Alyaka recently had the privilege to interview Annee de Mamiel, an acclaimed healing holistic facialist who is passionate in providing beauty solutions that are especially formulated to meet varying individual needs.
Expert Profile:
Annee de Mamiel, the holistic healing facialist integrates a seasonal approach to skincare to be able to offer unique formulations from mindfully sourced ingredients. Annee is the woman behind award-winning products that can make people slow down, stop for a while, breathe, and appreciate moments they spend for personal care.
An acupuncturist, aromatherapist and healing holistic facialist, Annee has a firm belief that skincare is far more than just a superficial treatment. De Mamiel artisanal products were created with love, care, and dedication to come up with holistic solutions that go beyond being organic.
It is our pleasure in sharing with you a one-of-a-kind conversation with a renowned authority on acupuncture in the United Kingdom, who specialises in facial techniques and holistic beauty solutions.
Take a peek of what goes into the process of award-winning beauty solutions, from the point of view of the woman behind natural beauty products that nourish the skin and enrich the soul — de Mamiel.
YOU ARE KNOWN AS THE HEALING HOLISTIC FACIALIST. PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING MORE ABOUT IT AND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM THE USUAL FACIALISTS MANY PEOPLE KNOW.
Basically, everything comes from a combination of Chinese medicine, Aromatherapy and Western science. I look at what the body is doing, what happens to the face and the skin, or where your organ system might be out of balance. Everything is done in a holistic approach, beauty comes from within so by addressing the internal imbalances we can see positive changes in our skin.
I look into the other aspects that affect individuals including diet, energy levels, flow of energy from the chi perspective, sleep and emotional and environmental well-being.. I look at all of these aspects when doing a treatment. I consider stress and how it affects your life and your skin and also consider the effects of stress on an individual’s sleep pattern, breathing, and many other aspects. My process includes full consultation that aims to identify problems or imbalances. Afterwards, acupuncture, meditation or breathing strategies follow. I believe that everything that affects beauty is a result of internal and external elements.
I’VE READ THAT YOU HOLD A DEGREE IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE. HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE? WHAT WERE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT LEARNING?
I mainly studied in the UK and spent an internship in a Chinese hospital. It was a great experience to learn traditional Chinese medicine and at the same time, it made me discover interesting differences between Eastern and Western medicine. My time in a Chinese hospital taught me that there is a place for everything and we can take the best things from all schools of learning.
BASED ON YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, WHAT WERE THE IMMEDIATE SKIN CARE CONCERNS THAT PEOPLE GOING THROUGH RADIATION THERAPY SHOULD NOT OVERLOOK?
Sensitivity, this can be a really delicate time for the patient, so I would say really monitor your skin and be aware of what you are putting on your skin. You already have exposure to so many toxins that adding anything even slightly toxic to your skin can cause a reaction. So keep it simple and natural as possible. People respond to different things in different ways, so find what works for your skin.
YOU’RE ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER BEAUTY EXPERTS, AND MANY PEOPLE WOULD SURELY WANT TO KNOW YOUR POINT OF VIEW REGARDING THE USE OF SAFE BEAUTY PRODUCTS.
ARE THERE CERTAIN INGREDIENTS THAT YOU IDENTIFY AS TOXIC ON THE SKIN? WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE BEST ALTERNATIVES FOR THEM?
deMamiel focuses on using natural ingredients, and avoiding anything that might be harmful so we don’t use petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, glycols, urea, TEA, anything that contains nitrates.
YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AS A SKINCARE/BEAUTY EXPERT IS IMPRESSIVE. BASED ON YOUR PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO CHECK WHEN BUYING BEAUTY PRODUCTS?
I think one of the easiest ways to find the best beauty product is to understand what works for you — to know your body and to know your skin, and have an understanding of what works for you. I would always advise people to read the labels, understand and be able to identify the elements in their skincare products.
Check to ensure there are no hidden nasties in the ingredients list, avoid the hype written about products and be careful of generalisations, just because something is organic doesn’t necessarily make it the best alternative. Understanding who you are, and what works for you and what works for someone else, even if they are famous, may not work for you. Even natural products can create reactions, just because it’s natural it doesn’t mean that you are not allergic to it.
CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING MORE ABOUT YOUR AWARD-WINNING BEAUTY PRODUCT LINE? HOW DID DE MAMIEL STARTED?
