B I B A :: t h e Q & A
B I B A // Q & A
What inspired you to create + launch your signature line of Skin Care?
Recently, with the onset of the pandemic preventing me from seeing clients in person, I was forced to shift perspective and re-evaluate the purpose of my practice and dream up my future path. I refocused my energy solely on my product line, realizing that I could reach more people that way and that emphasized the purpose of my work even further.
For those who don’t know me, for many years I kept a low profile, avoided publicity, and practiced my craft in my small, inconspicuous studio in Beverly Hills. I worked and I didn’t talk much about it, feeling it would somehow devalue it. I never wanted my voice to get lost in the million voices on the skin care market because I knew the positive results from both my practice and products spoke for themselves.
My product range grew over time, and in it, customers can find all they need to target their skin issues, from acne to aging, and in between. I intend to keep perfecting the selection and continue to stay science and research-based.
Because there are so many skin care options on the market today, it is very hard and confusing for customers to make a choice. What I have to offer is a proven, professional approach - both my products and my recommendations are rooted in the experience of working on people's skin for many, many years.
I would like to add that my product line is self-funded, and it runs and thrives without standard traditional marketing efforts. Even this essay is written by me! That is a testimony to the originality and quality of my skincare products. Many brands don’t have a story or have a vicarious story at best. With that said, I would like to appropriately honor those amazing people whom my product line met along its journey, those who inspired new products with inquiries to resolve their skin issues, reviewers, those who offered advisory, those who executed daily actions, and to those who gave me shoutouts and kind words without me asking.
That is it, in a nutshell. Though I am not a journeyman esthetician any longer, I remain an enthusiastic skincare professional. I am committed to the purpose of resolving skin care problems and I strive to keep the products and the knowledge current and avoid hyped trends.
My intention is to keep my products affordable, artisanal and to work on sustainability. By sustainability, firstly I have in mind to not have the look of the product be more important than the quality of the product itself. We talk about recycling, but often we do not mention overspending & over-purchasing (wasting), which is one of the most unsustainable, detrimental practices today that directly affects consumers who carry the cost of the extravagantly priced packaging.
Also, my products last a really long time, a little goes a long way (well for most of them).
Yes! I actually practiced esthetics from an early age. We had beauty rituals at home when my dad was away which was often. My grandmother was a chef and a herbalist. For me, it is natural to “know” so many facts about the herbal world and their applications. My mother was a very vain person and I accompanied her to all of her appointments and treatments which is how I fell in love with the beauty industry. Even though I never suffered from acne myself, I was a devout facial client from the age of 14. I just loved the atmosphere of a beauty salon. Beauty is many things, as we know...it’s about wellness, mental health, self care, immunity, healing, and community...A lot of cultures have hammams where people can escape daily stress and scrub the fatigue and worries off, and a beauty salon in the USA is our version of those “hammams”.
I am a modest person and I don’t talk much about my personal life. But I will share that while approaching my big career decision, I studied Law, Art, and Language ( I am fluent in five ). My family was against me entering the trade professions, but despite that, I eventually did, and I learned so many interesting disciplines: flower arranging, cocktail crafting, international cooking, furniture restoration and upholstery, decorative painting, photography, and of course, Reiki, acupressure, esthetic sciences, and alternative health approaches… I was very much into immersion and the adventure of learning, not worrying about the fiscal reality of the low-paying jobs that both my parents and society emphasize. The truth is, that one can always make a good living when they are passionate about what they are doing. Finally, it became clear that my love of hands-on disciplines fused into one: the art of touch, the art of giving a facial treatment and sculpting clear, beautiful, healthy skin. And now, even more...connecting with people via my products and manifesting wellbeing and joy.
How did you know you wanted to start your own practice and emphasize holistic beauty and wellness?
Before I started my own practice there was a tipping point in my career where it became clear to me that people were really in need of good quality and personalized skincare services and that I should venture on my own. Shortly after, I had a waitlist of 30-50 people wanting to see me and that list was ever so growing. As flattering as that might be, I really did not want to expand to the point where the quality of my treatments would suffer, as so often happens. I am still one woman business that is growing and I keep insisting on quality of my life and in-depth studying of the new techniques and technology.
A skin care routine should be short and simple and skin care treatments as regular as massage, nail and hair treatments. Skin care products are NOT collectible and NOT fashion items. They clash with each other, they have an expiration, and often times are redundant or unnecessary.