ASK THE Experts

Our beauty experts answer your questions about every aspect of running a salon or spa business

How can I tailor brow lamination treatments to suit individual clients?

The fashion and style of eyebrows have changed over the years. Luckily, we now understand what harmonises the face. Brow lamination has become increasingly popular – it’s a treatment that can achieve a fashionably fuller-shaped eyebrow by perming the hairs for a smoother finish while lifting them in a vertical direction.

Consultations are a great way to ask what clients’ goals are for their brows. Do they want to achieve a better arch? Do they prefer a fluffy effect or want a more subtle change? Are there hairs they are trying to grow? Have they used any new products on their skin lately?

Each client will have individual preferences, and some will be more achievable than others. Those with longer brow hair will have better coverage. Clients with fine and sparse brows are more likely to be sensitive to the chemicals because they can dry and damage the brows. In this case, brow lamination may not always be recommended. To be able to see what is best for your client, they need to grow their hair out for at least six weeks before their appointment.

Lamination can be done as an individual treatment, or if clients are after a bolder look then you can add a tint too. It’s advised that clients should sleep face up and avoid swimming, steam, excessive working out, over touching and brushing the brows for 24 hours after, so make sure this is made clear to your clients when booking them in and during consultation because this can affect the results. It also means your clients can make sure their appointments work around their lifestyle and plans. You want to book them in a couple of days before their holiday or before they plan on wearing make-up so they can wash their face without affecting the brows.

Time-poor customers will be looking for amazing results in a small amount of time. The Hive Dual LashLift range can be used for both brow lamination and lash lifting, accomplishing both results in one treatment within 30 minutes. Clients who are also short on time in their daily routine will benefit from brow lamination as generally they will be using brow soaps or hair gels to style their brows. After a brow lamination, all they will need to do after the first 24 hours is style their brows with a brush.

I recommend getting clients to look in a mirror while you style their brows into place, talking them through the steps of how you achieved their sleek or fluffy shape. I give each client a fresh mascara wand to take home. I also recommend keeping a client record, so that you’re able to keep notes on their hair condition, preferred style and shape, and how many minutes you used their perm solution for so that you can save time at their next appointment.

How can I make sure clients maintain their homecare routine?

Following a skincare routine is one of the most important things our clients can do to help maintain the work we carry out and to benefit fully from treatments. Beauty professionals should be meticulous about mentioning the importance of a fastidious skincare routine to their clients. I discuss this before any treatment and as part of aftercare.

Skin professionals should be advising their clients on the four most important factors of skincare: cleansing, hydrating, moisturising and protecting. I am constantly preaching this mantra to all of my clients. I tell them to cleanse morning and night with the right cleanser, hydrate by drinking plenty of water and avoiding excess caffeine and alcohol, moisturise with the right type of moisturiser and protect with SPF – daily, no matter the weather.

As specialists, we should be advising on the right products and personally tailoring this advice for each client. Product avoidance is also key to good skin and we must tell patients which ingredients are suitable. I include all of this information in every appointment, regardless of which treatment the client is booked in for, and then set out a treatment plan if they wish to proceed.

As part of my clinic’s protocol, I keep a tight and up-to-the-minute database of all our clients’ histories. When a client comes in for a procedure or treatment (after having had a consultation) we know what they want, what they need, what we can provide, their state of health, medication, and any products they use that may be detrimental to their dermal upkeep and maintenance (or which may even countereffect the products we recommend). Any advice we have offered is also kept on their file.

We then draw up a personal and comprehensive treatment and maintenance plan for their skin goals via any pharmaceutical or cosmeceutical routes we deem necessary. We log any products they take from us, and we book follow-up review appointments to make sure that the treatment is progressing well, to see how each patient is getting on with their tailored routine and to prescribe more products if needed.

Personalisation is very important. Take each case as a standalone and take a genuine interest in every client. The informal chats that take place in appointments can also give you a lot of necessary information about how they are keeping up with their routines and any changes they have seen.

How can I get more out of my supplier relationships?

