Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
More than skin deep
What attracted you to a career in beauty?
I spent four years living overseas and one of my jobs while I was in the US was a receptionistcome-coffee-runner come cleaner for a beauty therapy clinic; not glamorous at all but I loved the energy and buzz of the salon and how the clients always left happy.
On my return to NZ,I moved to Auckland and studied a full time course at the Joyce Blok Institute.
A career in Beauty Therapy has given me the opportunity throughout my career to work in the industry, teach and run my own business.
Since moving back to Marlborough I now have my own salon Belle Beauty Therapy in Scott Street and I also tutor NMIT’s Beauty and Body Therapy course.
LOOK WHO’S TALKING
You’re from Marlborough yourself, how important is it to you that the NMIT course is available to students locally?
Really important! If I had the choice to stay in Marlborough, live at home and still come out with a national and international qualification it would have been a huge saving and so much easier with support from family and friends.
NMIT has Open Salon nights so our students have a wide range of clientele, including fam- ily and friends who can support their practical experience.
What have been the biggest changes in the industry in the last decade and how do you stay on top of what’s in trend?
Massive changes - there have always been a lot of options once you have completed your training but you can now choose to work anywhere in the world, including on cruise ships.
You can specialise in one area by becoming a facialist or a makeup artist or work in clinics that specialise in brows, nails or waxing.
The other area that has seen rapid growth and change is the area of cosmetic surgery and beauty.
Most clinics now offer Botox, fillers and IPL etc. So a career in Beauty and Body Therapy provides forever changing opportunity to upskill and move in increasingly varied directions.
What goals would you like to achieve as course tutor?
The ultimate goal is that students who train through NMIT are work and world ready.
By this I mean our students achieve as many qualifications and experience as they can and are able to step into a clinic environment ready to hit the ground running with a high degree of professionalism and knowledge.
Do you feel you always have to look good yourself?
I like to take a holistic approach to beauty and body therapy by looking at the client as a whole; so not only concentrating on the outside but also looking at a client’s diet and exercise so it’s important that I have a professional image as this promotes confidence both in myself and my clients.
If you were only allowed to wear one item of makeup for a week, what would you chose and why?
Looking good starts with good skin, so moisturiser and sunblock are a must.