Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome to another episode of Behind the Chair with myself Lauren Garford. And my guest today is Laura. Hi Laura. Hello, hello, hello. Hi, how are you doing? I'm good, how are you? Where in the world are you? You're Scotland, aren't you? I am Scotland. So I'm about, the closest city to me I guess is, although everyone I know would be Edinburgh. I'm about 15 miles north of Edinburgh over the beautiful big
Speaker: further forth, which is like the, and if you've ever been to Scotland and you've been to Fife, which is where I am, you'll have been over the big rail bridge, which is very beautiful and iconic. And if you've not been, then make it, put it on your to -do list. So yeah, I made a very, very cold. You've been to Scotland many times. Have you been to Fife? Don't think I've been to Fife, but I've been to Edinburgh, obviously. Yes, obviously. Lock Lomond.
Speaker: Yeah. And I've also been to Sky, Sky, Sky. I don't know if that's the. I love Sky. I think so. I think that was. Maybe not. Maybe not the Isle of Sky. Hang on. I know it was like northwest. It was quite north.
Speaker: Yeah, busy isle of sky, but people call it sky, but it is an isle. You'd have gone over a bridge. It was beautiful anyway, and we love Scotland. Being my boyfriend, we absolutely love it. We go whenever we get a chance. Well, if you're ever in Edinburgh again, then give me a shout and we will meet in person and we will have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. And then yeah, you can be like, oh, this is what you're like. It's bizarre, we've never actually met in person. Yes, yeah. But that's one of the things I like about
Speaker: this industry we're working and I like.
Speaker: I guess it's one of the nice things. There's lots of rubbish things about social media, but it's one of the nice things about social media is it connects you with like -minded people that you would just probably never meet in any other situation. 100%. And we didn't even cover this, but you also do makeup, don't you, Laura? Do you also do hair, or is it just predominantly makeup that you do? Well, it's funny. Funny, you should say that. I do do hair as well. And hair was kind of like secondary to makeup for me.
Speaker: excuse me I did my makeup training first and then and then kind of added hair and but I always sort of focused on makeup mainly for bridal and was a bit scared of hair and then I think it was sort of when I started doing this I want to say like full time you know went into it properly
Speaker: that was kind of like I should do hair as well because you know there's people that would rather just have one person go along um and then this year when I was looking at my bookings the other day for this year I've actually got more hair only bookings
Speaker: than anything else this year. So I was like, oh, it's really, you know, like I love data. So my background is I'm an accountant. So I love data, I love numbers, and I love like statistics and things. So I was like looking at it and I was like, oh, isn't it interesting when you step back and look at that? And I was like, I've actually got more hair in my pocket. Hang on. So you went from being an accountant, which one could say is an extremely different career to makeup.
Speaker: to a creative outlet and like a lot of people especially when it comes to creativity can be scared to do something that's creative because it's not secure and it's not like guaranteed income and I'm doing that in quotes because that's not necessarily true. Just I think the way society
Speaker: has talked about creativity throughout pretty much everyone's lives, right? Is, oh, you know, you should be an accountant or you should be a lawyer or you should be a doctor because that's secure. But really, actually, if you think about it, I mean, not everyone's born to do that and art is just as important. Yeah, I think so for me, I guess, without barring you about my entire career history, I was the one that wanted to go and do sort of hair and make up our beauty and that, like,
Speaker: did I did have an interest in that school leverage but it wasn't necessarily like encouraged you know at that time it was like oh okay a job a job would be good so I actually just went straight into work at 16 full -time work um which looking back no it's not that I regret because that got everything gets you to where you are doesn't it so
Speaker: But it's like, I did always have that desire and passion to do this, which is why I guess I've ultimately ended up in it. But I just think I would challenge as well when people think it's a secure job. And I worked in financial services for about 15 years nearly, and the number of restructures that I would go through, the number of redundancies people would go through. And that's only going to continue, I guess, you know, in these big organizations and big companies.
Speaker: There's so many cost pressures in these organizations and companies that when they've cut so much, the only other place they can cut is people. So these organizations now and these big companies are not as secure as what they once were because of the economic situation in the world and these companies have got tough decisions to make. People are the first thing to go.
Speaker: Yeah. What would you say to someone that was maybe 16, 17 and they love art, the arts, not necessarily hair and makeup, but if it is hair and makeup, great. What would you say to them if they weren't sort of sure, you know, shall I stick with my studies or shall I go with my creative inspiration? I think it's not necessarily stick with studies or go with creative inspiration. I think for anybody, I would always say be open to, um,
Speaker: I guess try and gain as many rounded skills as you can. And by that, I mean like, so if you wanted to say, let's stick with hair and makeup, you wanna go and be a hair and makeup artist, or you wanna go and do that, go down there and having you like that, great, learn how to do hair, learn how to do makeup, but also learn what that means to turn that into a business. Learn, like go and spend time, like don't just go to college and be like, oh, I'm gonna learn a car, so I'm gonna tick off all these modules I've done.
