Category: Matis Blog

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What’s your main concern?

Well well well… here we are again; the last month of the year, my last blog of the year.

With the significance of the month at the forefront, I have decided to slightly put my skincare teaching hat down & just spew some thoughts onto this screen.

Now that we’re all in the obvious (for most of us), “can’t wait for the end of the year” mode, dare I ask if you’ve had time to reflect on your 2023? I had a conversation with a friend last night & as I heard the words effortlessly streaming from my mind into the atmosphere, I realised how much this year taught me. Admittedly, we all know lessons & learnings aren’t generally easy, they are not without hurt & pain, & sometimes they leave scars, however, when we finally really learn, there is a peace, a comfort, an almost shedding old skin  epiphany & isn’t that beautiful?

“What is your main concern” is a line skincare therapists use all the time, it’s significant because treating your skin is in our hands, but identifying what bothers you is the starting point. I can’t help but sit here & wonder, do we ask ourselves this question enough in our day to day lives?

This friend asked me if I was a little worried about my age in relation to settling down & getting married, he also asked if I would consider being married in less than a year. When faced with questions like these, would you ask yourself “What is my main concern”? I think I’ll leave that to marinate.

This year I finally learned to understand that the only opinion that matters is God’s. I have been Christian for many years but this year I learned that I have had a really bad habit of taking issues, cares, concerns out of God’s hands & attempting to fumble my way through them-all the while wondering why things have to be so heavy, so hard, & why some things are so confusing. I vow stop trying to steer my ship & accept more rest. This life can be so tumultuous, how can we be in charge all the time? I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted!

There will always be things to complain about, there’s always somewhere we feel we’re falling short & always some unnecessary thing to deter us. I’m guilty of trying too hard in my own strength to fix everything, overthinking, & wearing myself out, but instead of doing what I’ve always done, it’s time to shift gears. Those of you who know me, know that I’m not one for new year’s resolutions, I like to think of something about myself I could work on, this will be my most challenging one at my big age 😂 I hope when you see me next you’ll remind me & remind yourself to put it down & stop wrestling.

From my amazing staff & I, we wish you a wonderful festive season, a very merry Christmas, a safe new year & most of all, a peace & joy that stays with you always ❤️

As always, it has been our pleasure to spoil you, listen to you, laugh with you & teach you about your skin this year.

We are closing on Saturday the 23rd of December & will be ready to welcome you back on the 3rd of January.

All my love, Laurien

 

P.S Thank you to Pst James for the eye opening message “God has called us to rest & not to wrestle” You & my City Life Church Lonehill family are so dear to my heart.

 

 

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Skin Types VS Skin Conditions

I’ve been doing recruitment for the beauty industry for over 10 years & the therapists that have been in an interview with me will know I always ask skincare & body questions. The reason why I was inspired to start my development training for therapists was because during interviews I would end up teaching & explaining.

What many therapists unfortunately don’t realise is that those 2-4 years in tertiary education is really the start, the foundation of what makes a phenomenal therapist. The dedication to continue learning, to grow with the industry & to keep excited about ingredients, results, product actions & the intricacies of the skin, is what sets you apart; it’s been what’s set me apart- I believe.

As a consumer these days, it’s more overwhelming than ever with so many different brands on the market & so much information being thrown in our direction; let’s start at the beginning…

So, what’s the difference between a skin type & skin condition? This question has tortured many, including us in the skincare industry because there can be different ways of analysing specific types/conditions. Many people still say your skin type is what “you’re born with” – not sure about you but I’ve never seen a baby with oily skin… what they mean is, we are predisposed to our skin type dependant on ethnicity mostly.

Skin Types would be:

  • Oily
  • Dry
  • Combination – a combo of “normal” & oily / “dry” & oily
  • Then, there’s normal skin which is hardly anyone in the world – generally this skin type is quite sensitive

Florence-Barrett Hill’s book on advanced skin analysis explains sensitivity in a very provocative way; however, the main aim is to remember the skin type would hardly change for most of your life. Things like ageing & certain medications that specifically target the sebaceous glands would however have a long term impact on your skin type.

Skin conditions are things like:

  • Acne
  • Ageing
  • Sensitivity
  • Pigmentation

Our skins are beautiful & complicated,  it takes great care, skill & an evolving, yet constant passion for skincare that makes a skincare expert. Understanding that all skins are to be treated uniquely is important; we @MatisFourways find that curating a tailor made treatment plan & homecare package as well as explaining the relevance of each step is what sets us apart; however the treatment plan is useless without the knowledge & in-depth understanding of the skin.

Too many people are so focussed on pushing their brand that along the way the integrity is lost. An old friend once told me that if you start a business with the sole goal being money, you will surely fail; starting a business with a greater calling is what is required.

Honesty, Integrity, Knowledge, & the best service possible is what makes us Matis Fourways.

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Skincare 101

I went to speak at the college I qualified at 21 years ago & speaking to these ladies about my own career, recruitment, how to ready themselves for interviews, & for the industry when leaving college was so surreal.

I used to visit colleges often when I started beauty recruitment but not so much since the shop, so it was the first in a while. A now business owner of a gorgeous aesthetic spa in Dunkeld reminded me that that’s where I found her; in her 3rd year of beauty & I’ve walked with her through most of the past 10 years. Even with how challenging recruitment is, not only for my own store but for my clients countrywide, having been reminded of this success story was just what I needed. Thank you Hayley (shoutout 😎)

There are many colleges that just hire anyone to train people in 6 months, & it has created such a flood of sub par therapists that sometimes it makes me question why I still do it 12 years later. I spoke about my time I spent working for a college in Cape Town a few years ago & how the lecturers would say how one year there would just be a phenomenal class & the next year, the most challenging. I believe that if I maintain the hope that more great classes will come out of our great colleges, we have a chance. Our industry is beautiful, challenging, tiring, amazing, worthwhile & sometimes infuriating… but like all things worthy of having, there’s always a lot of work to do. 

Did any of you feel like you were completely amazing & had all the answers on life at 22 & then realised what a fool you were around 30? Thinking of myself sitting in that class over 20 years ago, I never would’ve thought I’d be here. Yes, life is challenging, work is a lot but at the end of that talk my point was clear; believe in yourself, challenge yourself to be better, make yourself indispensable to any company you work for, & don’t work for the praise of your boss, do all things to the best of your ability & seek to give your father in heaven all the glory ❤️

I have decided to incorporate more on skincare in my blogs because there’s just so much to wrap your head around as a consumer these days that it can all be so overwhelming.  Some of our active ingredients are so mind blowing that I think more of the world needs to recognise the brilliance of our dedicated Matis scientists. Yes, there are many common ingredients, some that are effective that fly under the radar, acids etc. I’m sure there are many of you who perhaps don’t want to ask the questions, feel free to pop us an email or WhatsApp us with what you want to know more of moving forward.

Which Matis line, ingredient, or skincare concern should we start with?