One of our main things when it comes to our students is making them feel welcome and a part of our Bella Marie community. Sharon joined us on our Introductory Makeup course in Hartlepool back in 2021 and has recently returned to us on our makeup courses. She is well and truly a part of our little community now and we can’t wait to see her flourish as she continues her training!
Before coming to Bella Marie, Sharon had previously trained in aesthetics and has her own salon offering beauty treatments. She made the decision that she wanted to expand her business and upskill into makeup.
Joining us on our funded Introduction to Makeup was just the start of her journey! She has returned to do further courses and is now gaining makeup qualifications that will allow her to offer this to clients. Her skills have grown massively over the past few months, and it has been lovely to see her progress.
One of the main reasons Sharon has joined us now, is that the courses are accessible to her that work around her personal life. Many of our courses are delivered during school hours; therefore, Sharon didn’t have to worry about childcare. Sharon’s daughter gave her the inspiration for her final makeup look during her first round of training; “my daughters favourite colour is purple, so I used that as my inspiration and dedicated my final look to her”. We just love that!
Everyone is welcome here at the Academy. We don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t train with us. Whether this is due to personal commitments or childcare issues or work commitments, just know that there is a course for you here.
Sharon herself suffers from anxiety and before coming to join us at the Academy, she was worried that it wasn’t for her. She was apprehensive about joining a course, not knowing anyone and lacked in confidence. However, once she was on the course this quickly went away. Sharon said that the size of the classes are great, everyone works collaboratively and at their own pace; helping each other out.
When speaking about her makeup courses and the way it is structures, Sharon said,
“The way the theory and practical is linked together is a big help. It’s not one or the other, which is how I learn best. It’s also nice to see that there’s more to the makeup course than just the practical; I’m learning a lot from it”
After completing her courses, Sharon has a few goals in mind. She wants to expand her business offering new services in the qualifications she is gaining; she also wants to continue her up-skilling and makeup training. So far, she has done great with all the courses she has attended. We can’t wait to watch her progress further. Well done Sharon!
With our level 3 VTCT courses running for over 14 weeks, many of students become friends with those they are learning and for Leanne and Jamie-Lee this has been the case.
They joined us at the Academy over two years ago, starting in hairdressing. They progressed through the levels and recently qualified in Level 3 VTCT Women’s Hairdressing.
Leanne then joined us at our student salon to gain some confidence and develop her skills further before they both landed their dream job working in the same salon together!!
They have gained so much confidence working together, their development within women’s hairdressing continues to grow. Recently, they successfully carried out their first ever wedding party, their biggest job to date, and the results were amazing; we are proud of them and all they have achieved.
Both Jamie-Lee and Leanne, have returned to us once again to continue their progress within the beauty industry. They are now studying Level 3 VTCT Nail Technology, whilst they continue working in the salon. We can’t wait to see what comes from this dynamic duo and their blossoming friendship!
Supporting our students throughout is our main aim and we encourage people to join our Bella Marie community; it is an ethos we live by. We want you to feel welcome and at home during your time with us. Knowing you are leaving us with lifelong skills and even lifelong friends is heart-warming.
For Leanne and Jamie-Lee this has been the case and it’s amazing to see. We look forward to seeing their continued progression on their new course and what else they will achieve together!
Louise Hill is one of our current students here at the Academy. She initially joined us for Level 3 Nail Technology and for some lash courses, which she is now fully qualified in. She then decided to return to the Academy to continue to grow her skills and gain some new qualifications. Louise is now training with us in Level 3 Makeup AND Level 4 Teaching to broaden her career prospects; and progress in the beauty industry.
We caught up with Louise to ask her about her time with us, this is what she had to say;
“It’s been amazing. From the group of girls I trained with, who have become great friends, to the amount of support we receive throughout. I’ve enjoyed it so much, especially seeing the confidence I have gained from it all.”
Since completing her training, Louise is not only working towards more qualifications, but has also joined the Bella Marie team! We welcome Louise to the team as a Assistant Technician for our courses. She assists the tutors with their lessons and she has been a great asset since starting with us. We can’t wait to see her gain her teaching qualifications and where she will go with it.
“I am loving every minute of it honestly, I really am. It’s helping me massively and I just love helping other people and helping them gain confidence to go out into the beauty industry. I’m all for supporting women 100% for them to carry on to learn. I would like to say thank you to the Bella Marie girls and for giving me this opportunity”
Here at Bella Marie Training Academy we get students coming to us from all different backgrounds. Some are already situated in the hair and beauty industry, wanting to retrain or learn something new; but many come to us from having no experience whatsoever.
