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Serena Khambatta - A Legend in Aesthetics

Serena Khambatta - A Legend in Aesthetics

Serena Khambatta- Teaching the Concept of Beauty

Her father’s family was Jewish refugees from Iraq; her mother’s family originated in Singapore.  But it was no accident that Serena Khambatta was born in India.  After all, India is the land of legendary beauties, and Serena Khambatta certainly fits that description.

Even as a girl, Serena David (as she was then known) was strikingly attractive.  At 5-foot, 9-inches tall (in a country where the average woman 5-foot, 1-inch tall), she was bounded to be noticed.  The charismatic Indian film producer Mehboob Khan offered her the lead in his epic film “Aan” (“Honor”).  Serena had just given up a career as a stewardess to marry Minoo Khabatta.  She had no intention of disrupting the family she intended to start by replacing flying with acting.  “No one said ‘No’ to Mehboob Khan.  I shocked him by turning him down!” says Serena as she laughs.  She had other ideas.

At a time when a working woman was considered unusual in India, and a married working woman revolutionary, Serena had made up her mind.  She would work.  And she knew what she wanted to do she came from an exceptionally good-looking family.  But the secret wasn’t entirely in genes.  There were lotions, herbs and oils that her mother and grandmother used regularly.  The recipes had been passed down through the generations and had traveled from Baghdad and Singapore to Bombay.  Serena decided to let others in on the secret.

Neighbors, friends, even strangers all experienced Serena’s assured touch as she toned up their skin with special tonics that she had created entirely out of herbs.  Her fame spread steadily buy Serena was looking ahead.  This was post-colonial India, and Serena knew that economic imperatives would soon overturn traditional Indian society.  The woman of leisure would be replaced by the working woman with very different demands on her time.  What Serena needed was a modern, fully equipped beauty salon to augment her approach to scientific beauty treatment.  It was a concept totally alien to Bombay 30 years ago.

London beckoned, and she enrolled in the Delia Collins Beauty School in 1961.  Eagerly, Serena learned various new techniques, adding a Western form to her Indian content.  Months later, as she approached graduation, her father back home in India, died.  Serena remembers, “I was in England, far away from home, preparing for examinations in a language in which at the tie I was not very proficient.  My family withheld the news of my father’s death from me, knowing how close I was to him and realizing tat the news would have a shattering effect on me.  It was only after I had graduated as a fully qualified aesthetician that I was informed.  I returned to India, deeply saddened.”

With steely resolve she put the tragedy behind her and opened her salon in 1962 at Bombay’s glamorous Astoria Hotel.  It was a dazzling success.  The well heeled of Bombay trooped in as did a new type of clientele -- the Indian working woman.  Serena’s hunch had paid off.  Her blend of Indian herbs and Western technology was just what they wanted.  Serena says, “I introduced a whole new approach to beauty in India.  Women in India tend to be very heavily clothes, with the traditional Indian sari being as long as nigh yards! This leads to a concentration on facial beauty and the almost total exclusion of the body.  With my concept of “Total Beauty,” I revolutionized the way women in India think about themselves.”

She pioneered the use of slimming machines in India and introduced traditional Indian yoga as a beauty adjunct.  Serena strongly feels that yoga not only keeps one physically fit but mentally serene.  “A tense face is never beautiful, a serene face always is.  Serenity and beauty are almost synonymous,” Serena says.

“Total Beauty” caught on in a big way.  Indian women discovered that their elegant saris draped just that much more elegantly on their new, streamlined figures.  And the Indian obsession with facial beauty was also catered to.  A stream of innovative beauty products flowed our of Serena’s salon.  Herbs like neem and chironjee, the medicinal tulsi, have all been used by Serena in skin-revitalizing masks and acne-resistant creams.

Serena’s daughter, Marisa, is them modern face of salon’s chain.  A graduate in political science, a fully qualified lawyer and an alumna of the Completions School of Makeup in London, Marisa brings her diverse talents to the expanding group.  She joined her mother 10 years ago when the pressured to expand the salon beyond downtown Bombay became irresistible. In 1982, Serena’s opened its doors in the glittering suburb of Bandra.

“Bandra is the Beverly Hills of India,” Marisa says.  “India has one of the largest film industries in the world.  The most glamorous people associated with films - actors, directors, producers - have homes in Bandra.  It made a lot of sense to locate our new branch there.”

Serena’s concept of “Total Beauty” and Marisa’s innovative make-up and skin care skills add up to winning combinations.  The demand for their services is constantly increasing.  Serena regularly host seminars on beauty for the employees of industrial corporations.  She lectures on beauty as a profession for students of various schools like the Sophia College Polytechnique and Avabai Petit School.  Marisa writes a highly popular column on skin and hair care for India’s widely-read Movie magazine.  Her column is also due to be syndicated.

 

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Robert Oppenheim - A Legend in Aesthetics

Robert Oppenheim - A Legend in Aesthetics

Robert Oppenheim- A Legend in Aesthetics

Robert Oppenheim is Chairman of Clairol’s Professional Products Division.  Has He ever had anything to do with skin care?  Lots.

The story goes back to Bob starting his career in the salon industry at the Clairol Company.  Later he was asked by Revlon to take over their hair color division.  Subsequently, he was promoted to Revlon’s “mainstream”, cosmetics.  He immediately enrolled in a makeup course at Wilfred Academy in New York where he studied under Mark Traynor.  Whenever he could, he visited salons, an activity he pursues to this day.  (“If you have any questions about any part of the salon business, go out and call on beauty salons.  That’s where the truth is.  That’s where the answers are.”)

In the course of his travels he was introduced to Christine Valmy who invited him to visit her salon and school.  He was reluctant because he felt Revlon might subsequently be in competition with Ms. Valmy, and he didn’t want to be in a position of seeing any “secret” products, procedures, techniques or what-have-you.  Ms. Valmy insisted, saying if anything he saw would benefit the tiny skin care industry; he was absolutely welcome to it.  No problems, no conflicts of interest.  The guided tour through the entire Valmy operation got him hooked on skin care.  The year was 1968.  He went back and spoke to the great Charles Revson himself about the possibilities and potentials of professional skin care.  Revson agreed on the potentials but felt the investment would be to great, and the wait for profits too long.  Subsequently, Oppenheim left Revlon and went out on his own, engaging in a number of activities.  He published a newsletter, was a marketing consultant to any number of companies, and wrote, lectures and produced trade shows and seminars.  It was while producing the National Beauty Show in Las Vegas for NHCA in 1973 (incidentally, the first beauty show ever held in Las Vegas), that he realized there were no skin care manufacturers exhibiting at the show.  This meant there would probably be no aestheticians at the show.  This triggered a whole series of thoughts which culminated in the idea of a skin care seminar.  He asked his longtime friend and veteran show producer, Harry Robins, to join him in the endeavor.

Having only his enormous interest in skin care, and his great ability as a communicator/motivator, he decided he had best see how the world’s greatest skin care commercial/educational program was run.

He called the seminar, “The First American Skin Care Seminar”, the faculty read like a Who’s Who of aesthetics with pioneer leaders of the day, as well as prominent dermatologists and plastic surgeons friendly to the cause of aesthetics.  The keynote speaker, speaking entirely in French with a simultaneous translation into English, was none other than the great Pierantoni himself.  Pierantoni was so impress with Bob Oppenheim’s enthusiasm and sincerity of purpose while he was in Versailles, that he agreed to appear for the first time on an American program.  At the end of the three-day seminar, Pierantoni paid Oppenheim the supreme compliment.  He told him The First American Skin Care Seminar was second in content only to his own skin care congresses! 

The great success of Oppenheim’s seminar led him and co-producer Robins, to schedule another within months at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.  This too was a triumph, and they scheduled still a third seminar in New York less than a year later.  The whole field of aesthetics was now launched into anew orbit.  Regional skin care associations started to be formed.  Other individuals and groups started sponsoring their own educational programs.  Oppenheim proceed no further seminars, but was a frequent attendee and popular speaker at other skin care seminars.

Oppenheim’s role in skin care was not to end there, however.  As regional aesthetics associations grew, their individual purposes sometimes abraded one another and were counterproductive to national aesthetics growth.  It did not take long to get to the point that there would have to be some sort of merger, consolidation or federation of these desperate groups lest they begin to work against one another rather than for skin care.  Bringing them together would be no easy task because of the differing regions, purposes and personalities. In these delicate negotiations the person who could always be counted on by all to be neutral and a friend of all courts, was Bob Oppenheim. Bob was the common denominator.  The federation became a reality, and from this came the affiliation with NHCA and the formation of Esthetics America.  For his services on behalf of skin care and the formation of the Federation of skin care an association, Mr. Oppenheim was given a special award in recognition of is contribution. 

And that’s why the Chairman of the Professional Products Division of Clairol is featured on the cover of a skin are publication.

PostScript:  In 1983 Robert Oppenheim was elected President of NBBMA (National Beauty and Barber Manufacturers’’ Association). His experience in dealing with differing factions within an industry stood him in good stead.  He was the prime mover in merging both organizations, and in 1985 was elected the first President of ABA. The American Beauty Association.  This is an association of manufactures of all sizes, as well as manufactures’ representatives.  As you cane see, Bob’s service to the industry continues at a high level.

In the interview regarding this article, Bob was referred to as a legend in his own time.  He waved this aside with a laugh and said, “I’m not even a Legend in my own mind”.  Asked how he would describe himself and his relationship to the business, he replied without hesitation, “Just say I’m a guy who’s absolutely in l-o-v-e with this industry”.  From where we sit, we’d say the industry feels the same about him.

 

CONGRATULATIONS to Robert Oppenheim for being featured in Dermascope in its series A Legend.

 

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Robert Diemer - A Legend in Aesthetics

Robert Diemer - A Legend in Aesthetics

Robert Diemer- A Legend in Aesthetics

“Prosperity through achievement” is and has been the philosophy and dream of Rover M. Diemer, a successful cosmetic skin care specialist.  This dream has become a reality from years of hard work and professional dedication to the beauty industry, especially with his involvement in the field of skin care.  Mr. Diemer is instrumentals in leading estheticians the world over with new innovative ideas on skin care which are based on sound research data.

Robert Diemer, executive director of the American Institute of Esthetics, an advanced training center for skin care professionals located in Huntington Beach, CA.   He is known throughout the professional beauty industry as a leading authority on skin care and makeup artistry through his numerous lectures and various published works.  These articles have been found featured In American Salons, Les Nouvelles Esthetics, Prevention Magazine and many more.

The dream of Robert Diemer began to unfold as early as 1969 when after extensive travel and training under such masters as Mark Traynor, Way Bandy, Christine Valmy and Christine Shaw of London, Robert began to grasp the feeling that was quickly becoming apparent in the esthetic community.  Where was it going?  What was the future?  What now?

All these questions amounted to frustration for estheticians the nation over who were in pursuit of a high professional image as well as increasing their financial security.  Robert, as well as his peers, felt extremely dissatisfies with the “Status quo” and especially with the disillusionment over the lack of education offered to aestheticians in America.  He was also disappointed with the amount and level of “product knowledge” that so-called major manufactures were providing in order to educate esthetics about their particular line of products.  Robert made a commitment to himself and his peers to safeguard the profession of esthetics by enhancing its public and professional image with the advancement of product knowledge and his concepts and theories on corrective skin care.  This was centered on the basic idea of improving education and the quality of the profession and increasing public awareness and acceptance.

The dream became reality after years of research and development when in 1976 the doors were opened to the American Institute of Esthetics.  Estheticians from all over the world were invited to hear Robert speak and discuss his new concepts on corrective skin care for use in their particular salon.  All with great success and a great deal of client satisfaction.

Robert’s approach to education was based on his refined skin care concepts and practical theories of corrective skin care.  This innovative approach became the ground work necessary for implementing advanced esthetic seminars that would teach effective and profitable skin care techniques.  He wanted to teach estheticians how to obtain observable results through corrective skin care treatments which resulted in meeting individual skin care problems.

In his product line, Prescription Plus, Robert felt compelled to avoid both limitations and reliance on certain ingredients.  Due to his involvement and research with plastic surgeons and dermatologists, he developed a “Para-medical” approach to skin care; that is, individual skin conditions need individualized treatment.  This system is now used in the most progressive salons in the United States.  It also has introduced the professional “Art of Esthetics” to the costumer.  The system encompasses the client’s health, nutrition medical history and lifestyle and is being used by many leading estheticians in lectures, seminars and workshops all over the world today.  The information is utilized as the foundation on which appropriate esthetic treatments are based.   Robert Diemer has been instrumental in elevating estheticians to the status of professionals with this innovative and practical program.  As well, he understood that active ingredients, like drugs, would work on particular conditions and not on others.  The Prescription Plus Laboratory was the answer:  a series of base cleansers, creams, tonics, masks, etc., and a variety of the most widely used active ingredients.  Through systematic charting of the skin, called “Derma-Analysis” founded by Robert, the esthetician decides which ingredients are needed to correct a particular skin problem.  These ingredients are “custom-blended” into both the home care as well as treatment products for a particular client.  This streamlined addition to the skin care industry was an important step in the development of an American approach to skin care.  This new concept often shocked many people in the profession and was slightly ahead of its time.

Many estheticians/salon owners were not quite sure how to view this.  However the truly progressive salon owners realized the value of providing their clients with a skin care product, a product so specialized it was almost like a prescription for their skin!  The concept began to realize itself and became an important addition to the tools of many professional estheticians.

Over the past several years, under Robert’s directions, the American Institute of Esthetics has made its mark in the field of skin care.  Robert, his staff and co-op membership have been featured speakers at almost every major trade show in the United States.  Research articles prepared by the institute have appeared in major publications across the world.  The impact of the Institute is being felt on the international level, stemming from the theories and philosophies which Robert has projected over the past several years, and are fast becoming the basis of skin care education in cosmetology schools across the country/  the 1980’s have proven to be very successful years for Robert Diemer.  Celebrity status in the fast paced fashion and beauty industry must be earned and is exceptionally difficult to maintain.  Easily approached for his ideas on skin care and makeup by students and professionals, Robert is always willing to share his expertise.  His personal philosophy is to allow people to grow and reach their own potential in an atmosphere that encourages their self-esteem and confidence.  He takes as much time as possible out of his busy schedule to see and talk to many people regarding their new ideas, their problems and when asked, freely gives professional advice.

In 1983 Robert was approached by the Long Beach Hairdressers Guild, Inc., to establish the First Esthetic Congress for their 41st Annual LBHG Beauty and Trade Show.  In January of 1984 the First Esthetic Congress was given in Long Beach, California, where Mr. Diemer brought speakers from all over the world to lecture and educate on a national level.  Robert also introduced the first makeup artistry that had not been explored at a national show before this time.  The response was overwhelming.  In January of 1986, over 55,000 attendees had the opportunity to learn from 40 of the worlds leading skin care and makeup specialist, under the direction of Robert Diemer, at the 3rd Annual Skin Care and Makeup Congress held at the 43rd Annual LBHG Beauty and Trade Show, in Long Beach, California.  Robert’s Long list of positions held includes founding president of Aestheticians International Association in California.  In 1982 Robert was appointed to HairAmerica and in 1983 he was given the title of the first Esthetics Section Director for HairAmerica.  In August, 1985, the reality of his growing leadership was recognized when at the Federation of American Esthetics National Convention (consisting of the Aestheticians International Association;  CIDESCO, USA:  and the Skin Care Association of America) voted unanimously to disband and become part of the National Hairdressers and Cosmetologist Association’s newly formed EstheticsAmerica.  EstheticsAmerica proudly chose Robert M. Diemer as their founding chairman, an honor Robert admits is presently the highlight of his esthetic career.  Robert is now working on the first national convention to be held in Washington DC, July 1986.  The premiere congress held in January 1986, in New Orleans, was a great success and Robert says “there is no time like the present to make esthetics and full service salon a house-hold word”.  Robert realizes without the support of HairAmerica, and the National Hairdressers and Cosmetologist Association, none of this would have been possible.  He takes every opportunity he can to thank everyone who as supported the development and unification of estheticians in America.

In retrospect, as we look at Robert M. Diemer we see a man who loves his work, the many hours of preparation for conventions and congresses are all voluntary.  Why? Robert has made the status of the American esthetician his life time goal.  “We no longer have to rely upon a European approach to esthetics!  The American esthetician has taken the best of Europe and incorporated that knowledge with American technology and understanding to produce a new philosophy in esthetics.”  A philosophy that Robert is very proud to be a part of.  His dreams have realized themselves, proving over and over again that a well-educated esthetician trained in America can obtain results “par excellence” and become the leaders in the international esthetic movement.  This dream many thousands of American estheticians have already realized.  ROBERT M. DIEMER DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF ESTHETICS IN AMERICA AND ALL OVER THE WORLD.

 

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Rick Norvell: A Legend in Aesthetics

Rick Norvell: A Legend in Aesthetics

A Legend: Rick Norvell

 

There is a timeless adage that warns, “If you play with fire, you will get burned.” But, in some cases, playing with fire sparks a new idea. In Rick Norvell’s case, playing with fire ignited an industry.

Fascinated with matches, he sneaked a matchbook into his pocket to indulge his curiosity. But, on this day, the fun turned to flames. After piling up match upon match and then striking one, a stray string on Rick’s shirt was set ablaze. Feverishly fueled by a synthetic polyester blend, the flames increased. Still a year from attending kindergarten, and more than 20 years before the world was engrained with the stop, drop, and roll technique, Norvell panicked and dashed off for help. With every step, the flames were fed and he became more and more engulfed.

Whether Norvell’s salvation that day was divine intervention or merely coincidence depends on whom is asked. “The story seems so outrageous that I am sure some people think I am making this part up,” he says. “But, as I sprinted toward my house, a passing car stopped to help. The driver ran to meet me. He took off his coat, threw it around me, and did everything he could until the flames were extinguished. It was only then, after the immediate danger had subsided, that I realized I was saved by a Catholic priest. Myself, parents, family members, and friends all sought him out to express our appreciation, but no one was able to locate him. No one knew his name or where he came from.”

Though the fire was out, the long and painstaking road to recovery had only begun. Norvell had burned over 40 percent of his body. The shirt that had once been there to adorn him had been replaced with raw remains. He spent the next five months in the hospital enduring excruciating skin grafts and a restrictive body cast.

In the years after being released from the hospital and into the care of his beloved mother, Norvell’s journey of healing continued. The initial burns turned into tight, dry, scarred skin. The older he became and the more he grew, the more the scars became an issue. Norvell shares, “When you are burned, the skin’s oil glands go too. The essential moisture the skin needs to be pliable is not there. Talk about growing pains!”

The physical discomfort continued and was soon joined by emotional pain. With each passing summer, the ribbing from Norvell’s peers heightened. The winter months shielded him, literally and emotionally, but, when the temperatures rose and everyone began to shed their clothes for pool parties and dips in the lake, Norvell became a target for teasing. Keeping his shirt on protected him from environmental elements, as well as the looks on the other children’s faces, but still, bullying abounded.

“We all know how difficult growing up can be. I have three children and I have seen how rough kids can be on one another,” says Norvell. “But, I wouldn’t change the way I was treated. It made me the soft-hearted person I am today. It helped me to truly understand the self-esteem struggles of those with skin conditions like vitiligo, psoriasis, and albinism.”

As a teenager, Norvell began experimenting by mixing up remedies in his kitchen. Constantly curious and in what seemed like a never-ending pursuit of something to soothe his skin, he decided to take things into his own hands – as well as his mother’s pots and pans.

Their home kitchen became his laboratory and his mother’s vanity cabinet and pantry became his supply closet. From his mother’s cold creams to emollient Crisco, he blended and whipped up a multitude of mixtures. In the years to come, he tried countless concoctions. Finally, landing on a remedy that hydrated the skin while softening its appearance, Norvell used it daily and, soon, his mother, Joy, and sister, Debbie, became fans.

Being an entrepreneur seemed to be in his blood. At six years old, just a few years after that fateful day, he began a lawn mowing business. “Now, this wasn’t the days of powered or ride-on mowers,” Norvell reminds. “I used the old push reel type and everyone in the neighborhood was my customer.” From six to 14, he saved his earnings and, eventually, a new business had begun. Before he could even obtain a driver’s license, Norvell bought his first Volkswagen Beetle. His idea was to fix it up from bumper to bumper and sell it. He did this over and over again. Working on cars was the first time Norvell got a paint-spraying gun into his hand. Little did he know, it would not be the last.

As time seems to do, the years flew by. Having survived the accident and his adolescence, Norvell graduated from college with a double major in Industrial Technology and Education. Although working as a woodshop teacher tapped into his love of sharing knowledge, something was missing.

Once an Avon Representative, Joy was now channeling her enterprising spirit into designing and manufacturing women’s bras. She had been a distributor, but now it was her turn to manufacture. To house her blossoming business, Norvell, Joy, and Andy, his stepfather, headed south from Dayton, Ohio to Alexandria, Tennessee, where they bought a former Kraft Cheese factory. A few short years later, Norvell’s brother, Greg, and sister-in-law, Lynn, moved to Tennessee to make their mark on the family business.

With the bra business on track and steadily growing, Norvell and Joy looked to what was next. For many years, Norvell was continuing use of his homemade moisturizer with his mother and sister as raving fans. Each batch he made became larger and larger in order to keep up with the promises made by his family to others who wanted to try it. Realizing the true potential of this effective cream, Norvell dubbed it Bosom Lotion and began to sell it via their lingerie business.

Concurrently, the indoor tanning business had just begun to pop up all over Nashville. It seemed as though everywhere he looked, there was a marquee that welcomed sun worshippers. Norvell took these signs as a sign. Ever industrious, Norvell repackaged his Bosom Lotion and positioned it as an all over after-tanning moisturizer. It was at this very moment that the brand Body Drench was officially born.

“My first customer was a friend of the family who had just opened a tanning salon,” Norvell says. “The next customers all came the old fashioned way. Rubber to the road, feet to pavement, and knocking on doors.” Body Drench became a line that was sought-after by retailers and consumers alike. From a business perspective, salon owners enjoyed repeat sales with some customers buying more than one at a time. From an end-user standpoint, consumers loved the way their skin looked and felt with every use.

With Body Drench’s business booming and proof that tanning was not a passing fad but a formidable beauty category, Norvell looked to widen his reach. A meeting with respected tanning industry distributor, Four Seasons, ended with a handshake and started what would be a multi-decade relationship. Others soon followed suit and Body Drench took over more and more of the manufacturing space in Alexandria that was originally purchased for the bra business.

Thanks to distributors, Body Drench became widely available and could be found on the shelves of respected beauty stores and as part of the amenity offerings with renowned names such as Trump Tower, Canyon Ranch Spa, and Reebok. Consumers clamored, retailers requested, and distributors demanded more from Body Drench. This demand paved the way for Norvell to expand the brand.  

Tanning beds had become a household term, making the expansion of the Body Drench tanning category the natural choice. Norvell was already primed with an arsenal of ideas and began formulating. “Body Drench brought many ‘firsts’ to the market,” says Rick. “We added new products that the consumer had never seen, but that we knew they would want. Base Tan, Tan Accelerator, and Tan Amplifier took the industry by storm and solidified that this was a brand to be reckoned with.”

Distributors, retailers, and consumers were not the only people taking notice of the success of Body Drench. There was an entirely different group who had the brand in its sights. Investment companies had been tracking the tanning trend as well and it was not difficult for them to notice Body Drench as it seemed to be everywhere that they were – spas, casinos, gyms, hotels, and more.

Although the sunless tanning product had been part of the Body Drench line since 1986, it was the one product that did not get much attention from investors. Focused more on the “now” of the indoor tanning trend than on the possibilities of a bright sunless future, the stock keeping unit was all but ignored. That bottle, however, was the beginnings of a multimillion dollar industry.

“I came across the features and benefits of DHA,” mentions Norvell. “In an instant, I saw the possibilities. As someone who struggles with skin issues, I knew that even the desire for darker skin can be complicated without the proper products.” Housed in a bottle with a pressurized expandable bladder, their first sunless tanning product was realized.

Even though his revolutionary sunless product was not getting the consideration he believed it deserved, he set his reservations aside and entered into an agreement with Styling Technologies to procure Body Drench. It was not a decision easily or quickly made and took months of courting and contemplation. Norvell was filled with what-ifs and sleepless nights. However, assurances were made to Norvell and his family, which now included his younger brother, Greg, at the helm of manufacturing. To him, his word was his bond and he went into the Styling Tech deal believing they felt the same.

The honeymoon period between Norvell and Styling Tech was short-lived. Promises made were promises broken and, with it, his heart. Thankfully his spirit was not broken. Norvell left the company, but vowed to remain in the industry he loved, and that had enthusiastically supported him. Within two years, the family’s treasured Body Drench was bankrupt.

The story does not end there for Body Drench or for Norvell and his family as all are enjoying a second chance. Body Drench, by then down and out, was brought back to life and is, to this day, experiencing success due American International Incorporated. For Norvell, the moment his non-compete agreement expired, his new life launched.

“As you can imagine, I was filled with mixed emotions after leaving Body Drench,” states Norvell. “In a way, I was grateful that investors didn’t see the potential in sunless products. It allowed me room, upon my return, to really develop the category.” And develop the category he did!

The former Kraft Cheese factory, which had housed the beauty brand, was not part of the Styling Tech transaction. Together with his family, Norvell hung a new sign on the old door that had brought them previous success: Norvell Skin Solutions.

A new era had begun for the family, which was now all working together, and for the business. His goal and, soon, the filter by which all decisions were made was, “Make a quality product, sell it at a fair price, and service the heck out of it.”

The word solution in the business name was no accident. It was purposeful and meaningful. Norvell would solve the problem of wanting an ultraviolet-free tan. He would resolve a difficulty for those with skin issues and design equipment and professional juice that allowed the industry to think outside of the booth.

Harkening back to his days as a fourteen-year-old restoring Volkswagens, as well as his Industrial Technology degree, Norvell and his brother developed a handheld spray tan machine. “Spray tanning is not like painting a fence; it is more like painting a car. There are curves and shapes that must be considered when applying,” Norvell expertly states. “That is part of what sets Norvell apart. We make a solution that is science based, providing just-off-the-beach color every time, but we also believe the application should be treated as an art.”

Using the unique approach that a great tan begins in the shower, Norvell Skin Solutions became revered for its Core 4 System of Prime, Bronze, Optimize, and Enhance products. “The idea is that you can do simple things pre- and post-tan to ensure a beautiful bronze. From pH balancing sprays that keep brassiness at bay to color-extending lotions that replace DHA as dead skin cells wash away, Norvell cares for the integrity of one’s color from beginning to end,” states Norvell.

It is this passion for a flawless tan on the healthiest skin possible that has drawn critical acclaim, an army of spray technician loyalists, back-to-back awards, and even the notice of the ever-popular Dancing with the Stars franchise. However, it was not until the launch of Norvell University that Norvell got the notice of someone who would eclipse all others.

Like something out of a romantic comedy, Norvell regales, “I was in the middle of a presentation for Norvell University, which is our on-demand and live school for all things that lead to success in the sunless industry. During my speech, I couldn’t help but notice that this beautiful blonde in the audience and I kept locking eyes.” He continues, “It got to the point where I kept losing my train of thought, so I just stopped and said, ‘Y’all please forgive me for a moment, I gotta do something.’” Then, with his southern charm, in a class filled to capacity, Norvell asked the blonde, Stacie, to have a drink with him. She accepted and, soon after, also accepted his marriage proposal.

Stacie, a successful entrepreneur in her own right, founded a sunless-only salon in Dallas, Texas called Smart Bronze. Now, surrounded by his new wife and family, which included his children from his first marriage, Cale and Ellen, and niece, Lexi, and brother-in-law, Jim, the company possessed renewed energy. Meetings with his dedicated and talented team led to industry-changing innovations, such as Venetian, which employs color theory via a proprietary blend of violet and brown bronzers to eliminate all chances of orange, and a competition bodybuilding centric collection entitled BlackOut.

Norvell’s 64th birthday approached and, along with it, an unexpected offer from top competitor, Sunless, Inc. Once a week for the past five years, Norvell and Stacie made the flight back and forth from Tennessee to Dallas where they had made another home and were raising his stepdaughter, Izzy. The timing of this proposition seemed right and, after meeting the leaders at Sunless, Inc. and their parent group, The Riverside Company, the worries of yesteryears upsetting acquisition washed away.

“Like all life lessons, you tend to learn more from the hardships and difficult times. You figure out what you don’t want – and that can be more important to realize,” says Norvell. “Having learned from my Body Drench days, I knew what to look for this time around. This time, it didn’t feel like a difficult decision, it felt like the right decision because of the written assurances about quality and direction from Sunless, Inc.” He continues, “They are the only team that I would entrust with the brand that bears my family name, along with all the amazing people that helped me build it.”

The sale of Norvell Skin Solutions to Sunless, Inc. became final on April 29, 2016. However, the Norvell spirit and passion will live on via the loyal and trusted team members that Rick refers to as extended family, including Faye Underhill. Underhill was Norvell’s first employee over 37 years ago and is with the company to this day.

Norvell will retire on New Year’s Eve of 2016. As a parting gift, and a love letter of sorts, to all who have supported him, he developed his most natural, yet innovative, sunless solution to date. It is aptly named, Legend. “I have a lot of love in my heart for my team and for the industry as a whole. I will be forever grateful for all it has afforded me personally and professionally, but now it is time to enjoy my family. My first grandson is here and I see, more than ever, just how fast time flies,” Norvell thoughtfully shares.

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Philippe and Sylvie Hennessy - Legends in Aesthetics

Philippe and Sylvie Hennessy - Legends in Aesthetics

Philippe and Sylvie Hennessy- Legends… Ahead of Their Time

What sets aside one aesthetic leader or educator from another? What determines whether someone becomes a legendary factor within their field? What does the word legend really mean?  According to Webster’s dictionary it means:  “a notable person whose deeds or exploits are much talked about in his or her own time.”

A legendary duo has rapidly arisen in the aesthetic field within the past few years, but the rise has not been one without merit, great effort and, above all, hard work.

The story of Philippe and Sylvie Hennessy’s Matis USA French Skin & Body Care is similar to that of a hidden treasure that has been revealed.

This dynamic couple set out to provide a quality line with visible results and they have ended up making history within the aesthetics realm.  Like the hidden treasure, the Matis line has become of great value and now illuminates the shelves of thousands of professional, top-of-the-line beauty salons worldwide.

Philippe Hennessey (the marketing half of the duo) is blessed with tremendous charm and an incredible amount of sales know-how. At a young age, Philippe established himself amongst industry giants of international and national acclaim, such as: Schindler, 3M (better know for their product, Scotch Tape), AT&T and now Matis.

With years of customer relations, promotions and marketing, Philippe supplies the Matis USA headquarters with the expert edge necessary for continuous success.  He is vibrant, knowledgeable, charming and sincere.  When you speak to Philippe you get the feeling that you have been friends for a very long time and that should you ever need a hand.. His would be outstretched.

Philippe’s enigmatic style carries over into everything that the company sets out to do.  He is always seeking to provide the very best of service and products to the Matis clientele and is always open to creative and efficient ways to further communicate the treasure and value of the Matis line.  His helpful and supportive nature inspire not only the Matis offices, but he family of Matis USA distributors as well.

To further compliment the quality of products, service and marketing techniques: Matis provides the aesthetic professional with an educator so skilled, so aesthetically refined, that her name list proudly alongside the names of those who have been in the aesthetic field since its commencement - - Sylvie Hennessy.

If we were to ask Sylvie if she considers herself legendary material or of legendary status she would quite honestly respond, “No.”  In Sylvie’s eyes, the work of the aesthetician is one of honor, pride, intense effort, knowledge, constant upgrade and, primarily, sincere concern for clients.  “You have to believe in yourself and feel that what you are doing truly means something, has great value, in order to be successful at it,” says Sylvie with obvious commitment.

She is a petite, strong spirited woman with rose-petal skin and delicate eyes that reflect the wisdom contained within.  Neither boastful, nor arrogant, but simply proud of her knowledge and everything she represents, Sylvie’s calling is most definitely as an educator.

Her focus is on full-force education for the American aesthetician.  Her days are filled with training sessions, classes and seminars covering science and techniques of skin care.

Sylvie easily identifies with fellow aestheticians, their daily needs and their professional requirements, having herself worked as an aesthetician for long years.  Additionally, with her studies in educational psychology and dermatology, as well as aesthetics, she masters the art of teaching with sound techniques, applicable and immediately usable skills and, above all, intense knowledge.

What has truly been the success factor behind Philippe and Sylvie Hennessy’s introduction of the Matis line within the United Stats?  “The strength of Matis has been our ability to combine powerful marketing with intense education,,” answers Sylvie, after thinking the question through for a moment. 

Philippe and Sylvie have striven to ensure that their line is always competitive, always up-to-date, always introducing new ingredients and treatments with solid results and scientific research and formulation.

“Education has been the primary element in our success,” explains Philippe vibrantly, then adds, “Sylvie stresses that without proper know-how and skills, there are no incredible sales figures.”  So far, this has continued to prove it true at the Matis USA headquarters.  While Philippe attends to the marketing end of things, Sylvie puts all her energy toward providing the professional aesthetician with intense technical training, product knowledge, efficacy and solid answers to all of the aesthetic questions that have for so long gone unanswered. 

Marketing and education are found not only in Matis’ headquarters, but also in every distributor’s office throughout the American ground.  Every member of the family worked hard to place Matis among the leaders in professional skin care in less than five years.

Is all the hard work and effort just for the sake of incredible sales figures? “It is not a matter of selling products for the sake of selling, skin care is my passion, and serious skin is based on science.  It is a matter of providing the best of skin and body care to the well-trained, highly skilled aesthetician,” responds Sylvie.

The legendary individuals.. Two distinct specialties and skills within aesthetics...  One result... SUCCESS.

 

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Paula S. Dean - A Legend in Aesthetics

Paula S. Dean - A Legend in Aesthetics

Paula S. Dean- A Living Legend

This month’s Legend has dedicated herself to helping everyone around her be the best they can possibly be-- whether they are her clients, associates or especially herself.  

By Erica T. Miller

 

Author’s Note: I’ve had the pleasure of writing several of the Legend articles, yet none gives me more satisfaction than writing this one.  I am certainly far from objective because this Legend is my business partner and friend, Paula Dean.  Over the past five years, Paula has given our company a new and wonderful direction, a brightness that was lacking and an energy that is obvious even to our clients.  Allow me to introduce Paula Dean, a living Legend.

 

Paula Dean is a devout Christian above and beyond all other professional attribute.  Her peace of mind and gentle character exemplify what it means to be a Christian.  She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Criswell College in biblical studies and in library science.  A large part of her adult life has been dedicated to the church while developing her professional esthetic training and work experience.

 Her beauty career began in 1977 when she worked three jobs to put her husband through the Seminary and several degrees.  She worked as a companion for the elderly, in the Dallas Seminary Library and for Mary Kay cosmetics.  At one point, she was the 14th ranked salesperson in the Dallas Mary Kay network.  She worked three jobs for about three years and found the beauty work the most rewarding -- hence her future career.

But let’s go back to her childhood.  She was not the outdoors, tomboy type.  She loved coloring and paper dolls.  To this day Paula loves coloring and beautiful dolls.  She has an incredible collection of fine porcelain dolls from the Franklin Mint and the largest collection of Crayolas imaginable.  She has nearly every variation of color box, colors, and Crayola products available.

“As a child, I always admired my grandmother and color is the first thing I can remember about her.”  That is what Paula says influenced her love of beauty, fashion, and color.

“She was always so beautiful and I remember so will her lipstick.  I think she had the greatest influence on my whole life for beauty and fashion.  Maybe that’s why my favorite makeup product is lipstick.  I think it really brightens up a woman’s face.  I own over 50 lipstick colors and over 25 different colors of lip lining pencils.”

The Early Years

After the Seminar, the Deans were sent to pastor a church in the Houston area.  Paula went to work again to help her husband further his studies.  She wounded up working for noted color consultant, Carla Kay, after she had gone to her as a client.  She became Carla Kay’s administrative assistant and also worked as a makeup artist on occasion.  Paula began doing the models’ makeup for runway fashion shows at the Carla Kay Expos with noted consultant, Nancy Elorduy.

During this time, Paula had her first professional facial treatment and enjoyed it so much she became a regular facial client of the then popular Houston salon, Karen Benbow.  Carla Kay also sent clients to Karen Benbow’s salon for facial treatments.  One day Karen asked Carla to loan her Paula’s services for some extra work.  While on loan to Karen Benbow, Paula was fortunate enough to work with the world- famous Elizabeth Arden make-up artist, Pablo.  She assisted him when he made special trips to Houston for private client consultations at Karen Benbow’s.

Between working for Carla, who influenced Paula in fashion, color, and value contrast, and working for Karen in the aesthetic salon, Paula became committed to developing a stronger beauty career.

But first she had to get her husband through school.  The Deans were soon transferred back to Dallas.  The opportunity finally had arrived for Paula to finish her bachelor’s degree at Criswell College.  Her grandparents gave her money as a graduation present.  Two days later, Paula used that money to enroll in cosmetology school.  The experience was a disappointment.  She graduated but didn’t feel that she had learned enough to consider herself a true professional aesthetician.  She was determined to continue learning.

She began working for Dr. Lawrence Meyerson, a well-respected dermatologist in the Dallas area.  Here her interest in para-medical makeup began to evolve.  Since Dr. Meyerson’s clinic didn’t specialize in this type of makeup, Paula turned to Debra Fisher and the Face of the Nation Clinic and Linda Seidel’s camouflage products.  Paula took more camouflage courses in Houston from Anita Ricca of Esteem cosmetics.  She worked with burn victims at Camp Janus of Humana hospitals; teaching them make-up techniques and helping them feel better about themselves.

The whole time she was commuting to Houston to work with Carla on special clients and her annual expos.  On one of these trips Paula was introduced to Kath Driscoll, who owned the Christine Valmy salon in Houston.  This was during the summer of 1986, six years after first meeting Carla Kay.  Kath Driscoll would be the next great influence in Paula’s professional life.

Hard Work Pays Off

A few months after meeting Paula, Kathy recommended her to the group that was setting up the state’s aesthetics committee for the Texas chapter of the National Cosmetology Association.  Paula was so surprised and honored to be invited that she nearly didn’t join, feeling that she wasn’t qualified.  She very much wanted to be a member of this committee but hesitated or almost a month before sending in her resume.  A month or so later, she received a letter pf acceptance from Ron Renee, then-chairman of the Esthetics Texas Committee.  She was invited to a meeting in February 1987 to prepare for the state show.

“I was so excited.  It was the happiest day of my life, but I felt so unworthy of the honor,” Paula said several years ago about receiving that letter.  Little did she know how much work would go into this honor.  Paula and I first met at the February meeting.  We worked together at the show but mainly she worked under Jon Parker... and boy did she work hard!

Her first assignment was to apply body makeup to a group of four body builders for a fashion extravaganza.  She had never seen a real body builder, much less applied make-up to their almost-naked bodies! But she took the job in stride.  This attitude is one of Paula’s basic characteristics.  When given a job, consider it done and done well.  She did such a good job that a few months later Jon Parker asked her to teach a class for the coming summer convention.

She interviewed me for the class and we spent several hours talking.  We immediately became friends.  I helped her with the class and later worked with her on a project for Dr. Meyerson.

Several months later, Paula began her private para-medical makeup practice and needed office space.  I rented her the front makeup area of my building and she began spending a lot of time around the office, helping me with other committee work.  What a great help she was, too!

In June 1988, while she was helping me produce an educational video, one of my staff members resigned.  I asked Paula to join my staff.  I didn’t really think she’d take the job but she did.  As our work together progresses, Paula’s seriousness and dedication to the field of para-medical work grew to the point where she was determined to go to the Westmore Academy in Los Angeles.  This is where they taught the nation’s most advanced course in para-medical work.  She was gone a little over a month and graduated as one of the best in the country.

In 1988, Correlations lost our key administrative bookkeeper.  I couldn’t make the computer system work, so Paula called her parents for help.  The entire bookkeeping system had to be taken back to hand books and rebuilt.  Paula’s father took over that department and her mother helped in shipping.  They never left, and today, they are the backbone of our operation.

Paula’s hard work, dedication, loyalty and total commitment convinced me to make her my partner in 1989.  Soon Paula’s sister, Debbie, went to beauty school and became a licensed aesthetician.  She also worked for us a short time until her husband was transferred.  Then her brother, Andy, came aboard, initially part-time, but a year or so later full-time.  Eventually he also went to beauty school and is now a licensed aesthetician.  Paula and I lead what is possibly the world’s most effective family-based operation.  All because of Paula’s special qualities that make each of us dedicated.

Reaching Higher Goals

Paula has a slogan, or a belief that describes her entire work experience.  “In my work, I want to help every person I come in contact with be the very best they can be in this industry.  I want professionals to really appreciate their investment and training and to expand and stretch all the time to make this a better, more professional industry.”

She exemplifies this perfectly.  She wasn’t satisfied with graduating from Marvin Westmore’s Academy or with her college degree.  She was determined to take the CIDESCO International Examination.  And she wanted to take t in Europe where she knew it would be harder and more demanding.  She took the exam in Amsterdam in 1990 and passed.  She alter went back to school and got her nail technician’s license.  Paula is currently Vice-President and Director of Education for Correlations and is in charge of all our makeup training programs.  She also helps me with other classes we offer.  She is a consummate teacher and giver.  She continues to work with burn victims, accident survivors and cancer patients in the Look Good - Feel Better program and with a group of private clients who need special help.

Paula Dean is an extraordinary person.  She is a true professional striving every day to be the very best she can be, a true legend in this industry, and one of the people I most respect in this business.  Paula, you richly deserve this great honor.  You are a Legend!

 

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Pamela Taylor - A Legend in Aesthetics

Pamela Taylor - A Legend in Aesthetics

Long Island to the World: My Life-Long Passion for Makeup

by Pamela Taylor

 

As a child, I was destined to become a makeup artist. Even at the young age of five or six, I recall being attracted to color, texture, packaging, and anything to do with makeup. Some of my earliest memories are of shopping with my mom and being inextricably drawn to the makeup counter of the store.

 

I was transfixed by the color palettes and textures of makeup, imagining putting the colors together and visualizing the endless possibilities. Every afternoon, I would watch the cartoon featuring Penelope Pitstop, a character that drove a convertible car featuring an automated lipstick dispenser and eyelash headlights.

 

I was born and raised on the South Shore of Long Island. As a young child, I recall visiting my grandparents’ home and being mesmerized by the watercolor tubes and watercolor painting method I saw my grandmother use when she had paintings on the easel. Each summer our family visited another relative in Montauk Point, a seaside town that seemed to be magical.

 

I was the youngest of four girls. My mother was a natural, outdoorsy-type who enjoyed nature and beauty, however never cared much for makeup. She did teach her daughters how to care for and protect their skin – two important qualities to have growing up on Long Island, frequenting the beach and playing in the sun.

 

At an early age, I loved to look at people’s faces and imagine the possibilities. I truly enjoyed seeing the faces and expressions of others, but it would be a few more years before I would realize I would become so influential in the world of makeup artistry and be a leading creator of artistic expression through makeup, myself.

 

During my teenage years, I began venturing from Long Island into Manhattan with a friend’s mother, who had a scarf design business. Her name was Jane and she was my first unofficial mentor. We would go into Manhattan by train and would arrive in Penn Station, where we would map out wholesale shopping destinations. We would explore the fashion district, going in and out of buildings, looking at new fabrics and products for her business. I enjoyed the energy of New York and enjoyed going on every adventure. 

 

In the city, there were people from all different cultures, so to view all the different faces was exciting. One afternoon, we passed by a photoshoot on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art – I stopped short and was mesmerized. There, I watched the makeup artist, who wore a belt overflowing with brushes and worked with palettes like a real makeup artist. During the ‘80s, there were no MAC counters or makeup lines that had makeup artists like this. This was the real behind-the-scenes action that I read about in magazines. Mustering the courage, I approached the makeup artist on the shoot. She was very encouraging and told me about the work she was doing. After that experience, I had no doubts – I wanted to be a makeup artist.

 

I began reading and studying the most popular beauty and fashion magazines. It was the ‘80s – my favorite models at the time were Brooke Shields, Christy Brinkley, and Cheryl Tiegs. I would often dream about creating their makeup looks and intently read every article I could about makeup application. It was during this period that I read about top makeup artist, Way Bandy. During the 1970s, Bandy became one of the most well-known and highest paid makeup artists in the fashion industry. I purchased his book, “Designing Your Face,” and read it from cover to cover. My inner passions were ignited!

 

While still in high school, and at the recommendation of my guidance counselor, I enrolled in the school’s cosmetology program. During the class, the only part I cared about was skin care and makeup, which in those days were not a huge portion of the curriculum. At the age of 17, I completed enough hours to take the New York State licensing exam for cosmetology. I always knew makeup was my true passion, so I supplemented my cosmetology degree with a plethora of makeup classes. 

 

After taking a makeup class on Long Island, at a school where the instructor applied and wore way too much makeup, I decided to investigate New York City for classes. I looked up some phone numbers and contacted NBC TV. They directed me to a man by the name of Bob Kelly. I was a frequent visitor to Bob Kelly’s studio in Manhattan, where I learned many theatrical-based techniques. I also trained with Lee Baygan, the head of NBC, and Rex Hilverdink, another well-known makeup artist and author of the time. I took many classes, including a class from the founder and instructor of one of the first airbrush courses, Dennis Hoey of Starmist. 

 

The summer following high school, 1982, I took a job at a local mall in the beauty supply. In that position, I learned about purchasing, marketing, and selling cosmetics and was able to begin doing makeup application for the public, as a customer relations strategy. It was through this experience that I realized I truly enjoyed teaching and could see the effect I was having on people – transforming outlooks and attitudes with makeup! This was a powerful experience that lead me to the Dale Carnegie Institute, where I took courses in public speaking and human relations – gaining confidence in my own abilities – so much so, that I began conducting seminars.

 

That next summer, I learned that my sisters and some of my girlfriends were planning on moving to Montauk Point, a glacial cliff on the east coast of Long Island, which is a seaside retreat with many local fishermen and surfers. I knew how much fun it would be to be with the girls, but I was in the middle of building my career and I wanted to continue working. I was determined to find a way to make it work. It was here that I created my first makeup business venture.

 

On a walk through the town, I passed “The Corner Store.” I noticed many people in and out of the store and spotted some unused space in the front of the store. I got an idea – I could rent the space and open a makeup counter! After some conversation, the owners agreed to rent me the space. I went home, gave notice to the beauty supply store, and began preparing for my first business venture. I applied for a tax ID number, got insurance, and purchased what I needed to create a display. Then, I placed my first wholesale order for cosmetics – lipsticks, shadows, foundations, and so forth. And, I was in business!

 

I spent the next few summers working in Montauk and East Hampton. I sold cosmetics, taught makeup lessons, and conducted seminars at the local yacht club and restaurants. 

 

The store was mostly busy with summer tourists. One afternoon, a regular came in – it was a man – one of the very first celebrities to ever buy makeup from me – Dick Cavett. Cavett, who resided in Montauk, was a television talk show host and comedian. He purchased face powder and a powder puff from my counter. Years later, I ended up working with Peter Beard, one of the top photographers in the world, on a fashion shoot overlooking the cliffs of Montauk.

 

Following Montauk and The Hamptons, I went on to become a freelance makeup artist, via an agency, that was featured in department stores, applying makeup for the customers. One of my first clients was the Lauder group, a group of brands that booked me regularly. I soon realized that what I was doing entailed educating people about their skin, makeup, and its application. I became a master at analyzing facial features and recommending beautiful, natural makeup looks for my customers. Whatever I applied, they would somehow end up buying. I gained a following of customers and other makeup artists who wanted to learn from my aesthetic. During that time, I also began working for a local model agency in Huntington Long Island, as a makeup artist, with the photographers that the agency hired. 

 

About this time, I began to mix my own pigments and experiment with color and texture and, before long, I had developed my own signature looks and techniques. In my mind, I had a look that I wanted to create and could not achieve the effect with regular makeup. I started adding water and natural humectants into my base and created what I titled the “hydration technique.” Next, I was offered a position as an instructor at a skin care school on Long Island. I was first to coin the phrase “prebase” before it became a standard product category. I created a prebase product and held the trademark for prebase prior to it becoming a standard name.

 

Soon after, I was hired by Rosanna Regan, who was directing a new skin care and makeup school on Long Island. I worked with her earlier in my career and she contacted me regarding a teaching position. The school was owned by a pioneer in skin care, who opened a school on Port Jefferson, L.I. I began teaching and conducting seminars on makeup. I also started to conduct seminars at local beauty shows. During that time, I began writing articles and, in 1993, received a call from Milady Publishing. They had noticed my techniques in makeup and inquired about my work. After several meetings, I was offered a book contract. I wrote the book “Makeup Techniques,” which was published in 1994. The book was published in several languages and, as a result, I travelled internationally to teach my techniques. 

 

When I received the book contract, I began studying courses for post-secondary education. I received my teaching certification from college, attempted student teaching, and realized that teaching permanent waves and hair was not for me. Although I have worked with some of the most talented hair artists in the industry, hair to me is a different skill all together. As a matter of fact, for large fashion productions, there are usually separate hair and makeup artists – rarely do they hire one person to do both.

 

Teaching has been an extremely inspirational aspect of my career. I always enjoyed teaching, which evolved into teaching as a keynote speaker at major shows around the world. I have been a keynote speaker at the International Beauty Show, Global Face Art in Greece, International Congress of Esthetics, as well as others.

 

One afternoon, while on a train to New York, I met a photographer friend who was looking at places in New York. I first shared a beautiful space with him and, then, opened my own studio, The Pamela Taylor Makeup Academy in New York City. As the school’s founder and educator, I welcomed students from around the world to study and practice my techniques. Today, many of my students are very successful, both in the United States and around the world.

 

Many of my students have stayed in touch with me and have shared their success. I recall a student by the name of Wendy Buiter, who came from the Netherlands as a result of winning a competition sponsored by Maybelline and Cosmopolitan magazine. Wendy spent a week at my studio in NYC, with the editor of the magazine. I recently received two beautiful paintings as a gift from her. 

 

Another former student was Mabby Autino – who has a very successful school and company in Argentina. There are many. When I would get hired for shows, many times I would bring a makeup team so that my students could experience the fun of behind-the-scenes work.

 

The late and great Betty Most was director of education for Clinique. Betty attended my class, never mentioning what she did or who she was. Once completed, she mentioned it was one of the best classes she ever attended. I ended up creating a special class for the “Stars to New York” – a private group class featuring the top producers from around the country. I also did an event at Saks Fifth Avenue – “Taylor Made” at Saks. 

 

Over the years, I have been the makeup artist on countless photoshoots and events. I have had the privilege of making up some of the most famous actors, musicians, politicians, industry executives, and countless others. I have worked with the world’s greatest rock bands and musicians, including Billy Joel, Jack White, and Meatloaf; actors, including Ed Burns and Kevin Bacon; sports celebrities, like Daryl Strawberry (Mets); and film directors, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. One my favorite jobs was working on the musical artist Sting. I received a call from a photographer friend mentioning that I should meet him at the dock and to bring my makeup kit. While on a boat to Jones Beach, New York for a show, the artist Sting was on board. I did his touch-up and grooming and enjoyed an amazing show.

 

I have also had the pleasure of working with top photographers and amazing fashion models, like Deutsen Kroes and Josie Moran.

 

My recent work involves consulting on the men’s sector of cosmetics. My specialty is, and has been, working with men’s skin – which, in my opinion, reacts differently to most makeup products. I am especially interested in corrective coverage that appears undetectable for the camera. 

 

As I wrote this last portion, I spent the early afternoon working with a new client who read about my work. He is a news reporter who has vitiligo and was amazed and thrilled with the results, commenting on how breathable and natural his skin appeared following the application of makeup.

 

The past few years have evolved for me. I still enjoy my on-location education seminars, where I am available to teach at salons and spas around the country. In addition, and by sheer coincidence, I ended up scouting and becoming a “mother agent” to several successful models in the industry, including a new model who will be seen in a major campaign, in the spring of 2019.

 

From politicians to rock and roll stars and top fashion models, I am fortunate to have worked with some of the best in the field. One thing I do know is, I will probably never stop loving the world of fashion and beauty.

