Studio Address: 42 Heron Wood Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU12 4AL
About Me
Hi I’m Ema. I’m creative, earthy, colourful, pescatarian, passionate, spiritual and tactile - I love a good hug! I may have been a hippy in a past life! Some of my favourite things include Downton Abbey which I watch at least three times a year, the colours yellow, green, turquoise and orange; not necessarily in that order, Cream Teas, tear jerking movies and crocheting. I’m really torn between whether I'm a dog or a cat person, and finally, Kate Winslet would play me in my life story - if you're reading this Kate...
I am the sole owner of The Hair & Beauty Artist, she is me. Plain and simply put, I create naturally beautiful hair and makeup for any type of event, specialising in weddings. I love weddings, I love the emotion of the morning and helping the bride feel like the most special person in the world. I am also a beauty therapist and skin specialist, which means I provide an array of beauty services, as well as treatments, that help combat ageing skin and problematic skin, all from the splendor of my Edwardian home sstudio in Aldershot, Hampshire. This is also one of my favourite things.
In 2020 I was privileged to celebrate 25 beauty-full years working in this amazing industry. I knew from an early age I wanted to be a beauty therapist, so I studied and gained Diplomas in Beauty Therapy, Media & Theatrical Makeup, Cosmetic & Photographic Makeup, Bridal Hairstyling and Wigmaking. As you can see, I love to learn and the career highlights that followed really helped to shape me into what I am today and what I stand for. I worked at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and in other West End theatres for about 5 years. Being a former dancer, I loved being backstage working with all the singers and dancers and I thrived on the energy of a live performance. Much like on a wedding day, there is a strict deadline that everyone must be ready for and no matter what problem or issue may arise, the show must go on. It was a huge learning experience for me, being so early in my career, and I learned so much about vintage hairstyling techniques and styling hair and wigs to ensure they do not move an inch for an entire performance.
My next biggest highlight was when I became Brand Manager for the UK distributor of jane iredale mineral cosmetics. As a new concept, mineral cosmetics were known as cult brands, however it was recognised by the film and TV industry that jane iredale - the skincare makeup, was perfect for 4K HD film; so, I became the 'go to' consultant for advising Makeup Designers in mineral makeup for their actors and actresses. Working with such innovative products fuelled my passion for cosmetic ingredients, at the time I was 31 and suffering from adult acne. It was working with jane iredale and their sister brands; Advanced Nutrition Programme and Environ Skincare, that I discovered the ingredients in cosmetics that can really make a difference to the health of the skin. I was asked to be a trialist for Accumax, the Advanced Nutrition Programmes’ best-selling skin supplement for problematic skin - and it changed my life. Therefore, 15 years later I am still using the brands and I now use them in my business so that my clients can benefit from their results too.
Life has come full circle for me, combining my love of jane iredale - the skincare makeup and my passion for teaching others (a role I started from the age of 22) as I am now a Global Educator for jane iredale. I visit the European distributors of the brand and provide masterclasses and special PR events for all their national jane iredale stockists. I love this role and I love that I can do it alongside my beautiful Edwardian-inspired home salon.
If you like what you have read so far, please look around. What can I help you with? Don't be shy.