Beauty Training Harrow's Blog

We may have turned our backs on 2018 but facing the New Year with a rejuvenating facial has been found to offer more than just a fresh glow.

By targeting meridian lines in the face, reflexology can help menopausal symptoms

An all-natural facial called ‘Facial Reflexology Sorensensistem’ is promising to offer longer-term benefits to women’s emotional, physical, mental and energetic health.

Facial Reflexology is now being seen as the natural alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy and some women going through the menopause have said it has helped restore their energy.

Other benefits are an enhanced feeling of wellbeing, a glowing complexion and it has improved symptoms such as hot flushes and sleepless nights.

What is Facial Refloxology?
Like reflexology on your feet, facial reflexology works on similar micro-maps of the body. The face’s closeness to the brain means that stimulus takes the ‘shortest possible route to the control centre of the body’ to potentially address your health imbalances.

The 35 acupuncture points on the face  are massaged lightly

As with acupuncture, reflexologists believe that channels known as ‘meridian lines’ flow through the body carrying ‘chi’ or energy. By targeting these lines in the face, reflexology can help.

London-based expert Nikke Ariff learnt the Lone Sorensen Lopez technique, which combines South American massage and Vietnamese acupuncture.

Her clients in Lavender Hill and Primrose Hill say facial reflexology is deeply relaxing – each treatment takes about 45 minutes and Nikke spends the first 10 minutes working on 35 acupuncture points on the face, massaging them lightly with her fingertips. She says: “This helps rebalance the body’s natural energy via the meridians, and improves circulation.”

Find out more about Facial Reflexology in London at Mind Body Positive.

YOUR GUIDE TO LONDON ‘Fast Track’ NVQ FACIAL COURSES AT BEAUTY TRAINING HARROW

Click here to book a facial course – learn all the basic techniques right up to electrical facials and more!

Or come in and enjoy a rejuvenating facial at Yvonne Sullivan Beauty!

This blog was brought to you by Beauty Training Harrow.
Call 020 8206 2930 Email: beautytrainingharrow@hotmail.co.uk

PROFESSIONAL BEAUTY SHOW LONDON
IT’S BACK and it’s just as big as ever! Professional Beauty Show London – Feb 25^th-26^th at ExCeL, London. With over 800 brands exhibited, including hundreds of new product launches and motivational seminars, this is the biggest event for the UK beauty industry – and it’s all under one roof! Book tickets here.

CGI image of the forthcoming woodland spa at Gisborough Hall Hotel (pic credit: Harris McCormack Architects)

NEW SPA OPENINGS ACROSS THE UK!
INVESTMENT in UK spas continues to grow – The Langley, in Buckinghamshire opens a new spa this summer, with eight treatment rooms, a VIP suite with dip pools and a women-only thermal area. The Gisborough Hall Hotel is building a woodland spa, boasting 9 treatment rooms. And The Carden Park Estate spa in Cheshire will comprise a whopping 15 treatment rooms, a wellness garden and a range of hydro, massage, steam and sauna therapies.

CGI image of the forthcoming woodland spa at Gisborough Hall Hotel (pic credit: Harris McCormack Architects)

BEAUTY PRODUCT SALES BUCKING TRENDS
Online sales of beauty products are up 63% showing that the beauty industry is showing no signs of slowing down! Top tips for success in beauty included customer loyalty programs, product trials and social media platforms, which allow users to talk to each other about their purchases. Great news for beauty!

You won’t find a more friendly, relaxed atmosphere to learn all your new skills in beauty therapy than Beauty Training Harrow – give us a call today! 020 8206 2930

CHECK OUT LONDON ‘Fast Track’ NVQ COURSES AT BEAUTY TRAINING HARROW!
We’ve updated our 2018 course calendar and we have facials, manicure/pedicure, massage and waxing ALL starting over the next week. Check them out here!

This blog was brought to you by Yvonne at Beauty Training Harrow.

Call 020 8206 2930 or email: beautytrainingharrow@hotmail.co.uk

NEARLY 30% of women believe stress and anxiety have an impact on visible signs of ageing. The survey by the Health + Aesthetics clinic in Surrey found that 21% of women said lack of sleep was the next biggest cause.

Nearly 30% of women link signs of ageing to stress – read original article on Professional Beauty

A further 18% said having children was a factor while 15% blamed poor diet and fitness. Only 13% felt smoking, alcohol and sun exposure had anything to do with stress.

Dr Rekha Tailor, medical director at Health + Aesthetics, said: “If you’re busy with commitments at work and home, taking the time to look after yourself can soon slip way down on your ‘to do’ list. So take a holistic look at your health and pinpoint exactly what factors are causing you to feel so stressed.”