 

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Mila Bravi- A Legend in Aesthetics

Mila Bravi- A Legend in Aesthetics

Mila Bravi- A Legend in the Windy City and Around the World

Some call Oak Street a street of dreams, Chicago’s low-rise, high-fashion block of elegant boutiques at the northern tip of Michigan Avenue.  The place to find Armani, Hermes, Versace, Rykiel and Pratesi among other shops and spas, it is home to the skin care star in Oaks’s fashion square, Mila Bravi.

Always the stop for international fashionables, including Cindy Crawford and Goldie Hawn, Mila Bravi’s Face & Facial Salon is also frequented by Chicago’s own celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey.  This is in addition to some 30,000 women and men who have come to her over the years with every skin type and skin problem.  Leading newspapers and magazines extol her, including Harper’s Bazaar (which named Mila Bravi Chicago’s best skin salon), Vogue and Town & Country, among other publications.  She also has appeared on local and national TV and radio.  With a staff of seven, her business this year is enjoying a 35 percent growth in sales.

Using the most sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment available and techniques she has accumulated from years of worldwide study, Mila has designed a specialized method of creating a unique program for every client.  Because of her work correcting teenage acne and problem skins, rejuvenating mature skin and treating post-plastic surgery patients, she has earned the respect of dermatologists, doctors, cosmetic chemist and trainees.

Learning from the Start

Mila is a consummate professional, whose daily hands-on experience and desire to learn has led to constant growth since she first came to America in 1975.  That desire was born back in the former Soviet Union, when as a young girl she began to study with a legendary aesthetician in Odessa.

Excelling in her studies at the Medical Institute of Odessa for three years, she went on to the Academy of Beauty Therapy for two years.  Through lengthy studies of anatomy, biology, chemistry and physics, she became more intent on discovering, developing and maintaining beauty for people she dreamed of helping.

A fellowship to the Moscow Institute of Beauty enabled her to specialize in the physiological and cosmetic rehabilitation of the skin.  She worked directly with plastic surgeons at the Moscow Medical Center. But, change was in the wind and on her mind.

After more than 16 years of intensive study and practice in Russia; Mila, her husband, Mark, and their daughter, Katherine, immigrated to America.  Mila quickly earned cosmetology licenses in Florida and Illinois, where she was hired by a top Chicago salon and established a strong following.

At the peak of Mila’s new success, the salon owner decided to leave town.  Armed with the training that few in the business ever acquire, and a growing list of clients who needed her, Mila now dared to strike out on her own.

With her husband’s help and encouragement, the first Face & Facial opened.  It offered European-style skin care, specializing in deep skin problem therapy and rejuvenation a mature skin.  Today, the salon has grown to include body massage, corrective manicures, whirlpool pedicures, pre-surgery and post-operative skin treatment, make-up camouflage, and contouring, as well as expert techniques for everyday make-up application.

Face & Facial Comes Alive

In the multi-level salon, each room is serenely private with lighting and noise control assuring a pampered atmosphere.  Contemporary and beautiful, the clinic is decorated in pink with soft, indirect lighting and accents of polished chrome.  The reception room is no the second level, along with treatment rooms and the light and airy make-up section.  On the third level, body massage and therapy, and manicures and pedicures are offered.

Bravi’s client list reads like a celebrity Who’s Who.  A few include: actresses Lily Tomlin, Diane Lane, Jessica Lange, ballerina Natalia Makarova, model Iman, actors Dolph Lungren and John Herrera.  Goldie Hawn flew her personal masseuse to town to watch (and learn!) facial massage techniques while Bravi gave Hawn her facial. Noted fashion photographer Victor Skrebneski regularly sends his subjects to Bravi before their photo shoots.  But keeping the beautiful people looking beautiful is only half the challenge; she considers equally important her value to leading plastic surgeons.  She is a partner to top dermatologists who value her professional skills.

World-wide Experience

Her hands-on experience and world travels helped her formulate the line of 45 products that carry the Milbra name.  Even with her strong background in biochemistry and cosmetic chemistry, and though she had come to the United States armed with more than 500 formulas for different skin care products, she soon learned that regulations forbid hand-mixing products in her lab setting.  So she enlisted the assistance of a team of international research chemists, most notably a cosmetic chemist who had worked for 30 years for a famed French cosmetic company.  Voila: Milbra!

Focusing on natural plant and flower essences, her botanical skin products also contain pure plant extracts, trace minerals, essential oils, sea vegetables and other therapeutic ingredients from the earth and sea.

Mila’s aim was to combine the European methods with botanical therapy, live cell therapy and detoxification through seaweed.  Her research in specialty treatment products from France, Italy and Austria was further amplified by updated research on ancient beauty care in Hong Kong.

Not only was Mila interested in Eastern principles in mental relaxation and inner balance, but she incorporated aroma therapeutic use of plants with special medicinal values.  Among ingredients in her line are lecithin, sea algae, squalane, geranium, sage, lime, mandarin orange, cucumber, comfrey, honey, eggs, camphor, elastin, volcanic ask, mink oil, aloe Vera, almonds, chamomile, lavender, rosemary and royal jelly.  She was an early advocate of biological extracts in ampule from containing embryonic fluid, placental extract, elastin complex, bee pollen and mucoplysaccharides.

Teaching Others

One of Mila’s goals is to urn around “the fact that many dermatologists don’t know what role aestheticians play; the best recognized that we can’t do without them, and they cont do without us.  When it is accepted procedure that dermatologist and plastic surgeons bring together their skills with those of the aestheticians, then this will be the best country in the world for skin care,” she says.

She also believes that organizing the industry to raise and uphold higher standards for certification and licensing can go a long way toward gaining more acceptances from dermatologists.

She hires only experienced aestheticians for staff positions at Face & Facial, and has developed her own training manual that painstakingly details techniques and client relations.

Her sensitive personal touch has been as essential key to her success.  Immaculate records are kept for every client, tracking treatments and product applications.  “Each woman is different, but all have a right to be beautiful, to feel beautiful,” she says.  “Beauty is comprised of the physical health of the skin and hair, body fitness, a sense of style, and most important, self esteem.”

In the United States, Mila says, “skin care started only twenty or so years ago, a small field.  But professionals, Baby Boomers, are savvy about knowing that going to work means looking good.  Not only skin care, but several industries are working for them; they know that, too.  And they understand what I am doing, and how and why my business is so much a part of their time.”

The point, according to Mila, is that “they learned it’s not just a question of make-up, but individual skin care, what they didn’t learn as teenagers, even though they may have visited a dermatologist.  Now, finally, they learn that dermatology and aesthetics work together to create better skin, simple as that.  What they’ve known about in Europe for decades.”

“My focus is deep-pore cleansing for every skin, though many aestheticians reserve this only for problem skin.  Another reason we should expand aesthetic education.  Ideally, one should learn all the time.”

Mila feels that the best aestheticians combine many talents.  “You must be a good nutritionist and hygienist.  Simultaneously, you should be an expert on beauty, a psychiatrist and a teacher.   You should have knowledge of dermatology and plastic surgery.

“I remember attending a congress in Paris, learning while I watched plastic surgeons doing certain procedures.  Studying cosmetic camouflage at the Christian Chaveau School made it possible for me to help hundreds of plastic surgery patients.

“You must be a color expert and a fashion expert, and you must be able to work with all ages, men, and people of all skin colors.  In other words, you must be a sociologist.

Helping the Community

In addition to serving her avid clientele and world-wide-mail-order business, Mila enjoys traveling.  In her constant quest for improving her procedures, she has collected a vast library.  She makes media and public appearances, lectures at educational institutions and serves at community events.  A member of the Skin Care Association in Europe and the United States, and the International Association of Aestheticians, Mila nevertheless has turned down serving on several boards because, “frankly, my clients come first.”

Still there is what she calls her “invisible work: preparing and training many who now have gone on to teach my methods in other salons.  That is my contribution, as well as educating my clients.  They may say they have just come to relax, but I want more: they must know how to recognize results.  When my clients come now, they ask questions, and that is good.  I really believe it’s not enough for people to buy beauty products; they have to be educated in how to use them properly.”

Mila flashes her warm smile. “I long for the day when every women, man and teenager regards facials and body care as a necessary part of day-to-day maintenance, just like brushing your teeth or washing your hair.  The science of aesthetics is one of our fastest growing industries; it belongs right up next to the booming hair and nail care industries.  My dream is helping to put it up there.”

She’s making that dream come true.  On Oak Street, surrounded by exclusive shops, hers is the clear voice that says, “Skin care is a necessity, not a luxury.  There is no magic formula.  To be beautiful and to stay beautiful takes perseverance and discipline.” And more than a bit of Mila Bravi.

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Miki Giunta- A Legend in Aesthetics

Miki Giunta- A Legend in Aesthetics

Miki Giunta- A Legend in Aesthetics

One Woman’s Vision -This Legendary innovator uses her insight to improve the aesthetics field.

Growing up in New Jersey, Miki Giunta spent countless hours with her Irish grandmother, listening to stories of the old county and watching as she planted and puttered in the family garden.

 

“My grandmother taught me a great deal about the natural world,” recalls Miki, who has never forgotten those early lessons.  “She believed in nature as a healer and a provider.”

Today, the internationally known founder of Spa Health Consultants has used her grandmother’s teachings and inspiration, along with intensive study and innovation, to influence the aesthetics industry.

Ironically, even as Miki has given the aesthetics field enormous vision; she has quietly battled a condition that has nearly robbed her of her sight.  Legally blind, this industry leader is willing to speak about her handicap.  In its own way, her loss of sight was also a gain.

The third of four children of working parents, Miki had already begun pursuing an education in the cosmetology field by age 16. “I was always geared to being a wife and having a family of my own, so I married at 18 with high hopes of happily-ever-after,” she says.

It was not to be.  While she was delighted with her son and daughter and devoting herself to motherhood and community service, Miki’s marriage ended in divorce, leaving her to support two young children. “It was a difficult transitional time for all of us,” she says.  “Like many women in that situation, I wondered what I would do.”

At about the same time, during a regular eye examination, Miki received a stunning blow: a brain tumor was suspected.  Nine months and endless tests late, it was almost a relief to learn that what she has was an inoperable, degenerative vision disorder.

“Living with the idea of a tumor or an aneurysm was so terrifying that I felt I could deal with anything else.  The only awful thing was that nobody could tell me when and how my condition would progress.

But something remarkable happened as she faced her crisis.  “A whole new level of understanding opened up for me.  I had always been fascinated by skin and had been studying and researching skin types.  But now, I could pretend my eyes didn’t exist at all, and I could examine and analyze skin by touch alone.”

Skin analysis, an area in which Miki is an acknowledged pioneer, led this courageous single mom into the next chapter of her life.

Committed to the notion that there was more skin care than what we were looking at on the surface, she blazed a trail for others to follow.

“As I studied, I began to write manuals and then to teach others.  I became fascinated with the fact that surface conditions were linked to internal root causes, a concept that I believe has begun a change in our industry,” says Miki.  “I sought different definitions, new explanations of oil content, water content and circulation.  Now its being used across the country, but back in the early 1970’s, this was a revolutionary theory!”

For nearly a decade, through her manuals and teaching, Miki spread the word at a time when it was finally being eagerly sought and accepted.  As her vision failed, she learned to use her hands for exploration, adapting a kind of Braille for the skin.  She was able to define key characteristics with in-depth descriptions for others who could see properly.  By the end of the 70s, this soft spoken, gentle crusader was ready for her next challenge.

Successful as a Businesswomen

Instead of working for others as she had been doing, the visually impaired but unstoppable Miki decided to take the plunge and strike out on her own.

“I selected the best products I could find, including the traditional milks, masques and creams along with holistic products I had discovered.  I had no fancy office -- the children’s playroom in my home was my headquarters,” she recalls.

Miki began calling on salons to offer demonstrations.  Experiencing is believing, and she knew it.  Hardly the stereotypical hard sell sales type, Miki rarely missed making a sale.  Once salon owners experienced her treatments first hand, they were convinced.  The more she studied, the more committed Miki became to holistic approaches not just to skin, but to the increasingly beleaguered human body.

With a partner, Dan Fryda, who shared her vision of bringing a holistic view to the aesthetics market, she started Spa Health Consultants Incorporated in March 1982. All the years of travel abroad and self-motivated research in the medical libraries of Europe were coming in handy.  “I actually held the first aromatherapy seminar in America in 1974, and from that time on, I was convinced that this was the wave of the future.  I studied the healing, curative therapies of the European spas, and I realized that those marvelous treatments were exactly what American spas were missing.”

The moment in aesthetics history had come for what Miki had conceptualized -- and named -- the day spa.  And while there was no drum roll or trumpet blast to mark the moment, this innovator had coined not just a term, but an industry as well.  Under the banner of Systeme Avance Body Care, Spa Health Consultants introduced the widespread use of detoxification products and treatments to help eliminate stored toxins in the body.  The company revolutionized the approach to body fat by identifying different types and their characteristics, and to outline specific, targeted remedies, including seaweed treatments for each one.

How would America respond to these “revolutionary” notions?  According to Miki, all factors were in place.  Consumers were becoming very health-conscious, and they were ready to experiment with what their European counterparts had known all along.  Industry leaders were receptive as well.

Today, day spas have become the most popular trend to emerge in the health and beauty field.  For Miki Giunta, it has been a gratifying, exhausting, exhilarating and undeniably exciting era.  First with a partner, and now on her own, she has not only introduced the market’s first holistic line using algaes and essential oils; she has pioneered a movement that has altered the face of the aesthetics industry.

“Even in hard times, when they stop buying cars and expensive clothes, Americans like to be good to themselves.  Since the days of the two - week stays at an expensive spa are over for most of us, the day spa allows us to feel and look good quickly and affordably.”

Respected By Her Peers

Until now, few in the industry knew that pioneer Miki Giunta was waging her own private war even as she changed public attitudes about skin and body care, “I always worried that because of my failing eyesight, I would offend people who thought I was ignoring them when in reality, I wasn’t recognizing them,” Miki says

She is a warm, caring woman who may lack 20/20 eyesight, but who has incredible gifts of insight and visions.  “I feel fortunate.  I may have a physical disability, but I certainly have found fulfillment in my life.  I just want to go on doing what I have because in some small way, I like to think I have made other people’s lives better.”

We asked some industry leaders to comment on Miki Giunta’s role in advancing the health and beauty industry, and their statements speak for themselves:

Carol Walderman, president, Von Lee International School of Aesthetics, Baltimore, Md,: “Miki has been promoting body care and day spa services long before many salons throughout the country know what aesthetics were.  Her contribution to the industry has been most blamable, and we are grateful that she has had the patience to wait around for the rest of the beauty industry to catch up.  She definitely is an appreciated pioneer!”

Tamara Friedman, founder, Tamara Institute De Beaute, Farmington Hills, Mich.: “When it comes to Miki Giunta, I have nothing but the highest praise.  Miki is more interested in educating than in selling, and what I admire most about her is her commitment to get at root causes.  Twelve years ago, when nobody talked about body treatments, she did.  We owe her a lot.”

Diane Young, president, Diane Young Skin Care Center, New York: “She is one of the best in the business.  She is informed, she is talented, and a lot of us owe her a great debt for her work. Miki Giunta has given our industry professionalism and information and a whole lot more.”

 

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Michael Grandel: A Legend in Aesthetics

Michael Grandel: A Legend in Aesthetics

A Legend: Michael Grandel

 

Mark Twain's fictional character Huckleberry Finn could have also been named Michael Grandel and the venues of his adventurous stories could have been set by the Lech and the Wertach, rather than the Mississippi. Concerning hair color and mischief, the young Grandel was in no way inferior to the fictional figure. However, in a move that greatly contrasts those of Huckleberry Finn, the present-day Grandel has succeeded in building up a reputation in many women's minds. His surname is internationally known and renowned in the aesthetics industry. Year after year, thousands of his jars and tube, which are produced in Augsburg, find their way into homes and cosmetic institutions all over the world.

 

A PASSION FOR BEAUTY FROM THE CRADLE

Michael Grandel was literally born into the world of beauty. His father, Felix, started to involve Grandel into research around the wheat germ at a very young age. Grandel smiles as he looks back on this time: “As a young boy, I used to wander through the Lech’s wetlands. During one of these trips, I had, once again, captured goods in the form of goldish shining blossoms of St John’s wort. As soon as I returned home, I pickled them into wheat-germ oil, which resulted in my very first self-made skin oil. Shortly after, I proudly presented the product to my parents.”

To this day, Grandel has not lost his passion and fascination for nature. Now and then, he still draws beauty secrets from nature, in conjunction with high-technology procedures. For Grandel, new active ingredients are as gripping and absorbing as crime novels are for those that love suspense. Therefore, he is always looking for new, effective substances to further increase the diversity of the beautiful world of aesthetics.

 

PLUNGING INTO THE DEEP END

In 1947, Dr. Felix Grandel founded Keimdiät GmbH at the original mill site in Augsburg, which he inherited from his mother. Keimdiät translates into English as “diet of wheat germ” and, as the name suggests, the young company’s first range of health products was based on wheat germ. In 1977, Michael Grandel’s studies in economics were interrupted by the sudden and unexpected death of his father: “Amidst my studies, I had to make a hard choice,” said Grandel, “Would I want to keep studying as planned or would I want to step into my father’s shoes so soon?” The young economist made his decision after the end of his studies in the year of 1979 and entered the family enterprise at the age of 25. In 1982, he was promoted and, only three years later, in 1985, he was appointed managing director. Being the sole manager allowed him the possibility to materialize his ideas of a modern company. Grandel jumped at the chance and restructured the business into DR. GRANDEL GmbH, founded a new center for production and logistics, and accelerated a new alignment as a service company and as a partner for aesthetic institutions. He managed to establish his father’s legacy as an internationally noted trendsetter for professional skin care made in Augsburg, Germany.

 

GLOBALLY SUCCESSFUL

  1. GRANDEL is The Beautyness Company. Beautyness is an individual, special emotion. It is the personal joy of feeling attractive and valuable. Women who feel beautiful and healthy not only radiate self-confidence, but also enjoy a higher quality of life. DR. GRANDEL and its premium brands encourage the personal joy of feeling beautiful and healthy. As a well-regarded skin care producer, the company looks after the beauty of women in over 40 countries. In 1988, DR. GRANDEL confidently raised the Bavarian flag on the American beauty market for the first time with the slogan, “Germany’s most beautiful contribution to your business.” The inspiration was the Neuschwanstein Castle. Ever since then, the brand has been continuously present in the United States and is cherished as a reliable partner for spas and beauty salons.

Today, all of the company strings are still pulled from the headquarters in Augsburg, including marketing and research and development. The warehouses and distribution and shipping offices are located in Augsburg. Moreover, there is a modern training facility for future aestheticians. Grandel, who is still pouring his heart and soul into his company, is in charge of the development of new products and oversees all of the in-progress projects. Every product leaving Augsburg carries the seal: “All products made by DR. GRANDEL are a fusion between approved and innovative substances together with high-tech procedures, which guarantee for optimal effect as well as best tolerance for the body.” Preferably, natural active ingredients are used, the environmental burden is kept as small as possible, and resources are taken care of. Economy and ecology are not in conflict, but rather in harmony.

As a man of marketing, Grandel is mindful of giving every product an explicit utility and value, as well as a precise placement. He strives to diverge from the existing concepts with his own philosophy: “The best thing to happen is to become unique and create something completely new and original,” says Grandel.

 

VALUES AND RESPONSIBILITY

For DR. GRANDEL, the human being is always in focus; economy is not an end in itself, but rather a means to serve people and society as a whole. This concept is Michael Grandel’s inspiration and, with this attitude, he is motivating all of his employees. Corporate social responsibility is all about voluntary contributions to the economic system, as well as showing liability beyond the gates of the company: “Regarding environmental aspects, we always endeavor to focus on a holistic view and clever management to conserve resources and nature,” Grandel says. “We support OroVerde – The Tropical Forest Foundation – as well as GoGreen by DHL. Followed by that, all of our packages are shipped in a climate-friendly way, worldwide.”

Furthermore, DR. GRANDEL also actively contributes to society through cultural sponsoring – which currently supports the local ballet company, a partnership that matches perfectly with the DR. GRANDEL brand presentation:  “Cultural sponsoring assorts with our brands inner values – beauty and health converge like a zipper,” states Grandel. Robert Conn, director of Ballet Augsburg, confirms this statement. His dancing career started in Arkansas and New York, and, after several further stations, he finally landed in Augsburg’s theater in 2007. Besides many mutual projects, he was given the task of incarnating the values of DR. GRANDEL’s three brands into three breathtaking choreographies.

In general, values are an extraordinarily important topic for DR. GRANDEL and are, thereby, a crucial extract of the enterprise’s fundamentals, or basics. These fundamentals give all of the company’s employees a reliable reference and frame of order. The foundation of their values consists of integrity, reliance, responsibility, performance, and success and, together, correlate and form the basis of their path to collective prosperity.

 

MOTIVATION AND SUCCESS

Grandel has been running DR. GRANDEL for more than 35 years: “It’s the dynamics and the relatively huge room to maneuver that makes the beauty branch so exciting,” explains Grandel. “For me, as an economist, the marketing component of the business is a special challenge. I am driven by collecting achievements. It is a fantastic feeling to see our cosmetics and the concept, which is linked to it, being internationally successful. Moreover, it is very inspiring for me to actively encourage young associates in their careers, to promote them and their experience throughout, and then to witness their personal progress.”

Grandel finds that the beauty industry never gets boring or monotonous because it subsists on innovation and new concepts. Each of the three brands by DR. GRANDEL annually releases new products, assortments, promotions, and treatment concepts. Recently, the company repeatedly managed to establish trends like BEAUTY XPRESS or BEAUTYGEN by DR. GRANDEL, as well as the “New Look” colors by ARABESQUE, which have been awarded with the prized Readers’ Choice Beauty Forum Award for the most popular makeup brand for cosmeticians in Germany. In March 2014, Grandel was awarded A Life of Beauty at the Beauty International fair in Düsseldorf, Germany. Tradefair of Düsseldorf uses that award to honor personalities who earned great merits in the professional cosmetics scene.

 

ENTHUSIASM KEEPS HIM YOUNG

After 37 years in business, Grandel has not lost any of his youthful curiosity and enthusiasm. When asked about the key factor to his success, he gives a humble response: “The human being is, and always will be, in center of my acting.” This simple and genuine truth has always been the creed of his family; it is a philosophy that has been carrying and shaping the family enterprise for almost 70 years.

Now, the family establishment is making a move into the third generation. Grandel’s daughter, Ariane, has earned recognition during her multiannual employments in the United States, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and Austria. She is currently representing DR. GRANDEL’s banner internationally as training manager and is growing into her upcoming role as brand ambassador.

Grandel’s focus is on people. He enchants his employees and national and international partners with his passion for the industry. The DR. GRANDEL approach is based on treating all people – whether they are business partners or employees – with respect, at all times. Moreover, he has shown complete commitment in committees like the Chamber of Commerce in Augsburg and as chairman of the University Council at Hochschule Augsburg.

Grandel keeps raising the bar and always aims high. He consistently finds the strength and endurance to achieve his goals.

 

What is your long-term vision for DR. GRANDEL?

My vision for DR. GRANDEL is for the company to be the most attractive alliance offer for skin care professionals, spas, and clients.

 

What characteristics or skills set you apart from your peers and enabled you to be so successful?

I would call it a seventh sense for creativity. Besides that, I love to delight others with my ideas and, of course, I share my success with my whole team.

 

What adaptations have you made over the years to stay relevant in the industry?

  1. GRANDEL has always tried to be state-of-the-art when it comes to organization, production, and logistics. In this context, permanent education is a must for customers, employees, and management. The challenge for the upcoming years can be described as the digital transformation.

 

What has surprised you most during your professional journey?

I am still surprised that sometimes you need to have a lot of patience to manage change processes, although the benefits are obvious.

 

How and when did you decide that your current career is the right one for you?

At least since I decided to study economics; it was definitely clear that I would become an entrepreneur.

 

How and where do you find inspiration?

I develop my best ideas when I am in close contact with nature, such as on walks through our wonderful Bavarian forests. My wife, theater, arts, and worldwide traveling are important inspiration boosters as well.

 

What are your hobbies when not working?

I love gardening, cycling, and activities with my family and friends.

 

What is the most important lesson you have learned from owning your own business?

Plan substitutes in case of random errors.

 

This article was translated by Pierre Pudellek.

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Mary Ann Graffeo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Mary Ann Graffeo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Mary Ann Graffeo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Making Her Dreams Come True

Mary Ann Graffeo, a renaissance woman of sort, with an insatiable desire to learn, teach, and progress, is a cosmetologist, aesthetician, makeup artist, businesswoman, paramedical clinical cosmetologist, and lecturer.  She has been a veteran in the beauty industry and a pillar in the field of aesthetics for more than 43 years.

Her makeup and face care expertise is sought by plastic surgeons and dermatologists alike for their patients who are under-going cosmetic surgery and treatment for skin disorders.  She owns and operates a successful skin care and makeup studio in the greater Chicago area while serving as an active member in multiple state and national associations, teaching aesthetics in her own private school, and serving as a freelance instructor for skin care equipment and products. 

Over the years, she has been honored with numerous awards and much-deserved recognition for her outstanding perseverance with her craft.  Along with her colleagues, Mary Ann’s dedication to aesthetics has resulted in the establishment of the NCA’s EstheticsAmerica as a separate entity as well as the tremendous growth of aesthetics in Illinois, her home state.

Mary Ann was born and raised in Chicago and began her career as a hair stylist when she was only 18.  “My father bought me a salon and gave me the key.  From then on, I was on my own,” Mary Ann recounts.

Unbeknownst to her, this era in her life would represent the foundation from which she would build her lifelong career and develop her aspirations.

“Growing up came fast,” Mary Ann recounts.  “I began to realize that if I were going to be a success, I would have to pursue advanced education in skin care and cosmetology.  My cosmetologist’s license was only the beginning.”

Because of the educational opportunities offered through the Cosmetologists Association, Mary Ann became a member of the National Cosmetologists Association.  She became involved with NCA and began what would culminate as a lifelong commitment to association work.

In 1951, Mary Ann met and married Joseph Graffeo, who developed to nurture her ambitions and sharpen her business acumen. Ten years, later, with the birth of her lovely daughter, Kimberley, she sold her salon and for a short time devoted herself motherhood.

In 1962, Mary Ann and her husband opened a beauty supply wholesaling business, J.M. Beauty Supply.  For Mary Ann, this step represented experience in another aspect of the cosmetology field.  Mary Ann, however, yearned to channel her energy into more creative endeavors.  She wanted to learn more about her craft and educate as well.  It was this realization that she would need to learn more and to educate, that Mary Ann’s purpose began to unfold.

As a result of her dedication to education to and association work, Mary Ann soon became a member of the Board of Directors of the ICA on an affiliate level.  This was the first in a long line of association appointments that Mary Ann would hold.

In 1971, Mary Ann purchased on of the original Syd Simons Cosmetics studios and was trained in makeup artistry by the master himself, Syd Simon.  To further her education in skin care, she flew to Europe to study the European approach to aesthetics.  Later she would combine that knowledge with American technology to produce what would develop as an Americanized philosophy of Aesthetics.

Because of her involvement with the association, Mary Ann was continually educating her colleagues in her profession.  “I never stopped learning, and what I lean I share.  Good competition is good for everyone.”

The ownership of Syd Simons’ represented a pivotal point in her career.  It was at this time that Mary Ann would begin to commit herself completely to aesthetics, to progress in the field, and to help to determine its stature and destiny in America.  Mary Ann would help to shape the American traditions of aesthetics.

She began to foresee the future: “I made claims that in ten years, we would be seeing total salons and recognizing the seriousness of skin care and makeup application techniques in the field of cosmetology.”

Her quest was the establishment of the integrity of American aestheticians.

Mary Ann began to gravitate toward the “business behind the business,” to working behind the scenes to make the industry take notice. “We no longer had to rely on European methods.  We were developing our own.  The American aesthetician was taking the best of their world and combining that with the highest standards of American technology.”

Mary Ann soon became Secretary to the State Board of Directors of the Illinois Cosmetologist Association and has worked on the Board for approximately 15 years.  She succeeded late as President on an affiliate level in 1976.  At that time, Mary Ann was the first and only aesthetician to be on the State Board and the only aesthetician to ‘hold the position” of President on an affiliate level in the State of Illinois.

During her term as President, Mary Ann’s commitment to education and her enthusiasm for the profession doubled the membership of the affiliate.

In 1974, Mary Ann and a group of aestheticians formed an education/networking group in Chicago.  The following year while she was attending advanced classes in skin care in Dallas, Mary Ann met Ron Renee’ and Erica Miller.  At Mary Ann’s suggestion, the Chicago group of aestheticians merged with the Aestheticians International Association. Later, because of her commitment to association work, Mary Ann became Secretary of the AIA.  From 1982-83 she held the position of First Vice President, and in 1983 Mary Ann became President of the AIA and held the position until 1984.  Mary Ann Graffeo would succeed as the final president of the AIA before merging with the N.C.A..

In 1984, Mary Ann became instrumental in helping to form the Federation of American Esthetics (FAE), an organization combining and uniting three associations: the AIA, CIDESCO, USA; and Skin Care of America.

A year later, Mary Ann met with Ron Renee and Robert Diemer, both of whom were interested in the future of FAE and the American aesthetician.  All three agreed that a merger with the National Cosmetologist Association would solidify the identity of the American aesthetician.  “A meeting was set with Christine Valmy and Kay Acuazzo, and we asked if the NCA would allow us a separate identity as EstheticsAmerica.

In August 1985, the dream became reality when at their national convention; the Federation of American Esthetics unanimously voted to become party of the National cosmetologist Association’s newly formed EstheticsAmerica.

Currently an active member of EstheticsAmerica, Mary Ann is also Chairwoman of EstheticsIllinois and is a member of Esthetics Chicago.

A recognized leader in her field, Mary Ann has won many awards and much recognition in her profession.  Among those already mentioned:

-In 1982, Mary Ann received an award for the State Publication of the year from the National Hairdressers Association.

-In 1985, Mary Ann, by appointment of the President of the NCA, was chosen as one of ten aestheticians across the nation who would form a select committee known as the prestigious “Esthetics Section” of HairAmerica.

-Also in 1985, Mary Ann received an award from the Federation of American Esthetics for recognition of her outstanding contributions to the profession of aesthetics

-In addition to being instrumental in establishing EstheticsIllinois, Mary Ann served as its Chairwoman in 1986 and holds that position today.

Once again breaking new ground with yet another phase of her profession, “clinical cosmetology,” or paramedical corrective and camouflage makeup for burn survival victims and individuals disfigured from birth defects.

Mary Ann has begun working with cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons, performing pre and post-operative makeup workshops with patients and teaching clinical cosmetology to licensed cosmetologist, aestheticians, and students interested in the field.  “Clinical cosmeticians provide a much-needed service for pre and post-operative patients in camouflaging both temporary and permanent disfigurements such as burns from injuries or surgery, inflammation from acne or chemical peels, birthmarks such as port wine stains, and burn survival.”

As part of her studies, Mary Ann has recently completed a three week training session with Marvin Westmore in California.  “Much of the work is psychological,” she says. “These individuals experience all of the traumatic phases associated with suicide - depression, anger, despair.  They don’t expect utopia; they only want normalcy.”

In her spare time, Mary Ann teaches aesthesis in her private school, Mary Ann Graffeo Advanced Aesthetics.  She also has taught career training through the cooperative education programs of area high school; cosmetology for the School of Continuing Education at Southern Illinois University; classes in skin care and makeup at the Midwest Beauty Shows; and classes in skin care for the Chicago Cosmetologist Association.

It was with Mary Ann’s influence that Illinois became one of the first sates to offer Esthetics in the continuing education program of tone of its state universities.  Mary Ann also helped to galvanize legislation fir separate licensing for aesthetics in the State of Illinois.

When asked to recall her most memorable experiences, Mary Ann mentions an encounter with actress Patricia Neil.

“In 1978, following her recovery from a massive stroke, Patricia Neil came to Illinois to organize a benefit to raise money for the rehabilitation of stroke victims.  I did her makeup for the benefit.

In retrospect, we see an unparalleled enthusiasm for her profession and an undying commitment to the American aesthetician.  Mary Ann has realized her purpose and her dream through decades of perseverance, motivation, and success.  “The way you develop ideas is by learning and growing and sharing.  If you love your profession, you never stop growing, as long as you stay involved.”

 

(Comment from Ron Ronee’, Publisher)

“Mary Ann was instrumental in establishing Aestheticians International Association, Inc. when she came to Dallas to a seminar that was being held by A.I.A.  Through her efforts in persuading Illinois to become A.I.A.’s first State Section, A.I.A. grew to numerous state and international sections.  As founder, I have never seen a person more devoted to the advancement of education and public awareness than Mary Ann.  She has spent many hours, days and weeks working for the associations to help improve the aesthetics’’ profession without remuneration or personal gain.

During the A.I.A. Congresses Mary Ann was presented the Golden Eagle award in 1983 and the Silver Platter award in 1984.  She has been awarded several Oscar Awards of Aesthetics’ which lead to her receiving the ACADEMY OF LEGENDS AWARD.  She will be honored along with the other Academy of Legends at a Gala during the First Annual Aesthetics’ World Expo, Sept. 24-27, 1988 at the Grand Kempinski Hotel in Dallas, Texas.”

 

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Marvin Westmore - A Legend in Aesthetics

Marvin Westmore - A Legend in Aesthetics

Marvin Westmore--- A Legend in Aesthetics

The name Westmore is to makeup what the name Ford is to cars.  They founded the arena of makeup for the Hollywood Motion Picture Studios going back to the days of silent films.  They developed the methods that made starts look old, young, beautiful, ugly, big, small, etc.  at one time or another, a Westmore headed up the makeup departments at Paramount, Universal, Warner Brother, RKO, 20th Century, Fox, Selznick, Eagle-Lion, First National and a dozen other movie lots that once flourished in the motion picture industry.

The Westmores’ creation of horror and aging makeup helped bring movies from a make-believe medium to a realistic one.  They made up every star from Greta Garbo to Humphrey Bogart.  Cecille B. DeMille wouldn’t even make a movie without a Westmore by his side.  The famous House of Westmore was the most famous beauty salon in the world for 30 years.  Often one could find Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper seated on the elegant couch in the waiting area waiting for some stars with gossip.

Although Westmore remains the makeup master of the Hollywood Studios, he has branched out into other area as well.  He is the pioneer of what is now called, “paramedical makeup” and he is the founder of the Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts, the most prestigious training ground for makeup artists in the country.  As a result of attending the school, one makeup artist interested in the paramedical field got a job at the Mayo Clinic over many other applicants after she said she had trained at the Westmore Academy.

What Westmore finds the most satisfying is helping people who need his help the most.  Makeup is not just for making some one model beautiful.  Sometimes it’s to make people secure enough to appear in public.  It’s for people who have been in bad car accidents, bad fires, have been disfigured or scarred, have had plastic surgery, have unconceivable birth marks or skin diseases, etc.  He began the art of “paramedical makeup” after he was contacted by a plastic surgeon to help a badly scarred patient.  Then he started to do more and more of it as other plastic surgeons learned of him and made the same request.  The psychological transformation in these patients who now had the confidence to live more normally and go in public confidently led Westmore to take the area of paramedical makeup much more seriously.

He started developing better and better techniques and makeup.  His studio makeup experience of turning people old, ugly, etc., helped pave the way.  People who were reclusive from their accidents were now working, dating etc.

Plastic surgeons saw that although they could do a lot, they could do anything for the moral of the patient or for their self esteem.  How most of them looked to themselves caused many to become reclusive, self conscious and unhappy.  So Westmore began creating techniques and special cosmetics specifically for skin grafts, burn scars, surgery scars, bruises, birth marks, and skin diseases.

The school is Marv’s second love.  He started the Westmore Academy in 1982 and it quickly turned into one of the most prestigious makeup academies in the world.  People come from as far away as Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Canada, etc.  The school provides very sophisticated training in Salon Makeup, Paramedical, Photography, Fashion, Fantasy, Historical, and Motion Picture Television.  The school teaches the famous “Westmore Techniques” which until a few years ago were well help Hollywood secrets.  Now they are made public through the school, so makeup artist, aestheticians and cosmetologists can have access to them for their clients.

According to Westmore “simplicity is the key to the Westmore Method.  We hear over and over again about how customers go to have a makeup lesson or to get their makeup done and walk out made up with what they call ‘war paint’.”  They’ve often paid $40.00 for the lesson and hundreds for makeup they realize they will never wear again.  They usually discover when they get home that although it might be an interesting look, they don’t feel comfortable with it or like themselves.  Its not how they want to go to work or out to dinner with their husbands or dates.  So often the makeup artist loses customers that would normally come back if they had a better experience.”

What Westmore teaches for Salon Makeup at his school is how to be a no-limit makeup artist. He teaches them how to be more then someone who is dependent on selling products but how to be an actual cosmetic consultant that the customer confides and depends on over and over again.  He teaches them how to work with the client to produce that result.  He teaches them how to find out what kind of person they are working with and what kind of lifestyle they lead.  Then the makeup artist will know how to give them several appropriate looks that match their particular activities in life.  Just whether they spend most of their days indoors and outdoors will change the makeup typed to be used.

According to Westmore “the no limits makeup artist is a Personal Image Consultant/Instructor/Makeup Artist who objectively observes and analyzes the clients needs, who listen to the client’s wants, who determines the client’s level of capability (95% do not have the same talents and capabilities of a professional makeup artist) and level of fashion awareness.  They then create a makeup procedure for the client that can be easily reproduced by the client with simple yet thorough instructions.  All this is done with no sales pitch for products.  What we have discovered is that if the client likes what she sees and likes how she feels from your thorough instructions, then she will be her own best sales person for the makeup and skin care products,” says Westmore.  “She might not buy as much initially but she will become a loyal customer.  She won’t go home and wash her face.”

Westmore also stresses to his students that they earn more income by adding skills in photography, fantasy paramedical, television, etc.  That way they can also take extra jobs doing work for magazines, parties, paramedical victims, television stations, etc.  They will have those added skills.

In addition to his work on the sets of motion pictures and television shows, teaching at the school, contributing time to hospitals, adding to his own makeup line, etc., he also finds time to privately consult with paramedical victims and people who need specialized makeup or skin care.  For further information contact the Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts, 15445 Ventura Blvd., Suite 8, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, (818)906-1815.          

 

 

      Marvin Westmore is a third generation Westmore.  He has himself, done over two hundred movies and television shows.  He started in the golden days of television, working on such shows at Art Linkletter’s house party, Playhouse 90, The jack Benny Show, The Danny Kaye Show, etc.

He’s made just about every current star in Hollywood too, such names as Robert Redford, Don Johnson, Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Mary Tyler Moore, Harrison, Shelly Winters, Yul Brynner, etc.  He’s turned Kurt Russell into Elvis Presley, Lou Gossett Jr. into Anwar Sadat and human being into lizards for TV series entitled, “V”.  his peers in Hollywood call him, “The World’s Most Distinguished Makeup Artist.”

 

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Mark Traynor- A Legend in Aesthetics

Mark Traynor- A Legend in Aesthetics

Mark Traynor- A Legend Through Time

Antoine, the very famous French hairstylist, made a dramatic appearance in the archway of his luscious Parisian salon.  He was indeed singularly elegant in his beautifully tailored suit, a soft dove grey with a hint of blue.  He tinted his unique coiffure the exact color of his suit.  His outstanding appearance was not lost on his devoted and adoring clientele.

At the age of fifteen, Mark Traynor graduated high school, the youngest member in his graduating class.  He had not decided on his life’s profession, although his unspoken fantasy was to become a plastic surgeon.  Before he had to decide, his mother kept her promise to give him, as a graduation gift, a wonderful trip to Paris.  So here they were on the second day of their arrival in Paris at the exclusive salon of the hairstylist, Antoine.  They were next in line for his ministrations.  “a new coiffure for Madame Traynor and the petit garcon, n’est pas,” said Antoine, more as a statement than a question.

A lively discussion followed between Antoine and Mark, a combination of French-accented English and America-schoolboy French.  During the next two hours, Mark impressed Antoine with his astute observations on beauty and fashion and his intense interest in the beauty profession.  Mark so impressed Antoine that he offered to remain in Paris and apprentice under the master himself.  Thus started a lifetime romance between Mark Traynor and the glamorous world of fashion and beauty.

Back in New York, after working in several Fifth Avenue salons, Mark received an offer he couldn’t refuse.  He became the youngest member of the styling staff at the prestigious Charles of the Ritz salon.  For the next five years, he styled some of the most famous and noted heads including royalty, socialites and film stars.  His clientele became legion.  They were devoted to his exquisite and flawless creations “Once in Mark’s hands,” they said, “you can’t let anyone else touch your hair.”

After a short time, management decided to let Mark create the hairstyles for their advertisements.  This gave him an opportunity to influence the hairdressing profession on a national level.  Mark Traynor likes to say, “Life is like a book made of many chapters.  When you complete one chapter, go on to the next without rereading the book.”

And so in the next chapter and with the encouragement of his family, Mark opened his salon on elegant Madison Avenue in New York.  His brother Edward was the manager.  His friends, Selma and Larry Gore, were his public relations advisors.  His mother, Rosalie, always his faithful and staunch admirer, was there with constant encouragement, as well as the financial backbone.

The salon took off like a rocket.  Women came from far and wide to be made beautiful by the name dubbed “Society’s Mad Hairdresser”, a title given him by no less than famed journalist, Dorothy Kilgallen.  His penchant for bizarre dress and attitude helped make him every columnist’s favorite subject.  The renowned Walter Winchell always found space in his column to remark on the latest escapades of Mark Traynor.         

Although his work was always artistic, original and wearable, Mark did nothing to dispel his public image as a wild and somewhat eccentric genius.  At times he tinted his blond hair an emerald green in this per-hippy, pre-punk era.  Also, he worked with a live Capuchin monkey on his shoulder.  Mark garnering front page headlines with his sometimes high fashion and sometimes outrageous hairstyles.  His salon became the focal point of gossip.  You might find there a Duchess sitting next to a movie, star, seated next to a high-priced call girl.

During the wildly imaginative period in Mark’s life, he created and popularized some very unique hairstyles.  One of these he name “The Butterfly”, more widely known as the “Wing Wave”. Later he created the immensely popular “Flip”.  The Salon gained still more fame.  You might find such recognizable faces as Marilyn Monroe, Tallulah Bankhead, and Comedienne Kay Ballard; a very diverse group indeed.

Fame brought its rewards and its problems.  By now, there was a small chain of five salons.  Brother Ed had left to go on to the other endeavors and Gores went on to handling famous stars of stage and screen.  The pressures of big business limited opportunities to create new styles.  The time had come to review his life and perhaps turn the page to a new chapter.  Six weeks later Mark sold his salons, vacated his apartment, and said his god-byes.  On the Ile De France, watching the retreating skyline of New York City, Mark headed towards life’s next adventure.

Mark spends the next few years in idle travel and adventure throughout Europe living the life of the true dilettante.  But, even total leisure can pall, particularly for the artistic soul.  So, Mark decided to settle in Paris and found a small apartment in the stimulating bohemian atmosphere of portrait painting, which further inspired him to study the art of makeup as more a immediately gratifying form of expression.  He studied with renowned film makeup artist, Jean D’Estrees at one of Paris’ most elegant fashion locations.

After a six-month study period in the aesthetics of skin care and makeup, Mark returned home to New York.  On his day of departure from Paris, a friend at L’Oreal suggested he contact their New York Company, Cosmair, about helping to create their first cosmetic line.  And so, on just such a fragile gift of fate, Mark Traynor became the Makeup and Beauty Director of L’Oreal of Paris, back home in New York.

The next few years were very busy ones for Mark.  He helped create new cosmetic advertisements and traveled all over the county appearing at trade shows and designing new hair and makeup styles.  Through inspirations at these trade shows, Mark created face and body painting, an art form that was totally unknown at that time.  His work became nationally recognized.  It inspired the body painting of the so-called flower children of the 60’s and the wild face designs of rock groups such as Kiss.  His artistic creations and renewed fame landed him on Johnny Carson’s show twelve times.  In addition, he made numerous appearances on Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, David Frost, and dozen of metropolitan news and talk shows all over the country.  It was on these programs that he introduced his famous facial designs and jeweled wigs for evening wear. He pioneered slip-on-wigs for men, his now well-established “Temporary Face Life” and his “Isometric Beauty Band” --items that have revolutionized the beauty world.

Mark finally left L’Oreal and became a free- lance makeup artist and hair stylist.  In the ten years since, his endeavors have been many and varied.  He set up the only continuous professional makeup classes in the country, headquartered in New York.  Since then, the thousands of makeup artist he has trained have become stars in their own right working in TV, film and the fashion world.  Mark’s own makeup has been featured in hundreds of advertisements and editorials, including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Glamour and Seventeen.  The famous faces he’s worked n include Cheryl Tiegs, Lauren Hutton, Cybil Shepard, Iman, Grace Jones, Joan Rivers, Barbara Walters and Barbara Cartland to name but a few. In his spare time, he helped create the first line of cosmetic and skin care for Coty, and also designed a group of wigs and hairpieces for Max Fleisher and Oleg Cassini.

More recently, Mark decided to set down some of his work in book form.  His published works include “Sculpture Styling,” “The Professional Makeup Artist’s Guide” and “Mark Traynor’s Beauty Book.”  His most recent is “A Classic Approach to Makeup for Fashion, Film and Theater.”

Inundated with work, Mark decided to start yet another new career.  He designed a line of cosmetics sold only in beauty salons under the name Mark Traynor Cosmetics.  Inspired by some of the techniques used on movie stars to give them the illusion of youth, Mark created the Temporary Face Lift products.  Today, thousands of women, as well as makeup artists in film studios, TV and theater, use these products to maintain a youthful appearance.

In what is almost a return to childhood dreams, Mark now works with plastic and cosmetic surgeons.  He takes pre and post-operative photos of clients.  Then, on the same client, he does the makeup, hair and wardrobe styling.  His artistry changes them into beautiful and glamorous visions of his new love, glamour photography.  Combining all his past knowledge and talent, Mark holds exclusive classes for professionals in the art of photographic makeup.  Mark says “If you can create beauty for the all-seeing eye of the camera, you can create the ultimate makeup for any person or situation.”

At one of his recent lectures a student asked Mark, “How did you get where you are now?”  Mark answered, “It takes some talent (which a lot of you have), luck (being in the right lace at the right time), and perseverance.  And, oh yes, don’t be afraid to be different, to take a chance, to follow your heart and mind, -- and Never Look Back!”

 

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Dr. Mark Lees: A Legend in Aesthetics

Dr. Mark Lees: A Legend in Aesthetics

Dr. Mark Lees- A Living Legend in Aesthetics

Intelligent, pleasant, savvy, witty, personable, go getter… A few of the many ways to describe this most talented living legend, Dr. Mark Lees, who will celebrate his thirty third year of youthfulness in September of this year.  In his short life, he has accomplished more than many people twice his age, yet remains a great person to be around and a good friend to his colleagues in the industry.          

But, let’s go back and get to know Mark a little better.  He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was raised in Pensacola, Florida.  Mark had a great deal of problems with his ears as a small child.  As a result, he was not able to swim and enjoy some of the typical activities that other boys his age were doing.  Perhaps that is the reason he ventures off on his own, pursuing other interest and eventually winding up a volunteer worker at the Pensacola Zoo.  (We often remind Mark how special that experience was!)  He took the zoo work so seriously that at the ripe age of eleven he was in charge of the animal’s diets, and even raised a baboon at home until it was old enough to live with its fellow animals.  In fact, if you get to know Mark well enough, he’ll probably show you the physical souvenirs - - sea lion’s teeth marks, leopard and bear scars, etc.

At fourteen, Mark was sent to prep school by his parents; a decision that developed Mark’s interest and abilities in the chemistry.  During his time at the academy, his life long goal became the pursuit of veterinary medicine.  At fifteen, Mark received a scholarship from the Veterinary Science Department of the University of Florida.  Mark actually enrolled in college and graduated with an Associate degree, at seventeen.  Then, one year during an elective speech course, Mark participated in veterinary medicine, this was an exciting change.  Imagine what his college counselor thought; theater and animal science at the same time?!

To this day, Mark is known to humorously feel that “skin care is somewhere between theater and animal nutrition!”  What’s even more interesting is that Mark took a career test in high school and was told he’s make an excellent funeral director!

His interest in theater rapidly developed into quite an acting career, including; Fiddler On The Roof, Diary Of Anne Frank, Cabaret, and many more. His friends at the time included such talents as Jan Hooks (now on Saturday Night Live) and Michael Blevins (from the movie A Chorus Line.)   Now, back to our star.

Mark decided to go to Los Angeles after graduation from, college, to audition for the movies.  While doing so, his practical side popped up again and he decided he didn’t want to starve, so he enrolled in Cosmetology school.  What a shock this was to Mark’s family.  Mark’s father, Richard E. Lees Jr., his mother, Virginia, and his only sister, Amanda were all psychologists.  Family opinion has changed dramatically since that time.

His instructor ran across an advertisement announcing a CIDESCO congress in New York.  That was it; Mark was on a plane to New York.  This one single trip and congress kicked off his skin care career.  He was mesmerized by the lectures, by the scientific approach to skin care, and he had the opportunity to meet Madame Christine Valmy, herself.  In fact, he is still very proud to tell friends how excited he was about getting her personal autograph on her newly released book.  With Mark’s strong background in chemistry and biology, he was able to adequately appreciate the potential of this young industry.  It was then that Mark began saying, “when you cross theater and animal science, you get esthetics!”  Needless to say, his next move was the Christine Valmy School immediately after completing cosmetology school.

After graduation from her school he was offered a job back in Pensacola, as a director for a new salon.  They agreed to add a skin care room and that work began.  Mark did facials, Mark did hair, Mark even did nails (although not so great at that), and it grew.  In less than a year and a half his next decision was made - - to open his own salon!  In 1980, Mark’s own salon became the first licensed all skin care salon in the city.  Within two years, Mark’s operation grew and he had one other full time aesthetician and a part time receptionist (both of who are still with him: Denise Settle and Terrie Lowell).  The first salon was actually half of an old dental office and didn’t even have windows.

In 1982, the school bug bit Mark again.  This time, however, it was a little more complicated.  He wanted a Masters degree.  Although no advanced esthetic program was offered, he convinced the Dean to let him pursue his Masters in Health Science, with a concentration on skin care.  It was during this time that Mark began to show a particular interest in problem skin and began an interest in the research related to comedogenicity, as done by Dr. Fulton, Dr. Klingman, etc.  His interest was peaked as he discovered the limitations in treatment capability for these difficult problem skins, not to mention the unattractive packaging. Unsatisfied with foundations for his only skin, Mark began tinkering with formulas in 1983.  Without realizing it, the beginnings of the Mark Less Skin Care line was about to begin.

In 1984, his accumulated skills and determination led him to take the world renowned CIDESCO international examination.  To quote Mark’s impression of this “the CIDESCO Exam is what I then and still do consider the ultimate accomplishment in the field.”  Mark was also elected Vice President of CIDESCO at the same congress in New York.  Mark’s reaction, “I was stunned… the CIDESCO diploma and Vice President in two days!”

Mark also completed his Masters Degree that year!  But, still not enough, mark went directly into his study for a Doctorate.  The Doctorate was completed in 198, and Mark became our industry’s very first Ph.D.  It wasn’t just school and study either.  Mark continues working and expanding his salon.  He built a completely new salon in 1985, and the operation went from half a dental office to a booming salon with a staff of fourteen and another large building and a complete non-comedogenic skin care line!

Mark loved his work and the industry.  He never missed a show and he worked diligently as Vice President of CIDESCO, USA.  In 1985, the three separate skin care associations merged and held a Federation Congress in Chicago.  During the congress it was announced that the Federation was going to join forces with the National Cosmetology Association.  Mark was invited to join the prestigious EstheticsAmerica committee and in January of 1986, he attended his first NCA (National Cosmetology Association) show, in New Orleans.  As he has said so many times since, “little did we know that so many of the people at the first meeting were to become such close friends and business associates.”

Mark continued growing and working.  He went from being a new member, to two terms as Body Care Section Director, and then on to becoming the current Chairman of EstheticAmerica.  When asked about his Chairmanship and NCA, Mark replied. “In late 1988, I was appointed Chairman of EA and almost immediately flown off to Australia to represent NCA at CIDESCO International.  Now, serving my second term as Chairman, I can say that this has been the most difficulty and arduous experience in my life.  But, it has also been one of the best learning and professional opportunities I have ever had.  If it wasn’t for NCA, I would never have made so many good friends and business associates.  That experience is priceless!!!!

