Belinda Hughes, the owner and operator of the Natural Beauty Expert, was a beauty devotee from an early age – she recalls poring over Vogue from the time she was about 14. Twigging to her bent, a clever aunt pointed her in the direction of beauty therapy as a career path and Hughes never looked back.
Unlike a lot of other day spas, Hughes's salon is a natural and organic beauty temple. In terms of face and body products, Hughes only uses the Eminence brand, which was developed in Hungary in the late '50s and brims with cold-pressed, organic and bio-dynamic fruit and veggies.
While Hughes understands that many people use chemical-based beauty products in search of a quick fix, there's a downside – she regularly observes clients who have gone down that path and now suffer from delicate or damaged skin. Eminence on the other hand improves the texture and tone of skin and can even reduce pore size over time. "Just because something is organic doesn't mean that it doesn't get to be effective," says Hughes. "Natural beauty products have come along in leaps and bounds and the technology behind them improves all the time."
On the day Time Out visits the Natural Beauty Expert, we are treated to the Eminence signature "Hollywood" facial – a very hands-on, massage oriented experience, which is not only good for lymphatic drainage, but is deeply relaxing. The fact that it's coupled with natural beauty products means that there's no overwhelming fragrance detracting from the experience. The whole concept is a boon for someone who walks on the natural side of the fence. Plus, Hughes is right – Eminence is very effective – our skin feels clean but still supple afterwards, rather than taut and traumatised, and our cheeks are a healthy pink.
In addition to her salon at Botanica Medicines, you can also find Hughs operating out of Richmond's Naturally U practice on Sundays and check out her online natural beauty publication, The Natural Beauty Expert, for the latest in natural beauty news.