If there’s something Mary Simmons, aka High Brow Mary, knows, it’s the transformational quality a good eyebrow shape can make to a client’s face. “I’m so passionate about eye brows because I love that small tweaks can make such a huge difference and completely change how someone looks, if done right,” she says. “Everyone’s face is different, so the shape has to be totally tailored to them.”
Which is where her artistic talent comes in, and something her Forest Gate and Manor Park clients have come to deeply appreciate.
“Seeing somebody’s face light up when I pass them the mirror makes me so happy,” she says. “It gives me pleasure knowing somebody’s leaving feeling beautiful and confident."
Mary is driven by a desire to help her clients feel great about themselves. “I used to bite my nails when I was ten, and my mum took me for my first ever manicure to help me stop. I felt so good about myself when I left, that I knew that I wanted to do that for other people.”
Mary moved to the area from New Zealand ten years ago, working in high end beauty salons in the West End.
But after the birth of her own son 15 months ago, she founded her own wellness business at home, to be able to spend more time at with her family and to also strengthen her connections with her local community.
Her salon is at her welcoming home in Manor Park and treatments range from brow shape and tidy to brow and lash tinting and gentle waxing treatments. She also produces a homemade range of organic, unrefined bodycare products that can be made bespoke for her clients’ needs, but at affordable prices.
Her treatments and products are affordable – with brow shaping starting from £10 – and convenient.
“I know that lots of my clients don’t have time to pop into central London for an appointment, so it makes me very happy to be able to do that in my local area.”
She also found that many of her clients had babies, so she offers relaxed appointments, where children are also welcome – allowing extra time for feeding and nappy changes if needed. “I know what it’s like to be a busy mum who has no time for herself,” she says, “If they can pop in with their baby, it makes their day a little easier and they get to have a treatment and feel great. That for me is what beauty is all about.”
Follow her Instagram account for a wealth of beauty tips, bookings and prices. @highbrows_mary