Not to be forgotten is the development of Mark Lees Skin Care.  As noted earlier, Mark began considering product development in 1983, but it wasn’t until 1987, after developing the Mark Lees Base Peaux Grasse, that the whole line came about.  With the help of a couple of friends, a lot of research and hard work, the line was finally launched at the Midwest Beauty Show. In March 1988, his line is growing and is now carried in salons throughout the United States and Canada.

And finally, what really makes a Legend: devotion and dedication.  Without a doubt, Dr. Mark Lees is a wonderful representative of what should constitute a legend.  From college entrant at fifteen to corporate President, Salon Owner, EstheticsAmerica Chairman, and American Salon’s Aesthetician of the Year in 1989 - - his accomplishments epitomize what one can do when truly motivated by the right reasons.  It will be exciting to see what bigger and better things Mark moves on to in the years ahead.  He is undaunted and committed.  With all he has, the world is his to conquer!

 

 

Mark Lees is my friend, my business colleague, my favorite and most distinguished story and joke teller, and a credit to our industry.  CONGRATULATIONS, MARK, on this official honor as a Living Legend of our industry. - - Erica Miller

 

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Margaret Ancira - A Legend in Aesthetics

Margaret Ancira - A Legend in Aesthetics

AIA Legend: Margaret Ancira

Changing the Face of Skin Care and Aesthetic Medicine

 

Margaret Ancira is the epitome of the entrepreneurial spirit, even if her path to prosperity didn’t begin until age 40. She grew up in a military family of eight siblings that ultimately settled in Texas. She married young, had a daughter, and became a single mother by the time she was 22. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she tried her hand at real estate, catering, auto sales, finance, insurance, and professional modeling. Her real passion, however, had always been medicine, first as a little girl mixing together cosmetic concoctions out of anything she could find in her mother’s medicine cabinet, to later working part-time in her stepfather’s obstetrics practice. “It was in my blood,” Margaret recalls.

In 1989, Margaret decided to focus on the things she loved and earned a license as an aesthetician. Pleased with this new direction, but still uncertain of her future, on a lark she visited a psychic who offered startling news. “She saw great success surrounding me, that I would be a pioneer in my field and gain international recognition,” says Margaret. Then, the reading took an interesting twist. “All of a sudden, the psychic said she saw two snakes entwined, but she didn’t understand what it meant.” Margaret did. It was a caduceus, the international symbol of medicine. Her renewed interest in skin together with that image was the catalyst Margaret needed to envision an untried concept: a science-based skin care line dispensed in doctor’s offices.

Physician’s Choice of Arizona, Inc., was formally launched in Scottsdale, Ariz., the following year. Working closely with top research chemists, Margaret created a collection of seven home care products for the initial line. She began marketing the first non-prescription, clinically-researched skin care line exclusively for physicians. As the line took hold, she developed a new generation of blended, superficial chemical peels; formulated to gently exfoliate, lift hyperpigmentation, and nourish the skin with minimal downtime for the patient.

It was not easy to convince the extremely conservative medical community of the benefits of providing their patients with skin care. Physicians were accustomed to prescribing, not dispensing, products to their patients, and they were not comfortable with this new “sales” paradigm shift. Margaret knew they would need proof that the products could deliver visible results and do it safely and effectively. She personally visited physicians in their offices, walked trade show floors, and sought out physicians at medical conferences to pitch her philosophy and marketing concept.

Among her early supporters was Mark Rubin, MD, a prominent Beverly Hills Dermatologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego. “I met Margaret at a medical meeting,” says Dr. Rubin. “I was impressed by her desire to put some science into skin care, which back then was a very non-scientific field. Her desire to move the industry of skin care in the direction of scientific understanding and education is what really has differentiated Margaret.”

Margaret’s pioneering chemical peel technology gained recognition quickly in the medical community and acceptance in dermatology education. Her work is cited in numerous medical textbooks including The Manual of Chemical Peels by Mark Rubin, M.D.; Cosmetic Dermatology by Leslie Baumann, M.D.; and The Non-Surgical Facelift Book by Michael Byun, M.D., John Mendelsohn, M.D., and William Truswell, M.D. “She was one of the first people to try and create new products based on the science of the ingredients in the cosmeceutical field,” says Rubin. “In addition, she believed strongly in educating her consumers and trained them in the use of her products and techniques.”

Margaret also gained a loyal following among plastic surgeons and her fellow aestheticians, becoming a sought-after speaker. She lectured in Asia, Europe, and Latin America and became a regularly-featured speaker at major medical, scientific, and aesthetic industry conferences across the U.S., including American Academy of Dermatology, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Nurses, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, International Congress of Esthetics and Spa, and the International Esthetics, Cosmetics and Spa Conference. Margaret’s expertise generated media attention as well, and she authored numerous articles and guest columns in more than two dozen national medical journals, beauty trade publications, and consumer magazines.

To Margaret, Physician’s Choice of Arizona was more than a line of proprietary peel formulations and daily care products. The company gave her a platform from which to educate medical professionals and aestheticians on skin function and how to enhance skin health through the safe and proper use of chemical peels and home care products. Professional education became her hallmark, and the company expanded a new education division to meet the surging demand for her knowledge. Margaret developed a comprehensive training program for her highly competent team of educators. They traveled around the country educating physicians, nurses, and clinical aestheticians.

As the company grew and evolved, so did the name. In 2004, Physician’s Choice of Arizona, Inc., celebrated its 15-year anniversary with the unveiling of a new corporate name – PCA Advanced Skin Care Systems. The new corporate identity was chosen to embody the company’s growing global presence and to unify brand recognition. Along with the new name came a streamlined logo in black and white. “The company had evolved significantly since we opened our doors in 1990,” says Margaret. “Our product offerings went from seven to more than 50 professional and daily care products.”

Under Margaret’s thoughtful leadership, PCA earned a reputation internally as a family-friendly company. Many of the employees in the predominantly female company started their professional careers with PCA. Representing the company at trade shows, medical conferences, and seminars, gave the PCA team an opportunity to forge new professional relationships and visit exciting cities around the globe. Empowering women has always been important to Margaret. Along with advancing the careers of her employees, she sought out community programs aimed at providing women outside the company with physical, emotional, and financial well-being. To date, Margaret has donated close to $500,000 in funds and in-kind support to local and national charities specifically supporting women.

On a national level, Margaret became a founding sponsor of Face-to-Face: Domestic Violence Project started in 1994 by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). This pro bono service reconstructs the faces of women scarred or disfigured by domestic violence. Margaret pledged $150,000 to this cause, hosted fundraisers on its behalf, and actively enlisted physicians’ services. Since the project began, more than 2,500 survivors of domestic abuse have been helped.

Ann Holton, director of development and humanitarian programs at The Educational and Research Foundation for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS Foundation) has high praise for Margaret’s generosity. “I have the opportunity to work with many CEOs and corporations that wish to support our various programs. They offer assistance for a year or two. They are eager for publicity and then they move on to more ‘glamorous’ causes other than domestic violence,” says Holton. “Margaret is a different type of CEO and ran a different type of company. She gets involved, she stays involved, and the only time she finds herself in the spotlight is when her voice can assist survivors of domestic violence who are unable to speak for themselves. Her commitment is to survivors of domestic violence. Individuals who have healed inside, yet still have the scars outside.”

“The AAFPRS Foundation stands out among medical specialties as the most caring and concerned, and its domestic violence project raises awareness of this longstanding problem,” says Margaret. “We at the AAFPRS Foundation,” responds Holton, “could easily reply that Margaret is the one that stands out among CEOs as the most caring and concerned, and she has been the advocate to so many women that could not find their own voice.”

Margaret has been equally committed to championing the issue of domestic violence in her own community. Since 2003, she has opened her hand and her heart to the Sojourner Center, the largest domestic violence shelter in Arizona and the U.S. PCA employees donated thousands of dollars worth of household items and hundreds of hours of service at the shelter’s nursery and thrift store. Margaret also established an annual educational grant for shelter residents pursuing a career in health care. To date, Margaret has awarded four scholarships totaling $10,000. One of the recipients completed her education and is now a homeowner earning a respectable salary.

For her unwavering commitment, Margaret was invited to join the Board of Sojourner Center and served for two years. “Over the years, the women and children benefited from Margaret’s generosity on so many levels,” says Connie Phillips, MSW, executive director of the Sojourner Center. “She was a major donor to our $12 million capital campaign to build apartments for families as they are leaving shelter. She also arranged for the donation of a shade structure to cover the playground so that the children would be protected from the damaging rays of the sun. Margaret promoted the Center through her business and networking, drawing attention to our needs, and bringing resources to us.”

“Margaret is a true example of what is possible,” says Phillips. “She never let her circumstances limit her dreams. She believes in the potential of every person, and she is especially aware of the strength that many women carry inside themselves. Those who follow her example can learn to embrace their strengths and make the most of them. They can also learn to approach life from a place of joy and gratitude. I count it a privilege to know Margaret.”

Margaret again was ready to elevate the company to a new level. In 2006, PCA Advanced Skin Care Systems announced that Dr. Jennifer Linder, a board-certified dermatologist, fellowship-trained Mohs skin cancer surgeon, bioengineer and chemist would move her private practice from San Francisco to Scottsdale to join PCA as chief scientific officer. Margaret welcomed the alliance and believed that Linder's exceptional scientific credentials along with her commitment to clinical skin care were in complete alignment with PCA's ongoing mission. Linder and her husband, Richard Linder, invested in the company later that year. PCA took another step forward toward global expansion and evolved into PCA SKIN, part of a larger health care company, Physicians Care Alliance, LLC, owned by the Linders.

While Margaret still serves as an advisor and a spokesperson for the company, she has, in true entrepreneurial style, found a way to turn travel and spa-hopping into a business. In 2007, she and a friend launched www.spacritiques.com, a web-based consumer guide to the good, bad, and ugly sides of the spa industry. “We have created a place where consumers can go and find no-nonsense facts about where they should be spending their hard-earned money when selecting a spa,” says Margaret. The two have traveled to Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, and throughout the U.S., visiting spas incognito as customers and then posting their findings on the website. The site also offers an extensive glossary of spa treatments, a blog, and an area where consumers can post reviews about their own experiences.

Currently much of her time is spent in Texas with her daughter, Rebecca, and six-year-old granddaughter Gianna. Margaret’s passions for travel, spas, and home design keep her on the road often, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. It feeds her creative spirit and curious mind. Those who have watched her journey and been touched by her kindness and generosity say she is more than deserving of this life well-lived and hard-won.

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Lydia Safarti- A Legend in Aesthetics

Lydia Safarti- A Legend in Aesthetics

Lydia Safarti- A Legend in Aesthetics

“I’ve never believed in taking no for an answer, “Sarfati says, with a smile.  “If people say no, I don’t get mad.  I just think, “Well, they don’t understand, and it is my job to educate them.”

Ask people who know her to describe Lydia Sarfati physically, and one image almost always comes to mind.  Oh, they might mention her dark hair, the perfect skin, that unmistakable laugh, or the rich, European-accented voice.  But they also see the president and founder of Repechage in a particular posture:

They see her standing in front of a classroom full of skin care specialists, conducting a seminar.  She is beside a treatment chair, where a facial client is stretch out comfortably, her fingers tracing the skin as she explains something about its condition or needs to a group of beauty editors, a gathering of skin care professionals, or just to the client.

Sarfati sits sometimes, of course, in her sunny loft offices in New York’s West 20’s. on the phone talking with someone in France, Hong Kong, Alabama, or in a meeting (with staff, clients, suppliers), she radiates a kind of intense physical energy.  She still gets excited about new ideas, formulas, ways to reach the industry and the public.  Even now, with her treatments and products in more than 600 salons across North America, not to mention the growing number in Europe, Asia, South America and the Caribbean.  Lydia Sarfati is as driven as ever to fulfill her mission.  She won’t be completely happy until every person on the planet respects the importance of good professional skin care, and has access to it.

Sarfati’s intense focus on skin care began when she was only in her teens, growing up in Legnica, Poland, a city of 70,000 or so, closer to German and Czechoslovakian borders than to either Warsaw or Kracow.  She took her professional training there, heavy on anatomy, histology, and other sciences.  If that sounds like a pre-med curriculum, it was meant to be.  In most parts of Eastern Europe, the skin care specialist has always been considered a professional who specializes in caring for the largest organ of the body, and who needs to know every detail of its structure and function in order to diagnose and treat it.

It came as something of a shock, when the young woman moved to the United States, to learn how differently things were done here.  The fact that there were no separate skin care licensing or curriculum within the beauty industry, and that any aspiring aesthetician had to spend most of her educational time learning hairdressing, amazed her.  But she got her credentials, and was soon managing other people’s New York salons, as well as building loyal personal clientele.

The logical next step for Lydia Sarfati, still in her twenties, was to create her own salon.  The ors of the Klisar Skin Care Center on 53rd street between Madison and Fifth Avenues opened in September, 1977, and by winter, items about the new salon and its knowledgeable co-owner had begun to appear in Vogue, Mademoiselle, and a host of other national magazines.

Klisar had no advertising budget, no marketing plan, and its only publicity expense was to offer a few free facials to the young women who wrote the press releases.  Lydia Sarfati met with the “we’ve seen it and we’re pretty bored by it, thank-you” beauty editors, and won them over with a combination of impressive demonstration, technical knowledge, communication skills and sheer force of will.

“I’ve never believed in taking no for an answer, “ Sarfati says, with a smile.  “If people say no, I don’t get mad.  I just think, “Well, they don’t understand, and it is my job to educate them.”

Once, when an experienced free-lance publicist couldn’t get a foot in the door for a particular newspaper interview, Sarfati took on the challenge herself.  “Just give me five minutes,” she told the editor.  “And after that, if you don’t think I have anything new to say, you can kick me out.”  The result was a full newspaper feature on Sarfati’s philosophies and methods.

Things moved fast once word about Klisar began to spread.  The glamorous, but somehow cozy, second floor salon, with its blue and chrome décor, louvered-door treatment rooms, and mirrored walls, had become a real meeting place for New York business-women, jet-setters, and for the beauty press itself.  Magazine editors grew accustomed to running into each other at Klisar.  One successful model, who had relocated to Paris, still flew in from the French capital to have her facials done in New York by Lydia.  Articles appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Ladies’ Home Journal, Bride’s GQ, Women’s Wear Daily, The New York Daily News, The New York Times, the list goes on.

When Sarfati wasn’t giving interviews, training new employees, or doing facials with her own two hands, she was working with her suppliers to make the products she carried increasingly gentle and more effective.  In 1980, only three years after the opening of the salon, she founded Repechage a small skin care products company for which she had high hopes.

The four layer facial was the company’s dramatic new treatment.  Sarfati had been flying back and fourth across the Atlantic for months, meeting with chemists to refine and retest the formula until it met her standards.

The goal was to create a salon skin care treatment with the results built into the formula itself, a virtually foolproof treatment that would give the client beautiful, visible results whether the aesthetician in charge that day was a talented 20-year industry veteran or a shaky beginner.

Sarfati and her associates introduced the facial to New York area beauty professionals at a party and presentation at the Pierre Hotel in July 1980.  Two months later, Repechage was introduced to the beauty press at a cocktail party in The Atrium Galleria.

That day, when it was time to demonstrate the new four-layer facial, Sarfati had not hired a model or pre-arranged a “volunteer.”  Instead, she stood in front of the group and asked who might like to try the facial first.  To a certain amount of general amazement, the hand that went up belonged to Andrea Quinn Robinson, beauty editor of Vogue and today, President of Ultima II.  The new treatment and its developer could not have won a more impressive vote of confidence.  From that day, the company’s growth was steady and sure.  In 1983, Sarfati sold Klisar to her partner and left to devote all her time and energies to Repechage.

As a result:  Repechage (a name that means, in French, a rescue of sorts, a chance to make up for the mistakes of the past) is a respected name throughout the industry.  The four-layer facial and the first basin cleaners, lotions, and moisturizers have been joined by a wide array of treatments and products, from anti-aging ampoules to a complete seaweed-based body care collection.

There are the usual symbols of success: the spacious New York headquarters with its own training center, the enthusiastic staff and the awards.  But, they are not the way Lydia Sarfati judges how far she has come in terms of her original goal, to educate America about skin care.  In that respect, Sarfati fulfilled one important dream in 1989 when she established RAC (Repechage Authorized Centers), a national organization whose members are skin care salons that have met the highest standards of professionalism.

“Lydia is an inspiration to the staff at our salons,” says Cheryl Tricoci of Mario Tricoci Salons and Spas in Chicago, Illinois. “Her one on one training enables her to find each person’s wavelength, then motivate them and inspire them to perform.”

“I learn more every time I talk to her,” says Pat Robinson, owner of Pat Robinson’s Sensible Skincare, in Framingham, Mass.  “The single element that makes Lydia stand out is her knowledge about the knowledge is matched only by her sincerity.”

“Lydia is an inspiration,” says Santo Mula of the King Ranch and La Corte salons in Toronto.  She’s a dynamic person, and Repechage is far more effective than any other line we have carried.”

Mula, who has worked with Sarfati for seven years, is not the only professional who seems to feel compelled to give a product testimonial as well as a personal one.  But, as John Walsh President Elizabeth Grady Face First points out, “That’s because both are important aspects of her contributions to the industry.”  “I met Lydia ten years ago, and was awestruck by her beauty.  But her sincerity is equally overwhelming.  She is extremely concerned with quality of service.

“Lydia has been my personal role model for years,” adds Beth Mirowski, director of aesthetic training for the Elizabeth Grady School of Esthetics. Mirowski remembers meeting Sarfati for the first time and confessing that, at one time, she would have been willing to work for her for free.  “I would have done it in hopes of gaining just a tiny bit of her knowledge.  She laughed and assures me that I had the true hear of tan aesthetician, and that the she appreciated the fact that I have always put love for the field before anything. “From that moment she started speaking, I knew that this woman epitomized everything that I wanted to be as an aesthetician.”  At the Aesthetics World Expo’ 89 in Dallas, Joel Gerson dropped into Lydia Sarfati’s class and sat in the last row.  “I wanted to see the woman who years ago came from Poland, worked in a salon as an aesthetician, and today runs one of the most successful skin care companies in America.  I chose the last row so I could leave in five to ten minutes without disturbing her class.  Bit I was so overwhelmed by her knowledge, that I stayed for the entire class,”  Gerson recalls.

Not long ago, Gerson dropped by the combination salon, workshop and store that Repechage opened in Manhattan’s East 60s (1073 Third Avenue) in December 1989.  He found the company president in the middle of giving a facial. “Can you imagine?”  he begins, voicing genuine admiration.  “With all the salons and a major company to run, Lydia finds the time to spend with her clients and gives treatments in her salon when she is in New York.”

Originally, Lydia Sarfati said she wanted to bring European attitudes, skills and techniques to the American consumer.  Today, she talks more of reversing that process, passing some of that American inventiveness back to the Old World.

“What I was able to do in the United States was to combine my European Know-how with the American way of thinking,” she summarizes, standing in the reception area of 1037 Third Avenue.  “I’m proud that I was able not only to be part of this industry, but to have some input.  Now I want to take that input and carry it to Europe and Asia.  I want to reeducate the European aesthetician.”

It’s not a matter if the European skin care industry doing anything wrong,  she quickly explains.  It’s just that they have been doing some thing the same way for hundreds of years, and that can make people resistant to change.  It’s America’s enthusiasm about learning and taking action that she wants to export now.

Lydia Sarfati insists that she is still learning every day, so it is sometimes difficult for her to reflect on the past rather than the future, but she knows what makes her proud.

A fellow professional telling her a Repechage product is the best he’s ever seen for instance and when she opened 1037 Third Avenue, the clients from 15 to 20 years ago who turned up at its front door saying, “We’ve missed you. This feels like coming home.”

That makes Lydia Sarfati very proud indeed.

 

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Luella Bailey- A Legend in Aesthetics

Luella Bailey- A Legend in Aesthetics

Luella Bailey- A Legend in Aesthetics

Luella Bailey has been an active cosmetologist since 1973.  She became a member of the National Hairdressers and Cosmetologists Association in 1948, and since that time has served in many capacities.  She served as an affiliate officer in her home town of Duluth, Minnesota, also on the state level she served as State Styles Director.  In Florida she also served as an officer on the affiliate level and as Styles Director on the state level.  For many years she was a member of the New York Guild.  She served NHCA as Style Director 1957-59 after having served as assistant Styles Director two years prior.

During her tenure as national Styles Director she has the good fortune to assist in hosting Mrs. Richard Nixon as guest of the fashion luncheon program when the convention was held in Washington D.C.  She was the guest of honor for the National Millinery Institute convention in New York at which meeting she blessed the “marriage of hats and hair”.  For over 30 years she has been a guest artist and guest lecturer for many organizations and state associations.  The National Association has recognized her by inducting her into the NCHA HALL OF RENOWN.

Luella has always been a futuristic thinker, the first to consider new ideas.  When it became evident that skin care had a great potential, she hastily suggested to the national association that skin care classes be included at the meetings.  Her schools in Florida were the first to include skin care training as part of the regular curriculum even though it was not required by the state.  This all took place in 198, 17 years ago.  She held the office President of the southeastern division of CIDESCO, USA from 1978 trough 1921.  She attended the international meeting of CIDESCO in Brighten England in 1978, and has participated in CIDESCO’s meetings in New York.

She has prepared skin care training seminars for the following:  The Midwest Beauty Trade Show in Chicago, state and affiliate shows, state teachers seminars, The Florida FCA and FHFC seminars, CEU seminars, and in Alabama she assisted the State Board of Cosmetology in setting up the first states to provide skin care training.  In New York, she did the filming of the first educational material on skin care released by NHCA.  Later in St. Louis, she did a follow-up on male skin care.

In the early days, when teaching skin care classes, the person in charge has to see that the equipment was secured set up for operation, secured at night and in many cases repacked for shipment at the close of the meeting.  This is not the case today since we have many more manufacturers in the industry who are willing to help.  For many years Christine Valmy gave great assistance.

Luella assisted Modern Salon Magazine in formulating their first skin care articles for the aesthetic profession.  She also did the technical work for American Hairdresser Magazine on “Programming Teenage Skin Care.”  She was influential in presenting esthetician training to the O.H.F.C of NCHA, now known as HairAmerica.  It was later decided that classes should be held at the annual and semi-annual meeting for the national membership.  This proved to be a valuable insight for NHCA.  Luella also recommended in 1978 that an esthetic section be considered within the OHFC.

Luella Bailey is chairman of the Florida Esthetics Section of NCA.  She has chaired this position since 1982, and has built this section from none to 35 by holding 4 seminars and 1 examination a year.  (25 more are to take the exam in September).  The written and practical for this exam was set up by Luella, including the master sheets, grading sheets, examiners sheets, time, programs, etc.  She based all of the procedures on HairAmerica systems and grading, with the help of Porter who set up the national procedures.  Many stats have contacted Luella for this procedure, both written and practical, as a format in setting up their own esthetic section.  She is very proud of the Florida Esthetic Section of NCA.

Both she and Porter also set up an initiation of a candlelight ceremony in conjunction with the FHFC initiation they are also in charge of.  It is a very impressive ceremony, to be held at the opening program.  The entire committee of the esthetic section march in mass to a reserved section.  The persons to be instated present themselves one at a time as their names are called, and they receive two pink candles.  One is lit by the state president from her gold candle representing the Florida Esthetic Section.  A commentary is read, they receive their diplomas and pins.  (The pins they buy, but they are given the diplomas)  The president then finalizes the ceremony by giving the initiated people the oath of leadership.  The music and lights go up, and they blow out their candles together.

Luella hopes this beautiful ceremony will eventually be adopted by all states.  A solemn ceremony such as this helps people be proud of their position as esthetic leaders in their country.

Luella has long been a leader where professionalism is concerned.  It is her opinion that too many people call themselves skin care specialists, and do not have the training or background in this field.  It appears that improvements are being made, but the progress is very slow.  With the advent of augmenting and combining the various segments of the skin care organizations into one group under the wing of NHCA in HairAmerica, there will be not only a powerful organization behind estheticians, but great leadership and good guidance.

Luella says, “Professionalism is not only a worldly attitude, it is giving unselfishly of oneself and with concern for others.  As professionals, we have a responsibility to the public, not only for estheticians to conduct themselves as professionals, but to continue to educate themselves, and others in the profession so that the entire industry will progress.  Individually, we can do little- - but together, we can accomplish a great deal.  Today, we are great....tomorrow we will be even greater.”

A special note of recognition from Dermascope to Luella who will have been a cosmetician for 50 years in January, 1987.  Congratulations Luella Bailey.

 

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Linda Seidel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Linda Seidel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Linda Seidel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Healing through Concealing Linda Seidel brings new hope to those with special challenges.

Linda Seidel scooped small amounts of corrective makeup onto the back of her band and blended it. “Watch exactly what I am doing because you are going to learn to do this yourself,” she told the tiny children seated in her chair at her Owings Mills studio.  Seidel’s smile, soothing voice and deliberate techniques fascinated four year old Aril and her family, who had driven two and half days from Chicago to Maryland to see the rehabilitation specialist.

April sat perfectly still, fascinated by the process as Seidel encouraged her to touch the makeup, to feel its consistency and to apply it by patting and pressing it onto her face.  April has been born with the deep red blotches known as port wine stains, birthmarks that covered most of her face and a large section of her body.  Already a veteran of ten painful laser surgeries for which she has to be completely anesthetized, April was beginning to show signs of distress and anxiety over her appearance.  As a result of the surgeries, the port wine birthmark on her face appeared mottled, like chronic case of measles.  When invited to be a flower girl in a family wedding she cried and refused to wear the formal short-sleeved gown for the event.

After seeing Seidel on a national television show, April’s family hoped that the aesthetic rehabilitation specialist could conceal April’s birthmarks.  Her parents contacted Seidel and made an appointment.  Distance didn’t matter.  The family, with April’s grandfather in tow, headed for Owings Mills.  “What Seidel does in nothing less than a miracle, said William Schultz, April’s grandfather. Through the use of various shades of blended cosmetics, Seidel performed a fantastic transformation.  “When my granddaughter gazed at herself in the mirror, she was. Like all of us, amazed at the results,” he said.

A Pioneer in Her Field

April and her family are not alone.  Just ask Mary Sapanaro of Port Deposit, Md., a 28 year old former model and makeup artist whose face was injured in an auto accident.  Or Cindi Andrews-Zelegman of Denver who survived a propane explosion in her home but sustained severe burns over 98 percent of her body.  Or Scott Hawkins of West Virgin, an air conditioner repairman, who sustained severe scarring to his face and chin in an accident involving Freon.

Seidel’s “magic” draws people from across the nation, Canada and beyond, who have suffered from accidents that result in disfigurements or from unsightly birthmarks.  They come to Seidel in an effort to lead normal lives that allow them to blend I easily with society rather than stand out.  And it is no wonder they come to Seidel.  As the nation’s leading rehabilitation specialist - a field she pioneered - Seidel demonstrates her commitment and dedication each time new clients find themselves at her studio.

“Linda is able to look beyond to the inner person and is somehow able to bring that forward,” said Sapanaro. “What she does goes well beyond applying makeup to people’s faces and bodies.  I know.  I used to do that for a living - make up faces.  Linda plays a vital role in the healing process and she help people she touches to feel whole again, which is so important after losing so much,” she said.

Seidel offers an easy explanation for the gift. “This first time I see a person who needs corrective make up, in my mind’s eye, I can already picture how that person will look when I am finished,” she said.  “Working with people who are disfigured gives me a great deal of inspiration and energy levels, where as I sometimes fell drained when I am doing a simple glamour make-over,” she said.

Seidel, 44, began her career almost 20 years ago as a glamour make-up artist in Baltimore.  She had no idea that her divergent path would lead her on a journey from which she would not return.  It began when a client with a tiny scar in the middle of her cheek felt dissatisfied after a typical glamour make-over.

“I covered the scar the best I could with conventional make-up, and then dismissed it because it was so tiny.  But the women keep asking me, “Couldn’t you cover it up better?”  And I realized after awhile that no matter what I did to conceal the scar (which no one else would have noticed anyway) it would not have been enough.  She was so focused on that scar that she couldn’t see beyond it or around it,” said Seidel.

Through the course of that disturbing session, Seidel realized that the scar, however invisible to anyone else, had become the focal point for this woman and an insurmountable obstacle in her ability to feel attractive.

A week after that session, another client, who then anchored a local television talk show, told Seidel about a plastic surgeon recently interviewed on her show. He had mentioned a product that could conceal scars.  “As soon as this woman told me there was such product available, a light bulb went off in my head, and I knew that corrective makeup was the direction I must pursue,” she said.

Motivated by a keen fascination for the art of transformation and the physical change she could create on faces. Seidel realized that such a product would enable her to help clients like the disappointed woman who could not see past her scar.  “Back then, I wanted to help people look and feel better.  I had no idea how life-changing this could be for someone struggling with the way they looked, or for me,” she said. “I intended to help people suffering with a poor self-image because of scarring and birthmarks, but I had no idea how deeply this new direction would impact my own life.”

Businesswoman on the Rise

Seidel made it her business to research this product and incorporate it into her work at the salon.  She also made it her business to market her new capabilities to area surgeons and dermatologists by calling each one listed in the phone book.  It took months before the first client was referred by Dr. John Hoops, a plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  In the meantime, she had continued her work at the salon, perfecting her skills with the corrective make-up product. 

The referral, whom we all call Asia, was in her 30’s and had a raised port wine stain birthmark covering half of her face.  “The woman was elated with the results, and I thought the experience was great.”

 

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Linda Palumbo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Linda Palumbo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Linda Palumbo- Passion Play  

Linda Palumbo’s life-long love affair with the aesthetics field makes her one of the industry’s most respected educators.

Linda Palumbo refers to her career in aesthetics as an extraordinary journey.  It is a journey that began 20 years ago in Bologna, Italy.  As a student at the University of Bologna, Lina majored in pre-med and developed a keen interest in botany, chemistry and cell physiology.  This interest led her to the International School of Esthetics in Bologna.  Linda credits her professors for nurturing and developing her skills and aesthetician. “They taught me to care about people, their bodies and to generate a sense of well being,” she says. “Working in the burn unit in Switzerland was the best hands-on experience I could ever had.” the experience taught her that repairing a person’s skin was not just an external process but one that had to start from within.

The experience developed a passion in Linda that was new to her.  After completing her education at the university, Linda sought out a way tin which to combine her new found love of being able to help those less fortunate than she.  Linda’s father, Joseph Palumbo - a leading manufacturer of “Skin Dynamics” skin care equipment, suggested that she study the art of Oriental massage known as Shiatsu with an old family friend, known to this day by Linda as just -- Dr. Furuya of Japan.  It was Dr. Furuya who taught Linda the art of self-discipline.  He was able to instill the need to be in touch with oneself spiritually to be able to help others help themselves.

“Through massage we are transmitting healing energy-like warmth,” Linda says.  “It’s like opening up a channel, almost an electric charge.  We were discarded of all worldly and material things and forced to reach others through out own energy, spirit, and touch.  There was no need for words, or precious knowledge.  Often learned behavior gets in the way of communication.”

Linda completed her studies with Dr. Furuya in the fall of 1974.  She had grasped a great understanding of philosophy as well as science.  Linda’s journey continued forwards, leading her back to New York.  While working at P-Ryton, a family owned business, she was discovered by Bob Oppenheimer, a vice president of Clairol, who invited Linda to speak at the First International Conference of Esthetics; she became the youngest guest speaker on the panel.

Linda’s reputation in massage techniques and formulations for various skin conditions utilizing plant derivatives was growing widely.  In 1977 Linda began to make her mark in the health spa industry.  She began education courses at various health spas around the country, beginning with the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.  She taught various procedures from new-found massage techniques to facial techniques involving herbal wraps and compresses that induced relaxation.  These techniques ere all designed to set and produce a healthy ambiance at the spa.  The potency of these techniques were further enhanced by the use of the pan thermal machine.  It was the first machinery to use oxygen therapy benefiting both body and face.

Linda was well ahead of her time when it came to the most sophisticated methods to cleanse tone and restore the sense of well being to her clients.  Many of the de-stressing and detoxifying techniques taught almost 15 years ago are still sought out by many spa owners that Linda continues to support.  Education became a passion for Linda.  She found herself in need of spreading her work and knowledge.  Informing others throughout the world of her massage facial techniques, sophisticated facial equipment and the use of herbs in the process was something she felt compelled to do.

In 1979, Linda was invited to speak in Monaco. Orlane, the cosmetic company, provided Linda with just the right opportunity.  They commissioned Linda to go their Institute de Beaute in Rome to educate their staff on an anti-aging treatment using electrical equipment and massage.

Linda had no idea that the greatest education was going to be for herself.  Going into the monastery of Todi, a suburb of Rome, she was awed by the command of natural medicine these men were preaching.  Linda could not seem to pull away from the monastery.  She learned how to use plants to alleviate certain facial and body conditions.  Linda was then detoured back to New York due to family commitments, and she found leaving the monastery was difficult.

Linda recuperated by immersing herself in the Adrien Arpel organization.  “Adrien was an inspiration for me,” Linda says.  “Her sense of business was invaluable.  She had the foresight to know that the use of an aesthetician would envelop the cosmetics industry I time.  She was able to bring the concept of facials within reach of every person consumed by their well being.”  These services could be experienced by everyone.  The idea that facial and massage should not be an exclusive service was a revolutionary one.

By the 1980s Linda’s career took an interesting turn.  She left Adrien Arpel to focus on her marriage and family.  She continued to teach courses for P-Ryton, where she taught many top educators in the field, but her heart and mind were mostly with husband Michael Martucci, a pharmaceutical chemist, and daughters, Marisa and Laura.  Since that time Linda and Michael have had a son, Michael Joseph.

By the mid 1980s Linda was being feverishly wooed by Estee Lauder International.  They wanted Linda to develop a promotional skin care cabine.  Linda succumbed to the pressure, and her passion for the industry was revived.  Linda became a working mother.

She found it difficult, yet fulfilling on a professional level to travel all over the world and teach facial procedures, massage techniques as well as to develop training manuals and videos that are still utilized in the industry.  Linda continued on this impossible path until the memorable day at the IBS show in New York in 1986, where fate brought her to the attention of Horst Rechelbacher, owner and founder of Aveda Corporation.  Aveda, an environmentally conscious skin care and hair care products company, utilizes plants and herbs in product development.

“I believe body, heart and mind in the products and the philosophy of the company,” Linda says.  “Horst is truly a man ahead of his time.”  He had the conviction and foresight to create an organic product line inkle any other in the world.  Six years later Linda is still going strong at Aveda, developing an educational curriculum for skin care that is used by more than 20,000 Aveda affiliates throughout the country.  Lina currently is the east coast educator for Aveda.

 

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Lina Gleizer- A Legend in Aesthetics

Lina Gleizer- A Legend in Aesthetics

Lina Gleizer- A Legend in Aesthetics

This Legendary leader in the skin care industry has combined Eastern traditions with success in the West.

Lina Gleizer is making a difference in the way women see themselves and the way others see them.  To understand why Lina is having such impact, we look to Romania and Russia.  This is where Lina lived and studied, and where cosmetology is considered a medical profession.  This is her story, her approach to beauty and skin care.

Born in Romania, Lina grew up around a tradition of professional excellence.  Her father was a medical doctor, and her mother taught French.  Her gentle life was abruptly shattered by the Nazi occupation of Romania, and she and her family were sent to the Balanivka concentration camp in the Ukraine, where she lost her father.

Courage and determination marked Lina’s life following liberation from the camp.  She graduated from high school and nursing school in Cernowitz, Ukraine, while raising a family and working full-time at the children’s hospital.  She treated children who suffered from post-war famine and dystrophy.  Lina was introduced to cosmetology and skin care when her aunt, a dermatologist and skin care professional educated in Paris, recognized Lina’s talent and began to supervise her education.

Lina worked for sic years as an aesthetician and skin care specialist in Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine, at a major health center.  Through the state health department, she was admitted to the skin care program at the Medical Institute in Kiev, where usually only doctors were allowed to attend.  From Kiev, she moved to Leningrad and completed a four year degree program at the Earoslavel Medical School and worked nine years in all areas of skin care at the city’s largest institute of medical skin care and cosmetology.

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Lia Schorr- A Legend in Aesthetics

Lia Schorr- A Legend in Aesthetics

Lia Schorr- A Legend’s Struggle to Success

Lia Schorr may be best known as an international skin care expert, but she is most proud of all the other roles that make her the exceptional person she is today:  the daughter of parents who survived the persecution of World War II; a solider in the Israeli Army; an entrepreneur; single parent; and a working mother.

Born in the Soviet city of Tashkent, Lia learned to develop determination and inner strength early when she and her family fled their home to escape the Nazi invasion of Poland.  “When our family settled in Israel we had nothing,” said Lia.  “We had to leave everything.”

As a young teenager Lia began to make decisions about her life that would forever change its direction.  The move to Israel had taken its toll on her family, and while Lia’s father pursued his lifelong dream of becoming a farmer, financial hardship ensued.  Lia knew the only way to get the education she craved was to work for it herself.

She joined a kibbutz and made a two year commitment to the Israeli army.  Lia wanted to better herself and improve what she calls “a very low image of myself.”  Out of curiosity, she enrolled in The Helen Fogel Institute in Tel Aviv and began taking courses on skin care.

“I learned that skin care can mean many things including health, beauty, nutrition, psychology and even philosophy,” says Lia.  She found her professional niche.

In 1967, Lia left Israel to follow her boyfriend to New York City.  Lia began working with noted skin care expert Christine Valmy and began to build up her own clientele.  She married her boyfriend, but they divorced four years later.  By that time, Lia was ready to devote more time to her profession and decided to leave Christine Valmy to join the Georgette Klinger Salon. 

While Lia was gaining ground in the highly competitive field of skin care, she was looking for something that would allow her to express herself and her approach to health and beauty.  She thought she had found this opportunity hen she later opened a skin care business with a partner.

The experience proved to be a valuable and fateful one.  Her partner literally locked Lia our of their salon.  Shortly after this incident, Lia had an interview with a reporter from The New York Daily News who was doing a story on Israeli skin care specialists working in the U.S.  When the interviewer learned of her plight, she included Lia’s home phone number in the article, and Lia was once again back in business within only six weeks with $500 left in her pocket.

When Lia recounts the incident, she smiles.  “I think it was that experience that taught me how valuable good relations with the press are to a business.  I have always made myself available whenever I could to the press, and I am grateful for all the support they have given me throughout the years,” she says.

“It is funny,” adds Lia, “I have never pushed life, but life always pushes me.  I have never been a planner, and all my accidents have always turned out alright.”  Her optimism and persevering attitude have always enamored the press, and in 1981 when she opened her business, PEOPLE magazine was quick to single Lia out.  According to Lia, it was the much needed publicity that really brought her into the public eye.

Since then her business has steadily grown to include a thriving salon where celebrities like Brooke Shields and Paul Newman put their skin in Lia’s hands.  Lia is best known for her incredibly loyal following of male clients.  Sixty percent of her salon business if made up of men that ranges from teenagers to retired businessmen.

She specializes in precise results oriented skin care, and has always offered special services for sensitive and problem skin.  Her business has grown to include an international mail and phone order business with her own Bio-Botanics product line.  She has also written two well received books on skin care, Lia Schorr’s Seasonal Skin Care and Lia Schorr’s Skin Care For Men;  and volunteers her time and expertise as a contribution editor to many beauty and trade publications.  Her business may seem far reaching now, but Lia is quick to say she has never over-extended herself or rushed into anything.  “I have always been comfortable at every level,” she says.  “Everything I have done so far has come naturally.  I have never had a desire to be famous, and I will not do anything unless I am really ready for it.”

Lia was ready to expand in 1989 when fate struck her again.  A terrible fire left her salon almost ruined, but Lia was not going to give up.  Her thoughts turned to her parents and the terrible hardships they had had to overcome.  “As I walked through the salon, I saw a few things that the fire had spared like a magnifying mirror and a steam machine, and I though, I still have a business, and If I am going to succeed, I cannot let the pain touch me,” I had to be strong like my parents had been, and I felt a responsibility to my employees and to my clients,” she remembers.

Lia credits her staff and clients for giving her the strength to rebuild.  Today, her salon has twelve facial rooms instead of the original two, a complete hair salon and a staff of eight-teen specialists.  Her latest challenge is dealing with the tough, recessionary climate of the 1990’s  “It Is a hard time, but if you are realistic about business now, and offer good services at reasonable prices you will make it,” says Lia. She is quick to add that the nineties may not be the best time to go into your own business.  “It is much more costly, and risky.”

But that has never stopped Lia.  She still sees herself as “growing and developing”.  She would like to get more involved in teaching and would like to become a spokesperson for the skin care industry.  Lia’s optimism is tempered with a health does of reality though.  “I still believe it is very much a ‘man’s world’.  It is amazing that such a democratic country still does not afford women all the opportunities that men have,” she notes.  She is, however, very thankful for her opportunities.  “I feel privileged to have been able to do what I have done.”

While Lia considers herself “passionate and almost obsessed,” about her work, perhaps her greatest passion is for her daughter, Segaal.  Lia lives with her daughter in New York City and often takes Segaal to the salon with her when she is not in school.  What about Segaal joining her mother in business one day?  “I would love that,” says Lia smiling, “but she will make her own decisions.  My parents gave me all the freedom I needed to make it on my own; she will have that same advantage.”

When asked what she would have done if she had not gone into skin care, Lia responded, “I think I would have been an actress.  After all, I think there is a little bit of an actor in all of us.”

 

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Letti Lynn- A Legend in Aesthetics

Letti Lynn- A Legend in Aesthetics

Letti Lynn- A Legend in Aesthetics

Letti Lynn’s career began as a teenager in modeling.  She attended the Nancy Taylor Modeling and Finishing School in New Orleans.  During her modeling days, she also worked for the Glemby Company as a makeup artist.  Bu 1957, at the age of seventeen, Letti Lynn was already a trained makeup artist.  She also free lanced for the Revlon Company for many years.

In the 1960’s after modeling for several years, she was offered a movie role and a part in a television series.  Her three sons, at early ages, performed in commercials and modeled with her.  Letti Lynn feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to perform in commercials and promote leading products, movies and television programs.

In 1972, when Letti Lynn’s youngest son began school, she was anxious to pursue her education in aesthetics.  She began at Moler’s and Marinello’s beauty colleges in New Orleans.  For several years she traveled worldwide to attend makeup and skin care courses to such places at England, France, Holland, and throughout the United States.  After being offered a partnership in the aesthetic section of a beauty school in 1973, she continued to devour all the knowledge she could on makeup and skin care.  She taught makeup, and skin care in the beauty college.  Letti Lynn remarked, being a makeup artist for many years before becoming a licensed cosmetologist, aesthetician and instructor has helped me to appreciate the joys of my profession.”

In 1978, Letti Lynn attended the first Aestheticians International Association Congress in Dallas.  Being impressed by Ron Renee’ and Eric Miller, she became excited to get involved with the A.I.A., America’s first skin care association.  Letti was so impressed with the advancement of aesthetics and public awareness through A.I.A., that she established an A.I.A. Louisiana Section and served as State President.  Through her contributions to the industry and the A.I.A. in 1983-83, Letti Lynn served as National President of the A.I.A.  In 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984, Letti Lynn was awarded the A.I.A. Outstanding Achievement Oscar.  In 1984, she was made an honorary board member for both the Louisiana and National Board of A.I.A.

In 1979, while in Honduras, Letti Lynn and her husband met Jim and Jeanette Baker.  Jim Baker was impressed with Letti Lynn’s makeovers and even like the sound of her name.  In 980, Letti Lynn and Jeanette, with financial support of their husbands, opened two Letti Lynn Institutes of Beauty Salons.  That was the beginning of Letti Lynn Cosmetics.  In 1982, they moved to a salon in a well-known chain department store in New Orleans.  She also became co-owner of Double Take Salon in 1986.

In 1984, Letti Lynn became the Esthetic Director of the Academy of Scientific Hair Design in New Orleans.  The owner, Lauretta Moore, supports Letti Lynn’s work in advancing aesthesis in the school throughout Louisiana.

Letti Lynn donates her time and cosmetics to benefits for many fund-raising organizations such as the Lion’s Foundation, S.P.C.A of Louisiana, United Way, Orleans Parish Prison, Child’s Wish, senior citizens programs and the Easter Seal Foundation.

In addition to her many awards for makeup and aesthetics, Letti Lynn has won many gold rosettes and landscape awards from garden clubs, creativity awards, a special ecology award, a Key to the City of New Orleans, special citations from several cities in the United States and two Woman of the Year awards.

Letti Lynn is a member of the Louisiana Cosmetology Educational Board, a committee member of the Louisiana Cosmetology Association, makeup consultant for the Southern Repertory Theater, makeup program organizer and designer for the John Robert Powers Modeling School, public relations director for several companies, Esthetic Director at the Academy of Scientific Hair Design in New Orleans, President and Creative Designer of Letti Lynn Cosmetics and co-owner of Double Take Beauty Salon.

Letti Lynn has excelled to one of the Highest Honors proffered by the President of the National Cosmetology Association as Makeup/Trend Designer of the Designer Team of the Educational Committee of the NCA, in St. Louis, featuring the AMERICA LOOKS of ILLUSIONS.

This past January, Letti Lynn, along with the Designer/Trend Team of the NCA, presented the latest in fashion, make-up and hair designs for Spring/Summer at the beautiful Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.

“My personal love is teaching. Sharing my knowledge with others is exciting and rewarding.  As a member of the prestigious Esthetics America and the past Esthetic Director of LCA of Louisiana, I am able to learn the latest techniques on a national level and can bring them back to my students in Louisiana.”

 

 

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Leah Kovitz- A Legend in Aesthetics

Leah Kovitz- A Legend in Aesthetics

Leah Kovitz- A Legend in Aesthetics

It is difficult to reconcile the two pictures of Leah Kovitz.  The first image is of one of the world’s leading aestheticians: a graceful, cosmopolitan, multi-lingual beauty, elegantly attired to greet guests at one of her resort’s spa salons. The other is that of a soldier, dressed in drab fatigues and clunky boots, sitting under an ancient olive tree, diligently cleaning her Uzi machine gun.

These two pictures reflect only a small part of this man-faceted Israeli beauty.  She is a true legend in aesthetics, in body treatments, in paramedical make-up, and in the operation of skin care centers at two world-class resorts.   

“Growing up in Israel, I just accepted that army duty was part of life,” explains Leah, reflecting on the second picture.  “Here in the U.S., 18-year-old girls are still trying to find themselves, applying to colleges or thinking about jobs and family.  We‘re forced to mature quickly in Israel.  We don’t get to think about career or family choices until we are 20 or 21, after our two years of military service.”

In fact, thought, Leah had already begun to prepare for a teaching career before the army.  Through an advanced program, she was allowed to finish her last year of high school while completing her first year of teacher’s training college.  And she was also working at the same time.     

“Looking back now, I wonder how I was able to do it,” says Leah.  “Maybe because I was 17 years old, I didn’t know that It couldn’t be done.”

Leah remembers finishing high school classes in the morning, jumping on the bus in Holon, a suburb about five miles south of Tel Aviv, and riding to the teacher’s college on the north side of the city.  Then, in the evening, she would race back to her hometown where she was a recreation leader at the municipal youth center.

Everyone who has heard Leah speak at one of the many international aesthetic congresses knows how comfortable she is on a stage, and no wonder.  In addition to all of her other activities, Leah studied drama with famed Israeli director/producer Menachem Golan, and also pursued training in modeling and make-up.

“I really believe that the turning point for me was my teenage years, when I discovered my artistic side,” Leah confides.  “Unfortunately, serious acne also discovered me, and I have promised ever since then to pay special attention to the skin care needs of teenager.”

Leah survived army basic training (“the best and worst experience I have ever had!”)  and was assigned to the Communications Corps. She eventually ended up in the infamous Gaza Strip due to her ability to speak Arabic, in addition to Hebrew and English.

Discharged from active duty in May 1967, she was immediately called back into service weeks later when Israel entered the Six-Day War.  Once again, she was assigned to Gaza to work in Legal Affairs.  Eventually, she was selected for a civilian post as the assistant director for the Port Of Gaza.

By 1970 it was time for a break, and Leah rewarded herself with a trip to Belgium, she met and married her husband, Bob, who was then stationed at NATO military headquarters.  A two-month jaunt to Europe turned into a two year stay that included marriage, and additional study of European aesthetic techniques.

“Marrying a soldier and moving to the U.S. were the furthest things from my mind,” Leah explains, laughing.  “I had just never pictured myself as an American wife.”

While Bob finished graduate school in Los Angeles, Leah taught Hebrew in various schools throughout southern California.  She also attended Moorpark College, where she was awarded her associates degree with honors in 1977.

That same year, Leah began work in various salons, performing facials and giving make-up lessons.  In 1978 she was introduced to Sheila Cluff, owner of The Oaks at Ojai Spa, who immediately employed Leah as the resort’s skin care specialist.  At the same time, Leah joined a prestigious plastic surgery group in Westlake Village, California, where she did preoperative counseling and post-operative make-up.

This hard working and caring aesthetician recalls: “Those were extraordinary times.  I would observe the surgery in the operating rooms premises.  And I was there when the patients returned for advice on disguising scars, discoloration and swelling during the healing periods.  I am sure that I saw every part of the human body pinched, tucked, lifted or folded!”  She also gained valuable experience in make-up for burn victims and cancer patients.

Then, in 1978, Leah gambled on an opportunity that contributed to her rise to the top of her profession.

“One of the frequent guests at The Oaks at Ojai, Mel Zuckerman, had an idea for a state-of-the-art health and fitness resort in Tucson, Arizona.  He offered me the opportunity to become the resort’s first skin care director and to develop my own line of products and treatments.”

Leah and Bob moved to Arizona in 1979 and formed New Image by Leah, Inc., with Leah as company president.  Leah traveled back to Israel and worked with laboratories in her home county to create the New Image by Leak skin care line.

“I was very insistent that the line be tailored for different skin types, from normal to oily, from dry to delicate,” states Leah.

“And I also wanted the absolute minimum fragrance.  I believe that skin care products should do what they say---- clean, tone or moisturize.  If a client wants a particular scent, I encourage her to spend her money on her favorite perfume.

As the resort grew and prospered, Hollywood stars and world-famous celebrities bought Leah’s treatments.  Over the past twelve years literally tens of thousand of guest have enjoyed the aesthetic experiences of the Canyon Ranch Skin Care Department.

In 1982 Leah began the search for a truly innovative body treatment, one performed without expensive machines or loofah sponges, one that combined both overall cell sloughing plus the benefits of massage.  After visits to France and her native Israel, Leah developed the now famous “Parisian Body Polish.”

“The body Polish proved to be even more successful than I had ever imagines,” says Leah.  “The idea of a cream with a crushed pearl massaged all over the body was an instant hit at Canyon Ranch.”

The demand for the treatment became so intense recently that Leah has now had the Parisian Body Polish treatment and cream trademarked by the U.S. government.  Since it is now available to other salons, the trademark provides aestheticians protection against imitators.  Only the “Parisian Body Polish” is the true treatment created at Canyon Ranch by Leah.

Leah also introduced the Thermal Youth Mask (manufactured in Israel) to Americans in 1980, and she has developed and taught body facial classes at aesthetic congresses throughout the United States and Europe.  Her treatments have been featured in virtually all the media, including Time, Newsweek, W, Harpers Bazaar, The Spa Book, and via numerous television appearances.

In 1985 New Image by Leah, Inc. was selected as the operator of the Personal Services Venter at The Westin La Paloma resort in Tucson.  This world class hotel features a Jack Nicklaus golf course and a personal care facility under Leah’s management with nine separate treatment rooms.  Massage, skin care and nail appointments are available seven days a week.  With the addition of La Paloma, the New Image by Leah staff grew to about 28 employees.

Personal setbacks often have a unique way of impacting professional life.  Nowhere is this more apparent than in the National Cosmetology Association’s “Look Good/Feel Better” campaign to assist cancer patients.  The program was just getting started when Leah learned that her older sister required a radical mastectomy.  Leah flew to Israel to be with her sister during the recovery period, and then insisted that her sister join her at the 1989 NCA Congress in San Francisco where “Looking Good/Feel Better” was introduced.