Neom’s motto: “Learn to be calm and you will always be happy” – visit the Neom website here

At Beauty Training Harrow, we feel it’s time to regain some ‘me time’ and bring back some calm into your life – so here are our 6 top tips to relax!

1. After long days at work or hours spent studying for exams, a long hot shower can help revitalise your mind.
2. Great bath smellies like Neom Bath Oils can do wonders to keep you calm. Neom’s motto is: “Learn to be calm and you’ll always be happy” – if you do this you can’t go wrong!
3. Chamomile tea has many benefits but it’s renowned for its calming properties. Try one a day and you’ll start noticing the difference.
4. Although women felt that alcohol and caffeine were not a big contributing factor to stress, nutritionists advise cutting them out to stay calm!
5. Yoga is one of our all-time favourite ways to relax. A yoga class once a week can help you breathe more slowly, relax, unwind and cut yourself away from your worries for an hour. Thoroughly recommended!
6. You can’t beat a spa treatment – personally we love a massage and there’s nothing more relaxing than an aromatherapy head and back massage to ease the mind.

Enjoy the relaxing benefits of chamomile

We hope you enjoyed our tips for a thoroughly relaxing week!

This blog has been brought to you by Beauty Training Harrow, incorporating Yvonne Sullivan’s Beauty Salon – find out about London beauty training, treatments and more on our website. Or call 020 8206 2930 for more information.

IT’S BACK and it’s bigger than ever! Professional Beauty Show London is here. With 34,000 visitors, over 800 brands, hundreds of product launches and seminars galore, you’d be hard pressed to find any other show that brings the entire UK beauty industry together under one roof.

The show runs from February 26^th-27^th at ExCeL London and there’s still time to register for your free ticket. Just follow this link to register. Here are our 5 top tips to get the most out of your visit:

1. New feature sees beauty students matched with top employers!

For beauty therapy students, head to The College Zone. This fantastic new feature to the show will match leading employers with the best new industry talent, and introduce students to internship and career opportunities.

The newness doesn’t stop there! The Launchpad zone brings together some of the biggest new products and treatments in one dedicated space. Stop by to see demonstrations of everything from the latest developments in nutrition for skin health, to a completely new nail system.

2. Show offers and discounts

Look out for deals of up to 50% at Professional Beauty London, including 50% off the Australian Bodycare Hy-Wax Heater. Using digital heating technology, the product also promises to minimise the risk of cross-infection between clients. Remember Beauty Training Harrow’s blog about Microblading? Well for the first time at Professional Beauty Show, you can get almost £500 off training in this specialist skill with Brow Perfect Microblading. For a limited time they’re offering 20% off Hi-Brow and Microblading training, reducing the cost from £3,445 down to £2,999.

3. Free demos showing latest treatment techniques

It’s free to attend demos of the latest skills and treatment techniques that are taking place on the Advanced Therapists Live Stage. Leading names include Ron Myers from the Consulting Room, Roy Crowley from 3D-lipo, Kevin Williams from Lumenis, and Lucie Hartley from iiaa. You need to register for a ticket to the show to gain entry and top demos are:

• Infusion of vitamins, minerals and acids through radiofrequency and electroporation techniques
• Laser for skin rejuvenation masterclass
• Boost you profits with aesthetic treatments
• Cryolipolysis – how to get into this growing body-shaping market

4. New product launches

Nail Harmony is launching its Gelish Dip products at the Professional Beauty Show. It’s offering a one-day masterclass to get the best results from their product. For £90, you get training, plus 120 Gelish match colours and their French dip container. Staying on the subject of nails, Stylfile are offering two of their Gel Polish Remover Kits for £20. Created by ‘Inventor Tom’ from BBC’s The Apprentice, Stylfile have all their other products on show at stand K71.

5. Check out Professional Beauty TV!

From this year’s award winners to more about what’s going on at the show, check out Professional Beauty’s YouTube vids here!

Have fun!

This blog was brought to you by Beauty Training Harrow.

Call 020 8206 2930

E: beautytrainingharrow@hotmail.co.uk

WHETHER IT’S old product lines lying about or your computer desktop needs a good clean-up, now’s a great time to give your salon, spa or mobile business a thorough spring clean.

You may have old unused samples, or a machine that hasn’t been dusted in a while. Or your salon could do with a traditional deep clean, or you have too many social media accounts and you need to delete some! Follow these great tips to get your 2017 off to a great start and generate some positive energy in your business again.

1. Have a proper purge

Get rid of overused manicure-pedicure tools and unwanted tester products that are lying about, or at the bottom of your beauty bag. You may have promised your supplier that you’d try their samples out on clients and send them feedback, but it’s been a year now and you never did. If that’s the case, bag it up and put it in the trash, or donate it to someone who may find use for it. Then give your salon a proper deep-clean, including all brushes and tools. The sense of freedom you’ll get when you’re dust-free will be worth it!

