Hi

It's pprobably easier if I start at the beginning!

When I was 17 I applied to Leamington College to do a 2 year beauty course as I always wanted to be a make up artist but was talked out of it by my mum who insisted that as I wasn't a 'girly girl' I'd hate it having to be dressed in a salon uniform rather than jenas and trainers and having to wear proper make up not just thick black eyeliner and masacara! And also she felt I should do a secretarial course as it would be more useful. I buckled and listened to her and now at age 31 have quite a good job in IT tha tI really enjoy.

However...After recently getting married in NY in Feb and having my makeup done professionally by quite a punky rock chick who loved the fact that I was having lots of black eyeliner and dark red eyeshadow and Chanel Rouge Noir nailvarnish rather than the usual pink and peaches and talking loads to er about what she was doing and how she was applying everything she suggested that I should do a make up course even if I didn't do anything with it at least I'd know a bit more about how to apply it. So I got home and looked into it and could only find intensive courses in London that just aren't an option, so gave up on it.

On Honeymoon my husband and I were talking aobut working for ourselves and what we'd do and he said that he thought it would be good if I did waxinf for 'big birds' I lost a lot of weight last year and would never have dreamt about getting waxed at size 22! but now at 14/16 I feel fine about it, so I looked at doing a waxing course, I found the beauty specialist course which runs part time 2 nights a week at Leamington College which I'm guessing will give me a proper qualification after and enable me to do all sorts. But agian my husband told me to really think about it and if I'd not only fit in but would be uncomfortable around much more 'girly girls' that wore makeup and did their hair everyday. I said to him I'm sure it wouldn't be like that and I'd be fine but he was just concerned about me starting and then dropping out due to lack of confidence.

I then looked and have found some one and two day waxing courses that say you get a certificate that are approved by different beauty organisations also ones where you do the course then put together a portfolio and go back to be assessed. So would that be enough? I was thinking about maybe doing one of them in the next few weeks and then if I liked it applying for the year course and getting a moe indepth education of it all. I spoke to my waxer about it and she said that the beauty course she did only had 2 days of waxing training anyway. She did a work placement NVQ with one day a week at college.

I'd like to add it's not that I don't take care of myself more I just kinda think that it's probably better for my skin to be natural rather thna full of make up and my hair to be natural rather than full of product and styled all the time - although I may just be doing it wrong and so a course would help me to learn proper techniques.

I hope I haven't caused offense to anyone and apologies if I have.

Thanks

Helen

Hi Helen,

I cannot give you any particular advice on waxing or beauty courses because that isn't my field...although there will be many other fantatic geeks along who can help you I am sure.

One thing you could do in the meantime is use the SEARCH facility at the top of the page. Just type in what you want to know and there will be many threads you can search through that will help you further.

But...I just wanted to welcome you to Salon Geek....
It is a great community and you will have all your questions answered very soon....good luck and a very interesting first post!!!

If you dont do this will you regret it? From what you have said I think you will, so go for it!

I too first applied to college when I was 16, sadly the course was full and I ended up putting the whole industry out of my mind for the next 20 years! Well, like you, I got the bug again, but was worried that I wouldn't fit into the whole therapist thing.

Well I'm now qualified, have my own little salon and am loving every minute of it. And for what its worth, I think alot of clients like their therapist to be a real woman rather than an industry cliche.

Go for it, and good luck.

i go to Lemingtons Sister college Henley in Arden, yes there are 'girly' girls, but theres plenty of other types of people, all with one thing in common, loving beauty! to be honest, the girls are so nice, it doesn't even matter what make up you wear or how you look!

the beauty specialist course is a brilliant starter and its mainly taken by women aged 25-45 as its part time. i say get your application in quick, then you've got until september to think if you really want to do it. go for it girly! its the best thing i've ever done, i did my A levels in ICT and business first and then changed my mind and went into beauty, don't regret a single minute of it! hth xx

Sounds like you already kind of regret not taking the course when you were 16 despite having a job that you now enjoy so I say GO FOR IT!

You could try a 2 day course just to see if it's really what you want but then take the longer, more indepth course which will cover the treatment and Anatomy & Physiology in more detail (believe me, you can't learn A&P in 2 days!). If you take the courses part time it won't come in the way of your current job. Once qualified you could work part time to build up clients and confidence while still working in your IT roll. It would be a hard graft but then I always think that you take out of life what you put in.

I'm 37 and worked in Credit Management until I re-trained as a Beauty Therapist, qualifying 3 years ago. Yes I lacked confidence to start with but now I've got my own small salon at the bottom of my garden and I totally love my new career! Had I not have taken the plunge I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life thinking 'what if'.

Believe in yourself and you can achieve anything!

Good Luck x

Hi Helen

This is my 1st post here on Salon Geek!

I just wanted to share with you my story. I did a Beauty specialist course when i was 20 but didn't finish it as i was pregnant. I really enjoyed it but as i wasn't the most girly girl in the world i didn't do anything about it.