When it comes to an investment, there’s so much more to gain than just a machine purchase and a wave goodbye. Any supplier worth the price tag they give you will be there to support you throughout your working career.

Here are a few key benefits to that salon-supplier team-up:

1. Choose long-standing suppliers

To protect your business, it’s important to choose longstanding suppliers who know what they’re doing and care about it too. Invest in those with experience and a supportive team.

2. Question their ethics

What matters to your supplier will soon rub off on your business so ensure a supplier’s ethics are in line with your own and that their products are safe and give outstanding results. It’s also good to read up on any clinical trials they have.

3. Ask for marketing support

Does your supplier have a team who can walk you through your key marketing questions? What’s their image stock like? Do they help with social media? To make any investment work, you need to promote it continually and a lot of that is reliant on your supplier providing the materials.

4. Prioritise training

You can never know too much in such an ever-changing market, so a constant stream of refresher and new product or protocol training from each supplier is important for keeping you and your team at the top of their game.

5. Get help in unexpected moments

A good relationship is crucial for those unexpected breakdowns of equipment that could result in cancelled treatment sessions. The better your communication lines, the more likely you will be to get someone out quickly to fix the issue.

6. Ask for better pricing

There’s no denying that a good supplier relationship can bring a few perks. People buy from people, and if you can build a good rapport and level of respect, then there may be a discount or two to be had.

7. Get early access

It’s never been more important to find a USP and sell it. Being on the best possible terms with suppliers can mean you’re the first to hear about new product launches, putting you ahead of the competition. Suppliers can also invite you to exclusive events that may open new doors of opportunity.

8. Get seen on social

Every clinic is playing the same game on social media, trying to stand out. If you have a positive online relationship with suppliers and tag them in everything, you’ve got a great chance of them resharing your content, helping to widen your reach and potential customer base.

9. Get consistent stock

We all try to keep on top of our stock count, but sometimes things get missed. If you have good communication with your supplier, you’re more likely to get what you need when you need it – even if it is last minute.

10. Ask about ambassador opportunities

A good supplier cares about your future and invests time into it. Speak to each potential supplier about what extra opportunities they may have for you, like becoming a key opinion leader (KOL), trainer or speaker for their brand.

As a UK trainer and speaker for Wigmore Medical, global KOL for HydraFacial and brand ambassador for InMode, I can’t stress enough the importance of these relationships. So much of my career can be accredited to the enormous opportunities offered to me by these suppliers.

What’s the best way to build up colour in my make-up looks?

The first step to building colour is to get to know your products. I think it’s really important as a make-up artist to always widen your knowledge of products and keep on top of new brands coming out with different formulas.

Read the ingredients on each type of product to see what makes it different from the rest. I always go in to stores to try out new brands and do colour swatches on my hand. I’m also always asking other professional make-up artists what their favourite products are and why.

It’s important to understand how something works, how it blends, how it sets, how it reacts to other powders or creams, and how it reacts on the skin.

When applying product, always start with less and build from there. When you’re working on set, often you’re on time constraints and you’ve got to work quickly, so think about the process between each application. It’s much easier to start off with less product on the face and less colour and then build it up from there.

You’ve also got to think about how to remove that colour as well if something stains the skin, so it’s good to use a product that can act as a shield to create a barrier between the surface of the skin and the colour because that will avoid staining and then you can adapt the look.

Try to build your knowledge of colour. Learn about skin types and your models’ undertones and see what colours you can bring in that complement those skin types and tones.

Also, learn to mix and be creative with different colours in your palette. I rarely use colours straight from the palette, I always mix and adapt them.

So, play with different tones to get to understand what’s a warm tone, what’s a cool tone, and understand which colours go together. Look at colour wheels, look at different eye-shadow palettes and see how people match up colours to complement one another. I often find that if you put a cool tone with a warm tone, that allows the colour to really pop and stand out, and that creates a lot of vibrancy in the look, whereas when you’re creating something that’s more neutral, it’s nice to play around with matching up some of the same colours and the same tones.

" It’s much EASIER TO START OFF with less PRODUCT ON THE FACE and less colour and then BUILD IT UP from there "