a Competitive Industry
The beauty industry has changed since Peaches & Cream first launched.
Once, relatively few independent makeup brands existed. Today, the market is awash with influencer-led product lines and celebrity-backed launches.
“You can never sit still in this industry,” says Kate.
“Even when things are going well, there’s always the pressure of what’s next.”
Rather than aggressively scaling, Peaches & Cream has focused on maintaining its identity as an independent brand.
“If you become massively fashionable, you’ll eventually go out of fashion.”
For Kate, this approach means balancing growth with staying true to the brand’s founding values.
Twenty Years On
Over 20 years of growing side-by-side, Dock’s partnership with Peaches & Cream has evolved to include branding, interiors, product launches, photography and ecommerce development.
The relationship has also become exclusive. Although other makeup brands have approached Dock to work with them, we’ve always declined. Peaches & Cream has been with us from day one. Taking on another cosmetics brand has never felt right.
Of course, working with family brings its challenges, but it also creates a different level of honesty and familiarity. Ideas can be debated openly and decisions made quickly. Occasionally, that also means the odd last-minute request.
But after twenty years, the arrangement clearly works.
Peaches & Cream is now one of the UK’s most recognisable independent makeup brands, with a loyal following in Liverpool and beyond.
It just goes to show that when complementary skills come together, siblings can build something remarkable together.