Speaker: No, go and spend time with somebody who's doing it and who's been doing it a long time. That would be what I'd say, you know, like kind of gather your facts and look at it from a rounded point of view. Don't just kind of go, I'm going to go and do that. And that's it. Like be open to everything else as well. That's such a good tip because you don't actually know. Yeah, you can sit and study something, can't you? And read a book, but you don't actually know.
Speaker: what the job's like until you do the experience, the actual day to day. I think if someone said to me, what's the thing that you wouldn't expect to be doing all the time as a makeup artist? I would say cleaning. We do a lot more cleaning than people think, right?
Speaker: What do you spend most of your time doing? Yeah, cleaning my kit and washing brushes. I've got friends who literally think that I spend most of my life just washing makeup brushes because that's what they're like, what you're doing. And I'll send them a picture of all the makeup brushes lined up on the side of my sink. They're like, oh, brushes again. I actually joked. I joked.
Speaker: jokes of friends last year when it was like in the height of winning season. I was like I'm gonna set up an OnlyFans page just of me washing brushes. I was like people would pick, there's got to be people out there right? I turned on by that surely. They're gonna pay a lot of money to watch me stood there in my kitchen swirling my brushes. I was like I could become a millionaire. The main question here for me is I think you'd probably have to wear something specific.
Speaker: No, I don't think so. I don't think so. I mean, I've not researched this. I don't have an OnlyFans page, just to clarify. And I've never been on OnlyFans. So actually, I actually don't really know what I'm talking about, but I was like, I'm sure there's got to be some links in that somewhere. Side hustle, why not? Do some work experience research.
Speaker: To be fair, if a couple of my friends were like, they did come up with like a name for the page, they were like, Bushard Brush. I was like, that's genius. Bushard Brush. That's actually quite clever. What else do you think that if someone says, what's the unexpected that you think as a makeup artist, you must paint people's faces all the time? Apart from cleaning, what else do you think
Speaker: we do behind the scenes that people don't realise how much you do of it. I think like for me, I kind of guess like if I think about conversations that I have with friends, I'll be dropping the kids off on the school room like, oh, are you off today? It's like, well, no, I'm not off. Like last year, towards the tail end of last year, I spent weeks, if not months, designing, thinking about redoing my website. And that was everything from
Speaker: arranging and organizing, working with a team to do a photo shoot that would then allow me to have the visuals. I wanted to show my website thinking about the copy, thinking about rebranding my logo, thinking about who's my ideal client, but going really, really deep with that, not just being like, oh, this is my ideal client. She's 35 and she's a professional and like going deep and deep and deep on that. And
Speaker: things like that. You can't just sit and be like, oh, I've got half an area. I'm going to crack on and do a bit of that. Like you need to like, I took myself off to the local library. I'm terrible at working in my house. And I get so distracted. I'm like, oh, shiny things. You know, I'm so bad at being disciplined to sit and do stuff. But like, I would take myself off and
Speaker: go to the library and then I could go and do that and get that done. And that takes a lot of hard work that people just don't see. And especially I guess I'm in a phase where I'm trying to grow my business and niche down more and things like that and take it to the next level. People don't necessarily see that and understand that. And that's okay. That's okay. It's not like I need everyone to understand that that's the reality of my life. But I think it's easy for people to just be like, oh, it's not a Saturday.
Speaker: It's not a Saturday, you're not at a wedding. Therefore, you must just be sat at home drinking tea and coffee. It took me about six months to do my website. Yeah, I would say the same from doing the photo shoot in July. I only kind of launched, if you like, out there in December. And what did you find was probably the thing that, like, was it for you? Was it just like making sure you got it right? Making sure you were taking time to think about it and not just like rush it?
Speaker: Like how did you find that process? Very similar to you. I did it properly. So I started from who my ideal client was. I started from like my why I did quite a bit of like self development and like improving my outlook before I even began like writing the copy or putting together the website. But to be honest, especially last year, I've made a lot of edits to my website. Um,
Speaker: just because I realized that there was things that I'd like, I think I'd overdone it. Like, I think I just needed to simplify my website. So I tried to simplify it a little bit more last year. Even though I think it's simpler, people still don't seem to find the right page. But I mean, yeah, they fill in, sometimes they fill in the wrong form and I'm like,
Speaker: Never mind. But then I guess that's also like, that's the thing, isn't it? That's another great example of where it's not like you then do that and go, oh, tick off the list. Don't need to look at my website now, because that'd be fine for two years. Like it's a constant process of updating. And I think like for me, I've got more disciplined in the last few months at being like, what does my, what's a weekly,
Speaker: routine of things I need to do in my business, what's a monthly routine of things I need to do in my business and what's a quarterly, you know, an annual thing, because I guess that kind of links back to how I am as a person and how I used to work when I worked in financial services and that, you know, you'd have like checklists, you'd have like standards. And so I'm trying to bring a little bit more structure, I guess, into into my week life
Speaker: um a week uh work life balance if you like as well yeah what do you like to balance it out with what are your sort of hobbies so yoga level up at yoga i was attuned for reiki in september so i do a lot of self reiki i want to go and do my reiki too very soon hopefully so that i can um start to offer that as a service and start to go down more of that route um
Speaker: I love to run. I feel like most of my stories on my social media is like oh look here's another picture of the sea where I ran today. But I love to run just because it's like that's my only time. I say this to people all the time. It's the only time I really feel like I get on my own.
