Straight Out of Dartford

BY SHANNON RANDALL

I decided to do this month’s piece on Clare Ghafur, a Dartford resident and skilled makeup artist. To keep with the Christmas spirit I’ve decided to use two of her most Christmassy looks with this piece-her Elf look is a particular favourite of mine. I also used these two looks as I believe they show just how versatile Clare’s skills are as a make-up artist and the incredible range she covers. Clare Ghafur started off in hairdressing, but quickly realised that cutting and colouring hair wasn’t for her. She made the swap to bridal hair which she quickly excelled at, but after being asked time and time again if she also did bridal makeup, she went back into training at Reynolds. Reynolds is a training academy for a variety of skill-sets such as beauty and fitness and I will link the website below if anyone is interested! When talking about Reynolds, Clare said, “Without Reynolds at Dartford, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I did my level 2 and 3 beauty therapy there and absolutely love all the staff. My level 2 beauty included makeup, and that’s where my makeup passion started.” I found Clare on Linkedin and from there I discovered her professional instagram account which I found myself scrolling through endlessly in amazement. From full-face character looks of Beetlejuice, Billy from Hocus Pocus, Iron Man and even a unique twist on little red riding hood, to beautifully blended and coloured eye makeup to SFX makeup, Clare does it all. When asked what looks she loves to do the most, Clare replied, “I prefer to do the out there stuff, the looks I can push myself doing. Some finished looks I don’t even post, I’m quite hard on myself.” It’s easy to see from her posted work that she pushes herself to experiment and produce original and interesting content and I know I for one would love to see her unposted looks as well. Putting your work out into the world can be incredibly daunting and overwhelming which is why I think Clare is a great example for people 40 www.dartfordliving.com

also trying to follow their passions. Looking into the future Clare has big and exciting goals for her career, with plans to open up her own beauty salon. “The pandemic put a hold on that dream but for now my passion is the looks I do on my Instagram. Throughout the whole pandemic it kept me sane.” It is so inspiring to see someone following their passions not only despite their self-doubts, but also through a whole life changing pandemic. COVID has affected a lot of peoples plans and made it even more crucial to support small businesses and the self employed. If you’re looking for a beautifully talented make-up artist then look no further! It also goes without saying that if you’re trying to follow your own passions right now and struggling, don’t give up. You never know what is just around the corner. I have added Clare’s instagram account below, so please do go give her a follow and check out some of her work. Instagram: makeupbyclare_ https://www. reynoldsgroup.co.uk/training/

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