Lucy’s Journey of Growing a Beauty Career with Boots

Meet Lucy, a Senior Beauty Specialist, as she tells us about how she’s grown her beauty career and her advice to anyone wanting to find a job in beauty…

What does a typical day in your role look like?

A typical day for me as a Senior Beauty Specialist starts with a check-in with my team of amazing Boots Beauty Specialists (BBS). We see how everyone is doing, discuss current offers, new products and schedule the day.
We start each shift by organising the beauty hall and making sure our stock and delivery are up to date. This is great because we get the first glimpse of any new launches that arrive in store; you might think that after nearly three years, I’d be used to it, but I still get excited seeing the new launches!
Throughout the day, we have consultations with customers, which vary depending on what our customers are looking for. One thing we can always count on is doing at least one foundation colour match – I love finding the perfect shade for customers! I also enjoy advising on skincare; this is where we ask specific questions to understand the individual’s skin type and tailor a routine just for them. I love this part because it means every day is different, keeping things interesting and engaging.
We have our own dedicated learning platform called Hive that keeps us up to date with everything in the beauty hall, and I always make sure to fit this into my day.

What do you enjoy most about your job and working with customers?

I’m really lucky that I love so many aspects of my job! The first thing that comes to mind is working with so many different beauty brands. I love that we can advise and show our customers numerous options! I never do my makeup with just one beauty brand, and many people have multiple brands in their makeup bags, so being able to offer unbiased advice and choose products perfectly suited to our customers’ needs is amazing!
Another part of the job that I enjoy is working with colleagues who are also beauty and skincare lovers. It’s so much fun talking about our favourite products as well as learning from my team and the other brand consultants. One of my favourite parts of my job is interacting with customers on a daily basis. I love meeting amazing people and connecting with them during consultations.

What challenges do you face, and how has Boots helped you with them?

When I first started at Boots, my biggest challenge was confidence in my own abilities. However, over the past three years, Boots has really helped me to develop. For example, I’ve led mini beauty tutorials to groups of customers on the shop floor, and I’ve even filmed content for the Boots YouTube and Tik Tok channels. I was lucky enough to travel to London to film at the Beauty only Battersea store, which was a real career highlight for me. These opportunities would have been daunting for me before, but after developing my skills day by day as a BBS, I felt confident enough to take part.

How has Boots helped you develop your career? Have you received any training?

Boots has helped me develop my career, starting with my role as a BBS. This was my first full-time job in the beauty industry, and it was a dream come true! It gave me the opportunity to invest in myself and develop my makeup and skincare skills. We had a six-week induction and are continually learning, whether that’s through the Hive learning platform, or in-store training from our Boots’ Beauty Trainers or directly from the brands themselves. I love seeing the artistry teams from different brands, especially those with experience in fashion campaigns and photoshoots.
At the start of this year, I had an exciting opportunity to be promoted into a Senior Beauty Specialist position. I took part in a two day, in-person training event at Boots’ head office in Nottingham, which was such a proud moment for me as I felt I was ready to take the next step within my career and this new role has given me the perfect opportunity.
I am very grateful to Boots for the opportunities I’ve had. I was also awarded the Cosmetics & Perfumery Retailers Association (COPRA) Retail Consultant of the Year award, which was such a proud achievement for me, and I was blown away by this. Thank you Boots!

What advice would you give to someone starting a career in beauty?

My advice to anyone wanting to start a career in beauty is to just go for it! It was the best decision I ever made, I never imagined I could turn my hobby into a full-time job. Get creative with makeup and skincare at home, watch YouTube tutorials, and learn as much as you can. I completed a makeup artistry course before joining Boots, which gave me the confidence to apply for the job. After the training I have since received at Boots, I am so glad I took the leap!

What are your future career ambitions?

I definitely want to continue developing within the beauty industry. I would love to take part in any events or photoshoots as a makeup artist to grow my artistry portfolio. I’m also passionate about education and events, so I can see myself exploring the beauty education route. I would love a role that’s split between working in store and education or eventing.
As the beauty industry is always evolving, I am excited to see where the future takes me.