Beauty Talk
Tracy Tamaris, Director of Education and Co-founder of the iiaa, is inspired by the dynamic spirit and tenacity of today's beauty therapists and professionals.
My own skin concerns led me to the beauty industry
I grew up in South Africa and despite a degree in marketing it was actually my own personal skin struggle that was the career catalyst. My skin was sun-damaged in my early twenties and my beauty therapist in Cape Town recommended Environ, which gave the most incredible results. At that time nobody understood that vitamins should be used topically in skin creams as well as taken orally. In addition, little was known about antioxidants and their effect on skin. When I moved to the UK in 1994, I immediately saw the opportunity to work with professional skincare experts – it was a classic case of seeing a gap and having a product to fill it.
Clients want a complete solution
Together with David Alpert, we realised that clients want a complete solution not simply occasional skincare driven more by marketing
than actual results. So we created a 360-degree philosophy of Feed (the skin from within), Fortify (the skin topically) and Finish (protect and enhance with makeup that is good for the skin). We launched our own skin specific beauty supplement range, the Advanced Nutrition Programme to complement the topical innovation of Environ and completed our range with jane iredale, the skincare makeup
I'm passionate about empowering women
I was extremely lucky to have had Dr Des Fernandes, the world-renowned surgeon and founder of Environ skincare as my mentor. Des
taught me the value of integrity and never to be swayed by the latest trend. I am also very passionate about empowering women. The
professional beauty salon network is primarily run by females and I believe in the talent, courage and determination of professional skincare experts. For that reason, we made it our mission to empower skincare professionals to deliver the very best results for their clients. We focus on the importance of education and are recognised for the quality of our training, offered across five centres in the UK and Ireland. It still gives me such personal satisfaction to see clients improve the health and condition of their skin and the increase in personal confidence – of heads held higher and renewed energy to go and fulfil potential, at any age.
The dedication of today's beauty therapists is inspiring
I'm constantly inspired by the hunger for results and excellence that we are seeing from new beauty therapists and new skincare businesses
joining our network. Hours worked in this industry are unsociable and beauty therapists have a commitment and dedication that is inspiring. We are creating new educational delivery systemsthat combine bite-size learning, skincare essential education, thought leadership, client care techniques as well as skin concern based troubleshooting. AND what's really exciting me is that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Tenacity and hard work pays off
When I first started, there were no training manuals or clever marketing materials and there was a dominance by French skincare brands. My South African tenacity helped me continue to knock on doors that were (in the early days) not familiar or trusting of my message. Small actions,
big determination and we are now seeing a network of over 3,500 salons, double digit growth and next year we will be celebrating 25 years with many of those early customers who are still with us today.
The Irish beauty industry is exciting
Like a diamond it's small but perfectly formed. Ireland is dynamic and very focused on all things beauty. I find it very exciting and rewarding
working with Irish beauty therapists. They are passionate, loyal and determined to do the best for their clients. To be a success, Irish beauty
therapists must know their customer, know their product and be authentic.
I'll always work in beauty
I simply cannot imagine myself in any other industry! We have big plans for the future – watch this space!
