When I was younger, I spent most of my time outdoors climbing trees, riding bikes, total tomboy vibes. I also did all of those things with fake plaited & beaded extensions in, painted nails and 1 inch heeled white scrunch boots, so I guess you could say I've always had an interest in beauty.
Intro to Beauty Therapy
My journey began back in 2011 when I was lucky enough to be able to take an entry level Beauty Therapy course as one of my GCSE's. This involved me studying at a nearby college one day a week learning the very basics of beauty such as mini manicures, pedicures and makeup application. The course lasted throughout years 10 and 11 at school and was a lot of fun! Most likely because it meant getting one day a week out of school, but nevertheless it was a fantastic introduction to the world of beauty and cemented the idea that this was what I was meant to do and had a passion for.
College Years
From school, I went straight into college where I started off with my Level 2 Beauty Therapy course. Level 2 was a LOT of work but one of the best parts of this new journey was the salon evenings. This is when clients would book in for treatments every Thursday evening and we would run through our treatments and assessments as if it were a real salon. This included learning reception duties, client care, customer service and time management which are all VITAL to working in the industry. Level 2 included all of the core treatments like waxing, basic facials, manicures, pedicures and lash & brow treatments.
After level 2, I studied both routes of Level 3 which included advanced makeup, massage, electrical facials, tanning and nail enhancements. Fun fact: I absolutely hated doing nail extensions and could not for the life of me get the hang of it, so I've never touched acrylic since! The third and final year at college was when things started to make more sense as to which direction I wanted to go and I also got my first industry job.
Stepping into the industry
My first job in the beauty world was at a brow and lash bar within a retail shop. This started off as a weekend job and took me all the way to a Supervisor position 3 years later. Many of my clients have been with me since the days of the brow bar and know exactly how I feel about it! But although I didn't have the best experience there, it taught me many valuable lessons. How to deal with difficult customers, working in a fast paced environment and of course, perfecting my brow technique!
I was very unexpectedly made redundant from this job, which is what gave me the final push I needed to start my own business and go self employed, which I had been thinking about for a little while.
Jess Yarwood Beauty is born
I was made redundant on a Monday whilst on holiday in Rome, landed home late on Thursday and by Friday I had secured a room to rent within a salon. Talk about dedication huh?
I worked my little butt off getting everything in place, contacting clients letting them know where I was at, smashing social media, getting my name out there and just making it happen. Fast forward 2 years and I had grown my clientele, expanded my business and also niched down. I introduced facials to my treatment menu, which has now become so much more successful than I could've hoped and I love helping you all with your skin! I've also removed certain treatments from my menu that I either didn't have a passion for, or didn't fit the vision I had for my future business. Let me know if this is a subject you'd like me to discuss more as I think it's so important to be passionate about everything you do, especially in this industry.
After 2 lovely years working with a wonderful team, I felt like I had outgrown my little room and made the tough decision to relocate.
Back to my roots in Llandudno
Which takes us to my current location in Llandudno. I have a beautiful treatment studio on the first floor of HEAT Salon with a gorgeous bay window and seaside view, what more could I want?! I've only been based inside of HEAT for a short while now due to closures and Covid but I love it so much and can't wait to get back in there to pamper you all!
Goal digger
I don't want to spill too many secrets, but I do want to share some ideas and dreams for Jess Yarwood Beauty's future as you come along this journey with me.
Makeover - As pretty as it is already, I would love to be able to give my treatment room a full makeover some day. Lots of blush pink, of course:)
Training - I have manyyyy treatments on my list to bring to you as soon as I possibly can! I'm always trying to keep things fresh and bring you exciting new things, so keep those eyes peeled.
A fully realised JYB - I don't know what the future will hold for certain, but I would love to see my business creating more than just glowing skin and beautiful brows. Who knows, maybe you'll see some JYB Skincare at some point?
As you can see, it's been a hell of a ride so far and I'm sure there's still many twists and turns to come! Thank you to absolutely everyone who has been a part of my journey so far whether that's having a treatment, buying a product or simply just sharing a post online. I love you all.
Jess x