Speaker: just to be on my own, just to be with my thoughts. I've got two young children, a husband, without saying like a dick. I've got a lot of friends, you know, like I've got busy life, like with a lot of being around other people and other people's energy and which is good and bad. And running is my like ultimate. Somebody said, what's the one thing that you have to do to like switch off and find balance? I'd say it's running.
Speaker: Sorry, I'm going to skip back to what I wanted to ask you. When you were talking about the Reiki earlier, tell me more about that and where that's come from. Is it something to do with self -care and healing?
Speaker: Why do you want to offer that as a service? I guess if we go back to, I'd say in the last 12 to 18 months, I've probably been on a bit of a journey of self -healing and becoming more comfortable with being me, if that makes sense. And like just, I think it's probably, uh,
Speaker: partly coming out of having young children. I feel like becoming a mum changed me massively. We went through the pandemic. I was really in a bad place during the pandemic as were many people but going into a pandemic with like a two and a half year old and a three month old baby and
Speaker: just feeling like a sense of the world was spinning and it turned on its head. And then coming out of that, I left a career in financial services. I think so much happened in quite a short space of time. And I remember in 2023 to 2021, end of 2023 to the beginning of 2021, I had therapy. It was like, I was trying to think what it's called.
Speaker: I can't even remember what it's called, but it'll come back to me, but it was all like therapy that was all focusing on the positive stuff. So it wasn't like therapy, tell me about your childhood, tell me about this, but about turning that mindset and focusing on that positivity and that what's been good about your day, what's been good about your week, because even on the darkest of days, sitting in,
Speaker: having a hot cup of coffee some days was as good as it got for me and that was good you know and then I started my hair and makeup business so it it kind of that that self healing that change in my mindset on life and coming out of that depression was it led me to other things such as tapping into more of my spiritual side tapping in more to
Speaker: what are my car values and car beliefs? I believe that, for example, there's so much goodness in the world and that it's nice to be kind and that little acts of kindness and being positive and you get back what you put out in the world. And so for me then Reiki just was something that I kind of felt like I needed to, wanted to go and do.
Speaker: And I can't tell you why, but I can tell you that since I did that, I feel so much more sure of who I am. I feel so much more at peace. It just brings me such a lovely sense of being. And I want to be able to, because with Reiki, and when you offer Reiki to someone else, you are just, I guess, a sort of a vessel to bring in that energy to someone else. You're not healing someone. You're not physically doing something to someone, if you like.
Speaker: you're just almost like a channel of that positive energy through to them and i just really want to explore that i just find it interesting that you want to use reiki as a way of putting back good into the world is that yeah maybe yeah i think it's something that it's certainly like i don't know even down to you know like if you it could be meditation it can be yoga for people it can be anything but i certainly like i've had periods in the last
Speaker: even in the last two, three weeks where I felt so anxious at times about something and I've just gone and put a little bit of music on and done some self -reggae on myself and honestly like it can be like that instant.
Speaker: in terms of how it can shift how you feel. What is, what is role? Can you like in a really quick condensed way? Cause I know it's probably a lot more complicated than just explaining it in like a quick version, but in a quick way. Well Reiki is like a universal, universal energy. It's like bringing in this universal energy and it's all good stuff if you like. And the way I, I guess the way I see it when, if I think about when I practice it on myself,
Speaker: It is almost like calling in that and visualizing that beautiful light and positive energy flowing down into you. Okay, so it's a practice of meditation, sort of. Visualize it. No, it's not visualization as such because I've been attuned for Reiki, which is about, I guess, because you're asking me a really difficult question now.
Speaker: So yeah, this is the definition. Reiki attunement also refers to as initiation as an energetic process that opens up your energy field so you can channel for the Reiki healing energy. I absolutely love all that, you know, woo woo stuff. I'm into it. I always
Speaker: have believed in like the universe. I'm not religious but I do believe there's something bigger than us. It's not a man in the sky but I don't think that it's just you know sort of what you see is what it is. I don't think it's as straightforward as that because yeah I don't think it's as simple as that because if you try and explain how you feel when you love someone
Speaker: that's quite a hard thing to feel, like it's hard to explain. So if you can barely explain that, then we can barely explain energy. Do you know what I mean? And like, how does electricity work? Do you know what I mean? You don't say electricity, but you know it's there. You know it works. But like - For me as well, I'm also very much like, if somebody's just like, ah, what, what all the crap? Like it's like, it's, that's fine. That's fine. But I know for me, and I don't need to kind of
Speaker: scream about it or shout about it all i know is that it's had a massively positive impact on my life and well -being and mental well -being and physical well -being and just balancing me i guess balancing out my emotions don't get me wrong that's not to say i have days where i'm just like pissed off at the world or days where i kind of feel really overwhelmed or i can't like seem to kind of
Speaker: get myself out of a headspace. These are just tools that help me to move out of that a lot quicker. And I'm also very like, I feel more drawn to these things as well because I really believe in the benefit of sharing that with my children. So I use my tarot cards a lot. I use my angel cards, my oracle cards.
