A SALON owner has been shortlisted in the UK Hair and Beauty awards after opening her store less than six months ago.
Gizem Sydney, who owns Tone on Pump Street said she is over the moon when she heard she had become a finalist in the extensionist of the year category.
Miss Sydney, age 29, said: "My whole life I wanted to go to university, and then all of a sudden I woke up and I changed my mind.
"I decided I didn't want to be in education anymore.
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"I decided to go into the beauty industry because it makes everybody, not just women, feel confident about themselves.
"We are more than just hair stylists. Our clients offload their problems onto us and it is like being a therapist.
"It would be phenomenal to win, especially after we've just opened in October.
"It would be amazing to win best in the area, let alone best in the UK."
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Miss Sydney, who is originally from Droitwich, said she has been in the hair and beauty industry for 14 years.
She has been doing hair extensions for the past ten years - which is where she said her true passion lies.
"I'm not one of those hair stylists who does wild hairstyles, I do everyday glam," she added.
"Everyone is so image-conscious and everyone wants to look good.
"I create hairstyles that look like seamless effort without doing any work."
The hair stylist previously used to co-own a salon called Parlour in 2017 on Trinity Street but said she felt like her world has come crashing down when the business closed in 2021.
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And after working for another salon for 12 months she found another opportunity to open her own salon on Pump Street.
She said: "It's been a crazy whirlwind and it feels amazing to own my own salon.
"I have been dreaming of owning my own salon since I joined the industry at 16.
"This salon has reignited that fire in my belly and nobody can take it away from me."
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