After i got married i decided that i didn't want to work in the corner shop anymore and that i wanted to work for myself, like the rest of my family do. So last year i enrolled on a Beauty Therapy course (NVQ2). I'm the oldest on the course, by a long shot! most of the girls were being born when i was leaving school!

It was a bit daunting at first, i felt ancient! but i've got to know the girls now and they are really sweet (most of them!) I'm really enjoying the course, its the best decision i have made in a long time, i just wish i'd done it sooner, i really do!

I'm going mobile (starting with spray tan soon....just waiting for equipment delivery! very impatiently!!!) and going back to college to do NVQ3 next year.

I'm not the most girly girl in the world either, i wear little or no make-up usually and i only spend a few minutes on myself in the morning! I am doing beauty therapy because i love it, not to get free treatments or to make myself look better!

I'd follow your heart hun, we're only here once after all!

My favourite saying is - Your fear of failure should never be greater than your fear of regret.... (i think this is in my sig, can't remember, but hey, no harm in reading it twice! )

Sorry if this is no help, i just wanted to say GO FOR IT!

Sarah xxx

I find it refreshing to have a treatment from someone that doesn't look like Barbie.

wow, thank you all so much, not sure what I was expecting but you've all been really nice.

I did find a place called the The Beauty Academy and they do a 4 day intensive C&G course where you do 4 days then build up a potfolio and then have 2 assessment days with exams. What do people think of that set up?

Chances are I'll do the course at Leamington, my husband and I would eventually like to own a B&B for mountain bikers as that's what he does so it would be a good sideline for me to pamper the mountain bike widows!!

Helen

Amen!

hi can I just say I did a course with the beauty academy and I was not happy with the training at all. I went on one of the day courses and I hardly learnt a thing. the tutor was more interested in chatting to her friends she hardly spoke to me and just let me get on with the course. I learnt more from this site on my chosen subject than I did there. I would never waste good money ever again with the beauty academy. they never even went through health & safety, contra-indications, conta actions etc etc. and I was the only student there that day. the only thing she did show me was the technique once then let me get on with it. the manual I was given was so basic it had 4 pages and one of them was the front cover. maybe the training is better at your end bt that course was the worse one I had ever been on, and I have been on a few courses over the years. good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Right, firstly, when I was at school, I told my dad I wanted to do further education, he told me I wasn't allowed, I had to get out to work and earn my own money. He was very old fashioned, a woman leaves school, gets a job in a factory, then when she marries she leaves work and becomes a housewife. End of story. So I rebelled, had 11 jobs in my first year of leaving school, then spent years feeling useless, with no confidence. I was even married to a man who for 18 years made me feel I wasn't capable of anything, and also discouraged me from following any dreams, etc. So when I read that someone has a dream and is discouraged from doing it, it really saddens me. I know your situation is different, Mum was just trying to help and protect you, but still!

My next point is the girly girl thing. My dream was also to be a make up artist. I eventually got the inner strength to go to college, and did a VTCT make up artist course, full time for a year. I was older than most, there was a woman who was 50 so I wasn't the oldest at 34! I was into totally different style and music, etc, than everyone else, I liked the Cure, the Damned, true 1950's rock & roll, etc. Before leaving the course, I ended up with neon pink hair, as my confidence grew! I ended up with 3 long term friends from the course. Personally, sometimes I'm feeling girly, sometimes I feel ungirly, that's when I get out in the garage, and cut sections out of my 1970 Beetle, and weld new ones in!

I'm waffling. What I'm trying to say, is I am now doing the evening hairdressing NVQ2 course, and now I'm not with that husband anymore, I have become me at last. What's that? A mixture of 1940's glamour, 1950's rock and roll rockabilly, and psychobilly! When I started this course, I looked like I'd fallen out of a 1940's film, very glam. I currently have Bettie Page hairstyle, which I've added to with blue fringe and a blue streak. I wear rockabilly make up, but because on the days of the course I get up at 6:10, go to work, 'til 5:30, go straight to college, then crawl in the front door at 9:20pm, I don't wear any make up, and that's fine with the college!

I am applying to do the beauty therapy course next september, I will still be different from the stereotype beauty therapy student, but you can guarantee I won't be the only one! It is difficult for the first few weeks, but when people get used to you and realise you're still human, just got different preferences for your look, they are fine. And I'm sure the college/training centre will accept you, if you wear make up, just tone it down a little, you can still be you.

You go for it girl! By the way, one of the friends from my make up course, she's currently on a course in London, she came to visit a few weeks ago, her hair is shaved at the sides with a dragon tattoo showing through the stubble, she has pink and blonde dreadlocks, metallic pink eyebrows, and looks FAB! She actually GOT THE PLACE ON THE COURSE PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE WAY SHE LOOKS!

Just one last thing, everyone on here is sooooo lovely, they are really supportive, if you have any moments of worry, you come on here, you'll get such warmth and support, from the best in the industry. No biased, no being judged, just fab friends!