Britnee Martin opened her own beauty salon, Mirror & Me, after a ”heartbreaking” dispute at a previous workplace. Photos: Erin Hee.
What started out as a bit of a rant while having her eyebrows done has culminated in a former Wagga nurse starting her own beauty salon.
Britnee Martin was a community nurse for seven years before taking a leap of faith to become a beautician.
She recently opened Mirror & Me Beauty Salon at Sister City Walkway, after her old job fell through.
“I was kind of having a bit of a rant about where I was at my job, as you do, because your beautician becomes your therapist,” Ms Martin said.
“She said, ‘Oh, come and work for me.’ And I quit my job the next day and was in her salon the following Monday.
“I did all my courses online within three months and now, here I am!”
The 32-year-old beautician left her previous job after a “heartbreaking” disagreement.
“I was working at a local salon for two years, and that fell apart,” Ms Martin explained.
“It was very heartbreaking because we were extremely close.”
As a single mother-of-four, she still shares a strong relationship with her children’s father, who gave her the confidence to venture out on her own.
“I struggled with a lot of guilt going out on my own,” Ms Martin admitted.
“I kind of felt like I was doing the wrong thing by her [owner of her former workplace].
“But my ex-husband was like, ‘You need to do it. Our children deserve it. Do something for yourself.’
“If I didn’t have the kids’ dad pushing me to do it, I probably wouldn’t have done it, to be honest.”
Ms Martin did not come from the best home life and struggled while starting her new venture.
She was raised by her father, who died two years ago. He took her all across NSW, where she attended 13 different schools before eventually finding her way back and settling in Wagga 16 years ago.
“So I doubted myself a lot in doing it,” she said.
“It’s been a very emotional rollercoaster. I had two offers on two other places, and then they fell through.
“But in the end, I ended up doing Mirror & Me. Everything happens for a reason, and I’m very grateful for the opportunities and chances that a lot of people have given me.”
Mirror & Me is an inclusive space that welcomes everyone. It offers services such as eyebrows, waxing, dermaplaning and tanning, while another young woman, Mikayla, does lashes in the same space.
“Your size or culture doesn’t matter,” Ms Martin said.
“I’ve got a lot of ladies that come in with disabilities. They have care workers who bring them in.
“We don’t really turn anyone away, and we’re a walk-in service, so appointments aren’t really needed.”
Mirror & Me offers a range of services, from eyebrows and waxing to dermaplaning and tanning.
While the salon offers a range of beauty services, Ms Martin’s favourite is a lash lift.
“I just find it really accentuates what people already have,” she said.
Mirror & Me Beauty Salon is in the Sister City Walkway in Baylis Street. It is open from 9 am to 5 pm on Mondays to Saturdays, but operates later on Thursdays.
The salon is currently running a giveaway whereby one lucky person will win $100 to spend in-store. It ends on 13 September.
