Motivation Monday- Another year older & another year of experience

Having just had a birthday & a year anniversary for Orchids Retreat Ltd, it's a great time to reflect on the year just gone. Another year older and another year of experience gained in the beauty industry. 

This time last year the company had just become Limited and I had just landed back from Berlin having rollerbladed 26.2 miles, the largest Inline Skating Marathon in the world! It helped me to regain my fitness after having 2 boys in under two years, and I also raised over £500 for Breast Cancer. 

Last autumn, I attended the private film screening of Suffragette at The May Fair Hotel and an exclusive panel discussion with whom Jane Wurwand, and Helen Pankhurst were amongst. 

Beauty is a fast paced industry and there are always new exciting treatments and products being launched. What an amazing year it has been personally and for the business.

This year I achieved the Derm Circle status with the skincare brand Dermalogica. This status is awarded for  dedication to education, which I am a Skin Therapist Expert; and for the sales goals set by the company. I was the smallest account in the UK to achieve this status and it has inspired others to reach for this goal! 

In February, I attended the exclusive HydraBlur Primer launch in Selfridges London with makeup artist Nicola Schuller. She demonstrated the various ways to use the hydrating primer- by layering, mixing or solo! 

I flew to Glasgow in the Spring for the premier of Dermalogica's newest Expert Ion Active treatment launch. An ion-charged treatment that delivers immediate results for all skin concerns. 

In April I ran the Paris marathon raising over £1200 for Look Good Feel Better, a charity I'm passionate about as it helps so many women around the country and the world! I also volunteer for LGFB hosting Masterclasses throughout the year. 

The British Association for Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology Awards entries opened at the beginning of the year. The application process and preparation for each step forward through the semi-finals and finalist stages took a lot of dedication.  

In June the awards ceremony was held at the Hurlingham Club in London. It was a great experience and an amazing achievement to win National Beauty Therapist of the Year, Runner Up for Waxing Therapist and Runner Up for best New Business. The biggest honour was being nominated by BABTAC and selected as Winner of their prestigious Gold Award for my contribution to the beauty industry and upholding the ethos that BABTAC stand for. 

In July Orchids Retreat Ltd launched its new website www.orchidsretreat.co.uk which now includes a full treatment menu. 

In August Orchids Retreat rebranded to include the Refresh • Relax • Restore strap line and a new orchid symbol along with the fresh mint green colour scheme. 

Aurelian Lis, the new Global CEO of Dermalogica was in town last month and I was invited to join him at a networking and brainstorming session with the U.K. Dermalogica management team and other top accounts from around the country. 

 

In September, I hosted my first exclusive event in London's award winning Ham Yard Hotel. In the hotel's resident Soholistic Spa I gave a talk giving tips about skincare over the coming months, Bare Minerals make up artist Ioannis joined me to launch their new Bare Pro foundation and Dermalogica demonstrated their new Dewy Skin DIY with Phyto Replenishing Oil. I have been invited back to Ham Yard Hotel to do another event next Spring. 

I cant wait to see what the year ahead holds! 

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." -Oprah Winfrey 

Travel Tuesday: Desert Island Beauty & Wellness- Part 6: Food

A popular radio program in the UK called Desert Island Discs asks a variety of listeners what they would take to a Desert Island. If they were only allowed 8 records what would they pack?  

A friend asked me what my beauty version would be. So here's the six entry of an eight part Beauty & Wellness series about what I would take with me if I was only allowed one item. 

On a desert island In would assume coconuts would grow naturally, but if they didn't I would pack coconut oil. It is so versatile! You can cook with it, use it as a face and body moisturiser, a conditioner for your hair, cuticle oil for your nails, a balm for your lips, massage oil... Oh the list goes on and on.  For more tips and recipes check out http://bit.ly/2d79Azc 

Image curtesy of Babble

Whenever I pack for holiday I always try to pack multi functional items, and coconut oil wins hands down! So if you're headed somewhere hot, pop a tub of coconut oil in your luggage and the natural soft scent and conditioning benefits will keep your skin glowing and healthy! 

Treatment Thursday- personalized skincare regime

Geographic location holds no bounds for Diana Jenner

Living in England, Canadian born and USA educated has opened many doors and travel opportunities throughout my life. Now with social media I can connect with people world-wide on a daily basis. 

Photo taken at The Hurlingham Club. 

