I am just about to move to a new shop and will have a little more space to fill and like you hoping to do skin care. I did have VV in the salon when I first opened and it was ok my mate was doing it at the time ,what she was good at was make overs and make up and we did a little buisness. but it is highly purfumed and a little Avon you are right
I am thinking of trying Mary K . it is an american product and sold through skin care classes usually held in the home so we plan to hold small classes in the salon - and have a display from which clients can purchase goods once converted. I will get a bit of rent from the wonderful lady who wants run the classes and she will have the use of my full client list. and hopefully it will go well - I get skin care in the salon and at no cost to me if fact I will be keeping costs down. I use some Mary K products and love them and I have very sensitive skin and my mum who is a skin care addict and looks good for it really loves it
xx

In my humble opinion I wouldn't use anything on a client I wouldn't be happy to use myself, therefore I'd go with a premium skincare brand. I LOVE decleor, and after years of unhappy skin I'm glad to say I glow most days. I also like elemis, and am looking at a mid-priced range for when I start my own business from New Zeland called Living Nature but have yet to try samples.

I voted that I think VV is glorified Avon, and am sorry to say haven't been at all satisfied by their products and quite unsure as to their position in the market .

I think customers of beauticians deserve a great product, and are generally happy to pay a little extra for something which makes them feel and look wonderful. I came home from my local salon after my first Decleor facial with about £50 of product, but have continued to be V happy with the results

Im a virgin vie rep and i love the products thats y i became a rep!!! i use the skincare on my self and i think it would be a good way to bring in extra cash for your salon. I jus love the make up. all the skincare is made in the same lasbotorys as all the big ones such as clarins clinique etc so for the price you pay your getin good quality products and you get more for the price you pay 2. xxxxxx

If you're thinking about a new range but need it to be affordable have you thought about Eve Taylor. For the full professional range you're looking at £350 approx, but you can start off by getting the retail range which is all the same products but in slightly smaller size and is £180, this is what I have done recently, they do a standard next Day delivery sevice on retail orders so I plan to display the Boxes use the products and place orders for clients to collect, not perfect but means a good quality product is more affordable and I can still retail it BABSann is a bit of an expert on Eve Taylor if you want to know more, hth xxx

i don't think of virgin vie as a salon brand myself! as other people have said, it's too expensive for what the product actually is, IMO

i would go for a salon ONLY brand, in that it is exclusive to professional beauty therapists only.

i qiute like avon products and i use them on a regular basis.the most recent thing i bought from there was a mirror shine spray for your hair and i found it worked great even on blonde hair.it did exactly what it said.i dont think my first choice would be v.vie but i went to one of there partys and got a peel of face mask and i think it was the best one ive tried and ive got dry skin.i think it would be a good idea for you to maybe have one of there parties so that you can try there products and decide for yourself and you will get you friends views to see what they think.hths

It is a very difficult, as to which brand to go with. You have to ask what your aims are for the brand within what you offer.

Ideally I feel you would want a brand which offers very good treatments for your clients coupled with good value for money on a cost per treatment basis. Whether this is a high tech solution to problems or a feel good treatment (it should be noted that skincare can only offer temporary solutions - otherwise it would cross over into medicine).

It is also important that there is something to say about the brand you are using. What is the brand's unique selling point? This can be something as simple as good skincare for different skin types to exotic ingredients. What ever it is, it needs to mean something to you or you will never convince your clients of the benefits.

You should also look at what price the products retail to the customer, are they applicable for your client base. Some of you might be thinking that you don't really want to retail on the products that much, but this is an additional unseen service you offer. You are after all the expert - that is why your client came to you in the first place. And do remember that the effects of the products used in the treatment are only temporary (I am sure we have all seen the disclaimer on products 'used regularly can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles'), so it is important for your client to use a skin care product that will continue the benefits of the treatment.

You also need to know what additional services the brand offers. Do you get brochures and are they nice. Is there other support material available? Also does the company charge for these? In this case free is not always better, an ugly brochure can put clients off. Does the brand actively promote you? Does it offer your staff or you incentives? Is the brand strong enough to draw clients in? Will the salon in the next street also have the same brand?

Also do you have to have training to use the products and if you do is there a charge for it and do you have to travel to get the training? This can be a hidden charge by take up your time when you and your staff could be seeing clients.

I guess then, when you have found brands which tick all your requirements, then you have to look into the start up costs and if any deals are available. When you are this far down the line you are likely to know which brand you would like. Don't be scared to ask for a custom package for yourself.

I would also like to say a big thank you to deb379 for recommending us.