Tiptree beautician celebrates 25 years of running her own business

Sharon Metson-Halsey, 52, has run Contours Beauty Salon, in Church Road, Tiptree, since 1998 and celebrated a quarter of a century in the industry with an event and fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation on Friday afternoon.

Mayor and Mayoress of Colchester, John and Susan Jowers, visited as part of the celebrations.

Back in the day – Sharon Metson-Halsey with her mum in the year the salon first opened in 1998 (Image: Sharon Metson-Halsey)

In 1998 when Contours first opened, it was the only beauty salon in Tiptree.

Plenty has changed in that time, and Mrs Metson-Halsey has had to overcome plenty of challenges, not least the financial crash of 2008 and the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

But the 52-year-old has also had personal setbacks along the way, having originally opened the business with her parents for moral support.

Changing – this is how the salon looked in the late 1990s (Image: Sharon Metson-Halsey)

Mrs Metson-Halsey, whose mum was the receptionist at the salon from the beginning, said: “I just think your body takes over [in periods like that] – you have no choice.

“You either crumble and lose everything, or you stay strong – you just have to put everything aside to focus on the business.”

Running her own business has become part of who Mrs Metson-Halsey is, but it wasn’t always that way; the 52-year-old had previously worked in Barclays bank and then joined the beauty industry working for a salon in Hertfordshire, but she soon wanted to take on her own challenge.

The originals – the team gather for a photograph in the salon's first year (Image: Sharon Metson-Halsey)

“I wanted to do something for myself, but it took me two years to find a premises to run the business from.”

The salon was awarded the Beauty Salon of the Year for Essex last year as part of the 2022 LUXLife Magazine Health, Beauty and Wellness Awards.

As well as riding out plenty of challenges, the salon has had to modernise too, changing treatments as different forms of beautification fall in and out of fashion.

Building a brand – Contours had established itself by the mid-2000s (Image: Sharon Metson-Halsey)

“Back in the 90s, things like gel nails were never around, but people are coming away from having acrylic nails and are having gel nails again," she said.

“Fibre glass nails were really popular in the 1990s, but it’s so hard to get hold of the materials now.”

The latest craze? Reflexology, Mrs Metson-Halsey explained.

Proud – Contours has run Beauty Salon of the Year for Essex on numerous occasions (Image: Sharon Metson-Halsey)

“It’s about putting pressure on your feet and hands – since Covid, we’ve never been so busy for it.

“We just need to look forward and keep going with the changes.”