Since winning Beauty Therapist of the Year, a national accolade awarded by BABTAC (British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology) I have connected with other professionals in the beauty industry in Japan, South Africa, United States, Dubai, Canada and Australia. It's fantastic to gain inspiration and share ideas with such a large group of people especially having visited their countries, which makes it easier to relate to the different cultures. 

Beauty is one of the fastest growing industries. The United Kingdom market was worth £16.6 billion in 2014. Raconteur states, “Spending on beauty and skincare in the UK is expected to reach new highs in 2015”, and it did! In 2015 the beauty market reached £17 billion, 3% growth in three years doesn't seem like a lot, but we're talking billions and that is a lot of spending! 

Picture from amyhowardsocial.com 

I love the beauty industry, it's about making others feel better about themselves. By sharing knowledge about the industry and educating people it enables them to be a better version of themselves. 

Travel Tuesday: Part 5 Desert Island Beauty & Wellness- Suppliment

A popular radio program in the UK called Desert Island Discs asks a variety of listeners what they would take to a Desert Island. If they were only allowed eight records what would they pack?  

A friend asked me what my beauty version would be. This is the fifth entry of the Beauty & Wellness series about what I would take with me if I was only allowed one item. 

I started taking a daily collagen supplement after reading a blog about how it helps your skin. A collagen supplement didn't make sense to me at first because your skin produces collagen not the body, but I thought I would try it anyway... Anything to slow the ageing process right?!

I started to research and read a bit more about the benefits on the skin by ingesting collagen. This incert from Amino-collagen summarises the benefits that studies have proven. 

"As the skin undergoes natural chronological aging, and is attacked through photoaging, the natural skin structure begins to deteriorate. Fortunately, lost body collagen stores can be effectively replaced through the right supplements. Supplemental collagen can increase strength around high movement areas of the skin where wrinkles form. Fortifying the skin's structure by eating collagen also results in the strengthening of pore walls, slowing down sagging skin and enlarged pores. The result is more youthful looking skin during aging."

This whole article explains the benefits of a collagen supplement on the body. http://amino-collagen.com/collagen-benefits-side-effects.html Amino-collagen states, 'taking collagen can decrease wrinkles by 13%' and other fun facts about this anti-ageing supplement.

So the vitamin or supplement I would take to a desert island would be collagen capsules to help combat the signs of ageing caused by the sun. 

Motivation Monday- hill training

Sunday Runday didn't happen because I was up at 3.00am to drive the family down to Fowey for a weeks holiday. Living each day to the full my Aunt and cousin were in town so lunch and family time prevailed over an 11 mile run! 

If any of you readers have children in sure you can understand the lack of sleep on a first night holiday due to unsettled children in a new environment... My two boys, three and under are no exception! 

After only four rough hours of sleep and a cooked breakfast I had to dig deep this morning to find the strength mentally and physically to do my weekly long run. 

Fowey is very hilly but it was lovely to explore on foot, and I ended up running 12 miles around this quaint seaside village! 

Charcoal masque whilst stretching to get my twice weekly exfoliation and masque in... It's all about multi-tasking!! 

The BABTAC Effect

Hello September! What a whirlwind the past three months of summer have been. It was such an honour to win the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC) Gold Award and Beauty Therapist of the Year in June! It is just starting to sink in, but I am still hanging onto the reins riding the BABTAC effect. 

The past few months have brought so many exciting new opportunities for me. I have had a page feature in Vitality Magazine for two consecutive months, been mentioned in Professional Beauty Magazine, interviewed as a Woman to Watch for the International Dermal Institute's Living Skin Magazine and featured in local papers! 

Last week, Aurelian Lis, the global CEO of Dermalogica, was in town for four days and I went to London to meet him! We had a Tribe meeting with the U.K. Management team and other professional skin therapists from around the country discussing the exciting new vision for Dermalogica over the next couple of years. 

On Thursday, 15 September I will be giving at talk at Ham Yard in London about seasonal changes for skincare and will have the opportunity to meet beauty bloggers and editors! The talk will be hosted in Ham Yard's Soholistic Spa and and we will be showcasing Dermalogica's new Phyto Replenishing Oil that launches today along with their new Face Fit treatment. 

My PR consultant, Sarah Branson suggested I start a weekly video blog which I launched in July. Check out Orchids Retreat social media channels for my Happy Hump Day weekly updates. 

I really enjoy sharing my passion for the beauty industry with others and would like to further my career by helping to educate others through consulting, presenting and being a brand ambassador.