What Got You Started?

[The Guild]

What was it that made you decide you wanted to get into nails/beauty/holistics? Did you fall into it, or was it an active decision?

 

[chocolatepickle]

I kind of fell into it, having never wanted to do it before and joining the millions of people who (wrongly!) assume beauty therapists are stupid/ its easy etc.
I have always french manicured my own natural nails and when i was pregnantmy Sister in Law saw and asked me to do hers too. So i did...every week for her and i loved it, but then baby was born and i stopped as i didnt have time etc. Then the time came for me to return to work and i didnt want to so i quit my job, after a few months i started considering my future as i couldnt not work forever so i started looking at college courses local when i noticed the local adult college taught nail enhancements then i got it into my head i really wanted to learn!
Unfortunately the course i wanted to do required manicure and pedicure qualification anyway so i couldnt do it until i'd done a course in that. I looked for a course of just that but decided i might as well go the whole hog and do the level 2 beauty as it'd be not until this coming sept. that i could start the nail enhancement course so i might as well kill some time and learn more.
It was a bit spare of the moment but by far the best descision i ever made. I then stumbled accross this site and now will not be dong my nail enhancement course with the college but with Creative instead in september. I've just finished my level 2, am now qualified to spray tan too and loving my new career prospects, my day job (i went back to working in a nursery part time to fund my training) doesnt even compare. When i'm working now doing tans its not even like i'm working as i love it so much.

A bit of a long waffle, sorry lol!

 

[Ruth Mills]

I started doing body painting as a hobby about 9 years ago; I'm now looking at offering a mobile body painting service, e.g. for people who want body paint for fancy dress parties, etc - and eventually training in spray tanning too. I'd offer the body painting at times that would fit in with my "other" work in IT and whatnot...
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[Chameleon]

It was something i finally let my heart desired...after working as a receptionist in a salon in France....and then meeting my husband who introduced me to massage...i just then let go of being somebody who just "existed"...and started living my dream...and now i want for nothing else,except to learn and discover new things...i am always one for "pushing the boundaries":!:

 

[Pixie P]

I'm not a 'geek' yet but i'll give my story anyway lol...

I started doing a free beauty taster course through my local childrens centre. It was broke down into 3 modules, lasting 6 weeks each.
Module 1 was make-up, Module 2 was manicures & nail art, Module 3 was facials & facial massage.

Once we got onto the manicure & nails I was hooked and loved it :Love: even more when we started on the facials. I miss doing them:cry:!!

I have since applied to college and have a place. I'll be starting in september.
I'm going to be doing City & Guilds Beauty Therapy NVQ level 2.

xx xx

 

[collin]

OMG are we in the beauty industry

Good thread though :hug:

My own entry was kind of an evolution thing from electrical engineering to then involvement within the UV sector and then into what we do today.

I have to confess that this sector is the most enjoyable one and it never ceases to amaze me how industrious and determined those therapists that work within this wonderful sector are.

This must be one of the most highly populated by entrepreneurial and determined business people of any other sector many of whome simply love what they do :hug:

 

[sams.nails]

i was a checkout manager for waitrose in sheffield and always had my nail extensions on, and always thought 'i would like to do that' then when i moved up to scotland to be with my partner (now husband) i sold up, left my job and did an intense nail course up here, its the best thing i could ever of done, i was lucky to have money from the sale of my house to keep me going while i built up my clients, working for yourself is fantastic and i would never work for anyone again, been doing nails for 4 years and spray tanning since may, both are keeping me extremely busy . I LOVE IT LOL

 

[The Guild]

OMG are we in the beauty industry

Trust you Collin!

 

[Becca Bee]

Well... i kinda always wanted to do beauty therapy when i was a teenager, but one thing and another, i got steered down the A Level and uni route (I never did graduate), and one thing lead to another and ended up in the family engineering business.

I was, at one point, the only female managing director in the sector. Then in 2006, things went sour, and my sister in law pushed me out, (the company is no longer going) and whilst i was unemployed, i signed up for a cosmetic make up evening class, really enjoyed the tinting and perming, and part of the make-up (i'm not naturally creative).
When my temp contract ran out, and i found out that the college (I was at aylesbury) ran NVQ2 fast track part time on saturdays, so as i was unemployed again, i enrolled for NVQ2 in sept 2007, and finished in May 2008. I just love the whole beauty thing.

I've also done my Level 2 Nail Technology at Abingdon, and love nails too, the whole process is somehow comforting.
So i guess, i achieved my teen ambition in my mid 30's.

I must be the only beauty therapist with an advanced CNC machine programming certificate, but i can't help my previous career can i really?

