An introduction…
When you live your blogging dreams 14 years later…
When dip dye was a thing and a LOVED a selfie... my first week at SpaceNK Bournemouth in 2014.
My last day at Bournemouth SpaceNK.
Working with Becky, the most beautiful person inside and out, my first event as a SpaceNK Pro Team member.
Getting glam on Christmas Day 2020, lockdown loving with Barney, my amazing husband. I will forever miss this window in our old flat for the amazing light!
Skip to December 2022 and wreath-making at Nudo's (my wedding florist that my branding colours are inspired by) warehouse, ready to pop!
Here she is, my Posy. She may have prevented me eating my Christmas dinner, but I have certainly made up for it!
Hello!
It’s so lovely of you to find your way over to the blog part of my website. If you were like me when you were late teens/early twenties, I started many a blog (FaceTrends, Beauty by Grace to name a few!) inspired by the likes of Tanya Burr and Zoe Sugg, but alas, they never really took off!
This blog is slightly different as it is a window into me, myself and I, and the person behind Grace Olivia Makeup. Uploading is only going to help my business so perhaps I’ll be better some 14 (gulp) years later!
I have always loved makeup, ever since my aunty used to hand me down Chanel powders and eyeshadow palettes. We’d go shopping in Selfridges when we visited family in Manchester and I’d marvel at all the beauty counters, I just loved it! It just so happened she was quite fancy which made me think I was fancy so I was sucked in by the luxurious brands, the posh packaging, and that new makeup smell. This obsession never left me, and she’s who I have to thank for where I am today.
I ended up doing an Art Foundation Degree at Bournemouth for a year and fell into photography, that’s where I thought I was headed until I saw a ‘degree’ doing Makeup and Fashion Styling at Southampton Solent Uni. I went for it. I’ll be honest, I went there because I wanted to stay local to home, and I was never going to uni to be an exemplary student, I went because I wanted to have fun and meet new friends. I did just that and had THE most amazing (expensive) three years.
Out of uni I worked a few hospitality jobs (all in luxury 5* hotels) until I finally got a 5-hour Saturday job at SpaceNK in Bournemouth, it was the foot in the door I was so desperate for. A few months later I was full-time, and then a few months after that I was the Supervisor and a year or so after that I was moving up to London to work for the head office as one of their National Pro Artists. It was the most amazing opportunity and I felt like I was living my dream. I learned SO much at SpaceNK, met so many people, and worked with the most prestigious brands available. Like every job, there came a time when I wanted to move on, and I worked for various skincare brands and did wedding makeup when I could. I ended up moving back home to be with my now husband and continued traveling the country representing high-end brands and developing myself in the beauty industry.
Here comes the C word. Covid hit. I had a bit of a career change in this time and worked for a PR agency during the few years we were locked up. I am so thankful that I had a job and I do put a lot of the success that Grace Olivia Makeup has had down to how much I learned at this job. I knew how to market myself, got into the local press, and launched my social media. However, these were some super dark times (like they were for so many) and I handed in my notice as soon as I had a plan for my next move.
I launched Grace Olivia Makeup, a luxury bridal makeup service, in May 2021 and have never looked back. Restrictions had lifted and although I was masked up for a good few months life was returning to normal. I was so happy. I had over 70 bookings in my first year of business, people were spreading the word and I had bookings flying in for 2022. I could not have done any of this if it wasn’t for my super supportive husband, I think he was slightly concerned when I told him I handed my notice in, but he soon understood it was the right thing to do and has been my cheerleader for the last three or so years. I’ll often go onto my Instagram with 20 notifications which are him liking all my posts he’s missed!
On Christmas Day 2022, I gave birth to my absolutely joyous little girl Posy. She is genuinely, and I know everyone says this, the best thing in my life, as I am writing this she is nearly two and she just keeps getting better and better (albeit with a few tantrums here and there). I am now a working mumma (ew gross, did I just say mumma?!), which can be tough at times, juggling previews, admin, weddings, housework, life admin, having a social life, and then making sure I give her the energy she deserves, is a lot. I went back to work when she was three months old which if I am honest was a bit too soon, and I have niggling regret that I was too focused on my small business rather than my small baby, but I think I have been able to make up for it and I love our mummy and Posy days together (even if I do rely on CBeebies quite heavily).
So here we are now, autumn 2024. I have just given my website a good shake-up (will I ever be happy with how it looks?!) and am about to go and make some sausage and mash (I know these details are what people want). I am getting super booked up for next year, and plan to only take on approximately 8 more weddings (trying to master the work-life balance situation), and my 2026 diary opens soon. Before I do that I want to sort out all the literature I send to clients, restructure my prices, and book some holiday dates before I say yes to everything that comes my way.
So future bridey if you have gotten this far and want to chat with me some more, be sure to get in touch and we can see if we’ll be a match made in bridal makeup heaven!
Lots of love,
Grace
Here we are (September 2024) having the best time on holiday, loving life!