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Students polish up their skills at Professional Beauty London 2023

Posted on March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 by Paul Cassell

Aspiring beauty therapists showcased their skills when they offered free nail treatments and airbrush tattoos to visitors at Professional Beauty London 2023.

Students from City and Islington College (CANDI) and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) provided the beauty services at the expo at ExCeL London.

Professional Beauty London is the UK’s leading beauty, spa and wellness show. Each year it attracts thousands of beauty managers, business owners and professionals and people looking to work in the industry.

Rori Dean-Dodson, 31, from Hackney, is studying for a Nail Technology Level 2 Diploma at CONEL and was among the students providing nail treatments at the event on 5-6 March.

She said: “I enjoyed today. It’s been absolutely amazing. It was a good chance to try out many of the skills I have learnt at CONEL – filing, shaping, polishing and painting. It’s been fun meeting people and hopefully getting few to come to the college.

“They were interested to hear about the courses. On the nail technician course, we have learnt about manicures and pedicures and also health and safety, and are now learning about acrylics.”

Rori has run her own mobile hairdressing business Rori’s Braids and More since 2018 having been taught how to create various Afro-Caribbean hairstyles by her mum as a child.

She said: “I want to branch out and do nails and tap into the beauty sector. The course at CONEL has been amazing, I wish I could do it for longer. The teachers have been excellent. They have a lot of industry experience and go above and beyond to ensure that we learn and understand.”

Professional Beauty London 2023 featured hundreds of stands from big name beauty and cosmetic brands from across Europe along with conferences, seminars, competitions and demonstrations.

Visitors to the expo had the chance to learn about new trends shaping the industry and compare products and treatments, as well as make connections with industry experts, suppliers and other professionals.

Vlada Strochka, 24, from Welwyn Garden City, who is looking to start a new life in the UK after fleeing the war in Ukraine, was among those looking to training in beauty.

She said: “I want to move to London soon and I’m looking for somewhere to study. I have an accreditation as a nail technician but have no experience in beauty therapy.

“I have a problem with my skin and want to help other people with similar problems. I love cosmetics, massage and nails and think the college is somewhere I might like to study.”

The hair and beauty business employs more than 250,000 people in the UK. The industry offers many different career pathways including women’s hairstyling, barbering, body and facial treatments, massage and theatrical and media make-up.

Saloua El-Khadiri, Head of School for Hair and Beauty at CCCG, said: “We were thrilled to have hundreds of people come and visit our stand at Professional Beauty London 2023.

“This was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the courses we offer and for our students to practise many of the technical skills they have been learning and perfecting at college on visitors to the show, who were very impressed with their finished nails and tattoos.

“Both CANDI and CONEL offer a huge range of hair and beauty courses for school-leavers and those looking for a new career or wanting to gain more experience, including many short courses that are great for those with children and other commitments.

“Our courses are taught by industry experts and both colleges have their own fully-equipped salons and equipment, meaning we can provide the best possible training for those looking to work in this exciting industry.”

Find out more about Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses and apply here.

Former CONEL Hair and Make-up student’s joy at ‘literally painting a smile on people’s faces’

Posted on January 12, 2023January 12, 2023 by Paul Cassell

Anna Formela’s talent as a professional make-up artist, face and body painter has seen her work on everything from children’s parties to music videos.

Her artistic flair has seen her create many spectacular colourful and vibrant designs on themes of animals, sci-fi, beauty and horror to more avant-garde and abstract imagery.

Anna, 38, who is from Poland, successfully completed a Hair and Media Make-up Level 2 Diploma at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) in July.

Prior to studying at the college, she had already established her own face-painting and make-up business but admitted it was not a career that she had considered while at school.

She gained a BA (Hons) Public Healthcare and later learnt English in Liverpool before taking part in exchange programmes to New York and Belgium either side of an MA Pedagogy in Poland

“I saw a face-painter at an children’s party in Brussels. She was working with all the colours and making everyone happy. I thought this is such an amazing job, I want to do this job,” said Anna.

Anna returned to the UK and took a one-day course with a face-painting and body art business based in Hackney to increase her product and health and safety knowledge.

“I volunteered to do some face-painting for school fairs. I began to get more and more bookings for kids’ parties, office parties – it just started rolling from there. I always had a job on the side, but there came a point when I thought this is what I want to do full time.”

Anna took a business class and began networking and promoting her work on social media. Through this and word of mouth she went on to gain work for corporate events, festivals, theatres, short films and music videos. She also began teaching her skills.

“When I paint something on someone’s face or body and they look in the mirror and they smile, it’s priceless. I’m getting paid for being creative and making people happy. I’m literally painting a smile on people faces. Even if you’ve turn them into a zombie, they still smile,” she said.

Anna explained it was her love of working with people that turned her attention to make-up rather than working as a lone artist in a studio.

