*Aiming to aspire to inspire as I chat to others, picking their brains, exploring their gifts and practices.
All posts are raw & unedited because f**k none of us are perfect & it is time to celebrate that - I'm here for the honest & real, you?
Who are you?
Hi, I’m Han! I am 26, born in Young, NSW, currently living in Canberra, ACT.
This question always seems SO tricky to answer as there are so many layers that define ‘who I am’. I suppose at the core of everything I am a creative person. I enjoy creating anything from small sketches and poems, event planning and interior design, to concept photoshoots/campaigns and brand development through visual means.
I am a fairly introverted person living a heavily extraverted lifestyle which is obviously quite a contradictory statement, but I LOVE IT.Don’t get me wrong, I definitely cherish my moments of solitude and reclusivity and I can comfortably go solo, off the grid for a week straight, but I also love spending time with the people I care about and love meeting new people.
Have you ever heard of allergen desensitisation? If not, It’s basically the process of gradually exposing yourself to an allergen more and more until you aren't as allergic to it as you once were. That’s me but with social interactions lol. I was always a very shy kid but the more I forced myself into social settings, the more comfortable I became.
I would also have to say that I am a massive DIY-GIRLY and a big lover of sprinkling analog treasures into our current digitally run lives; Think vinyls, handwritten letters, film cameras etc.
I enjoy the simple things in life; strong coffee, full-bodied red wine, 3 p.m. naps, hardcover books, homemade pasta, baggy jeans, spontaneous adventures, and anything from classical music to house music and drum & bass ... wow, it feels like I’m writing a dating app profile lol.
Branching out from there, professionally speaking I am a skin specialist, a cosmetic tattooist, a brow artist, a multi- small business owner. Or in much simpler terms, I am an entrepreneur.
What sets your soul on fire?
People inspire me. Nature revives me. And being completely honest, I am a massive nerd... SO science really gets me revved up, especially neuroscience, psychology, exercise science, biochemistry and dermatology.
What is your definition of success, and how do you measure it in your life?
On quite a deep philosophical note; success to me looks like a calm and curious mind, a happy heart, a healthy body, a supportive community, and financial comfort. Success to me is having the ability to run your own life without restraint, to explore and learn without prejudice or limitations, and to inspire and educate others in their mission of being the best versions of themselves.
I take a very holistic approach to embodying this in my day-to-day life. I won’t romanticise the above by saying that these things come easy; each of these successes hold their own unique challenges. Nor will I say that I have fully succeeded in all of these aspects at this point in time. It's something I am continuously striving for, and I’ve come to learn that the process is just as rewarding as the potential end goal, if not more! I believe that our ideals of success change throughout our lives, as does the scope of them. So some days, success looks like winning a sudoku, not spilling coffee on my shirt, getting highly sought-after tickets to a gig, hitting a PB at the gym, cooking dinner with my friends, meeting someone cool, or making it through the day without my car breaking down. Other days, it looks like a solid training session with my staff members and watching them do AMAZING work, helping a client reach their goals after 12 months of hard work, educating a new client on the functions and systems of their skin, or hitting our monthly profit targets. As I progress through life, my idea of success will continue to evolve and I’m sure it will start to look more like a home filled with love, renovations on the weekends, a passport full of stamps, and/or new expansions within my businesses... The possibilities are endless, and it's really exciting to flow with the currents of life.
As long as you're having fun, growing personally and professionally, and doing what you love with the people you love, THAT is true success I think, and those things cant necessarily be measured or compared.
Imagery By: @Ssesami
What are you currently working on?
We have a few projects and collaborations in the works for this year which we are super excited for! One of which we have just launched a few weeks ago with some of our favourite Canberra local creatives. Our very first coffee table book; An exclusive art piece that explores and celebrates beauty within both individualism and community.
1x book launch & exhibition event, 50x book copies available for purchase. This piece was truly designed to be exclusive. Received in the present moment and appreciated for a lifetime.
The original concept for this project was conceived 2.5 years ago with the intention of visually embodying our brand philosophy through creative means, and establishing a platform to showcase local creatives. The project maintained this essence throughout its development, and further evolved to form its final iteration as the coffee table book it is today.
I invite you to read more here!
Your business philosophy emphasises enhancing natural features and promoting confidence in one's unique beauty. What inspired you to adopt this approach, and how has it shaped the core values of your beauty business?
From a really young age I’ve observed the gaps within the beauty industry's welcomeness, and the effectsthat this had on society's somewhat narrow prejudice to anything outside of the standardised bubble. One vivid memory I have is of a guy in my year at school who was experiencing cystic acne. This was maybe in year 7 or 8.He came to school one day with makeup on, and given that it was the year 2011 and we were living in a small country town, the makeup offering was trash and seeing a boy wear it was rare... The limited colour options and lack of guidance made it challenging for anyone to apply makeup well, and let’s be real, none of us knew how to apply our makeup in year 8, we were all just doing our best. It felt unfair that while girls experimenting with makeup was accepted, boys faced ridicule for doing the same. Everyone, regardless of gender, deserves to feel confident. Cystic acne is emotionally taxing and can be quite physically painful too. He was just trying to feel his best, as was everyone else. As IS everyone else.
