The girls were hand-picked by WorldSkills from regional and national beauty therapy competitions and are in the process of selection for the final in Leipzig next year. Only one of them will make it to the final, but they all appreciate the opportunity they have been given.

Amy (second from right), from Cornwall, said: “It’s really exciting [to be shortlisted] and all the little opportunities we’ve had have been amazing such as this training we’ve had, we’ll have that forever. I’ve also met some really great people, all the other girls are lovely and it’s been really good fun.”

The girls’ training at the Academy spanned two days and covered Priadara Thai style massage and CND Shellac.  Charlotte (third from right) said: “The training has been amazing, really useful. Here at Ellisons everyone has been really lovely and helpful.”

Good luck to all of the girls! Here is a little more about them (from left to right):

Naomi is from Burton and is currently training in Level 3 Beauty Therapy at Burton College whilst working at a spa. She was first introduced to the competition during her Level 2 qualification and finished first in her regional competition before being Highly Commended in her National Level 2 competition, where she was talent spotted for WorldSkills.

When asked how she felt about being shortlisted, she said: “It’s fantastic. It’s such a good experience to get this far, to get so much training, and to meet new people in the industry as well.”

Rhianne is from Warrington and finished her Level 3 eighteen months ago at Warrington Collegiate. She took part in her Regional competition whilst training at Level 2

Katie H is from Birmingham and at age 17, is the youngest on the shortlist.  She is currently training in Level 3 and was put forward for the National competition last May, where she was talent spotted.  On being shortlisted, she said: “It’s amazing to be shortlisted because of the opportunities I’m getting, and it’s helping me to get recognised in the industry. It looks really good.”

Charlotte is from Newark and completed her Level 2 and 3 qualifications at Lincoln College. She was talent spotted for WorldSkills during her Level 3 Regionals competition.

Amy is from Cornwall and completed her Level 3 qualification a year ago at Truro College. She was talent spotted during her Level 3 National competition. She currently works full time in a salon.

Katie W completed her training at Cambridge Regional College and is now a beauty therapist at Harrods. She was previously shortlisted for WorldSkills, and this recognition helped to get her job at Harrods. When asked how she would feel if she made it to the WorldSkills final, she said: “It would be so amazing if I got there because I lost out last year, so it would mean so much to me.”

WorldSkills International is a global skills competition which takes place every two years. It celebrates vocational training across many sectors and professions, and hundreds of skilled young people are selected from national and regional competitions to compete. For more information  about WorldSkills visit www.worldskills.org.

We are delighted to announce that Ellisons has recently been awarded with the Investors in People standard and also improved our score on the Best Companies ‘Ones to Watch’ scale.

At Ellisons we pride ourselves on being a company where our employees feel both proud and enthusiastic towards the brand, our colleagues and our products and services. For the past two years we have achieved a place on the Best Companies to Work For list and are delighted to be thriving even amidst some very tough economic times.

We decided to embark on the Best Companies route two years ago to benchmark ourselves against other UK companies, and straight away we gained the standard of Ones to Watch. This year we have improved our Ones to Watch score by over 50 points, and are very close to becoming a one star company. This is a real achievement in employee engagement.

The Best Companies standard is measured through an anonymous survey which goes out to all employees. It is extensive and measures the eight factors of employee engagement.  It is a real challenge and the survey is used to devise the Sunday Times top 100 Companies to Work For list.

We were also recently accredited with the Investors in People (IIP) standard. The Investors in People award tells our people and our customers that we are a trustworthy employer and an excellent company to deal with. It is a national standard and recognised all over the UK. We gained our first IIP accreditation in 2005 and have continued to pursue it year after year, understanding the importance of our people and our services.

To achieve the standard, an assessor visits the site for a couple of days and interviews a cross section of employees to see if the company is really doing what it claims. The comments from people interviewed this year have been very positive including “there is a clear focus on service and product quality,” and “this is a really good company to work for”.

Pictured - our proud staff from across the company with the Investors in People certificate. From left to right: Haley Foy (Human Resources), Sarah Smith (Sales), Wilson Mrengo (IT), Pete Troth (Warehouse), Emily Anderton (Credit Control), Gemma Taylor (Marketing).

For more information see www.bestcompanies.co.uk and www.investorsinpeople.co.uk.

Ellisons has launched a fantastic new range of crystal nail art using SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, after securing Swarovski as a direct supplier.

Recently our Beauty Buyer Natalie Whitehead was invited to SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS’s new season launch event in London, to discuss Ellisons current offering (the Swarovski crystal fingers and toes) and hopes for the product range moving forward. As a result, Natalie got Ellisons accepted by Swarovski as a direct supplier.

