Sofia is a qualified, published, professional makeup artist and hairstylist.
She covers creative, commercial, bridal & high fashion.
Everyone is staring at me. Ugly. Spotty. All these dark scars all over my face, horrible, angry, red spots with white heads threatening to spill over.. This was my life. I had to wake up to the same face every day and it was so painful to look at myself. Why does everyone else have beautiful skin and mine is like this I’d curse myself every day. This was more than teen spots, provoked by PCOS, hormonal imbalances, more like cysts than spots. It was one thing having them but the scarring after would last a lifetime, it was a much bigger problem than the spots. I remember opening the front door to someone once and they took a sharp breath and said “Wow, what happened to you!” I felt the ugliest.
My superhero was my mum though, every month she’d have a new concoction, a new homemade remedy, new face pack, new solution. She worked tirelessly to ease my suffering and I was her live guinea pig, each time super excited and diligently following instructions hoping this time she would have found the cure.
The GP eventually prescribed the contraceptive pill to balance the hormones and reduce the acne, but they came with their own issues..
The truth is, nothing REALLY worked. My face was full of dark scars and I had no place to hide. I knew I had to do something, so if I couldn’t fix it I knew I had to cover it.
I turned to cosmetics. Now, you may remember, it was not so popular as it is now to wear so many layers of products on one’s face… in fact, at my school, if the foundation was very visible you’d be ridiculed further and called a cake face amongst other horrible names. Sadly, not many foundations came in the colour ranges they come in now, brands like Mac were great, but again my skin reacted to them badly and flared up causing even more problems.
Painstakingly, I went through product after product, trial and error, searching for the perfect way to wear makeup, and cover the scars and pigmentation without having a heavy base that I thought people would ridicule. It became my mission to create a base that would act as a second skin. I tried everything from mail-order makeup, to pharmacy-only makeup, drug store to high-end.. I was learning so much and I didn’t even know it.
Not so many years down the line I found myself alone as a single parent of young twin boys, they were only toddlers. My dad was sick and so my mum could only help so much, with the strong support and encouragement from my family I decided to go ahead and start a beauty business. The time had come to help others with all I had learned. I had no option but to make this work for the sake of my sons, they are my biggest reason why, my biggest motivation.
In 2013, I went ahead and completed formal hair and makeup training and started my business as a professional hair stylist and makeup artist. Today I serve my clients a luxury service, turning up at all hours like a fairy godmother ensuring they look perfect for their most cherished events.
This is where my story began and I didn’t even know it. Through the struggles I went through, a passion was born, and after being passed courage and a friendly shove from those who loved me the most. Today I am able to give women of all ages the confidence they need to not have to hide, to walk confidently because they feel so amazing. That is the best gift of all and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
💄 Hair & Makeup, Bridal and all Occasions
📍St Albans, UK & International
Bridal Hair & Makeup Artist: Sofia Shakir 