A mum and daughter have realised their long-held dream of launching a hair and make-up academy that is fast becoming the talk of South Manchester’s beauty scene.
Farah Ariya and her mum Hamieda have combined their brains and beauty skills to establish Glam Academy at Stretford Mall.
After just a month in business it is doing so well that they are already looking to take on a new employee, and have also launched their own You Tube channel.
The transformative salon has had the nod from nearly 50 models, stylists, You Tube vloggers, bloggers and magazine writers who attended its opening party.
Fuelled by that success Farah is now hoping to take the Internet by storm on launching a YouTube channel to complement the academy.
Helped by tips from her brother, Manchester vlogger Bako, she has been posting three and four-minute long video tutorials demonstrating her much sought after cosmetics artistry.
The move to develop a make-over academy is a natural step up for Farah, following her past experience teaching beauty skills and taking young apprentices with her on bridal make up sessions around the UK.
It follows years of hard work by mum and daughter, developing their own creative styles.
Farah said: “Mum’s been a majorly in-demand hair stylist for ten years and I’ve learned my art working for big name cosmetics brands such as Mac, as well as with professional make up experts in Holland.
“We’ve both built up loyal client lists and long dreamed of opening our own businesses, so we thought why not do it together?
“It was a case of now or never so we took the leap and here we are, open Monday through to Sunday and constantly busy, with both mum and I working flat out.
“Although I’m a qualified nail technician, we’re so busy that we’re now looking to employ a nail art specialist to help us out.
“We chose Stretford Mall as a base as it’s central for many of our south Manchester clients, easily accessible and the management here have been hugely supportive.”
The Glam Academy provides sophisticated hair, beauty and make-up services for all ages and ethnicities. The duo are also offering industry recognised skills enhancement courses for those who want to improve their make-over routines or get into the beauty business themselves.
Stretford Mall manager, Gareth Wilkins, said he was thrilled to have such an exciting new venture join the Mall’s varied array of shops. Glam Academy joins Costa Coffee, JD Sports, Aldi, Pure Gym, Select, ShoeZone, Heron, and Utopia among the brands which have all either opened or expanded at the shopping centre, in recent years.
“This is a real boon for us as it is guaranteed to widen our customer base as well as providing a brilliant new quality hair and make-up service for our existing loyal shoppers,” he said.
“What better time for the Glam Academy to open than at the most glamorous time of the year – Christmas and New Year. We wish Farah and Hamieda the best of luck with the venture and can’t wait to see some very stylish new looks coming out of those doors!”
Farah had wanted to get into the beauty business since her childhood, watching her mum styling client’s hair.
Her parents moved with Farah and her two brothers from Holland to Manchester 11 years ago and the idea for the chic new academy was born recently during mealtime conversations at their home near north Manchester.
Farah said: “People can see for themselves our creative style via the You Tube channel which I started to maintain the momentum of the business’s early success. We’re keen to really get the word out about us and in the beauty industry social media is a great way of doing that.
“Our big ambition for the future is to expand, to one day be in a position to open other Glam Academy outlets in Manchester and maybe even further afield.
“I’d love to one day launch my own cosmetics brand.”
Farah said: “Mum is a truly fantastic stylist and inspired me so much. She also looks great. I won’t let on how old she is but most people who meet her can’t believe she’s my mum. They automatically think she is my sister she looks so youthful.”
The pair especially delight in providing bridal hair and make-up services.
“It’s so great to be a part of such a momentous occasion in people’s lives and to help the bride look a true vision on the big day,” said Farah who has even travelled to London to be there for client’s weddings.
“We are so lucky that most of our business has been built up via word of mouth, clients telling their friends and relatives about us,” said Farah.
“We feel privileged to have such loyal clients who are happy with the service we’ve provided. We really believe that’s the best way for a business to grow and become well established in a community.”
You can find the Glam Academy video demonstrations on YouTube: farah_ariya_makeupacademy
To find out more about Stretford Mall visit www.stretfordmall.com or find the shopping centre on Facebook and Twitter @stretfordmall