Leah confides, “The combination of being able to help a family member, contribute to a meaningful charity, and utilize my aesthetic skills has been especially rewarding.  I am proud of the work we are doing here in Tucson with the American Cancer Society and the University of Arizona chapter of the American Cancer Society has named Leah as the skin care coordinator for the entire state’s “Looking Good/Feeling Better” program.

In whatever spare time is left over, Leah enjoys watching her seven-year-old son Eric participate in a year round sports schedule that would make Bo Jackson envious.  Leah is also studying her fifth language, Spanish, so that on future trips to nearby Mexico, when the waitress asks her what she wants to eat, they will get an answer from her (rather than from “my fair-skinned, blue-eyed husband!”) jokes Leah.

Leah has been appointed skin care consultant for the new Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires (in Lenox, Massachusetts) where she will be teaching facial and body treatment techniques as well as helping to maintain the high standards expected by resort guests.  And, to round things out, Leah will continue to lecture and teach around the world and to assist salons, day spas and resorts in introducing new treatments.

“I can’t think of any other field that could be as rewarding to me as aesthetics,” says Leah with sincere passion.  “I’ve had the chance to meet and work with such a wide variety of people --- from resort guests to surgery patients, and from talented aestheticians to outstanding medical practitioners.  What could be more exciting than helping people to improve their self-image through proper skin care and make-up?”

And who could be more honored to help these fortunate people than a true legend in aesthetics --- Leah Kovitz

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Kay Acuazzo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Kay Acuazzo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Kay Acuazzo- A Legend in Aesthetics

Europeans have long known the importance of proper skin care.  In the beauty centers of France, Italy, England and Germany, research and product development have been going on for years.  So has the training of ski-care professionals.

Philadelphia’s skin and body-care pioneer, Kay Acuazzo, realized early in her career that America needed to embrace this same European philosophy.  But, before that could happen, America cosmetologists would have to become more informed and better educated. This was to become Kay Acuazzo’s mission.

Beginning her career in dance, not skin care, Kay spent fourteen ears dancing professionally here and abroad.  She eventually opens her own dance studio in Philadelphia.  Though unbeknown to her at the time, these early years as an entertainer made Kay keenly aware of the skin and how certain environmental factors such as strong lighting, theatrical makeup, smoke and perspiration can affect it.  Years later this knowledge would steer her into the field of esthetics.

Marriage to Paul Acuazzo, who then had fifteen years of experience as a stylist, first introduced Kay to the field of cosmetology.  Her interest continued to grow when in 1968they bought a salon and Key entered the service.  “My husband was short two employees, so I went into take care of the desk.  I like it so much I decided to go to beauty school.”  And that cosmetology license was just the beginning.

After graduation, Kay’s theatrical experiences returned to her.  “I remember red seeing what all the makeup did to the skin.  I understood the damage it did.  So I decided to do makeup in the salon, and that’s when I realized I needed to do even more for clients in the area of skin care.” With her course set-- the problem became where to go to learn.

Kay first studied in New Jersey, later earning a certificate, but still feeling she’d only touched the surface.  “After meeting a lot of Europeans through the Skin Care Association of America, it was clear that there was so much knowledge in Europe that had to be brought have here.” There was no one else in Philadelphia trained in European skin treatments, so Kay decided she should be the one to go abroad the study.

In 1972, leaving her three children and husband at home, Kay spent three months in Italy where she learned all she could about skin care.  The trip was followed by many others to Belgium, France, West Germany, Great Britain and Spain.  Each time she learned more about the European concepts of skin and body care than before.  Like some travelers who collect spoons, Kay collected certificates, and the wealth of knowledge that went with them.

Today, Kay holds an Advanced Teacher’s Certificate from the Eve Taylor Institute of Aromatherapy in England, one from Wilanger in Austria in Manual Lymph Drainage, and another from the Phytomer Training Center in St. Malo, France.  She has also earned a Certificate of Esthetics from Sculoa International di Esthetics in Italy, and certification as an educator and distributor for Dr. Babor Natural Cosmetics Company in West Germany.  IN 1984 Kay received the most prestigious award for achievement in the skin-care industry -- a C.I.D.E.S.C.O. International Diploma.

Kay, however, did not stop when she had got enough knowledge to better serve her own salon clientele.  She set out to see that America’s cosmetologists could receive professional skin-care education here in the Unites States.

One way to issuer this was to organize and operate associations for skin-care professionals.  Mrs. Acuazzo served as national president of the Skin Care Association of America from 1980 to 1984, and has been this group’s board chairperson for its last two years.  Under her leadership in S.C.A.A., eight regional sections were developed and three skin-care conventions organized.  One of the sections was the only total-body seminar in the Unites States held in a spa facility.  Additionally, Kay helped establish the Federation of Esthetics.

When the S.C.A.A. and F.A.E. became a part of Esthetic America, a sub-group of the National Cosmetology Association, Kay began working to further this organization and has been the National Makeup Director for the N.C.A. from 1986 to 1988.  And a year ago Mr. Acuazzo helped found another professional group, the American Aromatherapy Association, and now sits on its board.

Another way Kay has helped to further the cause of skin-care education was to set-up a training center.  In 1985 she founded Esthe-Tec, where advanced education and free product training could be offered.  Esthe-Tec now offers a variety of classes.  These classes cover such topics as aromatherapy, advanced esthetics, herbal peeling, body treatments, touch awareness, acne treatments, makeup and massage. A lot of training seminars are conducted by Mrs. Acuazzo, although Esthe-Tec also hosts a variety of guest educators.  Many of these educators are from Europe, and they share their techniques and methods.

As Kay has been devoted to her goal of upgrading the aesthetics training in America, she is equally committed to the spa/salon she shares with her husband and family.

Always on the cutting edge, the Acuazzo operate a state-of-the-art day spa and salon, complete with the most modern European equipment.  Extensive remodeling on a quaint townhouse in the heart of Philadelphia has created the kind of place Kay has always dreamed of.  A pastel décor, soft lighting, and peaceful surroundings make it the ultimate in day spas.

Located on South 20th street, next to the city’s affluent Rittenhouse Square area, each of the building’s four levels contain a different treatment center.  On the first floor, hair, nail and makeup services are provided under the capable management of Kay’s husband, Paul, and their daughter Stephanie, a hairstylist.

One floor up, the second level houses, a variety of European styled treatment rooms, where skin-care and massage services are provided.  Five aestheticians are available for individualized treatment programs, and the Spa’s body therapist offer a wide range of massages from Swedish massage, reflexology and aromatherapy, to lymphatic drainage, shiatsu and sports massage.  Designed by Kay for total relaxation, the second floor’s peaceful, private setting enhances all the treatments given there.

Located on the third level is a nutrition center.  It is evidence of the Spa philosophy that beauty and well- being need a holistic approach-- the inner body as well as the outer body needs to be taken care of.  Conducted by Kay’s daughter, Kathy a registered dietitian and body therapist, clients can receive help with weight loss, the development of healthy eating programs and other nutrition-related concerns, as well as toning and anti-cellulite programs.  “Offering nutritional services is definitely a growing trend for spa/salons,” says Kay, and I’m glad we can offer clients another avenue for sensible weight control.”

The top floor is where the Spa stands out miles about the rest.  Lever four contains a French hydrotherapy tub, one of only five in the United States that is used to give a variety of body treatments using seaweed and seawater products and appropriate essentials.  Treatments are further enhanced by the tub’s 120 jets, which give a relaxing underwater massage.  Next door is an Italian pan thermal unit, the only one of its kind in Philadelphia.  Individualized full body facials are given in this capsulated unit, using the finest professional products and techniques available.  Also on the fourth floor is a room for body-wrap treatments, an invigoration Swiss shower, and a relaxation room, for sound and inhalation therapy.  Level four offers many of the same special treatments available at America’s famous spa resorts.

The Spa at Paul and Kay’s is unequalled to any in the Philadelphia area, and fortunately this tradition of excellence will continue for many years to come.  This is because Paul and Kay’s three daughters are all versed in separate areas and are a part of the business. By pooling their resources and sharing the work load, operating, a first-class spa/salon is made easier.  Having her daughters join the business was a surprise.  “I never thought our girls would go into this business,” says Kay, “but I’m happy they have made this choice.  Together we can all be a part of the future of the beauty industry.”

Being recognized authority in her field has given Kay a chance to meet many actors and performers who have come to her spa services while in Philadelphia.  Brook Shields and President George Bush are just two of the any celebrities who have visited Paul and Kay’s.

Her career has also given her the opportunity to study at some of the world’s finest school, under the industry’s most knowledgeable professionals.  Early contact with such experts as makeup artist Stan Pace helped shape Kay’s career and solidify her commitment to quality skin care.

But certainly her work is not completed.  At 55, despite the demands of a forty to eighty-hour week she oversees Esthe-Tec’s product distribution, lectures, and her client schedule at The Spa.  She also teaches classes.  Kay still retains a contagious enthusiasm for her field.  Not that education is more available she believes it is more important than ever to be as informed as possible and to keep pace with new developments.  Kay takes her own advice and continues to add new products and methods to her treatments.  She will never quit learning, growing and perfecting her craft.

Evidence of this can be seen in Kay’s most recent endeavors.  Natural herbal peeling is an area that Mr. Acuazzo is getting heavily involved with.  One of six regional distributors of Dr. Christine Shrammek’s product, Kay is working hard to make this treatment a part of skin-care regimens in salons throughout the Northeast.  Through specialized training seminars, Kay is sharing her knowledge and experience with this professional product that works similarly to chemical peels and dermabrasion, but without the use of potentially harmful chemicals.  Kay is also actively promoting this treatment to a public who have had skin imperfections, but are leery of the peeling techniques used in a physician’s office.

Another of Kay’s new areas of concern is spa consolations.  She is putting her experience to use giving spa and spa/salon operators the information they need, whether they are just starting our or are expanding their operations.  Experienced in running her own state-of -the-art spa, Kay is available to help with designing, equipment selection and installation, product usage, and staff training.  Just recently Kay had the fun of helping The Woods At Killington Spa Resort in Bermount as they set up their new spa.  Mrs. Acuazzo helped them get off right start in operating a successful spa business, as she has done for others in the industry.

The future will always hold new challenges for Kay. “I would like to see estheticians, dermatologist and plastic surgeons working in conjunction with one another, utilizing the skills of each professional.”  She also feels the need for better licensing and accredited esthetics schools.  And as the baby boom generation reaches middle age, she sees a need to help educate and care for a population that wants to age gracefully.

Kay has come a long way during her 25-year career, and her early mission, to see that American cosmetologists became more informed and better educated, has become reality.  Those in the industry can be glad that many years ago she went to work in her husband’s salon “just to help out”  We can be grateful she had the foresight to predict that skin care would become more and more important, and that she prepared herself and the industry for this day.  No loner is Europe the only place to find the best beauty centers.  Now the United States has something better to offer -- what Kay calls “European concepts done the American way!”

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Judith Sans- A Legend in Aesthetics

Judith Sans- A Legend in Aesthetics

Judith Sans- A Legend in Aesthetics

“Beauty is only skin deep”, goes the old saying.  But, for Judith Sans, founder and president of Judith Sans International, that beauty starts from within.  “Saving face” is her business, and it thrives on preparation made with ordinary frits and vegetables.  Judith often jokes about her childhoods surrounded by a Hungarian mother and a host of vain aunts, “We’d eat party of it and slap the rest on our face”.

This amazing entrepreneur -aesthetician-humanitarian trained in Europe and New York before bringing her doctrine of natural preparation and good nutrition to the beauty industry.  A nutritionist by profession, Judith Sans became known for her philosophy of prevention, correction and maintenance before camouflage (with make-up), and quickly built a reputation for lasting results.

Catapulted into the beauty industry through events that could have crushed a fainter hear, Judith parlayed $800.00 (loaned to her by friends since the banks at that time considered a single woman a bad risk), and the natural skin care regimen she learned as a child into the highly successful, Atlanta-based Judith Sans International, a manufacturing, service and educational enterprise.

As a forerunner in the American awakening to health conscientiousness, and a staunch advocate of natural products, Judith’s innovative approach to skin care made her a principal lecturer at home and abroad.  A member of CIDESCO, her expertise won her the honor of being the first American woman invited to address the doctors of the Moscow Institute of Oncology, where she consulted with Dr. Kolynhenko on the relationship of sun exposure to the development of skin cancer.  The Soviet doctors were particularly interested in her unique, all-natural skin layering techniques involving no acids or harsh chemicals.

In conjunction with the U.S. State Department, she has also lectured throughout the People’s Republic of China on the subject of health and nutrition.  In an exchange of international good will and information with the “barefoot doctors” of China, Judith brought home a renewed interest in the healing and rejuvenation properties of many exotic herbs which she quickly began to incorporate in her products and treatments with great success.

Her love of people, and dedication to the message of health and well-being that she shares, has taken Judith Sans into countries around the globe.  Highly respected in medical circles, she has been a consultant to such notables as Dr. Anna Aslan of Romania; Dr. Kolyhenko of he Moscow Institute of Oncology; Dr. Irwin Fleissner of the Sloan Kettering Institute, NYC; Sun Star Pharmaceuticals of Japan; Occupational and Environmental Research Center, University of Alexandria; Ministry of Health and Science, Egypt; Stellenbach Academy of Cape Town, South Africa; Ujama Unlimited of Lagos, Nigeria; Pollena Institute of Warsaw, Poland; and the Institute de health of Masada, Israel.

At home, Judith became the Director of Training and “Ms. Skin Care” for Glemby International, and as such, was responsible for the training of personnel at Kenneth’s of New York, I Magnin of Beverly Hills, Bergdorf Goodman, and a host of other concerns from coast to coast.  it was a great thrill to Judith when she was asked to develop a special line of skin protection sports product for the Lake Placid, New York, Winter Olympics.  Another project that claimed a great deal of Judith’s personal time and attention was the development of the South’s first “Total Care Life Spa” which administered to the needs of obese, anorexic, bulimic, alcoholic, and drug addicted individual.  Though she has now turned this project over the health care professionals, physical and mental restoration is still a major theme in the drive that propels Judith forward each day.  She draws life from giving; giving hope, giving confidence, giving a new quality to life as she touches others in her personal and professional life.

A liaison for President Reagan’s “Imitative on Women Business Owners” program, and member of the International Foreign Financial Advisory Council, one of Judith’s most cherished awards was her visit to the White House to be honored by President Reagan as one of the eighty-five top women entrepreneurs in the United States.  Recognized for personal achievement in the 14th edition of “Who’s Who in American Women”, Judith was chosen as the only member of the cosmetic industry to tour as a liaison of the Federal Trade Commission in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia.  Far from being limited to governmental concerns, Judith has also made her mark in the arts.  Her expertise has been enjoyed by many well-known entertainers, but her greatest thrill was to be called as a consultant to the old and respected Kabuki Theater and Geisha Ensemble of Japan.

Acclaimed in the book “What It Takes”, a study  of today’s top 100 professional and business women, Judith is also a founding member of the Committee International de Esthetique et de Cosmetology.  The State of Georgia’s first accredited aesthetics teacher, Judith also wrote the Sans Bill to legislate the separate licensing of aestheticians and cosmetologist, and consequently found the Sans Institute of Aesthetics.  A past-president of the Women Business Owner of Atlanta, Georgia, she is also a founding member of the Committee of 200.

As a lecturer and motivational speaker, Judith has had the pleasure of speaking to some of the most prestigious groups in the country, including Inc. Magazine, the U.S. Postal Service, the Small Business Administrations, as well as school and business organizations throughout the nation.

Currently Judith is pouring her indefatigable energies and her thirty years of training and experience into creating a legacy for the industry she loves.  “Education is the key to survival and success”, says Judith, and she has dedicated herself to advancing that cause.  From California to Boston, Chicago to Dallas, Judith Sans diligently carries the message of continuing education for skin care professionalism.  Judith has created a complete educational skin care system, Interactive video training tapes, and written instructional materials promoting the “total image” concept that she sees as the wave of the future.  She expresses her personal vision this was, “I have enjoyed such a bounteous inheritance of health, stamina, and “good sense” values that my greatest pleasure in life now is to pass this legacy along to up-and-coming young professionals in the exciting industry.”

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Joel Gerson- A Legend in Aesthetics

Joel Gerson- A Legend in Aesthetics

Joel Gerson- A Legend in Aesthetics

When Joel Gerson graduated from high school in Detroit, he had no idea what he wanted to do as a career.  He drove a truck for about a year delivering building supplies to housing projects.  Then, after serving two years in the army, he returned home still not knowing what it was he wanted to do.  Then a friend of the family who owned a beauty salon suggested that Mr. Gerson attend cosmetology school.  When Mr. Gerson started school, he did not know the difference between a hair pin and a bobby pin.  Three months later, he told his father that hairdressing was not for him and he was going to drop out of school. (As he says now looking back at those days, “One day I was holding an M-1 rifle and the next a Lady Ellen hair clip.”)  It was then his father gave him the following advice:  “Finish school, and get a license, and no matter where you go, you will always be able to find work.”  And he was right.

After graduation, Mr. Gerson worked as a hairdresser until he put enough money aside to move to New York City.  For a time he worked as a hair stylist, managed a wig salon on Madison Avenue and become wig master for Lincoln Center’s New York State Theater.  But somehow Mr. Gerson was never content working as a hairdresser and decided to become a makeup artist.

It was during these years spent as resident makeup artist at the famous House of Revlon that he became even more concerned with the importance of skin care.  It was one thing to apply makeup to the faces of beautiful movie stars and society women who already had a working knowledge of the value of proper skin care, but what of the millions of women who did not posses perfect features and flawless skin.  This was not to say that all movie stars and society women are without problems, but because they are in the limelight, they are generally more conscious of the condition of their skin care more likely to seek help.  Mr. Gerson contends that the finest makeup in the hands of the most skilled artist did not take the place of naturally beautiful skin glowing with cleanliness and good health.  It is his conviction that every man and woman from every walk of life should take advantage of facial treatments to keep their skin health and youthful looking.

It became evident to Mr. Gerson that salons not offering facial treatments were missing a vital opportunity to provide a much-needed service, and moreover were losing extra revenue both in services and the sales of products.

Mr. Gerson began reading everything available about skin care.  As he made up his clients, he talked to them about the importance of skin care.  As a result, his sales of skin care products were as high as his sales in makeup.

One day there was an advertisement in the New York Times for a school that taught facial treatments and makeup.  Mr. Gerson went to school and asked to see the owner.  The owner was Christine Valmy.  He told Miss. Valmy he would like to be a teacher in her school.  About three months later Miss. Valmy called him at home and asked him if he would be interested in managing her facial salon.  That began a seven year business relationship.  He began teaching evening courses in the school and discovered his love was teaching.  In 1974, he was promoted to Vice President of the Education Division.  In addition he conducted a series of seminars, coast to coast, promoting skin care in the beauty salon.  His expertise in facial treatments was enthusiastically received.

When he began to teach esthetics, he realized the inadequacy of educational materials available for training estheticians.  There were, of course, many reference books on the market, most of them from Europe.  He was unable to find, however, a practical “how to” book, or comprehensive course of study that was both easy to understand and thorough in its contents.  What was needed was a text proving step by step illustrations that teachers and students alike could follow with ease.

As so many other educators in the cosmetology fields, he turned to Milady Publishing Corporation for assistance.  This was the first step in the realization of his goal to create a textbook for teaching esthetics that would meet the needs and standards of American schools, their teachers, students, and state boards of cosmetology.

The STANDARD TEXTBOOK FOR PROFESSIONAL ESTHETICIANS, by Joel Gerson, is the product of many years of research and experience as a professional esthetician and educator.  Mr. Gerson is grateful to the many professional people at Milady Publishing Corporation who have given so generously of their time and knowledge working with him in the preparation of the material, and especially to Ms. Bobbi Ray Madry, writer and research specialist.

In reviewing the book for the NATIONAL BEAUTY SCHOOL JOURNAL, Erica Miller, A Diplomat of CIDESCO International said: “In a word, this book is an answer to an esthetician’s prayer…; this book finally sets America on its own in the field of esthetics.  Everyone in the beauty field in America-whether the prospective student of esthetics or the veteran cosmetologist- - must read the study this book.”

The book is now in the 5th edition and has been revised with each edition.  It has become the most widely used textbook for estheticians in the United States, and is also used in cosmetology schools in Australia, Canada, England and South Africa.  In 1986, the book became available in Japanese.  Since its first printing, over one third of the States now have separate licensing for estheticians and cosmeticians.  According to PRODUCT MARKETING MAGAZINE, “many people in the trade consider the book to be the ‘bible of skin care”.  AMERICAN SALON MAGAZINE calls Joel Gerson the “Master of Skin Care Education.”

Mr. Gerson’s articles on facial treatments and skin care have appeared in numerous publications including MODERN SALON and AMERICAN SALON for which he has been an editorial consultant.  He has also appeared on television and radio talk shows around the world, and has shared his expertise with thousands of salon professionals who attend regional and international seminars and workshops, including: Alaska, Hawaii, England, South Africa, Monte Carlo, Belgium, Canada and Hong Kong.  In 1981, Mr. Gerson toured the country as a spokesman for the Lever Brother Company.  He has trained cosmetology teachers at various state board of cosmetology seminars, and has advised some of the world’s most famous women on makeup and skin care, including:  Barbra Streisand, Dina Merrill, Eve Arden, Arlene Dahl, Ann Miller, Leontyne Price, Anouk Aimee, Bess Myerson, and Maud Adams..

At present, Mr. Gerson serves as a technical consultant to a number of major manufactures and presents his educational concepts at cosmology shows, for example, the National Nail & Skin Care Expo in Chicago in November.

Mr. Gerson says that in order to be successful in the field of esthetics, you must put your creative imagination to work, visualize your goals, then work in that direction, love what you ware doing and CARE TO BE DIFFERENT.

Mr. Gerson is a licensed cosmetologist and holds a teaching license for Esthetics Scientific Facial Treatments and Makeup from the University of the State of New York.  To contact him, write to:  Joel Gerson, c/o Textbook sales Company, 247 East 77th Street, New York, NY 10021

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Jerry Weitzel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Jerry Weitzel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Jerry Weitzel- A Legend in Aesthetics

“President Carter looked at me and said, ‘Please keep the makeup light, I don’t want the press to think I am totally unscathed,’”

This is but one of the many interesting, anecdotal incidents that have occurred over the past 22 years in Jerry Weitzel’s fascinating and colorful career.

Weitzel is President of CRO and Syd Simons Cosmetics, Inc.  The company has five Chicago area Makeup and Skin Care Studios and a number of retail outlets throughout the country.  In addition to an intuitive head for business, he has established himself as one of the most respected and internationally known makeup artist and beauty authorities.

His list of clients reads like the list of Fortune 500 Corporation, the who’s who of politics and show biz, and all three television networks plus PBS and the Canadian Broadcasting Company.  He did the makeup for Playboy Magazine for nine years and has done makeup work for over 300 print ads, and over 200 television commercials.  He has been a frequent guest in TV and radio talk shows including NBC’s Today.

Mr. Weitzel is currently a member of NCA’s Esthetics America and the Chicago Cosmetology Association’s Esthetics Committee.  He has taught classes at numerous aesthetic congresses dating back to 1972.  His most recent appearance was teaching at the Aesthetics’ World Expo ‘88 in Dallas, and has become a Member of the Academy of Legends with this issue.

This interview took place just prior to Mr. Weitzel teaching a makeup class at the “Aesthetics” World Expo ‘88”.

. How did you get started in the cosmetic industry?

  1. My background was in business management. Syd Simons who was originally a Hollywood makeup artist had established a business in Chicago. That was, for many years, the only place in town for the professional services we offer.

The winds of change and competition were beginning to blow and he was looking toward expansion so he offered me a position as business manager.

  1. And did you decide to accept the job?
  2. Well not at first. I did a little research and discovered that there were not many people in the business who stressed professional service. I felt it was unique opportunity and after about a year I went to work.
  3. What was the first thing you did?
  4. I told him to teach me what he did. He said, “I hired you as a business manager not a makeup artist.” I said, “I know, but if I am going to understand what we sell, I better know what we do,” I had a background in art of photography and that helped a lot in mastering the craft.
  5. But if you didn’t intend to do this work how did you get involved with it?
  6. It wasn’t until 1968 when Syd was asked to travel with Hubert Humphrey as his makeup man during the presidential campaign. He had an established list of commercial accounts and we didn’t have anyone to handle those clients. So I jumped into the fray. 
  7. Well, you learned the art of makeup but what about the rest of the cosmetic business?
  8. The company always stressed skin care and had a good line of face care products when I came on board. I felt, however, that there was something missing in the dialog between us and the chemists who were formulating our products.  They didn’t understand our needs and we didn’t understand their problems.  So I took some courses in pharmacology and cosmetic chemistry at the University of Illinois.  That helped a great deal.  I also read every trade publication about the industry I could find.
  9. Would you recommend that to others in the business?
  10. Absolutely. Knowledge is a powerful tool and it is also a commanding weapon against some of the outrageous claims made by some people in the industry.
  11. You don’t believe “what you don’t know won’t hurt you”?
  12. No, just the opposite.
  13. Tell us more about those early years. Tell us about the nine years at Playboy.
  14. Back in ‘68 one of the accounts we were just getting started with was Playboy Magazine and that turned out to be one of out major accounts with billings exceeding $30,000.00 per year which back then was good money.
  15. Now tell the truth. Are the center fold retouched or not?
  16. Everyone asks that question and the truth is no. They will retouch covers of pictorial photo but not centerfolds. Besides, if they were going to do that they wouldn’t need me.
  17. Was that the most exciting of your accounts?
  18. May be the most fun but not the most exciting. I think one of the most thrilling assignments for me was a week doing Walter Cronkite’s makeup for CBS evening news just at the height of the Watergate crisis when all hell was breaking loose. There was so much turmoil that most times I would do his makeup while he sat at the anchor desk. One night there were constant changes and it got to two minutes to air time and the director suddenly realized his makeup hadn’t been done.  I stated his makeup with my kit behind the anchor desk and sat down on the floor behind the desk when he went on the air.  When they broke for the first commercial, I finished the job.
  19. There must have been others. What about when you did makeup for the President of the United States.
  20. That was fascinating primarily because of all the security. I preciously had a secret clearance but had never experienced protection to this degree. I must also say that President Carter went out of his way to be cordial.
  21. What with Playboy, the networks and politics what do you do for excitement?
  22. Still the most stimulation aspect of this business for me is teaching our regular clients to do their makeup properly. These are fascinating women who lead interesting lives and each of their faces is different and requires individual attention.
  23. Tell us why you feel that way?
  24. There has never been a perfect face. Every face can benefit from corrective makeup. Believe me; I’ve worked on some of the most beautiful faces in the world.  They all need some help.  At the same time, I must tell you every face has some beauty and it is the entire makeup artist job to bring it out.
  25. How many faces have you done?
  26. Someone asked me that a few years ago and I sat down and tried to figure it out. Somewhere around the twenty thousand.
  27. With all those faces doesn’t it get sort of ho-hum?
  28. No, not at all. Each face and each person is different and therefore a new challenge.
  29. You have been in this business a long time and you have seen many changes. Where do you think the industry is going?
  30. I’m very optimistic. I think the American public is much more aware and knowledgeable about professional makeup and skincare services. I have seen an increase in professionalism amongst our colleagues.  I believe the National Cosmetology Association’s acceptance of aesthetics has been a major step forward in getting the leaders in the field together and moving in the right direction.
  31. What more needs to be done?
  32. We have just scratched the surface of the potential available. More than anything else we need better education starting at the beauty school level.

Then, we need to increase the knowledge of the people in the field about new products and techniques.  People in this business spend a great deal of time and effort fighting their competition and don’t realize their competition is ignorance, not the guy down the street.

If the public understood what can be done for the, we would be open around the clock.

  1. Speaking of around the clock, what do you do in your spare time?
  2. I have many interests; I play golf, race sail boats and shoot skeet. I do some bird hunting in the fall and usually go to the Caribbean and scuba dive every winter. I also enjoy cooking and like to entertain in small groups of two or three couples.
  3. Are you a gourmet cook?
  4. I don’t know what that means but I do pretty well.
  5. Tell us about sailing.
  6. I’ve always liked racing of any kind. Years ago I racing sports cars and in the past ten years. I have been heavily involved in racing sail boats.
  7. Where do you race?
  8. We have a small body of water in Chicago called Lake Michigan. It is about 40 miles wide and 350 miles long. My office is about five minutes away from the yacht club so its pretty convenient.
  9. What about your family?
  10. I’m divorced. I have three children, two boys and a girl.  My youngest, the girl, Courtenay, has recently come to work for me and it’s a great joy.
  11. Is she going to take over the business?
  12. Of course and spend my paycheck to a P.O. Box in the islands. No, quite seriously I don’t have any desire to retire and probably wont for many years. I have put her to work in the office and I want her to learn every aspect of this business.  When the time comes, she will learn makeup and skin care and she will be great at it.  But I want her to get her degree at the same time she learns the business.
  13. Some time ago you did the makeup trend for NCA. What do you think about the fashion trend for this fall and winter?
  14. Come to one of my classes and find out or better yet read my article on page xx! I discuss the colors for the coming holiday season.
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Ilona of Hungary - A Legend in Aesthetics

Ilona of Hungary - A Legend in Aesthetics

Ilona of Hungary- A Legend in Aesthetics

Madame Ilona was born in Rabakecol, a small town near the Austrian border.  She was educated in Budapest by her mother’s sister, with whom she lived from the age of seven.  Ilona was always fascinated by beauty, and began her lifelong study of skin care while still in her teens.

In 1956, along with millions of others her life was disrupted by the Hungarian Uprising.  Ilona was one of thirty thousand Hungarians who sought freedom; from a refugee camp in Austria, she came to the United States, a lifelong dream.  She had exactly thirty-three cents when shrived in America-- and, she says, she still has a few of those pennies left.

At first, the dream of America was not matched by the reality: she found work in a handbag factory, pounding leather into suppleness.  She spoke no English, but studied incessantly, taking a more difficult job as a waitress because it forced her to learn to communicate faster and more clearly.  She studied for and received her American licenses.

In 1957, she met and married George Meszaros, and for several years devoted herself to being a full-time mother.  In 1966, when Meszaros began operating a hairdressing salon in Chatham, New Jersey, Ilona used one room for skin care.  In 1971, when they relocated in Denver, she and Maszaros decided to concentrate on her side of the business.  Their success came almost immediately: thanks to Ilona’s skills as a skin care specialist and Meszaros’ business administration), Ilona of Hungary today has salons in six cities and a thriving mail order business offering hundreds and hundreds of products.

Business startup is no simple task, she advises.  Funding, cooperative suppliers, research, staffing, educating, and informing the public are essentials.  “I’m a perfectionist and total professional.” Not only do clients benefit from such exacting standards, but so do dermatologists and plastic surgeons that frequently consult or refer appropriate patients confidently.

She rate being a woman as advantageous, believing that hard work, drive, determination, learning from failure, and willingness to see opportunity even in menial jobs are step  up the ladder. “I don’t believe in luck.”

“I’m a workaholic,” the sharp-witted, tall, vivacious blonde answers laughingly when asked the secret of blending business with two grown children, grandchildren, travel, entertainment, and interviews.  Does she have a hobby? “My work is my hobby.  Nothing makes me happier than helping people with their skin problems.  Their smiling faces as improvement shows- - that’s MY hobby.” She enjoys readying, mostly biographies, and swimming- - although, she is quick to note, “only after the sun goes down.”  She lectured at Denver University, and adores gardening and delights when an Eastern species bursts into bloom in Denver’s tough climate.  Ilona, whose own skin is the best advertisement for her techniques, lives in a whirlwind of activity.  She is constantly flying between her salons to ensure that the high quality her clients have grown to expect is maintained.  She has compiled her TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS. They are as follows:

  1. Know your specialty and keep learning.
  2. Be prepared to work cheerfully at all tasks, even the humblest.
  3. Take disappointments in stride. Nobody wins ALL the time.
  4. Be an original, never copy.
  5. Develop sound policies and standards from the start.
  6. Support those policies even if it hurts.
  7. Being loyal to clients makes clients loyal to you.
  8. Sell performance, not just image. And if you’re really good, charge accordingly.
  9. Practice what you preach with employees and clients alike.

Hard work assures success.  Getting to the top is far easier than staying there.  And the top is a lonely place only because most who reach it slide off.

 

HISTORY AND ORGANIZATION OF THE INSTITUES

In the mid-1960’s, George Meszaros had a small hairdressing salon in Chatham, New Jersey; Ilona attended to skin care in one room of the shop, where she practiced techniques she had learned in Budapest, London, Austria and Germany.  Madame Ilona began attracting a larger and larger band of dedicated clients, so much so that, when he relocated to Denver in 1971 for health reasons, Maszaros decided to concentrate on her side of the business.

Ilona of Hungary was an immediate success in Denver; today, the city is the site of their corporate headquarters in a four-story office building they bought in 1975.  Expansion to other cities was inevitable: Houston (1978), New York (1980), Chicago (1984), Dallas (1986), and Palm Springs (1987).  In several locations, the Institutes of Skin Care operate from buildings owned by the company, including a four-story establishment on Park Avenue in New York.

The Institutes are not franchises; each operates under Ilona’s close supervision.  She and Meszaros have consistently declined offers to expand from their current sic locations (in early 1987, such offers have come from New York, Washington, Detroit, Palm Beach, and the Bahamas), fearing that with additional salons, they would be unable to maintain the rigid quality control upon which they insist.  “This is more than our business,”  says Meszaros.  “It’s our family, our name.  We have worked this hard building it up, we wouldn’t want to take a chance on someone who might not give out clients what they’ve learned they can expect from us.”

Accordingly, Madame Ilona and Meszaros spend most of their time on the road, with Ilona estimating that she has not been home for seven consecutive days in the past six months.  She is a firm believer in the use of the surprise inspection as a method of maintaining standards: managers of her salons have learned to be prepared for an unannounced visit at literally any moment.

Ilona also oversees an exhaustive training program for everyone on her staff.  All prospective employees must first licensed by that State Board of Cosmetology.  More to the point, what-every their previous experience, all must undergo a rigorous training program that can last up to five weeks of seven-day-a week sessions.   For maximum effect, Madame Ilona never trains employees in groups of more than five.

Meszaros uses the metaphor of musicians to describe the purpose of their training program: “A musician can be the complete master of his instrument, but when he joins a new orchestra he will still have to learn new music and to work in harmony with a new conductor.  That harmony is what he has to teach.”

Currently, the Institutes employ 70-80 full time staffers.  Employees tend to be European, largely because the science of skin care that underlies Ilona’s techniques is almost never taught in the U.S. “In Colorado, for instance, any licensed hairdresser has 1,650 hours of training, of which 175 teach about skin care.  He can go right from that to calling himself a skin care specialist.  Even if he COULD study the proper techniques, there’s no incentive for him to do so.”

The architecture and design of the six Institutes, like the treatments offered within, have close ties to the medical world.  Although elegantly appointed, the quarters are, Meszaros stresses, highly utilitarian- - in most of the Institutes, the floors are linoleum, not carpet, to better maintain the necessary level of cleanliness.  Clients are treated in individual soundproofed rooms to cut down on distraction.

The services offered in the six institutes are the same from city to city, with minor variations: in Palm Springs, the treatment is primarily facial, while other cities offered head-to-toe care, including manicure, pedicure and full body massage.  An indication of the esteem in which Ilona’s clients hold her came in late 1986; when the will of a wealthy New York woman was read, it was discovered that she had left her best friend the remainder of her partially used year’s worth of treatments.

Madame Ilona considers one of her functions to be educative: she and her staff give clients detailed advice on skin care.  She is tireless in her warnings about the dangers of sun chine.  Although her new sun blockers have a sun-protective factor of 20+, the highest available, she still urges all clients to take the sun sparingly, if at all.

PRODUCTS AND HOME CARE TECHNIQUES

Although Ilona stresses that best results are obtained under the direct supervision of her staff in one of the Institutes, in recent years her techniques and products have been made available to the general public through a highly successful mail order business.

The product line is always changing, but as of early 1987, Ilona offered more than thirty items for skin care alone, including several specially formulated for use with oily, blemished or dry skin.  Ilona of Hungary markets shampoos and conditioners for the hair; lotions, soaps and bath oils for the body; and a line of nail care products that include polish in more than three dozen shades.  Finally, makeup items sold by mail or at the Institutes, and several booklets prepared by Madame Ilona herself detailing skin care techniques which can be used at home.

ILONA OF HUNGARY:  A FAMILY BUSINESS

As stated previously, Ilona and Meszaros refuse to license franchises for fear that a less conscientious operator might not live up to the company name.  in the case of Ilona of Hungary, the company is the family.  Apart from Madame Ilona herself, who deals with the formulation of products and the development of new techniques, and George Meszaros, who sees to the business operations of the company, there are two other family members currently involved with Ilona of Hungary.  Their eldest daughter, also named Ilona, works in the Denver headquarters, as confidential assistant to both of her parents.  And Robert, their eldest son, is a recent business school graduate who is, Madame Ilona says, learning the business from the bottom up.

Ilona of Hungary has come a long way from that terror-filled night when she fled her native Hungary taking her uniquely European, science-oriented skin care education and professional training to a new life.

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Hans Koste- A Legend in Aesthetics

Hans Koste- A Legend in Aesthetics

Hans Koste- A Legend in Aesthetics

American aesthetics owes a great deal to the work of the legendary Hans Koste, who provided the fledging industry with….. The Tools of Teaching

Just as the growth of this nation occurred as a result of the explorations and daring initiatives of early European settlers, the American skin care industry owes a debt to the European aestheticians and industry experts who settled here in the 1960s and ‘70s and laid a solid foundation for this multi-million dollar business.

Hans Koste was one of these pioneers.  Like those early settlers, he was a trader.  His stock was skin care machines and furniture and like his forbearers, he immediately ran into a host of problems.

Language was the first problem he had to heal with.  There was no vocabulary to describe professional skin care.  Cosmetology like it was practiced in Europe was unheard of, in this country.  At the time cosmetology consisted of basic hair treatments and, with the exception of New York City, cosmetology machines were unheard of.  Terms like interferential current and iontophoresis drew blank stares.  When Hans displayed his machines at conventions, people looked at them as if the equipment was from outer space.

Koste soon realized that to sell his wares, he would first have to sell the entire concept of professional treatments.  He’s had the same experiences in Europe and Japan and knew that cosmetologists had to be made to think in new directions.  To accomplish this, he started conducting seminars all over the country.        

His message was that professional skin care represented a bright, new world in terms of profitability and professionalism.  He emphasized that machines made skin care treatments more effective and that without them, skin care was not professional.

This was his credo, and those who attended his lectures and seminars believed him.  They recognized in him a witness, someone who had been present at the very beginnings of professional skin care in Europe.  When he told them the business in Europe had also gotten off to a slow start but soon blossomed into a thriving industry, they accepted it.  Koste instilled in his listeners the confidence they needed to venture into this new field of aesthetics.

Koste was best known for his talks on electricity used in skin care machines.  These seminars played packed houses, especially in the early ‘70s.  But the idea of using electricity to treat skin frightened many cosmetologists.  They feared electrocuting their clients and becoming involved in mammoth law suits.  Beauty schools did not teach this subject, and textbooks describing the various types of electrical current were either nonexistent or extremely spotty.

Outside of going to New York or Europe, there was no place a cosmetologist could turn if he or she wanted to get into professional skin care.  Koste seminars helped fill that vacuum.  He removed the mystery, dispelled the fears and hesitations.  He demonstrated how safe the machines were and how effective and profitable their use in treatments could become.

Theory was stressed as well as practice, for he felt that a professional was required to know the tools he or she was using.  These lectures often removed the last barrier keeping a cosmetologist from buying machines and embracing professional skin care.

State Boards of Cosmetology, because they had no experience with skin care, would occasionally turn to him for advise.  As a result, he was a consultant to the Massachusetts State Board when it wrote its first regulation providing separate licenses for aestheticians.

Koste also traveled the country helping private and vocational beauty schools prepare skin care programs, training their teachers as well.  A precise figure would be hard to come by, but it would be safe to say that thousands of students have graduated form schools and colleges that used materials provided by Koste.  He gave these freely and informally because he felt doing so was part of his job selling skin care machines and equipment.

His Life’s Work

Koste’s first job in skin care was with Cosmetiques Sans Soucis in Baden-Baden, Germany.  Sans Soucis was - and  still is- one of Europe’s leading cosmetic lines.  In 1962, sensing new opportunities involving machines, the company decided to bring out a line of equipment under the name Kosmetik Praxis.

This was the start of Koste’s hectic journeys, criss-crossing the continent, setting up skin care associations and schools that offered one to three-year certificates, depending on the particular government’s regulations.

Then in 1965, Kosmetik Praxis was merged into Deutsche Nemectron, and Koste was appointed director of sales for southern Germany.  His assignments, however, took him to Belgium, Holland, England, Austria and Yugoslavia where he lectured on electricity and other phases of skin care.  Nemectron, with Koste in a pivotal position, soon became the largest manufacturer of skin care machinery in the world.

In the summer of 1973 Nemectron decided on a bold marketing venture: introducing its machines in Japan.  Its distributor there would be the Takara Company, one of the largest beauty companies in the country.

Since machines were unheard of in Japan at that time, Koste was chosen to lay the groundwork for this venture.  He and his associate, Brigitta Fritsche, were dispatched to Tokyo. The crash courses they taught trained Takara’s sales force of about 200 people on basic skin care and the theory and use of its equipment.

Koste says, “We started every day at eight a.m. and fell totally exhausted into our hotel beds at midnight.  Lunch and dinner were eaten in the classroom.  In addition, there were important meetings with owners and operators of famous make-up salons interested in opening European-style skin care centers.  We launched out program in the autumn of 1973 at Japan’s major annual beauty congress, held in Tokyo.  The results were tremendous.  Having a powerhouse like Takara was an enormous advantage, but we were also helped by a great demand for corrective and preventative skin care, the results of excessive use of make-up by Japanese women.”

So successful was this joint Nemectron-Takara venture in Japan that the two companies decided to go after the big prize: the United States, with its population of 200 million.  This time they set up a new company called Nemectron-Belmont in New York City.  Nemectron would supply the machines and equipment with Takara providing the administrative offices, warehouses and sales organization.

Koste and Fritsche once again were chosen to provide the training and marketing expertise needed to get the company off and flying.  They did, and when they left the company after two years, Nemectron-Belmont was well on its way to becoming the leading supplier of skin care equipment in the United States.

Fritsche returned home to get married.  Koste originally planned to return to West Germany but then changed his mind.

“I felt my technical knowledge could still be of some use in the States where professional skin care was still in its infancy.  For a while I free-lanced, but in the back of my mind there was hope that I could team up with a company where I could spread my wings a little, in terms of education and training.  I felt I had lots more to contribute to this industry.”

When a position opened at Dynex International, he grasped the opportunity.  He had already become acquainted with the company when he was in Germany.  It was well-regarded by European suppliers, and he like the adherence to the European concepts of professional skin care, particularly as they involved the use of key apparatus.  It was a happy union and in the decade that followed, he was able to expand that European approach and develop sound training programs for salons and schools.

At Dynex he was also able to indulge his long-held ambition to teach sell.  Koste’s former students are now teachers themselves and owners of successful skin care establishments.  The affection they feel for him is best expressed by one of his favorite pupils.

“The industry is indebted to Hans Koste,” says Denise Miller of Corpus Christi, Texas.  “Without his tireless efforts teaching electricity, aestheticians throughout the United States would be much less than they are.  It may take a number of years before his contributions are formally recognized, as it often happens with outstanding men and women.  I feel indebted to him for his knowledge, patience and kindness.  He has given more than he will ever receive from out industry.  We all owe him a real American salute.”

It would indeed be hard to find concrete evidences of Koste’s conurbations to the industry, as Ms. Miller put it.  Others like Christine Valmy have established aesthetics schools.  Come, such as Joel Gersen, have written books.  Still others are leaders of thriving skin care salons like Aida Grey and Georgette Klinger or are famous aestheticians seen regularly in the fashion press.

Koste spoke only from notes and hand-drawn diagrams.  There are no textbooks, schools or salons bearing his name.  His mark is in the minds and hears of the people who have heard him teach.

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Grace Doran Francis- A Legend in Aesthetics

Grace Doran Francis- A Legend in Aesthetics

Grace Doran Francis- A Legend in Aesthetics

Grace Doran Francis changes the face of beauty care and education with her progressive skin care and make-up techniques.  Her trophies and awards attest to her immeasurable talent and sincere dedication within the esthetics field.

She is a multi-talented hair and skin care specialist who was by far one of the great pioneers in hair and skin care education.  She has worked alongside the best in the industry, and throughout her long and prosperous career, Grace has shared her knowledge and keen insight with fellow students.

Grace began her career in Hollywood more than 40 years ago.  At that time, she was primarily creating hair designs for many of the starlets and models in Hollywood.  During this time, she was also busy developing curriculums and concepts to establish a formal system of hair design education.  She eventually opened her own school in Hollywood - Comer - Doran.

However, with all her success in hair design, Grace wanted to learn more about make-up and skin care techniques.  Hollywood make-up master Perc Westmore encouraged her to experiment with different make-up application techniques.  He shared his time with her, as well as his personal tools, and brought her into his studio to show her how he applied make-up to the film and television stars.

With Westmore’s assistance, Grace quickly mastered make-up techniques and applications that were high in demand.  Soon she was not only doing hair for the stars but make-up as well.

 She began traveling across the country to demonstrate her skills before large audiences. On stage, Grace particularly likes to create what is known as character make-up applications.  She would transform a beautiful, high-fashion model into an 80-year old matron, and then quickly turn the models back to the audience to remove the make-up and old housecoat.  Within seconds, the model would face the audience again, but this time she would be clad in a flowing gown and showing off the make-up trend for that season.

Word spread fast about Grace’s talent with a make-up brush and soon she was asked to come to Las Vegas to design the make-up and hair for singers and dancers who were performing in the casinos. Once in a while, she would create “before” and “after” make-up transformations on stage with the girls.

Back home in California, Grace was asked to lead the first class in esthetics for the Nation Cosmetologist Association (NCA).  Being a committee member for the NCA, Grace accepted and led a very challenging and creative class.  Each participant received his own make-up kit and was encouraged to be creative with individual make-up applications.

To everyone’s surprise, the number of participants reached a record-breaking 250 for the first class.  This proved that people were interested in learning more about skin care and make-up applications and inspired Grace to write a book entitled, “Comer and Doran’s Mystery of Make-up”.  it was published in California and distributed throughout the United States.

Grace’s educational endeavors soon reached far outside the United States.  Iko Yamano, who is highly respected in the skin care industry in Japan, invited Grace to Tokyo to teach specialized skin care and make-up workshops to Japanese skin care specialist.  While she was there, Grace was also asked by top Japanese skin care specialist to share her skills in large industry shows.

Over the years, Grace and Mrs. Yamano have exchanges numerous skin care philosophies and regimens.  For instance, when Mrs. Yamano visited Grace in the states, she demonstrated how the western culture could greatly benefit from the effects of acupressure, face and body massage and the Moma mudd pack, an earthy mixture of ingredients applied to the skin to keep it beautiful and younger looking.

Grace realized the benefits of these techniques, and eventually, Grace and Mrs. Yamano would work hand-in-hand in developing a student curriculum that included these topics.

In 1967, when grace was finishing her two-year stint as styles director for the NCA, she met Pivot Point president Leo Passage.  Passage was so impressed with her educational credentials and solid school curriculums that he asked her and her husband, Buddy Francis, to join him in Chicago.  Grace and Buddy accepted his offer, sold their two schools in Palm Springs, California and packed their bags for a new life in the Midwest.

At Pivot Point, Grace has worn many hats, but the one she is most proud of is Director of Esthetics.  A long-time friend of Christine Valmy, Grace asked for her assistance in developing a top-notch esthetics program exclusively for Pivot Point.  Together they traveled throughout the states to educate school owners and salon staffs on the importance and benefits of proper skin care techniques.

“It was difficult to get off the ground at first, because in the Unites States, no one gave much thought to skin care.  Now of course, it is different story,”  says Grace.

During one of her many educational jaunts, Grace attended the 32nd CIIDESCO conference in Brighton, England, with her highly respected associate and friend, Louella Bailey.  After the conference, the two traveled to London to visit the renowned Kenneth Morris School of Esthetics.  They were pleased with what they saw.  After seeing his school, their journey took them to nearly all the esthetic schools in London and surrounding suburbs.

“It was truly an educational time for both of us,” reflects Grace.  “We saw so much on that trip.  When we returned home we had plenty of new ideas and worthwhile information o share with our colleagues.”

Several years ago, Grace returned to the orient and visited Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong as guest make-up artist and esthetician trainer for a number of Asian cosmetology shows.  She also presented the latest in skin care for many of the beauty schools in the area.  Her daughter, Candice Francis, accompanied her on this trip and demonstrated the latest in machine-operated skin care and massage techniques.  At that time, this was still fairly new to the industry and eastern estheticians were more than intrigued with this unique invention.

Over the years, Grace has trained a number of make-up artist and skin care specialist, many of whom are still active in Hollywood studios.  Once such a student was Maurice Stein, who owns Cinema Secrets, a beauty supply and educational company that caters to the needs of Hollywood. Stein currently does the make-up for several of the cast member on the TV show “The Golden Girls.”

Grace’s eldest daughter, Joanne Phillips, followed in her mother’s footsteps and has been a hair designer and make-up artist in the Hollywood studios for some time.  Joanne has countless credits for her unique hair and make-up designs.

At Pivot Point, she has also trained some of the finest specialist in the felid, including successful salon owner and Chicago Cosmetologist Association’s (CCA) chairperson of the skin care division Linda Burmeister and Chicago-based make-up artist Sher Kohr.  Many Pivot Point graduates end up working as skin care specialists in the finer Michigan Avenue salons, such as Elizabeth Arden, Neiman-Marcus, Lord and Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshall Field’s.

As a matter of fact, officials for the city of Chicago, named Pivot Point the finest skin care training facility in the Midwest. This is largely due to Grace’s strong commitment to education others in esthetics.

Recently creating and completing a 750-hour esthetics curriculum, a 320-hour nail curriculum and a 300-hour make-up curriculum for Pivot Point, Grace hopes these new programs will serve the needs of a fast-growing market.

Says Grace, “I couldn’t have achieved the high goals I set for myself without all the support people have given me in esthetics over the years.  Ron Renee and Robert Diemer have been a strong support for me and to the industry as a whole.  They are to be admired for their many contributions to the esthetics field.”

The industry does admire those who have accomplished goals and contributed to the field and that is why Grace Doran Francis was inducted into the NCA exclusive Hall of Renown and recently was inducted  into Pivot Point International’s  Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.  She has also served as a judge for countless competition, and the International Beauty Show’s Make-up/Total Look category.

Today Grace and Buddy are on the road again.  This time they are en route to all the major hair and beauty trade shows, stopping off to visit as many Pivot Point member schools as possible.

After 20 years with Pivot Point, the couple is looking forward to “RV-ing” across the country.  Their home on wheels is fully equipped with deluxe kitchen, full bath and enough room for their two small dogs to roam.

In November, they will attend the 1987 NAACS convention in Philadelphia, then head south and finally back-track to the west coast.

Back in Chicago, at Pivot Point International’s world headquarters, Grace left the esthetics curriculums that she worked hard to create in the capable hands of Sylvia Robinson, who has worked alongside Grace for many years.

Grace feels that Pivot Point’s esthetics program will successfully flourish because of the company’s fine educational staff and also because Leo Passage realizes the need for quality esthetics education.

And if there’s anything this industry leader knows, it quality esthetics education.  Her professional history proves it.

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Geneva Wyatt- A Legend in Aesthetics

Geneva Wyatt- A Legend in Aesthetics

Geneva Wyatt- A Legend in Aesthetics

Geneva Wyatt is a charter member of EstheticsAmerica of NCA and a 25-year member of Hair America of NCA.  Geneva’s Beauty College has been a leading training institute for hair, skin, and nails for twenty years.  As a cosmetologist, aesthetician, businesswoman, and educator, Geneva has enjoyed 51 years in the beauty industry and her career encompasses the full range of the cosmetology and aesthetics professions.

Her career began as a teenager selling Avon cosmetics and styling her friends’ and teachers’ hair while in high school.  At the Shreveport Beauty School, Geneva was offered the chance to take a special facial course as w     ell as the regular cosmetology course since she had sales experience with Avon.

