Get to know Elizabeth
Elizabeth Sands shaping the future of the beauty industry…
Fourteen years ago, Elizabeth made a life-altering decision to relocate to Northern Ireland along with her two daughters and her then-husband. Unfortunately, shortly after her arrival, her marriage came to an end, leaving her as a single mother. She embraced personal responsibility and took charge of her own future.
In 2013, Elizabeth embarked on a new path and pursued training to become a beautician. Fuelled by her determination to establish a thriving business, she set up a home salon and delivered exceptional services to her clients. The satisfaction of transforming someone's appearance and boosting their confidence ignited her passion for the beauty industry.
In 2016, Elizabeth founded the Elizabeth Sands Beauty School based in Portadown, offering a diverse range of beauty courses. In 2019, she achieved her first award as Beauty Training Academy of the Year at the Hair & Beauty Awards Northern Ireland. By 2020, Elizabeth Sands had expanded her reach to cover the entirety of Northern Ireland. To date, she has trained over 4,400 technicians across Northern Ireland, and over 13,800 across the rest of the UK & Ireland, both through in-person and online courses.
Innovation
In 2019, Elizabeth's frustration with the unsafe practices and products containing toxins in the unregulated beauty industry led to the creation of Lash Fixx/Rocket Fixx. This was the first eyelash extension glue developed without formaldehyde and hydroquinone, two of the most toxic chemicals that lash technicians are exposed to. The glue was posted by Nathalie Hollede, founder of the Lash Tech Support Group UK, with 43,000 members. Elizabeth's glue has garnered resounding success, earning continuous 5-star reviews throughout Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. She further expanded her product range to address traction alopecia by producing lashes that are half the weight of ordinary lashes. This innovation was featured by Ulster Tatler. This also attracted the attention of Invest NI who offered to invest in her business.
2023 also saw the launch of ES Beauty dual fast eyelash lift and lamination products. This product sets in 4 to 6 minutes again a revolutionary product with client safety paramount. Sales for this are steadily building across the UK and Ireland.
Driven by her thirst for growth and unwavering determination, Elizabeth endeavoured to expand her training company across the UK. In 2020, she developed a revolutionary online training platform.
Expansion During Covid 19
While UK businesses were closing their doors during the government imposed Covid lockdown, Elizabeth's online platform experienced a significant surge, enabling salon owners to upskill and furloughed individuals to acquire new skills. This propelled her school to be recognised as a prominent academy throughout the UK. As a result, Elizabeth Sands Beauty School has become the preferred choice for individuals seeking beauty industry training. The unique approach combines hands-on, one-on-one training with remote mentoring, embracing a blended learning technique that ensures no one is left behind.
Elizabeth continued to accumulate accolades in 2021 and 2022, including the Corporate Livewire's Training Academy of the Year for Northern Ireland and Online Training Academy of the Year for Central England. The same year, she qualified as a breakthrough life coach, deepening her commitment to empowering others to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
With her own personal story of mental health she studied foundation metaphysics and in 2022, driven by her desire to offer customised training and support, she qualified as a breakthrough life coach with the American coach NickBreau.org. With the aftermath of Covid 19 more and more students were enrolling with anxiety and mental health. This steered her to offer 1 to 1 tuition for both online and the launch of her Breakthrough Mentoring Programme. Elizabeth has gifted 10 free programs this year to the most vulnerable.
Forging Partnerships
In 2022 Elizabeth was asked to become a partner specialist for Pluss.org.uk who support thousands of people with disabilities and other disadvantages enabling them to move into employment each year. Helping job seekers who need the most specialist support to find work. With a turnover of over £17 million and 45 years experience as the leading national disability employment specialists in the UK. Working closely with Emma Merta Engagement Coordinator training participants that have multiple barriers including low self-esteem and anxiety to work in the Beauty Industry.
This partnership led Elizabeth to be asked to become a supplier for Seetec.co.uk one of the largest public services providers in the UK and Ireland, providing opportunities and support to people from all walks of life. Elizabeth rose to the challenge offering online training from her 40 plus courses.
In 2023 Elizabeth won another award this time catapulting her to the Global Stage winning Global Training Academy of the Year Corporate Livewire
In 2021 . The Government launched their restart scheme helping millions of people who have been directly impacted by Covid 19. Giving them extra support to move back into employment. In June 2023 Elizabeth became partner specialist for this programme with jobs-22.co.uk. Elizabeth Sands is playing a crucial role in providing vocational training and education in various aspects of the beauty industry in a UK national rollout initiative.
Business Expansion
ES Beauty School Ireland was launched at the beginning of 2023. offering online and in person training across the whole of Southern Ireland. In June this year Tusla.ie The Child and Family Agency dedicated to State agencies and responsible for improving wellbeing and outcomes of children and child protection, contacted her to offer training to candidates leaving the care system. Elizabeth now has a firm foothold in Southern Ireland. A further collaboration has also formed with the Nottinghamshire County Council Leaving Care Service.
What has she contributed to the United Kingdom?
Additionally, Elizabeth has worked with the Victim and Survivors Service, providing training to individuals affected by the troubles in Northern Ireland. She has also worked extensively with The Prince's Trust as part of their Young Persons Development Awards. Other collaborations include Gems NI, an organisation offering employment solutions, and the training of candidates from Employment East, supported by the Northern Ireland Executive, which caters to people living in the Belfast East Area. More recently she has trained candidates placed from Venture Folk who fund new businesses.
