Shawn Towne

Shawn Towne

The Final Touch: Choosing a Makeup Line for Your Spa

As beauty professionals, there is no doubt that we know our products. The very nature of our business requires us to understand and use them with expert care, making it possible for clients to experience the results they desire. Of course, maintaining these results also includes homecare. When it comes to skin care, we have taught our clients well – to maintain optimal results, they must take the treatment home. So, they purchase our cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturizers to continue the regimens we have taught them.

 

It all sounds like a good plan – with one exception. What kind of makeup are your clients using? You might be surprised. It is often shocking to see what kind of makeup clients are willing to put on their skin, even when they are committed to using good skin care. The disconnect seems to be that many people do not understand exactly how makeup affects the health of the skin. This presents an opportunity for us, as professionals, to educate. Makeup should never be looked at as a separate entity from skin care, but rather an extension of it. The ingredients in makeup are just as important as the ones in treatments. And, unlike decades ago when options were limited, makeup is now available in clean and high-performance formulas. So, the real question is, “With so many choices, how do I choose the line that’s right for my spa?” Here are some matters to consider when making a selection.

 

INGREDIENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Because makeup is going directly onto the skin, it is crucial that the ingredients of the makeup line are clean, high-performing, and designed for skin care benefits. Make sure your line leaves out things like:

  • talc
  • petroleum
  • synthetic perfumes
  • synthetic parabens
  • phthalates
  • coal tar
  • heavy metals

 

Over and above being irritating to the skin, these ingredients can affect the health of the body. But, the worst part about letting clients use makeup with bad ingredients is that they often don’t make the connection that it is their makeup causing irritation or bad skin conditions. So, they inevitably blame the products you are using for their facials or the skin care regimen you have sold them, instead of realizing the real culprit. Make sure the chosen line is dermatologist-tested and hypoallergenic.

 

In addition to being clean, the formulations must perform. Test and experience makeup just as you do with skin care. Choose a clean line that works with various skin conditions and can be worn after clients receive in-office treatments. Ensure there are options for sun protection, skin care benefits, all skin tones and types, everyday wear, and special occasions. Your makeup line needs to complement the service menu and the clients’ lifestyles.

 

SUSTAINABILITY

Today’s consumers are conscious of how the brands they use are interacting with the environment and our co-inhabitants. Everyone has a device in their hand and the first thing they do is research a brand before they buy it. Ensure your chosen makeup brand has a good reputation in these categories:

  • sustainable farming
  • fair and sufficient compensation
  • no animal testing – PETA or Leaping Bunny Certification
  • recyclable and recycled componentry and packaging
  • responsible manufacturing with minimal carbon emissions

 

EDUCATION

Every makeup line has hero products and best recommended application techniques. Makeup also involves more than shade and color matching – it is important to understand how to make the best product recommendations per each client’s skin conditions or the treatments they are receiving. Many spas bring on lines with the expectation that makeup is easy, but you may be surprised if you’re not familiar with the brand. It is important to research what kind of support your chosen brand will be offering. Here are some questions to ask:

  • What kind of initial and follow up training do you provide to partners?
  • What kind of training documents and manuals do you have?
  • Do you have an e-learning portal?
  • Is there seasonal education with new collections?

 

THE INNOVATION PIPELINE

Many makeup lines are known for a few specific products that are their best sellers. Sometimes these products have been the foundation of their success. But, how many other products have they created since that one blockbuster? When researching lines, do not just think of the one popular product. Look at all their products and think about how the line will serve clients in a variety of categories. A well-known blush with a sexy name is great, but can clients also wear their foundation, concealer, and mascara? Also, think about what new products your prospective lines are coming out with on a regular basis. Remember that the brand you choose should be as interested in growing as you are.

 

ARTISTRY

Being a licensed aesthetician does not automatically qualify us to be a makeup artist any more than being a makeup artist gets us an aesthetics license. Very often, spa owners will bring in a makeup line not considering the necessity of the right employees to move it. Make sure that you have a dedicated employee within your location interested in artistry, preferably one that is willing to be responsible for managing and maintaining the makeup tester unit, as well as learning the line well enough to be considered an expert. And, make sure that employee participates in all trainings for the brand.

 

Clients are going to buy makeup somewhere, and their choices have a direct effect on the results and maintenance of your skin care treatments. It is best that they buy from someone who understands their skin and cares about what they put on it. And, having a high-performance, reliable makeup line is not just beneficial to clients – it is financially rewarding for you, as well. As your spa grows, you will also learn that there are only so many hours in a day that you can offer services. Once your book is full, income can plateau. Selling another category of retail will allow you to expand your fiscal horizon without exhausting yourself in the process. The win-win will be evident in your books and on the beautiful faces of very happy clients.

 

Shawn TowneShawn Towne is a global educator for jane iredale with decades of versatile makeup artistry experience. A recognized expert in the beauty industry, Towne’s portfolio includes editorial work in fashion and beauty publications around the world and runway artistry for New York fashion week shows by Badgley Mischka, Tracy Reese, and Oscar De La Renta. Through his career with jane iredale, Towne’s works to educate and inspire professionals across the globe, while collaborating on product launches and creative projects for the brand. His commentary has been featured in top publications including Allure, Marie Claire, and many spa and makeup trade magazines.

 

 

 

Breaking Boundaries: Introducing Multi-Category Beauty to the Spa

Buzzwords like “self-care” and “wellness” have been floating around the industry more and more lately. Rather than searching for a magic pill or quick-fix product, clients are recognizing that true beauty, inside and out, is an evolving practice. Professionals in the beauty industry can no longer limit themselves to singular areas of expertise, like nutrition, skin care, or makeup. They must present and nurture clients with a holistic approach to beauty.

 

Even as recently as 2001, the idea that ingestible nutrients could be key to beautiful skin was still quite groundbreaking. An article in The New York Times that year featured Dr. Ronald G. Wheeland, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, saying, “The possibility exists that the kinds of essential oils found in coldwater fish do, in fact, play a metabolic role in some conditions like psoriasis. It is not outside the realm of possibility that they could have other effects. But diet as an answer to aging skin – that is still uncertain right now.” Of course, in the 17 years since that article, professionals and consumers alike have embraced the idea of diet being the answer to healthy skin.

Beauty Happy Hour: Makeup Bar

For most makeup artists, the high point of their job is hearing the excitement and revelation clients experience when seeing how a professional makeup application could enhance their appearance. Almost nothing makes a professional makeup artist happier than hearing a client exclaim, “Wow! I never knew I could look like this!”

Spavolution: The Completion of Every Service

When asked to write this article, I requested permission to speak from a personal point of view, not only because as a makeup artist being all-inclusive resonates deeply with me, but because I have personally experienced distinct changes in my perception about the subject matter — which is at the very core of my existence as a professional. The topic is offering makeup in the spa, but the real subject is being all-inclusive.

Prime Time: A Look at Makeup Primers

There is no question that foundation is an integral part of makeup application. Without it, colors never have proper impact or value, and potentially beautiful faces can be compromised by any number of possible imperfections. Foundation is essential to create an even complexion before you can design the right look on the cheeks, eyes or lips.
Traditionally, women relied only on their liquid, powder and cream foundations to cover imperfections and give the illusion of perfect, even skin tone. Unfortunately, issues like texture, oil control and longevity were much more difficult to tackle with foundation alone. For even the best paint cannot cover a wrinkle or keep persistent shine away for long.

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