An avid believer in the adage “when you look good, you feel good,” East London’s Chloe D Beauty owner, Chloe Dyer, is so passionate about her job, she offers her services for free to cancer patients, as well as her expertise to young aspiring beauticians.
Dyer gives free beauty classes to young women and girls from the Shalom House of Beauty and Skills Development Academy in Gonubie.
The academy empowers young women and teenagers who have learning challenges or disabilities with beautician skills, free counselling, a nutrition and fitness regime, along with a strong pastoral component.
Dyer has been sharing her expertise with the aspiring beauticians on a weekly basis over the past two years, while helping them develop self-confidence.
“What I realised in our first session this year in January is that they were incredibly nervous to speak.
“It’s sad as a woman to see another woman who is afraid to even ask a question, that bothered me very deeply,” she said.
“I then decided to engage them conversationally instead of doing a presentation.
“I left there with goosebumps because these girls are so creative.
“The more we engaged, the more I realised we have some raw diamonds here.”
Dyer, who has more than 11 years experience in the industry, started her business from her mother’s garage in 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic halted her career as a beautician on cruise ships.
She later opened her own studio in Donald Road, Vincent.
The kind-hearted entrepreneur offers free micro-blading sessions to cancer survivors and patients suffering hair loss.
“I do pro bono work. Anybody who has lost their eyebrows from cancer gets free eyebrows.
“I don’t care if it’s 100 people in a month. I don’t like it when women feel disabled or unattractive.
“As much as beauty seems like something vain to other people, every woman can agree that once you look in the mirror and look better, you will instantly feel better.
“My goal is to fill people’s cups even if it’s just a little bit,” she said.
Her goal for the two-year course is to help the aspiring beauticians become confident, believe in their self-worth and express their creativity.
“I want to see them growing, doing wedding makeup, matric makeup, and just thrive.
“As a makeup artist, your portfolio sells you.
“It would mean the most to me if they could find an avenue to monetise these skills and express themselves.
“If we could help just one of these 10 girls become successful, wouldn’t it be amazing?” she said.
Shalom House of Beauty and Skills Development owner Talita van der Heever said the young women would be assisted with placement at the end of the two-year course.
“Shalom is a place where young women and girls who fell through the cracks of society can dream again and make their dreams a reality.
“They get to learn from the best in the beauty industry to become beauticians.
“With beauty, makeup and nails, you can travel and see the world or build an empire of salons or create your own product line. The sky is the limit,” Van der Heever said.
She said the academy offered all its services free of charge to the young women and relied on the public for support by booking beauty sessions at a discount.
“We ask the public to support us on weekends and book a pedicure, manicure, facial, massage, nail or lipo laser treatment with us.
“And because a student assists you, you will pay a fraction of the price you would normally pay at a [professional] salon,” she said.
“Businesses can choose to sponsor a chair.
“This will include everything the student requires for a month to learn and earn, including products for training, meals, counselling and a uniform, at R5,000 per chair,” Van der Heever said.
Dyer also called on women to donate their old makeup and beauty tools.
“Every woman who uses makeup has products they bought but don’t use any longer.
“They can drop it of at my studio at 10 Donald Road, second floor.
“I’ve been a pro makeup artist for such a long time, I’m able to transfer an old product into a professional unbranded [container] and make it look very chic,” Dyer said.
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