I hear it so many times. Young school leaver aged girls telling me they want to 'do beauty' because they love eyelashes and getting their nails done. While this is a great thing to contribute to the many lists of reasons for wanting to be a beauty therapist - I wanted to shed some unfiltered light on the life of being a beauty therapist.
I have always wanted to be a beauty therapist. I think I was around 14 when I made the decision that that's what I wanted to do for a living. I was very educated about what was expected of me as a beauty therapist having grown up with an Auntie who was a beauty therapist - I knew it wasn't all make up and painting nails (which neither of those two subjects interest me anyway!)
I wasn't a glamorous teen, I didn't wear a lot of make up, didn't have false eyelashes or get my nails done. I was a typical plain Jane girl that you wouldn't think would want to go down the beauty therapy route. I was picked on (just a little, not a lot) in high school for wanting to be a beauty therapist. Told that I couldn't be a beauty therapist because I didn't wear make up. I want every woman out there to know that you do not have to wear 20 layers of make up and the thickest Russian lashes to be able to be a beauty therapist.
Unfortunately, I find that this is still a huge misconception in the beauty industry. That you need to look a certain way, and must only be going into beauty therapy because there were no other options open to you.
Getting into beauty therapy is hard! It is a competitive industry from the application and interview process at college, to the real life, finding a job and thriving in the industry.
Beauty Therapy as a career
I didn't choose beauty therapy because I thought it was an easy choice and I didn't do well in my school exams. I did VERY well in my school exams, but knew that I wanted to be a beauty therapist. Don't ever let anyone make you feel stupid because you want to be a beauty therapist. Don't let anyone dull the sparkle inside you that gets you excited about being a beauty therapist. It is the best, funniest, most rewarding job - and here's why....
I get to spend every day at work with different people. I'm very fortunate that I see these people every 4-6 weeks at their regular appointments. Many of my clients have become my 'work friends'. I know a lot of them from before they were married, before they had kids, before I was married and had kids!
I'm not just someone who does their waxing, or gives them a massage. I am someone that they confide in when they are having a rough time. Someone they share some of their darkest and saddest secrets with because they know that I do not judge and do not let that information go any further than the four walls of my treatment room.
I am someone that gets to get excited with them when they are prepping for their wedding day, the birth of their first baby, their first date with someone new!
I love every single minute of my day at work, and it's not because I love the work (I mean I really really do) but because I love people.
You have to be a people person to do this job - after all you can see 20+ different people in a day. You have to be willing to put aside any bad mood you might be in, because your first client may need someone to vent to, and I am always that person. You want your clients to leave feeling a whole lot more confident, happy, relaxed, and a little less like the weight of the world is on their shoulders than when they first stepped in the door for their appointment.
As a beauty therapist you will see everything. EVERYTHING. I don't just mean when doing a Hollywood wax.
I have been farted on doing intimate waxing more times than I care to count, and every single time I have the same reaction as my clients - we burst out laughing.
I've witnessed the aftermath of home bikini waxes and had to rescue delicate areas from mass destruction and had to perform what feels like minor reconstructive surgery!
If the thought of being farted on, or having people tell you totally TMI stories makes you cringe even the slightest bit, then beauty therapy isn't for you, because I promise this will happen to you....more than once.
It is the most beautiful job in the world, but not for any of the reasons people think.
Stefeny x
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