Speaker: I find those, I mean that's again, those are so reassuring, they give me a lot of guidance. And my eldest boy is six and a half. He's very tapped into stuff like that. You can just tell. And he loves that. He shows such a big interest. He loves my crystals. He's like, these really help us with, they can help with lots of things, can't him on me. And he's really, he loves my cards.
Speaker: We talk about that, I've always got incense burn and I'm always smudging everybody. But they pick up on all that and I think it's a good thing to kind of, to share with them and to...
Speaker: educate them on, I guess. Yeah, I think they'll be picking up on your energy about how relaxed you feel and you love when you're talking about it, you look quite happy and you look quite at peace. And children are going to be feeling really safe around that. So that's probably why he's attracted to working with you on that because he's like, well, it makes mommy happy. You know, anything that makes you happy, they're going to be
Speaker: all four of them. My kids are quite attuned to that in terms of like they'll say, mummy you're you don't look happy today. You know they're really, you know if I am having a bad day or I'm having a dinner or if they see me cry because I'm very much like I'm I don't hide my emotions if I'm upset but it's not say oh mummy's really sad you know and sometimes I can tell him and explain why and sometimes I can't and um like I think you know it's children are so perceptive um
Speaker: And children are so like, especially at the age of my kids, they're so innocent. Like, I just want to kind of try and give them tools that will help them, I guess, in life, really. Yeah. Also, bringing wakey back to sort of what we do as a day job, doing makeup, as an unlicensed therapist, I think we can say, because the amount of secrets, right? And sort of emotional
Speaker: emotions that people have in the chair right I've seen people cry people get happy cries you know all the sort of emotions stress you know you kind of hear about it don't you they they sort of trust you and it's like doing someone's hair and makeup it's actually quite an intimate experience
Speaker: um because you are touching them essentially so actually you are passing on ng and i think i can't remember who it was but somebody was talking about the fact that um i think it might have been like an energy healer that i want to see like i will be picking up and you will as well Laura when we're doing hair and makeup we'll be picking up
Speaker: on their energy via the touch and just via the room and i don't know about you but there has been times where like i can't wait to leave the room sometimes because the energy's not there the energy's not good um for whatever reason i did this anyway before i had went and did my reiki but
Speaker: I when I did do my Reiki attunement me and the lady that did my attunement and she does healing and things like that she was saying to me about the importance of really practicing good spiritual hygiene and so for example after I've had because I currently at the moment I have all my like
Speaker: consultations and previews and things like that happen at home in my studio space. People are coming into my home, which I'm okay with, but before they come, I cleanse that space. When they leave, I cleanse that space. I will smudge the room, I'll open the windows, I'll do the same to myself.
Speaker: even if they are a client that I've gotten great with, even if we've bonded and had a lovely time. I still practice that because for me, the person I am, I have a tendency to take on people's energy, whether it's good or bad. And so I have to be, I guess it's kind of like boundary setting as well, I guess, but like I do do that. And same with sometimes when I get back from a wedding, if it's been,
Speaker: Either it might've been great or it might've been tired. I usually feel quite tired. You'll probably be the same, especially like it was quite a big wedding or it's, you know, peak of bridal season. I love nothing more. I'm really lucky. My husband tends to, we have a little routine now. Like I, I get home. I used to come home and dump stuff. I just dump everything like to one side. Now my routine is that I get home as soon as I'm home and if I need to eat or have a coffee, whatever I do that, but as soon as I'm home, I get all my kit out. Everything's all over the kitchen.
Speaker: everything gets cleaned, sanitised, the brushes get washed. All that happens as soon as they get home, because then it's done, then that's work done. Well done, babe, because geez, the amount of times where I dump it and I'm like, right, that's for tomorrow, because you're just like exhausted on you. Yeah, yeah. And that used to be me, whereas now it's like, no. And he was like, I'll meet each other, the kids and we're all at the house, whatever. And then I go and have a shower. That's my other little ritual. It's like that washing away of
Speaker: of whatever that was or that bridesmaid that was a bit of a dick or like, you know, that mum that was just annoying. I do feel like water, water is quite a powerful healer, isn't it? Yes.
Speaker: Yeah, I live by the water. So I'm like five minutes walk down to the beach. I spend a lot of time just sitting journaling at the beach just for that kind of sound. The energy, like you said, the energy of the sea, right? Yeah, totally. Yeah. I love the sea. I love the beach. I love the sound of the sea. I love it. It's just so soothing, isn't it? Do you do outdoor swimming or anything like that?
Speaker: I'm not the most confident swimmer. You don't need her. I can swim, sort of. But I'm certainly not a strong swimmer by any stretch. And I can't float either. So I like to be around water. I really do. I love being around water is actually one of my favourite things. But I'm not a strong swimmer, which is actually bizarre.