An educator for Contoure’ Cosmetics came from New York City to teach Geneva how to use the imported French line.  After graduation in 1937, she continued to market the Contoure’ line for several years.  In 1983 she opened her first beauty salon at the Kickapoo Motel and Restaurant on the corner of Benton Road and U.S. Highway 80.  Little did she know that she would own businesses within a block of that original location for the next half century!

In 1940 she bought land in the cotton field across the street from her salon in order to build a house with a four operator salon in front.  It became the home for her and her new husband Hershel in 1941.

Her beauty shop outgrew her house, and Geneva moved her business to the new shopping center built next door to her home in 1953.  This salon offered facials in a completely separate skin care room designed to accommodate two facial clients at once. Geneva used Glendora Stringer Cosmetics from California.  It was the first hot facial mask on the market.  There was a brown crème with much healing power that was used under the wax as an acne treatment.  There was also a crème to hydrate the skin under the wax as a treatment for dry mature skin.  Clients of all ages were offered this “revolutionary” esthetic treatment in her full service salon.

Geneva’s Madison Park Beauty Salon and Geneva’s Centenary Beauty Salon began serving Shreveport clients in 1954.  The Centenary location had a facial room equipped with facial machinery that stimulated the facial muscles.   Along with this “modern” approach to skin care, a face life treatment was given.  Geneva Wyatt had already taken a leadership position for offering skin care treatments to her salon’s clientele.  Geneva’s Broadmoor Beauty Salon opened din 1955.  She opened two salons on Barksdale Air Force Base in 1959.  At the height of her career as a salon owner, she employed 72 stylist in all 6 locations combined.

Geneva achieved membership in the Louisiana Hair Fashion Committee in 1959, and her professional career began to revolve around NCA activities.  She served as Chairman for two years and as Styles Director for two different two - year terms for LHFC.  In 1962, she took the examination for the Official Hair Fashion Committee (now Hair America) and passed the first time to become Louisiana’s second OHFC member.

As Assistant Styles Director, she developed the makeup trend releases.  She did all of the photography makeup for the trend publications and press releases during the season of Mamie Scott.  Geneva remembers how much she learned about makeup from these two legends in the cosmetology industry.

Geneva has only missed one OHFC meeting in the 25 years she has been a member!

Hairstyling competition was her love for many years.  After winning many first place trophies for styling, hair cutting, and make up, her initiation into OHFC placed her on “the other side of the fence” as a judge and as a trainer.  She judges countless NCA competitions, including three times for the gold Cup in New York City and the National at the NCA national conventions. Geneva was the national chairman for the selection of the 1976 Olympic Team.  Her competition classes were very popular at many beauty shows, and she was the guest artist for the New York International Show five years in a row.  A trainer for contest winners all across the country, Geneva also trained her son Johnny.  She said “It was the hardest training I had ever undertaken, but he won a house full of trophies.”

According to Geneva, the year 1964 was a highlight in her life.  She went to adult education classes at night and graduated from high school in cap and gown the same month as her son Johnny graduated from Bossier High School.

This sparked her love of learning, and she returned to beauty school to earn her instructors’’ license.  After teaching on Vera Rogers’ faculty, she bought her Shreveport Beauty School in 1966.  She sold her last beauty salon the next year and purchased the Curtis Park Methodist Church buildings in Bossier City for a school location.

Hershel Wyatt has remodeled, decorated, and even built the fixtures for all of Geneva’s salons.  His woodworking skills made him a much sought after designer of beauty salons throughout the South.  From Hershel Wyatt’s Cabinet Shop came the show place of Geneva’s career - Geneva’s Beauty College.  This year of 1988 will be the school’s 21st enrollment of over 100 students; it is a family operation like all Geneva’s professional endeavors have been.  Her son Jonny and her daughter Patricia hold management positions and serve as instructors at Geneva’s Beauty College.  Geneva claims “I cannot give myself all the credit for my success.  My family has played a big part in my life and my work.”  Hershel has been her best friend and favorite business partner.  His salon equipment building and traveling with her to shows occurred while working as full-time carpenter foreman in construction and owning his own business, Wyatt’s Cabinet Shop.  He now manages the Jhirmach of North Louisiana distributorship and serves on the board of directors for Geneva’s Beauty College.  “Behind every successful woman is a successful man,” Geneva’s favorite adage.

Education has been a driving force in Mrs. Wyatt’s work.  She has taught 37 continuing education programs at colleges and universities in ten states.  One of her first continuing education jobs was in Hattiesburg in the sixties where she taught new fashion in hairstyles and make up for three consecutive summers with Buddy Walton, then Styles Director of OHFC (HairAmerica).  She returned in the summer of 1987 to teach Skin Care for the University of Southern Mississippi.  She has worked with Louisiana’s Continuing Education seminars since classes were held at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with Rufus Hays in 1961 and the late Vera Slater in 1962.  She has served as guest artist and teacher for seminars in Louisiana and throughout the country.  Geneva served as Louisiana’s chairman of Continuing Education for seven years, starting in 1979 at Bossier Parish Community College.  Ron Renee’, founder of Aesthetics International Association, appeared twice during that time to benefit LAAC, the state association.

In 1981, Geneva began to lobby the Louisiana Legislature for a separate 750 hour esthetics course.  The next year Representative Robert Adley authored her bill for the 750 clock hours of training.  After two years of unselfish dedication, her bill for aesthetics licensing passed.

Geneva’s attributes an important turning point in her career to Ron Renee’.

Although her work in skin care began while a student in beauty school, Ron’s influence shaped her attitude toward modern aesthetics as a separate profession.  Ron came to Geneva’s Beauty College on several weekend trips to train Geneva and her teachers about European cosmetics and the latest techniques in skin care.  Thanks to Ron’s encouragement, Geneva has pursed her first love- skin care- along a successful and rewarding career path.  “Ron has given me the strength I need to continue working for what I believe in and what I enjoy.  It is good to have a friend like Ron who is never too busy when you call on him for advice,” says Geneva.  “I think Ron Renee’ has worked harder than any other professional to keep skin care alive in the United States.  Our entire industry has benefited from his tireless efforts for our aesthetic associations to be successful.”

Ron helped her establish her first line of imported products.  Today, she teaches three complete lines from France, Austria, and Spain in her aesthetics school, and carries several other brands as well.  Geneva says a “hard-sell” approach is not required if the cosmetic line meets her quality standards and produces results during the aesthetic procedures.  Aesthetics is very relaxing work because of the personal interaction with each client, and Geneva claims there is no comparison between the art of esthetics and the stressful pressures associated with other aspects of cosmetology.

Retirement is out f the question for Geneva.  She does hope to spend more time with her grandchildren.  Jeff (age 21) and Gena Helen (age 17) are Jonny’s children and Patricia’s daughter Alice Helen is 15 months old.

Geneva and Hershel are planning to enjoy more traveling, but they are both actively involved and planning for more career projects in the near future.

Geneva’s most recent projects revolve around her love of aesthetics.  Geneva considers a seminar she held in May of 1987 to be one of the highest compliments she ever received.  The entire Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology came for aesthetics training in order to improve their evaluation and grading procedures for Esthetician licensing applicant in Mississippi.

She has taught many special classes in skin care, and now has the largest aesthetician department in the state of her school, Geneva’s Beauty College.

Geneva’s Beauty College offers four different courses, each of which lead to state licensing.  The Aesthetician Course (750 hours), the Manicuring Course (600 hours), and Teacher’s Training (750 hours) each have their own curriculum and instructors.  Geneva sincerely believes the future of the beauty industry lies with the full service salon, and this philosophy is reflected in her unique curriculum for the Full Cosmetology Course.  Along with their hair styling classes, each student receives one month of training in aesthetics and one month of training in nail sciences.  Geneva’s has many graduates who are full time aestheticians and many who have earned licenses in more than one field.

Although Geneva’s career has been an exciting one, she says, “I haven’t had a bed of roses.  I’ve had many interferences and obstacles, but they did not hurt me.  They just made me stronger and made me want to work harder.”

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Eve Gardiner- A Legend in Aesthetics

Eve Gardiner- A Legend in Aesthetics

Eve Gardiner- A Legend in Aesthetics

Max Factor has always pioneered the way in cosmetics and skin care from the days when it was the “House of Hollywood” in the 30’s and 40’s.  Today, although no longer strongly associated with the silver screen, Max Factor is still very much to the fore in terms of new ideas bringing color and magic into the lives of all women.

Eve Gardiner started her working life against a background of world financial crises which promoted many women of similar genteel backgrounds to go out and ear their living.  She recollects her father opening his newspaper one morning at he breakfast table and realizing in an instant that he was penniless.  Like so many other, his security had been wiped out overnight in the Wall Street Crash of 1925.  At a stroke, his substantial investments were worthless, so Eve and her family had to leave their comfortable home and embark on a life in vary different circumstances.  Without a second thought, Eve went to work in a privately owned beauty and hairdressing salon in Brook Street, a fashionable area of London, and developed an already awakening awareness in beauty.  But after four years an event occurred which was to changer her life -- she learned that Max Factor was coming to town. This cause much excitement, for Max Factor was already legendary in the world of makeup wizardry and was regarded as one of the most glamorous cosmetic companies.  Eve went along to the newly opened premises in Bond Street and applied for a job, she was promptly offered one, for the Max Factor team recognized that she had the Max Factor look and reminded them of the American girls in Hollywood.

To Eve, the Max Factor beauty salon was a revelation.  For the first time ever in the UK, women were being made up in front of huge theatrically lit mirrors and the techniques being used were those of the film makers, with as many steps in makeup application as on the glamorous Hollywood sets.  But countrywide makeup in general was still very primitive by today’s standards:  “Most women only fluffed powder onto their face with a huge swan down powder puff”, recollects Eve.  “They literally bumped it on their nose and then dusted round their face smothering even their eyebrows and eyelashes in powder.  Most women didn’t use eyebrow pencils, mascara or eye shadow so the effect was very blank and pale.

However, the more adventurous women of the time, Eve remembers, greased their eyelids with vaseline and if they wore mascara use a cake mascara (wands were unheard of) plus a little rouge which came in the form of a block of concentrated color in a cardboard box which looked very sever if not carefully applied.  Eye shadow was very scarce and only available in gray, even when obtainable, and few women wore lipstick.  But Eve does remember her mother wearing pink or white lip salves which she kept in a little drawer in her dressing table and an aunt who was considered very avant garde, painting her lips in a very crimson lip color in Clara Bow Fashion.  So the look of the 20’s was either for no color or for terrifically artificial color.  Eve also remembers the first nail polish coming out in 1928 which was a dark crimson color to match the Clara Bow Lipstick and this was applied with a block and then buffers with a chamois leather buffer.  “Women use to sit for hours buffing their nails till they gleamed and shone.  I don’t think any of us would have that patience today”.

Before the Max Factor salon opening, professional make-ups were also very primitive, with just a sweep pf powder on the face and then perhaps a touch of eye brow pencil and a little rouge to complete the effect.  But the method of application was even more surprising!  After a facial, women used to lie on a couch and the make-up artist proceeded to apply the makeup upside down without even looking into a mirror.  “The results were hardly flattering or accurate applied in this way,” Eve laughs.

The Max Factor salon set great store by the fact that they never let their customers purchase color cosmetic products alone00 they had to buy skincare items as well--perhaps a cleanser, toner and a nourishing cream (moisturizer hadn’t been invented yet).  On top of the skin care line, in the late 20’s early 30’s, Max Factor also had powder foundation (a Hollywood product) which was a delicately tinted base either flesh colored or a deep olive.  However, the product didn’t have enormous color value--perhaps only as much as a tinted moisturizer today.

Eve recollects the method that the Max Factor makeup artist used to create a very precise look.  “We dotted the powder foundation all over the face until we had a perfect blend.  Then using the techniques popularized by the studios we pressed powder very firmly and methodically all over the face until you had a perfect, flawless-looking makeup.  Of course you didn’t have the range of colors available then in the way of eye make-up.  We only had four shades of eye shadow--gray, brown, blue and green, and only two colors of eyebrow pencil-- brown and brownish/black plus two colors of mascara, one shade of rouge and four shades of lipstick”.

Eve loved working in the salon during the early days especially when she was called on to the make up women for the Royal Courts at Buckingham Palace.  The ladies who were to dress in their glittering evening gowns and four yard long trains in the evening used to book their day appointment in the Max Factor salon to be made-up quite theatrically in away which would look stunning under the strong lights and the regal settings of the huge state rooms.  For this the Max Factor make-up artist brought out a cheek shade for special effects-- a strong petunia color which proved particularly popular.

But day and evening make-ups weren’t the only skills Eve acquired in the early days.  She also learned stage, film and TV make-up as well as camouflage make-up which was all part of a day’s work.

Sadly, disaster struck with the onset of the Second World War when the salon closed immediately.  Eve was conscripted and worked throughout the war on aircraft engines and only returned to work after VE day in 1945.  After just a few weeks holiday she was back in the salon and not long after that, after the opening of new premises in Bond Street she became head of the salon in the late 40’s.

This was the time when the great revolution in make-up started, just before the war, Max Factor brought out one of the products which would go down in the history of make-up-- Pan Cake.  Eve, in fact, still uses the product herself today-- finding it preferable to modern day foundation.  Pan-Stik was launched just after the war in 1947 and this was followed by Erace and Crème Puff.) Crème Puff is apparently one of the biggest selling cosmetic products in history.)  Both Pan Cake and Pan Stik were launched in the studios to coincide with the rise of color film which required a more natural-looking make-up.

Max Factor has always been amongst the few at the forefront of cosmetic development and Eve believes that periods of innovation can be concisely seen in the context of the decades.

“The 30’s were the Pan era-- Panchromatic and Pan Cake and then Pan Stik a little later in the early 40’s.  In the 50’s there was Crème Puff which caused such a stir that jewelers in Bond Street ceased to sell gold powder cases.  People simply began to stop using loose powder for they switched to Crème Puff.  So then Asprey, Cartier and all the main jewelers started to make gold cases for Crème Puff and Cartier made a whole range costing from 4 to 700 pounds which in those days was a lot of money.  Lady Docker bought Grace Kelly one as a wedding gift and rumor had it that the Queen used one too!”

But perhaps the biggest skincare revolution came in the 50’s with the onset of moisturizer as a concept.  Factor launched a range called Secret Key which was the very first skincare line in the world which was totally moisturized.  This was then replaced by a more sophisticated range in the 70’s Gaminess.

“In the 1950’s, Factor came out with Hi-fi makeup as a result of TV.  Hi-fi was the first ever range of really cool beige colors no make up houses had ever produced these shades before.  Hi-fi actually stood for high fidelity color and revolutionized foundation which up until this time had only been creamy peach or conversely very dark.

However, the greatest event in the history of makeup arguably came at the end of the 50’s with a whole burst of eye color which transformed the contemporary color palette.  “Prior to 1959 we only had four shades of eye color plus brown and brownish black pencils and cake mascara.  But suddenly we came out with about 12 new products and countless new shades long sticks of gorgeous colors, powder and cream eye shadows, mascara sticks (brushes came later), eye brow pencils with refills and false eyelashes for day wear.  We also came out with an eye care cream for use under the eyes and eye make-up remover pads”.

Perhaps Eve’s greatest thrill of Max Factor’s development is the time when she helped to create a new product which would go on to become a standard line in all cosmetic companies portfolio.  After the revolution in eye make-up, models started to wear black PanCake which Max Factor had made especially for the commando landings in the 1st world war.  The product was only available in little greaseproof envelopes and the commandos just spat on it to smear and black out the face.  However, the model of the 50’s latched on to it to make up their eyes.

Fenwicks, the high fashion store in Bond Street then noted for its avant garde approach to make-up, pestered Max Factor to stock the product and eventually they got a huge supply.  Douglas Young, one of Max Factor’s top make-up artist, got together with Eve and together they carved out a block of the black Pancake, put it into an empty eye shadow box and sent it to Hollywood as an idea for the first ever cake eyeliner.  Max Factor improved the formulation by making it smoother and easier to apply and then marketed it.

“But it’s the 60’s which are perhaps my favorite period of development,” comments Eve, “For we were all really swinging and make-up was for fun.  Girls started pasting out their lips with Erase so they looked lighter than their already pale faces.  And of course there were huge bouffant of hair, mini skirts and people looked revolutionary.  We came out with a line of lipstick called the Young Pretenders for the products were only pretending to be lipstick, they were so pale, and we had all sorts of smudgy things for the eyes.  Some models wore three pairs of eyelashes and the lids looked very heavy and weighed down.  Make-up in the 60’s became stylized after the natural, fresh looks of the 50’s.

Moving on, it seems the main feature of the 70’s was the return to nature with fruits and vegetables making their appearances in all sorts of products; skincare lines from Max Factor which followed this theme included Avocado and Lemon skin Toner.  But skin care in the 70’s also saw the rise of hypo-allergenic ranges and Max Factor were among the first with the launch of Perfect Touch and then Swedish Formula-- the latter which is still popular today.

Brining the market up to date, Eve sees the 80’s as being a period of consolidation and experimentation with Factor having a greater portfolio of product ranges and exciting colors than ever before.  Although the Max Factor beauty salon is now closed; Eve is still the company’s beauty advisor and at 72, just as active and as glamorous as ever.  She now works on variety of projects including charity work which Mac Factor helps to sponsor.  She has recently put together a cassette called “A Touch of Beauty” which details her makeup lessons expressed in a way that the blind can follow and learn to put their own make up on by just listening and following Eve’s advice.  Max Factor underwrote the publication costs for the cassette and have always encouraged Eve in the work she had done for the blind over the years.

Looking back over the decades, Eve admits that one of the most fascinating aspects of her career has been her work with the starts to whom she regularly gave advice, she was for a long time the makeup artist to the legendary beauty Vivien Leigh, and helped to create the marvelous character make-ups the actress portrayed in film and on stage.  Eve has also been involved on the other side of the beauty fence--beauty contests, the most important of which -- Miss World-- Max Factor have often involved with over the years.  With quite a remarkable career behind her and certainly many years ahead, Eve’s 50th anniversary with the company spans quite a breathless half century of achievement.

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Eva Friederichs- A Legend in Aesthetics

Eva Friederichs- A Legend in Aesthetics

Eva Friederichs- A Legend in Aesthetics

Say the words “American Esthetics” and watch Eva’s eyes light up.  As one of the pioneers of esthetic training and services in the United States, she remembers how far we’ve come in a little more than 20 years.  But she continues to dream of where esthetics will be in another 20.

I have embarked on this adventure of recording Eva Friederichs’ life story and the first subject that came up is the fact that she has seven children, 8 grandchildren, and it all began in Libertyville, IL.  Married at the age of sixteen, Eva was 31 years old when her seventh child was born.

I’m 33 years of age.  Stop and consider the fact that by this time in Eva’s life she had SEVEN children with the youngest going on two! May we have a moment in silence, please?”

In 1963 (living in Pennsylvania), Eva’s husband, Joe, opened his first beauty salon.  With six daughters do you think this was mere coincidence?  The family moved to California in 1964, and in 1965, Joseph’s of Danville was born.  Working at the salon, Eva found herself gravitating towards make-up, health and skin care.  Knowing Eva like I do, it seems only natural.  What other aspect of our business is closer to the client? She has an incredible capacity for caring and giving and listening, something very rare indeed.

Shortly after settling in, Eva joined the California Cosmetology Association.  There was no active affiliate in her area she joined the San Mateo Chapter.  Next she took the Fashion Committee test and serves as the Makeup Advisor.  The following year, Eva reactivated her local affiliate where she served as President for two years.

She has served in some capacity now for over 25 years on the California Cosmetology Association.  She formed the Skin Care Committee and helps organize the education for trade shows.  She taught the Summer Continuing Educational Program at California State and presently serves on the Continuing Education Committee for teachers in California.

In 1973, Eva and her daughter, Eva Jr., attended a show in Las Vegas, the first show in the United States that dedicated itself to skin care.  The show was produced by the venerable Dermascope Legend Robert Oppenheim.

Mr. Oppenheim was planning an educational esthetics show in New York City and both Evas were invited to speak which they did - mother on nutrition, daughter on marketing.  And that, as they say, was only the beginning.

As a licensed cosmetologist who switched from hair to skin, Eva recognized the need for specialized education in the aesthetic field.  With this in mind, she founded the Greater Bay Area Association of Estheticians.  Within a short time this association had grown quickly into a valuable forum of education and networking.  Eventually this organization was absorbed into the Aestheticians International Association, founded by Ron Renne’, founder and current editor of Dermascope magazine.

Eva helped to formulate and see to the passage of the separate license for esthetics and in 1977, California passed a 600 hour course.

At that time, Eva was teaching at a Junior College developing the curriculum for the aesthetic program.  The program she developed continues to be used by many schools today in California and throughout the United States.

Ms. Friederichs remembers her first aesthetic congress in Dallas, Texas, in 1979, where she had the pleasure of working with Ron Renee’ and Erica Miller (another outstanding Legend), the hosts of the event.  It was thrilling for her working with kindred souls who were moving along the same path as herself.

The following year, Eva and Dermascope Legend Robert approached Eva and asked her to serve on the steering committee for a newly formed committee of NCA.  This committee, which later became Esthetics America, saw the three major independent aesthetic associations become part of the National Hairdressers and Cosmetology Association, (NHCA).  It was an exciting time to be with the leaders in the industry and help shape the future of esthetics in the Unites Stats.  Eva was one of those proudly voting to have the word ‘Hairdresser’ dropped from National Hairdresser and Cosmetology Association and become the National Cosmetology Association (NCA).  Esthetics America is now a committee of equal status with Hair America and Nail Technicians of America.

Now came the great honor of being chosen as the Makeup Designer for the Fall and Winter Trend Release in 1986.  Her look was presented in New Orleans at the National Cosmetology Association’s semi-annual convention.

Eva truly has been a pioneer for esthetics in the United States.  For twenty years now she has been attending trade shows, lugging products, equipment and slide show presentations to and from airports.  Setting up and tearing down the booths, demonstrating facials, putting makeup on anyone and everyone, baring bodies for body work, lecturing on nutrition, etc.  You name it. If it ad anything to do with aesthetics, Eva was doing it. Fifteen, twenty years ago, nobody, I mean nobody, was doing facials at the trade shows.  I know because I have been modeling for Eva since time began.  In fact, there was one show (1970-ish) when Eva was modeling for Sally Ponce, then the Olympic Trainer for the USA Hair Team, Eva Jr. was modeling for Peter Hanz, and I was modeling for Jewels Sasstevens, an instructor at The College of San Mateo.

Let’s go back to Eva’s working career during the years she was assisting in building the industry.

In 1974, Eva Jr. came into Joseph’s as the manager.  Over the next three to four years the salon expanded from sex employees to thirty-five.  At 4000 sq. ft. there was enough room for 4 receptionist, 12 hair stylist, 2 assistance, 4 to 6 nail technicians, 4 to 6 aestheticians, 1 electrologist and 1 masseuse.  The salon grossed close to $1,000,000 a year in sales and service.  In fact, one month we had over $10,000 in retail sales alone!

The two Eva’s then acquired their first school which was quickly followed by their second.  These schools grew to have a student body of 30.  It was lucky student who trained under Eva during that time.  She had been concentrating on getting the separate licensing available foe estheticians.  Now she could focus on the actual esthetic training.          

The students who attended her school received the most outstanding hands on training that I have yet to see.  I can tell immediately as someone sits down and ‘pick’ up their hands to work if they trained under Eva or not during this phase.

I remember when she first started advanced training for aestheticians.  She picked up the students (4 or 5 of them), at the airport, brought them home and they lived with her for the next three to four days.  She brought them to the salon, to the schools, to her office.  She trained them at her home, showing and sharing everything she was able to for maximum exposure of esthetics in the real world and then back to the airport!

This tradition continues even today as aestheticians fly form all over the United States for advanced study at Images of Success Esthetic Institute of Oakland, California.  The week spent there with Eva and her staff leaves people feeling that not only did they receive outstanding, useful knowledge for their business but they are now part of her family.  And yes, she still has students stay with her at her elegant Victorian home in Alameda.  She’s really crazy!

She is in “Who’s Who in America”, Who’s Who in California, and has appeared on “People Are Talking” on CBS.  She has done radio spots combining skin care and genetics, always one of her favorite subjects.
Eva trained under internationally recognized experts including Anushka from Payot of Paris, Ben Benson Hollywood makeup artist, Elizabeth Armstrong Jones of England and many internationally known experts.  She was admitted by a special examination to CIDESCO in 1981.

She has been member and contributor for the Continuing Education Committee for the California State Board of Cosmetology.  She has been invited to participate in the advanced education for aesthesis in Oregon and Georgia.

When Eva is asked, “What is the secret of your success”, she smiles and says “I have no secrets.  I share everything I know.  I like to encourage people to make a career for themselves, not just a job.  A job puts bread on the table, but doesn’t satisfy your higher needs and aspiration.  A career, on the other hand, is all-consuming.  You’ll, eat, sleep and wake up with it.  You will find yourself creating, managing, motivating, - yourself and others.  It becomes a passion.”

And she becomes recognized as a Legend.  One we have waited impatiently for.

Because Eva is a ‘Major Mother’, she insisted we had to mention her family.  So I thought I would get it over in one fell swoop! Eva (a.k.a. Mimi, her mother) is the warehouse manager at the Institute.

#1) Eva Jr. is the owner of a salon in Pleasant Hill, CA, called Red Hot Hair.

#2) Joe Jr. owns a Firestone store in Danville, CA, with his beautiful and talented wife, Sharon, a cosmetologist.

#3) Toni is the office manager at Images of Success Esthetic Institute.

#4) Lori(the author) is Eva’s protégé, lucky for me!

#5) Tina is a cosmetologist, lives in Grass Valley with her husband and two kids.

#6) Terri is a court reporter in San Francisco, planning to move to Europe.

#7) Lisa manages Red Hot Hair in Pleasant Hill, a multiethnic salon.

And of course, there are now eight grandchildren: Danielle, Nichole, Rocky, Eva, Joe, Greg, Mariah and Mimi!

As for me, her protégé, I’m thrilled to see her get the recognition she deserves.

Yes, there are some BIG footstep’s she’s leaving for me to follow and to say I’m proud is the understatement of the year.

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Erica Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

Erica Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

Erica Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

It is with deep gratitude and respect that we are able to share with you the story of Erica Miller and her growth and contributions in the world of esthetics.  Many of you will be able to relate to some of the times and events we describe, because you were there!  So join us as we travel with Erica on her journey in esthetics.

Erica began her journey into the world of esthetics with her initial training at the Christine Shaw School of Beauty in London, England in 1972.  There she received diplomas in beauty culture, facial treatments, cosmetology, manicure, kinesiology, facial and body massage.  From London, she then traveled to Pairs, France for practical training under Madame Lilyane of Sothys Produit de Beauty.

From Paris, Ms. Miller went to Tokyo, Japan where she worked for three years as Chief Esthetician for Kanebo Cosmetics, Inc.  Kanebo Cosmetics is the second largest cosmetic firm in Japan, and the first to recognize esthetics as a profession and to develop skin care technology, equipment, and cosmetics.  Ms. Miller was chief instructor for all training programs for Southeast Asian Beauticians sponsored by Kanebo.  She also happened to be the only foreign employee of a 35, 000 member conglomerate corporation.  Her complete command of the Japanese language, both written and spoken, was obviously a great aid to her at that time.  During this time, Erica continued her studies in esthetics and obtained additional diplomas in makeup, hair, soin esthetique, facial massage, advanced makeup, professional specialties and esthetic technologies, she presented skin are on behalf of Kanebo at the 29th CIDESCO (Comite’ International d’Esthetique et de Cosmetologie) World Congress in Athens, Greece in 1975.  Ms. Miller also wrote the textbooks, cosmetic guide books, and publicity materials for use in Kanebo’s overseas markets; translated two beauty films; and served as an interpreter for Kanebo. Erica continues to work as the United States Consultant for Kanebo and returns to Japan regularly to work on special projects.

“The professional field of esthetics in the U.S.A. owes its success and growth to a handful of people devoted to insuring its place as a new branch of the beauty industry.  Working toward this goal, Erica Miller has shown remarkable skills in diplomacy and the intricate politics of a fast-growing profession, while exhibiting an impeccable ethical and professional approach, acting as a catalyst in many difficult situations.  Every one that has worked with Erica has learned to love and respect her, and our collective hope is that her example will inspire many of our new colleagues to follow her and work together toward the building of a strong esthetic field in our country.  Erica, for your dedication enthusiasm, and professional approach I want to personally thank you.” --Christine Valmy.

Erica returned to the United States in 197 and became involved in the esthetics market in this country,.  At that time she became Director of Salon Education for Aestheticians International, Inc. and became greatly involved in Aestheticians International Association.  It was during this time that Erica began to write some of the numerous articles for which she has now become famous.  Along with her responsibilities in sales and education, Erica still found time to prepare for CIDESCO International Examination.  She took and passed this examination in July, 1977 and was awarded the prestigious CIDESCO International Diploma at that time.

In 1978 Erica was the first American esthetician to be appointed as an International Delegate Examiner for CIDESCO.  She Traveled to England where she examined at the Lilian Maund School for the end-of-term examination and shortly thereafter examined at the 32nd CIDESCO World Congress in Brighton.

“As previously mentioned, Erica became involved with Aestheticians International Association and was one of the original writers and artistic directors of DERMASCOPE.  Not only was she responsible for the growth of Aestheticians International Association and education of aesthetics, but through her efforts and her colleagues, she helped develop this small beginning into today’s ESTHETICS-AMERICA.  Truly Erica Miller is a “legend in her own time!” ----- Ron Renee

Ms. Miller helped organize the highly successful Aestheticians International Association Congress which was held in Dallas in 1979.  As one of the first esthetic congresses of its kind, this event was even more exciting because it brought educators to the United States from all over the world.

In 1979 Erica formed her own corporation, Correlations, Inc. in Dallas, Texas, which was solely devoted to the sale of esthetic products, supplies and equipment and advanced training.  It was her dream to be able to offer everything the esthetician needed to go into the shin care business.  At the same time, she investigated the possibility of importing specialized products for the esthetics market in America, and was soon able to offer these products in this country to the salon market.

The summer of 1980 brought a new venture for Erica.  She was asked to become the Editor and Associate Publisher for AESTHERIC’S WORLD Magazine, the country’s first and foremost esthetic publication.  She held this position for four and a half years, which provided and excellent opportunity for her to become more active in the growth of esthetics in America.  During this time, Ms. Miller became aware of the need for a unites esthetic organization.  As liason, she was very active in the formation of the Federation of American Esthetics (FAE), which was the merger of the three major American skin care associations at that time.  She was also instrumental in merging F A E into the National Cosmetology Association (NCA).

“It has been my pleasure to know and work with Erica for the past eight years, I consider her to be one of America’s leading estheticians.  Erica has continued to be a guiding force behind the advancement of esthetics today and has been a major contributor to the success of esthetics in the United States.  It is with great pride that I call her my colleague and friend. “--------------- Robert Diemer.

During the summer of 1981, Ms. Miller also because the beauty Director for the famous Texas spa commonly known as “the Neiman-Marcus Greenhouse.”  The beauty department at The Greenhouse was greatly expanded and updated due to Erica’s efforts and background.  Ms. Miller continues to serve as Beauty Consultant to The Greenhouse and regularly does programs for their guests.

Throughout her years in the esthetic industry, Ms. Miller has probably become most famous as an educator.  Her experience in education in esthetics includes numerous classes, seminars and lectures in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Venezuela, Europe and the Unites States.  A frequent lecturer at most national shows such as the Long Beach Show in California, the Midwest Dhow in Chicago, National Cosmetology Association’s conventions, Ms. Miller’s expertise has greatly enhanced the development of esthetics in America.  Erica is currently Skin Care Section Director for Esthetics America, the elite esthetic educational committee for the National Cosmetology Association.

As the journey brings us to present time, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Erica for her tireless dedication and devotion to the American esthetic industry.  Those of us who have has the honor of working with Erica agree that she is one of those few special individuals responsible for the great strides made in esthetics in the last ten years.  Erica, for your efforts and energy, we salute you, we honor you, we thank you .

“One of the greatest joys in my life is my friendship with Erica.  From the first time we met in 1974, I knew that this was a very SPECIAL kind of person.  The years that followed only proved my first impression and gave me even more insight into this talented and charming lady.  I watch Erica grow and gain the respect of her colleagues because of her unwavering support of the field of esthetics.  When most people didn’t even know what the word esthetics meant, she was enthusiastically writing and teaching about America’s new-found profession.

Anyone who needed help or advise on how to get started in this industry could count on Erica to sincerely steer them in the right direction.  I have often said that this lady has no secrets--she tells everything she knows.  She is indeed a living legend and a most important part of the history of esthetics in America.  I know I speak for many estheticians out there that owe their beginning to this fine person when I say--thank you Erica for sharing yourself.

Yes the word SPECIAL truly describes her as does this poem by T. Fernandez:

 

 

“SPECIAL” is a word

That is used to describe

Something one of a kind

Like a hug

Or a sunset

Or a person who spreads love

With a smile or kind gesture

“SPECIAL” describes people

Who act from the hear

And keeps in mind the hears of others

“SPECIAL” applies to something

That is admired and precious

And which can never by replaces

“SPECIAL” is the word that best

Describes you.” ” --------- Carole Walderman

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Elizabeth Grady- A Legend in Aesthetics

Elizabeth Grady- A Legend in Aesthetics

Elizabeth Grady- A Legend in Aesthetics

While Americans have become more beauty, health and fitness conscious in the last 20 years, it is only recently that they have begun to recognize the need for skin care that goes beyond soap and water or drug store remedies.  This growing concern and appreciation of professional skin health care can be direly attributed to Joseph and Elizabeth Grady pioneers in facial aesthetics and the driving force beyond Elizabeth Grady Face First, the largest chain of skin care salons in the world.

With over 30 years’ experience in the skin care and cosmetic fields, Joe Grady found American attitudes toward skin care and the purchase of facial products and cosmetics paradoxical.  “We’re a nation known for wanting the finest the world has to offer, yet Americans were willing to settle for far less when it came to skin care than their European counterparts,” he explains. “For the European, professional analysis, individualized treatment by am aesthetician, and a daily regimen of prescribed at home care are a way of life - not a luxury,” he continues, adding, “And it shows.”

Recognizing the need for quality skin care in this country, Joe Grady founded Elizabeth Grady Face First in 1974, opening the first salon on Boston’s fashionable Newbury Street.  Incorporating many of the time tested European methods of deep cleaning and facial massage treatment, the Grady Method further developed the science of skin care by taking into consideration the nutritional, hormonal and emotional factors that affect the skin.

In a radical departure for the skin care industry at the time, Joe Grady took dramatic steps to improve the quality and consistency of treatment offered.  First, he and his daughter Elizabeth designed a rigorous training program for aestheticians, requiring over 900 hours of classes and instruction in skin care, nutrition, cosmetics and aesthetics theory.  Grady trained aesthetic then joined on staff by board-certified dermatologists, enabling Elizabeth Grady Face First to supplement aesthetics treatment with more strident clinical measures when necessary.

With their success in achieving and maintaining healthy skin has come public approval and support.  The aesthetics training program has since grown to become the Elizabeth Grady School of Esthetics, the first fully licensed aesthetics school in the country.  Expanding his efforts to promote industry control measures and safeguard the public in the area of skin care, in 1987 Joe Grady authored a legislative bill in Massachusetts that bear his name, becoming the first law of its kind in the nation.

Professionalism and an innovative approach to skin care, coupled with dedication and an unswerving regard for the public’s best interest led to the opening of a network of skin care facilities.  In 1984 the success of Elizabeth Grady Face First came to the attention of the Gillette Corporation, which later that year purchased a major equity interest in the company.

Today, Elizabeth Grady Face First operates a total of 18 skin care salons in New England, with future corporate plans calling for continued expansion.  In keeping with its firm belief that a complete skin health care maintenance regime includes a prescribed at home routine, the company recently launched a revolutionary line of treatment and cosmetic products.  Developed by aestheticians, dermatologists and cosmetic chemist, individual components of the product line will be combined to form a comprehensive at home program, based on the client’s individual skin condition.

Through the concerted efforts of both Gradys, the integrity of aesthetics care in this county has been established.  Now, with their expanded efforts and diligence, it will grow.

She has been called the Estee Lauder of the 80’s. She casts a meteoric presence over the world of facial aesthetics and cosmetics, all at the ripe old age of 33.

Elizabeth Grady exudes, “I couldn’t be happier.”

It is no surprise that Elizabeth Grady is Executive Director of the Boston-based skin care salon chain “Elizabeth Grady Face First”.  She began her career in aesthetics while still in high school, working part-time in her father’s cosmetics company.  There she met many European-trained aestheticians, including several women then considered the world’s foremost authorities in the non-medical treatment of common skin diseases and conditions.  These professionals trained her in the time-tested Continental methods of cleaning, protecting and maintaining healthy skin.

This early apprenticeship, Elizabeth says, “made me aware of how great a need there was in this country of aestheticians who wee truly knowledgeable about the structure and function of the skin.. Who could educate and help people, rather than simply sell them cosmetic cover-ups.” She also credits her contact with these European skin care professionals with “destroying the stereotypic idea I had of aestheticians as beauticians who slapped cold cream on rich people’s faces.  They helped me view aesthetics as an intellectually stimulating, fast changing and challenging profession.” she has since dedicated herself to this industry, an industry which is just now beginning to develop in America.

After high school, Elizabeth spent a great deal of time visiting aestheticians in Europe, studying the widely contrasting therapeutic regimes used in Western Europe, the Eastern Bloc, Israel and Asia to treat the skin and skin problems. She also received intensive instruction in the chemistry of cosmetic products, and became knowledgeable in both the positive and negative interactions between commonly used chemicals and the proteins and oils found in facial skin.

Today, Elizabeth Grady is one of the moving forces for change within the cosmetics industry and the field of aesthetics.  She is considered an expert in such area as the recognition of skin conditions as symptomatic of systemic disease, the connection between nutrition and the health of the skin and the homeopathic treatment of different types of acne.  Elizabeth often discusses these topics on radio and TV talk and news programs.  She has also become an international lecturer and a recognized expert in the rapidly changing field of aesthetics, addressing such reputable groups as CIDESCO in Dublin and the AIA in Houston.

With a strong background in business, having helped build, guide, expand and direct the successful “Elizabeth Grady Face First” operations, she has also become an outspoken authority on women’s roles in the corporate sector.  It is just this strong business sense and key participation in the Grady operation that The Gillette Company has recognized and enlisted since purchasing majority equity in “Elizabeth Grady Face First”.

Responsible for training and motivations, Elizabeth Grady oversees the more than 60 aestheticians and support staff who service the suburban facilities and the Boston headquarters of “Elizabeth Grady Face First”.  And under the new Gillette-owned organizational structure, Elizabeth will take on additional public duties in representing aesthetics and the unique “Elizabeth Grady Face First” approach to skin health care.

A special “Thank You” to Joe Grady for taking time from a very busy schedule, to research this article, accumulate the photos, and respond to our press schedule.

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Dr. Michael Nealeigh- A Legend in Aesthetics

Dr. Michael Nealeigh- A Legend in Aesthetics

Dr. Michael Nealeigh- A Legend in Aesthetics

 

Raised in a family of nine cosmetologists, including his father, stepmother and twin sister one would think that his future and career were pretty much decided.  But following high school graduation in 1960, he planned a career in the theater and trained at famed Pasadena Playhouse in Southern California.  As fate would have it, Michael decided to spend the summer in Texas with his father and stepmother, Glenn and Lottie Nealeigh.  The rest, as they say is history.

After seeing how exiting the Beauty Industry was after attending the ACC Texas Beauty Show in Dallas and seeing how gratifying the inclement by his father and mother was in the Texas Cosmetology Association and Lone Star Style Committee, he decided to enroll in the family beauty school.

“I was terrible,” he says, “I had the mind of an artist, but the hands of a plumber.”

Following graduation Michael Nealeigh worked in one of the family salons, and then something happened that changed the course of his life.  Michael and his father attended a hair design seminar in Chicago at Picot Point International, and witnessed the genius and founder Leo Passage.  Something clicked with Michael.  “I suddenly realized a deeper meaning to hair and skin as a real art form.” He went home burning with insight, ideas and motivation that have never left.  It was just like falling in love.  Michael went on to win the Oklahoma Open competition three years in a row, the Texas State Championship and the Greater Southwest Championships and tried out for the U.S. Olympic Hair Styling Team, all in three years.  He continued training with Grace Doran Francis and Buddy Francis at the Pivot Point Center in Chicago and earned his Teachers Degree.  Michael traveled throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico teaching the Scientific Approach to Hair Design for Pivot Point.

Michael’s interest in nutrition, and chemistry started about 1970 as a result of his close friend Lt. Col. Charles Beebe of Abilene, Texas.  The two of them attended a nutrition lecture in Phoenix, Arizona, given by Jheri Redding.  Michael’s career now took another turn.  Michael and another close friend Lt. Col. Ret. Dusty Watkins formed another company called Southwest Jhirmack, Inc., distributing Jheri Redding’s vitamins and food supplements in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico.

Jheri Redding asked Michael to join the Jhirmack Company in California as Director of Education in 1972.  Michael returned to school, earned a Masters Degree in Nutrition, and a degree as Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. (N.M.-N.D.)

Michael traveled well over a million miles throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and seven countries in Europe, lecturing on cosmetic chemistry, nutrition and anti-aging strategies.

In the early 1970’s, Jhirmack recruited a promising young man by the name of John Clemmer who was formerly the Western training manager of the prominent S & L Chain of Beauty salons.  Michael and John became friends and colleagues traveling the United States, Canada and Europe lecturing.  Then after almost ten years and following the purchase of Jhirmack by the Playtex Company, Michael and John with his super creative new wife and helpmate Elizabeth decided to form their own company.  Michael. As a member of the International Association of Naturopathic physicians, the Applied Nutrition, the International Association of Preventive Medicine, the American Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the American Association of Nutritional Consultant’s was monitoring research world wide on nutrition and chemistry as related to how we age, how skin responds to the body chemistry etc..  He found a NASA study of 16 years performed by Dr. O. Miller, Prof. Emeritus of Pharmacology at USC on the use of mucopolysaccharides and their effect on the body chemistry.

After length consultation, John, Michael and Elizabeth decided to acquire the source of the mucopolysaccharides and obtained exclusive rights to the New England Shellfish and the Aqua Culture Farm.  Because most cosmetic companies were emphasizing that they were formulated for the 80’s, John, Michael, and Elizabeth decided to focus on the 21st Century and focus 21 International Inc., was created as a company.

Focus 21 just celebrated the grand opening of a sprawling 5 acre research, manufacturing, filling, shipping, and administration center in Vista, California.  Michael has shared the dream with John, Elizabeth and the entire Focus 21 family world wide who are realizing what it’s like to “live your vision.”

The excitement continues with each new product that passes the bumpy trail from conception to testing research and more testing until a real living valid product comes to fruition - the newest being Oxylock, a mist used on skin and hair to convert radical oxygen molecules that cause premature aging, aging spots (Lipofuscin) wrinkling etc.,  to skin from skin exposure, tanning beds and living on Earth.

Approximately two days per week, when not formulating products for Focus 21 pr traveling to lecture on anti-again research to aestheticians world wide, Michael works with 14 M.D.s two doctors of since, and the endocrinologist who with Dr. Paul Niehans of the famed La Praire Clinic of Switzerland in research for the degenerative diseases of caner, AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, M.S., lupis and other chronic modern day maladies, and through the findings of these major medical problems, answers to everyday aging, hair loss, unexplained fat deposits on various parts of the body, premature aging of the skin, pigmentation problems etc., are being found. 

With Dr. Robert Bradford, Dr. Wolfram Kuhnan, Dr. Rodrigo Rodriquez, Dr. Robert Tapia, Dr. Michael Culbert and biochemist Henry Accen through the Branfer Research Foundation and the American Biologics Research Center S.A. using the only available center in North America to give live cell therapy, consisting injections of audacious suspensions of glandular and cellular materials from bovine embryonic sources for immune enhancement and rejuvenative balancing of body chemistry.

Michael met Ron Renee early in his career in Texas and says “I was touched by his realness, gentleness, and sincerity and caring for his fellow man and woman.  He was one of those people who made a difference, not by what he said as much as by his example.”

John Clemmer and Michael were invited to be on the Advisory Board of AIA and were honored to do so.  We love so much the movement of the aestheticians and feel part of it.  Ron keep on giving your gift back to the world, we support you. *

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Diane Young - A Legend in Aesthetics

Diane Young - A Legend in Aesthetics

Diane Young - One Success After Another

Coming from a family of teachers, Diane Young always believed her future would involve teaching.  However, as a teenager growing up in San Antonio, Texas, she became known as the “beauty expert” in her neighborhood.  She was often asked by friends and neighbors to do their hair and makeup for special occasions.  Her reputation carried over to the University of Texas in Austin, where on Saturday afternoons, lines of coeds could often be found outside her dorm room requesting makeovers.

After college, Diane taught for a short time at a school in Houston and then accepted a teaching position at prestigious private school in New York City.  However, her fascination with the beauty world continued and she soon resumed providing her special beauty techniques to close friends who were caught up in New York’s busy social scene.  Though continuing to teach, she completed graduate school at Fordham University and soon decided that her heart and her future really belonged in the beauty field.

“I had spent my whole early life going to school and teaching school, which I really loved, but I felt that I had to follow my dream and give the beauty world a chance professionally,” she said.

Realizing that many of the “basics” had yet to be learned, Diane sought out the corporate beauty field.  She was hired into Clairol’s Salon Division, one of the industry’s most desired management training programs.  A series of promotions in several sales positions soon followed.  Recognizing her talents, Clairol promoted her to national accounts manager and national beauty school manager.  She was responsible for developing innovative training programs for the nation’s leading beauty salon chains in these positions.  As a result of her success, Clairol then moved Diane into marketing where she became the product manager for bonding products.

During this time Robert Oppenheim, president of Clairol’s Salon Division, and one of the “deans” of the salon industry, kept encouraging her to go to beauty school to acquire a technical credential as part of her business experience.

“When he first raised the subject, I thought he was out of his mind.  In those days, it never occurred to me that I would ever be giving beauty services professionally, and I didn’t see the need for this training to help me further my corporate career.  Finally, after two years of Mr. Oppenheim’s persistence, I relented and enrolled.”

That was this decision that would eventually lead to Diane’s their and most outstanding career.

“It was during beauty school, which I attended nights and Saturdays that the idea developed for a special kind of skin care salon.  I soon realized that the concept of a holistic approach to solving skin care problems from the inside as well as the outside was the key to the future.” This seemed like such a logical idea that she kept saying to her future husband, Bob, which she couldn’t understand why it hadn’t been done before.  He responded, “if it is such a good idea why don’t you do it yourself?”

With Bob encouraging her, Diane decided to resign from Clairol and go to England where she took advanced training classes in skin care at the Bretlands Beauty Centre in Royal Turnbridge Wells outside of London.  Back in New York, she opened her salon in an east side townhouse near Bloomingdale’s, employing a nutritionist, dermatologist and aestheticians.

“I was so excited about opening my own salon and felt so strongly about my holistic concept of solving skin problems that I failed to concentrate on one major aspect of this business:  How was I going to attract customers?  I had spent my entire budget to get the salon open and had a little left for advertising.”

Realizing that she had to develop credibility for her new concept, Diane sent press releases to the beauty editors of the major women’s magazines along with gift certificates for facials.  Her first response came from Harper’s Bazaar which called her for a phone interview and gave her salon a small, one-line mention.  Diane reprinted the article and with her small staff, sent out 10,000 letters from a borrowed mailing list to prospective clients.  The response was small but a least a few new clients were soon booking appointments.

“I knew that if I could get the beauty editors to come to my salon to have our treatments, they would write about this new way to approach skin care.  I was not going to give up until they came to me.  I called them. I wrote them.”

Finally, determination paid off and one of the editors from Self magazine came to the salon and had a consultation and facial.  She liked the salon and treatments so much that she sent two other Self editors for treatments.  Then things really started happening.

This was Diane’s first big break.  The health, beauty and nutrition editors at Self joined forces to do a major story on Diane’s salon and her total approach to skin care.  Seven months after she opened her salon, Self devoted six full pages exclusively to her salon in the July 1983 issue.  The package contained full-page pictures of Diane and her staff and raves about her new concept. 

“I was totally unprepared for the response we had from the Self article.  The phones began ringing constantly.  The mailman was bringing stacks of letters to our door from women who wanted information about our products and services.  We had 300 new customs in six weeks.  This was the real beginning of the acceptance of our concept and the success of our salon business.”

Stories soon followed in Mademoiselle, Town & Country, Glamour and Vogue.  Harper’s Bazaar continued to be supportive and interviewed Diane for several articles during the following months.

“The first year I was in business was a combination of total panic and high excitement.  I was worried that my fledging business wasn’t going to survive and then overwhelmed by more business than I could handle.  During this time Bob was enormously supportive.  He had founded his own law firm years before and understood what it took to launch a new business.  I couldn’t have survived without his wonderful encouragement.”

Diane and Bob were married one year after the salon opened and she now had a new business, a new husband and a ten year old step daughter, Samantha.  The salon was growing but Diane continued to develop her beauty training by traveling to beauty shows, skin care seminars and conventions in this country and all over Europe.

As a result of her ongoing education and staying abreast of new developments in her field, the beauty editors constantly called her to find out what was “new” in the world of beauty.

Diane then was approached by the Dr. Scholl’s company to help them launch a line of beauty-related foot care products.  They wanted a New York aesthetician to help explain to the public how caring for the skin on the face was similar to caring for the skin on the feet.  Dr. Scholl’s was impressed with her credentials and sent her on media tours to more than 30 cities throughout the country to do television, radio and newspaper interviews and to speak at various press conferences on the care of the feet.

A major public relations firm heard Diane’s successful public appearances and asked her to talk about skin care for their client, Proctor & Gamble and specifically the re-launching of Camay soap.  They sent her to thirteen major cities.

“While I loved doing television and radio interviews, my heart was really in the salon and trying to improve the quality of our services and products.  I decided that the one area of the business that needed improvement was our make-up services because I had never really concentrated professionally on makeup.  So, with a group sponsored by Dermascope Magazine, I went to Paris to study at the Christian Chauveau School.”

When Diane returned from Paris with her new makeup skills, she approached several prominent New York plastic surgeons with the idea of assisting them with camouflage makeup for their patients after surgery.  These doctors soon began sending a stream of clients to the salon for help with camouflage and post- surgical makeup.  The Learning Center, an adult education program, then asked Diane to teach a makeover class for them at her salon.  Hundreds of women enrolled.

Diane’s salon, with its six treatment rooms and small reception area, was now overflowing with clients and it was time to expand.  In July 1989, Diane moved to Manhattan’s prestigious East 57th Street between Madison and Park avenues and opened a new salon with 10 treatment rooms and space for growing clientele.

“In 1990, I was asked to join the Board of Governors of Cosmetic Executive Women and head up their philanthropic committee.  I had always wanted to work with disadvantaged women and through this organization was able to help set up image workshops.  For these homeless women in the shelters, I felt we could build their self-esteem by teaching them how to look better and feel better about themselves.  For two years this program has continued to grow and has been one of the most successful projects of Cosmetic Executive Women.”

In the September 1991 issue, Harper’s Bazaar selected Diane as one of the world’s best experts in skin care, praising her for her down to earth advice and skin care regimens.  Her busy salon now has a client base of thousands, and she has often appeared on “Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee,” the “Sally Jessy Raphael Show” and the “Home Show” television programs.

After nine years of having her own salon, how does this busy lady feel about the future?

“Women in the ‘90s want specific answers to their questions and individualized solutions to their beauty problems that can only be found in salons.  They need to be taught how to care for their skin and how to apply their makeup.  They want products that make changes in their skin they can see.  The future of the beauty business will belong to salon professionals who are highly educated and can communicate their knowledge to their clients.  I guess I’ll always be teaching!”

 

Editor’s note:  Diane Young will be the mistress of ceremonies and will be a speaker at the Aesthetics’ World Expo ‘92, July 25-28 in New York City.

