Salon in the Spotlight: A Hint Of Beauty, Pembrokeshire

During her maternity leave, Sophie Raymond decided it was time to follow her dreams of pursuing a career in the beauty industry.

“I realised that life was far too short to spend every day in a career that was making me miserable. I love nothing more than making others feel good about themselves, so making a move into the beauty industry just made sense.”

“Starting a new career in the midst of a pandemic with just friends and family friends as clients was completely terrifying, and quite honestly, really hard,” Sophie reflects. “I put myself out there and persevered, even when it felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere.

Thankfully, through word of mouth, I have gained the most beautiful client base. I am just as excited about catching up with my clients as I am pampering them.”

“I initially started out offering lash extensions, but in June 2021, my wonderful fiancé surprised me with a Glitterbels gel polish and manicure course. The rest is history!

“I specialise in gel polish manicures and builder in a bottle. I also offer classic, hybrid & Russian lash extensions,” she reveals. “Recently, I have introduced acrylics, which have gone down a storm with my clients.”

“I am a major Glitterbels addict. I adore everything Annabel and her beautiful brand stands for, and the fact that everything is pink, gold and girly is a major perk,” Sophie laughs. “It’s a brand that is forever evolving, and my clients get just as excited about the new releases as I do

“I also invested in the dreamy Glitterbels nail desk which I feel adds to the experience! Alongside Glitterbels, I have also invested in the Navy Pro range. As someone who loves the little luxuries, I wanted to invest in the small things that add to the salon.”

“I wanted to create a luxury yet relaxed, intimate, 1-to-1 space where my clients could come to unwind and escape for an hour or two from their busy days.

“I have filled my social media feed with a mixture of salon snaps alongside pictures of my work as I want it to feel like a welcoming, familiar setting before a client has even stepped through the door,” she smiles. “I remember being called crazy for going all out creating my salon space, when at the time I only had one regular client, however I proved the doubters wrong as the décor has drawn in many of my clients!”

“I really do believe that décor, and in turn, atmosphere, adds to the package and totally adds to the treatment experience.”

“Everyone knows me as that French interior obsessed girl – in another life, I hope I lived in a Rococo filled château in the French Riviera,” Sophie beams. “Before becoming a mum, I ran a successful home account in my spare time, where I showcased my French inspired home decor.

“With a nod to my love of French décor, which I feel makes my salon a little more unique to me, I transformed my unused dressing room into what I hope is a grown-up pink haven, which is my home based salon.”

“I currently work for just me, myself and I,” she nods. “In terms of growth, the intention is to build a more spacious studio in the garden, so that I can have more space for both my lash and nail treatments, without having to move furniture about between treatments to accommodate both.

“My aim will be to create a luxury, chic experience, which I hope I already do now, in a slightly larger space, whilst still keeping that relaxed, intimate feel that my clients enjoy – with lots of French inspired decor of course!”

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