“In the very beginning, it was my mother who was passionate about the world of beauty and who shared her passion with me. I loved discovering this environment and decided that I would make it my profession.
She was the secretary of my father, who was a homeopath, but her true passion was beauty. So, in 1990, she created a perfume shop. Each day after school, I would serve customers and give them advice…I loved this atmosphere! But I rapidly became horrified to see the amount of pressure she was under: competition, minimum order amounts… offering one brand rather than another because the salesperson could win a trip if she did her job well…
I was told that I would be “selling dreams”… but it turned out that it was not really the case!
I had always wanted to live in the south of Europe. So, I decided to leave and do something completely different. I wanted to include a treatment room where you take care of your client, and at the same time, not deal with the world of perfumery that distracts from real advice.
I founded my Beauty Institute in 2004 after carefully examining all aspects of my project: I wanted a room where I could welcome my client and advise her. At that time, I was viewed as an alien! I was criticized for not having a land line, but only a mobile phone. I juggled between my appointments at clients’ homes and my salon treatments… In fact, I was simply ahead of my time!
After speaking with many brands that I genuinely believed in, I realized that I would be working for them and not for me. And I wanted to offer my clients effective, high quality products and treatments. I knew I had to find a solution that would deliver real results.
I spoke with my homeopath father, who told me to simply mix clay with essential oils for optimal results. I then went to see a pharmacy to ask if they would support me and they agreed.
Over time, my clients were delighted and told me that I should recommend that other beauty therapists offer the same services. That had not even entered my mind! I only thought about working in a profession I was passionate about, taking care of my baby and spending time with my husband.
I have always loved my job, which I learned from my father! He began working in the army and, later in life, discovered his true calling: medicine. He rapidly decided to study other medical fields, including homeopathy, auriculotherapy and acupuncture. I used to hear him discussing various subjects with other doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians … he then became director of a homeopathic school and even wrote books.
We both share the desire to obtain real results and ensure the well-being of our clients: at the beginning of my career, we were able to work on fundamental issues together. Acne, tired, heavy legs… the results were astounding! I am convinced that the internal balance inside our body has a huge impact on our beauty! And that means starting with the basics: getting solid advice.
Purchasing products on the Internet and in perfume shops, without knowing or understanding the formula compositions, is senseless. It is not enough to simply read a label. For example, a product for dry skin must contain the correct dose of specific ingredients depending on the skin type: does it require moisture? Does it need lipids? We beauty therapists are familiar with product textures and active ingredients. Choosing the correct treatment is so complex that we cannot purchase products on the Internet without individual advice!
Even the very best cream, which is incorrectly recommended, can lead to disappointing results.
There are many aspects that come into play when developing a cosmetic product: texture, active ingredients, and dosage! And this is just the beginning.
I was taught to “taste” a product in order to become familiar with its basic texture, and then we must understand the product and exactly how it works.”