This January, The Salon by InStyle and JC Penney announced their new employment program, Project Cinderella. Offered in salons inside of JC Penney stores across the country, the program offers stylists and nail technicians generous benefits, including flexible scheduling, the option to establish individual service pricing, advanced education programs, and the potential to receive medical and dental insurance, paid time off, an associate discount and a 401k retirement plan. Project Cinderella also provides professionals with 50-70% commission rates depending on performance, while eliminating rental and supply fees.

Seasoned nail tech Melissa Bozant is a participant of Project Cinderella. A manicurist at the Austin Barton Creek branch of The Salon by Instyle in Texas, she is passionate about the opportunities the program provides. “It’s just so competitive now,” Bozant says of the nail industry. “It’s different from when I started doing nails eighteen years ago. Even the most successful artists still have to maintain a client base and have a chair in a salon.” She also appreciates the hands-on opportunities that the salon provides, explaining that she is able to work with the salon to revamp their services. The stability of the salon environment also allows people to develop a career in the beauty industry who may not have had the chance otherwise. “There are so many benefits to having big brands like JC Penney and InStyle behind you. For instance, during Hurricane Harvey, they are paying employees affected by the storm for their time off.” With the support of The Salon by Instyle, aspiring estheticians and nail technicians have the opportunity to get a foot in the door of the beauty industry while benefiting from the support of a large corporation.

Project Cinderella is a perfect fit for Bozant, who is also extremely enthusiastic about encouraging professionals new to the industry. Recently, she organized a photoshoot when she learned that some of her colleagues, nail tech Chelsea Phillips and makeup artist Edwena Sobande, had never had the opportunity to work on a professional shoot. The photos accompanying this article were taken at this shoot that Bozant organized. Sobande began her career as a makeup artist in 2016, and is now preparing her first day at a Salon by Instyle, thanks to Project Cinderella.