“I think I’ve always liked to paint on something different to paper. I remember my mum being upset when I was a child because I liked to draw on walls and different surfaces,” she said.

“When you paint in a in an art studio, usually it’s just you. It’s the human aspect of what I do and having a living, breathing canvas that gives me the biggest satisfaction.

“I cannot teach creativity, but I can teach techniques. Like everything in life, if you practice enough you’re going to do much better,” said Anna.

Work dried up during the COVID pandemic, but Anna continued teaching online while gaining financial help from a government scheme to provide income support for the self-employed.

She decided to enrol at CONEL to further develop her own skills, particularly in classical make-up and hair, which she had no experience or a recognised qualification in.

“I found there was the potential for more bookings if I was able to do 60s and 20s hair and make-up, and I wanted to add that to my services. The class was very diverse, so we were able to learn from each other and practise on different ages and skin colours,” said Anna.

“My teacher had worked in the industry and was always giving us tips. For example, if you want to work in theatre, then you also need to know about wigs; or during demonstrations she might say, ‘That’s good eyeliner but the foundation is a little off.’”

Anna, who is neurodiverse, also praised her teachers and staff at CONEL for the extra help they gave her with written assignments during her studies.

While at college, Anna came first in the Student Character category of Warpaint Paintopia Makeup Competition 2022 at the United Makeup Artists Expo in Liverpool for her version of the Marvel comic character She-Hulk.

She said: “I went into the competition just wanting to add another piece to my portfolio, and was very surprised to win because I’m the kind of person who is never satisfied with my art.”

Anna’s achievements earned her an Excellence Award from Capital City College Group, which includes CONEL along with City and Islington College, Westminster Kingsway College and Capital City College Training.

Find out more about Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses and apply here.

Hairdressing student overcomes bereavement and breast cancer to achieve diploma

Posted on October 3, 2022February 10, 2023 by Hannah Fenton

Eva Fernandez suffered the loss of her mother to pneumonia and underwent breast cancer surgery while studying a Hairdressing diploma at City and Islington College (CANDI). Here she shares her remarkable story and how the college supported her during this time.

“My mother’s death was completely unexpected.”

Eva Fernandez recalled hearing the news that her mother was seriously ill while studying a hairdressing diploma at City and Islington College (CANDI) as if it was yesterday.

“I rushed home, picked up my passport and got the first flight to Spain. I was with her for about two weeks before she died from pneumonia last November,” she said.

At that time Eva, 47, who is from Granada, was facing her own health issues having been diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2019.

“It was an incredibly stressful time for me. Fortunately, they caught the cancer early and I had a mastectomy. But the breast symmetry surgery I also needed kept being delayed because of the pressures placed on the health service by COVID-19 and not having enough staff.”

The surgery was delayed seven times until she finally underwent an operation in May this year.

“That was hard. You feel that your life is at a standstill. I couldn’t book a holiday in case the hospital got in contact and said they were going to do the operation while I was away.”

Eva, from Islington, admitted her mental health suffered but believed the support of her tutors at CANDI played a major part in her overcoming the challenges she faced during her studies.

“When I think about that time, I don’t know how I got through it and completed the course. I guess you have two options in that situation, give up or try to move on, and I didn’t want to sit at home crying,” she said.

“I talked to my tutors when I was in Spain with my mother, and they stressed that I shouldn’t worry. They told me I would catch up, offered me extra classes if I needed them and showed me video classes I could use. They encouraged me all the time and were incredibly kind. It was the same after my operation. I never felt any pressure to come back until I was ready.”

Eva came to the UK from Spain, where she had worked as a history teacher, in 2015. She initially intended to stay for three months to improve her English but stayed after meeting her boyfriend.

She has just started a Hairdressing Level 3 Diploma at CANDI having completed a Hairdressing Level 2 Diploma in 2021-22 and a Hairdressing Level 1 Certificate in 2020-21.

“It was crucial to me that the teachers thought I should do the Level 3 Diploma because I am good enough. I didn’t want to be put forward for it because they felt sympathy for me because of what I have been through. And they assured me I am good enough.”

Eva initially turned to hairdressing as a hobby when she began cutting friends’ hair during the pandemic and hopes one day to style the hair of the rich and famous.

“I was good at it. I found that it gives you freedom. You can create lots of different things with hair. It is very artistic, and I have an artistic mind. The college helps you gain as much knowledge as possible and it teaches you to be a professional,” she said.

“Once I complete my Level 3 my immediate ambition is to get a position in a salon. But longer term, I would love to style the hair of actors for movies or TV programmes. If not that, then for models on the catwalks at fashion shows. I live in London, so why not? I am very ambitious.”

Eva’s achievements earned her an Excellence Award from Capital City College Group (CCCG), which includes CCCT and CONEL along with City and Islington College and Westminster Kingsway College.

