March is International Women’s Month! In honor of this month we decided to shine light on one of the leading ladies in the beauty industry today! We sat down with Amanda Gardner, the owner, lead esthetician and skin therapist of DreamDolls Wax & Glow Bar. DreamDolls Wax&Glow Bar is a New York based beauty bar for women.
Amanda Gardner developed DreamDolls in 2015. Growing up as a teenager Amanda loved all things beauty and all things that glittered. She was known for making skincare concoctions, overusing perfume, and spending her allowance in the Rite Aid cosmetics and skincare aisles. After learning less is more and after years of perfecting her hobbies, she realized she could turn it into an actual career. In 2011 Amanda enrolled in Atelier Esthetique Institute of Esthetics, a renowned and highly rated school for aspiring estheticians.
Amanda excelled in her classes and made it her business to soak up any knowledge obtainable to her. Her classes consisted of Anatomy of the Skin, Physiology of Hair Growth, and Advanced Skincare treatments. Shortly after graduating Amanda acquired an Esthetics position at Aveda Spa Lounge. A few months after hire, Amanda was promoted to Lead Esthetician. After a year of managing spa staff and solely performing facials, Amanda realized she wanted to expand her experience and resigned from Aveda. In early 2013 she began solely concentrating in hair removal. During this time she perfected her craft in waxing.
In 2015 she created and developed DreamDolls Wax&GlowBar LLC. DreamDolls began as a private practice specializing in facials, and waxing. It will evolve into a beauty bar that provides also nails, makeup, eyelash/eyebrow extensions, body contouring, and even laser treatments. The best is yet to come!
Tell us a little about DreamDolls Wax&Glow Bar.
DreamDolls Wax&Glow Bar, LLC is where a doll gets dolled! DreamDolls is currently a private office practice where we specialize in waxing, skincare, and facials. I do not look at DreamDolls, as just a business .It is a movement, a movement for all women. A place for you to come, receive exceptional service, get dolled, but above all be yourself and feel comfortable. This is only the beginning. Our services continue to expand and our brand continues to bloom. I named DreamDolls with a strong name because I envision it to be a chained household name.
What sparked the idea to start this type of business?
I have always been a lover of the beauty industry. It all began as a young teenager. I first fell in love around 12. Now that I think about it I would have to thank my older cousin Shantell Gardner. She is a beauty industry GODDESS! She worked for many high-end skin care lines and would give me things to try and sample. At the age of 13 I would have Clinique, Este Lauder, Dior and Mac products on my dresser as if I was a young woman already. I am grateful for that because before that I would buy Noxzema and all different kinds of junk from the drugstores and make horrible skincare concoctions. I laugh about
those times when I think back on it. But, I would love to watch her clean out her perfume collections and endless makeup bags. Her perfume collection is really just out of this world! She would give me whatever she didn’t want and I was really just in love since then!
Years later after graduating from Atelier Esthetique Institute of Esthetics, I just knew I would be a business owner. I never believed that I would be working for others for very long. I always felt that no employer had my same passion. However, there were quite a few times when I would enroll back in college and then realize that my passion was still calling my name. In 2015 I was ready to begin my journey as a business owner. So, I took the plunge and did it!
What was the journey like?
My journey was actually pretty fast and intense. It was like a light bulb went off one morning. I was feeling tension where I was working at the time. The energy was feeling heavy and I just felt that it was a sign that it was time. So I resigned and began working diligently to begin DreamDolls. I would not sleep! I worked so hard! I developed every creative aspect of my business in solitude. I worked hard on getting the website and the booking site together. I just engulfed myself into my baby. DreamDolls failing was just not an option.
What is it like to be a black woman business owner in the beauty industry?
I will say that we all have the same 24 hours and 7 days in the week. Being a business owner in general is stressful and a continuous fight. As an entrepreneur every day is full of ups and downs. The color my skin does not make my business. It is all about your work ethic. “No” is not an option. “I can’t” should not be in your vocabulary. With anything you do in life you have to work hard! My company has over 100 clients. I have women from so many different backgrounds, race, and ethnicities. DreamDolls is a movement for all women to come and get dolled up 🙂
What sets DreamDolls Wax&Glow Bar a part from other Beauty Bar’s?