This has led to a dazzling new range of crystals and nail designs that are now available on the Ellisons website.
Natalie explains what it means to have Swarovski as a direct supplier:

“Our lead times for SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS used to be about six weeks because our supplier was based in America. This made our previous SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS product range quite limited and more costly.

“Now that we have them as a direct supplier, the lead time is cut down to just one week. Costs are reduced and it gives us the opportunity for fantastic new nail art with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS because a lot of our existing nail systems, polishes and gels are well suited to it.”

There are currently two deluxe crystal nail kits currently available from Ellisons called ‘Japan’ and ‘Mexico’, and they are both created by internationally renowned designers. There are also many new crystals available for customers to create their own designs in conjunction with Minx or our huge range of gels and polishes.

Click here to see the complete range of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

How long have you been in beauty therapy?

I first did some training in beauty therapy when I was 16. At that time I was living in the Seychelles, which is where I am from. But I had to move to Italy and needed to earn more money, so I got a job as a hostess on a private yacht.

After 3 years of that, I realised that I wanted to do something that was more me and I decided to return to beauty. There are new things all the time in beauty, so I had to re-train.

So what brought you to England for your training?

In England the training is much cheaper than in Italy, and it is also much better quality and more advanced. In Italy a basic two week course costs about €1500. For that amount of money I could get flights, accommodation, expenses and better training in England.

Why did you choose Ellisons Academy for your training?

When I worked in beauty in the Seychelles I used Ellisons for my supplies. When I decided to get back into beauty Ellisons popped into my head again, and I gave them a call. I told Lesley (Academy Manager) that I only had March to do the courses and she set everything up to make it convenient. My family are staying in Harrogate so Lesley put the courses together so I had time to stay with them some days, because when I am here I stay at the local hotel.

I’ve worked with Ellisons for years and they’ve always been great.

What courses have you taken at Ellisons Academy?

I’ve done Brazillian waxing, stone therapy massage, Priadara Thai style massage, Minx nails, Shellac nails, SiennaX tanning, Priadara facial therapy and Priadara digestive detox.

How prepared do you feel now for when you return to your salon in Italy?

A lot of these courses were a refresher but I do feel very prepared. Some of the girls I trained with here had never done it before and after the course they were brilliant, so it just shows how good the training is.

The teachers are brilliant, they do more than just teach the class, they ask about you so that they get to know you as a person, and they help you individually. For example I’m opening a new salon so Annette (Farrington-Moore, Academy trainer) gave me tips about that. They tell you what you need to do after you’ve finished the course, which is perfect.

Tell us more about your salon in Italy.

My salon is called Beauty Box, and it is on the coast of Tuscany. It is actually very near the place where the Costa Concordia ship capsized!

The salon isn’t open yet, I plan to open it this July. It will have two floors with a sauna and mini gym upstairs. There will be a lot of emphasis on diet and exercise and it will be a very health focused salon. As well as body treatments I will also offer Shellac and Minx nails, deluxe manicures, pedicures, SiennaX tanning and Priadara facials and digestive detox.

Every morning I go swimming with disabled people, and a couple of the girls from there will be working with me. One will be a part time receptionist and the other will do manicures and pedicures. The salon will be built so it is accessible for disabled people too.

How do you think some of the new treatments will be received in Italy?

I think the digestive detox will be popular in Italy because Italian women really look after their figures, and they love anything new and exciting. I’ve visited salons back home and they’re still doing things from 10 years ago, so I really think my new treatments will go down well.

What are your favourite treatments?

I love body treatments. Of course I like Shellac and the Minx nails too, Italians love nails. But I prefer stone therapy and Thai massage.

Do you plan to come back and visit the Ellisons Academy?

I will definitely come back to visit. Lesley is going to keep me updated with any new courses. I might even bring my other therapist with me next time there is a course we are interested in. I will also order all of my stock from Ellisons as I did before.

Good luck to Olivia and the Beauty Box.

Vivienne Westwood, the grand dame of British fashion, presented her Spring/Summer 2012 line at Le Grand Hotel Intercontinental in Paris on September 30, 2011 and employed Minx nails to complete the childlike, colorful theme
of the collection.

Celebrated UK nail stylist Marian Newman met with Vivienne and her husband, Andreas Kronthaler, the day before the show to discuss nail fashion options. “I knew the collection had many powerful messages, but the overall theme was childlike, individual, and a little bit trashed,” explained Marian. “Together, we looked at a variety of Minx colors and designs that I felt matched this theme, and Andreas picked out the Minx that was the best fit.”