Speaker: No, I'm the same, I'm not a strong swimmer at all. But yeah, so I do have sort of a fear of being on the water if I was on a boat. But I like sitting, I'm looking at it. One of the things I was gonna say is linking back to like the raking stuff and in terms of like my thinking about my business is the clients that I've had in the last six months have been more on the spiritual side, have been more, and you know what, on my socials,
Speaker: put on my stories, I'll put my angel cards on there and I talk about these things that I shared that I was going to do my Reiki tune. And so they see that. And I feel like these people are, I guess I've been, this is what I've been manifesting and wanting of the people, those sorts of people, our clients that are more aligned to my values and beliefs. But they are some of the conversations that we've had
Speaker: I've been beautiful and then I've kind of said to people, this is what I'm thinking I'd like to do, this is how I think it would work, this is how I imagine offering that service as part of a wedding morning.
Speaker: And they've been like, that would be incredible. That would be amazing. So for me, I want to be able to have that to say, okay, say it was a bride only or say it was
Speaker: a bride and a couple of bridesmaids only but that I would turn up and we would start the morning with half an hour of Reiki and then we'll move on to hair and makeup and it's just creating this beautiful morning and I have had people that have said
Speaker: I would absolutely love that. So it might be quite a niche market, but I'm okay with that. But I just think that's where I feel like I want to go. A next block. Oh my god, no, I think that's an amazing idea. Somebody said something to me yesterday, and I can't remember what it was. That's really unhelpful. But it was something to do with niching down. It was basically like,
Speaker: you'll be successful if you do something that nobody else does, basically. That was basically the saying. So go for it babe, do it. 100%. And do you know what? It's one of them with anything in life and business and you only regret the things you didn't try, you only regret the things you didn't do.
Speaker: And I'm also like, I guess just in that space, maybe part of my life, I was 40 last year, just that part of my life now where I'm like, oh, I don't mind seeing to the world, I'm gonna go and try this. Because if it fails, like, I'll say, oh, it didn't work out. Nobody died. Yeah, and like, it's true, isn't it, that nobody cares more about your failures than you? Yeah.
Speaker: Somebody else would probably be like, oh, it's a shame. And then they'd move on. Like you think, oh my God, everyone's going to be thinking about it and talking about it. It's like, no, they're not. No one actually gives a shit enough about your life to be worried about it. Everyone's worried about their own failures to worry about your failures. So true. Can you, are you the type of person, and I think this is going to be
Speaker: I think I know the answer to this. Are you the type of person that can sense someone's energy really, really quickly? Same. Do you ever get, so I sometimes get really bogged down in the fact that I'm like, I really don't like them and I don't know why. And then in my head, I'm like, it's silly. I don't really know them. They're probably really nice. But I'm like, something in me is like,
Speaker: a red alarm bell being like, don't like them. I don't, I don't tend to be like, I don't, I don't tend to get overthink or worry about the why. Like in terms of like, I don't know why, like, and I need to know why. I guess I'm just a bit like, no, there's something, something not right here or there's something off. And I guess I try and,
Speaker: There's, you're never going to be in a situation where you can avoid being around people like that, whether it's for a short time or, or whether it's somebody that's in part of a wider circle of friends or, um, maybe it's somebody that you work alongside in this industry or something. Do you know what I mean? Like, I don't think you can ever.
Speaker: put yourself so that you never have to deal with situations like that. I think it's just about limiting your interactions with those people. And I think that comes with experience, that comes with age, that comes with just being like, nah, I don't need to, I don't need to please someone else if I don't feel good about being around that person. Or I think they're off like. Would you say you're a dominant sort of personality?
Speaker: I feel like I've changed. I'm very outspoken. I always have been. I remember my mom used to say to me when I was younger, she's like, Laura, you're my forget you into a lot of trouble. Because I was like the kid that was just like, not that I had no filter, but I think I've always been somebody that's like, I don't like injustice. Like, so if I see bad things or I see bad behaviors or I'll always call them out regardless of the consequences almost.
Speaker: So I can be quite dominant in that respect, but, and I'm quite, I guess what is that phrase? An introverted extrovert or an extroverted extroverted introvert. I'm kind of very, I can, I can mask, I can put on a performance, but actually,
Speaker: I can be quite shy and I can I can lack in confidence at times. So I wouldn't say, you know, maybe some people would describe that as being quite dominant.
Speaker: I'm a bit of a control freak and I like to take, and I will take, I will always take control of a situation if no one else is. I think what I meant by that question is, are you the sort of person that in a room full of people, are you the strongest personality or just does it depend on the room of people? It would depend on the room. It would very much depend on the room because, so I'll, for example, I'll go to networking things and the wedding industry networking types of things.
Speaker: And I'll always read the room first. Like, I wouldn't just walk in and be like, hey, I'm here. I'd kind of walk in and be like, oh, right, what's the lay of the land here? And then almost make a choice of, not a choice, maybe that's the wrong word, but then it'll either be like, oh, actually this is good and everyone's chatting and everyone's like, it feels like a sick, like it feels like a self welcome, safe, welcoming space here.
