A mother-of-two has spoken of her journey from dropping out of school at 16 years old to building a million-pound aesthetics empire. Maxine McCarthy initially found success in the boxing ring, but went on to create Cosmetic Couture, one of the biggest aesthetic training providers in the UK, Manchester Evening News reports.
The 43-year-old, from Salford, has played a key role in training thousands of practitioners over the years - turning numerous students into some of the most respected and best known figures in the industry. She now owns a million-pound house with an indoor swimming pool, a professional gym, a podcast room and giant gorilla sculpture on the roof of her garage, in which her Lamborghini is kept.
The mother says that despite her success, she's suffered vile abuse online, and even had a stalker over the years.
“I created a multi-million pound business that has gone international over a decade,” Maxine said. “It’s won awards and I’ve opened a second [business] in Cyprus.”
Maxine has always been something of an underdog, leaving school at 16 with six GCSE's and moving to Spain to live with her father. When she returned to the UK, she joined a girl band that played across the north of England supporting chart-topping acts.
And it was during her time in the band that Maxine got her first taste of the beauty industry – glamour, beauty, TV and a love of looking great herself. Musical differences led to her leaving the band, which is where she discovered her love of physical training.
After enrolling at university to study sports science, Maxine began training at a boxing gym in 2007. Her talent didn’t go unnoticed and Maxine was encouraged to turn professional, which she did – eventually ending her career in 2013 unbeaten.
“It gave me discipline,” she said. “It empowered me. I was in a male dominated world and I earned a place within it. It transferred onto every area of my life.
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“Looking back boxing was the hardest days of my life but the best days of my life. It gave me the skills required to make it big in the aesthetic industry as it has been a fight from start to finish in this crazy world of aesthetics.”
Maxine’s journey into the world of aesthetics first began with an advert on Gumtree for botox and dermal filler courses for non-medics in 2009.
Though the course was for exclusively for beauty therapists, Maxine explained she’d just studied anatomy and physiology at university so bosses agreed to let her join the course.
After the three-day programme, Maxine’s diary was already full of bookings. “I was doing treatments and learning things about the industry,” she added. I enjoyed doing it and I understood it. I always had a passion for aesthetics and looking good.”
Maxine worked in a salon and on the road, building her reputation before she took the next step in owning her own business.
Once Cosmetic Couture was born in 2010, Maxine had a clear vision from the start about how to create a pathway for others into the profession – with the company going on to be voted the Best Training Provider in the UK in The International Aesthetics Awards 2022.
“It’s like a domino effect,” she said. “It’s massive everywhere. Every girl who does aesthetics and replicates my pathway goes on to become very successful. Not only have I done that, I’ve empowered other women to do the same.
“I’ve created millionaires. I’ve gone on to become very successful. When people see my story, it’s inspiring. I fought against all odds.
“It’s a lot easier for people now – I took the brunt. I get called the queen of aesthetics and that’s because I am.”
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