The idea of coming up with my own beauty product line came out of the treatment room. Patients would come in and after the initial consultation I work out a plan to address the excess and deficiency. I made my own products to use for my treatments, many bespoke for individual patients. It was an incredible privilege to be able to work with patients and develop my own formulations that actually work!
Many of my patients wanted to take the products to use at home or as gifts, so eventually after many years of development I was convinced to make them available more widely. People find themselves more and more unconnected with nature and ungrounded. de Mamiel products make a difference on both a physical and an emotional level, feeding the skin and feeding the soul. The breathing ritual helps patients to release their daily stress.
de Mamiel goes beyond beauty. It’s our well being, it’s our lifestyle. It allows us to take the time to give back to ourselves.
DE MAMIEL’S SEASONAL FACIAL OILS ARE VERY POPULAR, CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT IT? WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL BEAUTY OILS?
De Mamiel’s seasonal facial oils are blended around the season. They address what your skin needs at the specific time of the year. We look outside and see what our skin needs. I blend them differently every year to follow the cycles of life. For instance, in summer, we need oil that addresses humidity while we need an oil that is easily absorbed during the winter.
We create what your skin needs now. They are only created in a limited edition, made in one small batch once a year and are usually sold out. I source through the chemistry of the oils and make sure they will work precisely and I also look at their potency. I consider how they’re grown and makes sure that it performs in the way we need it to perform.
When the carefully sourced ingredients come to my blending room, I meditate over the, give them blessings of thanks and give words of intention over the bottles. It takes about 6 months to produce the oil in several stages, like the development of a fine wine.
YOU WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP AN AWARD WINNING BRAND. WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE QUALITIES THAT MAKE DE MAMIEL DIFFERENT FROM OTHER LINE OF BEAUTY PRODUCTS?
We have been so very lucky and honoured to receive a number of awards, most recently we were included in the Vogue 100 Best in Beauty award along with many amazing brands. de Mamiel is different as everything is sourced precisely according to what I need the product to do. So with Lavender for example, there are variants from different parts of the world and each one smells different and has different properties. I choose ingredients for a specific purpose and according to it’s chemical constituents. For me oils are like fine wines, they sit for months, and the longer they age, the better they become.
I manage the business with my husband and I still create all the products, all hands on. We are very lucky to have loyal customers who love the products and tell me about the results they see on their skin. This is what inspires me to keep developing!
IF YOU HAVE YOUR PERSONAL FAVOURITES AMONG YOUR CREATIONS, WHAT ARE THOSE?
The Cleansing balm, I love the aroma and the texture and it always feels like a little moment of luxury when I use it. The seasonal oils are special too, they change and you will feel like you’re always in love with the current season. The Altitude oil is also one that I consider as an absolute, absolute must-have – I never leave home without it!
ARE THERE NEW THINGS THAT WE SHOULD LOOK FORWARD TO FROM DE MAMIEL?
Ah, yes! In a couple of weeks, we will be launching our addressing all aspects of environmental stress. It has a cleansing oil to clear away the impacts of pollution and elixir to feed and repair and a daily moisturiser with SPF 30 to protect the skin. Pollution and environmental stress are factors that age our skin, free radicals, radiation, pollution, ipads — these are elements that affect skin condition. The atmosphériques range offers a natural and breathable shield to protect you from the harsh environment of this modern world.
HOW WOULD YOU WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER YOUR BRAND OR YOU AS A BEAUTY EXPERT?
It’s more than beauty. de Mamiel is about nourishing and nurturing. Go through life with ease. To achieve is to make a difference. It reminds you to breathe and destress.
ANY ADVICE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE BURNOUT OR ARE TOO STRESSED TO ESTABLISH A BEAUTY HABIT?
Remember to breathe… Find some time in the day, even if it is just a few moments to take time for yourself and breathe deeply.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO HARNESS THE BEST RESULTS FROM USING YOUR PRODUCTS?
It’s stopping and breathing, taking the time while you are doing your daily beauty routine to be mindful and focus on what you are doing, not the day’s chores. Using facial massage is such an important tool to get significant results. It helps the products absorb and really feed your skin and let it breathe.
Indeed, de Mamiel is a product of devotion and love to offer something that feeds the skin and the soul. Annee invests a unique level of passion, care, and dedication to produce oils that take vitality from individual ingredients. de Mamiel is not just about outside beauty as it reaches inward to touch lives and remind you to stop a while, breathe, de-stress, and give enough attention and time for your personal care.
