Lets rewind 13 years ago to our cass: I left school and started my level 1 beauty therapist. Then onto my level 2 and 3. In

that time I had a beautiful little boy, at just 19 years old. I was doing unpaid work in salons, to build up my experience and

to basically, just to get me out of the house!

I went onto working in a skin clinic for a few years, earning an employed wage, whilst also being was self employed at, not

1 but 2 salons doing facials and eyebrows. So at this point, I was working all the hours god sends. I started to see the

money I could make working for myself, watching the girls I worked with in the two salons earning a hell of a lot more

than me, living comfortably. They were all so encouraging, and so one of the salon owners, helped me out by paying for

me to do a classic lash course, with the understanding that I would pay her back as soon as I started earning. So I had to

make it work! I will admit, there was a few times I did throw my toys out the pram and nearly give up, BUT, I didn’t.. even

though I was so envious of other lash techs producing amazing lashes. I then decided to take the plunge, and I booked on

a russian lash course, with the money I earnt from building my clientele up. Seeing all the benefits from what I was

making and the hard work I was putting in, I let the financial safety blanket of being employed still go. I TOOK A MASSIVE

STEP! With a son to think about too. Lashes took over my life, extremely long days & nights while being a full time mum,

but guess what, it paid off! This is where I met my partner in crime. Let me tell you this is where our life was about to

start! My G what an absolute angel.

So about 10 years ago I remember sitting in my IT classroom at school whilst everyone got their acceptance letters back

from college, and it dawned on me that I actually hadn’t applied for anything! Anyone who knows me will know how last

minute I am, and how VERY laid back I am. I asked the teacher if I could leave the class to go to the toilet. I rang my mum

and said what do I do? She said “what do you want to do” I said, hairdressing. So her words were, you are not going to

college to do that we will find you an apprenticeship, and that I did! 15 years old, my first job interview at the very best

Nicky Clarke. Here I trained for 5 long years – a few tears spent & a few “I GIVE UP!” (We’ve all been there) qualified as a stylist at the Nicky Clarke salon, one of the best educations I’ve ever had! After being their 6 years, I decided to take the

plunge to go self employed, because to be quite honest my manager was an a**hole.

3 years self employed at a lovely salon I met my Cass, when she left the salon I worked at we still stayed in contact. I was

toying with the idea of a salon myself. It was a massive risk for me to take on, on my own and I’ll be honest I was scared. I

kept telling cass my ideas, and she was agreeing with me telling me I will smash it! This one day I remember I was doing

mobile hair and was stood in one of mine and cass’ clients kitchens when cass decided to ring me.. if you know cass you’ll

know when she is nervous she cannot string a sentence together so the conversation was interrupted by me telling her to

“spit it out” her question was “I’m just wondering if you would want a business partner” for me, that sentence alone was a

sigh of relief. I knew we was ready to take on the world! Don’t get it twisted, we didn’t have ANY savings so along came

applying for that business loan. 5 months of back and forth emails – in the mean time we were viewing shops slowly but

surely… then we found our perfect Allure! Panic mode sets as we don’t want anybody else to get the shop, but we don’t

want to sign a lease agreement with no money to back us up; we took it off the market paying £200 to do a credit check.

As the payment went through, we received an email off the business loan company! WE GOT ACCEPTED! You just couldn’t

write it. 14k later, blood sweat and tears. Me and My Cass are the ultimate DREAM TREAM – with our baby. Allure x