With the Awards entry deadline next month drawing closer we spoke to a previous winner of the Facialist category, Andrea Simpson, about the benefits she experienced simply from entering and how her business has grown and developed after her win in 2023.
How did you start your career in beauty?
My career into the world of beauty took a very unconventional path before I found my ‘calling’ in skincare, I served in the British Army. Two worlds apart, but this early career in the military really shaped me today in discipline, resilience, an eye for detail, being strong, independent and to embrace change and challengers.
I had always wanted to ‘do’ beauty from a young age, but I also wanted to be part of the British Forces. After leaving the forces, I enrolled at my local college as a mature student, I knew that very first day I had found my vocation!
Curiosity and wanting to share my knowledge took me out of the treatment room and led me to education, with a teaching degree from Derby University I taught in Further Education, progressed to a national trainer roll for Crystal Clear and eventually became international training manager for ESPA, training the Spa teams of the best spa hotels in the World. I also lived and worked in the Middle East and was a clinic manager for a national brand of aesthetic clinics. All these experiences not only deepened my knowledge but also gave me a global perspective on our industry and skincare, which continues to influence my work today.
What did it mean to you to win Facialist of the Year in 2023?
To be recognised by BABTAC winning facialist of the year 2023 will always be the highest and monumental point of my career. To hear my name being called was such an emotional moment and for a split second, everything I had done to get to that glorious moment flashed through my mind.
Over the years I used to see the winners of The BABTAC Awards, they inspired me so much! I dreamed of being at that that level in the industry one day, so to win, today still seems so surreal. I hope that someone reading this today is inspired go through the BABTAC awards process and start to make the energy waves to bring their dreams to life.
How has your business developed since winning your award?
Since winning the award business has been a whirlwind of positive moments and that recognition has truly propelled my profile as a trusted facialist for clients, therapists and the beauty industry across the board. These are just a few highlights:
Contributing Author ‘Leading from the Heart’ book edited by Joan Scott (HABIA)
- Featured in Cosmopolitan magazine as a PHAB Service Star holder & the only recipient of the Advanced Therapist PHAB Service Star
- KOL for Professional Beauty magazine features and highlighted in HABIA Magazine career inspiration article.
- Guest speaker on the Skin and Technology stages at events in London Excel, Manchester and Birmingham
- Trademarking the heartbeat of my business: ‘It’s Never Just a Facial®…’
- Professional Beauty Skin Clinic of the Year Finalist
- A large waitlist for new client appointments and a treatment diary fully booked a year ahead.
- Hugely increased turnover and profit in the business.
Winning Facialist of the Year at the BABTAC awards was also a career defining moment for me. It was the moment I realised I had so much I had to share with others in the industry.
In September I launched The Facial Mentor—a highly personalised one-to-one experience, born from therapists (and medics) repeatedly asking if they could “spend the day with me.”
It’s been the most unexpected yet rewarding of outcomes and I have received overwhelming interest from fellow therapists, not only those new to the industry but also seasoned experts looking to elevate their facial treatments. I offer guidance on utilising their existing technologies more creatively and creating bespoke experiences integrated into their facials with very little cost to create treatment excellence.
This spring, I’m thrilled to launch It’s Never Just a Facial®: The Workshop. Designed for a very small group, it offers an intimate space for deeper learning, connection and practical knowledge-sharing alongside guidance on layering treatments and touches that elevate a moment to an experience.
It just goes to show what can happen longer term after winning awards. It still is a ‘Cinderella’ moment for me and will always be the pinnacle of my career.
What advice would you give to anyone unsure whether to enter the awards?
My advice would be to apply! Just going through the application is a great way of reflecting on achievements and challenges of the previous year, how you have grown, flourished and celebrate the journey of business and therapy travelled. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get through first time, keep going!
Make notes throughout the year of achievements, goals and examples of challenges that had a positive outcome it’s good practice to have a timeline and you don’t forget anything that can showcase your development.
Be prepared for the practical assessments in exacting detail and knowledge. If it’s video evidence ensure the lighting is good, the lens on your camera is clean, the judges can see clearly what you are doing and your treatment area. You may feel nervous, but enjoy the moment, just like you enjoy every treatment you do, just this time you have someone watching your hands and mind at work, shinning at what they do so well!
Start the application early, give yourself time to write, tweak and for it to be clear to read, checking grammar, spellings, wordcount and write it yourself, because no-one except you knows your business like you do.
Entering into the BABTAC Awards has introduced me to so many people, opened so many doors and has made me even more proud of being part of the incredible beauty industry than I ever was.
To find out more about Andrea and her businesses head to https://andreasimpson.co.uk/about and https://thefacialmentor.co.uk/
Click here for further information on how to enter the awards and the application forms. The application deadline for the BABTAC Individual, Spa and Salon Awards is 17th March and the BABTAC Business and Education Awards is 31st March.