In 2023, Elizabeth sponsored the Contribution to Beauty Award for Ulster Tatler, further solidifying her commitment to supporting other women in the Beauty Industry across Northern Ireland.
What makes her unique?
She embodies a pioneering spirit within the Beauty Industry, serving as a guiding light and an advocate for continuous personal growth. Her guiding principle and motto is “By Building People, They Build Your Business." She constantly adapts to the ever-changing landscape of the beauty industry, harnessing technological advancements while unwaveringly upholding an exceptional standard of service for her students. Nurturing and training hold utmost significance to her, ensuring that she consistently delivers the high quality that her students have grown to expect. There is no other beauty trainer in the industry like her.
Our individual journeys shape us profoundly. Elizabeth Sands has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade, triumphing over her own adversities. Like Winston Churchill's reference to his "Black Dog," she overcame depression, transforming a potentially debilitating illness into a thriving business that now spans across the entirety of Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK and Ireland. By leveraging her own experiences, she has formed partnerships with numerous organisations, enabling them to benefit from her resilience. Her lifelong aspiration is to empower individuals with limitations to establish their own successful ventures in the beauty world.
Each person possesses unique talents, strengths, and untapped potential, and her objective is to provide a platform for her students to flourish, thrive, and achieve their dreams. She serves as an inspiration to both women and men within the beauty industry.
One aspect that distinguishes her is her commitment to supporting disadvantaged students. Through her unique learning approach and comprehensive support system, she has collaborated with numerous charities throughout the UK. These partnerships have provided equal opportunities for individuals to earn their own income and acquire essential life skills. Elizabeth Sands is truly a trailblazer in the Beauty Industry, serving as a beacon of hope for those wrestling with mental health issues and advocating for a lifelong pursuit of knowledge.
Future Expansion
ES Beauty School Canada has accreditation and secured insurance for Canadian students for the enrolment of all her online courses.
As a continuously advancing enterprise, Elizabeth has a lineup of new courses scheduled for release in 2023/24. the Menopause Wellness Practitioner Course and the Ear Seeding for Anxiety course. These courses are designed to provide comprehensive knowledge and skills in their respective areas, catering to the needs of individuals seeking holistic wellness solutions.
Elizabeth Sands has an impressive amount of client testimonials on Facebook.
Partner Testimonials
LIZ GORMAN GROW PROGRAM (NETWORK PERSONNEL) – NORTHERN IRELAND
I would like to submit the following reference for Elizabeth Sands. I am a project coordinator for the GROW Programme at Network Personnel. GROW is an employability initiative funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund, which focuses on supporting individuals residing in the Mid Ulster area, by removing significant barriers to employment. I know Elizabeth in a professional capacity, and I have had the pleasure of working closely with Elizabeth from June 2022 to present. Elizabeth is an efficient, reliable, and extremely helpful person to work with. Elizabeth is a warm and caring person who constantly encourages her students to achieve their best. Elizabeth is always striving to help her students to reach their full potential both professionally and personally. Elizabeth is a motivating and inspiring tutor for participants who have been lucky to access her Beauty courses, feedback from participants is always extremely positive, and her students hold her in highest regard. Elizabeth has been an invaluable asset on the GROW programme, and she has my highest recommendation.
EMMA MERTA – PLUSS ORG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CO-ORDINATOR
“I am currently working with participants that have multiple barriers including low self-esteem and anxiety. They have started the online courses with Elizabeth Sands and have received continuous support throughout. When they have any questions, they get a response very quickly and the quality of the training materials is brilliant."
DAWN HOUSTON – 1 TO 1 MENTORING CLIENT BREAKTHROUGH COACHING
I first met Elizabeth through doing a nail course. She is an excellent teacher and takes time to explain everything thoroughly, showing you all the tricks of the trade. In this time Elizabeth became my therapist, mentor, and life coach. She brought calm into my life, introducing me to meditation and the books she recommended me to read. We had a few therapy sessions where Elizabeth unlocked my negative feelings, thoughts, and behaviour, replacing them with a positive, happy, confident person. I can never thank Elizabeth enough.
TONI MCDADE - VICTIMS & SURVIVORS CHARITY NORTHERN IRELAND
I was funded through the Victims & Survivors Charity for people affected by the troubles in Northern Ireland.
I have trained in numerous courses with Elizabeth Sands, and she gave me the push and the confidence in myself to launch my own beauty salon and training school. This was a dream and something I didn't think I could ever achieve.
Elizabeth Sands took the time to mentor me personally over these past few years and now I have my own successful salon and I am a fully qualified educator in beauty running my own training classes.
I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is simply the No 1 trainer.
CLAIRE KUMI – JOBS 22
I am a former student of Elizabeth Sands. I can say her training is exceptional. I am an employment coach for Jobs 22 as part of the government’s restart employability scheme. I was one of many to champion her to be part of our support catalogue. She is without doubt a valued addition to our team.
GAIL SMYTH - TRAINER LONDONDERRY/DERRY
I have worked for Elizabeth since 2020 with her expansion across NI. She is incredibly knowledgeable and motivating. In 2022 she offered me the opportunity to fulfil my own dream of setting up my own academy. RS Beauty School. I am forever grateful.