Hey There, Gorgeous
I'm Kat and I find writing an 'about me' page is kind of the worst right? It's like the online version of having to do a training day ice breaker. I could tell you three fun facts about me, and my goal for today, but all you need to know is this - I find my magic moments in giving you your magic moments. ​
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I was never your typical 'girly girl'. I'm still not, even if I do have an eternal love affair with glitter. So how does a corporate tomboy end up a beautician? Well so the story goes...
This Was an Accident
Artemis Beauty Leith (ABL) is my covid-era hobby that's grown arms, legs and a studio. In February 2020, I thought I'd learn to do my own nails and signed up to a little online certificate so I could do so safely and get good quality products. But just like you, I ended up in lockdown with a lot of spare time on my hands less than four weeks later. What I thought would be a little hobby turned out to be something I deeply loved. I worked in marketing and unions, and when I clocked off from meetings and projects at 5pm, I couldn't wait to learn more. I was a woman obsessed.
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I was however, also a woman limited by one sad truth - you can only do so many nails on your own hands. So as the world opened back up I got my certificate, and whatever kit and bag I could afford and started posting on Facebook in groups for Inverness, where I lived at the time. I had a small yet solid clientele, and I knew this was what I wanted to do.
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In 2023 I moved to Edinburgh to live with my then fiancé, now husband, Conor. I knew I wanted to start working from a single location and so I overtook our pretty generously sized hallway with my portable table and some shelves and a massage table. I learned brows and lash lifts and facials and I worked until I outgrew the hall and had to find a new nail home, and then spent most of a year renting a chair in a small salon before I outgrew that too. I went back to college and spent six months upgrading my qualifications to reflect the expertise I'd built.
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In May 2024 I moved into my current space, which Conor also used for providing sports massage. I'd work the 9-5 and head over to the 5-9. Every spare penny I had went into products and décor and marketing. With a lot of hard work, and a little luck, I was able to leave my full time corporate job on December 31st. I entered 2025 finally self-employed and won Edinburgh's Best Nail Salon 2025 in Scotland's Business Awards, and I was a finalist for Scotland's Best Nail Salon and Edinburgh's Best Beauty Salon.
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I love what I do. I love hearing about my clients lives, bringing them new techniques and products and seeing their eyes light up when they see the end result. Did you know that most clients have what I call the 'happy-tell' (usually an expression or a noise) when they're truly delighted? I do, and it's the best thing ever.