Katy Jobbins and her Wivelsfield academy took both National 1st Place titles at the UK Hair & GB Beauty Awards 2026, after 12,000 procedures and 1,000 students.
Wivelsfield permanent makeup artist Katy Jobbins has won two national titles at the UK Hair & GB Beauty Awards 2026. She was named National 1st Place Semi-Permanent Makeup Artist of the Year, and The Permanent Makeup Training Academy, which she founded and runs from Wivelsfield, was named National 1st Place Beauty Training Academy of the Year.
The results were announced during a two-hour presentation streamed live on YouTube at 8pm on Saturday 26 September. One award recognises her own work on clients; the other recognises the way she teaches it.
From the South East to the national title
The awards were judged in two rounds. Winners were first chosen region by region across the UK, including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London and the South East. Katy was named South East Regional Winner for Semi-Permanent Makeup Artist of the Year, and moments later her academy took the South East title for Beauty Training Academy of the Year.
Those two regional wins put both into the national finals against regional winners from across the country, and both came out on top.
“Winning the artist award meant so much to me because I’ve spent almost 20 years refining my work,” Katy said. “But when they then announced the academy as National 1st Place too, I couldn’t quite believe it.
“I’ve trained nearly 1,000 students over the years, and teaching women this skill and watching what they go on to do with it has become such a huge part of my life. To be recognised nationally for both the work I do myself and the way I teach it to others felt like an incredible full-circle moment.”
The awards organisers said: “This is an incredible achievement and something Katy should be extremely proud of. Her hard work, dedication, talent and commitment to her industry have truly stood out.”
A £700 loan and a nail course
The academy says Katy left home at 16. She put £2,000 of her savings towards a three-day nail course, borrowed a further £700 to complete it, and started out as a mobile nail technician. By 21 she had her own salon with six staff.
She came to permanent makeup almost by accident, according to the academy: a trainer visiting the salon saw her artwork and told her she was “made for” the profession. Katy was not sure at first that she could afford the training or that she would succeed at it, but took the chance.
Almost two decades on, the academy puts her record at more than 12,000 permanent makeup procedures, work from around 50 clinics including Harley Street, and nearly 1,000 students trained, many of whom have gone on to set up permanent makeup businesses of their own.
Teaching one student at a time
Katy deliberately teaches students individually rather than in large classes. Many of the women who train with her are changing career, returning to work after having children, or coming from nursing or other parts of the beauty industry in search of a new direction.
Alongside her paid work and the training, she has given a large number of free treatments through what she calls her “Pay with a Smile” initiative, including for people affected by cancer and other life-changing circumstances.
“I genuinely believe money isn’t everything,” she said. “Joy matters. Confidence matters. Kindness and helping people matter.
“Permanent makeup gave me a career I absolutely loved, but eventually it also gave me the chance to help other women create something of their own.”
Rich House, Poor House, and what came after
Some readers will know Katy from television. In 2019 she and her family swapped lives with single mum Nadine Hill and her family for the Channel 5 documentary series Rich House, Poor House, which has since been shown on streaming services including Netflix.
The two women stayed in touch after filming, and Katy went on to help Nadine learn permanent makeup as a new source of income. Nadine recently got in touch to tell her she had made a four-figure sum in a single day.
Second time at the top
This is not the academy’s first national award. In 2024 The Permanent Makeup Training Academy was named National 1st Place Training Centre of Excellence, and Katy was named National 2nd Best PMU Brow Artist in the UK, both at the National Hair & Beauty Awards in Birmingham. This year she has taken first place for her own work as well.
“I started out as a teenager doing nails and wondering whether I could afford to take the next step,” Katy said. “I could never have imagined that almost 20 years later I would be holding two National 1st Place awards for both my artistry and my academy. That’s what makes this one so special.”
Training with the academy
The Permanent Makeup Training Academy is in Wivelsfield. Course details are on permanentmakeuptraining.co.uk, Katy’s own work is at katyjobbins.com, and the academy can be reached on 01444 300157 or at info@permanentmakeuptraining.co.uk. It also posts on Facebook.
Sponsored feature for The Permanent Makeup Training Academy, the permanent makeup training school in Wivelsfield.
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