The event that changed my life

“Redken queen Sheri Doss had an Instagram post looking for people to share their story and personal experiences about what Redken meant to them. I reached out and honestly never thought any more of it. Fast forward a couple of months and I found myself at the Redken Symposium in Las Vegas, representing Ireland as a brand ambassador on an international stage for the opening show. I was completely over the moon at this surreal opportunity. The hard-hitting moment for me was being on stage with the three other ambassadors, seeing our faces on a gigantic screen.

The impact on my career was incredible. It helped to raise my profile and grow my following within the industry, headlining masterclasses and facilitating seminars. I’ve had colourists and stylists DM-ing me for formulas or advice, hairdressers wanting selfies, even a young mum tell me I had inspired her. It was an incredibly humbling experience.”

“It’s one thing to win the L’Oréal Colour Trophy Grand Final once , but going into it a second time, the biggest thing for us was to implement the techniques we had in mind. The fact that we won – again – gave us a whole new platform. We were invited to showcase at L’Oréal Colour Congress, which was our first time presenting there. It’s something we’re considering doing more of in the future as we had some people asking us about courses.

The win also profiled the Sinéad Kelly salon a lot more. The first win – especially being a small, independent salon – can almost seem like an anomaly. Most people who have won the competition just tick it off the list and move on, but it really cemented our position. The pressure was quite high to try again, but we went with what we wanted to do because we could try something a bit left-field, something you might not normally consider for a competition like this. Winning twice also made a big difference with our clients, on a consumer level. It proved who we are, and validates the prices we charge.”

“Before completing the Master Colour Expert programme, I felt as though I was colouring blindly. I had my favourite go-to shades and didn’t take advantage of the full colour portfolio due to a lack of in-depth knowledge on product technology. I was very comfortable with most colouring services, but when it came to colour correction, I would have a lot of unanswered questions and find myself in situations I did not anticipate.

Knowledge really is power, and the course helped me answer the WHY as well as the HOW. I can now predict every potential scenario for colour and my experience and skill set has improved dramatically. There were so many lightbulb moments along the way.”

“I was the first ever UK winner of the Goldwell Color Zoom Trophy in 2010, winning the Creative category in Paris, which was incredible. The win really did enhance my career and opened up so many opportunities. It got my name out there as being a great colourist, and now I travel the globe with Goldwell and share my skills, knowledge and expertise to hairdressers all over the world.

I was honoured and surprised when I received the Global Zoom Hall of Fame in 2018 in Toronto – the award is given to a person who maximises their win at the Color Zoom Challenge, someone who has developed their career and mentoring people throughout the Goldwell network. It was proof of how that initial win has played a huge part of my career.”

“A massive turning point in my colouring career was when we won Creative HEAD’s Most Wanted Colour Expert – twice, in 2010 and 2014. To say I was delighted is an understatement, and to be recognised for what I consider to be my passion was, and is, so rewarding. On a business level it helped us to grow and open new salons, gain column inches, employ dedicated team members along with shoots, education around the world and events.

For me it really validated our colour expertise. I realised 20 years ago that colour was, and continues to be, the core of my business. I knew I wanted to have true mastery of colour –and in particular, perfecting blondes was my goal. Anyone can lighten hair but it’s what you do with it afterwards and toning for me is still where my team and I excel.”