'I'd always hope that if there was an afterlife and they could see themselves, they would be pleased with how they looked'

Makeup artist swaps cosmetic stores to provide looks for the deceased

- Sentinel Reporter

A MAKEUP artist who swapped high street cosmetic stores to provide looks for the deceased at her family-owned funeral parlour said her career change is a 'forever-kind-of-thing'.

Jayne Lownds, 32, said she has always been drawn to makeup as she loves how it has 'the ability to change the way people feel' - and she spent six years working for retailers such as Benefit Cosmetics and The Body Shop.

In 2019, Jayne said she was approached by her parents, Kevin and Sue Lownds, who established Kevin Lownds Funeral Services in October 2018, as there was a young woman in their care whose family had requested for her makeup to be provided in a particular way.

After completing the look and receiving praise from the family, Jayne said makeup became 'so much more special' to her as she could bring individuals 'peace' in their time of grief.

In March 2020, Jayne officially joined her family's business and now wears 'a lot of hats' alongside her role in mortuary cosmetology.

"I'm not a particularly religious person but I would always hope that if there was an afterlife and they could see themselves, they would be pleased with how they looked," Jayne said.

"There's a special understanding that those of us who work in the industry have about what we do.

"It's a life commitment, it's a forever-kind-of-thing.