ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
NEWBOROUGH’s Nicole Brown came second in the 2023 Wedding Industry Awards for Gippsland and Phillip Island. Known for her ‘snatched’ looks and elegant bridal make-up, Ms Brown was the second highly commended make up artists out of five finalists at the October 2 awards night. The mum of three was in disbelief to have even been nominated and named a finalist for the award. “I was actually so excited when I found out I was a finalist,” she said. “It’s really cool to be recognised, I feel make-up artists, hair stylists, people behind the scenes don’t get recognised much, which is fine because it’s our job to be the background, but its nice to get recognition here and there.” Ms Brown has been in the beauty industry for more than 10 years. She has done it all – from her humble beggings of applying make-up in her bathroom to ‘glamming up’ clients in her own salon and travelling across the region for destination weddings. Upon receiving the award Ms Brown said: “I cannot believe it. Thank you so much to my beautiful brides who voted for me – so lucky to have such supportive clients.” The Gippsland and Phillip Island wedding industry awards are now in their fourth year. Following COVID-19 lockdowns, the awards ramped up to recognise excellence in the wedding industry that suffered in the time of the pandemic. The organiser said “the listed businesses can stand proud of their achievements and successes.” “Congratulations all and thank you for your support.” Ms Brown has loved make-up since ‘day one’ and wants to continue her career. “I just want to broaden my horizons and I really want to dive deep into make-up. Where that takes me I’m not sure, but I’m really open to anything in regards to make-up,” she said. With her line of work, Ms Brown also loves the benefits of financial independence and being her own boss. “I think it’s really cool especially for mums,” she said. “Having a (workspace) off your home or in your home in order to cater to your business is especially good for mums. “Because regional Victoria – Moe, Newborough – the Latrobe Valley is a really great place to raise kids. A lot of mums are here and we can grow our business.” While working from home is ideal for Ms Brown, she stays organised to ensure both her personal life and professional life stay in order. “Just being really organised is really important, like my phone is my diary – I’ve got everything in my phone – from kids’ appointments, my appointments, client bookings,” she said. Ms Brown said that juggling work and life was made easier due to an understanding client base who knows the challenges of having young kids. Having been trained under Miss Universe panellist and fellow Moe/Newborough make-up artist Alarna Bell, Ms Brown has been trained by the very best and now wishes to teach others. Ms Brown said she wasn’t sure what it was about her bridal make-up that garnered the award, just that she enjoyed making brides feel beautiful. “I understand how important a wedding is and how precious it is for the bride and I love to be a part of the day,” she said. “The goal for me is to enhance someone’s natural beauty and give them that confidence.” With a five-out-of-five star rating on Facebook and a myriad of congratulatory comments on her post regarding the award, Ms Brown has always been highly commended by her peers and clients – now she has an award to recognise it.
