Daniel Smyth, who moved to Liverpool 18 years ago, is preparing to launch his own beauty brand, DANIELBEAUTY.CO. The 39-year-old, who lives near Sefton Park, will release his range of make-up brushes on Thursday, August 27.
From performing arts to beauty
Smyth, originally from Northampton, moved to Liverpool after studying performing arts at London Metropolitan University. He told the ECHO: "I'd never been to Liverpool, so I thought, 'Let me go and try it out.' Within a week, I'd moved up here, and I've been here ever since."
With no immediate career opportunities in performing arts, Smyth secured a position as a sales consultant in the duty-free shop at Liverpool Airport. Around six months later, a colleague suggested he move onto the beauty counter.
Career in beauty industry
He said: "I had no beauty experience at all, but somehow managed to charm my way through the interview. That's really where it began. I became fascinated by the beauty industry."
From Liverpool Airport, Smyth moved to Manchester Airport and then to Selfridges in the Trafford Centre. He eventually returned to Liverpool, taking up a management role with Bare Minerals. There, he began putting himself forward for additional opportunities, including training events, wedding shows and fashion shows, before moving into training and education.
Launching DANIELBEAUTY.CO
The idea for his own brand came from years of working directly with customers and noticing a recurring problem: people often bought makeup brushes but didn't know how to use them. Each brush is designed to help users understand its purpose, with tutorials available via a QR code on the packaging.
He added: "I'm a problem solver by nature, and I'd spent so much time with customers over the years that I was seeing a problem that many makeup users were experiencing. For me, this is a brush-led brand. The idea is to guide the user as they use the brushes."
Smyth continues to work full-time as UK training manager for Harrods, travelling around its regional beauty stores and training staff across the brands sold by the retailer. He hopes the new venture will allow him to make the leap into working for himself full-time.
He added: "It's taken me years to save for this, and there are so many unexpected costs that you don't foresee or really expect to have. I'm fully aware of all the risks and I know this might not pay off, but I do see a vision. Of course, the dream is that this can become my full-time job. The launch for me represents a remarkable change in direction with everything really."
Reflecting on his journey, he said: "I had no idea this is where coming to Liverpool would take me. I never expected to end up launching my own business."
