Tell us about how and why “Amélie’s” came about

The big picture:

We’re bombarded every day by beauty standards that can make us feel like misfits and unworthy. I created Amélie’s to be a safe cocoon - a place free of diktats to feel comfortable and taken care of. It's a nurturing space that is inclusive and accepting of all. Everything that my business stands for aligns with my personal values.

Offering makeup lessons, skincare advice and research is as much about helping my clients feel confident in their own skin as it is about bringing out their natural beauty. I believe that everyone is beautiful.

Hence my brand essence: “Naturally you: Makeup and skincare enhance you. YOU are the beautiful one.”

Sometimes, you need help to shine a different light on yourself.

It’s about so much more than just makeup and skincare. It’s about empowerment, confidence, inclusivity, equality,... it’s about feeling the best you can feel, on the inside and having it show on the outside.

Supporting change:

Life is a journey and I want to nurture womxn as they enter new stages in their lives. When I became a mum, I realized that there are a lot of times in our lives when we go through a transformation or a significant change - motherhood, divorce, ageing, etc.

I wanted to create a space to reflect and help others feel comfortable and confident in whatever new skin they're in!

Services:

I’ve been into skincare and makeup for as far as I can remember… I've always loved how good skincare, makeup and massages make people feel confident in their own skin. But I was also very aware that knowing how to do it well wasn't something that came naturally to a lot of people.

When I went to beauty school and then makeup school, both my sisters asked me to create “no-makeup makeup” for them, for work, using what they already owned and after the 3rd time one of them asked me to do it again because even with a face chart, she wasn’t wearing makeup often enough to remember how to do it, I recorded the lesson on video. Other friends asked me to do the same and I realised there was a gap in the market. That’s when the concept was born.

The goal is to become the go-to expert in Clean Beauty in NZ (to start with). To be a driving member of the new beauty standards by serving makeup and skincare consumers but also producers to secure a safer industry and a more sustainable future.

Sustainability:

The switch to clean beauty happened gradually since 2014.

In beauty school, I was diagnosed with severe allergies and I could not use anything on my skin anymore. It was a slow process to desensitise my skin and find products that performed how I wanted them to.

Then, I became a mum and the environmental drive became much stronger. I want my son to live on a beautiful planet and to be able to experience nature and life how we’ve been able to. Pregnancy and breastfeeding were the final push I needed to put the cosmetologist aspect of my diploma to good use and dive deep into ingredients lists, rules etc… That’s when the premise of a list of “no-go” ingredients was born for me.

Sustainability isn't about perfection. It's about intention and follow-through. It's about educating yourself and constantly improving on where you are now.

I do my best to recommend NZ or AU made brands.

What was the hardest part about making sure it’s sustainable and you’re not falling into the category of greenwashing:

Time is the hardest part. This is always a work in progress.

I spend a long time reading brands’ websites in detail, emailing and ringing brands to ask questions about where products are made and how.

The amount of time decrypting a brand to just look at the ingredients and the product outside of the marketing techniques is enormous but that’s why I do it. So my customers don’t have to.
Some of my red flags are: if the website doesn’t say where products are made and if only key ingredients are listed instead of a full ingredient list.

100% natural doesn’t mean safe, a lot of ingredients found in nature are toxic. This is why I specialise in Clean Beauty: Products made with safe, non-toxic ingredients for humans and the environment with label transparency from brands. That means a straightforward comprehensive list of ingredients on the label. No “catch-all” like fragrances that can hide hundreds of toxic ingredients.

No brand is perfect but transparency is key. Sustainability isn't about perfection. It's about intention and follow-through. It's about educating yourself and constantly improving on where you are now.

What is the most challenging part of starting your own business?

Finding the right energy balance and boundaries. I am extremely passionate about what I do so I give it my all. But I am also a mum, a spouse, a friend, … It’s hard to press pause, stop, breathe and not be consumed by my passion.

What tips would you give to somebody who wants to start an eco-business but has no idea where to start

One: Be passionate about it and find the right people to guide you, to help you set up solid brand foundations.

I have an incredible business coach named Marijke Timmers and I would not be where I am today without her expertise.

Two: However long you think it will take, triple that time. Stakes are higher, stress is higher, time is elusive.

Three: Trust in yourself and the butterfly effect. Eco-businesses can be very expensive to start and run. Find your niche and start where it feels right for you. You can’t rescue the whole world but trust that the butterfly effect will happen and that the impact of what you do will ripple through and be big enough.

What’s one thing that happened recently that you’re proud of?

I keep showing up, every day, no matter the setbacks and all of it in my second language. My English is getting better and better by the day. People often forget that I am a native French speaker (although I am Belgian, not French!) and quid pro quo keep happening and I own up to my mistakes.

What do you want from the future of Amélie’s?

I want to remove the media instilled unachievable beauty diktats. I believe everyone is beautiful. I want to empower individuals into feeling beautiful and confident with what they got. “Naturally you” is at the core of everything I do. Products don’t make you beautiful. They enhance what is already there! Everyone is beautiful, some individuals just need a bit of help to see it.
I want to become the go-to expert in Clean Beauty in NZ (to start with). To be a driving member of the new beauty standards by serving makeup and skincare consumers but also producers to secure a safer industry and a more sustainable future.
I want the makeup and skincare lessons to be recognized as the best individual lessons in NZ and for people to be willing to travel to come to see me.
I would love to have the opportunity to travel and visit skincare/makeup manufacturing labs.
On a personal level, I want to be able to pay myself enough to afford the school that my husband and I chose for our son.
I also want to be able to go on holidays.