2. Digital detox

Go through your social accounts and make sure you’re active on the ones you’ve started. If you haven’t written any content for along while, think about whether these accounts are adding any value to your business and focus on the ones that are. File away random documents that are making your desktop look a mess. It’s such a nice feeling looking at a tidy screen and your brain will feel clutter-free again. And unsubscribe from newsletters you don’t read!

3. Your physical desk

Whether it’s your kitchen table or your spa reception, organise your desk and drawers and remove unwanted clutter. Disinfect and clean your screen and keyboard. Buy new stationery if your current stationery’s starting to look tatty – you want to give a good impression to your business.

4. Beautify your business!

Decorate your salon to complement your branding. Whether it’s colour-themed flowers and candles, a new uniform or tabard, or a new set of shelves for your products. Anything you can do to enliven and freshen things up will make you feel happy and will ultimately keep your clients coming back!

This blog was brought to you by Beauty Training Harrow – we offer fast-track NVQ beauty courses, from Levels 2-4 in London.

To find out more about the professional beauty skills you’d like to gain for your career please call Yvonne Sullivan on 020 8206 2930.

This year is drawing to a close and it’s all about glitter and shimmer during this month of office parties, Christmas and New Year. So I thought I’d do a round-up of top lifestyle magazines to show what each of their beauty teams predicts will be the make-up trends for 2017.

1. Vogue

Going bold and colourful was the advice for Spring/Summer from Vogue.

The mag noticed the ‘clean face and wash-and-go hair look’ was all over the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week.

But the biggest trend was make-up inspired by the Eighties with a ‘more-is-more charm’.

“Lipstick-bright blush was applied to the temples at Kenzo and Chanel, side-swept curls made their mark at Topshop Unique, colour-pop lids at Nina Ricci.

Vogue writer Lisa Niven also noted that: “Marc Jacobs’s entire show was influenced by Eighties rave culture – with metallic eye make-up prominent.”

2. Elle
Elle Magazine is taking you back to the Sixties with predictions that statement eyes and lips will be the trend for 2017.

Star Wars make-up specialist Pat McGrath, who has her own make-up range, features heavily in Elle’s trends for Spring/Summer 2016.

The mag’s advice is to ‘mix colours to create a wine-stain lid’ and then dab it with Pat McGrath’s lab Skin Fetish Balm.
Elle notes that subtle looks are also coming in with make-up artist Monica Marmo leading the way.

Marmo used soft pinks and orangey golds in her Spring/Summer 2017 make-up looks but continued to define the face with strong eyebrows.

3. Cosmopolitan
Here’s a trend that’s easy to achieve, say the beauty team at Cosmo. Bronzed, dewy skin is always going to be a winner, so go for the sun-kissed look with a sheeny complexion. It’s simple – just sweep bronzer over your cheeks and eyes to recreate the look!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This blog was brought to you by Beauty Training Harrow, which offers Level 2 NVQ in Make-up. See all our courses here.

Original pictures in this blog are in articles by Vogue, Elle & Cosmopolitan

LAUNCHING a new website for your beauty business, or want to improve your current online presence? Then here are 11 fabulous tips we picked up following our visit to the Google Digital Garage.

Google told us that 88% of small businesses are not taking advantage of the growth of the web. The search engine giant recommends having a colourful website that’s easy to use, has great content, encourages visitors to engage with you and makes it easy for people to contact you.

Case study – Look Fabulous Forever Make-up
Google’s specialist highlighted an example from Look Fabulous Forever, a UK make-up brand that specialises in ‘make-up for the older face’. Founded by Tricia Cusden, Look Fabulous Forever saw a phenomenal growth in business when Tricia started following Google’s golden rules.

Tricia’s website also received 17,000 visits in the first year. Look Fabulous Forever’s website has several tools such as ‘how to’ video tutorials, beauty tips, a pop-up box when you first visit the site. The site encourages you to put your email in the pop-up box to receive a free guide to make-up for older ladies. It’s now being used by the likes of the brilliant actress Dame Judi Dench! So here are Google’s 11 top tips:

1. Create a great looking website
The UK is now the global No1 for buying online with 77% of us buying online at least once a month. Google’s advice if you’re starting a website is to:

• Build a colourful website and make it shine across all devices
• Tell your story through content
• Manage your presence on Google and improve your visibility

2. Give people the functionality to buy from you
Google says small businesses with a strong web presence experience two times more growth than those with minimal or no web presence. So if you’re selling beauty products or services online then make the shopping experience simple.