Speaker: and therefore you can kind of almost be yourself in that room and that situation or, oh, I don't feel so safe here. Therefore, I don't feel like I can fully show up as myself and therefore I might be a little bit more guarded or a little bit quieter or just observe more than talk. So I think it's, but I think that goes back to how we are as humans, you know, right? If we're in a room or a situation where we feel that there is,
Speaker: You know a threatening situation go back to sort of caveman times where you've got like, you know, our instinct was to like Not be eaten by a tiger or something You know what I mean? Like then like that's still within us as humans Like we are we will always do whatever we can to protect ourselves. I'm gonna go back to makeup now I feel like we're getting really deep. We'll get really deep in the personalities and energy. I love it but in terms of makeup how you
Speaker: your personality seems to be quite sensitive. Very sensitive. Do you ever find that doing makeup, because this is what I find sometimes, sometimes I'm not as sensitive as other times, but do you ever find that sometimes you just can't cope with a certain type of client?
Speaker: in terms of that sensitivity, like you have to, like I've started doing that thing where I kind of put that imaginary bubble around me. Oh, that's really interesting. I had the hypnotherapy yesterday and we were talking about bubble of protection, kind of like, yeah, not letting in, not letting stuff in that can like, you know, bother you. But I find that quite hard when you're doing someone's makeup because you're touching them, because you're like really close to them physically.
Speaker: I find it quite hard sometimes because you, they can't mask as well. So if they are a sassy person, they're not gonna be able to mask, you know, their true sort of, do you know what I'm trying to say? Like their, yeah, how they feel and how they react and stuff like that are what the things that they say, is that what you mean? Yeah, if they've got some sort of problematic behaviors. Do you know what I find though?
Speaker: Do you know what I mean? Like sometimes people don't necessarily know you if they've just met you and they might have had a bad experience with another makeup artist and they're coming with pre sort of pre -judgment themselves. So I think for me it's more I'd say I'd experience that or worry about that or feel a little bit like or doubt myself when on a wedding day and it's usually with like a bridesmaid or something.
Speaker: It's usually with the loudest, most opinionated, high -maintenance bridesmaids in some situations. I mean, a lot of my clients are just wonderful and their bridal parties are all lovely. But you get the odd occasion, but I would say not necessarily with brides that I meet because they have taken the time
Speaker: make sure I'm the right makeup artist for them. I've, you know, in terms of my booking farm and things like that, I get a real sense of what they're about and what they're looking for. So I'll always ask, like, what is your style of hair and makeup for the day? And that's all in, like, their booking farm. So if they were coming at me with, like, full glam, da, da, da, da, I'd be like, I'm not the girl for you, but here's a list of other people that I can recommend. But obviously, my brides and their styles, their brides may seem usually the same,
Speaker: you know, very kind of low maintenance, natural, easy, just easy going people. But you'll always get like a bridesmaid or even a mom or something or a friend that's getting there that can be just that little bit off, that little bit. I want to say almost like looking in the nose at you a little bit, kind of turn the nose up at your kit that immediately kind of sets me on edge and thinks,
Speaker: I can be doing their makeup, thinking your makeup's looking great, and I'm doing what you're asked, but still be like, shit, what are they gonna say when they look in the mirror? But will that fear ever go away? That fear of being a makeup artist and being like, shit, what are they gonna say when they look at the mirror? There's always that fear. I don't think the fear will ever go away. I don't think the fear will ever go away, and not a fear. I feel like as I've got more experienced and as I have gotten older, I guess, just been a bit like,
Speaker: I've done what you've asked me to do, or followed the brief you've set, and if there's something you want to change, you have a choice. It's on you. You can either sit there in that chair and explain to me and articulate what you might want me to change, because I give everyone the opportunity which I'm sure you do. You can change anything, add a bit more, take away, whatever.
Speaker: Do you, it's on them to make a choice to either be like, oh actually can I, could I change this or could we add a bit more here or actually can we just maybe change that up a bit? Or you can go and do what we've all had, I'm sure. Please tell me I'm not the only one. We can all have the one that goes, yeah it's fine, it's fine. And then buggers off to the toilet and then 20 minutes later you come back and think you've just either read on your whole makeup or whatever and you're like, whatever. And I think things that used to bother me, whereas I'm like, that's not on me.
Speaker: on you. I totally agree. I've seen it before and I've even said to them, you've added more eyeliner to that haven't you? And they're like yeah and I'm like uh -huh.
Speaker: See, I've never done that. I'm not brave enough to call them out. Maybe I need to like - I do it in like a jokey way, right? I think I get away with it with the accent as well. Cause I live down South and I'm from the North. I think I do get away with being quite cheeky, like, you know, cheeky and all that. Like I think I got away with it. So I just, I'm just - Definitely. They're always like, but it just makes me laugh inside. Cause usually, well, it never looks better.
Speaker: You've added more eyelinering, you've done it all wrong. You look rubbish today. Or they've made their eyebrows a lot darker than I would suggest for their natural sort of... Yeah, exactly. And you're like, wow, all I'm seeing now is eyebrows.
Speaker: But you know what, things like that, I tend to find things like, if people have a really strong idea of what their eyebrows or what their eyeliner should look like on a daily basis, and if they wear that every single day, people get really stuck on the fact that they has to look like that and that. I see the people going do your own eyebrows though. Like, if I've had people where they've been like, oh, this is how I really like my eyebrows, I really like it, let's really like it like that, and they're a bit in char, I'll say, do you wanna do your own eyebrows?
