Lauren McGinty, Managing Director of Womankind beauty salon launched her second salon in 2021 within our Stockbridge hair salon at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh following a desire to expand her beauty business.
Lauren McGinty, Managing Director of Womankind beauty salon launched her second salon in 2021 within our Stockbridge hair salon at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh following a desire to expand her beauty business.Here, we delve into what inspired Lauren to seek out a career in beauty and discovered what she loves most about her job and her excitement about the future of beauty apprenticeships.
It was clear from childhood that whatever Lauren McGinty chose to do later in her career, it was going to be something artistic. The beauty industry intrigued her from a young age and at school she enjoyed more creative subjects.
Her beauty career began at Charlie Miller, where she started as a 15-year-old Saturday assistant. While hairdressing didn’t fully resonate with her, the experience confirmed her passion for beauty and gave her valuable insight into the company’s family-oriented culture and high standards.
Lauren developed a passion for makeup while still in school but took time to consider her future. After high school, she worked as a stationary girl at the Scottish Executive, enjoying the job but realising she needed to choose a career before becoming too accustomed to a full-time salary. At 17, she enrolled at the Mary Reid beauty school, where she completed an HND and international qualifications, keeping her options open for travel.
“To be honest I went in quite blind; I didn’t know what to expect at all, but I knew I loved it from my very first day.”
When Lauren first began her training, she favoured the more holistic side, such as massage and spent more time in the Spa Academy than anywhere else; however, she grew out of that quite quickly due to how physically demanding it is!
Lauren then fell in love with the beauty aspect, and as she’s grown and developed in her career, has become more and more passionate about skin health. “I guess I’ve never really stopped evolving, and that’s what I love about this industry.” Lauren explains that having a good skincare routine is her best tip for keeping skin youthful that she would recommend over everything else.
“I always liken it to going and getting the best personal trainer in the world, having one or two sessions with them and expecting a big difference. Whereas if you go to your local gym consistently, keep it up and combine it with a good diet, you’ll see results. If you don’t have the foundation of a good regular skincare routine, yes, you’ll get lovely results seeing a professional for a one-off skin treatment, but you’re never going to get to the end of your journey if you don’t put the work in on your own time.”
Womankind works with their partners Alumier MD, who use medical grade skincare that can penetrate deeper into the skin, actively working. “They’re targeted for different skin concerns too, so we can treat problematic skin, pigmentation, aging… all sorts of stuff.”
So dedicated to helping skin be the best it can be, Lauren has invested in technology that can measure moisture levels, tell the age of wrinkles, how dehydrated the skin is and examine pore sizes. It generates lots of in-depth information that can tell you what you need to work on or maintain. “It’s a great indicator of what someone might be doing really well, but also a great way to support people who just don’t know where to start,” says Lauren. Skin-related appointments are certainly what Lauren is most in demand for, and she’s been incredibly busy with facial aesthetics of late.
Lauren’s take on aesthetics such as filler and Botox is that it should enhance what you naturally have, rather than alter it completely. Integrity is imperative when it comes to facial aesthetics, and Lauren strongly believes that a client should ask as many questions as they wish at the first consultation and throughout. Similarly, she will always refuse to do anything that she feels looks unnatural, and if she feels a client would benefit from dissolving any filler and starting fresh, she will absolutely suggest this.
“The salon ethos is about enhancing the natural beauty,” she tells us. These principles extend to every service Womankind offers. “Whilst we offer nail or lash extensions, and the girls do some stunning work in those areas, we would always help and encourage clients to look after the health of their own nails and their own lashes.” She reckons you can’t beat a clean, fresh French Manicure!
Lauren’s love of helping people have the best skin they can possibly have has never wavered, but she also loves waxing.
“It sounds strange, but I absolutely love the satisfaction of it, as well as the chat you get with waxing!” she says. “It can be fun, it’s a pretty intimate thing to do so you just have to go with it.” The salon also offers services tailored directly to men, and Lauren has certainly seen a rise in gents taking more of an interest in grooming and looking their best. All of their facial and body treatments are suitable for any gender, and they offer a selection of treatments designed specifically for men and the natural nail.
Whilst there will remain a taboo around men undertaking beauty treatments, which extends to hairdressing when it comes to colour too, it’s wonderful to see more men embracing beauty salons.
Lauren bought her first salon in Stockbridge in 2003 and, whilst pregnant, she worked long days renovating the space to fulfil her dream.
When she first opened, she worked with her mum and since then, the salon has grown and grown. Always keen to expand her skillset and allow the team to evolve, Lauren began searching for another space to allow her business to continue to boom.
After considering taking retail space at Raeburn Place, Lauren rekindled her relationship with Charlie Miller in 2019, which led to our joint venture and the launch of Womankind @ Charlie Miller in 2021. The collaboration has been a success, with shared values and expertise driving offers, competitions, and wedding packages that blend bridal hair and makeup. Lauren’s vision aligns with Charlie Miller’s, ensuring clients look and feel their best at every visit.
With a string of industry awards and accolades under its belt, the salon continues to go from strength to strength.
Amongst others, the team have been proud recipients of Beauty Salon of the Year at the 2021 Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards (SHABA). They are regulars at the SHABA awards, and this year were finalists in the Beauty Salon of the Year, Nail Salon of the Year and Best Social Media influencer categories. Lauren and the team were also proud recipients of Best Bridal Party Make-Up Services Provider at the 2024 LUXlife Global Wedding Awards.
Lauren loves watching her team learn and grow and is also passionate about sharing her knowledge. She’s delighted to see that there is an increase in beauty apprenticeships happening in the industry; this has been the norm for hairdressing for decades, but training in beauty has generally been restricted to schools and colleges. Lauren is excited that aspiring beauticians across the UK will have the opportunity to learn and gain hands on experience in a salon environment. Lauren herself has striven to gain qualifications in teaching, and this is absolutely the kind of opportunity she hopes Womankind will be able to offer in the future.
At the core of the salon’s philosophy is a commitment to providing excellent customer service, offering clients some of the world’s finest beauty products and cutting-edge treatments, and we have no doubt that this will be an incredible place to gain skills in aesthetics and holistic treatments as well as make-up, nail, lash and brow artistry. We deeply value our partnership with Womankind and can wholeheartedly say that their exceptional customer service and commitment to the craft aligns with our values perfectly. We are excited for what the future holds for the team!
Womankind Clinic @ Charlie Miller offers advanced beauty, skin and nail treatments in a vibrant salon environment, allowing you to combine your hair and beauty treatments.