The hairdressing, barbering and beauty industry grew by 54 per cent in the five years up to 2020. Find out more about our Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses and apply here.

‘Cutting the new Doctor Who’s hair led to my break as a TV hairstylist’

Posted on May 10, 2022January 23, 2023 by Hannah Fenton

A former hairdressing student at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) has recalled how cutting the new Doctor Whos’ hair led him to work in TV.

Rwandan-born Ncuti Gatwa, 29, was unveiled as the new Time Lord on 8 May and is also set to appear in a Barbie film out next year starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

Silas Baiden, 36, cut Ncuti’s hair for the Netflix hit series Sex Education, six years after the pair had become friends when Silas was working for a BT call centre in Scotland.

Silas runs Ama Hair Salon in south Tottenham, which specialises in Afro-Caribbean hair, with his mum Ama who also trained at CONEL and started the business in 2001.

He said: “Ncuti is one of my best friends. We met at a party in Glasgow and I cut his hair when he moved to London and lived with me and my mum for a couple of years.

“When he got a part in Sex Education, he told me that they were looking for a barber. I was fresh out of college at the time and didn’t feel ready to work on a production, but I nervously went to the set, made some connections and they gave me the job.

“I remember having a bit of imposter syndrome, like I’m not supposed to, or don’t deserve to be here, but now I feel I’ve reached another level. In addition to barbering, I can do braids, cornrows and locks, which are still quite niche things in the TV industry.”

Silas also cut and styled hair on set and at the salon for other cast members including Asa Butterfield, Kedar Williams-Stirling, George Robinson, Chinenye Ezeudu, Jonny Amies and Olive Gray.

Silas has gone on to work on Halo, a TV series based on the video game of the same name, for Paramount+ as well as The Mosquito Coast for Apple TV+.

His other famous clients include actors Yasmin Finney, Clifford Samuels, Morgan Rees, Ariyon Bakare and Karla Chrome and singer Henry Dell.

Ama, 57, came to the UK from Ghana in 1990 with Silas when he was just four years old and initially struggled to find work.

She said: “I used to have my own boutique business in Ghana, so being unemployed was foreign to me. The only job I could get was in catering, but that wasn’t my passion.

“I did my own hair and my grandma’s and some friends back home. I always enjoyed the social aspect of the job and making people feel and look good.”

Ama enrolled on a hairdressing course at CONEL, then the College of North East London, in 1992, and worked in a couple of salons in Tottenham before opening her own.

“The teachers showed us how to become fully fledged hairdressers and made us believe in ourselves. They were very experienced and pushed us to be the best we could be,” she said.

“I did placements at Afro and European salons to gain experience with both textures. They didn’t train in Afro hair at the college at the time, but that has changed now, which is good to see.”

Ama has long been an advocate of natural hair, particularly among the Afro-Caribbean community, and has encouraged her clients not to use relaxers or other chemical treatments.

“The death of George Floyd in America and Black Lives Matter has given black people more confidence to be themselves because it is out there that we’re treated differently,” she said.

“We’ve woken up to accept who we are. I see it in young people and I tell them how lucky they are to be free to wear their hair the way they want to.”

When Silas was younger, he would often help his mum out washing clients’ hair at weekend to earn extra pocket money during which time he learnt to plait and blow dry.

“I’ve always unofficially been an employee of my mum. I used to watch the way she and the rest of her staff would transform people in a few hours and create some magic,” he said.

“Working with my mum is awesome. I’m proud that I’ve been able to continue the business and raise the salon’s profile with new ideas and clientele and put it on the map.”

Ama added: “Silas has made so many wonderful changes to the business and we have been able to grow and increase our turnover. We’re now busier than ever.”

You might not end up cutting Doctor Who’s hair or working for Netflix but now is the right time for you to start your career in hairdressing or barbering with CONEL.

With top-quality training salons in our Tottenham and Enfield sites and excellent tuition to help you gain a recognised qualification, a career in this rewarding industry is within your reach.

Aspiring beauty therapists showcased their skills when they offered free nail treatments and airbrush tattoos to visitors at Professional Beauty London 2023.

Find out more about Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses and apply here.

Anna Formela’s talent as a professional make-up artist, face and body painter has seen her work on everything from children’s parties to music videos.

Find out more about Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses and apply here.

Eva Fernandez suffered the loss of her mother to pneumonia and underwent breast cancer surgery while studying a Hairdressing diploma at City and Islington College (CANDI). Here she shares her remarkable story and how the college supported her during this time.

The hairdressing, barbering and beauty industry grew by 54 per cent in the five years up to 2020. Find out more about our Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses and apply here.

A former hairdressing student at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) has recalled how cutting the new Doctor Whos’ hair led him to work in TV.

Apply now for our Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy courses.