Speaker: and they'll go, do you mind? And I'm like, no. And I'm like, just, that's fine. Just do them yourself. It's like my best friend on my wedding day, she, I think she did her own eyebrows and she did her own mascara because she's so panickety about it. And I'm like, that's it. When it comes to mascara, I'm really not that bothered if someone wants to do their own mascara. Cause I feel like no matter how much I sort of, how many different techniques I use to do someone else's mascara,
Speaker: I always think it does actually, tends to look better when someone else does it on their own, because you can get right into the root. Like I can't get right into the root because if I try and get right into the root, people flinch and get really scared. Yeah, we're like, but then at risk of like, poking their eyes out at me to be honest. Yes, exactly. Whereas people get really right up there on their own eyes, but if you try and get right into the root, people just flinch and
Speaker: Maybe that can be a new thing, actually. I might have that conversation at this year's trials. I might start to be like, do you know what? Do you want to try your own mascara? Do you want to do that? I reckon do it. It's up to you. I might bring that in. I can't speak upon that in the consultation because if someone is really, really like sort of stuck on doing their own mascara, they usually tell me that pretty quickly. I've had a couple last year who
Speaker: have a really specific mascara routine with three mascaras and I totally understand. I do a two mascara technique as well. Talk me through your two mascara technique, what's that? Well, I haven't done it recently because...
Speaker: I've sort of slightly, I slightly change sometimes the way I do things just, you know, for whatever reason, but I usually use like an older mascara, say like a two month old mascara, same mascara, same brand. So it's a bit more dry. So it gives you that like drier base. And then I go in with a newer mascara that's fresher and like more, not watery, but it's,
Speaker: fresher and then do that on the second coat. I thought we were crossing streams, then I thought we were using two different brands and two different ones. No, I'm pretty, that's why I think I've stopped doing it because I don't use different brands. I just love the one mascara that I use. What's your mascara on my face? I like the Maybelline Sky High. Do you know the pink packaging? Yeah. Do you know which one I like?
Speaker: I can't reach it, but yeah Sky High from Maybelline, that's my favourite. I'm currently using a Rimmel wand that I love. I'm all about the wand. The wand has to be the correct size brush.
Speaker: And I like the formula as well. Formula is really good. It doesn't transfer. And then I use a different mascara from my bottom lashes. Highly recommend. I have talked about it on Instagram before, but... I must have missed that day. I must have scrolled our past. It's not rare I do that with you. I was gonna say it's not rare I do that with your content. I do enjoy your... I do enjoy your... I do enjoy your peach.
Speaker: Talking about content, how can people find you, Laura? How can people find me? They can find me on Instagram. I'm at Laura Fairley H -M -U -A. Amazing. So people can say hi. And you're based in Scotland, aren't you? Do you cover any other areas? Or is it nearly just Scotland you stick to? It's a big area. It's quite vast. No, I'm mainly Scotland because I
Speaker: like to be able to put my children to bed at night, so I don't bench too far. I think in another life, I'd have been, I was actually saying to my husband this morning, I was saying that we were gonna do this today, and I was saying like how you're based down south, and I was like, imagine like, imagine like just going working in London for six months, like doing hair and makeup in London, seeing what that'd be like. I was like, maybe in another life. Do you know what I mean? Cause I kinda just don't have that, I don't have that,
Speaker: the option, you know, with what I've got going on in my life. I don't think that one don't pay attention. They're all very friendly, not like up north. Are they not? No, not really. I mean, yeah, generally people aren't really that friendly, no.
Speaker: What do you mean by generally people aren't that friendly? Where? It's just a different vibe. Are you talking about in the industry? Oh, just, I mean, generally down south. No, not in the industry. Like other makeup artists are great, especially in the community we run in. But yeah, down south, just generally, I mean, like, you know, if you, I don't know, tripped up on the tube or something, if you were on the floor, people would step over you. Nobody would help you.
Speaker: No. Yeah, no. I got burgled once in London and I was outside my front door waiting for the police and I had no shoes on. It was like summertime so it was really hot. It gets really hot in London, like really hot. Really like, you know, muggy and damp and gross. Yeah. Humid. Damp? Damp is not the right word. Humid.
Speaker: And I had no shoes on. I was like barely clothed. I was clothed, but like, you know, I didn't have any clothes on. And I blatantly looked like out of place. And so many people walked past me. Didn't ask if I was all right, nothing.
Speaker: If that had been in Newcastle, I guarantee you, some little lovey would have been like, hi, I pet, are you all right? What are you doing? Do you know what I mean? Like someone would have popped an old guy. Even a guy would have been like, are you all right, pet? What's going on? Like they would have sensed something and would have talked to you. And I think the same for Scotland as well. I feel like Scotland, they would have been like, you know, what's up? What's going on? Sort of thing. I think maybe partly nosiness and friendliness as well.
