I’m Jo, (Mrs T), a local girl, born in 1977. Follow me as I approach my 40th birthday. Having lived and worked in London for many years finally the draw of the sea and the more relaxed life won my heart. You can take the girl out of Thanet but the sea will never leave you!
Settled now in Margate for 10 years, and diagnosed with M.E in 2006, I recently ditched the corporate life and concentrated on building my own business – Mrs T’s Beauty.
Learn tricks of the trade, follow the tribulations and triumphs of being an entrepreneur, discover the people I meet and, as I love a glass of fizz with friends, the places I party, hidden local gems, and local recommendations.
Beautiful brows
I don’t think there has ever been a time when brows have been so important, as a trend I mean. Of course, brows are important as they are meant to help protect the eye but in the beauty world gone are the days when a good tidy up pluck will suffice!
Back in college we were taught the dying art of the eyebrow wax, shape and dye to give the brow definition and help frame the face. A good brow is like a mini face lift, accentuating and open the eyes and creating focus, after all the eyes are the window to the soul.
However, a bad eyebrow shape can be quite the opposite and these are usually self-inflicted! The stories I could tell of a home eyebrow job. I have seen it all, too short, uneven, over-plucking and once one client shaved one off, to pencil it in! Then realised that was not as easy as it looked. Eight months it took to grow it back, 8 months she only had one eyebrow! That was back in the day when thin was the way forward, now full is back!
So, the varying states of eyebrows have left us ladies in a bit of a dilemma. There is no doubt that there is still a place for a good dye and wax, especially for the young and those of us who have not managed to over-pluck or have gone totally white, and for male groomers or those who want something less permanent. It’s relatively cheap, I provide this service for just £10. However, I know for me, constantly dying my eyebrows as they literally disappeared into my face was becoming a chore.
Two years ago, I decided to take the step of having semi-permanent make-up and having my eyebrows tattooed on. Now this is not a decision for everyone, it requires maintenance, as the pigment fades and you need it topped up probably once a year.
I would be lying if I said you can’t feel anything, some people do, some don’t, there’s a mild discomfort as the skin is numbed beforehand. You must be sure of the shape and size that you want as there is no turning back once it is done. But it is a liberating, waking up to perfect brows every day. The semi permanent make-up artists today are highly skilled practitioners, gone are the block black brows, now they can create hair stokes and fine detail, in a variety of shades and colors to your preference. You would be hard pressed to know these were in fact not the real deal!
Here are mine.
I used Karen Alliston, who is an absolute perfectionist. You can currently receive this service for £199, she also offers lip pigmentation and eyeliner, so you can wake up, made up! For bookings call her on 07961708320.
Forever friends!
This weekend was full of friendship. I hold friendships very highly in my life, maintaining relationships of any status involves commitment and effort and it doesn’t always run smoothly, in an ever growing throw-away society. I am lucky in life. I have a great deal of friends and a rich and varied social life. I just love people, listening and learning, I get so much from investing myself in other people.
It’s probably why I love my job so much, knowing how to put your customer first. Making them feel appreciated, confident and at ease is a skill long practiced and perfected over years.
Saturday was a special day. We were celebrating my friends 40th birthday, also marking 6 months to my 40th. OMG just a matter of weeks now before I am officially middle aged! #scary #wherehastimegone.
I, of course, still feel 21 and refuse to accept any different, even though the three of us in this picture #shamelessselfie have in fact been friends for 24 years! We met at Dane Court, travelled in a wind band, yes, we were #bandcampgeeks and grew up dancing together in Franks, Buzz and 5th Ave.
Later we moved to London and Surrey together and have created some memories over the years. Claire pictured left, was most certainly fabulous at 40, she had taken up running and was looking incredible, she really put the pressure on me to get back in shape before my big day!
We partied in a bar in Surrey till the early hours and it was incredible. We danced like we were teenagers again to massive 90’s house club hits and drank like fish, not so good as Claire ended the night #faceplanting into the floor and hurting herself. Wake up call, not 21 anymore, but the reminiscing and laughter made up for the pain and slight embarrassment.
Getting home
It was good to get away, but as morning came I found myself looking forward to getting back to the seaside as I always do and yet another birthday celebration, Robert’s 55th.
Margate, as you probably know, has been redeveloping over the last 10 years. Part of this has involved people moving down from other areas, #londontomargate amongst others.
During this time, my husband and I have become involved in a group of friends that have naturally evolved from socialising locally. We really are a right bunch of misfits, no-one would ever put us together, but somehow, we just work. We vary in age from 30s to 70s, there are B&B owners, London highflyers, engineers, bar owners, retirees, spray painters, sales reps, medical professionals, straight, gay, single, married, widowed, divorced, religious, atheist, all political viewpoints, even local council representatives, but we just work and our conversations are fascinating.
We pretty much do everything together, socialise, chill at home, do dinner, go on holiday, you name it. It just goes to show that you can form new friends at any age, and with all the exciting changes in the area, meeting new people just enriches my life and our area.
Perfect place
Being the bank holiday just a few of us managed to meet for an intimate gathering and the perfect place was Woody’s on Margate Piazza.
It’s a family run business, exceptionally friendly, good selection of beers and wines and a rather handy pizza oven, making authentic pizza, and on Monday nights they are just £5! www.woodysmargate.co.uk
Here is a picture of us and Rob with his beautiful birthday cake made by Batchelors Patisserie in Cliftonville, who just make stunning cakes and have been in this area for decades. This one was chocolate and cream and was to die for! #dietstartsmonday
Call them on 01843 2212227
Have a great week everyone Mrs T x
www.mrst-beauty-aesthetics.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/mrstsbeauty/
07837773010