Graduate Story - Allie Copeland
As a makeup artist who always had clients asking skin related questions, Allie decided to further her education in skin and now travels the world as a Therapist & Body Specialist
Allie has always been driven to making each and every single person feel beautiful – both inside and out. With a Diploma of Specialised Makeup already under her belt and working as a makeup artist, Allie was continually being asked questions from clients about problem skin. Not being satisfied by just ‘covering’ the problem with makeup, Allie made the decision to further her education and acquire the necessary skills to educate her clients and help them with their skin. This is where Allie’s fell in love with the beauty industry as a whole and where journey with the French began.
During her Diploma of Beauty Therapy, Allie’s passion was further ignited when she was introduced to facial and body electrics – a skill she attributes to helping secure her dream job. Whilst she was completing her studies, The French was able to help Allie secure a job onboard Steiner Cruise ships. What Allie loves most about her job, on top of the incredible global travel opportunities, is educating guests on their overall wellbeing, educating them about living a healthy lifestyle and how detoxing their bodies can improve their health.
What motivated you to pursue a career in beauty therapy?
I first completed my Diploma of Specialised Makeup Services, but found that even though I absolutely loved making women feel beautiful with makeup, I wanted to go one step further and help them with their skin. I always had clients ask me questions about their acne and what they could do to cover it. At that stage, I could really only tell them how to cover the problem and decided I needed to learn about skin health and how to actually treat it. I decided to begin my studies at The French and through my studies I learnt so much that made me fall in love with the industry as a whole. Making people feel beautiful within their own skin is the best feeling.
What was your main motivation for studying at the French?
I’m very big on appearance. I always chose my schools based on the uniform, even the places I’d apply to work at. I remember just having moved to the Gold Coast and seeing the girls in their uniforms looking so professional. Eventually I got close enough to see their logo and where they were studying. I did my research and no other training facility interested me after finding out about The French. Their values, the academy itself and the girls always looked so happy when I saw them.
What was your favourite part about studying at the French? How would you describe your experience from the day you started at orientation?
To be honest my first day was daunting. I hate change, so I’d always try to avoid doing new things. I had just moved to the Gold Coast by myself so I figured it would be a good thing to meet new people with the same interests as me and maybe make some friends along the way. And I definitely did! I met my best friend at The French, Charley Davidson. It’s like we just clicked and from that day we were inseparable. My entire year studying at The French was easily the best year of my entire life! I learnt so much from all the amazing Educators there, they motivated me to push myself and they saw more potential in me than I saw in myself. I think that’s what is so amazing, the Educators make sure every single student feels special and gives them all the help they need. One of the educators, Alana would stay back late at night for us just so we could gain additional knowledge for our exams. I’d always look forward to coming to college every single day because of the Educators.
How did the French help prepare you for life as a professional beauty therapist?
The quality of education is beyond perfect. Not only the entire curriculum of the beauty therapy course, but I also really enjoyed doing the Service Excellence program. The French Beauty Academy has such a positive reputation and that’s because of the quality of learning and programs that they teach their students. The French’s approach enabled me to easily fit into life on board with Steiner. Steiner is extremely strict on appearance, from The Steiner bun to the red lipstick – professional looking appearance always. I remember going to the London training academy and hearing the girls complain about how silly they thought some the rules were, but I was already accustomed to the industry standards taught to me by The French! I actually liked wearing my bun, my lipstick and making myself look nice! When you look nice you feel nice and you do a better job, that goes for anything not just beauty therapy.
Did you have a favourite teacher / subject at the french? Why?
My favourite subject would definitely be Facials (and the teacher- Alana!) She’s absolutely incredible and inspired me every single day! The amount of knowledge she has and the passion for the work she does is amazing. She saw a lot of potential in me and even when I would try and give up she’d pick me up, dry my tears and tell me “Allie, you can do it! I believe you can! I know you can” and that was enough to make me push harder each time. She made me fall in love with the skin and how you can improve it down to each individual cell. I loved Wednesday’s with Alana!
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU RECEIVED FROM YOUR STUDY AT THE FRENCH?
Dreams don’t work unless you do. In the time that I was with The French it was to study as much as I could and be the best I can be.
The Business Of Beauty & Makeup
What were some of the invaluable lessons or most important thing that you learnt at the French that you have been able to apply to your new career?
The whole experience of training at The French has re-shaped me as a person. I have grown and made some of the best ‘real’ friends I’ve ever had. The whole year had such a positive impact on my life led to me getting my dream job.