Speaker: Yeah, down south is not the same. Where I live now in Kent, it's definitely a lot more friendly. People do smile and say hello, but London is not a friendly place. My eldest is desperate to come to London. He's like, when will you take me to London? I think it's amazing place to visit.
Speaker: But in terms of represent - Maybe not live. I don't think it's a good place to live. And loads of people have said to me, like, they've moved from London to, you know, the outskirts of London, so see.
Speaker: We've moved to Buckinghamshire or something like that. And they're like, oh yeah, it's so much more friendly and like there's neighborhood and you don't really get that like neighborhood vibe in London. I wouldn't like that then. No, I wouldn't like it. No, you wouldn't. And I am totally going off tangent here. So I was going to say, let's ask you the final questions that I try and ask everyone. So are you ready, Lauren?
Speaker: lipstick or lipgloss? Lipstick and I'll tell you why. Lipgloss is as its place it's beautiful but you get a windy day and it's very windy in Scotland I live by the coast you get a windy day and one little sweep of wind and that lipgloss is all over your bloody face and it's made of right messy makeup so lipstick all the way.
Speaker: Good point, I love it. How long does it take you to do your makeup? Five minutes. In fact, it's just like day to day. I mean, I don't, most days I don't actually wear any makeup. If I'm like, say I was going out for meeting somebody for lunch or something like that and I just put a little bit of makeup on because I only wear a little bit of makeup anyway. It probably took me like 10 minutes, five, 10 minutes. And if I was going on a night out with my husband, probably about half an hour or so. I actually went, we went for dinner in December.
Speaker: And I was like, everyone, don't ask me why. Do not ask me why I did this. But I was like, I'm gonna put some false lashes on. I'm gonna feel extra tonight. I swear to God. I swear to God, I spent all night sitting in this restaurant, pushing up these bloody false lashes, because they were just irritating me and annoying me. I kept saying, do my lashes look all right? Do my lashes look all right? And it's like, yeah. And I think, I don't even think we managed the full meal without me peeling those lashes off. And I was like, right, I'm not doing that again.
Speaker: So yeah, 10 minutes for every day, half an hour for going out. How often do you wash your personal makeup brushes? All the time because I just batch them with my other ones. So I actually wash mine all the time. I actually have a pot in my kitchen. I don't know how you do yours, but I actually have a pot in my kitchen. And when maybe I've used my makeup brushes like that week, I'll actually then put them in the pot that lives
Speaker: on the counter name I think. And that's like my dirty makeup brushes that sit there and then I'll do them regularly. Great. Well done. I don't do my personal makeup as regularly as I should. But there you go. Are you a natural babe or full glam goddess? What do you think? You're a natural babe. I'm a natural babe. Yeah, totally. Natural all the way. All the way.
Speaker: And there's a like, don't get me wrong, I look at people in their full glam and I'd say Edinburgh, like you go on a night out in Edinburgh and people are a lot more like sort of, I'd say much more sort of in the natural space, but you go on a night out in Glasgow and next level, next level and then some. So, and I look at those girls and I think, wow, you look incredible.
Speaker: But yeah, not for me. Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Laura. I think I've seen an amazing fact. I loved how deep and how spiritual it got. Oh, I know. That's the thing with me. Anyone that knows me, they're like, we can go. I can always go deep. I can always...
Speaker: Yeah, I can always go deep. So if anyone, as I said my Instagram before, if anyone ever wants to chat to me about spirituality or Reiki or just general life, because actually I was, I was talking to this lady, she does head, she makes jewelry, like headpieces and she makes earrings and for, um,
Speaker: for mainly, or a lot of our clients are brides. And we were messaging, I've never met her in person, but we were messaging on Instagram recently about, she's a similar age to me, similar stage in life. And just about how the she is, she's just gonna lean into that so much more. And just some of the actual messages me and her were exchanging on Instagram were really deep. And it's just like, I love that. I love how
Speaker: That's where you can have some really interesting conversations and even when you don't necessarily come at things from the same point of view.
Speaker: like just to explore and learn something about someone else's beliefs or someone else's way of life is always just can be really enriching even if you don't go and do that yourself. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, it does make sense. I think like you say social media can be a lovely place and if everybody sort of treat it, I think the way we treat it is, you know, finding
Speaker: I like that word, threat. I love that. I knew exactly what you meant. There we go. Um, so if everyone, please, I think we should try it. If we all try it.
Speaker: I do think that was an all seriousness if people just were kinder online. But I mean, everyone circle with online is kind. So there you go. I do do that whole like, is that question of is this serving me? And if it's not, then that's no good anymore. Bye. See you bye. But yeah, no, on the whole, it's good place.
Speaker: If it was for social media, it would affect this lovely conversation today. So amazing. Thank you so much, Laura. Thank you for listening. Go and follow Laura, especially if you're in the Scotland area or if you're going to get married in the Scotland area, Laura can help you with.
Speaker: your bridal hair and makeup natural goddess look. Thanks again so much for listening everyone. That's it for this week's episode. If you enjoyed it, please like, subscribe, share and all that. I don't actually think you can like it, can you? It's not Instagram. Anyway, hope you're all having a lovely week and I'll see you soon. Bye.
