Carlisle beauty business started in a spare bedroom nominated Best Beauty Salon

A Carlisle beauty business started in a spare bedroom has been nominated for the Best Beauty Salon 2026 award. Beauty & The Brow, run by Lyndsy Stephenson, is in the running for the News & Star Best Beauty Salon 2026 award. Lyndsy began the business in 2020 while working full-time. She provided treatments from her spare bedroom before demand led to a change. Around three years ago, her partner converted their garage into a treatment space. The move gave the business room to develop and allowed Lyndsy to work from a dedicated salon. In 2024, she left her full-time job and became fully self-employed. The Carlisle business offers several beauty treatments, with a focus on brows and lip blush. Lyndsy has continued to build her skills and knowledge while working to help clients feel confident and enhance their natural features. Speaking about the nomination, she said: "I was absolutely thrilled." She said the recognition had made her reflect on the business and what she had achieved. Lyndsy said: "When you run a business on your own, you spend so much time looking after clients and managing everything behind the scenes that you rarely stop to reflect." She believes personal care is central to the salon’s appeal. Lyndsy listens to clients, discusses what they want and aims to make them comfortable during appointments. She said: "I want every person to leave feeling confident and looking forward to coming back." She said returning customers, recommendations and reviews had helped the business grow. "My clients are the reason Beauty & The Brow exists," she said She added that their support had allowed her to build a business around work she enjoys. Winning would be significant for the sole trader, who said recognition would also represent thanks to customers and people in Carlisle. She said: "It would mean the world to me." She said the nomination had already given her the opportunity to appreciate how far Beauty & The Brow had come since it began in her home.