Broken Hill’s beauty empresario, Shahna Smith, is refocussing her energy after her time as the managing editor at the National Indigenous Times (NIT) Style Up magazine has come to an end.
“I learnt a lot. I met a lot of incredible people, I helped a lot of incredible people, but my time [in that role] has now come to an end and I’ll be focussing back on Amplified Beauty full time now,” Ms Smith told the Barrier Truth.
The opportunity to refocus her time on Amplified Beauty is an opportunity she is grasping with both hands, after finding it hard to balance both roles when she was still with the NIT Style Up magazine.
“I found there were weeks I was doing over 100 hours at Style Up, so even if I wanted to – I had very little time for [Amplified Beauty]. So I am very excited to put all of my energy back into Amplified Beauty, because there are some incredible opportunities to take.”
Although Ms Smith wasn’t prepared to commit names to the record, she did tell us several A Listers in the beauty world have been taken by the story of Amplified Beauty and have indicated an interest in working with the brand.
“There’s an A List celebrity makeup artist and an A List celebrity photographer who are willing to help, which is exciting.
I made some celebrity contacts through working for Style Up that I will be reaching out to as well. I can’t say who, but they’re big names and I am excited to reach out for a meeting and see how we can collaborate going forward.”
Amplified Beauty has also had a marketing shift more toward a luxury brand, which has been received well, and although it has been a lot of hard work, Ms Smith says it has been worth it. On top of that – she has been continuing her speaking engagements, including most recently a stint on the Adelaide leg of the touring Lady Brains podcast.
“Some of the people I get to speak to is incredible. I have had several ‘pinch me’ moments. I am continuing to use my platform to help other women who want to start a business, and students as well.”
This has been supported by Forbes who have indicated they would like Amplified Beauty to remain “involved and active within the Forbes community” going forwards.
“That is a great milestone for the company following the panel in February,” Ms Smith told the Truth.
Reflecting on her journey, Ms Smith is amazed by her transition from Silver City to global platforms, especially during her travels for Fashion Week in London, New York, and New Zealand.
“It is pretty bizarre. There have definitely been moments when I think ‘do I belong here?’ and ‘as if I am here.’ But I feel like I picked up the fashion industry quite quickly. I never forget my roots or where I am from, but I feel like I belong now.”
Now, with her commitments at Style Up behind her, Ms Smith is intensively focusing on the growth of Amplified Beauty. “Strategy, planning – I am really hoping to expand into some larger chain stores next year, and we are looking into holding a gala in Sydney as well.” It’s a bustling period for Shahna Smith and Amplified
Beauty, with promising developments on the horizon.
It is a busy time for the Silver City’s own Shahna Smith and her company Amplified Beauty and it seems great things are just around the corner.
