Salon in the Spotlight: Bronze and Beautyful, Newcastle under Lyme
By Kat Hill | 27 June 2018 | Feature, Salon & Spas
Radiating positive vibes and an oh-so tropical theme, Bronze and Beautyful is the result of Lauren Lily Lea’s hard work and passion for the beauty industry. “I opened the salon in 2014,” reveals Lauren. “I went from working full time for car hire company with a bedroom beauty salon on the side as a hobby to opening my own salon. I have always enjoyed beauty and did my first nail enhancement course at just 16 years old. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to make a career out my passion it at the time having not attending college. Plus, at the age of 16, I just wanted to be out earning straight away. Over the next nine years continued to enrol on various beauty courses.
It was time for luck to strike and Laura saw the chance and seized in. “My mum then saw a business unit for rent in a converted barn just fifteen minutes away from where I lived and she suggested that I opened my own salon. Impulsively, I jumped at the chance. I handed handed in my notice, handed back my company car and gave myself two weeks to completely renovate the unit into a beauty salon with very little money. That was four years ago and while it’s been hard, we are still here and don’t plan on going anywhere else!
“In 2016 I took on an apprentice and a part time beautician, due to staff expansion we took on another two business units to have more beauty rooms. This sees a main nail salon, a makeup room and three beauty rooms. This year we have taken on another nail technician and a receptionist to help the business run more effectively. At the end of last year, personal issues took my focus off the business and I contemplated for a long time about giving it all up. Regaining my focus in the new year, I decided to refurbish the salon to find my love, passion and drive to remind myself that the beauty industry is what I know and love and that after four years of hard work I wasn’t going to give up so soon. I would love over the next couple of years to open another salon and give my staff the opportunity to develop their careers and roles within the salon.
Lauren Lily Lea
“We offer a range of treatments and specialise in different areas,” Laura says. “Nail, Nouveau Lashes, Russian volume lashes, spray tans, semi-permanent makeup, Dermaplaning and Microneedling. Chrissie is our lash technician, having been trained in four different types of lashes. Jenna is our CND™ trained nail technician and Rachel is our acrylic design nail technician. I specialise in semi permanent make up and facials. In terms of brands, we use NSI, CND™, Glam n Glitz, Magpie, Lecenté, Nouveau, Flirties, Nouvatan, Eve Taylor, Ink London and Kiera Sky.”
A testament to Laura’s hard work, the salon now sees a sunny décor inspired by tropical, happier vibes. “When we refurbished the salon, we also wanted to create something different and bring the feel of a city salon vibe to a rural countryside setting,” Laura explains.
“In the world of social media and selfies, we wanted our salon to be as Instagramableas possible, as well as being quirky and unique. I considered what makes people happy and channel that feel of summer and being on holiday. With this in mind, the décor sees a theme of ‘club tropicana’, so the salon features a swing, a tropical fish tank and tropical flower features, with zebra, pineapple, flamingo, bright ornaments and accessories to give that holiday vibe. We never have been and don’t want to be an ordinary salon. Since our refurbishment our clients are saying how bright and happy the salon is. We find the unique interior brings clients to us as they are intrigued to see what we are all about.
“We work hard all year around and spend our well-earned money on holidays and exploring the world; forgetting all our worries, stepping away from the routine of life. And that’s what I wanted people to feel when they come into the salon, I want them to feel happy and uplifted and for it to be a place that new and old clients love to come. I wanted to give people so many things to look at so that every time they visit something else makes them feel happy. I also wanted to draw a younger clientele to the salon, and I think the bright quirky Instagramabledécor makes us more attractive to that market, as we are not only fashionable but offer the best services.”
Now with a fellow beauty therapist, two nail technician and a receptionist, Lauren is offering a wide range of treatments. “From a service aspect, we like to ensure that we are always one of the first to train in the latest and most up-to date treatments. We also aim to become as highly qualified in that area as much as possible to constantly offer our clients’ the latest services, standards and knowledge. For examle, as soon as Sweet Squared and CND™ announced the Xperience days to launch the new Shellac Luxe™ system, we booked the team on.
“My main ethos as a beauty therapist was never to be a jack of all trades. I believe it’s important to work to the best of your ability, so by focusing on a specific treatment or avenue in the industry enables you to stand out from the crowd and offer the best possible service to the highest standard. I stopped offering so many treatment to enable me to be the best at a selected few. All my staff are encouraged to do so too. We find what services are their niche and what they excel in, and focus on them being a specialist within this area. For customers, this means that they can get a treatment with the knowledge they are in the best possible hands.”