I’ve worked in beauty from the age of 14/15. At that time the industry was so narrowly selective as to who it catered for and up until more recent years it tended to feed off people's insecurities in order to create revenue. (The industry is getting better though... slowly, but surely!)Amidst an industry that has historically been one dimensional and homogeneous, The Lab was created with the aim to create positive transformation within not only the beauty sector but within our community as a whole. Representing and welcoming everyone regardless of gender, age, skin tone, size, or physiological make up; Championing individuality, celebrating diversity, fostering empowerment and moving away from TRENDS and ‘one size fits all’ solutions.. We also recognised that there was a gap in the market for excellent brows, lashes and
skin revision and wanted to offer services that were low-maintenance, high-quality and accessible.
I believe beauty isn't just about appearances; it runs deeper. Like art, each person has their own unique beauty that can't be compared to another. Embracing our individuality, each of us shines in our own distinct way. This core value has shaped our product and service offering immensely.Creating The Lab as an inclusive space that honours the diverse needs of our community is unbelievably fulfilling, and for this reason we are so proud of our position in the beauty industry.
Your commitment to holistic skincare and non-invasive procedures reflects a deep understanding of holistic well-being. How did you develop this approach, and how does it align with your philosophy of enhancing 'born this way' beauty?
Undeniably, there is a connection between each of the systems of the human body, which is something I have always found so SO fascinating and aligned with, both when focusing on my own wellbeing and in a professional setting.
I have suffered from acne since puberty and have personally experienced the effects of imbalanced hormones, poor gut health, illness, and high stress on not only conditions like acne, but also on general skin health, skin cell functionality, and overall well being. Through my personal journey I have also experienced the incredibly positive effects on my well-being and skin health that can result from a high quality skin care routine and in-clinic treatment program, combined with a healthy diet, active lifestyle, adequate and consistent sleep pattern, good mental health, and as cliche as it sounds... adequate daily water intake.
Our approach to skin health focuses on achieving and maintaining real, long-term results without jeopardising the integrity of the body as a whole functioning unit and we have aligned ourselves with a medium modality of treatments and non-invasive procedures for a few reasons:
1. More often doesn’t equal more. Ablative and abrasive solutions can result in negative long-term repercussions and tend to be unsuitable for treating the root cause of skin dysfunction. Instead,this method offers a short-term or interim solution, kind of like putting on a band-aid.Instead, we opt for more supportive, regenerative treatments such as microneedling, DMK Enzyme Therapy, and LLLT (Low Level Light Therapy/ LED) which are designed to utilise the skin's innate ability to regenerate and rebuild, offering the highest level of professional skin revision. This enables us to effectively address and revise a variety of concerns such as rosacea, acne, hyperpigmentation & melasma, psoriasis, eczema & dermatitis, keratosis pilaris, scarring, age management, and overall maintain healthy skin.
2. Harsher treatments such as advanced lasers, peels, and abrasive exfoliants are not suitable for every skin type. We wanted our offerings to be suitable and helpful for EVERYONE, regardless of skin sensitivities, age, gender, or skin colour.
We also recognise that there are certain limitations to our offering and that on occasion, a more indepth and integrative approach is required to fully address someone's concerns. Therefore we regularly collaborate with other holistic professionals such as Elissa Roy who is a skin, hormone & gut specialising naturopath, combining our skills and experience to offer our clients as much of a holistic approach as possible.
Imagery By: @Ssesami
what has been your favourite moment so far for your career?
I think my favourite moments of late are when I overhear the team chatting with their clients and building solid, genuine friendships with them. Listening to the laughter between them, hearing the girls educate their clients about skin science, or hearing their clients ecstatic response once they’ve seen their results... These moments make me SO SO happy and proud.
how do you stay innovative and creative in your business, and what steps do you take to continually improve your products or services?
Remaining innovative and continually improving on our product and service offering purely comes from passion, attention to detail, authenticity, and a desire for excellence. We combine those attributes and just run with it, moving with whatever feels right to us!
As for staying creative, I remember reading a quote from Rick Rubin’s book - The Creative Act: A Way of Being “Look for what you notice but no one else sees.”
I tend not to draw creative inspiration from within the beauty industry itself, rather I find creative inspiration in people, the hospitality industry, the music and arts scene, books, photography, videography and graphic design, nature, pinterest (obvy), and even architecture and interior design. Essentially I draw inspiration from everything and that’s how I maintain a creative edge within our business.
Imagery By: @christinealdridge.photography
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