What I love about DreamDolls is that all my clients are wowed as soon as they walk into the treatment room. It is clean, comfortable, and is warm and welcoming. It is private so many client say that they feel like a celebrity with their own private esthetician. Someone once said she felt like she gets the same treatment as the Beyoncé. That made me smile. I love that my clients are so comfortable and at home.
We speak things into existence here at Core Reader Mag; tell us something you want tohappen for yourself and your business?
I envision DreamDolls Wax&Glow Bar, LLC to be a chained household name. DreamDolls will have locations in a few major cities with in some years. We will begin offering laser treatments, eyelash & brow extensions, body contouring, etc. DreamDolls Wax&Glow Bar will be the hottest and fastest growing beauty bar known. This is only the beginning!
Advice to the young ladies looking to start their own business.
Keep positive and well wishing friends and family around you.
Always keep in mind that this journey is not meant to be shared with everyone.
Change your vocabulary. Delete the “cant’s” “its too hard”
Charge what you are worth (I am still taking this advice for myself )
Keep your vision clear. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!
Don’t allow people with heavy, and not so happy for you energies to get in the way.
YOU Are A BOSS!
During the interview, we also had a chance to watch Amanda demonstrate a facial and underarm waxing. Here’s what she had to say to the questions we’ve been dying to when it comes to caring for our skin.
Tell us why is it so important to have a proper skincare routine.
Our skin is the largest organ of the human body. We have to live with it everyday. We make sure we do our nails, hair, buy clothes, and try our best to look good. However, when someone meets you the first thing they do is look at your face. I make skin contact before eye contact.
What you put on your skin is extremely important. You have to think of your body as one big pore. Your skin absorbs EVERYTHING you put on it. You want make sure you only use the highest quality of products. I am not a huge fan of OTC products (Over The Counter). They are usually full of junk, contain fillers, made of large molecules that sit on top of the skin but do not penetrate the skin. You want to invest in a professional skincare line that has high levels of active ingredients that actually treat the skin.
At DreamDolls we provide our guest with the most luxurious and effective skin care products. We achieve advanced results and target concerns of aging, acne, clogging of pores, fines line, age spots, melasma, hyperpigmentation and rosacea. Our SkinscriptRx line specializes in corrective skin care for all skin types and ethnicities. A DreamDolls facial not only softens, but also polishes the skin, making it glow! Clinical results are to be expected!
What are your top products one must have to have a complete skincare routine?
These are the absolute must haves that you NEED in your skincare.
1. CLEANSER: A Cleanser based on your skin type.
2. EXFOLIATOR: A gentle exfoliator is a must have in your skincare. Your skin cells are constantly regenerating. So 2-3 times a week you want to sloth of the dead skin cells.
3. MOISTURIZER: Even if you are oily you need to moisturize to keep the skin soft and supple.
4. SUNSCREEN: Sunscreen in general is a must have for health reasons and protection from the sun.
However, you want to also keep in mind if you are trying to combat hyperpigmentation you will need sunscreen to seize further darkening.
My motto is the simpler the better. Once you have these essentials you can then begin adding serums to treat and a toner. If you aren’t great with routine, STAY SIMPLE!
How often should one come to get a facial?
For someone who is looking to treat problematic skin and/or looking to work toward smooth, even, and radiant skin a facial should be scheduled once a month.
If you are receiving facials for maintenance you want to schedule your appointment every time the season changes. This helps you start off each weather change with healthy and clean skin.
Bust a beauty myth!
So many people believe that the “squeaky-clean” feel is a sign that your cleanser is working. However, it is a sure tell sign that you destroyed your acid mantle. Your acid mantle is your skins protective barrier. It is a very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of the skin that acts as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other potential contaminants that might penetrate the skin. Think about that…..
Oh and let go of the St.Ives scrub!!!! It is like glass to the face. This abrasive scrub causes micro tears on the skin, which results in premature wrinkling.
What’s a common misconception women and men of color make about their skin?
There is something called a Fitzpatrick scale which is used by estheticians and dermatologist to classify a persons skin type. The scale goes from the fairest to the darkest skin. Many people assume that darker is stronger and more tolerable. However, the higher you go on the Fitzpatrick scale the more careful you have to be with that person’s skin. Women and men of color actually have extremely sensitive skin. The more dark a person’s skin is, actually means the more tactful and cautious a skin care professional has
be when providing their treatments.
-Interview by Autumn Marie Johnson, Beauty Editor
Stay beautiful!