Rebecca

 

[angel fingers]

i was working as a teacher of textile art in a private education establishment and along with many others i was made redundant.

i knew i wanted a creative job and also one that i could do at evenings and weekends because of my family comitments.

i was seeing many ads for nail techs at the time and approached someone i knew who ran a salon to ask her advice.
she found me a course, gave me a job and i went on from there. i will forever be grateful to her.:hug:

nowadays i divide my time between clients and teaching students to become nail technicians, so ive almost come full circle.

 

[persianista]

I helped out my mums hairdresser one saturday, thought it was fantastic, idolized her, and the rest is history.

 

[TweezerHappy]

I too wanted to go into beauty from leaving school but was steered away from it by my parents and older brother and sister.

I had a few regular appointments at the beginning of the year with the same girl and started feeling jealous. I got Calgel NNO from her and I became even more jealous that she could do all this.

I said to 1 of my friends that I'd love that job. She said just do it then. I said I wouldn't be able to as 30 next year and after 2 years at college I'll be 32. She told me not to be so stupid and just do it.

I was sat at home 1 Sunday afternoon online, lusting over the HND Beauty Therapy and noticed a wee "Saturday Classes" in the corner. Signed up straight away.

I'm so glad I did it. I love doing nails. I love transforming them. Last week I did hollywood toes on my friend and OMG the transformation. Her feet were so pretty. Not that they were ugly before, they were just feet, but when I had finished with then they were pretty feet.

In September I'm going back to college to do evening classes in NQ Nail Care, NQ Facial Care and NQ Nail Extensions. When I've finished Nail Care hopefully I'll then be able to order Minx. Not sure if I'm allowed after just my Saturday Nail Extension class. I keep meaning to phone but I'm really busy in my day job right now. I'm in no hurry though. I can wait.
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[SparkleJeanie]

For me it was all down to the sudden death of my mother 18months ago (aged 53, road accident in spain). She used to spend her winters in Spain, and kept saying she wanted to do a nail course that she could do on fellow semi retired motorhome holidayers. I've been a stay at home mum and bookeeper for many years and wanted something new, as life is too short. My daughter treated me to a full set of L&P enhancements for my birthday at a NSS(only i didn't realise it at the time). I then decided to go down the nails enhancment career. Signed up to do man/ped which i loved, once completed i signed upfor the enhancements course, and then wanted to do more beauty too, and also did the cosmetic makeup course. I have enjoyed learning so much, both the practical and theory, i have now signed up to do beauty specialist. then i will have completed my level 2, would like to then do level 3 but my local college only offers it full time so may struggle. Would also quite like to go down the teaching side of things too, as i have ended up helping out a few fellow stidents.
I always take along to college a personal item of my mothers, as i know she would of loved to of been there with me and i'm sure she is in spirit.
Life is too short so dont put things off. Go for it.:hug:

 

[Susie H]

My nail tech said I'm going back to Canada and I selfishly said, What about me and she said you should train with CND and do this yourself and I thought, yer right:irked:
But I did and even though its been up and down for me I've never regretted it.

 

[Violet Star]

Its strange how i come into the beauty industry, i remember my friend telling me how she does mobile spray tanning and she was making really good money, before that i didnt know spray tanning even exsisted, so i thought it sounds like good money it would fit around my life and i would get tans all year round so i trained at 25 years old. About 4 months later i trained in manicure and pedicure and then done brow and lash tinting. And after a few months i stopped doing it all and then febuary 09 went back into the beauty industry as i missed it so much trained in nail enhancements and then converted to CND in may 09 done my make up course. May 09 i trained to become a tanning teacher and this month completed my waxing training with Kim.

And i aim to do more training and add more treatments to my list and better my skills as much as possible and keep upto date with all new things. I cant see myself giving any of this up ive come too far and im too busy to want to give up.

I love it
xx

 

[fifitrix]

I had had my nails done for years, while being a receptionist in a hotel. Every time my nail tech done my nails, I would think," I would love to be able to do that."

In a big twist of events, I ended up working in my nail tech's parents' hotel, and while I was working there I done a nail course, not the best, but, it gave me the bug. They were then selling the hotel, so it was either go with the new owners or start on my chosen path. I chose the latter and haven't looked back. My old nail tech even gave me a job in her salon, but that is a whole other story. I have went on and done many courses and was so proud to achieve my masters in l&p this year with CND.

My training is ongoing and if someone had told me this time last year that I would be doing waxing and spray tanning, I would have laughed at them, but hey I am doing both and loving it.

I just LOVE my job. :green: