Dear skin geeks!
I am overstressed.....
First of all, if this tread in the wrong place i apologise for it. It is my first time opening a tread.
So what happened...
I know there is a lot of threads about skincare products and believe me i research i can say most of them but i am still hanging in the air.
I am opening my homebased salon in 2 months time and i still didn't find a skin care range to use in the salon.
I am researching products over 3 months now i received hundreds of samples and product catalogs but i am still helpless.
I received Susan Molyneux samples and packages which are brilliant and they would be my first choice well untill i saw the basic salon/retail order price (995£)
I also received samples from Essentially yours which were fantastic price range spot on but the package let me down. I dont think my clients would buy them doesn't matter how good they are(This is the price range iam looking for)
I also got samples from Collins, Swissdermyl, spafinders, Annemarie Bolind, Dremalogica, MDformulations, Nimue, etc but they are too expensive and again my clients would not afford them.
I dont want to use products from the bottom range like Natures Way, Solutions, Salonsystem, StrictlyProfessional we use to use them in college and we complained so much about them having breakouts and stuff until they changed it to Dermalogica.
I also don't want to use a product which other salons use or which is reachable through the internet.
The competitive salon down the roads uses Decleor, Elemis, Ahava, Clarins, Dermalogica
I would of liked to use Eve Taylor that is also in my price range but the hotels beauty salon close to my house uses it so.... its disappointing.
I don't know what to do. I think i have to stretch my budget and go for Susan Molyneux range at least nobody has it but they stock you with items which you normally won't buy! I am a cry baby
I have sorted my Man-Ped, Nail ext iam going to use Creative Nail Design
For waxing iam using Clean&Easy
For Eye treatments Hive
Tanning St Tropez (even if other salon using them but i think i can;t go wrong with them)

I know that you might say i am picky i should just choose one and go with the flow but with a new business i don't want to start with an expensive range because clients won't pay for them (depending on the area) but i don't want to start with a low range either because is going to be hard to change the salon image afterwards.

Please Skin Geeks help me i feel like i am on the edge falling....

well I recently started with academie and do the acad'arome essential oil facial. I'll pm you the start up price.

Major downside of this range is the retail is expensive. Apart from that I would give this range 10/10.

Why don't you ask S Molyneux if you can have a bespoke start up order. They used to have a minimum opening order amount, that was less than the actual opening 'package' but that was a few years ago, so I'm not sure what's on offer at the mo. For instance, I would get the basics, i.e. cleanse, tone, moisturise, mask, massage oil, for each skin type, but try to avoid the single use masks like the thermal modelling and the aqua visage ones. Also, you could ask to pick and choose your retail stock, as yes, you are right, there is stuff included in the retail package that's pretty hard to sell.

Have you looked at Germaine de Capuccini? Skin Care Products UK, Beauty Products, UK Skin Care Products, Cosmetic Skin Products, UK They do a good range of products, and will send out a VERY generous amount of samples, and they let you put together your own start-up package.

I have just taken on Susan Molyneux and did my two day training last week. The Monu range is lovely and as and when you want to you have the chance of introducing the Renu and Virtu ranges into your salon. I was speaking to a girl on my training course and she was telling me that she had picked her opening order and spent approx £600.

You can always PM me and I can lead you into the right direction of what to order. HTH

Sarah x

Hello honey,

Go with what you would use on your skin. That way selling is easy. It is hard to sell stuff that you dont use yourself. Eve Taylor is fab by the way. I know you dont want to be in competition with the salon down the road but Eve Taylor start up package just cannot be beat. I used Dermalogica for years but have now switched to Eve Taylor. I just can't rate it highly enough!

I love danne montagie king. its all natural and its amazing what results can be achieved. You can also upgrade as needed to offer more intense facials. Start up is about £700 i think. But you will be able to offer yourself as an advanced skin clinic rather than just a beauty salon that offers basic facials.

I know MD Formulations is good too but unless you take a few ranges of theirs then I would say its not suitable for everyone.

You need to look at several factors when taking on a skincare range such as cost of the facial to you and your profit - does this make you enough and is it a good price for your clients? what back up and support do you get? what training do you get? What PR does the company do? How quick can they get orders to you? Whats there customer service like? Do they have nice, attractive POS? How much is their POS and do they include any in your start up? How many different facials can you do with the package? Whats the price point of the retail items?

If you havnt already, I would get the reps out to see you and talk you through what they offer. You can then negotiate around your budget and what help and support you want.

what kind of treatments do you want to aim for? Relaxing or result achieving? Theres nothing wrong with starting off with a fluffy range that feels nice then move on to something that achieves results later down the line that also has a great retail product.

Its a hard choice and certainly a costly one. I made a few big mistakes like this that cost me dearly, one company were that bad at stock control they always ran out which meant lost sales. Their customer service was awful but they knew that they had you over a barrel because you spent money on their stock and promoting it, and once your clients like the product its hard to stop stocking it! Another company sold me the products then they lost distribution rights and i never got trained leaving me with thousands of pounds worth of stock that was useless to me!

Dont be scared of bringing in a range that is already popular in the area though as sometimes people in that area are so brainwashed about what they have been told about a product that they wont change as they think your telling porkies about your range! Strange but true! I live in an area where every salon offers LCN Gel because it and I quote 'dosnt ruin your nails'. I have tried to get them over to Creative acrylic but they wont touch it because all the gel nail techs have told people that acrylic destroys their nails! Even though no ones nails here last longer than a week or two before falling off and their nails are that thin from over filing I will not apply another system over them until they have healed. So because I refused to do peoples nails that are so thin they are virtually through to the nail bed I lost clients! GGGRRRRR So annoying especially when I have been doing Creative for 7 years and my nails last for months and don't leave the nails thin and soft from over filing!

Suppose thats what happens when you move to a backwards town like I have from a major city!

Thank you guys so much for the quick replys, your advices!
It's been stressful for a few months now i even dreaming about skincare. I used the samples which SM send me and i was quite satisfied. I want to believe in my own treatments and the skin care i am selling. I want a product which helps clients not just relaxing because clients come for facials mostly because they have a problem which they don't know how to manage and i would like to be able to help them, give them advice.
I am going to call SM and ask them to come out to my house and talk. If i manage to knock the order down i will definitely go with them.
Thank you guy for the support i couldn't believe how many of you answered!
I will let you know what happened!

Huni its a minefield out there. and Ive looked and looked and its really up to you at the end of the day. some thing that works on your skin would be good. than at lease you can sell it as you know it works tryed and tested.

well this is what i feel right now. its drives me mad too lol...

Hey
Your help would be much appriciated! What shell i do? How was the training? Do they teach you their own massage routine or ....not....
splendorbeauty xx