How easy was it for you to gain work after graduating? Tell me about your first career ‘break’?
I actually had a job to go to before I even graduated! Steiner helped me obtain my dream job working on a cruise ship in a 6-star spa.
WHAT ELEMENTS OF YOUR STUDY ALLOWED YOU TO OBTAIN YOUR NEW JOB? WERE THERE ANY SPECIFIC SKILLS THAT YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR TIME AT THE FRENCH THAT YOU THEN HIGHLIGHTED IN ORDER TO BE HIRED?
In my time at The French I was able to gain an in-depth knowledge of body electrics and facial electrics – this meant I was able to be certified in the Ionithermie Super Detox Treatment and the Elemis Biotec Machine.
HOW ARE THE FRENCH GRADUATES PERCEIVED OUT IN THE INDUSTRY?
The French graduates are perceived as quality graduates. When I was in London Steiner Training Academy on the first day when I introduced myself along the teacher knew exactly who The French Beauty Academy was and the quality of therapists that graduate from there.
WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY ABOUT YOUR NEW JOB? HAS THERE BEEN A MEMORABLE MOMENT SINCE YOU GRADUATED?
I love the travel! The job itself is hard but I love that I can educate my guests on living a healthy life and how to detox their bodies (which will not only help them with cellulite and weight loss but also for the overall health and well-being of the body!) I’ve also met one of my best friends who was on the ship when I arrived and we spent every minute of every day together until she finished her contract a month ago! I think that’s the hardest part about working on a ship is that you meet some of the most amazing friends and when they leave it’s the saddest thing because you don’t know if or when you’ll see them again!
"The whole experience of training at The French has re-shaped me as a person. It had such a positive impact on my life and led me to my dream job" - Allie Copeland
Describe a day in the life of you on a working day?
6:30am: Wake up & get ready for work
7:30am: Get to work for a daily morning meeting with the spa team and manager.
8:00am: The first guests arrive and this is when the day starts. We usually have 8-10 guests a day with a meal break in the middle.
9:30pm: Finish work and we will either go to the crew lounge to hang out or straight to bed to do the same thing the very next day!
Why is it so exciting to work in the beauty industry right now?
For me personally I’m in a different country every day. Working on the ship is the hardest, but the best job I’ve ever had. I’ve been all over Europe, New York, the Caribbean, Bahamas and Miami, Florida. I find it so exciting and rewarding that I am able to educate my guests how to detox their bodies with natural chemical free detoxes that will re-alkalize the liver and reduce the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and strokes (which 1/3 of America’s population will suffer from at some point!) There are so many different aspects of the beauty industry and if you decide you don’t enjoy doing the massage module, you can do something else completely different but still be in the same field!
What advice would you give to students who are wanting to pursue a career in beauty therapy?
There’s a lot of misconception that girls in the beauty industry aren’t smart or they do beauty as a last resort, but I don’t believe that to be true! My advice would be not to let people criticise you because you’re in this field. I’ve met some of the most successful women from being in this industry. Some of them earn more money than someone who has spent many years in university! It’s not what the beauty industry makes of you, it’s what you make of it. My advice for current beauty students it to self study – a lot, watch YouTube, read books! Find a subject you love and find out every single thing about it. Knowledge is power the more you know the more your clients will trust you.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS? DO YOU HAVE AN ULTIMATE CAREER AMBITION?
Yes, I want to be an Educator at The French. Whether it’s for beauty therapy or for makeup would absolutely love to have the impact on future therapists that my educators had on me. I love to inspire people and help them follow their dreams. I currently do that in my job where I help my guests find out about their bodies, how to detox and how they can lose weight that they’ve never been able to! We have guests from all over the world and I’ve met some incredible people who have even given me their contact details and invited me to come to visit them in their countries. I’m all about making other people happy and feel accomplished and if I can do that to just one person in a day then I am happy. The French was such a happy place for me so becoming apart of the French Family again would be an honour.
MY SIGNATURE BEAUTY GO TOS…
Scent: Si by Giorgio Armani, Alien by Thierry Mugler & Black Opium by YSL
Lipstick: MAC – Honey Love with Spice lipliner
THE FRENCH EDIT…
City: Gold Coast
Drink: Espresso Martini
Song: Daryl Braithwaite – Horses
Quote: Dreams don’t work unless you do
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