Make Over
Article by Yaiza Curtis, Assistant Corporate Communications Officer at GOV
Do you ever look in the mirror and not recognise yourself anymore?
Louise Langlois, a colleague who has worked within Health and Social Services for almost 21 years, felt that due to all those stressful times in life, her appearance had started to change. She said: “I say to people that what you see on the outside, isn’t what’s going on inside.” But that was about to end, after becoming the one lucky colleague who won a deserving pamper session by the award-winning Highlands College Hair and Beauty team organised by Corporate Comms on OurGov.
“I was open to anything, just so excited to have a makeover,” Louise said. With free reign to do whatever they like, the beauty team got to work, ensuring Louise felt as comfortable and relaxed for her day of pampering. “They were absolutely lovely up there, and so welcoming, I’m quite an anxious person, they even gave me a glass of non-alcoholic champagne,” Louise said.
The team started by stripping back Louise’s current colour, and then added some blonde, “they had been doing a lot of prep behind the scenes in the morning the department told me. “The haircut they originally picked was something I’ve done before, and I thought no let’s do something different, more noticeable, and then we started talking about Judi Dench and that was our inspiration,” Louise said.
After three hours in the chair, with lots of chopping, dyeing and excitement, the fresh, new Louise was revealed. “I have to say it’s amazing, and the result is really noticeable,” Louise said with a smile.The pampering session didn’t end there, Louise was then moved to the treatment room where she had her eyebrows and lashes tinted by the award-winning team.
The Highlands College Hair and Beauty Academy has recently clinched not one, but two highly desirable national awards at the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists Learning and Development Forum 2024. The Hair and Beauty team stood out among UK nominees, securing the titles of “An Exceptional Team 2024” and jointly with the Newcastle College “The Overall Winner of 2024.” Pawel Kulon, Head of Hair and Beauty Department at Highlands College, accepted the awards on behalf of the team, and said: “Winning the overall award was an incredible feeling of accomplishment and recognition. “It was a testament to the collective efforts of our team and reaffirmed our commitment to excellence in education and community engagement.” He continued: “The event itself was a fantastic opportunity to connect with industry professionals, learn about the latest developments in our field, and share best practices with colleagues from across the UK.”
The team have already been shortlisted for another award named ‘College of the Year’ by the VTCT Excellence Awards. The prize giving will be on Thursday 4 July in Manchester, so we have our fingers crossed for the talented team.
After Louise’s endless day of pampering finished, she felt like a new woman. “I feel so valued and so confident,” Louise admitted. Sometimes when life gets busy, you forget to look after yourself. Make sure every once in a while, you do something to look after you, because after all, we all deserve a little pampering.