Before coming to the academy, Katie had just completed a degree in business and was applying for jobs in business and accountancy when she came to the realisation that she actually did not want a career in that industry, but rather in beauty as a makeup artist. She had always loved working and experimenting with makeup but was told that it wasn’t something she could do as a career; and until she came to the academy the only experience she had was what she had taught herself from the age of 15.
“I had no passion for what I had just done my degree in. I wish I had decided sooner to start a career doing makeup. It’s something I love doing, and realising how creative I can be with it; I just never saw it as a viable career until now”
Katie came to the academy and started on our Level 2 Beauty with Emma alongside our Level 3 Makeup Artistry course. After completing both of these, she then decided to continue her development and enrolled on to our Level 3 Beauty Therapy, which is now currently training on.
When asked about her experience on Level 3 Makeup, Katie said that having as a tutor that knew exactly what they were talking about and being able to demonstrate things so well, helped her to learn and develop her makeup skills as she progressed on the course. Katie credits her tutor for introducing her to new brands to work with and how to start building up her makeup kit; which is vital for new makeup artists starting out. Her favourite products to use are the Peaches and Cream pigments; and are now her go-to products. Katie also says she enjoyed the learning environment, being among the other students, who were all excited by the course and learning together.
Now Katie is currently training on Level 3 Beauty after already completing Level 2. She made this decision after enjoying the level 2 course and wanting to build up her abilities even further. By having a Level 3 VTCT qualifications in both makeup and beauty, Katie will be able to offer more services. She plans on creating makeup and beauty experience packages for her clients in the future, once she is fully qualified.
Since completing Level 3 Makeup and whilst she continues on Level 3 Beauty, Katie has started to establish herself in the beauty industry within the North East. She is working hard on building up her social media brand.
“I’m putting as much as myself online as I can. From doing multiple makeup looks, working with brands and involving myself in masterclasses with other professionals. I want to start getting recognition from other makeup artists and start building up my brand relationships; so that I can continue to grow my makeup kits and work with the brand I want to work with.”
Katie’s instagram has really started to take off, her followers are going up as she continues to post her new makeup looks. She recently did some disney inspired looks that blew up for her and her instagram; with the Blue Genie look being her biggest look to date! When it comes to creating her looks, Katie draws inspiration from other makeup artists across instagram and pinterest. Because of what she learnt during her time on our Level 3 Makeup, she has developed her own style and has realised how creative she can be on her own.
“Sometimes a look just comes to me, and then I have to just grab my makeup kit and do it!”.
By doing Level 3 course she has also learnt how to build customer relationships and provide client care, so she can now confidently meet with clients, knowing she is providing a professional service as she continues to grow her career as a makeup artist.
For anyone doubting a career change, or thinks they can’t learn something new without any experience; Katie is an example that you can! No matter what your background is, you can train in the beauty industry and start a new career. Speaking about her own experience, Katie said,
“Just go for it, it will be worth it in the end. Follow what you want to do, I didn’t straight away and I regret it. Don’t be put off by what you think you know about the beauty industry. There’s more to it than you think, it’s more than just learning how to do makeup; it helps you work on client care and business management too. The beauty industry is so big and so much goes into it, more than you think. It’s an investment in yourself.”
At Bella Marie Training Academy there are different levels of courses to suit everyone. Whether you’re looking to learn something new or retrain, our courses allow you to do just that. Don’t be put off thinking you can’t try something new. With all our courses you are building up your skillset and progressing your career, and investing in yourself.
Katie Grant is now a professional makeup artist creating amazing glam looks just like these you see here! To view more of her work, you can find her on Instagram as, @katiegrantmua .
Here at Bella Marie Training Academy, we have students coming to us at all ages and from all different backgrounds. We spoke to Nicole, who after not long leaving school was looking to start her career off in the beauty industry.
Nicole is one of our younger students to come to the Academy. She has always been interested in hair and beauty and was signed up to do a hairdressing apprenticeship. However, due to Covid-19 it unfortunately got cancelled; leaving Nicole, disappointed and unsure of what to do next. Nicole had already started getting some offers to start her own beauty business but without the qualifications it wasn’t possible; which is why Nicole came to Bella Marie.
Nicole has now fully qualified in Acrylic Nail Extensions and Gel Polish and is now delivering nail treatments to clients. She had been interested in doing nails for a long time and needed the qualification to start her career. Nicole said she also wanted to know more about the theory of it all to improve her skills to offer a better service to her clients. When asked about her time at the Academy, Nicole said; “It was great having such a good tutor to learn from. Charlotte was so helpful, she explained things in a way that just made sense. She answered any questions you had, her knowledge was really good on everything; plus she was easy to talk to, I felt comfortable learning from her.”
