Louise Doyle makes for great company. Within minutes of stepping into her ’boutique salon’ at Farmleigh, I can see why her True Skin business is block booked for the next two weeks. Marrying her expertise in beauty and skincare with her naturally sunny disposition has proven a winning formula, and she’s clearly happy in her own skin (pun intended), running her own business, which she founded in 2015.
“I graduated from college in 2005,” said Louise, who is married to Derek, with whom she has two children, Lauren (9) and Dylan (13). “I initially worked in retail and then went to work in pharmacy for a few years after that, we moved to Dublin and I was working in the Beacon Clinic in Dublin, which is where my interest in skin care really developed. And that took me to Cosmetic Doctor, one of the top clinics in Dublin, where I worked as a Medical Aesthetician, where my training developed and I studied advanced skincare in London, Birmingham and Manchester, and I worked there for four years. But I really wanted to spend more time with the kids and I wanted to figure out something that I could do at home, so I decided I’d go into lashes – initially I couldn’t do them so I knew I’d have to figure it out so I headed back to the UK, got a mentorship and built my knowledge until I was confident, over the years and working with my colleague in the UK discussing our shared interest in skin care made me want to stock a great range; we did a lot of research, we decided on a brand and so, after eight years in Dublin, we decided to come home to Waterford at the start of 2017.”
Louise, who holds diplomas from both the ITEC and the CIBTAC, founded True Skin in 2015, returned home to Waterford without a salon space, so she initially maintained the business through a mobile service, offering treatments to clients in the comfort of their own homes. “I wanted to start putting my name out there on a mobile basis with a view to opening up at home eventually, a point I’ve already reached, thankfully! But I found myself getting very busy operating solely on a mobile basis and felt the need to have my own little place here just so I could be at home more. I also wanted to make the whole experience more relaxed so I opened up the boutique salon here a few months ago, having previously been based in client’s homes. I wanted to specialise in skin care, peels and so on, to bring an excellent skincare experience to my clients and really go back to basics and get away from emphasising all of the fancy ranges that are out there, and give customers products that were most useful – you could say I wanted to start my own skincare revolution here in Waterford! And that’s why I needed a location that I could be based in as it’s very difficult to do advanced skincare treatments in peoples’ houses, taking hygiene into account, so I’m here now and I’m very, very happy. I’ve gone from having one client a week, praying I wouldn’t have to go out and get a job somewhere (!), to now being fully booked all the time. And I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received; Waterford people have been very receptive and supportive to what I’m doing here, and I’m delighted to have so many clients in a relatively short period of time.”
Louise generally works from Wednesday to Friday and every other Saturday, which allows her to typically book up two weeks in advance. “It’s been building slowly, but word of mouth has been great and I find that Waterford people are very loyal – and that includes people I was in school with, some of whom I haven’t seen for 10 years – and it’s been lovely to benefit from that kind of support. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to come back home. Sure there’s no place like it, after all.” Louise has trained with industry leaders across a range of disciplines: chemical peels, microdermabrasion, micro needling, laser therapy and laser treatment for skin lesions.
“I now specialise in lashes and brows and will soon be the master lash educator for a large Irish based lash academy for Munster”. She continued: “Today’s busy women often don’t have time to prioritise their beauty and skincare needs and this led her to set up the mobile based beauty business, bringing top quality salon brands and treatments into clients’ homes. But now I can do even more and provide an even better service from my boutique salon and provide a level of service which is clearly appealing to clients given the repeat business I’ve got on the books now.”
Louise is striving to create a “home away from home” vibe at True Skin and on the basis of my 20-minute conversation in her salon last week, it’s a race she’s clearly winning. I wanted people to be able to get everything they get in a big salon without the price tag – the best skin care (Aestheticare, Neostrata), the best tan, the best products, the best nails, all the best of everything – but all in the comfort of your own home or else here in my boutique salon. People come into my salon and get treated like friends. I don’t like to feel that they’re only being sold products. I’ve never wanted that, and I’ll always give the best advice I can, and when people are coming back for repeat treatments, it gives me the feeling that I’m on the right track.”
Sessions with Louise are standalone so privacy and relaxation is guaranteed, which is welcome for a whole host of reasons: be it due to a particular skin ailment as well as the benefit of “not having to dress up if you were heading into town!” An average full day’s work can see up to seven clients coming through Louise’s door, so it’s clear that business is heading in the right direction. “The support from clients has been great, but the support from Derek, Lauren and Dylan has been absolutely incredible. Where I’m sitting now – my little sanctuary – and what I’m doing wouldn’t have been possible without their love and encouragement. And having that support behind me makes this job all the more satisfying.”
For more information, call Louise on 083-3377263, email louise@trueskin.ie or visit www.trueskin.ie
