Make-up artist swaps working with the living for the dead

Jayne Lownds says make-up has become "so much more special" to her

A make-up artist who swapped high street cosmetic stores for providing looks for the dead at her family-owned funeral parlour says her career change is a "forever kind of thing".

Jayne Lownds said she "absolutely loved how make-up had the ability to change the way people could feel" when she was working on the high street.

But in a pivot from doing hair and make-up for the living, the Stoke-on-Trent resident now ensures the deceased look their best before they make their final journey.

"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," said the mortuary cosmetologist.

The 32-year-old said she was asked by her parents, who own Kevin Lownds Funeral Services, if she could help a young woman in their care whose family asked for her make-up in a particular way.

She had previously worked at Benefit Cosmetics and The Body Shop

"The young woman was very specific about the way she did her make-up, and her family wanted the make-up to look as though she had done it herself," said Ms Lownds, who previously worked at Benefit Cosmetics and The Body Shop.

"It was my first experience of getting somebody ready in that way, and it was a completely different feeling."

It was, she said, not about the confidence her work would usually give to a person, but "it was what I could give to a family, and in a lot of ways, that was peace".

The make-up artist officially joined her family at Kevin Lownds Funeral Services in 2020

She said when she later returned to the funeral parlour to check on her work, the young woman's parents had requested to see her.

"When I came through to the reception, they just threw their arms around me; they gave me a really big hug.

"They said I gave them something back that they never thought they would get to see again."

Make-up became "so much more special" to her in this moment, she said.

It was in 2019, and after spending time training and learning about the industry, she officially joined her family at the funeral parlour, run by her parents, Kevin and Sue Lownds, 66 and 65, respectively, in 2020.

Their daughter said she now wears "a lot of hats", from leading funeral services as a celebrant to working on call to take the recently deceased into their care.

"When you work for a small, family-run, independent business, everybody has to be really multi-skilled," she said.

Jayne Lownds wears "a lot of hats" alongside her role in mortuary cosmetology

Ms Lownds, who went to university to study dance, said she also loved pre-recording people's wishes for funerals.

"People say things like, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we had this song?' or 'I'm going to write a funny poem for it to be read at the funeral, and hopefully that will make people laugh'."

But she added: "I think if you have become desensitised, you're probably in the wrong job.

"You have to remain sensitive and compassionate, but also brave enough to hold it in and know that it's not your time to cry, it's your time to be the shoulder."

Reflecting on her career shift, she urged others to "follow your passions".

"When something feels right, go with it."