English Hair and Beauty Awards 2024: Gosport and Hayling Island beauticians scoop honours at UK ceremony

Nail Logical and Charlotte’s Beauty in Gosport, alongside The Island Lash Co on Hayling Island, came away with honours at the English Hair and Beauty Awards 2024 Chapter 3. A glitzy event was held in London on April 21.

Katie Kirk, owner of Nail Logical in Elson Road, said it was a dream come true for her business to be crowned the South East Nail Salon of The Year - celebrating with her staff in style. She told The News: “It’s absolutely incredible. To win it for the second year in a row is insane.

“To even be a finalist is hugely amazing in itself, but to actually win it is wonderful. We didn’t think for one minute that we would this year, as the other salons are really good. There’s not many places in this industry that you can get strong recognition, apart from your clients which is the most important thing. Getting something like this is one of the highest achievements you can get.”

Ms Kirk started in the beauty industry to follow what she loved and spend more time with her children, Oliver and Isabelle - turning her passion project into an award winning business. She hopes the award will bring long term benefits to her salon, with the industry struggling due to the current economic climate.

“It just gets our name out there and does a lot for the industry locally. Any kind of advertising helps the industry as a whole, no matter who wins it. It has increased our footfall and we have taken on new clients. Hopefully this will inspire people. I changed my career at 32 and I’m now 44. It’s never too late. It’s something I have always wanted to do. This isn’t even a job for me, because it is something I passionately love doing.”

Charlotte Brighton, of Gosport, was delighted to be named the South East Nail Technician and Creative Nail Technician of The Year. She said she never thought she would be nominated for awards. “I’ve worked really hard over the years, and it’s nice to see that has paid off,” she added. “My clients have put in some wonderful recommendations. They showed me what they had written and it was really lovely. It was humbling and made me feel really proud of myself.

The 38-year-old stressed how her clients thought visiting her was more than getting their nails done, treating it as a place to chat and feel rejuvenated. “That’s what I want”, she added, “I don’t want to just do nails, I want my business to be somewhere that clients love going to and feel good about themselves. It’s almost like a therapy session for some.” Ms Brighton started her business in 2017 after working in customer service for 11 years - doing beauty treatments for her friends and family. She now has two children, Holly, 12, and Logan, seven, and is thriving alongside her partner Gary. “I never looked back”, she said, “I’ve loved it so much.

“There were lots of ups and downs. Covid was really tough, as we were one of the last businesses to reopen, but I’m now the busiest I’ve ever been and had to turn people away. I’m pinching myself that I’ve built this successful business that I never thought I didn’t think I was able to do.”

Torie Burgess, of Hayling Island, started The Island Lash Coin Beach Road to be more flexible for her young family. The 33-year-old has now gone on to win Lash Extension Specialist of the Year award for the second year running. “I’m really chuffed”, the 33-year-old, “I really didn’t expect to win two years in a row.” The LashBase ambassador has two daughters, Daisy aged nine and Rosie, five. After bouncing between jobs, beauty work soon became the income she uses to support her family alongside her partner. The 33-year-old said: “It’s a great job which landed on my lap. I have friends on the island who helped me when I started and got lots of support. I just cracked on, worked hard, took on any client I could, agreed to every appointment anyone wanted and built it from there.”

Ms Burgess said she plans to keep her business steady after winning the accolade and allow her career to do what she loves most, being a mum. She added: “Some people measure success in different ways. Some measure it in having a shop and having x amount of money or staff, but for me, it’s about being there for my children. That is all I’ve ever wanted and I’m very grateful to have that.”