A few weeks ago I began to feel a little bit disillusioned about the beauty industry. Perhaps it was just the January blues, perhaps I was suffering with it being the first anniversary of losing my mum, but things at college and work were starting to feel a bit 'samey', a bit uninspiring.
I decided I needed to look outside of my current narrow-lens of work and college in Suffolk, and look to the wider world of beauty magazines, beauty editors, dermatologists, clinics, etc. So I emailed all of the inspirational beauty big wigs that I follow on Instagram and Facebook to ask for work experience. If you don't ask you don't get....!
Kate Kerr, a renowned facialist based on Harley St in London, remarkably picked up the phone and called me! I started following her work a few months ago after Alessandra Steinherr (GLAMOUR Beauty Director) raved about her facials and skincare products and she's recently appeared in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Mail Online, The Times, Good Housekeeping....and here she is ringing me?!!!
We had a chat. I told her about my current situation and how I feel and she listened. She suggested I visit her clinic to meet her and see her work - so off I went!
Having trained as a beauty therapist in New Zealand over 15 years ago, she came over to Ireland and then the UK to manage a load of salons and spas, before training with a Dermatologist and specialising in both medical and aesthetic skin therapy and skin rejuvenation to help treat acne, acne scarring, hyper pigmentation, rosacea and ageing. After having a baby a few years ago, she decided to open her own clinic on Harley St. A one-woman band doing her best to make people feel better about their skin. What an inspiration!
I decided I needed to look outside of my current narrow-lens of work and college in Suffolk, and look to the wider world of beauty magazines, beauty editors, dermatologists, clinics, etc. So I emailed all of the inspirational beauty big wigs that I follow on Instagram and Facebook to ask for work experience. If you don't ask you don't get....!
Kate Kerr, a renowned facialist based on Harley St in London, remarkably picked up the phone and called me! I started following her work a few months ago after Alessandra Steinherr (GLAMOUR Beauty Director) raved about her facials and skincare products and she's recently appeared in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Mail Online, The Times, Good Housekeeping....and here she is ringing me?!!!
We had a chat. I told her about my current situation and how I feel and she listened. She suggested I visit her clinic to meet her and see her work - so off I went!
Having trained as a beauty therapist in New Zealand over 15 years ago, she came over to Ireland and then the UK to manage a load of salons and spas, before training with a Dermatologist and specialising in both medical and aesthetic skin therapy and skin rejuvenation to help treat acne, acne scarring, hyper pigmentation, rosacea and ageing. After having a baby a few years ago, she decided to open her own clinic on Harley St. A one-woman band doing her best to make people feel better about their skin. What an inspiration!
Using products from Skinceuticals, Avene and NIOD, she carries out a thorough consultation to see what's going on with your skin and what products are currently being used, before piecing it all together and using her extensive knowledge to come up with a treatment plan, usually regular facials and correct product-use. She seems to turn everything I've been taught about skincare at college and work on its head, which is very interesting...!
Her clinic is based inside a bigger clinic called PHI which was voted 'Best Clinic' in 2014 and specialises in surgical and non-surgical treatments. They offer everything from botox and fillers, to laser and chemical peels, to breast enlargements, face lifts and liposuction! There are plastic surgeons, doctors and nurses buzzing about the place and it's very clinical, but cutting-edge cool.
Kate greeted me with a great big smile and showed me into her spotless treatment room, which she works from a few days a week around being a mum to her little girl - her evening and weekend slots are fully booked till April! Soon enough her first client arrives (and is fine with me sitting in and watching!) and suddenly I'm watching a professional at work!
The client's skin is thoroughly cleansed, extractions (blackheads, etc) are carried out, an amazing LED mask is placed over the client's face (think Stormtrooper!) with a red or blue light therapy to reduce any redness or rosacea, as well as rejuvenate skin and kick-start collagen production (see this article for more info).. Another mask is applied before an SPF cream to protect the skin from UVA for the rest of the day. The client walks away looking fresher, younger and calmer than when she walked in! Amazing!
The day continues and I meet lots more clients, from newbies arriving for a consultation, through to regulars, through to a famous magazine Beauty Director having a chemical peel! I love hearing Kate's knowledge, often expressed in layman terms to ensure the client goes away knowing more about their skin. Every client raves about Kate's work to me and the improvement they've seen to their skin. I, for one, am sold!
I leave the bright lights of London, back to pitch-black Suffolk, buzzing and inspired about what direction I may be able to take my newfound beauty skills.
Here's to more exciting opportunities in the future! No cheek, no chance ;-)
Laura x
Her clinic is based inside a bigger clinic called PHI which was voted 'Best Clinic' in 2014 and specialises in surgical and non-surgical treatments. They offer everything from botox and fillers, to laser and chemical peels, to breast enlargements, face lifts and liposuction! There are plastic surgeons, doctors and nurses buzzing about the place and it's very clinical, but cutting-edge cool.
Kate greeted me with a great big smile and showed me into her spotless treatment room, which she works from a few days a week around being a mum to her little girl - her evening and weekend slots are fully booked till April! Soon enough her first client arrives (and is fine with me sitting in and watching!) and suddenly I'm watching a professional at work!
The client's skin is thoroughly cleansed, extractions (blackheads, etc) are carried out, an amazing LED mask is placed over the client's face (think Stormtrooper!) with a red or blue light therapy to reduce any redness or rosacea, as well as rejuvenate skin and kick-start collagen production (see this article for more info).. Another mask is applied before an SPF cream to protect the skin from UVA for the rest of the day. The client walks away looking fresher, younger and calmer than when she walked in! Amazing!
The day continues and I meet lots more clients, from newbies arriving for a consultation, through to regulars, through to a famous magazine Beauty Director having a chemical peel! I love hearing Kate's knowledge, often expressed in layman terms to ensure the client goes away knowing more about their skin. Every client raves about Kate's work to me and the improvement they've seen to their skin. I, for one, am sold!
I leave the bright lights of London, back to pitch-black Suffolk, buzzing and inspired about what direction I may be able to take my newfound beauty skills.
Here's to more exciting opportunities in the future! No cheek, no chance ;-)
Laura x
