Meet Annabell – our newest star!
Annabell is our newest recruit who you may have seen at our salons. And she’s as passionate about hairdressing as anyone could ever be!
After a less than smooth introduction into the industry thanks to Covid, Annabell overcame all the challenges and is now proudly building her own portfolio of happy guests. Cast your mind back to the summer of 2020 when we were all facing lockdown and hadn’t a clue what was to face us. Annabell was told to leave school for a few weeks before returning to take her GCSE’s. However she never set foot inside the school again! Like everyone else in her year, she didn’t get to take her GCSE’s and instead her results were based on teacher predictions. Thankfully, Annabell had already set her mind on a career in the hair industry and her Uncle, a long standing guest of Obsession Salon, had heard about our need for a passionate Apprentice. Her star qualities shone through when owner, Karen interviewed her. ‘I remember she spoke at length about how she’d always loved hair care and hair styling from a very young age and I knew instantly she would be a much valued addition to our Obsession team.” says Karen.
Unfortunately the lockdowns and disruption that the hair & retail industry faced during 2020 meant a rather strange start for Annabell. Instead of working the salon floor she found herself learning via zoom calls. “I still learnt a lot during my first few months. I enrolled in a lot of online training and met the team remotely but there’s nothing like being in a salon to really pick up on everything that goes on. Now that we’re back to normal, I love listening to the other stylists, cherry picking ideas and new ways of working that I feel my guests will also benefit from” says Annabell.
In September 2020, Annabell started at college and graduated in March 2021. “I love learning and hadn’t realised how much there was to the art of colouring and cutting. Since graduating from college I’ve also attended a L’Oreal Cutting course and absolutely loved it. It was 2 days packed with techniques, tips and tricks. We learnt about fringes – what’s in fashion and what’s not! We learnt about short styles – graduated bobs & pixie cuts; and I also learnt how to blow-dry to complement the cut and show it off at it’s best! I am taking a barbering course next and then will be looking at furthering my colouring skills – balayage, highlights and root tints. There’s so much science in the colouring side of the business but I find that fascinating!
Working at Obsession Salons has proved to me that this is the career for me. I don’t see it as work. And I never really switch off. My instagram feed is full of cuts, colours and styles and I’m always thinking about what cuts might work well for my guests. That’s what I really enjoy about the role – building that relationship with my guests. Talking to them, making them feel comfortable and going with them on their hair journey; planning the direction we’ll take their hair over the course of a few appointments. That’s when I can feed in all the ideas that I see on social media and magazines and help them make the best choices about their hair and feel good about themselves. I just love it when their smile at the end says ‘LOVE IT’. That’s the best part of the job and I love it too!
Annabell works across both of our salons, splitting her time between Lichfield and Branston so you can book in with Annabell at your salon of choice.
Lichfield Salon & Spa: 01543 254137
Branston Salon & Spa: 01283 536362
Before / After
Before / After