Before coming to the Academy, Nicole had a preconceived idea of what she thought it was going to be like. After not long finishing school and being disappointed by her apprenticeship, she wasn’t sure about the academy at first; but once she began her training that all changed for her.
“I really enjoyed the experience, it was a lot different to what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be like school or college but it was a much nicer experience. The environment was more relaxed, I could connect with the tutors more, who were always on hand to help and I learnt so much in such a short space of time. I really enjoyed my time here and the courses that I did.”
After completing her training in nails, Nicole has started building her beauty business up. She is now based in Murton offering nail enhancement services. She also returned to the Academy to do our Nano Bond Hair Extension course. Her plan is to start offering this to her clients once she is fully qualified. Increasing her service and continuing to build her business. Her main focus is building up her beauty business, offering hair and nail services, and as you can see from her work, her nail art is a big hit with clients!
Nicole has now opened her very own salon offering a range of nail treatments and hair extensions. It’s great to see how much she has progressed and how much she has achieved! To see more of her work and to book an appointment, you can find her on Facebook here:
For anyone doubting whether training at the Academy is right for them, take Nicole as an example. She thought it was going to be like school or college but found it a whole different experience; enjoying her training from start to finish. It didn’t take long for her to start her own business, she even started having offers from salons before her training was complete!
It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what experience you have, you could be starting your career off after only one training session here at the Academy. Some final advice from Nicole, “It changed my life and gave me a confidence boost to start my career, which I never thought possible. It all happened so fast, but I loved every minute of it. To go from not knowing what to do to now starting my own business in just a short period of time has been great.”
To view more student spotlight stories and hear more about our students and the Academy you can do so here:
Our short hair and beauty courses cover a range of different beauty treatments. From gel polish and nail extensions to brow and lash treatments to hair extensions; and run every month here at the Academy. You can view the full range here, Short Hair and Beauty Courses in the North East
Katie completed Level 1 Beauty and has since enrolled on our Level 2 Beauty Course. Katie has been training with us for a number of months and has completed several fast track short courses including Semi-permanent lashes, Lash lift, Hot & Cold Waxing, Spray tanning, Perfect brows and Perfect lashes.
Since starting her beauty training with us she has set up her own mobile beauty business and also works in a salon setting as well.
Katie says “Bella Marie Training Academy has literally transformed my life. I was stuck in a rut, at home all day not being able to work as my situation was just not flexible enough for normal jobs so when I found out about the funded beauty course I applied straight away. I’m so glad I did as I have fell in love with the beauty industry and completed level 1 and other paid courses and I’m just starting my Level 2 whilst building my own business.
I couldn’t have done any of this without the help and support of the girls at Bella Marie Training Academy, I couldn’t recommend them highly enough”
We wish Katie the best of luck with her business and looking forward to her continuing her training journey with us!
“I’m Claire… I’m currently working full time in children and family social care as a team manager. I’ve been in role for almost 20 years and whilst I’m still passionate about this type of work, I’ve always wanted to explore my other passion which is “all things beauty” but never made the time to do it. However, this year I took a leap of courage and in June I started on my beauty journey.
I came across Bella Marie Training Academy online and quickly signed up for numerous courses including; Manicure and Gel polish, Perfect Brows, Facial, Spray Tanning, Semi-permanent Lashes, Lash Lift and Microdermabrasion. I’m also hoping to complete the Russian Lash course soon too.
The training
staff at the Academy are amazing and make learning so interesting and
achievable, and the communications team are also fantastic and liaise with you
super quick!
I’m
in the process of setting up my own business from home and have recently
converted my daughter’s old “garden teen shed” into “Beauty at
the Shed with Clara”
I’m super excited about the future and recommend Bella Marie Training Academy
to anyone wanting to develop or to expand their knowledge and skills in beauty
therapies”.
Kirsty came to us after finding out we are a DWP APPROVED TRAINING PROVIDER which meant she could receive funding from them towards her training along with self-funding some of her courses and setting up her own business.
Since first coming to the academy in March 2018 Kirsty has completed 9 of our courses and gone on to set up her own mobile business “Beauty by Kirsty”.
Kirsty now works in Bella Marie Student Salon building a very successful business and client base.
Kirsty has completed the following courses –
– Level 1 Hairdressing
– Level 1 Beauty Therapy
– Spray Tanning
– Manicure
– Acrylic nail extensions
– Semi-permanent eyelashes
– Perfect Brows
– Perfect Lashes
– Microdermabrasion
– Lash lift
– Back Massage
– Hot and Warm Waxing
– Nail Art
– Gel Manicure
– Express nails
– Facial
