Serenity Brows and Beauty, in Tawa, Wellington, is run by Lisa Banks. I had the pleasure of talking business with her, listening to her candid advice and thoughts about the industry, and the way beauty treatments have influenced us all.
Lisa has over 20 years’ experience in the beauty industry, and 12 years’ as a business owner. In London, she attained International Therapy Examination Council and Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology certificates, and has post-graduate qualifications in electrolysis, microblading, advanced skin treatments and fibroblasting. Lisa’s specialised field is microblading brows, eyeliner and lips; fibroblasting; acne treatments; and peels, LED and microdermabrasion. In addition, she uses the hyaluron pen, which is a new way of doing fillers without the injections. So she was the perfect person to answer some of my questions!
Working around her family while owning a business has been challenging, but Lisa had been intrigued from a young age about the beauty industry, beginning with sweeping salon floors whilst still at school. Today, she continues to feed that passion by continually educating herself and staff. She spends time in LA, Australia, China and Hong Kong, seeking out the latest technology in beauty and appearance medicine while obtaining valuable insights into the advances in beauty therapy.
With a devoted following built over two decades, Lisa has enjoyed seeing clients leave more confident and more informed. It isn’t just about keeping up appearances, it goes much deeper and can lead to a complete life-changing experience; something she is very proud to be a part of.
Advancing Beauty
Lisa explains that it is often hard to imagine where the beauty industry was before. “The shift seems gradual as we have moved with it, but when you are in the midst of all the action as a beauty therapist, it is an ever-evolving world with further advancements and treatments available to treat anyone, for anything.” Lisa agrees that the industry, especially in NZ, has shifted hugely over the last decade. When she came into the industry 20 years ago, people were after nothing more than a pampering facial, a brow or lash tint, and the odd wax. People no longer feel they need to roll with the ageing process, and are always looking for alternatives to improve and slow that process down. Her clients have shifted, and so have the treatments she once offered. She still does the odd wax and tint for her loyal clients, but most of them too have moved on to more her more advanced treatments.
Lisa’s clients are mostly aged mid-30s, and she treats a wide variety of skin conditions, including adult acne and rosacea. This can come in a very noticeable and serious form, so she is passionate about making her clients not only feel better about their appearance, but to deal with the problem from a trained and experienced perspective. “It is rewarding for both the client and therapist when we see a significant change of attitude and confidence in someone.”
The Brow Movement
“It seems to have taken over the world!” It is something Lisa deals with and speaks openly about. She does agree that it is an obsession, but most ladies over the age of 40 do not want large brows, and many of her clients’ first concerns are that they will appear fake. She has a realistic view on this and will work with each client to achieve the best and most natural result. Lisa wants her clients to feel as natural and confident as possible and not look ‘done’. The biggest pitfall of all, she explains, is “following a trend based on the principle that one size fits all, it is simply not the case”. She too, was once wary of getting her brows tattooed because of her fair skin and hair, and the caterpillar horror stories that emerged. She was driven to explore further, and decided to learn this artform herself. Today, it’s one of her most popular services and she is booked months in advance. “Every face is different, and every brow is too!“
Social Media Influences
Lisa sees the positives in the newest trends, the newest treatments, and the latest beauty-related looks and treatments. But she also sees that the heavily photoshopped images of celebrities in their quest for perfection can have devesating consequences, and a negative influence on those who are more insecure. Why do so many people opt for extreme beauty procedures to mimic their celebrity idols? Lisa states that “we buy into this because of the feeling we get when we know we look this way, when we feel like a celebrity ourselves”: “I guess it is our way of achieving our own world, away from the reality; and a mask to show the rest of the world what we want to portray.”
Recommendations for those on a Budget
“To look after your general wellbeing and preserve your looks is simple”, says Lisa. “This is something we can all do and take part in ourselves. Wear sunblock. Always. Protect your skin at all costs from the sun’s harmful rays. Although sun is important, do not allow yourself to burn. Vitamin C – it is the best anti-ageing treatment, helping with pigmentation, fine lines and giving a complete glow”. She recommends Sabore Vitamin C and says this is not only affordable, but the best skincare in New Zealand. If you are limited or unsure of what kind of service to get, she also advises going for a service offering hydration, perhaps an anti-ageing peel once a month followed by LED red light therapy. “This rids the dead skin cells and gives a radiance to the skin.”
Fibroblasting
Another recommended treatment that Lisa offers is fibroblasting. She felt this was a worthwhile investment for her clients. Although Lisa says it is not for the faint-hearted due to the recovery time (approximately one week), she does state that it makes an enormous improvement in reducing fine lines and lifting the skin. “It is one of the only cosmetic procedures in the industry that uses plasma to make soft arcs on the skin and stimulate the skin to instantly shrink, tighten and eliminate loose and excess skin. Plasma skin tightening is renowned for its remarkable non-surgical lifting and tightening. It is a non-invasive treatment and effective in smoothing lines and wrinkles, tummy tightening, eye lifts, removal of vascular lesions, pigmentation and skin tags, full face and neck lifts, stretch marks and acne reduction.”
Botox & Fillers
Lisa was apprehensive about both Botox and fillers. It was something which she thought was not suitable for herself nor her clinic, but driven by her interest in the development of treatments, and her commitment to investigate all beauty services, she did her research once again. She was relieved at the successes, the strict guidelines governing the use of this treatment and of course, the fact that it is only administered by a registered nurse via prescription from a GP. It does have additional purposes to help improve people’s comfort and wellbeing, and she believes that it should never be overdone.
facebook.com/Serenityruralbeautyspa Contact Lisa on: 027 232 8313