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Denise Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

Denise Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

Denise Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

Denis Miller interview: “I have been asked to give a brief biography of my life by DERMASCOPE MAGAZINE; it seems I have been declared a legend in our industry. What constitutes a Legend? Endurance, talent, timing, all of this, however, I believe it takes more than this. I think it takes an inheritance of Bulldog Tenacity! To know when your right and when you come to a decision you stand by it. I believe it goes with the American Soil-territory, so to speak. I will begin at the beginning.”

“I was born Denise Estelle O’Moore, September 22, 1932. My parents a mother, Ingrid Lovgren O’Moore, Swedish born, and father Dennis Earl O’Moore, Irish-German. This combination of gems can only produce bulldog tenacity.”

“In any field I chose, I believe I would have left an imprint. This is not a boast, but I simply feel that it denotes a person who with good moral training and belief in herself, whatever her field will succeed.”

“My first introduction to the beauty industry was a terrier who never had bangs because I kept cutting them off, and my mother taught me to give my doll a facial with lard (these were depression days). I was taught to appreciate beauty in any form. When money isn’t too prevalent we always revert to the basics, because that is where beauty lies, in the basics.”

“When I reached thirteen years of age a dear friend, Helen Perrin told me if you are going to be a beauty operator you will always have an income.”

“My father did not believe in education for women and at the age of sixteen years of age he suggested I quit school and go to work. I knew him to be a hard but just man he taught me that ‘our word’ had always been highly defended in the family.”

“That is why I have always had some problems in our industry. The reason I have had problems in the industry is because I have found that not everyone shares that idea of ‘word of honor.”

“So we agreed by handshake, if I could pay my own way to high school I could go, but when it starts to cost my family money I must quit. I quickly got a job at a five and ten cent store after school and on Saturdays.”

“When I called the beauty school from the principals’ office at school, they told me the tuition would be $20.00 per month, and the total cost was $265.00. In 1951 that was a great deal of money, remember new automobiles sold for $500.00.”

“With bulldog tenacity! I pulled my grades up to the honor roll, received a tuition award, and worked the lunch line at high school for $5.00 per week, which was exactly my tuition in beauty school!”

“At this point in my life I learned discipline and frugality. I weighed 110 punds and controlled high school kids at lunch including the football team. By the age of 18 I had learned to manage my money in order to survive.”

“My father was not happy with my becoming a beauty operator. In those days women did not have good reputations if they were beauty operators. In fact, Dillinger was only able to be caught because of his shady life with a manicurist in Cincinnati, Ohio.”

“My first job was with Gladys Fuller in Cincinnati where I worked for three years. During this time I learned hairstyling competition and I became a member of NHCA, and from this I learned of dishonesty in competition.”

“I later moved to Texas with my first child, had another child and started all over again in the hairdressing profession. I rose again to the top and in Texas I again ran into professional jealousy. This is one part of our business which keeps us from being truly professional. I know in other professions they have jealousy, but I don’t believe it comes to the point of ours.”

“I made the C.D.C. which is the Coiffure Design Committee in 1976 along with Randy Rick, Michael Taylor and Lyle McCaig. I created the curly perm look. It became the hottest style and stayed strong for ten years. Yet because of professional jealousy in the THCA (Texas division of NCA) who choose never to show to the cosmetologist in Texas the trend release. Even though I reported it to the NCA National President, nothing was ever done. When I saw the value put on professional performance verse personal influence I decided to turn my face to skin care.”

“While on a flight to New York City, I met Ron Renee. We discussed skin care and I told him, I wanted to start a skin care organization and he agreed. He was to be the business and I would be the aesthetic technique. It worked well and we created an organization, Aestheticians International Association (A.I.A.), which held professional jealousy on such high level it was beyond ones belief.”

“In Las Vegas, we gave the first demonstration of aesthetics to the National Cosmetology Schools Association to encourage beauty school owners to incorporate skin care as a specialty course. We recommended each school owner try and establish a separate license for aesthetics within their state. To date there are 25 states with licenses.”

“We conduct classes on skin care, makeup and body care for the NHCA at there semiannual conventions bringing aesthetics’ education to the cosmetologist. We would have skin care equipment companies ship us equipment for us to use in these classes for very few had ever seen such machines in the late 60’s.”

“We held special seminars on aesthetics during many of the cosmetology conventions. A.I.A. stood for the advancement of aesthetics education and public awareness.”

The beginning DERASCOPE MAGAZINE was started with the A.I.A. A newsletter which offered articles from various members and directors of the organization for the advancement of education and the industry. The newsletter increased the number of editors and advertising and was renamed several years later which was America’s first and has grown into the largest and most prestigious aesthetic publication.

Denis felt that NHCA did not recognize all her efforts and contributions over the years. Changes in the A.I.A. business staff and procedures disillusioned her once again and Denise resigned her relations with A.I.A.

“Erica Miller became part of the A.I.A. organization and it was on this track that Erica rose to her legendary position.”

“After resigning from A.I.A. I decided to investigate the field of massage. In skin care, body had always been a favorite of mine. Body massage really fostered my intrigue for nutrition. I realized that it was not only important for the skin but the skin actually demanded it.”

“Michael Nealeigh has tried through the years to spread the word on good health. Even today as a profession we do not recognize the value of nutrition.”

“I checked out many different organizations and chose The Shaklee Corporation as the cleanest, most reputable and undisputed leader in the field. I have been affiliated with the organization for over seven years.”

“I now have the first registered massage school in Texas. The first week my widows were shot out. It seemed I opened the massage school in the middle of three of the strongest churches in Corpus Christi, Methodist, Baptist, and Episcopal. So I low keyed my advertising and two years later I had a strong foot hold in the business. Bulldog tenacity. I have graduated four classes of massage therapist. Some which are now working for medical physicians.”

“I continue to appreciate the NCA for all the advantages they have offered me. I have traveled to Europe four times and visited the Senate. I have dined with actresses and Senators, created fantasies I hair, judges’ competitions in makeup and hairstyling. I have appeared on Television wrote many beauty articles for many magazines and newspapers. In the future I would like to open a research center on Shiztsu and Maternity/pediatric message.”

“I choose to do the cover story of Dermascope as I see the profession, Glamour, Grit and Education. At 57 I still have horizons that have not been tapped. I have made a great deal of money in the profession, but none of it measures up to the thrill I received when I took the examination for my CIDESCO.”

“I have always needed to be with the best and this examination was very important to me. Normally you are given one year to study and prepare for this exam and the question from which the exam is taken are mailed to you. I had three days to prepare with no questions. If t had not been for Carole Waldeman I would have never had the opportunity. She is truly a legend.”

“I took my exam which started at 7:30 in the morning and it was scheduled till midnight. This was the first to e held in the United States. When I arrived that morning I met Ursula Van Deelan I thought she was an examinee too so I tried to relax her and when I realized she was THE instructor for CIDESCO I almost died. My only equipment because I didn’t know what to bring was a small box of Shaklee and Francis Laure Cosmetics. But with belief in myself I took the exam and was told by Jon Parker and Erica Miller that I had the highest grade.”

“That evening at the banquet I had a drink with Leo Siroonian and Norman Mardello. I have included these people because they are the last of the real men, by that I mean those who are not afraid to get up and speak their minds with constructive criticism that will only build our profession.”

“It has been my belief you listen to all sides when building anything. Ron Renee has gone his own way building his ideas and he has been highly successful. And in fact he had more aesthetic clout than NCA at this time and it is only because of bulldog tenacity.”

“After ten years of different views I am pleasured to give this interview. I have tried to give an unbiased slant and have tried not to give any undue criticism.”

“One of the high points in my NCA career was the evening I was able to honor Pal Pete Raffa of San Antonio, he was a true American. He serves his country well. The honors that evening brought tears to his eyes. He died one year later. Here is a man that never received full honors from NCA.”
“Anyone who knows me knows my unequivocal passion for Italians, men, women, furniture, food, etc.”

“The woman to whom I owe so much is Mary Healy whose massage method is taught in my school. She is truly Italian and a real gem. She is a member of ETC (Esthetics of Texas).”

“One of the most impressive classes I held in Corpus Christi, next to the POW/MIA seminars in the 1960’s was when Verita Wells taught in my school.

Ms. Wells, a member of Esthetics America, Hair America taught an advanced course in sacral-cranial treatments. She also taught classes in muscle re-education with the use of electricity. She was able to achieve in two hours a face lift that lasted three months. This is the way of the future, electricity in the body. And if you need to learn electricity you need to contact Hans Taster of Dynex, Inc. There are many people out there that will help you. That’s what organizations are for, to be able to meet and exchange ideas.”

“If you are in San Francisco in July or at the Aesthetics World Expo’ 89 in Dallas in September please let’s have a cur of coffee and trade secrets.”

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Catherine Hinds- A Legend in Aesthetics

Catherine Hinds- A Legend in Aesthetics

Catherine Hinds- A Legend in Aesthetics

If there is such a thing as destiny, then surely it has shaped the work of Catherine Hinds, names 1989 Women of the Year by New England Women Business Owners.  Hinds’ three-decade career has included founding a chain of salons in Boston and New York, establishing the Catherine Hinds Institute, the first free standing accredited school for estheticians in the U.S., and developing an extensive line of private label beauty products.  This month, she once more literally makes a name for herself as she launches a new brand of skin care preparations bearing her name.

Destiny Calling

This seems quite appropriate for the great granddaughter of the man who created Hinds Honey and Almond Cream, a moisturizer found on the dressing tables of all genteel ladies at the turn of the century.  Great Grandfather A.S. Hinds, of Portland Maine, sold his company to a largest firm at the height of his success and, according to family legend, promptly lost his fortune in the Depression.  Not long after, the once-ubiquitous product disappeared from retailers’ shelves.

A young idealist

Catherine Hinds today treasures faded advertisements and posters for Hinds Honey and Almond Cream.  But as a young woman her mind was on other things. “I was an idealist--involved in all kinds of causes,” she says.  “Civil rights, women’s rights, all kinds of rights.”

After graduating from Skidmore College with a degree in philosophy and religion, she traveled to Germany with her new husband.  While there, she felt a tug toward the profession that would one day make her the success she is today.  “I remember being impressed by the way European women took care of their skin.  Facials were commonplace over there and the women’s complexions showed it.”

Returning to the States, Hinds settled in Boston and got a job in the cosmetic department of Jordan Marsh, in the first suburban shopping center in the country.

“They hired me because I had a college degree.  But the truth was I didn’t know what I was doing so in a few months they fired me.  But that was enough.  I got hooked on the beauty industry.  From there on, I decided to learn as much as I could.”

A series of jobs followed and Hinds began to feel that she ultimately wanted to have her own business.  In 1965 she opened the first salon in New England devoted exclusively to skin care on Boston’s fashionable Newbury Street. “At the time, anything English was big.  The salon carried the name Cyclax of London, a line made by a very fine old firm whose packaging bore the banner ‘By appointment to Her Majesty.’  I was impressed by the quality of the products.  The ingredients were old-fashioned and natural.

“When we opened, the Boston Brahmins flocked to the doors to snap up the products the Queen of England used.  When the English thing began to fade I put my own name on the salon, and in 1974, I bought the Cyclax formulations.

Over the next decade, one salon became seven, including one on Madison Avenue in New York. “I was going crazy then,” says Hinds.  With the recession of the mid-seventies, the unraveling of her second marriage and the demands of two children, Hinds found herself stretched to the limit.  The blizzard of ’78 and the ensuing six weeks of frigid weather brought business to a virtual halt.  “I closed all but the most successful salons.  It was a very difficult period of my life.  I knew there had to be a better way.”

Vassar of skin care”

At about that time, Massachusetts became one of the first states in the nation to pass a law requiting licensing for estheticians.  Hinds began training women to go into the profession and in the process, she says, “I fell in love with education.  I wasn’t particularly motivated by money.  What I wanted was to create the Vassar of skin care.” In 1982, her school was accredited by the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools and, for the next five years, the Catherine Hinds Institute was the only free-standing school for opticians in the U.S. to be granted accreditation.

Today, the Institute is one of the big satisfactions of Hinds’ life.  It allows her to combine a love of the profession with the social consciousness of her youth.  “I’m a great believer in women’s financial independence.  I had to learn how to do it for myself and that’s what I want to pass along.”

“Especially today, financial independence for women is so important.  The young women who come to the Institute sometimes face very tough problems.  They au have had broken marriages.  They may have been abused, or have run into difficulties involving alcohol or drugs.  They need an acquire a means of supporting themselves in a short amount of time.”

“We do a lot of counseling as well as passing along technical skills.  I believe that a woman shouldn’t need a man to make it in the world.  She can buy her own house and her own car.  The reason I was named Woman of the Year was not so much for my own success but because I’ve put over 300 women into business.” (The handfuls of men who’ve attended the Institute have generally gone n to become make-up artists in the beauty and entertainment industry.)

“Being an esthetician is a ladylike profession,” says Hinds. “It’s manageable.  The practitioner works one-on-one with the client.  In this business, you need to understand people.  You are giving nurturing and in doing so you get it back.”

Training at the Institute combines the use of old-fashioned organic products with the latest technology.  Hinds is enthusiastic about Electro Muscle Stimulation, an offshoot of the treatment used by the medical profession for rehabilitating injured muscles.  It’s physical benefits, she maintains, are matched by the psychological ones. “Used for facials or ‘body facials,’ EMS is an excellent way to reduce stress and reverse signs of aging.”

Retail is the key  

Another of Kinds’ key concepts taught to fledgling estheticians is that retail is fundamental to higher earnings.  An esthetician’s inventory is her time, but there are only so many houses in the day.  “The livelihood is in the retail,” Hinds says.  The Catherine Hinds laboratory makes available to former students (and other professionals who qualify) a full line of professional-use products for packaging under their private label.  Custom formulations prepared in small quantities are also available to the trade.  “Private label is profitable,” says Hinds.  “Because they understand this, my students stay in business.”

Back to the Future

The products that Hinds believes in are based on herbs, fine botanicals and essential oils.  “These products contain benign ingredients that don’t get in the way of the esthetician’s work.”  Hinds calls this her “back to the future” philosophy of skin care.  Some of the formulations were pieced together from recipes developed a century ago.  She favors “cruelty free,” old fashioned ingredients like aloe, azulene, camomile and comfrey-- things that were valued in folklore.  She frowns upon some of the modern notions like oils taken from turtles or mink, PABA, hormones, “spackle” that purports to remove wrinkles, and unnecessary plastic surgery.

“Simple, straightforward products strengthen the esthetician’s hand.  They neutralize the bad chemicals in other products.  After all, there are only four things we can do to the skin--” Hinds says, “clean, tone, exfoliate and protect.”
Creating products to do just that are occupying much of her attention these days.  Happily married now, the future for Hinds seems bright as she launches her new product line.  Husband Milton Tanzer and stepson Michael run the laboratory as it gears up for production of seven new formulations that will be sold under the Catherine Hinds label.  Daughter An Hinds has taken over the busy salon in a posh Boston suburb.  “This is a F.O.B. -- family owned business,” she says.  In her plans for the future-- a book.  “I didn’t get my act together till I was 40,” laughs Hinds.  At 55, she is in peak form and just hitting her stride.

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Catherine Atzen - A Legend in Aesthetics

Catherine Atzen - A Legend in Aesthetics

A Legend: Catherine Atzen

 

Catherine Atzen was born in France and grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Her father, a creative, risk-taker, built several enterprises in France and Australia and her mother, a bookkeeper by training, supervised the business’ finances. At the same time, Atzen’s grandparents educated her about the traits that prepared her for the life she chose; they taught her discipline, organizational skills, the value of continuous education, respect, compassion, and, above all, how to live a healthy, balanced life. Furthermore, Atzen’s great-grandmother nurtured her social skills, giving her the joy of meeting people and being at ease in any environment. In turn, Atzen shares this knowledge with other professionals in order to elevate them.

 

A PASSION FOR THE INDUSTRY

Atzen was exposed to the spa industry when her parents bought a farm with a historical mill that dated back to Roman times and housed natural springs. They converted the farm into a hotel and restaurant and served spa clients with outdoor activities, like horseback riding. This experience facilitated her discovery that price is not a barrier if the quality exceeds the client’s expectations, a philosophy that served her well when she developed a high-end skin care line.

 

Atzen starting suffering from skin problems in middle school and found inspired to treat the skin at the age of 13 when an aesthetician transformed her acne-prone, dehydrated skin with regular facials. Since then, skin care has been her passion.

 

Although her parents wanted her to get a degree in hospitality and join the family business, Atzen decided to go into the skin care industry, supporting her studies by selling retail, modeling, and hostessing at trade events.

 

“I am passionate about skin care; it is not just something I do – it is a way of life.”

 

THE DNA BREAKTHROUGH

Atzen soon began working with surgeons and doctors in aesthetic medicine. One of these doctors had acquired a laser, which was new at the time, and researched improvements in the appearance of scars. His protocol of care was to combine the laser with skin care products to maximize results. Atzen massaged various skin care extracts obtained from pharmaceutical laboratories on the patients’ skin, prior to the doctor using the laser. The results were disappointing until they received a frozen product in individual-use vials that contained DNA. Within a few weeks of use on several patients, Atzen and the doctors noticed significant softening of the scar tissue, as well as a reduction in the length and depth of the scars. The tests also reduced stretchmarks, eliminating the ripple appearance on the skin.

 

As a result, Atzen met the research scientists from the laboratories that had developed this DNA, which had an unbroken structure and was used in the medical field to repair skin tissue. This ingredient, however, was used as a last resort when nothing else worked, due to its high cost and lengthy extraction time – up to a full 24 hours – which did not use heat or chemicals.

 

Published research on the ingredient supported a significant increase in fibroblast production, strong antioxidant capabilities, an ability to hydrate the skin at the cellular level, and a lack of side effects. Consequently, Atzen came up with the idea to use the DNA in a serum, if the scientists could stabilize the formula; no one before had used DNA in skin care products. After much trial and error, and help from researchers from the famed Institute Pasteur in Paris, the serum was stabilized. Atzen then decided to create a full line of products and a brand, Catherine Atzen®, which became ATZEN® in the early 2000s. With a team of formulators, she developed the first 11 formulas and was one of the first to use hyaluronic acid in creams and serums.

 

THE MOVE TO NEW YORK AND THE SUCCESS OF ATZEN®

Atzen was fortunate to have met mentors who encouraged, supported, and nurtured her entrepreneurial spirit. One of her mentors, Jean-Claude De Givenchy, convinced her that New York was the main player in the world of beauty and luxury brands. He made phone calls on her behalf, securing meetings for her with beauty editors and potential investors for her startup. Through him, she was able to meet many influential people who shared their knowledge and experience.

 

Atzen eventually moved to New York to launch her line in the United States and, in 1985, she opened the Catherine Atzen Day Spa on the upper east side of Manhattan. She owned the spa for 19 years before selling it.

 

This spa, in many ways, set the standards in the industry. Until then, skin care products of average quality were sold in department stores and drugstores by employees that did not have any skin care training. Very few people had heard of aestheticians and facials were considered to be luxuries for the rich and famous.

 

“I get great satisfaction when I hear from people that my products helped to build their self-esteem or give them more confidence.”

 

Atzen’s menu of services was about solving skin conditions, delivering outstanding customer service, and offering expert advice; her staff of 17 were very dedicated and enjoyed the full benefits of being part of a team of pioneers that generated high volume sales and customer retention. The spa also used ATZEN LymphMed®, a revolutionary device for lymphatic drainage, to elevate each facial to a detoxifying treatment. By the early 2000s, the spa employed acupuncturists and a doctor in Chinese medicine to combine facial acupuncture with the LymphMed massage in order to achieve facial lifting without invasive surgery.

 

As her product line became available to skin care professionals and popular with spas, Atzen traveled the world to train distributors in overseas markets; teach classes at tradeshows and medical conferences; and give television, magazine, and radio interviews in order to educate the public on the spa industry and the benefits offered by good skin care.

 

In the 1990s, Atzen moved her distribution office to San Jose, Calif. and co-owned a school and distribution office in Florida. She kept a heavy travel schedule, traveling to New York City every month and to numerous countries where her products were sold.

 

Following tough times in the early 2000s, Atzen sold her distribution business to Universal Companies in 2004 and served as a consultant to Universal Companies and other businesses for seven years. During this time, her goal was to have more time to nurture her children, new husband, and step daughter and achieve a long-held dream of going back to school to earn a Master of Business Administration, which she received from the University of California, Berkeley. She also received a second Master of Business Administration from Columbia University.

 

“Ethical business practices and delivering quality beyond the customer’s expectations are what I stand for.”

 

A FRESH, NEW LOOK AND NATURAL FORMULATIONS

Atzen met her business partner, Alex Quan – currently the president of ATZEN – in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley; they both negotiated to re-purchase Atzen’s business from Universal Companies in 2010 and have since redesigned the logo and packaging with a fresh and upscale look and feel. Furthermore, manufacturing was moved from France to California to bring jobs to the United States, reduce the company’s environmental footprint, and become a truly green company. Atzen reformulated the products using natural ingredients to achieve a line of 34 100 percent natural products that work. Her latest drive – ATZEN Superior to Organic® Skin Care – uses organic ingredients, such as plants, vitamins, and algae, and safe scientific ingredients, like INTACT DNA®, peptides, and resveratrol. The formulations are free of petrochemicals, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors, giving the consumers and professionals the ability to improve skin conditions without toxicity or sensitivity.

 

Atzen now lives in the mountains separating Silicon Valley from the Pacific, a peaceful, unspoiled environment that she finds energizing and therapeutic. “I love living in the Bay Area because of its cultural diversity, business innovation, and climate. For leisure, I enjoy activities that bring me closer to nature, such as hiking, biking, camping, or gardening.” She is happily married to Ken, a well-traveled and highly educated man who shares her interests and is very supportive. She is very proud of their three children, Celia, Sebastien, and Alyssa; they are well-rounded young adults that chose professions that reflect her family values and care for others, respect the environment, and engage the world at large.

 

“I feel very fortunate to be multicultural. It has enriched my life in more ways than I could explain. I have embraced the American culture, learned the pragmatism that fits well into the business world, and still maintained the European love for taking care of self. I bring a French sense of understated elegance into my environment at home and work, as well as an appreciation for the fine things in life”.

 

 

Atzen has earned 18 industry awards, including Aesthetician of the Year, Day Spa Person of the Year, and Medical Spa Person of the Year. She also holds a CIDESCO diploma and is recognized for having coined the term ‘day spa.’ She is also one of the most prolific educators in the industry, writing over 250 articles that have been published in trade magazines and medical journals, as well as lecturing around the world.

 

 

Judiann Monaghan, L.E., ATZEN School Partner and Educator for 20 years

“My impression of Catherine is that of someone with tremendous compassion. The first time I saw [her compassion] was when my father passed away. He had been doing the packing and shipping for our distributorship when he passed; she sent two weeks of gourmet meals so we did not have to worry about cooking. In the 20 years Catherine and I worked together, I have seen many more acts of compassion; she truly is a great friend and a wonderful person.”

 

Maria Arias, former manager of Catherine ATZEN Day Spa

“In 2000, I had to go through major surgery. The day I came home from the hospital, my husband passed away. Catherine rushed to New York from California to be with me on the day of the funeral, leaving behind her family after just having spent the previous week in New York! A couple of days later, she came to my house to give me a LymphMed® lymphatic drainage treatment to reduce my swelling and pain. Her generosity meant so much to me.”

 

Monica Watters, owner of Sacred Touch NYC

I don’t know anyone in the industry that is as forward thinking as Catherine. I feel privileged and proud to have worked in the ATZEN spa. During that time, Catherine provided her therapists with the most innovative and effective skin care products and treatments that truly worked and were results-driven – when nobody else was doing it. We were held to the highest standards and were constantly educated on new treatments, ingredients, and products. Our job was to make sure that the clients departed their facial or body treatment looking and feeling better than when they first walked in and that they continued to see results for days after they left with a custom, prescribed homecare routine. Catherine is a pioneer in setting industry standards. I am a great aesthetician today because of Catherine’s mentoring and encouragement.”

 

Alex Quan President, ATZEN Inc.

“Catherine is the most forward-thinking and innovative person in skin care. She is passionate about natural, high-quality products that deliver results. She knows what consumers want before they even know themselves. She is most deserving of this recognition for a lifetime of dedication and contributions to the profession. I am extremely lucky to have Catherine as my business partner and friend.”

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Carole Walderman- A Legend in Aesthetics

Carole Walderman- A Legend in Aesthetics

Carole Walderman- A Legend in Aesthetics

I can’t think when I’ve been more excited about writing a story than having the opportunity to write Carole Walderman’s story… A true Legend in Aesthetics!... and a true legend in humanity!  I still clearly remember the first day I met Carole over ten years ago.  Carole is one of those special people you remember even after meeting for a brief time.  Carole and I were sitting together at a convention in New York waiting for the lecture to begin and we started talking.  I was immediately taken with this soft spoken, elegant, and classy individual who so obviously epitomized what an Aesthetician should look and act like.  I was soon to discover that this elegance and professionalism went for deeper.  Our friendship began that day and now ten years later, I write this story with the greatest respect for this remarkable lady, extra ordinary Aesthetician, and one of the finest educators of our industry has ever produced!

Carole was destined to be in the beauty business.  At the age of three, Carole was playing in her mother’s make-up, and by the age of thirteen she was cutting pieces of hair off her head and gluing it to her eye lashes with Elmer’s glue.  She spent much of her high school days doing makeovers on friends, reading movie magazines and duplicating the make-up of the stars on herself.

By this time, there was no hope for anything else and after a time, she graduated from Marinello School of Beauty Culture in 1960 at the top of her class.  She won a scholarship to the Adolf Eliah School of Advanced Hair Design in New Jersey.

While at Marinello, Carole developed a beauty program for out-patient of a tuberculin hospital in Maryland called Mt. Wilson.  Carole formed a group of graduating seniors and established Cosmetologists to perform makeovers on these patients once a month.  While the other Cosmetologists were busy doing hair cuts and sets, Carole did skin care treatment and taught the patients how to apply on their make-up properly.  The personal gratification and rewards from this service to patients inspired Carole to open a wig business in 1964.

She specialized in wigs and hair pieces for people, who, through chemotherapy or a quirk of nature had lost their hair.

During her early years in beauty, Carole met the love of her life and married.

Bud Walderman.  They started a family that grew into three lovely children Todd, Alesa, and Jeniffer. While the children were still small, Carole’s interest in the skin care and make-up aspect of the business grew and exceeded her interest in hairstyling, so she began doing make-up for local television, theater, photography, and fashion shows.  In 1973, she began free lance work with The Merchandising Group Inc., and DuPont.  While maintaining her wig business, she was responsible for organizing in-store sales promotions for local food store chains for The Merchandising Group, Inc.  she did local television appearances for DuPont demonstrating and promoting the DuPont product lines as well as handling the sales promotions in department stores.

She experience with The Merchandising Group and DuPont led her to a new stage in her career.  In 1974, Carole established a specialized agency for in-store cosmetic promotions.  This agency, “Golden Girls Inc.” (Not to be confused with the current TV show of this name… because old ladies they were NOT) grew from only six make-up artists to over 83 model and artist.  As President of Golden Girls, Inc., Carole would secure cosmetic accounts and set up promotions, organize, hire and train models and make-up artist in skin care, make-up, product knowledge and sales techniques.  During the four years she owned this business, some of her accounts included Estee Lauder, Clinque, Aramis, Revlon, Charles of the Ritz, Helena Rubenstein, Max Factor, Frances Denney, Flori Roberts, Barbra Walden, and many fragrance lines.

Throughout this time, the laws of the State of Maryland required that all makeup artists be licenses, so Carole was training her girls at no charge and then getting them licensed through the State Board.

A new direction for Carole was coming, but without Carole’s knowledge . . . . The State Board was investigating the idea of separate licensing for skin care.  One day in 1976, Carole received a call from Eunice Alper, then Director of the Maryland State Board of Cosmetology.  Ms. Alper informed Carole that the state was about to pass a bill for separate licensing, and she went on to tell Carole that there were no licensed skin care schools anywhere in the United States, and . . . She thought Maryland should be the first to have a skin care school since it was the first state to pass a separate licensing bill.  She asked Carole to open the first school since she had already been teaching skin care and makeup.  Although hesitant at first since she had never owned a school, the encouragement of the Board and her family and friends kicked off a massive research project… a search that took her all over the country gathering information on skin care from every source and county she could.  A year and a half later, she presented the State Board with a 1200 hour European Skin Care Curriculum.  Unfortunately, the State Board felt the course was too long.  She rewrote the curriculum and cut the course in half, and the Board voted for 300 hours.  (A great deal more condensing had to be done.)

She had obviously been bitten by the bug… EDUCATION! The first licensed school of Aesthetics was about to become a reality, but Carole took her time.  She decided that if she was going to open a school, it had to be the best, with the greatest education possible in the short 300 hours; so she worked, traveled abroad, obtained the finest educational sources, and after completing a course so packed with knowledge that the student could stand on and equal footing with Aestheticians that had studied in Europe with far longer courses, Von Lee International School of aesthetics celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony in August of 1978. . .  The very FIRST school to open in the United States for in-depth skin care training, where upon graduation, the student could obtain a license to practice skin care solely as a profession.

And what a school Von Lee is. A training program that truly teaches students about the anatomy and physiology of the skin.  Students are taught on a variety of product groups (which is unheard of in the school of business, due to the cost), all equipment modalities, a variety of techniques accumulated from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, London, Japan, and the USA> her school is not a product or machinery school and the students are taught in such a way as to be able to use any brand or product or machinery.

The course is updated and rewritten yearly to incorporate the latest technology in the industry.  To date, Von Lee International Schools has graduated over eight hundred students from all over the country and from all age brackets. . . From young girls to middle age and senior citizens wanting to begin careers after raising families, or women wanting financial independence.  In addition, another eight hundred graduated from advanced post graduate courses.  As Von Lee celebrates its 10th anniversary year, I asked Carole how she felt about the past ten year, and this is what she told me:

“As I look back over the years, I realize what this career has meant to me.  Each and every job I have ever had has been a growing experience that has brought me to where I am today.  This is wonderful positive atmosphere in which my work has to be the most rewarding experience for me.  If I didn’t have to do this for a living, I would do it for free.  It gives me such pleasure to see others grow and blossom into productive individuals, with a trade to build a profitable future on.”

I wanted to insert this quote because this is Carole Walderman.  Her sincerity and dedication to the education of American Aesthetician transcends her school and her program.  She has been actively involved in all the skin care associations for many years.  She has been one of our finest lecturers and educators, and has worked very hard to develop specialized courses for Aestheticians all over the country.  She is, perhaps, the best known for her special relaxation massage, “Stress Therapy”, and Beard Treatment. . . A course highly acclaimed in the industry.  She is a liaison between the Aesthetician, Dermatologists, and Plastic Surgeon, and frequently serves on panels and educational meeting for all three groups.  She is currently working with the medical group on the aesthetic role of salons and moisturizing treatments for Retin-A patients. . . A service that is so essential in protecting and facilitating the effects of drug treatment.

Carole is also a celebrated writer and writes a monthly column solving some problems aestheticians run into in their practice.

Last, but certainly not least, Carole is currently Chairman of EstheticsAmerica, the educational committee of the National Cosmetology Association.  During the past two years, as if this remarkable lady has not been busy enough with her school and lecture tours, she has worked hours and hours for the American Aesthetician and our industry to accomplish separate licensing for every state in the country.  When she began her term as Chairman, there were approximately 11 states with separate licensing.  There are now over 25.  As Chairman of EstheticsAmerica, she has represented us at CIDESCO International Congress in Vienna in 1986 and Glasgow in 1987, organized the first CIDESCO exam under the National Cosmetology Association (being held in Atlanta, GA in July 1988), worked with the Board and other members to secure a reliable insurance policy for members of the associations, and coordinated all activities of the 134 members of the association with the finest quality education in Aesthetics at the National Beauty Show and Convention held twice annually.

A I reach the end of this story for Dermascope, we have by no means reached the end of the Carole Walderman story. . . She is a LEGEND that truly lives on, touching our lives by contributing so much to the profession and the field of Aesthetics.  Carole is a warm, loving, spirited inspiration to us all.  Any one who crosses paths will know she has always maintained her honesty, integrity, and undying dedication to this wonderful profession of ours.   …. Erica Miller

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Carol Phillips - A Legend in Aesthetics

Carol Phillips - A Legend in Aesthetics

Carol Phillips- Retailing Powerhouse

By Rebecca James

Looking for proof that goal setting works?  Then watch the shinning example set by Carol Phillips, the diminutive 28 year old powerhouse of ideas and enthusiasm who took the salon world by storm just five years after graduating from beauty school. 

Today Phillips is the youngest of Dermascope’s remarkable list of industry Legends.  And she’s earned every inch of her new title.  For the past several years, Phillips has kept a grueling pace of public appearances, teaching salons to emulate her sales and marketing success.  Her ideas are based on principles she formulated to turn DermaSystems, her esthetic salon in Wichita, Kansas, into a $500,000 a year blockbuster.  To duplicate her efforts more efficiently, Phillips two years ago turned out a four part video series on retailing.  Entitled MoneySystems, the program is doing well.

“I give the salon building blocks to lay the foundation for good retail selling skills,” comments Phillips about MoneySystems.

“Then they have an entire program to train current staff and any new employees who join the salon team.”

Recognition for her work is not new to Phillips: In 1984 and ‘85, she was voted one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs in the United States under the age of 30, following that award in 1986 as an Outstanding Young Women of America.  American Salon named her their 1988 Retailer of the Year- the first person to hold such a title fro that magazine.

Talking with Phillips, who generates more energy in a single day than most of use muster in a month, you can sense her conviction to purpose for whatever project she is undertaking at the moment.  Perhaps it is her eyes: electrifying pools of energy that convey a message of commitment to anyone in her presence.  But there is more than mere commitment at work here.  Phillips is intensely curious; matching this trait with a powerful need to dig in, roll up her sleeves and make things happen.

“I need to transform my environment,” she says as if sharing an important secret.

“To feel like I have made an impact for the better.”

“She didn’t follow the crowd on anything,” recalls Beulah Buhr, Phillips’ home economics teacher at Grant Park High School in Illinois.  “Not that she didn’t mingle and do things with other students.  But you could see that little bit of independence there as a high school student, which I think is kind of a rarity in young people.”  Buhr said.

Phillips, an only child, was born in Harvey, Illinois, farming and manufacturing area 55 miles south of Chicago’s Loop.  She acknowledges her parents as the first key to her success. “They never said ‘you can’t do that because you’re a girl’ ” she recalls.  “Instead, they would say ‘tell us what you want to do and we’ll help you do it,’ whether it was a class play or science project.”

After working in a Merle Norman Studio throughout high school, Phillips enrolled in the Broadway Beauty School in Bradley, Illinois, to learn more about the esthetic field.  Although the Broadway curriculum was mainly hair design, with hardly any makeup or skin care, she stuck with the tough 1500 hour program to achieve her goal: a cosmetology license.

It was in beauty school that Phillips realized she has tremendous charisma to the consuming public.  “She brought in more new clients to the school than any of the other students,” says Marry Goggins, a Broadway instructor.

In March, 1980, after a world wind period of presenting workshops and seminars to cosmetologist, appearing as a guest makeup artist in salons, and guiding salon owners in the intricacies of setting up makeup and skin care centers for Myra Deane Cosmetics, Phillips decided to settle in Wichita, Kansas.  By May, 1981 she was working for someone else and frustrated.  At dinner one night, a friend suggested she start her own company.

With $25,000 in family and SBA loans, the budding entrepreneur opened her new salon’s doors on October 13, 1981.  “I signed all the loan papers two weeks before my 21st birthday,” remembers Phillips.  That salon became the successful DermaSystems.

But life as DermaSystems was not always roses.  Realizing beauty school did not give her the skills necessary to achieve finical success, in 1982, Phillips signed on with Wichita University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. “When I took the class, I was working 12 or 13 hours a day, six days a week, and the idea of growth on any grand scale seemed farfetched,” she remembers.  The course suggested a new tactic, “I listened to other entrepreneurs talk about how they made their businesses grow and realized that I could do the same thing.  But to do it, I had to train other people to provide the services so that I could run the business.”

Drawing on material from the course, Phillips, then 24 generated written training programs, technical manuals on beauty products, and a way to keep track of what products each DermaSystems client had tried.  A year later she talked over her cash flow difficulties with Fran Jabara, the center’s director and her teacher the previous summer.  Jabara suggested that she find a way to reduce her debt, and reduce it quickly.

Recognizing “You can only give so many facials in a day,” Phillips embarked on a strategy that highlighted the sale of new products, putting services in a secondary role.  She returned to her old capacity as promoter, reaching out to the women and men of Wichita with seminars and other community services to convey DermaSystems’ commitment to beauty as a total part of a person’s well being. 

That’s when DermaSystems started to gross $275,000 a year in retail revenues alone.

Phillips realizes she is a role model of retailing success to many people in the beauty business. Comments her Broadway instructor, Mary Goggins; “I use Carol’s name many, many times with my current students because she is a model of success and drive.”

“Being a woman helps,” comments Phillips about the example she sets in an industry composed mostly of females.  “One of the things that women who run their own company have a tendency to do is to become very isolated.  We don’t have a support-base or network for ourselves.  Women are not used to networking with each other.  Men have always been taught to work in teams, whether it’s football or baseball.  They may not act like each other but they’ll put together to achieve a common goal.  Women are not traditionally taught to work in teams.  They’re on their own.”

Who are Phillips’ role models?  “In the industry, Robert Diemer, for his sense of caring - genuine caring about our industry, his clients and the people around him.and Rebecca James.  She showed me that research pays off, and the value of communication.”  Phillip is also an intense reader, finishing two books a week on a variety of topics.  “I love Lee Iacocca for his Americanism.  He brought back the fact that ‘Made in America’ really does have value.  And Og Mandino.  The man helps me remember that when I don’t feel real good about myself, when I question what I do - that despite any self doubts - I really am a miracle.  We all are.  But we get so bust with ourselves, we forget that.”

“I want to remind people that they must continue to try,” she adds.  “Don’t be afraid of your mistakes, look at what went wrong then do it differently the next time.  And don’t loose your humanness.  Getting wrapped up in business can dehumanize you.  Keep your sprit live, touch other people, and continue to care.”

Today, Carol isn’t in Kansas anymore.  After leaving DermaSystems last year to pursue a new phase of her career, Phillips signed on briefly with Diemer’s American Institute of Esthetics as the company’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  In pursuit of goals closer to her own interests, she’s now gone on to greener pastures.  Where to?

“I’m not telling,” she says, her luminous eyes shining mysteriously. “Not yet.”

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Carmen Delgado- A Legend in Aesthetics

Carmen Delgado- A Legend in Aesthetics

Carmen Delgado- Paving the Way for Others with a Legendary Career

Carman Delgado, who has been instrumental in bringing the science of aesthetics to the forefront of the beauty industry, embraces her profession with a vigorous passion and commitment.  As one of the industry’s true pioneers, Delgado epitomizes the spirit of a rewarding, yet demanding, profession.  Her demonstrated commitment and dedication to the aesthetic industry serve as an inspiration, helping others to follow in her footsteps.

As one of the leading aesthetic authorities in the United States and abroad, this seasoned professional is recognized for her influential contributions to the industry.  Still active in her field, Delgado continues to be a major advocate for the universal recognition of the practicing aesthetician.

“After all these years, I still love and enjoy my work,” says the 40-year veteran.  “Being as aesthetician has been very rewarding for me, and I feel very strongly that this destiny is what God intended for me.”

When Carmen began her career, the aesthetics industry was in its infancy stage.  She often faced many challenges, which she took on with much persistence.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Delgado and her family moved to the United States when she was 14.  First settling down in New Market, Tenn., her family later moved to New York City, where Delgado attended Mabel Dean Bacon Vocational High School.

As a cosmetology major, Delgado gradated with high honors.  That preparatory education, and subsequent receipt of her New York cosmetology license, enabled Delgado to secure her first job In the beauty industry with Richard Hudnut,   a prestigious cosmetic firm on New York City’s Fifth Avenue.

A year later, during the Korean War, Delgado enlisted in the United States Air Force.  During her military service, she was stationed in Texas and Minnesota.

Delgado returned to New York City to resume her cosmetology career following her honorable discharge from the military and the death of her husband.  As the first Latin cosmetologist to work on Fifth Avenue, she was employed by such beauty houses as Henri Bendel, John Bernard, Revlon, Saks Fifth Avenue and Elizabeth Arden, both in New York and Palm Beach.

“From the carious employment venues, I received terrific training and invaluable experiences,” Delgado says.  “It presented excellent opportunities for my growth as both an individual and a professional.”

Stimulated to continue her professional education, Delgado enrolled in Pratt Institute, a technical college in Brooklyn, N.Y. It was here where she learned the European concept of skin care, studying with the famed makeup artist Christine Valmy and renowned fashion photographer, Francesco Scavullo.  She also served as an image and makeup consultant for clients like Breck Shampoo and Emilio Pucci.

In1964, to advance the standards of the aesthetics profession, Delgado and 11 colleagues, including Valmy, founded the American Association of Esthetics, the first national association for skin care professionals.  Delgado served as the organization’s first secretary.

But to provide a more tranquil family environment for her son, John Robert, Delgado moved to Bloomington, Ind., in 1968.  Aesthetics was an unfamiliar profession in Indiana and she soon realized the monumental challenge of introducing the advantages of aesthetic services and training to the public.

“It was during this facet of my career when I had to think globally and act locally,” Delgado recalls.

Accepting her mission with determination and dedication, she used all available media avenues as an educational platform.  She organized lectures for local cosmetologists who expressed an interest in aesthetics. Later, in 1971, Delgado opened her European aesthetic clinic in Bloomington, the first of its kind in Indiana.

As interest grew in the profession, she organized and introduced chapters of AIA, SCAA and CIDESCO to the state, serving as regional director for each.  The resounding success of her Bloomington clinic and the increasing popularity of aesthetics allowed Delgado to open her second clinic in Indianapolis six years later.

In 1978, Delgado was the first American aesthetician to earn a CIDESCO International Diploma by direct examination, which she considers to be the highlight of her accomplishments.  Also, in the same year, as a mater cosmetologist, she received her cosmetology and aesthetics instructor’s license.

In 1981, Delgado accepted an invitation to implement and direct the Oasis Spa in French Lick, Ind.  Under her direction, the spa received national recognition for its innovative skin treatment programs, comparable to services offered by European spas and health resorts. 

Always an avid supporter of stability for the skin care professional, Delgado, along with the Indiana Cosmetology Association, its lobbyist, Richard Harris, and other sympathetic professionals, campaigned aggressively for the establishment of a separate aesthetician license in Indiana.

However, their effort was confronted with widespread resistance from cosmetologist and beauty school owners, who were unsure of the effects of the proposed changes.  “Based on the status at that time, most individuals who were interested in pursuing a career in aesthetics could not afford to leave the state or country to study, and, the establishment of the license would eliminate the roadblock,” Delgado said.  Fortunately, the goal was realized in 1990 when the Indiana Generally Assembly passed the aesthetician license law.

Devoted to the concept of advanced professional training, Delgado continues to be in high demand on statewide, national and international lectures circuits, lending her expertise, knowledge and experiences.

“The learning never stops for the professional aesthetician,” Delgado says.  “One must abreast of the latest trends and developments in the profession and share that knowledge and expertise with colleagues and clients.”

She also assisted in implementing continues education programs for aestheticians at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and she is an active member of the Educational Committee, Aesthetics Section, of the Indiana Cosmetology Association. “It’s always a pleasure for me to share with others my experiences,” she says. “By doing so, I hope it will encourage them to make their own opportunities in the industry.

“I feel that it is our responsibility, as professionals, to further our education and to keep abreast of all scientific research and trends which may impact our profession,” she added.

This is why Delgado continues to enroll in carious advanced aesthetic courses that are offered throughout the country, Europe and Japan.  She also feels that it is important for aestheticians to join and be active in professional associations and to take advantage of trade publications and journals, lectures and conventions.

As an active patron of many community and political cause, Delgado participates in the Indiana Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where she served as a vice president.  She is also one of the founding members of the Hispanic Republican Round Table, an advocacy organization addressing the needs and concerns of Hispanic citizens in Indiana; and, she serves as a board member of the Hispanic Advisory Committee for DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.

Delgado credits her husband of 20 years, Dr. Kenneth Trourentrend, for many of her accomplishments, noting his constant encouragement and invaluable expertise as a researcher on skin properties and anti-viral agents.            

As a team, they have been able to implement a successful statewide training seminar, simply titled Heath and Beauty, where medical professionals share their knowledge with aestheticians.

With help from her husband, Delgado also initiated the effort to establish a federal classification number through the Employment Security Commission for the aesthetics profession.  Through their perseverance, they were able to obtain a temporary number, and in August 1993, Delgado and her husband fulfilled their goal for a permanent professional classification number for aestheticians.

As for her thoughts on surviving in the industry, Delgado encourages ethical behavior, active community and political participation and continued education.  “Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge and become actively involved in the community,” she says.  “The more you give, the more you will receive!”

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Barbara Salomone- A Legend in Aesthetics

Barbara Salomone- A Legend in Aesthetics

Barbara Salomone- A Legend in Aesthetics

Barbara Salomone thrives on a tight schedule of achievement. She can be found at one of her showrooms in Chicago, Boston, or Los Angeles, teaching a formulation class at her school, the Conservatory of Esthetics, overseeing the creation of new products for her Bioelements skin care like, writing one of the approximately 200 articles she’s had published in the last four years, or teaching professionals her money making aesthetics techniques at a beauty show.

Wherever she is, Mrs. Salomone can usually be found contribution to the evolution of esthetics.        

“I like the process of creation, coming up with ideas, then seeing them take shape and grow into reality,” Mrs. Salomone says.  “That’s what makes this business fun.  I could work 24 hours a day if that were possible.”

To many onlookers, Mrs. Salomone’s accomplishments do in fact appear as if she spent entire days developing ideas for the aesthetics industry.

Mrs. Salomone’s love for the beauty industry began when she was director for beauty and fashion in a large Chicago department store.  There she taught classes in makeup, fashion, and skin care in the store’s charm school, produced and did commentary for fashion shows, and lectured to women’s groups on fashion and beauty.

She left Chicago for Los Angeles in the early 1970’s.  Through a friend she met Shell Burton, a Hollywood hairdresser with a celebrity clientele that read like a Who’s Who of the entertainment industry.  Soon Mrs. Salomone was running a make-up concession in Burton’s salon, offering her new line of Barbara Salomone Cosmetics.

When her make-up clients began requesting facials, Mrs. Salomone decided to study skin care in depth.  But there was one major complication.  In California, there were no schools of aesthetics, no courses and no licensing separate from cosmetology, which required 1,600 hours of school with only a few days devoted to skin care.

“Luckily, I found a wonderful French woman who could teach me all the basics of European skin and body care,” Mrs. Salomone says of her mentor at the time, Danielle L’Don, who is still a respected West Coast aesthetician in Newport Beach, California. “Danielle also taught me the human side of aesthetics --- that you can help someone just by touching them.  She has ‘healing’ hands.  I am a very strong believer in the healing power of touch.”

Then, in the latter half of the 1970s, two things happened that changed Mrs. Salomone’s life.

First, California became one of the first states to offer separate licenses for cosmeticians.  Realizing that licensing would open up the market for skin care in Los Angeles, Mrs. Salomone seized the opportunity to become licenses and open a salon in West Hollywood.  There she developed her unique methods of facial and body care treatments.  She was also one of the first aestheticians to provide nutritional counseling along with her facial, waxing, make-up, and body care services.

Around the same time she met Rebecca James, now a prominent write and lecturer on cosmetic chemistry, who has been one of Mrs. Salomone’s strongest supporters and closest colleagues.  Preparing for upcoming licensing exams, the two women were attending the same make-up academy when a teacher introduced them.  Quickly became friends, the two students took their cosmetician exams the first day they were offered.  After passing the intense day-long exam, they vowed to give back to the skin care industry.

“At the time we didn’t know what we were going to do or how we were going to do it,” Mrs. Salomone remembers. “We just knew we would make a difference.  We had enthusiasm and belief in ourselves, and those two traits are more important than any other when it comes to success.”

Taking the plunge into business

Closing her salon in the early 1980s, Mrs. Salomone moved back to Chicago with her husband, Ross.  There she decided to try her hand at representing make-up, skin care products, and aesthetics equipment to salons in her area.  “Even though I loved providing aesthetics services, I had learned so much about purchasing quality products when I had my own lines in Los Angeles that I wanted to use my knowledge to help other aestheticians who were just starting out.”

Word soon spread that “a very helpful lady,” as one customer once described her when recommending Mrs. Salomone to another salon, had arrived on the scene.  Mrs. Salomone’s business grew rapidly from a small office in her house to a two-room office in Des Plaines, Illinois, with Mrs. Salomone and her sister-in-law, Adrienne, as the only employees.

Less than a decade later, Salomone & Associates services thousands of accounts yet operates efficiently with a minimum of employees.  Mrs. Salomone’s husband became a partner and is in charge of the corporation’s sales decisions.  The Salomones also work together to produce the Barbara Salomone Sourcebook, a national publication containing a broad listing of professional products from sponges and lipsticks to multiple unit machines.

During the last two years, showrooms in Boston and Los Angeles have been added, with advanced training offered in the Midwest and on the West Coast at her school, the Conservatory of Esthetics.  There professionals can acquire valuable information from some of the most respected educators in the aesthetics field.

“We’ve had Erica Miller, Robert Diemer, Rebecca James, Mary Ann Graffeo and many other notable people as guest lectures,” says Mrs. Salomone, who is now a C.I.D.E.S.C.O. diplomat and an instructor at the Conservatory.  “Plus, all of our regular teaching staff is licensed, including our office staff because they need to be able to answer (clients’) questions.  We invest heavily in training for our entire staff because our whole business s built on professionalism.

“Professionalism is what we are all about in this industry.  If you are not professional about what you do in every way and every situation, then your clients will eventually go to someone who is.”

Realizing that standardization is key, Mrs. Salomone became the founding chairperson for the American Beauty Association’s Skin Care Manufacturer’s Council in 1989.

“We want one voice in the professional salon industry that will contribute to the strength and growth of the skin care community as a whole,” she says.  Through the Council, Mrs. Salomone hopes to provide a platform where manufacturers of aesthetics products can express their beliefs and set new standards for the industry.

A new point of view

While many people would consider three businesses and an active lecturing and writing career enough for one person, Mrs. Salomone did not feel she had given back enough to the skin care industry.  In 1991, she introduced Bioelements, a skin care line that typifies her point of view for professional aesthetics.

“Meeting the client at his or her lifestyle level is the bottom line for all aesthesis products and services these days,” Mrs. Salomone says, referring to the philosophy behind her new line, which stresses fitness and health over artificial means of beautifying.

“Lifestyle is the focal point for progressive and successful salons in the ‘90s.  Beauty will not be a thing of the past, but look for it to take a more active role, balanced by stress therapy, nutrition, physical fitness, and a health dose of pampering to set salons apart from their ‘beauty only’ image developed over the last 50 years.”

Every product she makes, regardless of whether it is skin care lotion or shoe polish, it is designed with the environment in mine.  Her companies now use environmentally friendly shipping materials and printed literature, and all her products are packages in recyclable glass.

“I was surprised to learn that all glass is made of 25 percent recycled material.  That’s much better than using large amounts of plastic that cannot be recycled in most parts of the United States.”  Even the ink on her packaging and literature is environmentally sound.  “We were one of the first companies to use soy-based ink.  Was that hard to fin!” 

What plans does Mrs. Salomone have for the future?

“I believe in focusing on each day while visualizing what you want to happen next,” she says.  “I’m not looking for new projects right now.  I just want to achieve what I set out to do --- give back in my own way to this remarkable industry.”

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Arnold M. Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

Arnold M. Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

In Memory of: Arnold M. Miller- A Legend in Aesthetics

President and Co-Founder of Matrix Essentials, Inc.  Visionary, Entrepreneur and Hairdresser

Arnold M. Miller, 60, the dynamic industry leader who co-founded Matrix Essentials, Inc., in 1980 with his wife, passed away on December 26, 1992, in Boston, Massachusetts, after a year-long battle with cancer.

Non one did as much as Arnold Miller to help people look and feel beautiful.  For four decades, he was a leader and visionary in the professional salon industry as a hair dresser, salon owner and entrepreneur.  In just 12 years, Arnold and his wife, Sydell, as president and executive vice president, respectively, built Matrix Essentials, Inc., into the professional salon industry giant that it is today.  In fact, Matrix Essentials, Inc., is the largest and one of the fastest growing companies that manufactures and markets hair care, skin care and color cosmetics products to beauty salons around the world.

