Creative HEAD UK April 2020

THE IT GIRL
SARAH BLACK
LINTON & MAC/
ADAM REED
LONDON
SARAH BLACK’S It Girl win cemented Linton & Mac’s
place as one of the most exciting places for hairdressing
talent not just in Scotland, but in the whole of the UK. It
took time to find her niche, but now she’s happier than ever.
“When I joined the industry 10 years ago I didn’t know
what I wanted – I just knew I wanted to be around the buzz
and excitement of hairdressing,” Sarah explains. “I was
18, a little bit cocky and a whole lot confident. I thought I
was in it for the session styling. I saw myself working on
magazine shoots on a different continent every weekend.”
It took a few years of feeling stifled by salon life, a stint
in Malaysia and a return to Aberdeen for her passion to be
reignited: “The past four years have been spent designing
and building a career that suits me – a balance of clients,
education, colour, creativity and collaboration.”
Social media was key for Sarah, who used it to show her
colouring work and get word out to potential clients. “I hit
Instagram at a really sweet time and saw the huge potential
it had to launch my career. I fast became the go-to colourist
in Aberdeen for big colour changes, corrections and
balayage. It was my platform for self-expression – I could
show my personality alongside my work and attracted a
type of clientele which made work exciting and fresh.”
When Jennifer Linton and Jaye MacDonald offered her
the opportunity to join their team and develop as an artist,
they set a list of goals. The first was L’Oréal Colour Trophy,
and Sarah’s iconic moss green mullet won her the UK
award in 2017. A keen eye for offbeat shades secured Sarah
a place as a L’Oréal Professionnel educator, writing her own
course to inspire her fellow colourists. “I love having the
opportunity to develop my own interpretations,” she
says. “I have a strong opinion and sense of how
colours make me feel, so if I’m not excited by a
trend colour, I’ll reinterpret it.”
The future is colourful and bright for Sarah,
who says that winning the It Girl Award
has given her a major confidence boost to
pursue her dreams: “I was proud to be
shortlisted as a finalist, so to actually win
was an epic bonus. It has reinforced my
thinking that I am on the right path
and I can achieve everything that
is important to me!” In the future,
Sarah will be joining Adam Reed’s
team at his new salon, while still
looking after existing clients in
Aberdeen every few weeks.
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