Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Boner
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up I had always loved playing with makeup and hair products from a very young age. In high school, my friends and family let me do their hair and makeup for homecomings and proms. So when it came time to deciding on a career, I really felt like pursuing cosmetology was the path I wanted to take. I enrolled in Paul Mitchell the School St. Louis in 2013 and received my cosmetology license in the fall of 2014. After that, I took an internship at a local salon for a few months but was notified about a salon chair opening at The Mane Attraction in Collinsville, IL. I was at this salon for 4 years as a commission stylist. This salon helped me grow as a stylist in many ways. They were experts in the bridal business for hair and makeup, which excited me very much. I knew I wanted to be a bridal stylist and perfect my skills in that realm of the beauty world. After working for them for 4 wonderful years, I felt as though I was ready to advance my career and essentially become my own boss by becoming a booth renter stylist. So from there I began working at Escape Salon and Spa located in Edwardsville, IL. I worked at this salon for about 4 and a half years. Working at a rental salon allowed me to become a more independent stylist and gave me the freedom to grow in the industry as a bridal stylist, hairstylist, and makeup artist. Having more freedom gave me the opportunity to create my own schedule, decide what products I wanted to use on clients, and take classes that would keep me growing in the industry. I could focus on the things that were important to me in becoming one of the best and most reliable stylists in the area that clients trusted for their hair and makeup needs. Having a passion for hair and makeup also comes with having a passion to help people and make them feel beautiful for any and every occasion in life. While working at Escape Salon and Spa an old cosmetology classmate reached out to me, letting me know her and two others were going to be opening a new salon in the Troy/Maryville, IL. area called Social Salon. She sent over their vision boards for the salon and I instantly loved their vision and ideas! They were planning to open a salon that was freshly updated with current decor aesthetic, high end services such as hair extensions and color/foiling services, as well as partake in hosting continued eduction classes to improve on our skills and keep up with current beauty trends. In October of 2023 I signed me rental lease with Social Salon and am still currently working at this beautiful salon. I’ve been so happy to work here for the past year as well as keeping up with my personal bridal business on the weekends. I just recently celebrated my 10 year anniversary in the beauty industry and feel so much joy and fulfillment with how far I’ve come in the industry. I look forward to seeing my continued growth in the industry in which brings me so much joy and happiness.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Cosmetology school was a little more difficult than I assumed it was going to be. I didn’t realize it would basically be a full time job right off the bat. But without getting paid. The hours you must attend classes are Monday thru Friday 9-5pm. So in order to have a paying job and go to school, you’re stuck working after school hours and/or on your days off from school, Saturday and Sunday. This did not allow for much downtime and freedom. But you just have to remind yourself it’s one year of hard work and just power through. I feel fortunate that the past 10 years in the industry I have not had to undergo any major, life changing bumps in the road. There are always good days and bad days with any industry, you just have to remind yourself that tomorrow is a new day and this to shall pass. However, as much as I love this industry, some days can be hard. Especially when you did not meet the expectations for your client, your client moves away and unable to see you anymore, or they deliver upsetting personal news to you. As stylists, we tend to care so deeply for our clients in many ways, so it’s hard not to take on their grief and pain. Not only do we stand for long hours, but we tend to forget about our own struggles as humans. So it’s important to have personal days off to release any energy that does not belong to us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I often get asked, “do you enjoy hair or makeup more?” And my answer is always, “I couldn’t imagine only doing one or the other”. I personally view beauty as positive energy and light glowing from an individual. So when you can beautify someone’s hair and makeup for them and help them to feel their best all around, the energy and bright glow from them is so beautiful to see. I prefer to enhance a clients natural beauty and help them to feel just more put together and a glowing version of their self. Life can be so hard sometimes and when a client sits in my chair for hair and makeup, my goal is to always make them feel relaxed and have them leave feeling their most beautiful self. It gives me so much joy to see someone smiling at themselves in the mirror when their hair and/or makeup is done.
Over the years, I’ve grown to really hone in on a few specialities and perfect them to the best of my ability. Personally some of my specialty services are, blonding/foil work, extension services, hairstyling and updos, as well as special event/bridal makeup. I love many other services in the industry but I’d have to say these bring me the most excitement to perform as well as learn more about and perfect.
Foil work otherwise known as highlighting or balayaging, is probably my top requested service behind the chair. This services really allows me to get creative and bring such life to the hair. Whether we are doing a platinum blonde service or creating dimensional movement to any other tone of hair, I love that moment of blow drying/styling it and seeing it come to life. Often clients apologize for how long their hair takes to blow dry and I always tell them “no worries, I love this part. We get to see the color come to life”.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Just keep going and don’t give up. This industry is hard and saturated but never forget there is always room for you in this industry as well. Some days will be hard and defeating but some days will be some of the best, most fulfilling days of your life. If you allow it, this industry will help you grow as an individual inside the salon and outside as well. There are so many life skills you will learn such as gratitude, patients, understanding, selflessness, time management, self motivation, etc. The list will go on and on. You just have to believe in yourself and if you find yourself having a hard day, dust yourself off, and try again tomorrow. When I first started in this industry, I set a couple personal goals for myself, and day after day worked to achieve them until they came true. 10 years sounds like a long time but it goes by in the blink of an eye. In my opinion, the key to growth is to just keep going no matter what obstacles get in the way. Tomorrow is a new day. Go through each day with a humble heart and positive thoughts.
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