According to Audits and Surveys, a New York-based market research film, Matrix is the largest professional hair care firm in total sales in the Unites States and Canada, with annual sales exceeding $150 million.  But to beauty professionals around the world, “Arnie” was best recognized as a fellow hairdresser who always looked after other hairdressers, fought for them and put their needs first.  Whether developing a new product line, promoting industry professionalism, designing new education programs or fighting diversion, Matrix Essentials, has always put the best interests of hairdressers first.

Now, with Sydell and a dedicated management team running the company, Matrix will continue to carry Arnie’s versions, values and philosophies as it leads the industry into the 21st century.  “We will strive to continue Arnold’s mission and to reach all the goals he so proudly envisioned,” says Sydell, who is now president of Matrix.

Arnie began to improve the salon industry in 1952, when he began his career as a hair stylist with his brother, Martin.  In 1955, Arnie opened his first salon in South Euclid, Ohio, where his business sense, drive and creative flair earned him a reputation as one of America’s top stylists.  That salon still exists as “Arnold and David’s” and is owned and run by Arnie’s nephew, David Porris, who has followed his uncle’s footsteps as a successful hairdresser.

Always an entrepreneur, Arnie looked beyond his salon for new opportunities to contribute to his industry and profession.  The Millers launched into the manufacturing end of the business in 1971 when they formed Ardell, Inc., (named for Arnie and Sydell) to market individually applied eyelashes, translucent hair color and conditioner and other hair care products.  Ardell was sold in 1984 so that Arnie could devote full attention to Matrix.

During the ’70s, Arnie wanted to create a full-service company that could offer salons a full spectrum of quality hair and cosmetics products and provide salon professionals with the education needed to survive in a competitive business environment.  When Matrix realized that dream, but never lost sight of his vision or his desire to improve upon it and better the industry.

Matrix’s product development philosophy is based on anticipating fashion needs and responding with innovative products and services to fill those needs.  With this philosophy, Miller and Matrix have turned the salon into the most innovative beauty product source of the ’90s, enabling today’s busy woman to purchase any type of beauty product - hair care, skin care, and color cosmetics - when she visit’s the salon.  it’s a one-stop shopping concept that really works.  In 1985, Arnie, who always considered education a primary need in the industry, founded the Matrix Institute of Professional Development.  More than 7,000 professionals have taken courses by top salon educators, including salon psychology, salon management and hands-on-learning.            

During his career, Arnie was actively involved in numerous professional associations, including the National Cosmetology Association, Intercoiffure America, the American Beauty Association and the Cosmetology Arts and Sciences Institution Accreditation Committee Advisory Board.  He also served as president of the National Beauty and Barber Association and was a board member of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association.

He was also an ardent supporter of community development.  One of his most visible contributions centered on uniting hair salons with the anti-drug movement through the creation in 1990 of the charity S.T.A.N.D. - Salons Tell America No Drugs.  The Millers also established a foundation through which their employees’ children can receive college scholarships.  This has major impact, when one considers that Matrix employs more than 850 full-time employees and continues to expand its Solon, Ohio, operations, which include extensive research and development, manufacturing, educational and office facilities.  In addition, Matrix is a strong supporter of the United Way and achieved the largest corporate increase for Cleveland-area company donations last year.

The Millers have been honored for their contributions to the industry.  In 1990, they were named “Man and Woman of the Year” by the American Beauty Association for their contributions towards shaping the destiny of the beauty industry.  The California-based City of Hope Medical Facility named them “Spirit of Life” honorees, and Arnie was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Northeast Ohio by Ernst & Young, Inc. magazine and Merrill Lynch.  In 1991, he accepted the Dively Entrepreneurship Award from the Harvard Business School Club of Cleveland.  Most recently, Arnie and Sydell were elected to the National Cosmetology Hall of Fame, the first husband and wife team to be inducted.

The professional beauty industry and Matrix Essentials have suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of Arne Miller.  However, he left a tremendous mark on all. through his visions, theories and practices.  Arnie worked with executives at Matrix to design an executive structure and team which will ensure that Matrix will continue to operate under his vision and that the industry never loses sight of the impact Arnie made during his life.  He is survived by his wife, Sydell, a sister, Mrs. Eve Porris of Cleveland Heights; and daughters Lauren Spilman and Stacie Halpern, both of Cleveland and both Matrix executives who hold the positions of director of corporate travel and cosmetics product manager, respectively.  Contributions may be sent to Sydell L. Miller Scholarship Foundation, c/o Matrix Essentials, Inc., 30601 Carter Street, Salon, OH 44139.

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Alice Thiel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Alice Thiel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Alice Thiel- A Legend in Aesthetics

What do you do when you are about to write a story of a new Living Legend and you want to surprise her?  You go to a close admirer who has the details.. How much of an admirer is shown in this wonderful story, written so beautifully by her daughter, Christine Thiel.

It is certainly high time for Alice to be recognized for her many accomplishments in the industry. I had the honor of working with Alice for several years on many projects and we worked as co-directors in the early stages of Esthetics America and it was great!  She was a very hard worker and not afraid of doing anything.  When the first group of us were grandfathered into N.C.A., she organized classes, served as makeup designer, wrote curricula, she did everything… and never once was there a complaint.  And totally aside from the business aspect of all our work, Alice was just a wonderful, fun person to be with.  For you younger aestheticians, pay close attention to this story. It’s a sure success story, but one not achieved just by luck.  Her achievements were and are a result of hard work, dedication, and sincerity; which only goes to show that you can be what you want to be if you are willing to do what it takes.  Alice, my heartiest congratulations and I hope this story is a surprise.  You are truly a “Living Legend” to me, and you deserve much more recognition than this story even represents.  I am honored to count you as one of my friends.

Alice Maria was born in the small town of Kalinowo, (near Warsaw), Poland.  This humble little town, surrounded by conflict and outright war was home to Alice and her mother until they left all material possessions and fled to Germany when Alice was just four years old.

At the age of seventeen, her formal education completed, Alice and her mother felt that the opportunities in Europe were very limited and the true land of opportunity was in America.  Although this point of view was common to many Europeans, there were very few young girls with the courage and ambition to emigrate to a new country and culture.  In December of 1956, Alice boarded a ship (an old army transporter) to spend a homesick Christmas and the start of her voyage to seek all the opportunities about which she had been told throughout her childhood.

Philadelphia became her new “stomping ground” as she lived with her aunt, uncle and cousin in a home across the street from an old church which later would become the place where she was married and christened her children.  Only one week after coming to America, Alice met another young immigrant, Peter Thiel, who happened to be a hairstylist and barber who came to this country with his parents (his mother a hairstylist and father a barber), looking for successful future.

Since both Alice and Peter realized that the family had to come first, all other interests would have to blend in some way at the right time and place.  A year after they were married, Alice, still in hairdressing school, became pregnant with their first child and only son, Michael.  Two years later Christine was born.  At that time in 1962 Alice and Peter opened their first salon, Peter’s Tres Chic.

Later they would have two additional salons which they would eventually consolidate into one large salon and skin car business.  Two years later in 1964, Suzanne was born and four years later they had their youngest child, Karin.  In the midst of raising children they built their home and the shopping center in which their business is now locates, Plaza III West Shopping Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Alice was a career woman, working part time as a hairstylist and full time as a mother raising four children.  She continuously enhanced her education and after a trip to Germany, realized that skin care, an area of health and beauty care, which was always highly regarded in Europe, would soon become a growing and very specialized phase of the esthetic profession with an array of services to offer existing clients and most certainly draw new ones.

So, in 1973, Alice and Peter imported skin care equipment from Europe and incorporated the concept of “the complete service salon” within their existing business.  “Skin care” was soon to become a great success since it was unique to the area.  The salon is a three story building divided into six levels containing seventy-two styling stations.  The various levels contain two main hairstyling areas filled with equipment imported from Germany, two chemical rooms and dispensaries, two reception areas, an accessory boutique, a staff meeting room, training center, stock and supply area, offices, an extensive skin care salon with five facial rooms, three manicure tables, two make-up stations, and a waxing area and pedicure spa.

The pleasures and rewards of a successful family business are endless; it is for this reason that Peter and Alice have an intense sense of responsibility and dedication to such an effort.  They are proud to have their entire family as the back-bone of their business.  Included in their staff of forty-two employees are their son, daughter-in-law, and three daughters.  Their children are all between the ages of twenty-two and thirty, and presently express a strong desire to develop their experience in the hairstyling and skin care profession.  Each of the children entered the profession at the age of thirteen (part time, of course, since they were still in high school).  Prior to that, an opportunity to make money was always there since a family business means a tremendous amount of work; therefore, the necessary maintenance jobs became the starting point at breaking the children into the family business!

Since the apprenticeship method of teaching is widely used in Europe, it seemed only natural that each child experiences this hands-on practical form of education at an early age.  After training was completed, each of them became a licensed cosmetologist and teacher.  Consequently, there are ten licensed instructors employed at Peter’s Salon Tres Chic, seven of whom are members of the Thiel family.  After the licenses were acquired, they continue their education by going to college for degrees in business and advertising.  The success of the family and the business is attributed greatly to the combination of their love for the profession, their sense of business trends and especially their commitment to each other and the goals they have set. At present there are three generations of hairstylist, barbers and skin care specialist in the immediate family.

The winning began with Peter’s mother in 1937 in Budapest, Hungary and continued with Peter as he used Alice as an artistic competition model.  As both Alice and Peter teamed as model and stylist, the trophies and awards accumulated and eventually inspired the children to compete nationally and then internationally.  Their son Michael, using his wife Carol as model won national trophies for cutting and styling.  Daughters Suzanne and Karin competed in state and national make-up contest, male and female cutting tournaments and continue the family tradition of victory in the competition arena.

Their eldest daughter Christine took the competitive aspect to the extreme and acquired numerous international honors in Amsterdam, Holland, at the Goulden Tulip Competitions, in France at the Rose D’or, and at the European Championships in Pares, where she used her sisters Karin and Suzanne as models.  Her accomplishments include the gold medal in the 1988 National Coiffure Championships where she named as the best artistic stylist in the country, and became a member of the National Cosmetology Association’s U.S.A. Olympic Hairdressing Team, which later won the silver medal in the Hairdresser’s World Championship in Dusseldorf, Germany.  The team was sponsored by Arnie and Sydell Miller, owners of Matrz Essentials, and as a result of the accomplishment and success of the team, Christine traveled for the Company promoting their products continuing to use her sisters as models for theses shows. 

Throughout all of the busy competition schedules the Thiel family was fortunate to receive national television coverage on ABC’s noted weekly show 20/20.  The segment features the entire family, and illustrated the degree to which a competitor must prepare for a winning event (The producer was as impressed with the size and unique qualities of the family, and their involvement with the business, as she was with their competitive aspects).

Shortly after, the interest of the television media in the families competitions “snowballed”, and Turner Broadcasting Service (TBS) featured Christine in a segment entitled “Women of the Eighties”. Various radio interviews follows, and fortunately this has culminated in a networking between the family and media members with whom they have made friends and remain in touch.  It is obvious that the success was due, once again, to the tight-knit, closeness of the family and the strong support they give each other.  Be it in business, competition or education, the concern and outcome is shared by all the family.

From the onset of their skin care salon, the service menu continued to expand and consequently Alice’s education and knowledge of aromatherapy, manual lymph drainage, therapeutic massage touch for health, reflexology and paramedical make-up has increased accordingly.

One of her most rewarding experiences was the month-long course in paramedical make-up she pursued at the Westmore Makeup Academy in Hollywood, California, under the direction of Marvin Westmore. Alice’s natural “healing touch” and compassion for others is most obvious when she is called upon to assist those in need of skin care and make-up, not for glamour and fashion, but for those individuals who need specialized techniques in order to normalize their appearance for everyday life.

In 1985-86 when three major skin care organizations merged to become the Federation of American Esthetics, Alice, who was very instrumental in making the merger, was also the President of the Skin Care Association of America.  At that time the other two organizations were A.I.A., headed by Ron Renee, and C.I.D.E.S.C.O. under the leadership of Christine Valmy.

Shortly after this merger the entire membership joined the N.C.A. (The President at the time was Tom Berger), under Esthetic Division director, Robert Diemer.  Prior to the merger Alice was the first person to complete the official examination and become a member of Esthetics America.  After the merger, all members of the pre-existing organizations were grandfathered into the N.C.A. membership in order to create a strong unit which could make the practice of skin care more specialized and professional.  For the next two years Alice became the Chairman of Examinations for Esthetics America.  During that same year, Alice also carried out the duties of Make-Up Section Director to the N.C.A, remaining responsible for the Association’s make-up schedule.

In July of 1988 Alice passed the prestigious C.I.D.E.S.C.O. International Examination to become a member of that elite body - C.I.D.E.C.O. diplomats.  Since then, she has often been requested by the President of N.C.A., to judge artistic and fashion competitions in both the U.S.A. and Europe when an experienced diplomat is needed to represent American competitors.

To-date, Alice truly has achieved a great many milestones and much success for which she is highly respected and admired by her contemporaries and professional peers.  She is most proud however, to yet another aspect of her multi-faceted and exciting life.  Most recently, Alice became a grandmother for the third time.  Her son Michael is the only one of her children who is married with children of his own.  Long with his wife Carl, also a cosmetologist and a member of their salon staff, they have three sons -Christopher. Nicholas and baby Tyler.

Now “grooming” begins on the fourth generation to augment the family’s profession - by slowly teaching these little ones the joys and excitements of hair and skin care (along with all the other experiences life has to offer). However young they may be, the interest that is generated in any direction will grow as long as praise and encouragement are evident.  Examples will be admires, and suggestions will be respected, whenever a true desire to learn is present.  Overall, the greatest inspiration will be the stories handed down and the people who are noted for their exploits throughout life.

Most often, these are the Legends we have come to know and love.

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Alexander Desy- A Legend in Aesthetics

Alexander Desy- A Legend in Aesthetics

Alexander Desy- A Legend in Aesthetics

Alexander Desy was concerned professional aesthetician who believed that only the best was good enough both for his profession and his clients. 

Alexander came to aesthetics shortly after receiving a B.A. degree in English from Michigan State University in 1971.

In 1977, he received his aesthetician’s license from one of the finest aesthetics schools in the United States.  He then became owner of an aesthetician at Prima Facie Salon in San Francisco.  Alexander always enjoyed the challenge of working with his clients every day and trying to correct all of their skin care problems.

Yet, in April of 1983, he undertook an even grater challenge.  He became the sole distributor of SOTHYS Skin & Body Care Products in the state of California.         

It was then that Alexander’s Aesthetics was born and grew to become an exclusive supplier of skin care accessories for the professional aesthetician.  Alexander attended the intensive educational and training courses of SOTHYS in Miami.  These same rigorous courses of study are now offered at training centers both in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

For Alexander, to educate and train an aesthetician was his most important goal.  He felt that since he was an aesthetician himself and had worked in the field for many years, he could provide the aesthetician with real and constructive support.

It was also Alexander’s desire to open a place that would provide total service to the professional aesthetician.  By offering accessories, equipment, and the complete line of SOTHYS products, Alexander believed that this was the first business of its kind in the country.

Training classes proved to be very successful and informative to all attending aestheticians.

Margaret Desy, Alexander’s mother, came to California to join forces with Alexander’s Aesthetics and become a very important part of Alexander’s efforts.  She answered the phones to take orders from all over California.

Alexander soon met his objectives in San Francisco and then looked for other regions to which to provide his unique services.

With the growing demands of the Los Angeles aesthetic community, Alexander’s Aesthesis then felt the ideas that had started taking root in Northern California might also grow in the southern part of the state.

In April 1985, Alexander’s Aesthetics opened a second office and training center in exciting Beverly Hills, California.  They Beverly Hills office offered the same services and educational classes as the San Francisco office.  The location of this new office, though, would be more comfortable and accessible to those aestheticians in Northern California.  The beautiful showroom was then opened for all professionals to experience.

In 1988, however, Alexander died, leaving a void in the world of aesthetics, a void that would be difficult to fill because of his vital, on-going concern for the profession and his far-reaching example in providing his clients with state-of-the-art skin care.  Upon Alexander’s death, his mother assumed leadership of the business.  But in the turmoil following the death of her son, the business lost the SOTHYS franchise.

Under Mrs. Desy’s guidance, Alexander’s Aesthetics has continued to serve its clients with the same professional attention and care that was the on-going goal of Alexander.

Excerpted here is an article written by Alexander Desy.  The article was first printed in AESTHETICS’ WORL, December 1984.  In this article, entitles “Beyond Aesthetics,” Alexander asks the question that most concerned him as a professional, a question which he felt should be of utmost concern to every professional in the field of aesthetics.

“As a Concerned Professional aesthetician, I am addressing this letter to young ‘emerging professionals’ who are planning a career in the beauty industry.

“People approach me everyday with questions about skin care -- questions such as Why? How? And When?

“The skin care industry in America is still very young, and as far as I can predict the future, it will expand enormously.  Every week I see new beauty salons openings, most with skin care technicians working in them to me, this rate of expansion proves that the facial skin care area is going to be a major growth area over the next five to ten years.

“In Europe, the skin care industry is well establishes and has plenty of support from the general public.  They majority of people in Europe are educated about the importance of skin care hygiene at a very early age.   Bu the time they reach adulthood, basic skin care becomes a daily routine.  There, it is not seen as something special or extraordinary that only movie stars and models do, but as an integral part of their lives.

“As part of this rising trend, we must follow our European counterparts and begin by educating the American public about basic skin care hygiene. Beyond the teaching of basic skin care hygiene, we must explore and learn the true theory of skin care.  There is a lot of hype and misleading information about skin care within the beauty profession.  Partially, I believe that this has been created by the powerful cosmetics industry which constantly promotes exciting names and idea by which to sell more products without considering the importance of basic skin care hygiene.

“The time has come to place more emphasis on the skin care education performed by professional aestheticians in this country.  Skin care should not be thought of as a luxury, but as a necessity in our daily lives.

“The existing educational system in this country is abominable.  On a regular basis, for instance, I see people opening new skin care salons or extending their skin care departments.  They come to me to seek advice.  In most cases, though, I notice that 50% of the people are ignorant of the layers of the skin and how the skin actually works…

“Often, people ask me, “What is an aesthetician?” Personally, I hold this title dear to my heart.  Although some people call themselves ‘aesthetician,’ in reality they are not.

“How does one become an aesthetician? In our country, one has to enroll in a school of Cosmetology and, after completion; he/she receives a cosmetology license.  In either case, the license will allow the individual to practice skin care in any place of business.  To become licensed aesthetician, however, one must receive additional training…

“In Europe, for instance, a skin care technician is required to serve as an apprentice under a master Aesthetician who has had five years of working experience in this field.  After completion of the apprenticeship, one additional year of internship is required to fulfill the final obligations.  I feel that this is a very good idea.

Students ask me over and over again, “What is the most important part of this business? “My answer to this question is simple, proper education and use of a professional product.

Over time, I have observed many people who are going into skin care business.  In many cases, however, I have witnessed many mistakes… I only wish that I had had a mentor when I started my own business.  This would have definitely have saved me much time and money.

As I mentioned above, the product is another important factor in the skin care industry.  In my opinion, it is imperative in skin care hygiene to use a professional product line of high quality.. It is vitally important to know when to dispense or to prescribe a certain product and what type of treatment is appropriate for a particular skin type…

I would like to stress that it is of great importance to know the theory and the application of a professional product line that is well established in the skin care industry…”

Alexander concludes this article with these significant observations -- observations which reinforce his dedication to his beloved field of endeavor.

“Overall, I feel that I have covered the major aspects of skin care hygiene and the existing problems of the educational system in America.  I would like to point out, though, that the opinions I am expressing in this letter derive strictly from my own working experience.  Hopefully, this will be beneficial to all of you, especially for the ‘emerging professional’ in the skin care industry.”  -----------

Mr. Desy passed away on April 27, 1988, survived by his mother, Margaret Desy, and his sister, Jean, as well as by a world full of friends and admirers.

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Aida Thibiant- A Legend in Aesthetics

Aida Thibiant- A Legend in Aesthetics

Aida Thibiant- A Legend in Aesthetics

Aida Thibiant is undoubtedly one of the world’s foremost authorities on beauty and skin care. Her Beverly Hills salon has welcomed come of the most beautiful and famous women in the world; and women in all stages of endeavor, of all ages and with all types of skin problems, have sought aid at Madame Thibiant’s salon.

And with good reason! Madame Thibiant’s background in the field of beauty and skin care encompasses extensive study with the foremost chemists, doctors and scientists and other specialist in this area. Her clientele reads like a “Who’s Who” of beauty, including Ali MacGraw, Jane Fonda, Rachquel Welch, Victoria Principal, Jaclyn Smith, Anjelica Huston, Cheryl Tiegs, Phillis George, and many others. Madame Thibiant’s skin and beauty products, which are sold in her Beverly Hills salon and by mail order throughout the United States, are manufactured in her own laboratories under the strictest supervision, to insure the utmost in quality and the highest standards available.

The Aida Thibiant skin and beauty products were personally developed by Madame Thibiant, who works closely with the foremost experts in this field, and they are unique in that her products contain absolutely no lanolin or mineral oils.

Madame Thibiant’s professional career began in Paris where, as a young woman, she developed several problems with own skin. Looking for a solution, Madame Thibiant visited several dermatologists, but unfortunately, found no improvements. As a final attempt to receive some help, Madame Thibiant visited a skin care salon and there she found results. Her personal experience inspired Madame Thibiant to study skin care as an esthetician. In all, she studied at five schools, each one having its own specialty. She herself specialized in every area, including acne, makeup, corrective makeup, body treatments and facials.

In Paris, Madame Thibiant studied at Jeane Gatineau, one of the foremost schools for estheticians and at the Universite De Soins Esthetiques du Corps De Paris, headed by Madame Simone Laube. She also studied and worked with Docteur Peytoureaur, M.D., who specialized in acne, makeup artist Fernand Aubry, the cfeator of eyeliner, specializing in corrective makeup.

In 1970, Aida Thibiant decided to move her operation to the United States. Although she spoke little English, Madame Thibiant had no trouble finding employment at the exclusive Sanctuary Health Spa at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, which was at the time a mecca for skin care and catered to some of the most famous starts in show business. As an employee, she learned to understand her own employees, and the experience also introduced her to the American way of life.

Madame Thibiant’s first salon in Beverly Hills was a mere 2,000 square feet. Within four years, she outgrew that space and moved to her present location on North Canon Drive, which is more than three times the size of the original.

Over a five year period, Madame Thibiant developed her own skin care products, together with several prominent cosmetic chemists. She also attended cosmetic chemistry classes and is an active member in the Society of Cosmetic Chemists since 1983.

Madame Thibiant’s products are manufactured at her own facilities, which include a complete laboratory. The skin care line is very difficult and delicate to create, since hers is the first line to completely eliminate lanolin, mineral oil and waxed. It has taken six years to develop, test and refine the line.

In addition to her skin products, Madame Thibiant is now developing a full line of hair and scalp treatment products. Her present salon is now equipped with a special section to deal with problems and treatment of the hair and scalp.

Madame Thibiant became an American citizen in January of 1987. She still travels to Europe twice a year to attend conventions and cosmetic trade shows, and to keep up to date on the latest in skin care.

“The simplest skin care regimen is the best… but you must be consistent and disciplined. Regular skin care keeps your youth much longer. The face is the mirror of your entire well-being. Clean your skin well and nourish it. That is the purpose of facials and home care. This is the decade of health, and healthy skin makes you look younger,” says Aida Thibiant.

Aida Thibiant is a unique authority in the world of professional beauty care, an aesthetician with European certification, who freely shares more than 30 years knowledge with her clients, inviting active participation. Her staff estheticians are instructed to explain treatments, products recommendations, and key ingredients so that clients understand their own skin and its behavior. She believes that armed with this understanding clients can and will take more intelligent, more responsible care of themselves. This is the reason her clientele is so faithful and enthusiastic. Her realistic, common sense approach works. Her beauty care is truly an investment in the future.

 

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Aida Grey- A Legend in Aesthetics

Aida Grey- A Legend in Aesthetics

Aida Grey- A Legend in Aesthetics

She has drawn to her the world’s most beautiful women, advising them in the science of skin care and the art of makeup. Her personal clients include First Lady Nancy Reagan, Their Royal Highnesses Princess Caroline of Monaco, Queen Beatrice of the Netherlands, Queen Nor of Jordan, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess Astrid of Norway, Princess Christina of Sweden, Madame Jehan Sadat, Beverly Sills, Jacqueline Bisset, Julie Christie, Peter Fonda and Madonna, to name just a few. In addition to European Royalty, great beauties of the jet set and favorite theatrical and film starts, her wide range of followers also includes professional women from the business world, social leaders, homemakers and their teenage daughters. She is Aida Grey, for more than 40 years the innovative international authority on beauty, and her Institute De Beauty in Beverly Hills is a Mecca for the famous and the successful.

In Beverly Hills, Ms. Grey is brought into daily contact with the worlds most talented and influential people, many of whom have become her hear friends. She created Debbie Reynolds’s makeup for her “Playboy” layout (story written by Mrs. Irving Wallace), and she is still a client and as beautiful as ever with young, supple and lovely skin. “Which, according to Ms. Grey “requires constant moisturizing?” Jane Fonda has been a client, as well as her father and brother. Nancy Sinatra is a longtime friend and customer. In fact, Aida takes care of the entire family, including her brother. Jacqueline Bisset is always charming gracious in the salon, and Is one of the few women who looks ravishing even without a drop of makeup. Suzanne Pleshette is a special favorite who Ms. Grey has been taking care of for some time. She comes to the salon for a facial; occasionally a makeup or brow shaping entering quietly through the back door, never making a fuss, but when she enters the salon comes alive with her sparkle and wit. Ms. Grey has often sent one of her aestheticians to service Ann Margaret at her production location.

Other Aida Grey patrons past and present include: Shelly Duvall, Lauren Hutton, Cher, Charo, Mrs. Ed McMahon, Ann Francis, Slim Pickens, Julie Christie, Lillian Hellman, Agnes De Mille, Bo Derek, Sally Kellerman, Cheryl Tiegs, Ingrid Bergman, Margo Fontayne, Tatum O’Neal, Cheryl Ladd, Barbra Steisand, Diane Cannon, Cathy Lee Crosby, Rhonda Fleming, Barbra Walters, Donald Sutherland, Natalie Wood, Leslie Uggams, Stephanie Powers, Phyllis George Brown, Lee Grant, Robert Stack, Jane Russell, Connie Chung, Betsy Bloomingdale, Hal Linden and Linda Ronstadt, to name just a few.

Aida Grey prides herself on being an individual and cherished individuality in others. It is the reverences for individuality that has been the cornerstone in the development of the Aida Grey skin care and makeup products.

“Aida Grey is a name with a series of firsts’ after it,” quoting Harper’s Bazaar (September 1986). “She coined the term ‘skin care’ to describe the service she brought to American women 50 years ago; she pioneered the use of natural ingredients -- herbs, flowers, fruits, vegetables and seaweeds--in order to treat her own sensitive skin; and she began using DNA ampoules in skincare -- before anyone else, of course.” to was 37 years ago that Aida Grey came out with a honey and almond pore cleanser, a concept that today is imitated by many skin care lines.

The world of cosmetics is Aida Grey’s heritage. She became interested as a young girl in France and was encouraged by her favorite aunt, a cosmetic chemist. And them her father was a dermatologist--the same living father who had the name Aida waiting for her when she was born. Music was a passion with him, grand opera most of all. “My father taught me that the truly valuable things in life were never meant to be personal possessions but rather a legacy to be passed on. The enthralling world of beauty, and the knowledge that I have gained on how to use it, not just as an end in itself but to give fullness to life, is my legacy.”

Ms. Grey studied biochemistry, cosmetic chemistry and makeup artistry, and served an apprenticeship in Beauty Ateliers in Paris, Madrid and Rome. In New York she continues her study of chemistry while experimenting with cosmetics and makeup techniques and working closely with the medical profession, as she does today. Before moving to California in the late 1940’s, Ms. Grey returned to the continent where she inaugurated her skin care like--one of the most extensive ever created.

Aida Grey has devoted her life to the science of skin care and long ago recognized the vital and essential benefits of the use of natural substances in the creation of skin care and beauty aids designed to cope with the stresses and tensions of modern living along with its environmental pollutants. Through her continuing research she has developed natural preparations which when used in individually designed skin care programs effectively arrest the ageing of the skin.

Her scientific approach to personalized skin care was developed through studies with the world’s leading dermatologists and plastic surgeons for which she now holds symposiums at various universities and conventions. Her divergent search for the latest discoveries in scientific and medical research have led to the creation of skin care products that effectively employ ginseng, hyaluronic acid and RNA/DNA compounds. Aida Grey’s firm belief in all things natural extends to the methods practiced in her Beverly Hills salon as well.

Ms. Grey stresses that beauty is a woman’s natural birthright and that it can be fully realized through the use of proper cosmetic application and regular skin care routine. For maximum long term benefits, attention must be given to the complexion even before adolescence, for the Aida Grey method is -- in essence-- a ritual. The longer it is practiced, the greater are its benefits. Just as no two individuals are exactly alike, neither are any two skin types exactly the same, nor the individual skin care regimens they requite. If you seek the befits of an Aida Grey skin care program you may pay her a personal visit at her Beverly Hills Salon (she sees all clients by appointment), consult with a member of her expert staff, visit one of her more than 75 franchises where the staff has been trained by her personally, or write to her in care of “Beauty By Mail” many thousands of Aida Grey’s most devoted clients take advantage of this very personal mail order service where they receive the individual attention Ms. Grey feels is so necessary for the proper care of the skin and the use of her products.

Aida Grey is also a distinguished and internationally recognized makeup artist. “In the days when makeup was applied too heavily, with cement like, painted pancake look,” recalls Ms. Grey, “I concentrated instead on a classic natural look to bring out the special beauty of the individual,” And, Aida Grey products are not for women only. Aida Grey is a firm believer-- as are more and more of the opposite sex-- that facials, sun-blocks and moisturizers are just as essential in keeping a man young looking and free from the ravages of the environment as they are to a woman. “Men need to be educated that men’s and women’s skin is absolutely the same and need to be care for properly,” insists Ms. Grey. “Skin has no sex you know.”

Quite naturally, her list of male clients is increasing daily. Few men get past scrutiny without a pat on the cheek to check out the elasticity and condition of their skin, perhaps some advice on the proper shaping of their beard or mustache, or a subtle suggestion that darker eye brows can make a distinguished face more youthful.

Aida Grey travels across the county lecturing at her carious salons. the popularity of her cosmetics is attested to by the fact that her franchises are not only located in the United States, but in Europe and Africa as well. She appears regularly at the nationally renowned department store Bullock’s Wilshire, where her products are sold and services rendered, giving women indicial skin care analysis and holding panel discussions to provide her clients with the total care that she believes is so necessary to a beautiful, healthy skin. At her Beverly Hills salon she also takes care of pre and post operative chemical peel and plastic surgery patients. She is in constant demand by psychologist and psychiatrists for special consultations and makeovers. At the top of her profession, Aida Frey is on the advisory board of the Fashion Institute, is past president of Fashion Circle West, and belongs to numerous businesses, civic and social organizations. She is constantly asked to write articles for magazines and newspapers, and she and her products have been the subjects to important articles in “Vogue”, “Harper’s Bazaar”, Elle”, “Mademoiselle”, and “Women’s Wear Daily”, to name just a few. She has had her own television shoe, and makes regular appearances on television and radio programs across the country.

Aida Grey’s inexhaustible energy still allows her time for charitable works, in particular making regular appearances-- lecturing and providing skin care demonstrations -- for the teenage drug abuse program at Coldwater Canyon Hospital, the inmates at the Sybil Brand Institute (the largest female penal institution in California), the Ingleside Hospital for Metal Health, the Santa Monica Hospital for the Partially Sighted, and the Senior Health and Peer Counseling Center of Santa Monica.

“The reason cosmetics are so important in jails and hospitals,” insists Ms. Grey, “is that makeup can help you psychologically. A woman must feel pretty. If she likes herself, the world will like her. If she does not feel good about herself, she won’t like anybody. In a real beauty, the power of positive thinking makes her radiant. Beauty has many, many different faces and everyone has beauty within them. There isn’t a person born without something beautiful. Every woman needs to recognize this and not look for a perfect set of features. I can take the plainest façade and make it beautiful for a woman who had inner beauty.” Aida Grey’s first and very successful publication “The Aida Grey Beauty Book” is an encyclopedia of skin care and a complete guide and is in the Library of Congress. ‘This book will be followed shortly be her second book, “How to Grow Old and Stay Young.”

For Aida Frey, beauty begins at home, within the individual: “It’s your attitude toward beauty that’s so important,” says Grey. “It’s like the positive and negative of a picture. A smile can transform the plainest face to radiance and a frown robs the most beautiful soul. that’s the important lesson I try to tech the women I work with, whether they come into the studio, are one of the mail order customers we see only once a year, or are in a hospital or a prison. Anger is the enemy of beauty; anger is a useless emotion, it’s a double-edged sword that wounds at both ends. That is my first beauty lesson to any woman, no matter where she is.”

 

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Adrien Arpel - A Legend in Aesthetics

Adrien Arpel - A Legend in Aesthetics

Adrien Arpel- A Legend in Aesthetics

Adrien Arpel started in the cosmetic business accidentally, not with the intention of founding a dynast, but out frustration when she realized there were so few in the industry willing to take the time to teach an insecure beginner (or for that matter, more mature women) just how to become more attractive through the use of proper skin care and makeup. At the age of 17, having missed a college scholarship by a few points, Adrien Arple had to seek employment prior to embarking on a course of higher education. As she attempted to achieve a “pulled together”, sophisticated look, as a prelude to job hunting, she shopped New York City’s cosmetics departments for advice. What she found was something you all are only too familiar with… mixed, confusing messages.

At one sales counter… the makeup consultant consoled, “you must only wear green shadow,” another cosmetic rep advised “brown”, a third kindly lady told her that “eye shadow was dead.” the result for her -- confusion. So she set out to educate herself, and with that she learned, she started her own business, at the age of 17, with $400 earned as a babysitter. Now at age 44, she reflects on the cosmetic costumer and the industry which has changed over time. Because she spends many hours each day, out in the stores talking with women, and listening to their complaints and needs, she is eminently qualified to answer the question that had Freud so puzzled, “What do women really want?”

What she has discovered is what women don’t want, at least not anymore, and that’s psychology in a bottle. Adrien believes today’s cosmetic customer is really a sophisticated consumer, and just because cosmetic ads feature a gorgeous creature standing by a Rolls Royce flanked by twin Ming vases, the customer knows she isn’t going to wind up looking like a clone of this mystical beauty staring serenely out from these ads.

What this savvy woman does want is to look like herself, only better and as Adrien says, “The company that blends a healthy dose of the latest technology and a degree of realism along with a limited amount of fantasy has found a profitable recipe for success.”

Adrien knows the industry has internal quality controls and fine products. The industry no longer has to sell only a dream in a bottle. “Women don’t expect a magic genie to pop out of a jar, but they do expect results. If we combine our fine products with education, take a little time to teach the customer how to use what she’s buying, we’ve got an industry that will continue to grow.”

Adrien believes the key is to provide more at the cosmetic counter than an intimidating, artfully made-up saleswoman, or worse, the strange-looking “Star Wars” lady with the flaming red hair and purple eye shadow--who can only parrot one line and that is “gold is THE color this year. “There’s no longer such a thing “THE” color. We can suggest fashion, but we must provide a range of colors and products to fit the range of the contemporary woman’s lifestyle. Just as women no longer will be dictated to regarding hem length, no matter how chic the designer, fewer and fewer women are buying the idea that one particular set of makeup colors is right for everyone.

Adrien is a firm believer in the “try before you buy” idea of cosmetic marketing. “A sales staff that is trained to apply makeup directly and artfully on the woman customer is worth its weight in gold eye shadow… and repeat business.” Just as a woman wouldn’t think of buying a dress without trying it on first, many women are asking themselves why they should invest in expensive makeup without at least learning how to use it, and checking the store mirror to see what it will do for them.

Adrien realized many years ago that this smart, contemporary woman thoroughly understands another important idea, that being that the best makeup won’t make up for poor skin. These women know that good skin comes first and herein lies the basis for the current revolution in treatments are a necessary part of skin care and grooming. Adrien attributes her growth in this competitive industry to her understanding of the customer’s need for skin care… skin care that’s as contemporary and “with it” as she is. She now has one-to-one personal skin care boutiques in some 500 of the finest department and specialty stores. These boutiques cater to the contemporary woman of all ages…. And the numbers keep growing. These same women who enjoy the “laying on of hands” that a salon facial provides, will also buy the skin treatments prescribed for their at home use, so they can give themselves a pro-style, do-it-yourself facial whenever they have a few minutes to spare.”. The facial masques of 20 years ago that instructed the woman to lie down for an hour once the cream was applied just doesn’t have much clout with the woman who may have only 10 minutes between a tennis lesson, P.T.A. meeting or the end of a hard day at the office and the beginning of a casual date.

Adrien believes in the importance of offering professional salon facials as a way to sell treatment products. Women enjoy the personal luxury, the being fussed over and touched in a soothing, non-intimate way that a facial provides as well as skin care education on a one to one basis which the good aesthetician provides. Thus they are inclined to follow her recommendations for the purchase of skin care products.

Let’s not forget that though today’s woman is busier and has more responsibilities outside the home than her 1950’s counterpart, she is still a woman, and a hard working facial that also soothes the psych is an indulgence most women want, as long as they receive more tangible benefits from a facial than an hours nap. What does a contented facial customer mean to business? When the customer sees her skin so improves, she will be very receptive when her aesthetician shows her these same treatment products she can use at home. Adrien says, “I’ve always found that a very effective selling tool is to follow each of my facials by a complimentary “try before you buy” complete makeup application and lesson, so the woman knows just how she will look in any product she may decide to purchase. The result? Fewer dissatisfied customers and greater customer loyalty.”

What about makeup? Is this new customer forsaking makeup as part of her busy schedule, her quest for freedom? Not al all!!!! If anything, she’s wearing more makeup, mainly because she spends more time out of the house, and in more competitive situations. You can’t walk into the executive suite looking plain and boring. But women want their makeup routine simplifies, too. Women just aren’t Picassos, and they won’t take the time to learn complex makeup routines. Why should they, they have better things to do. But they do want to learn how to look better, and they will buy whatever cosmetics can easily help. Today’s woman has no time and less patience, but she still wants to look like a terrific creature.

In fact, Adrien feels so strongly that this busy, savvy customer is the one who is spending the money on hard working treatments and east to se cosmetics that when she wrote her beauty books she geared them to the contemporary woman with the overflowing schedule… not necessarily the working woman, but the busy woman, the one who wants some reality along with the glamour. And these are the women that responded to her books. There are a lot of these women out there, not just in the book department, but browsing through all the cosmetic counters… browsing and buying, if the products are geared to their needs.

So, to answer Freud’s question, “What do women what?” Adrien’s answer is simple: “When it comes to beauty and cosmetics, THEY WANT IT ALL, the technology, the realism, the education to use the products we provide.. And yes, the glamour that fits today’s lifestyle. We are not talking about the satin sheets kind of glamour of the 1920’s, typified by Jean Harlow. Today’s glamour figure works up a sweat playing tennis, works as a mother, and works and plays equally hard, and to win. Women do want it all... To look like a vamp, and to live like a top executive. Let’s face it... Most of today’s women still want to look like Cosmopolitan cover girls even though they are faithfully reading “MS.” and baking their own bread.

But now, we have an edge. We know what they want, and we’ve got what it takes to give it all to them. If we combine the new glamour with the new realism, the love affair between the contemporary woman, so different from their mother and grandmother… and her ardent suitor, the cosmetic industry, will last far into the future.

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Michel Dumas - A Legend in Aesthetics

Michel Dumas - A Legend in Aesthetics

Michel Dumas is one of the best known French makeup artists in the world, having worked in over 30 countries. He has revealed his talents in numerous fields such as fashion, photography, film, theater, television, and advertising and has participated in over 70 makeup shows and events around the globe. This work has inspired him to write several articles on makeup, some having been translated into 15 different languages and published in 53 countries.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A MAKEUP ARTIST?
Generally, it is a vocation. For me, it was pure chance, as at the time, I was an actor performing in the theater. At first, I thought that being a makeup artist would be nothing but an intermission during my time as an actor. Nevertheless, I quickly got caught up in the game, especially as I was given more and more opportunities to travel abroad to practice makeup. This allowed me to further enjoy my new career direction. One thing led to another and, eventually, the trial career became my new passion.

makeup in hollywoodsingerWHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR SPECIALTY IN MAKEUP ART?
My speciality is making individuals feel beautiful and happy in a very personalized manner, without anyone thinking that makeup is involved. There are several domains for makeup artists. I have tried and tested them all. I have worked for the theater, fashion, photography, advertisement, and entertainment. I have been, and still am today, an artistic consultant for makeup brands in France and abroad. This diverse artistic journey has required an extremely solid foundation, so as not to get lost on the way. That being said, I reinforced and developed my more classical knowledge, always keeping in mind the fact that I wanted to make my models feel beautiful and happy. I wanted to reveal their personality (the true meaning of makeup art). Thus, I developed my own style. Some may call it classical, as opposed to the upheaval of modern makeup, which can often be excessive. Many makeup artists have paid the cost of modernizing their work, having forgotten that makeup is the art of making people feel beautiful and minimizing their flaws.
From the ‘80s and ‘90s onwards, when the modern movement really became established, I regularly received calls from Asia and America. As a true defender of long-lasting values, I had to put things back into order. I carried out these missions with diligence. Since then, requests have flooded in and I have worked in around a dozen countries each year.

SO, WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY TEACH?
I analyze and I dissect fashion and trends. I explain and demonstrate how to adapt them into one’s work. I have also taught my method and my techniques in 29 countries.

HOW DID YOU BEGIN TEACHING?
Again, this also happened by chance. Because I have worked in all lines of makeup art, I was able to teach. I started teaching in 1975 in the Netherlands, then, in 1976, I started in Quebec and Toronto, and, in 1977, I moved onto the United States. In 1984, I opened my first makeup school in Paris, the first of its kind in Europe.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MAKEUP TODAY?
The cosmetics industry has been booming since the ‘50s. The number of makeup artists increases every year. Television, film, fashion, theater, advertisement, and entertainment use more and more of it.
There is another sector needing an increase of makeup professionals – major brands. These companies are constantly creating high technology products and it is useful to teach the client how to best use these products. The direct consequence of this is an ever-increasing need for professional makeup.makeup

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Michelle D’Allaird-Brenner: A Legend in Aesthetics

Michelle D’Allaird-Brenner: A Legend in Aesthetics

Michelle D’Allaird Brenner is a New York State licensed aesthetician and International CIDESCO Diplomat. She is the owner of the Aesthetic Science Institute aesthetic schools in Syracuse and Latham, N.Y. She is a consultant and educator for international cosmetic companies around the world. D’Allaird is a contributing author to major industry trade magazines, as well as a host and speaker for International Congress of Esthetics and Spa conferences in Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Long Beach. She is also a co-author of Salon Fundamentals, an aesthetic textbook. Her expertise lies in education and curriculum development for aesthetic, medical, and laser courses.

 

 

  1. In one word, describe yourself!

    Inspirational

  2. What’s your personal mantra?

    Everything in life is a choice…everything.  Where you are, where you’re going and where you will end up…its all about the choices you make.

  3. What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?

    Vodka martinis with blue cheese olives!

  4. How do you spend most of your time?

    Saying a little prayer and being thankful for achievements, accomplishments and special people in my life.

  5. Favorite type of skin care product? Why?

    Serums…power packed infusions that saturate the skin with benefits.

  6. What’s something most people don’t know about you?

    I’m no where near as social as people think!  I’m a really private person and my husband and his are the focus of every free minute I have.

  7. How would you describe your leadership style and how has it benefited you throughout your career?

    I lead by example, I never expect for others what I can not and will not do myself, and I treat everyone on the team as an equal…including myself.

  8. What’s most important to your business: mission, core values, or vision? Why?

    Core Values…because without them, achieving a mission or having a seeking a vision isn’t possible.

  9. What’s one characteristic you believe every leader should possess? Why?

    Courage.  A leader needs to lead through good and bad, happy and sad…and every trail and tribulation. This takes massive courage.  You will never find a true leader that didn’t push through their fears to show their team how its done!

  10. What are the biggest trends in the spa industry?

    Back to basics!  I think the tables are turning and both professionals and clients are seeking the foundation of youth and beauty…healthy, nurtured, properly cared for skin and body.

  11. What is the biggest challenge facing the industry today?

    The legality of scope of practice.  There are so many new techniques and devices hitting the market every single day.  Estheticians are struggling with what “really” falls within our scope of practice.
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Hannelore Leavy: A Legend in Aesthetics

Hannelore Leavy: A Legend in Aesthetics

Jeffrey Joseph’s Spafinder Travel Arrangements was the introduction for Hannelore Leavy’s involvement with the American spa market. In the 1970s, however, she started health and wellness travel programs to her native Austria as the North America marketing director for the United States office of the Austrian National Tourism Board. This received a lot of attention and other European organizations started similar events. With so much of the attention on Europe, Leavy realized that spas in the United States represented an underdeveloped market.

 

“It takes a leader, someone like her, with fresh ideas and the ability to help people see them. For an industry to grow, it takes someone willing to take on a wider role – that of an advocate, mentor, and guide – someone willing to work for the success of a group of people and not just one individual or company,” said Sarah Light, former writer for Spa Management.

 

As vice president of sales and marketing, and associate publisher for The Spa Finder, the first directory of spas and health resorts in North America (not to be confused with the current SpaFinder.com), Leavy set out to improve consumers’ accessibility to quality spas and spa services. Thus, began her proactive approach to
spa marketing.

 

Not only was there a lack of facilities, but a lack of owners and managers to realize the potential of joining together to advertise their properties and programs to enable industry growth. Under the auspices of Spa Finders, Leavy organized the first spa symposium in 1990 at the New Age Health Spa in Neversink, New York – during which she co-founded the International Spa Association.

 

Pampering treatments for women, adapted from Europe, started becoming popular in the United States during the 1970s. Leavy’s research found that, although some isolated programs, such as Elisabeth Ardens’ Red Door and similar, had been around for quite some time, the development of the American spa industry was not keeping step with growing consumer needs. “From the very beginning, she advocated taking a holistic approach to beauty – a European approach that combined mind, body, and spirit. Looking at today’s market, clearly her vision was correct,” said Eric Light, former president of the Strawberry Hill Group and of the International Medical Spa Association under Leavy’s leadership.

 

The late ‘80s saw a rather surprising amount of salons starting to offer aesthetic and wellness programs to build the bridge from resort to day spas. At this point, Leavy started the first in-depth market analyses in the United States spa history. She also realized that this would require the development of standards and the quest to do just that would not change unless education and development resources became available.

 

Unfortunately, Leavy’s marketing efforts on behalf of The Spa Finder did not translate into long-term success for the catalog and SpaFinders Travel Arrangement, although the second edition carried an unheard amount of advertising, including skin care products. “I have never been much aware of an aesthetics industry in the United States, I have to admit,” says Leavy. “But, I got educated very quickly by visiting the first aesthetic show at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City organized by DERMASCOPE.”

 

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On stage at CreativeColor

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Leavy standing beside Katie Armatage

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WolfMountain Distinguished Day Spa of the Year Award

 

“I tried to convince I/SPA to start including day spas in their membership roster of resort and destination spas, but I got outvoted,” she says. The continual lack of recognition of the day spa sector of the industry became an increasing concern as she felt that the day spa sector was destined to play a bigger role in the industry’s growth. Leavy’s solution was simple. She turned her attention towards starting The Day Spa Association (DSA). Founded in 1991, the Day Spa Association’s mission was to help the spa industry grow through education, development of standards, and guidelines for consumers.

 

“I spent countless hours at the New York Public Library, researching every spa and salon listed in the yellow pages for every major metropolitan area across the country. Remember, that was before the internet – a tedious job, indeed!” says Leavy.

 

As the industry started to grow, it did so without a name. The term day spa did not come into existence until the mid-1980s, when Catherine Atzen, founder of ATZEN Superior to Organic® Skin Care and fellow AIA Academy of Legends inducteed (2016), opened the first day spa in Manhattan, New York. Atzen noted, “Hannelore is an exceptional mover and shaker that motivates the leaders of our industry, the press, and the business world to see this industry’s incredible potential. And, she was doing this before most knew what a spa was.”

 

“Definition: What is a Day Spa?” was the first research study that dealt exclusively with the day spa industry. This research helped to distinguish the differences between day spas and hair salons with some aesthetic services. These new guidelines were presented to the industry at the 1994 I/SPA Conference and were recognized for the next two decades as the industry standard, and still is today. They were used by trade magazines, industry researchers, and the consumer press. The Day Spa Directory, the first-ever listing of day spas was published in 1994 and received a tremendous reception from consumers. “One small mention in COOKING LIGHT brought in 700 inquiries for a copy of that directory,” recalls Leavy. Later editions of the Directory, as it grew and included information on product and service members, became a major information source for many spa professionals, eventually being renamed The Day/Medical Spa Directory, in 2002.

 

Day spa industry leaders, like Michael Carter, president of Athena Health Club and Day Spa, applauded Leavy for “being a visionary to recognize the need for a day spa association and having the intestinal fortitude to work tirelessly over many, many years in growing and expanding the organization.” Rosemary Weiner, the owner of Brass Rose Spa, credits Leavy for her exceptional help in connecting her with those individuals and companies she needed to open her award-winning day spa in northern New Jersey. “She was the only one that was willing to listen and give me advice,” Weiner comments. “Invaluable resources at her fingertips that no one was able to convey.” Industry members felt that, for the first time, an association offered proper representation and resources for their sector of the exploding day spa market. The Day Spa Association members proudly displayed the DSA decal on their doors and their membership certificate hung prominently on their walls.

 

As the industry matured, Leavy understood that the association had to respond to change. The Day Spa Association needed to update its guidelines and continue to differentiate true day spas in the marketplace. DSA’s spa accreditation was implemented, given spas that adhere to the DSA standards, the industry seal of approval as an Accredited Day Spa.

 

Then, came the big change. At the turn of the century, services that promised longer-lasting effects increased in popularity. What was once the privilege of the rich and famous now became available to everyone. Medical spas were designed to offer medical-grade aesthetic services in the relaxing and pampering atmosphere women and men have come to expect from a spa. Once again, Leavy recognized that this sector of the industry needed the support and structure of an organization dedicated to helping it grow successfully and it needed to be distinguished from the day spa industry. In 2002, after discussions with numerous industry leaders, she founded the International Medical Spa Association (IMSA). This new organization focused on providing consumers and industry members with the education to ensure the highest standards of care. Lauren Olson, owner of Radiance Advanced Skin and Body Care, located in The Woodlands, Texas, says this of the association: “As a new business owner, having the right tools at the very start is so critical. I came from the medical world, so I needed some way to learn more about the spa business. Having an active association has given me the extra support needed to succeed.”

 

L14

The DSA 2009 Board Of Directors

L15

The Day Spa Business Bible

 

 

The IMSA was the first spa industry association that offered an active mentoring program and a medical spa malpractice insurance program. It has also become heavily involved in legislative matters. As each state in the United States sets its own standards for the practice of medicine, every day brings a new set of proposed
legislation. Responding to change, Leavy, through her association, reached out to medical and other related associations to lobby jointly on the industry’s behalf.

 

Skip Williams, vice president of the Las Vegas, Nevada-based spa development firm, Resources and Development, first spoke with Leavy while the two were sitting on a park bench outside an industry conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “Hannelore has had many opportunities to make a lucrative career in our industry, yet, because it would violate an implied trust that her members have in her, she has instead passed those opportunities to others. Her high ethical standards allowed her to stand head and shoulders above other spa professionals and keep the DSA and IMSA well above reproach,” said Williams.
With a growing international membership, Leavy was invited to address major industry conferences in China, Italy, Germany, Jamaica, and South America. Thus, the need to form chapters for both DSA and IMSA in Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, and South America emerged.

