Meet the
Elise is a Dermal Clinician and Director of LILI Skin Co., providing skin health services in Canberra to a variety of clients and their various skin concerns. Her specialties include dermal therapy treatments, as well as training and assessment in all things skin and business. Elise loves all things skin. There are two things about skin that she can’t get enough of. Educating skin therapists, and helping her wonderful clients achieve healthier skin. As a Dermal Clinician, her approach to skin health comes from working primarily on skin function. Working directly in skin therapy for over 10 years, she thrives on the problemsolving aspect of skin care and skin health, determining the external and internal issues that can cause concern. Elise has a team of 5 skin loving professionals at LILI Skin Co., and even more current and past students who have worked under her mentorship. Elise holds a full membership with the Australasian Society of Dermal Clinicians (ASDC) and is on the board for the ASDC in a governance role. She works closely with the Australasian Academy of Cosmetic Dermal Science (AACDS) as a trainer and assessor. Elise has worked across all aspects of the beauty industry – from the traditional spa environment to cosmetic laser clinics, for plastic surgeons, and now in her own dermal therapy clinic. She previously worked as Director for Australian Capital Training Institute – a beauty therapy RTO delivering advanced training to the next generation of beauty therapists. Elise is welcoming her first child into the world in December!
Beauty Biz Editor Louise May chats with Elise about her industry journey, recent Beauty Squad win and threw in a few fun questions!
What made you want to be a Beauty Therapist? I actually fell into beauty therapy, much like a lot of other beauty therapists! I was taking a gap year and wanted to study to fill the time and thought beauty would be a fun option – who wouldn’t love being able to do their own brow treatments and manicures! I quickly fell in love with the facial aspect of beauty therapy. It combined my love of science and fun, the perfect match. I also struggled with my own skin issues, so it was really cool to be able to learn more for myself. I learned the difference of what an amazing but simple skincare routine could do for me, and wondered what it could do for others. So, I took the leap, studied all I could regarding skin and dermal therapies, and now it’s a career I cannot imagine doing.
What kind of treatment is your favourite and why?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the treatments that had a bit of extra downtime, like chemical peels or fractional lasers – it’s satisfying to watch the skin physically transforming and healing right before your eyes. Picking your favourite is like choosing your favourite child. I don’t think I have just one, but I can’t go past microneedling and lasers. Two very versatile modalities that you can make very gentle or quite intense. We love customisable treatments.
How do you manage life and work balance?
When you own your own business, life, and work kind of combine into one, which isn’t the worst thing when you love what you do. Making clear boundaries that are realistic has been the biggest factor for me. It is all well and good to say the phone and laptop go down at 9pm, but in reality, that doesn’t always happen. But what is realistic, is having technology aside during dinner times, keeping Sunday and Mondays client free, and accepting that you can have everything, just sometimes not perfectly and all at once.