Andreas selected the standard Minx designs of Flowers, Turquoise Chrome, Japanese Blossom, Oil Slick, Shell, and Black. Marian also proposed applying the Minx coatings imprecisely, so that the coating was partly on the finger and partly on the nail, in order to give the impression of a child who has been playing at decorating her nails and is not very good at it.

“I also suggested adding crystals and even blobs of nail polish to underscore the playfulness of the nails, and to create individuality in the nail fashion,” Marian explained. Both Andreas and Vivienne immediately loved the idea,
and asked Marian not to plan out each application but to keep them spontaneous. “The next day, when I saw Vivienne backstage before preparation, I asked her if I should just go off and play now, and she said ‘Yes, you go
off and play!’” Marian laughed.

Andreas also selected a Pewter Gradient Minx coating for the models’ toes, with a metallic sheen that shimmered
on the runway.

Marian and her team of Adam Slee, Naja, Agathe Pons and Delphine applied Minx to all 36 models for the show,
and Minx co-founders Dawn Lynch-Goodwin and Janice Jordan also assisted backstage. “The end result was
really wonderful and Andreas said they were the best nails ever,” Marian concluded.

Click here to view photos
Photos by Becky Maynes.

Always groundbreaking, controversial and surprising, Charlie Le Mindu has made history today as he presented his Spring/Summer 2012 collection in Paris with show stopping dresses and accessories made of over 30,000 Minx nail coatings hand-wrapped over Kiss nail tips.

“This show is a fashion first, with nails presented as the actual fashion, not accessories,” stated Marian Newman, a veteran of nail styling who headed the nail team for the show. “Charlie told me that he was amazed at how all the beauty elements came together as one – the nails, the hair and the makeup – and these elements actually made the fashion.”

To commemorate this incredible show, Minx has also announced that Charlie Le Mindu-inspired Minx will now be available for consumer purchase through a new retail Web site, www.MinxIS Fashion.com which launched in conjunction with today’s show. Limited Edition Minx prints from the runway collection as well as custom prints from past shows will be available along with a selection of Charlie Le Mindu hair and jewelry accessories.

“We are so excited to be able to offer this Limited Edition Minx directly to consumers,” enthused Dawn Lynch-Goodwin, Minx co-founder and director of the brand. “Through our collaborations with leading designers and nail stylists, we have had the opportunity to harness the most cutting edge nail artistry in an accessible and wearable form,” Dawn explained, “and now we are able to offer this artistry to fashion lovers around the world.”

About the Charlie Le Mindu Spring/Summer 2012 Show:

Legendary nail stylist Marian Newman worked Charlie Le Mindu last season, creating fantastically elongated Minx nails in matte nude with blood red stars and tips. This season, Marian was again contacted by Charlie Le Mindu’s stylist Anna Trevelyan, who asked her what she thought of making a dress out of nails.

“My first reaction was, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’” said Marian. “I knew they would want to maintain their thematic use of hair, so I brought in a load of samples to show them what Minx could achieve.”

During that meeting, the team decided to use photos of straight hair and of wavy hair to create the illusion of motion, and to translate that into an artistic impression of an actual hair follicle - the translucent Minx that would then be layered over a metallic Minx base.

Charlie selected photos of hair to use, and when Minx co-founder Dawn Lynch-Goodwin came by with samples, the team again spent a long time comparing different styles. Charlie and Anna finally selected a combination of translucent blue layered over MinxLusion for the dress, and translucent gold layered over brown for the line of accessories and adornments.

Over 30,000 Kiss nail tips were hand-covered with layered Minx nail coatings in the Minx factory in Fallbrook, California for the creation of the fashion for the show, which expanded to dresses, a jumpsuit, and incredible headpieces including a snake that wound around the body of the runway model.

“We had our Minx Oompa Loompas working around the clock for over a month to prepare these nails for the show,” said Dawn, who assisted Marian backstage along with fellow Minx co-founder Janice Jordan. “Because each coating was layered over a metallic Minx base, it took twice as long to prepare the Kiss nail tips, but the metallic sheen combined with the hair graphic truly made the dress look like it was rippling down the runway.”

Marian led the nail stylist team of Kimberley Casey, Adam Slee and Naja, who also used a Gold Matte Minx and two variations of the custom Minx hair designs for the long, narrow, and elegantly tapered nails of the 19 female models that walked the runway, including the Spanish actress and muse, Rossy de Palma.

“This is truly history in the making,” said Marian, whose artistry with Minx was also featured in the Nailphilia exhibit in London through September. “Nails have always been essential accessories to fashion, but today Charlie has made history by introducing nails as fashion itself!”

Click here to view photos
Photo credit: Becky Maynes.