Confidence That Still Looks Like You
Emma Jardine from Forever Young shares how her lifelong love of beauty grew into a career helping women feel naturally confident through semi-permanent makeup and aesthetics.
What first inspired you to start Forever Young and how did your journey into beauty begin?
I was always into makeup and beauty from a really young age. I can remember as far back as P7, after swimming lessons at school, going into the changing rooms and putting makeup on because I had very fair skin and fair hair, so I felt like I had no definition.
Makeup gave me confidence, and even then I loved how it could completely change how you felt about yourself.
When I went to grammar school, I quickly realised academic subjects weren’t where my passion was. Art was always my strongest subject, and when I look back now at all my artwork, it was always lashes, brows, makeup looks and women’s faces. I was fascinated by beauty and creativity.
By fifth year, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to leave school, go to beauty school and build a career in makeup and beauty because I loved the idea of helping people feel more confident in themselves.
When I got my first job in a beauty salon, I was introduced to my former mentor, colleague and employer Kelly Smith Forshaw, who carried out treatments in the salon. I was completely fascinated by semi-permanent makeup. The idea of having makeup that stayed on and looked perfect every day without having to apply it was my dream.
Thankfully, she saw my passion and offered me a job. She took me under her wing, trained me personally, and for seven years flew me back and forth to London every two weeks to work in some of the top clinics across the South of England, London, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
That experience gave me incredible training and hands-on experience, and it ultimately helped shape the business I have today. From there, I created Forever Young, working across various salons throughout Northern Ireland. It always felt like it was meant to be.
What services do you currently offer at Forever Young?
At Forever Young, I specialise in treatments that enhance natural beauty and help clients feel confident every day. My most popular treatments are semi-permanent makeup services including brows, lip blush and eyeliner.
I’ve also recently branched out into aesthetics with treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections and skin boosters, all tailored to the individual client.
Everything I offer is focused on creating soft, natural-looking results that suit the person rather than following trends.
Semi-permanent makeup has become increasingly popular. What do clients love most about it?
I think clients love the confidence and convenience it gives them. A lot of women lead busy lives, and semi-permanent makeup allows them to wake up every morning already feeling more put together.
For many clients, it’s also about restoring features they feel they’ve lost over time, whether that’s sparse brows, lack of definition, or simply wanting to feel fresher and more confident without applying makeup every day.
The biggest compliment I get is when someone tells me it was the best thing they’ve ever done, especially when people admire their brows or makeup because it still looks completely natural, just like a better version of themselves.
What are some of the most common concerns or goals clients come to you with?
A lot of clients come to me because they’ve lost confidence in certain features. Brows are a big one, especially for clients with fair hair like myself, overplucked brows or hair loss.
Others want more definition in their lips or eyes while still keeping a natural finish. I can also help correct uneven brows or lips by creating more symmetry.
Many people simply want to feel fresher, more youthful and more confident without looking overdone. My role is always to listen carefully and create results that suit their face, lifestyle and personality.
How important is it for treatments to still look natural and suit each individual client?
It’s extremely important to me. I never believe in a “one size fits all” approach. Every client is different, and treatments should enhance their own natural features rather than change who they are.
My goal is always for clients to look in the mirror and still feel like themselves, just more confident and refreshed. Natural results are timeless, and I think that’s why clients trust me.
What do you love most about helping clients feel more confident in themselves?
For me, the best part of the job is seeing the change in someone’s confidence. Sometimes it’s not even about the treatment itself, it’s how a person feels afterwards. Seeing someone smile, stand taller or leave feeling happier in themselves is incredibly rewarding. I get a lot of hugs of appreciation.
I know personally how much confidence appearance can affect, so being able to help someone feel good about themselves is something I genuinely love. That’s why I’m still so passionate about my work to this day.
Forever Young
Contact: Call Emma on 077 3467 1033
Address: 132 Summerhill, Banbridge
Website: www.foreveryoungmakeup.co.uk
Instagram/Facebook: @foreveryoungni