 

Sharon Chambers, vice president of Positive Tourism Limited in Jamaica, and executive director of the Caribbean chapter of the Day & Resort Spa and International Medical Spa Association believes, “[Leavy’s] greatest strengths are her contributions to the industry that can be used by other entities to grow. Due to her longevity in the industry and her commitment, she has developed an incredible body of knowledge from which others can draw benefit.”

 

L16

L17

The cover of DSA's 2007-2008 directory

L18

Standing with Cheryl Whitman, president and CEO of Forever Beautiful

 

 

Leavy has always been at the forefront of industry innovation and development. For over 20 years, she
has encouraged and supported new thinking in an industry that thrives on innovation.

 

She is a supporter of media, having conducted hundreds of interviews and quoted in most, if not all, major newspapers and magazines around the country. She has also appeared on various radio and television shows over the last 20 years. In response to the overwhelming number of calls from reporters and writers, Leavy published, “The Evolution & Future of the Day Spa Industry,” a history of the development of the day spa industry in the United States. She also wrote many articles for trade and consumer magazines and created a number of industry publications. In addition, many books on the subject of spa include a quote or forward from her.

 

Industry leaders describe Leavy as dedicated, tireless, unselfish, and knowledgeable. Wendy Bosalavage, president of American Leisure, said, “I believe Hannelore to be one of the industry’s greatest pioneers – both in the formation of the DSA and IMSA. She is an outstanding consensus builder. Everything she has done has been based upon her principles.” John Buckingham, CEO, and founder of Solana MedSpas echoed these comments when he said, “She is a tireless worker with the total passion for our industry. She is the beacon of integrity and openness.”

 

In the mid-1990s, Leavy predicted that American day spas would embrace the idea of wellness just like destination spas had a decade before. “Baby Boomers are adapting to anti-aging and preventative medicine, along with the desire for an improved quality of life,” she said. Leavy believes that this trend brings less of an emphasis on external beautification and a stronger focus on prevention and maintenance, on a local basis, without having to travel to a resort spa.

 

L19

 

Susie Ellis of the Global Wellness Summit & Global Wellness Institute commented on Leavy’s congratulations on receiving an award from the Metropolitan New York Chapter of the U.S. National Committee for UN Women. “Thank you, Hannelore, for your very kind message. Anything that I have accomplished includes many people’s contributions and I especially appreciate the pioneers – like you – in the early days, when there really had to be passion and vision. These days it is easier to see how important what we do is – but all those decades ago, there were just a few voices. And you were definitely one of the most important!”

 

Another prediction Leavy made in the early days of the 21st century was the belief that medical spas would mushroom and procedures would become more and more advanced. She also foresaw that heavier emphasis on the participation of licensed health care professionals would be necessary to keep quality standards at the forefront of the medical spa industry.

 

Rosemary Weiner of The Brass Rose Day Spa in New Jersey said, “Hannelore Leavy embodies the perfect mentor. The organization she founded, the Day Spa Association, embodied the value of collaboration. Mentorship is, most often, a person that inspires you. But also, it may be a group of people or an organization. Both offer advice, inspiration, education, and resources to help attain your goal. Mentorship and collaboration are a gift to the future of the industry. That is the gift she has given to the day spa/medical spa industry!”

 

L20Leavy’s legacy, her impact upon the spa industry past and future, was summed up by Cheryl Whitman, president, and CEO of the consulting firm, Forever Beautiful. “Hannelore is the foremost day and medical spa expert in the country. I highly admire her integrity, ethics, and proven dedication to our industry. I consider Hannelore both an inspiration and a mentor.”

 

Leavy retired in 2010 and passed on the helm of both the DSA and IMSA to Alan Share. She can be reached at her offices for HRLeavy LLC, Spa & Wellness Business Consultancy.

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Business Resources

AIA was established in 1972 by aestheticians, for aestheticians, so we know that your needs will vary throughout the different stages of your career. Below are some business resources designed to help AIA members wherever they might find themselves in their careers in aesthetics.

Business Forms
We have created downloadable business forms, such as client intake and skin analysis, for you to use in your spa or salon.

Continuing Education
AIA understands the power and confidence that comes with knowledge! That’s why we offer monthly webinars covering a wide range of topics. We also partner with schools and manufacturers that share our vision for higher education. To see upcoming webinars, classes, and courses, visit the Events page. AIA is your life-long learning partner! 

Insurance
Every professional should carry liability insurance! Professional Program Insurance Brokerage (PPIB) is the exclusive insurance provider for AIA members. PPIB has specialized in insuring the beauty industry since 1993. They understand the unique insurance needs of the beauty world and created a policy tailored for AIA members. Their policy offers General and Professional Liability for individuals.  The policy limits are $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate for the beauty services outline. They cover you anywhere you work. Call today and see if you could be saving money! 415-475-4300

Discounts
AIA is continuously working to secure beneficial services at discount rates for its members. Save money on products you already buy! Our Corporate Member Program is made up of the top brands in the industry and they offer a minimum 10% discount to AIA members. Check out all of our available discounts!

Equipment
Have you been thinking about buying or leasing equipment for your spa? Let us help match you with a distributor! We have relationships with several reputable equipment companies. 

Network
What’s the secret to a successful business? Networking! AIA and DERMASCOPE Magazine will be exhibiting at the IECSC tradeshows in 2020. (New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas) Join us! Make new friends, watch a demonstration, attend a class, and network with like-minded professionals all in one place.
Join our community today!

Mentors & Mentees
AIA has a mentorship program for its members! If you are newly licensed or maybe just stuck in a rut and want some help navigating your journey in your career in aesthetics, AIA can help. Let us pair you with a mentor that will help walk you down the aesthetics path. Being an AIA member means more than being part of an association – it means making your career and education a priority! Contact us today! 

Join AIA to become an industry advocate!

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AIA Member logos!

Use the marketing material below to announce that you are an AIA member. As several options are available, please only use the one that fits your membership level.

 

We encourage you to use these images on your website, social media pages, and your email signature. Be sure to link the image to https://www.dermascope.com/aia as it will help to increase your website’s SEO rating.

 

To download the images, hold the Alt key and click on the image or right-click on the image and click the ‘Save As’ option. All images are 500x500 pixels.

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State Board Requirements

State Board Requirements

State Board Aesthetician Licensing Requirements

*inquirers should be aware that for the most accurate information on licensing, they should contact their state board department

Alabama

  • 1000 hours of training in an approved school or 2000 hours in an approved apprenticeship program
  • Must also submit an application and pay $195 licensing fee
  • Must pass written and practical exams
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $80 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 800-815-7453
  • Fax: 334-242-1926
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering website: http://www.aboc.state.al.us/default.aspx

Alaska

  • 350 hours of training in an approved school or 350 hours in an approved apprenticeship program
  • Must also submit an application and pass written and practical exams
  • $150 application fee, $120 exam fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $140 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 907-465-2550
  • Fax: 907-465-2974
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Alaska Board of Barbers and Hairdressers website: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardofBarbersHairdressers/ApplicationsForms.aspx

Arizona

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school
  • Must apply and be approved to take licensure exam with Arizona State Board of Cosmetology, $177 exam fee, $70 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $60 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Must pass written and practical exams
  • Phone: 480-784-4539
  • Arizona State Board of Cosmetology website: https://boc.az.gov/

Arkansas

  • 600 hours of training in approved school (apprenticeship not accepted)
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $65 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $50 fee, done online, no continuing education requirements
  • Lifetime license option available to aestheticians age 65+ with 30 years as a licensed aesthetician
  • Phone: 501-682-2168
  • Fax: 501-682-5640
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Arkansas Department of Health: Cosmetology website: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/cosmetology

California

  • 600 hours of training in board-approved school or 3200 hours in the department’s sponsored Apprenticeship Program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $65 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 800-952-5210
  • Fax: 916-575-7281
  • Board of Barbering and Cosmetology website: http://www.barbercosmo.ca.gov/

Colorado

  • 20 credit hours of training in an approved school (600 clock hours)
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $127exam fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $26 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies: Office of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure Website: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/Barber_Cosmetology
  • Phone: 303-894-7800
  • Fax: 303-894-0364
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Connecticut

Delaware

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school or 1200 hours of apprenticeship training
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $175 exam fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $175 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 302-744-4500
  • Fax: 302-739-2711
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Delaware Board of Cosmetology and Barbering website: https://dpr.delaware.gov/boards/cosmetology/

Florida

  • The current option for licensure available in Florida is a facial specialist license. A facial specialist is defined by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation as “a person registered to do facials in the State of Florida. Facial means the massaging or treating of the face or scalp with oils, creams, lotions, or other preparations. These services must be performed in a licensed salon.” A body wrapping license is also available. A body wrapper is defined as “a person who is licensed to engage in the practice of body wrapping which is a treatment program that uses presoaked herbal wraps for the purposes of cleansing and beautifying the skin of the body.”
  • Requirements for a Facial Specialist license:
    • 260 hours of training in an approved school’s facial specialty program
    • No exam, must submit Certification of Eligibility Form as well as a license application and pay fee
    • Must submit proof of taking an HIV/AIDS course w/in last two years of applying
    • Renewal: every 2 years, 16 hours of continuing education may be required
  • Requirements for a Body Wrapping license:
    • Must complete an approved, 2-day, 12-hour body wrapping course and submit certificate of completion along with application for license
    • No required exams, must pay application fees
  • Phone (for Board of Cosmetology): 850-487-1395
  • Fax (for Board of Cosmetology): 850-488-8040
  • Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website: http://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/cosmetology/

Georgia

  • 1,000 hours of training in an approved school or 2,000 approved apprenticeship hours
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $30 application fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, 5 hours of continuing education required, $45 renewal fee
    • 3 of the five continuing education hours must be in a course in health and safety developed or approved by the Board
    • The other 2 must be in a course previously registered with the Board in any of the following areas: industry or trade show, health and safety, industry trends, computer skills, business management, the area of practice for the type of license held
  • Phone: 478-207-2440
  • Georgia Secretary of State Licensing website: http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/licensing

Hawaii

  • Aestheticians in Hawaii are licensed as “beauty operators”
  • 600 hours of training at an approved school or 1200 hours of an approved apprenticeship
  • Must pass a written and practical exam, $40 fee
  • Students can also apply for a temporary license that allows them to work under supervision of a licensed aesthetician while waiting to take the written exam for up to 1 year
  • Renewal: every 2 years
  • Phone: 808-586-3000
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing, Barbering and Cosmetology website: http://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/barber/

Idaho

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $10 fee
  • Renewal: must renew every year, $10 fee, no continuing education requirements
  • Phone: 208-334-3233
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Idaho Board of Cosmetology website: https://ibol.idaho.gov/IBOL/BoardPage.aspx?Bureau=cos

Illinois

  • 750 hours of training, lasting at least 18 weeks, in an approved program/school
  • Apprenticeship not accepted
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $30 fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, 10 hours of continuing education required, $25 fee
  • Phone: 888-473-4858
  • Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Esthetician website: https://www.idfpr.com/profs/Esthetics.asp

Indiana

  • 700 hours of training in an approved school/program completed w/in 3 years
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $40 application fee
  • Renewal: every 4 years, $40 fee
  • Phone: 317- 234-3031
  • Fax: 317-233-4236
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Indiana Professional Licensing Agency website: https://www.in.gov/pla/2711.htm

Iowa

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $75 fee per exam, $60 license fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $60 fee, 6 hours of continuing education required.
    • A minimum of 4 hours of the 6 hours shall be in the prescribed practice discipline and a minimum of 2 hours of the 6 hours shall be in the content areas of Iowa cosmetology law and rules and sanitation. Individuals holding more than one active license shall obtain 4 hours of continuing education in each prescribed practice discipline and an additional 2 hours in the content areas of Iowa cosmetology law and rules and sanitation.
  • Phone: 515- 281-0254
  • Fax: 515-281-3121
  • Iowa Board of Cosmetology Arts & Sciences website: https://idph.iowa.gov/Licensure/Iowa-Board-of-Cosmetology-Arts-and-Sciences

Kansas

  • Graduation from an approved school/program or 1000 clock hours of apprenticeship
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $60 fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $60 fee
  • Phone: 785-296-3155
  • Fax: 785-296-3002
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Kansas Board of Cosmetology website: http://www.kansas.gov/kboc/

Kentucky

  • 1000 hours of training in an approved school
  • Must pass a written and practical exam, $75 license fee
  • Renewal: must renew each year, $50 fee, no continuing education requirements
  • Phone: 502-564-4262
  • Fax: 502-564-0481
  • Kentucky Board of Hairdressers and Cosmetologists website: https://kbhc.ky.gov/Licensure/Pages/default.aspx

Louisiana

  • 750 hours of training in an approved school
  • Must pass written and practical exams and pay associated fees
  • Renewal: must renew each year and pay associated fees
  • Phone: 225-756-3404
  • Fax: 225- 756-3410
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Louisiana Board of Cosmetology website: www.lsbc.louisiana.gov

Maine

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program for at least 3 months or 1000 hours of apprenticeship hours for at least 6 months
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $41 license fee
  • Renewal: must renew each year, $20 fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 207-624-8603
  • Fax: 207-624-8637
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Maine Barbering and Cosmetology Licensing website: http://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/barbers/

Maryland

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school or 12 months as a registered apprentice
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $25 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every two years, $25 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 410-230-6192 or 410-230-6320
  • Fax: 410-333-6314
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation website: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/cos/cosreq.shtml

Massachusetts

  • At least 300 hours at an approved school or 2 years of practical experience under a licensed provider
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $135 exam fee, $68 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 1-2 years, must pay associated fees, no continuing education hours necessary
  • Phone: 617-727-9940 or 800-274-2021
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering website: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/board-of-registration-of-cosmetology-and-barbering

Michigan

  • 400 hours of training in a licensed school of cosmetology or a 6-month apprenticeship program with a licensed cosmetology establishment
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay associated fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $48 fee
  • Phone: 517-373-8068
  • Fax: 517-241-9416
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs: Cosmetology website: http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-72600_72602_72731_72864---,00.html

Minnesota

  • 600 hours of training in an approved program/school, at least 15 weeks
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay required fees
  • Renewal: every 3 years, 8 hours of continuing education required, pay required fees
  • Phone: 651-201-2742
  • Fax: 651-649-5702
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Minnesota Board of Cosmetology website: https://mn.gov/boards/cosmetology/

Mississippi

  • 600 hours of training in a licensed school in which the practice of esthetics is taught
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $50 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $50 renewal fee, 8 hours of continuing education required
  • Master Esthetician License requirements:
    • Be a licensed esthetician in Mississippi for at least 12 months
    • 16 hours of approved continuing education, pay fees
    • Renewal: every 2 years, 8 hours of continuing education, pay fees
  • Phone: 601-359-1820
  • Fax: 601-354-6639
  • Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology website: http://www.msbc.ms.gov/Pages/Licensing.aspx

Missouri

  • 750 training hours in an approved school/program or 1500 hours of approved apprenticeship
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $280 exam fees, additional licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $50 renewal fee. No continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 573-751-1052
  • Fax: 573-751-8167
  • E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Missouri Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners website: http://www.pr.mo.gov/cosbar.asp

Montana

  • 650 hours of training in an approved program/school
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees, $80 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $80 renewal fee, continuing education hours may be required
  • Phone: 406-444-5711
  • Fax: 406-841-2305
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists website: http://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/cos

Nebraska

  • 600 hours and 600 credits in either a school of cosmetology or an apprentice salon
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $95 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $118 renewal fee, 8 hours of continuing education required
  • Phone: 402- 471-2399
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Nebraska Department of Health and Human Resources website: http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/Pages/crlCosmCosiEsthHome.aspx

Nevada

  • 900 hours of training in an approved program/school or 1800 hours in an approved apprenticeship program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay $125 exam fee and $70 licensing fee for 2-year license, or $140 licensing fee for 4 year license
  • Renewal: every 2-4 years, complete the Board’s Infection Control Course, pay renewal fee
  • Phone: 702-508-0015 (Las Vegas office) or 775-688-1442 (Reno office)
  • Fax: 702- 850-2418
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Nevada Board of Cosmetology website: https://sites.google.com/nvcosmo.com/nevada-board-of-cosmetology/license-services/esthetician

New Hampshire

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school or 1200 hours in an approved apprenticeship
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam and licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, pay renewal fees, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 603-271-3608
  • Fax: 603-271-3950
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • New Hampshire Board of Barbering, Cosmetology, & Esthetics website: https://www.oplc.nh.gov/cosmetology/index.htm

New Jersey

  • 600 hours in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $50 exam fee, $90 licensing fee
  • Can practice while attending school on a student permit, once half of required coursework is completed
  • Renewal: every 2 years, pay renewal fees, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 973- 504-6400
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling website: http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/cos/Pages/default.aspx

New Mexico

  • 600 hours of training (or equivalent credit) in an approved school/program or 6 months (150 hours of training) of work experience
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $50 licensing fee
  • If combined with a manicurist license, 900 hours of training in an approved school
  • Renewal: every 2 years, no continuing education hours required, pay $50 renewal fee
  • Phone: 505-476-4622
  • Fax: 505-476-4665
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • New Mexico Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists website: http://www.rld.state.nm.us/boards/Barbers_and_Cosmetologists.aspx

New York

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, $15 fee for each exam and $40 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 4 years, $40 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 518- 474-4429
  • Fax: 518- 473-6648
  • Division of Licensing Services: Esthetics website: https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/esthetics/esthetics.html

North Carolina

  • 600 hours of training in an approved program/school
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fee and $10 licensing fee
  • Renewal: must be renewed each year, 8 hours of continuing education required, $20 fee
  • Phone: 919-733-4117
  • Fax: 919-733-4127
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners website: https://www.nccosmeticarts.com/initiallicensing/ncstudents.aspx

North Dakota

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass practical and written exams$25 exam fee, $25 license fee
  • Renewal: must be renewed each year, $25 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Master Esthetician License:
    • 1000 hours of practice as licensed aesthetician
    • License fee of $25
    • Must be renewed annually, $25 renewal fee
  • Phone: 701-224-9800
  • Fax: 701-222-8756
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology website: https://www.ndcosmetology.com/  

Ohio

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees, and pay licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, 8 hours of continuing education required, renewal fee
    • Licensees age 65+ prior to January 31, 2019 do not need CE hours to renew, just need to pay renewal fee
  • Advanced Esthetician License:
    • 1800 hours of practice as a licensed esthetician or 150 hours of training in an approved advanced esthetics program
    • Pay exam and/or licensing fees
    • Renew: every 2 years, pay renewal fees, 8 hours of continuing education
  • Phone: 614-466-3834
  • Fax:614-644-6880
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board website: http://www.cos.ohio.gov/FORMS-APPLICATIONS/COSMETOLOGY

Oklahoma

Oregon

  • 250 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • 150 hours in Safety/Infection Control and 100 hours of Career Development is also required for initial certification.
  • Must pass written and practical exams and pay exam and licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, pay renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 503-378-8667
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  • Oregon Board of Cosmetology website: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HLO/Pages/Board-Cosmetology-Esthetician-License.aspx

Pennsylvania

  • 300 hours of training in a licensed cosmetology school
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam and licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, pay renewal fees, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 717-783-7130
  • Fax: 717-705-5540
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology website: http://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/Cosmetology/Pages/default.aspx

Rhode Island

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $25 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, pay renewal fees, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 401-222-5960
  • State of Rhode Island Department of Health: Barbering, Hairdressing, and Cosmetology website: http://health.ri.gov/licenses/detail.php?id=225

South Carolina

  • 450 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must take written and practical exams, pay exam and licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $52 renewal fee, 12 contact hours of continuing education hours required.
    • Only half of the 12-hour requirement may be completed online.
    • At least 3 hours of instruction shall be in sanitation or health and safety for clients
  • Phone: 803-896-4588
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • South Carolina Board of Cosmetology website: http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Cosmetology/index.asp?file=faq.htm

South Dakota

  • 600 hours of aesthetics education
  • Pass written and practical exams, as well as a South Dakota state laws/rules exam
  • Pay $80 fee for exams and initial license
  • Renewal: must be renewed each year, pay $20 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 605-773-6193
  • Fax: 605-773-7175
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • South Dakota Cosmetology Commission website: http://dlr.sd.gov/cosmetology/licensing_requirements.aspx#esth

Tennessee

  • 750 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam and licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $60 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 615-741-2241
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Tennessee Department of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners: Aesthetician website: https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/cosmo/licensee-applicant-resources/how-do-i-get-an-individual-license/aesthetician.html

Texas

  • 750 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written ($52) and practical ($74) exams and pay licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, pay $50 renewal fee, and obtain 4 hours of continuing education.
    • The 4 hours of continuing education must be through department-approved courses. The continuing education hours must include 1 hour of sanitation, and 3 hours of any topic listed in Section 83.120 of the Cosmetology Administrative Rules.
    • A licensee who is at least 65 years old and has held a license for at least 15 years is required to complete 1 hour of continuing education in sanitation. Courses must be approved.
  • Phone: 800-803-9202
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation: Cosmetologists website: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/cosmet/cosmet.htm

Utah

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school (at least 15 weeks) or 800 hours in an approved apprenticeship (at least 5 months)
    • Master Esthetician: 1200 hours of training in an approved school or 1500 hours of an approved apprenticeship
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $60 licensing fee
    • Master Esthetician: pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $85 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $52 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
    • Master Esthetician: every 2 years, $68 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 866-275-3675 or 801-530-6628
  • Fax: 801-530-6511
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing website: http://dopl.utah.gov/licensing/cosmetology_barbering.html

Vermont

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program or 800 hours in an approved apprenticeship (12 months)
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam and licensing fees
    • Master esthetician license: 1200 hours of training in an approved school, pay exam and licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $130 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 802-828-1134
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Vermont Secretary of State: Barbers and Cosmetologists website: https://www.sec.state.vt.us/professional-regulation/list-of-professions/barbers-cosmetologists.aspx

Virginia

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $105 licensing fee
  • Master esthetician: 1200 hours of training in an approved school
    • Pass required exams and pay required fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $105 renewal fee, no continuing education required
  • Phone: 804-367-8509
  • Fax: 866- 245-9693
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology website: http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/BarberCosmo/

Washington

  • 750 hours of training in an approved school/program or 800 hours in an approved apprenticeship
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay fees $25 licensing fee
  • Master esthetician:1200 hours of training in an approved school or 1400 hours in an approved apprenticeship
    • Pass required exams and pay exam fees and $25 licensing fee
  • Renewal: every 2 years, $55 renewal fee (for master as well), no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 360-664-6626
  • Fax: 360-664-2550
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Washington State Department of Licensing: Cosmetologists website: http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/cosmetology/index.html

West Virginia

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam fees and $35 licensing fee
  • Renewal: must be renewed every year, $35 renewal fee, 4 hours of continuing education required
  • Phone: 304- 558-2924
  • Fax: 304-558-3450
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • West Virginia State Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists website: http://www.wvbbc.com/MenuStructure/GeneralInformation/GeneralInformation/HowtoBecomeLicensed/tabid/1559/Default.aspx

Wisconsin

  • 450 hours (at least 11 weeks) of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay exam and licensing fees
  • Renewal: every 2 years, pay renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 608-266-2112 or 877-617-1565
  • State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services: Aesthetician website: https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/Aesthetician/Default.aspx

Wyoming

  • 600 hours of training in an approved school/program
  • Must pass written and practical exams, pay $100 exam fee and $48 licensing fee
  • Renewal: initial license must be renewed after one year, after that, every 2 years, $96 renewal fee, no continuing education hours required
  • Phone: 307-777-3534
  • Fax: 307-777-3681
  • Wyoming Board of Cosmetology website: http://cosmetology.wy.gov/
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AIA FAQ

AIA FAQ

I am an aesthetic student. How will joining AIA help me?

Starting a new career can be scary if you don’t have the right support network. As an aesthetic student, you can benefit from our association through continuing education classes, networking opportunities, and access to AIA mentors and advisors. You will also receive a subscription to DERMASCOPE Magazine, which will keep you informed of new procedures, protocols, and techniques being developed in this ever-evolving industry.

 

How much does liability insurance cost?

While AIA does not offer insurance directly, we do have an exclusive insurance provider for AIA members. Insurance requirements vary by state and services offered in your spa. To obtain a personalized insurance quote, please contact: Professional Program Insurance Brokerage (PPIB) at 415-475-4300 and mention your AIA status.

 

How many hours are required to get my license?

Aesthetic licensing varies by state. To see what your state requires, visit our State Board page: dermascope.com/aia/state-board-requirements

 

How many CEUs do I need to renew my aesthetic license?

CEU requirements vary by state and the license that you hold. To see what your state requires, visit our State Board page: dermascope.com/aia/state-board-requirements

 

I signed up for a membership. Now what?

Now that you have joined our association, you will receive an e-mail confirming your membership. This e-mail will contain discount information for each company we partner with. You will receive a member certificate, a member identification card, and a CEU certificate within six weeks. Separately, you will receive your first copy of the monthly trade journal, DERMASCOPE Magazine, within six weeks.

 

Where can I get CEUs?

AIA offers generic continuing education online, in DERMASCOPE Magazine, and at conferences and tradeshows. These educational resources offer CEUs in select states. AIA has partnered with several schools and training facilities across the United States that offer post-graduate education, as well. 

 

 

 

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Continuing Education

Continuing Education

Continuing education is fundamentally necessary in our profession. Techniques evolve, new technologies are introduced, and knowledge of ingredients is forever changing. It is crucial that as a professional you are continuously building on your knowledge and refreshing your skills.

 

AIA continuing educationWebinars

AIA webinars present non-product biased advanced education, application, and training. Visit AIA’s webinar page to register for an upcoming webinar or to watch past webinars on-demand. We cover hot topics like acne, hyperpigmentation, retail, hair removal, going solo, and more!

Some webinars are approved for continuing education (CE) hours in select states. A certificate of completion is available to AIA members at no cost. You MUST attend the live webinar to earn the certifcate of completion. 

 
Workshops and Classes

AIA partners with manufacturers and schools that share our vision of higher education. These companies make up our Corporate and School membership. They offer advanced education classes covering hormones, skin diseases, layering peels, light therapy, laser treatments, and more! To learn more about the workshops and classes offered by our Corporate and School Members, visit the Events page.

AIA classes are approved for continuing education (CE) hours in select states. A certificate of completion is available to AIA members at no cost. 


The Exam

The monthly Exam is another way that AIA helps its members to continue their education. Each month DERMASCOPE Magazine features articles to help aestheticians grow their knowledge of ingredients, client retention, common skin conditions, building a brand, seasonal menu items, and everything else an aesthetician needs to know to grow their career. After reading each issue, visit dermascope.com/CEUs to take AIA’s Exam online. The answers to each exam can be found in the editorial content of that issue. Get started on this month’s exam!

 

 

 

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AIA Memberships

AIA Memberships

AIA offers a membership to fit all stages of your aesthetics career – from aesthetic students to school members.
Below are the details of each membership option. 

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About Aesthetics International Association

About Aesthetics International Association

AIA (Aesthetics International Association) was founded in 1972 as the first American aesthetics association. AIA was founded to bring aesthetic professionals together to network, share knowledge, and gather in numbers to establish a presence in the industry. In the early ‘80s, we began our mission to “Raise the standards of education and public awareness of the aesthetics industry.” At that time, there was no separate aesthetic licensing in America. While we don’t take credit for establishing state licensing, our strong membership, leadership, and years of petitioning for such, undoubtedly had an impact. 

In addition to advocating to raise the standards through separate licensing, we also created an organization dedicated to providing aesthetic professionals with much needed tools and resources for their careers. We have provided education and career growth opportunities for thousands of aestheticians along their journeys. We continue that commitment with even more educational events, classes, workshops, and webinars than ever before!

Currently, the AIA membership is made up of industry founders and thousands of experienced, educated aestheticians who constitute the best of professionalism. AIA is of aestheticians, by aestheticians, and for aestheticians. We have pioneered the past and have bold plans for the future. Join AIA today so we can help one another grow, learn, and direct the future of the aesthetics industry. Let’s work together to shape a better tomorrow!

 

AIA timeline 2022

 

 

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FEBRUARY 2018 AIA CEU EXAM

FEBRUARY 2018 AIA CEU EXAM
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Peter T. Pugliese, M.D - A Legend in Aesthetics

Peter T. Pugliese, M.D - A Legend in Aesthetics

In the 30 plus years since leaving his medical practice, Pugliese has continued to dedicate himself to the wellness of the population.

 

In 1957, just out of medical school, he purchased a 200 acre farm in the country, and established what came to be known simply as The Big House, a 1795 stone farmhouse where Peter and Joanne Pugliese would spend over six decades of family life. The handsome, young doctor quickly grew a strong medical practice.

 

By the time Pugliese started getting around the skin care world, he had already doctored a generation of patients at his Bernville Medical Clinic; delivering babies, making house calls, occasionally being paid with a shoo-fly pie or homemade quilt. Ahead of the times, he diagnosed and treated patients silently suffering with the same disorders celebrities now openly discuss; anorexia nervosa, postpartum depression, domestic violence, incest, and addiction.

 

Born in Reading, Pa., the young doctor was proven to be a visionary in his views on community health while serving as the staff physician at Berks County Prison. He began, and self-funded, the first successful methadone clinic to treat heroin addiction, for which more than half of those prisoners were serving time in the late 1960s.

 

The toxic environment of Reading’s industrial economy led to the intensive research for Dr. Pugliese’s first published article on the lung disorder berylliosis among factory workers. That 1972 article was the beginning of a bibliography of published work which would grow to hundreds of published papers, presentations, and five books, which have been referenced by researchers around the world

 

By 1978, Pugliese knew he would not be happy practicing medicine burdened under the new banner of “Managed Health Care.” Emerging in the U.S. was an intriguing new practice called “aesthetics,” an undefined and disconnected off-shoot of cosmetology which allowed beauty school students to provide beautifying skin care treatments without having to learn to cut hair. Dr. Pugliese had already developed an interest in the skin while treating patients with psoriasis, eczema, scleroderma, diabetic ulcers, as well as the common condition of dry, cracked, painful skin of the farmers and laborers who made up his patient population.

 

By the late 1970s, drawing on his medical experience and observations from the patient exam room, Pugliese framed his second career in pursuit of a goal involving a different kind of exam, the licensing of skin care practitioners in the U.S. His 1990 textbook, “Advanced Professional Skin Care,” provided an extensive scientific basis of skin structure and function, directed toward aestheticians.

 

Hershey Kisses, Cow Teats, and Ladies’ Wrinkles

While deep into his practice, Pugliese was fulfilling a teaching fellowship at the nearby Hershey Medical Center in the late 1960s. One day, Pugliese was given a 25-pound block of cocoa butter, a byproduct of Hershey manufacturing, and asked if he could figure out something to do with it. The slippery, shiny fat was reputed in folklore to help stretch marks, but with no real idea of how it worked, or even proof that it did.

 

At about the same time, one of Pugliese’s patients, a dairy farmer, mentioned during his office visit that his cattle were suffering from mastitis. Pugliese remembered the Hershey cocoa butter, and wondered, if the integrity and health of the teat tissue was enhanced with an emollient, like cocoa butter, would it be less likely to split and crack? Would a healthier tissue be more resistant to disease? How do you formulate a product?

 

One question led to another, and planted the seeds in a field of research that would lead to places Pugliese had never imagined. In short, the answer about the cow was yes, better skin meant less vulnerability to infection.

 

The dairy industry went wild for his product. In 1970, he opened his first business, Milmark Research, named for his parents, Mildred and Mark Pugliese. Within two years, Pugliese’s formula, a germicide containing cocoa butter called TD-34 (teat dip, 34 trials before getting it right) became the best selling dairy hygiene product in North America.

 

His first successful formulation, even if it was for cows, proved that skin was living and could be influenced topically. It was the beginning of a new passion, cosmetic chemistry. Pugliese gathered some commonly used cosmetic raw materials, set up a lab with some simple mixing equipment, and started learning all he could about what goes into a formulation, and how to make it work. He joined the CTFA, Cosmetics Toiletries and Fragrance Association, and found their ingredient compilation book to be a valuable resource, which helped him select from a myriad of emollients, emulsifiers, surfactants, preservatives, and fragrances. As his name began to appear in the trade literature, he was introduced to the company where he would make his first significant mark on the cosmetics industry. His study of topical vitamin E, for Hoffman-LaRoche, showed that an active ingredient could be traced to 20 cell layers. This resulted in the first claim made in print that continued use of a product containing vitamin E could help prevent skin cancer.

 

As Pugliese tried to learn more, he found there was precious little new or accurate information about the structure and function of the skin. How to look inside and see what was going on? Can we influence it? Can we prove it? Then what do we do with it?

 

“No, he’s not a dermatologist”

Though often wrongly introduced on the speaking circuit as a dermatologist, Pugliese was a family doctor in a close community; he saw everything imaginable (and some things unimaginable). Throughout his years of study, Pugliese had the additional benefit of observing a generation of families growing older. Using his patient population as early subjects, with his knowledge of their histories, and his continuing discoveries of skin, he was able to correlate certain lifestyles with the way his patients aged, particularly the skin, including the role genetics played. The recurring “four horsemen” of visible signs of aging seemed to be consistent every time there was damage: Sun exposure, smoking, alcohol, and diet. It was an awesome starting database, one he augmented by photographing their skin.

 

To Pugliese’s infinite delight, the skin was alive with action, complex structures, and a fascinating communication system throughout the body. Over 20 new protocols and instruments were developed over the next decade to quantify moisturization, smoothness, cell turnover, oxidative stress, and free radical formation. A full history unto itself, Pugliese’s research and development is a fascinating labyrinth of discoveries. The intention then was to non-invasively test the efficacy of products applied to the skin and quantify results. To this day, among the accomplishments of which he is most proud, is that he made the first quantitative assessment of cosmetic efficacy in the industry.

 

Propelled by new views and truths, his experiments led to finding that the skin could be studied using fluorescent dyes to identify specific types of proteins within the stratum corneum. He worked to isolate and identify cellular structures through the use of staining techniques on biopsy sections. A drop of Crazy Glue on a slide pressed against a woman’s cheek and peeled off, captured one perfect cell layer. The stained slides would reveal either a healthy crisscross or a ravaged, disorganized pattern. His work with the stain acridine orange became an industry standard for determining smoothness. The pioneering work in “skin renewal,” the marketing buzzword of the 80s, came from Pugliese’s use of soluble dansyl chloride to track penetration of a topical agent and measure the rate of epidermal
cell turnover.

 

The Doctor in the Lab

The New York Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, the SCC, met Pugliese through Lester Conrad, a pioneer in cosmetic raw materials. Pugliese began giving talks at SCC meetings, one introduction led to another, and each new person led him to another business meeting, and visits to his lab by business owners and other scientists who were always fascinated with what they saw and heard. As a scientist, his reputation was above reproach. As a storyteller, he is irresistible. Openly sharing his discoveries catapulted his reputation in the corporate scientific community, and in 1996 earned him the Maison de Navarre Medal, bestowed for excellence by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

 

Through his ever-expanding, intersecting network, Pugliese was asked to speak to a group of skin care specialists calling themselves “aestheticians.” At this event he met Christine Valmy, Mary Neil Zatarain, Erica Miller, and Bonnie Day.

 

However, it was at an aesthetic event, many years into his work that Pugliese reconnected with his former medical school professor, Dr. Albert M. Kligman. Early on, when asked about an instrument developed by Pugliese, Kligman responded by booming “The ellipsometer was developed by a deranged scientist!” When asked to respond to how he felt about his professor’s comment, Pugliese replied with a smile, “I was honored that he referred to me as a scientist.”

 

The two men ultimately collaborated on several projects, notably the groundbreaking work in the structure of cellulite, and forged a friendship of mutual respect. In 2005, Kligman, nearly 90, read the massive text of the reference book Pugliese was writing, and graciously composed the foreword. Sadly, our beloved Dr. Kligman died in 2010 at the age of 93.

 

Aesthetics

“The first thing that strikes you when you meet Dr. Pugliese is the sense of caring he exudes,” says his daughter Susan. “I saw it with his patients as a child, and now at aesthetic events. When speaking to him you are surrounded by a warm feeling of comfort and hope, and the feeling that yes, no matter how much you’ve damaged your skin during your misspent youth, he can help you.”

 

Dr. P, as he affectionately became known, and Stan Allured were personal friends, which is how it came to pass that Pugliese contributed articles beginning in the premier issue of SKIN, INC. and in most subsequent issues for the next 15 years. This valuable body of work was written to further the scientific education of skin care practitioners in skin structure and function and were eventually compiled and published as "Physiology of the Skin" by Allured Publishing, and became the number one reference book for aestheticians. As his work grew, Pugliese updated the articles, added new ones, and "Physiology of the Skin 2" was published. In 2010, the franchise continued, with Pugliese “passing the torch” to respected researcher and dermatologist, Dr. Zoe Draelos, who updated his original chapters and added her own work, to create "Physiology of the Skin 3."

 

From the very beginning, Pugliese brought his best, “I was always interested in raising the level of professionalism in skin care to the point that aestheticians could truly be a professional society with a national organization and a professional journal.” He envisioned degrees of standardized training, up to and including a Ph.D. In 2006, he was awarded the first honorary Ph.D. in Skin Physiology from the University of Professional Sciences in Richmond, Virginia; the only school in the U.S. to achieve accreditation toward a degree in skin science.

 

A Labor of Love

Around his 75th birthday, his businesses all handed off, Pugliese found his greatest joy was being home with his wife, Joanne, enjoying his woodworking hobby and some quiet time after years of travel, patients, and business. Surrounded by his books, his best girl, and access to the Internet, he settled into the project that would define his career. He began the consuming work on his opus, with a mission of writing a book with every bit of current science about skin that he knew. It was to be lasting – a living, ongoing reference the practitioner could use for decades to come.

 

It was a massive undertaking, over 300 pages, and although industry publishers offered proposals to buy it, his daughter Patti knew that this book, "Advanced Professional Skin Care, Medical Edition," would be the true legacy of her father, and chose to keep the rights to the book in the family. A late-coming chapter on molecular biology, was written as the original manuscript was nearly ready to go to print. When his whining publisher questioned the need for such complex science in this book, Pugliese leaned back from his computer, and explained, “They’re going to need to know this…” then, smiling wistfully at his daughter, “and I’m not going to write another one of these.” The science is challenging, but his message is simple: You have the power in your hands to change a person’s life. You need to know what you are doing.

 

Traveling and lecturing at every aesthetic event, he was encouraged more and more by aestheticians in his classes to develop his own product line. He resisted for many years, wanting to be solely a scientist, not a marketer. But after years of supplying a great many people in the industry with novel ideas, he knew there was one great concept no one had picked up on yet, and that was utilizing topicals that worked in tandem with the body’s natural rhythms. Relevant to the skin, the body had its own resources of defending in the daytime against biological and environmental insult, and repairing the damage during sleep. In Latin, Pugliese’s second language, the word for this is circa-dia, which means “around the day.” The skin care line, Circadia by Dr. Pugliese, based on the circadian rhythms of the body, and with a clean new look, was born in 2002.

 

In 2007, grandson Michael Q. Pugliese, BS, LE, became CEO and has brought Circadia to international recognition. Having literally learned at the foot of the master, his grandfather, Michael travels the globe providing education, qualifying distributors, and directing all new product development and marketing.

 

85 and Beyond: What’s Next?

At 85, Pugliese is facing the most challenging time of his life. With a lifetime of accomplishments and honors, blessings, and joy in his family life, the close of 2010 brought the unspeakable. Just three days after Christmas, he suffered the loss of his dear wife, Joanne. He is deeply touched and grateful for the thousands of messages of love and support he has received from around the world, from aestheticians, colleagues, and friends.

 

He is again active in his lab, where his interests remain focused on attenuating the ravages of aging and the suffering it causes. From time to time, lucky attendees at aesthetic events will see him in the audience at Michael’s lectures, or at the Circadia booth. He will take the podium, share a comment, autograph books, or whip out his trademark felt tip pen to draw a molecular structure on the plastic tablecloth.

 

With all that is past, and all that is ahead, it is quite likely that the next major advancement in aging research to better the lives of this generation and the next, will come from the same mind and heart which has already enhanced the lives of so many for so long.

 

As aestheticians, it is our challenge to take all Dr. Pugliese has taught, and to use our own minds, hands, and hearts with confidence in our profession and give our very best to every life we touch.

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Jan Marini - August 2010: A Legend in Aesthetics

Jan Marini - August 2010: A Legend in Aesthetics
Jan Marinin

 

Those who know Jan Marini refer to her as a visionary. While Jan might agree in principle, she sees this characterization as both a strength and a weakness. She envies those who are able to savor the moment. Where others view life in snapshots that capture real time, Jan sees broad borderless landscapes and endless possibilities. She does not see a product, she sees a business and in that same instance her mind is flooded with the business plan and all the accompanying details. Even when she is not envisioning empires, she is never satisfied with the status quo.
Given her background, perhaps this is an understandable if not necessary survival tool. Jan’s mother, Florence, was a single mom of three boys in an era when divorce carried a major stigma. Florence remarried and unexpectedly gave birth to Jan late in life. The family struggled to live a very meager existence. Her father died when she was eight years old and the family was thrust into poverty. Florence worked only menial jobs and food was often scarce. It was no wonder that Jan viewed her world not as it was, but as it might be, and that she softened the bleak reality by envisioning a larger and more optimistic scenario brimming with potential. Because of her early circumstances, Jan is adamant that in order to succeed you must be tenacious, doggedly determined, and completely focused on the ultimate goal.
Jan describes herself as a product researcher. “Back in the early days I was considered a product ingredient expert. I lectured to medical professionals, skin care professionals, and consumers about how ingredients really performed and what they could realistically expect to provide.” She also did talk radio and T.V., because as she puts it, “consumers love to hear about ingredients and whether their products really work. It is a popular topic that lends itself to talk shows.”
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Eve Taylor: A Legend in Aesthetics

Eve Taylor: A Legend in Aesthetics

In 2013, Eve Taylor OBE celebrated her 50th career anniversary within the beauty industry. Eve's career began in the early 1960s when she started direct selling cosmetics from home to help pay for her original beauty school education in England.
At 81 years of age, Eve Taylor continues to teach worldwide and learn new ideas, and she continues to be an inspiration to all who meet her around the world.
Eve was born in London in 1932, one of five children, three girls and two boys. When Eve left school after World War II, she joined the Women's Royal Navy Service (WRNS). She subsequently married in the early 1950s and had five children of her own (all boys), all by the early 1960s.

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Ilona Csaky - A Legend in Aesthetics

Ilona Csaky - A Legend in Aesthetics

headshotIn the suburbs of Philadelphia on the affluent Main Line, the name “Ilona” has come to be synonymous with holistic skin and body care. In the early 1980s when Ilona Csaky first posted the word “aesthetics” on her business sign, most people were puzzled about its meaning. Since that time when she introduced the serious holistic spa concept to the area, she has become known for offering aesthetics for the whole body, externally and internally.

Born and raised in a small village in Hungary, Ilona developed her strong will and determination due to the life she had there. Because of the communist system and her family's situation, she was helping her mother care for the family by the tender age of five. 

As the second oldest of eight siblings, there was a lot of work to be done and children of which to take care. Yet Ilona's curious mind afforded her a way to get an education. When she was in first grade, she was in charge of caring for her one-year old brother. While the other siblings went to work in the fields, Ilona would carry her one-year old brother to and from school, just so that she could attend class. 

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Danné Montague-King: A Legend in Aesthetics

Danné Montague-King: A Legend in Aesthetics

 

 

The life and achievements of skin treatment pioneer Danné Montague-King, are not easy to summarize. Where to start, after more than 40 years of research and travel, pioneering a skin revision methodology that for the most part was decades ahead of its time, and then to only now have his achievements recognized in his native U.S.?
From Russia to Tibet, Europe to Australia and beyond, Danné Montague-King has sought out knowledge in pursuit of his dream to bring aesthetic medicine and beauty therapy together. Long before cosmeceutical and para-medical became marketing buzz words, and long before Heads of State and members of royalty became believers, Danné was committed to hands-on research and hard work – wherever it took him. When asked how he managed to sustain such an incredible journey, this enigmatic man with the Peter Pan grin simply shrugs. “I just got on with it – and I had a lot of help!”

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Rosa Acevedo de Sallas: A Legend in Aesthetics

Rosa Acevedo de Sallas: A Legend in Aesthetics

Electrologists Institute of New York where she graduated with highest honors. Later, Rosa traveled to Canada where she completed further studies at Canada Electrologists College, specializing in vascular blemish removal.
Because at that time the concept of a spa was unknown in Puerto Rico, Rosa decided to further her education, and therefore proceeded to the Lady Ann Institute of Madrid, Spain, where she pursued studies in Laser Therapy and Laser Hair Removal under its Director, Dra. Avelina de Estevez. This made Rosa the first in her country to obtain advanced certification in the practice of electrolysis. She returned to Puerto Rico and purchased a vintage home in the exclusive medical sector of Hato Rey, in San Juan, which she remodeled to open an exclusive, two story, Mediterranean-style, one-day spa, as the first spa in Puerto Rico, Terry System Clinic and Spa Center. In the beautiful ambience of the center, 22 professionals of aesthetics and beauty were employed. It was truly the meeting place of high society in Puerto Rico, the largest in the Caribbean where the quality of the services offered were comparable to the services in the best European centers. This was all due to Rosa’s determination to always be in the vanguard of aesthetics, studying and mastering the latest techniques. From then on her development was centered in the field of aesthetics, studying and perfecting all of its aspects without regard for where she had to travel in search of greater knowledge, obtaining certification in many advanced disciplines of aesthetics. This knowledge she would then share with her employees and other professionals in the field in her country. Simultaneously, Rosa was the Hostess of a Puerto Rican television program on beauty and aesthetics, while writing an entire page for the newspaper El Mundo and for the exclusive magazine Imagen.

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Christine Heathman: A Legend in Aesthetics

Christine Heathman: A Legend in Aesthetics

Christine’s professional story, however, does not begin in Utah, but in a small Concord, California home converted to a skin care clinic over 25 years ago. Her career, like many aestheticians, began as a result of her own skin condition. In her words “…I had severe grade-four acne for over a decade and out of desperation for clear skin, I sought out remedies from over-the-counter products, facialists, salons, and dermatologists without any success. Then, I began to eagerly study the skin, especially about acne, because I was so desperate to have healthy and clear skin. Once I had mastered clearing up my acne, I was motivated to treat others with similar problems and acquired my license to practice aesthetics in the state of California. My skin elective of choice was to help individuals with severe skin challenges of all ethnic backgrounds. Soon, patients from all over the San Francisco Bay area sought out my skin treatments and to this day I still maintain contact with many of these individuals.”

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Annette Hanson: A Legend in Aesthetics

Annette’s story is one of family values and support – of an ongoing commitment to professionalism and recognition of the importance of standards. She has spent her entire career upholding the accountability of government to consumer safety and remains a relentless figure in the world of legislation on behalf of the aesthetic industry.
While down-to-earth, she has a sophisticated intelligence and possesses a high standard of conduct, honesty, and integrity in her work and life. With a tireless determination to enlighten her students, Annette developed Atelier Esthétique Institute to provide the best in skin care education. After almost 25 years in the aesthetic industry, Annette stays true to her mission that she established from day one: "Excellence in Education, One Student at a Time."
Annette lies on the treatment table waiting for the flashes of beaming light to permanently zap away a few fine hairs on her brow. It is the first day of Atelier Esthétique’s 75-Hour Certificate Course in Laser Hair Removal and Skin Rejuvenation, and in Annette’s signature style, it is strictly hands-on.
She volunteers not out of aspirations of cosmetic improvement, but rather out of a heartfelt desire to give her students an authentic perspective of the coursework. Her philosophy is that the difference between a good aesthetician and a great aesthetician is attitude, education, and application. Annette emphasizes that her students take pride in themselves, their studies, and their work. She has an innate understanding of how to make them strive and achieve their best.
For more than two decades, Annette has been mentoring and educating aspiring aestheticians at her licensing aesthetic school and post-graduate facility in New York City. As President and Founder of Atelier Esthétique Institute, Annette has focused on the highest educational and professional standards. Annette explains that “to run a school, you must be an administrator and an aesthetician; you must be a psychologist and a disciplinarian.” It is this impassioned mentality that sets Annette apart from other educators in the industry.

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Howard Murad, M.D.: A Legend in Aesthetics

Howard Murad, M.D.: A Legend in Aesthetics

When Murad opened his dermatology practice in 1972, few doctors considered aesthetics an allied profession and most didn’t consider it a profession at all. But even as a young doctor, Murad saw things differently. And over the last three decades, that different view of aesthetics has helped him become one of the greatest champions of the aesthetics profession.

Becoming “Doctor” Murad
Like most pioneers, Murad’s path was in many ways unconventional. His story literally begins in the cradle of civilization. Born in Bagdad, Iraq, he was just seven years old when his family left the quiet of the ancient world for the modern madness of New York. The Murad family struggled to make a start in America. The first home for their multi-generational family of eight was a 600 square foot apartment. As a child Murad took odd jobs to contribute to the family’s survival and despite hardships and serious obligations, he remained a dedicated student. When the time came, he followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Henry, and put himself through college, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy in 1962. Eager for even more knowledge, he went to medical school and worked full-time as a pharmacist to pay his way. The extraordinary effort paid off and he earned a medical degree from The University of California in 1966.
Answering a call to serve in Vietnam, Murad earned a Bronze Star and began to develop his philosophy of patient care and a real appreciation for team-work and multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving. Finding the perfect place to apply his education and his military experience, he returned home to complete his residency at the UCLA Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Westwood. In recognition of his mastery of his specialty, Murad received certification from the American Board of Dermatologists in 1973.
He has received numerous, significant awards during the course of his storied career including being named one of America’s best dermatologists by Vogue magazine, a Visionary by ISPA, a Beauty Genius by Elle magazine and most recently, being inducted into Aesthetic International Association’s Academy of Legends.

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Mari Paz Gomez: A Legend in Aesthetics

Mari Paz Gomez: A Legend in Aesthetics

equipment. She lived a very nonconventional existence during that period, and her stay in that country had a very profound bearing on her personality, strengthening her restless and adventuresome spirit and her natural inclination to explore new cultures. This later brought about world travels, with her acquiring through these a gamut of experiences and a most impressive culture.
The educational development of Mari Paz has led to a great scientific and technical knowledge without diminishing her humanistic capacity. Her basic education was through religious schools. She later completed her studies in Business Administration and worked for major Spanish companies. At the age of 21, Mari Paz received her Cosmetology license just to discover her real vocation was aesthetics. Her attraction to this new world was so great that it went on to fill her entire life through today.

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Rebecca James Gadberry: A Legend in Aesthetics

Rebecca James Gadberry: A Legend in Aesthetics

AN EARLY START
As the only child of a single parent, Rebecca started contributing to the family household at an early age. In 1964, Rebecca’s mother, Jean, realized her job wasn’t going to provide them with the lifestyle she envisioned after her second marriage ended in divorce. A small party planning company selling cosmetics from Dallas had just started looking for women in California to join their team. Seeing an opportunity to merge her background as a fashion model with her core belief that when people looked their best their self-confidence became stronger and their lives went better, Jean became one of the first Mary Kay women on the West Coast.

Within a few months, her business grew to need another hand. So Jean recruited her 10-year-old daughter, teaching her the company’s skin care methods and philosophy, how to do a facial, apply makeup, and how to sell. Sometimes the two were so busy they’d work Thursday and Friday nights as well as Saturday and Sunday. By 14, Rebecca was contributing half the rent and utilities, had her own phone and was putting a little money away for college. Then the tax man came calling. “I don’t know if she didn’t pay taxes on the extra income or whether she underpaid, but there was a time when we were flat broke yet still working hard,” remembers Rebecca. “We ate mayonnaise sandwiches seven days a week for a while. That Christmas, we wrapped empty boxes using old Christmas paper. Christmas morning, we opened our ‘presents’, saying aloud to one another what we wanted to be inside. You probably didn’t know you can fit an end to the Vietnam War inside a box, but we did. We both remembered it as our best Christmas until my son, Nik, was born.”
Graduating early from high school, Rebecca headed off to Occidental College – a small liberal arts school in Eagle Rock, Calif. – where she majored in anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. “Now, I’d probably go into cell biology,” she confesses. “I guess it’s one of those ‘if I knew then what I know now’ moments; but on the other hand, if I’d gone into research, I may not have touched as many lives as I have. And for that, I’m thankful.”

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