Edinburgh woman 'stuck on Universal Credit' after spending £12,000 for qualification
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Edinburgh women claim they have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after a makeup academy went into liquidation.
One said she forked out nearly £12,000 for an 18-month makeup qualification course - only to end up on Universal Credit after she never received her diploma.
West End-based GlamCandy UK Ltd was a technical and vocational secondary education centre which focused on teaching cosmetics. In October 2024, the company entered compulsory liquidation.
By October 31 2023, GlamCandy had run up debts totalling nearly £800,000, according to Companies House. Former GlamCandy staff and students who spoke to Edinburgh Live reported feeling "powerless" and having "awful" mental health impacts from the ordeal. They claim they have not been told whether the company plans to reimburse them.
Sophie Johnston, 21, moved from Aberdeen to Edinburgh in 2023 to begin a HND in Makeup and TV through GlamCandy. However, after completing the course and spending nearly £12,000 on the course, she is yet to receive her diploma.
(Image: Supplied)
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During her studies, she also worked several months for GlamCandy as a makeup teacher. She claims she was not paid for nearly three months' work after she was told of the company's liquidation in January 2025. She was allegedly left £1,185 out of pocket for shifts from January to December.
Unsure if she will ever be reimbursed, Sophie was forced to go on Universal Credit and says she feels 'defeated' as she struggles to find employment in the industry without qualification.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she said: "I feel like it's been a waste of time. I don't know if I'm ever going to get something from it.
"I've worked so hard to get to where I want to be but now it feels like it's been taken away from me. I'm applying to all different kinds of jobs, but nobody gets back to me so this is putting me down even more."
"At this point, it's so much hassle to go through [trying to get reimbursed] - do I just leave it? No one is willing to help."
'It would be extremely hard [to get a job in the industry without the diploma]. I wouldn't be able to work on a film set with prosthetics if I'm not qualified. I'm on Universal Credit now. I just feel defeated."
(Image: Supplied)
Sabaa Khan, 34, said she started working with GlamCandy in June 2024 as a freelance tutor. She claims to be owed around £880 for her work in January and February this year.
She claimed she was told in December the company was going into liquidation and in March this year, employees were informed no payments were being processed and the tutors had to leave their schools.
With two small children at home, she has been left 'gutted' by the situation. She added: "In March we had a group call being told there was no money left and I was getting pulled out of the school. We worked really hard with all the students and we were worried about their education.
"I am also missing two months of payment and personally, I am gutted because I have two small children and I was trying to take on a job that worked within school hours. The mental health impact of it all has been awful."
A 38-year-old woman, who wishes to be kept anonymous, claims to be owed over £2,000 from GlamCandy for her work as a freelance hair and makeup artist in Edinburgh.
She added: "They owe me just over 2k, which is quite a lot of money in Scotland. I just bought a house last year as well, that's been really stressful.
"For me being a freelancer, it's very hard getting support in this situation. If you are employed, the liquidators pay those people first.
'It made me really angry and also affected my mental health in terms of feeling down and powerless and feeling like I have no control or power over the situation.
'I worked in Edinburgh driving back and forth from there to Glasgow for months, getting nothing for it. I was paying petrol money out of my own pocket."
A GlamCandy source said: "GlamCandy UK Ltd was bought over in December 2023 for £1 by a London-based investor in a rescue deal.
"Regrettably even after a substantial investment and some exceptional work by the team, it was unable to come to a repayment deal with HMRC and was forced into liquidation."
Liquidators Kevin Mapstone and Thomas McKay of Begbies Traynor said: "Kevin Mapstone of Begbies Traynor was appointed as liquidator of Edinburgh-based makeup academy GlamCandy UK Ltd on 30 December 2024. Mr Mapstone is being assisted on the engagement by Thomas McKay, a partner at Begbies Traynor.
"The position in respect of all creditors is currently being assessed, and further updates will be provided to all known creditors in due course.
"We have every sympathy with former GlamCandy students whose studies have been disrupted or curtailed, however tuition could not continue once the business ceased trading as part of the liquidation process. We therefore liaised at an early stage with the relevant bodies to seek to ensure that affected students could be signposted where possible to alternative accredited course providers instead.
"The joint liquidators' investigations into the company's financial position and the circumstances leading to its insolvency are still at a relatively early stage. As part of the liquidation process, the joint liquidators will investigate any concerns or allegations relating to the company's activities that are communicated to them.
"We encourage any party with an outstanding debt, or a grievance about the business or its officers, to contact us at our Edinburgh office on 0131 222 9060."
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