North Notts College Student Achieves Dream Career
Mature learner, Elaine, has found her calling and is now a professional make-up artist after studying with North Notts College at the Retford Post 16 Centre.
After graduating from Dinnington High School, Elaine went on to try a variety of careers including veterinary nursing, sales, retail and support work. During her retail career, she studied and practiced Holistic therapies in evenings to support her family.
This was a stepping stone for Elaine, whilst studying on a beauty course she came across a demo from the Theatrical Media Hair and Make-up course delivered by North Notts College at the Retford Post 16 Centre during a skills week, with a background in beauty already Elaine chose to pursue make-up in the next academic year.
Instantly intrigued she enrolled onto a 10-week Fashion and Photographic Make-up short course in the evenings during her beauty course that taught her new skills and increased her enthusiasm for starting the full-time course even more.
Elaine dove into her course, she made friends with other students and soaked up the knowledge from her tutors. She took part in a variety of opportunities throughout the course including doing the make-up for productions such as Aladdin and King Arthur.
While on her course Elaine helped out doing wedding make-up at the West Retford Hotel, a family owned and operated 250-year-old grade 2 listed hotel. Elaine impressed so much she is now the hotel’s make-up artist for their wedding package offers.
Although Elaine started late at College, she now has a successful business from it. Elaine currently offers beauty treatments (such as skin care, eyebrow shaping etc) to both male and female clients, special occasion make-up and bridal make-up both for the hotel and privately.
During her final assessment at College Elaine created a Cruella De Vil inspired look from the 1961 animated Disney film 101 Dalmatians and made friends with her model whose brother is the renowned photographer, David Keep. Elaine will be working with David for his upcoming photoshoot focused on the beauty of mature women to empower them and show they are still relevant, it’s a project that is very close to her heart.
Elaine’s bridal clients have recently nominated her for an Award for Providing Wedding Beauty Services for the wedding magazine ‘I Do’, the ‘I Do’ Magazine runs the UK’s biggest one-day wedding exhibitions throughout all of Yorkshire and Humberside, as well as listing prestigious wedding service suppliers.
Elaine said, “It’s an honour to even be nominated. The success of my business comes from making people feel their most beautiful, and that is so close to my heart.
Running a business while studying at College and owning a house is a big commitment. As a mature student you can have a lot going on in your life, but I could see how my skills were developing and I loved it.
I had the best time at College ever, it was wonderful. I made friends for life and have a thriving business. Ambition has no age limit.”
To find out more about returning to education as a mature learner, please click here.