3. Make it easy for customers to contact you
Google says 53% of small businesses and charities have a website. However, only 22% out of this figure provide basic information. Embedding a contact form is one of the most important things you can improve your website.

4. Google’s tips on building a new website

• First identify its purpose or goal
• Keep content simple and easy to digest –
  • use bullet points
  • break up paragraphs
  • use images as they are sometimes better at telling your story
• Put strong calls to action eg buy now, subscribe here, download this
• Make sure your site loads quickly
• Make mobile a priority – for a free test to see if your site is mobile friendly visit: co/mobilefriendly
• Encourage visitors to sign up to your newsletter
• Create downloadable guides as a way to capture emails

5. Google gave these tips for a mobile-friendly site

• Include prominent calls to action
• Keep menus short
• Clear navigation links
• Streamline form fills
• Don’t make users ‘pinch and zoom’ the screen
• Don’t put links too close to each other, space them out

6. Expand your shop
If you’re selling online you can also put your products on retailer sites like Amazon, Etsy, Ebay and Notonthehighstreet

7. Define your audience

• Where are they?
• What do they do?
• Who do they follow?

8. Messages to your audiences
You need different messages on Facebook and Twitter – one size doesn’t fit all.
eg. Snapchat has a younger audience.
Don’t shamelessly sell!

9. Getting followers
If you’re looking to grow your Twitter followers then do keyword searches and look for similar accounts to follow from this list of helpful tools:
Twitter search & lists
Google search
Blog search and lists
Recommended subscribers on YouTube
FollowerWonk
TweetReach
Buzzsumo

10. Three tips to write content

• Keep it relevant and talk about your business
• Be clear and consistent
• Show personality – Be human, engage with your audience and have fun

11. Video

• Be a thought leader – videos that are educational offer genuine value to users. There’s no need to sell and tell your audience it’s part of a series to encourage them to watch more
• Create shareable content to evoke a strong emotional response
• Identify potential collaborators. Research popular YouTube creators who share your target audience
• For inspiration research Facebook Live videos

For more information

• Google g.co/creatoracademy – YouTube’s creator academy is an ongoing series of videos.
• Make sure you fill in Google My Business help your website be found – when people search for you they’ll see a knowledge card for your business on the top right of their Google page with your opening hours, telephone no etc.

Hope you found these tips as useful as we did – good luck!

Don’t forget your Beauty Training Harrow vouchers for Christmas!

This blog was brought to you by Beauty Training Harrow.
Call for more information on our NVQ beauty courses or salon treatments on 020 8206 2930.
Email: beautytrainingharrow@hotmail.co.uk
Buy gift vouchers

Beauty Training Harrow examines the pros and cons of the different routes available for entry into the beauty therapy industry

If you love the idea of making people look and feel good then a career in beauty could be for you. If you’re friendly, enjoy making people feel relaxed and take pride in what you do then beauty therapy is definitely for you!

If you’re just getting started, make sure you choose the right course to help you achieve your career goals, whether it’s full-time employment or your own home-based or mobile salon.

Your beauty course must be accredited by an awarding body such as ITEC, VTCT or City & Guilds, and qualifications must be fully insurable. These are important requirements that will enable you to carry out treatments professionally.

There are different career paths into beauty. If you work full time you can take evening courses at a local college. Or you can take an apprenticeship with a salon where you’ll learn on the job and have time out to study for professional qualifications.

However, more therapists are now opting for fast-track NVQ courses in beauty. These are usually taught in private training centres that enable you to fit study around your schedule. Level 2 NVQ is the starting point and has all the core units you need for going into the industry – waxing, manicure, pedicure, facial and make-up. Fast-track courses usually involve one or two days of theory and practical, followed by coursework and practice to complete your portfolio. After a final assessment you’ll receive your qualification.

You can then choose to specialise, which involves taking NVQ Level 3 and 4 courses. To find your niche, my top tip is to keep up to date with emerging trends by reading industry magazines such as Professional Beauty and other online news.

Whether you’re newly trained or you’ve specialised in an area such as electrical facials, you can gain employment in a wide variety of places: high street salons, hotel spas, cruise ships, health and fitness or country clubs.

If you choose to work for yourself, you can pick the hours that suit you. Or, for a fast-paced life, you could work with celebrities as a beauty therapist or make-up artist in TV, film or fashion. There are so many opportunities in the buzzing beauty industry but it starts with gaining professional qualifications from a reputable awarding body and making sure you are fully insurable.

This blog was brought to you by Beauty Training Harrow – fast-track training centre offering Level 2-4 NVQs in a range of beauty treatments. Check out our course dates today! Call 020 8206 2930 or email beautytrainingharrow@hotmail.co.uk