Belfast woman opens new makeup studio featuring lessons for over 40s

Owner of Dollypond Makeup Studio, Lyndsay Maurice
-Credit:Submitted


A NI woman has recently opened a new makeup studio in East Belfast featuring lessons for those aged over 40. Lyndsay Maurice is the owner and lead MUA of Dollypond Makeup Studio on Bloomfield Avenue which opened in December 2024.

She says she has made it her mission to help women aged 40+ "embrace and enhance their beautifully changing faces by giving them the skills and confidence to apply their make-up with ease".

Over the past number of years, Lyndsay says she has found that women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond "can often be disillusioned when buying and applying their makeup".

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Lyndsay worked in a corporate job for 14 years and then decided to take a career break. She created her home studio, and has now renovated a property into a new interactive makeup workshop.

The 46-year-old told Be: "We bought [the building] 18 months ago and we’ve been refurbishing it for that time. I opened on the 19th of December."

Dollypond Makeup Studio on Bloomfield Avenue
Dollypond Makeup Studio on Bloomfield Avenue -Credit:Submitted

In the past few years, Lyndsay says she did some online makeup courses "with no real desire to do makeup". She added: "Then I had an Instagram which was just clothes and stuff, fashion for a hobby. Then I started posting what I was learning from the courses.

"I realised there was a number of more mature women my own age, I was 42 at the time, who were struggling with their makeup, struggling with menopause and their faces changing, hormones changing, and just feeling a bit lost because other younger people seemed to have more of an idea about makeup.

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"The beauty industry has just exploded over the last 10, 15 years, and social media. You learn so much as a young person about how to apply your makeup but there was a group of women who were feeling confused about that type of stuff. It tapped into a niche at the time, there were women who were really keen to learn and I was enjoying teaching them.

"Then I did a Ciara Daly 10 week makeup course and really enjoyed that, resigned from my job in 2021 and started working from my home studio. I was doing lots of makeup sessions for women, I could only take three in the garage and I was getting enquiries for bigger groups so I opened the studio where I can take up to eight women at a time."

Lyndsay offers make-up lessons for women aged 40 and over
Lyndsay offers make-up lessons for women aged 40 and over -Credit:Submitted

Lyndsay says that her classes give women the time and space to try new techniques in a relaxed environment.

She added: “The hands-on format allows me to offer help and guidance but ensures that women get the practical experience needed to master the new techniques. In addition, each woman is gifted a set of high quality online tutorials to take home with them to continue learning long after the lesson."

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Lyndsay said her passion for helping women comes from personal experience after the birth of her third child.

She explained: “I was left feeling very low. I was struggling in a stressful corporate job and feeling like I was putting myself last over and over again."

Lyndsay said retraining as a makeup artist was "on a whim" but added that it's the "best thing" she have ever done.

Inside the new studio -Credit:Submitted
Inside the new studio -Credit:Submitted

"Helping women who are in a similar position to myself has brought me so much joy. I want to share the message that we must take care of ourselves first and foremost and our loved ones will feel the ripple effects of that. If we feel good, so will they", she said.

“Learning new makeup techniques does not have to be complicated or all-consuming. I try to keep my techniques practical and achievable. Often the smallest tips can make the biggest difference."

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Speaking to Be, the East Belfast woman added: "It's about teaching them new skills, bringing their confidence up with makeup. I think the older they get, some women think they can’t wear makeup but actually your placement needs to change when you get older."

For information about all makeup services or group makeup lessons, you can visit www.dollypond.com, @dollypondmakeup on Instagram, or email dollydoesfaces@gmail.com.

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