We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lacey Salas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lacey, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The official mission of Oil of Pearls is, “Self-care is an act of self-love. This truth can have an impact on how we view ourselves both inside and out. Our mission and journey will empower others to find the true meaning of self-love.”

Something that I’ve always said and will continue to say is, “The journey always leads back to you.” With everything that is being thrown at us daily, in an overstimulated world, it’s important to know yourself and choose yourself first.

The person who taught me this was my Mother.

The way my mother raised me, she really did implement the idea of loving myself first and always making that a priority. But as I grew and as I watched her, I would see that she was such a giving and loving person, that often her needs and desires were set aside for others. I remember my Mother always giving a self-sacrificing love and I really do believe that that mindset, unfortunately, didn’t leave much room to put herself first. So then the question became: When do you take care of yourself? How do you take care of yourself? And, what does it mean to truly love yourself?

Oil of Pearls is not just my business, it’s my soul’s purpose of answering these questions for myself and others. My entire life, I’ve been on this journey of discovering unconditional love for myself. And I have found that when I love myself unconditionally, I’m able to love others more fully.

I have spent 15 years in the beauty industry, and have worked for top-level brands at the executive level. And over time, I’ve personally seen the focus shift to full consumerism. That will never be my approach! I approach beauty from a place of authenticity, my soul’s purpose, to create connection, and help people on the journey back to themselves. My hope is that my interactions alone leave an impact on others, even if I only see them once. The connection is what matters. That is what’s most powerful. That is where the mission is fulfilled.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The most valuable thing that I do for my clients, and also what sets me apart in this industry, is that I take the time to filter out the noise. I’ve been involved with some of the most top-of-the-market experience and luxury-driven brands, and I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’ve had to witness it and, at times, be part of it. I’ve truly had a front-row seat in the industry and have been exposed to the side of it that is fully focused on marketing and driving consumers to buy any and all products regardless of if they are actually beneficial for them. Because of this, I have made it my highest priority to filter out unrealistic beauty concepts for my clients so that they know what actually works long-term for the longevity of their skin.

There are parts of the beauty industry that of course can seem vain, but at the heart of it, there is extreme vulnerability. There’s so much meaning behind your individual experience of beauty and how it’s formed which leads to the question: What is your first memory of a beauty experience? What value does beauty add to your life? What does beauty mean to you individually? If we strip away all the noise, what makes something valuable at its core? It’s human interaction, connection, and honesty. This is what I bring to the table that truly sets me apart.

I am very intentional and take my time vetting all products I have in-house. Every product, treatment, and service I have chosen is held to the highest of standards. My goal is clean, organic, highly effective products and methods only. The truth is, I’m always going to take the ethical route first. I always do rigorous tests to the point of proving a product or treatment’s effectiveness and benefits before introducing it to my clients.

And while I’m aware of trends, I’ll be honest, I don’t prioritize following them. All the products & services that I choose are from a holistic and grounded perspective first. I do advanced treatments that are backed by scientific proof (not marketing) and hold benefits for my client’s skin long-term. I’m interested in the longevity and health of my client’s skin. It has to be the right treatment, with the right products, and the right approach for me to even consider offering it in my studio.

I’m most proud that after having such a successful career within the beauty industry, I walked away to do the right thing for myself. I broke the cycle of noise within my own personal beauty experience to bring a unique beauty experience to my clients. I chose them over my career. I’m super grateful for the career that I had within the industry because it’s given me all of the knowledge to do the right thing for my clients. But I am most proud that I walked away from something that no longer served me.

For my future clients, I’m always grateful to have the opportunity to help them with their individual beauty journey. No question is too big or too small for me. I’m always here to help guide you in any way that I can. Consultations are free and I always welcome inquiries with open arms. And if it happens to be something that lands out of my scope of practice, I’m happy to refer clients to an expert in the field that they need. I’m always grateful to have the opportunity to serve clients in my space so they can understand what a true beauty experience should feel like, at Oil of Pearls.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’ve been clear from the very start of my career, as a student, intern, educator, and executive, that I would put in the time and work to go as far as I could in those various roles, while still maintaining my authenticity. Once my authenticity was having to be compromised in any way, I knew that I was not being true to myself and would have to seek out a role where I wouldn’t have to compromise my values. Sometimes that meant starting and stopping my career, having to begin again, no matter what level I had climbed to or what role I had worked to secure. I found myself having to start at square one numerous times and have faith that I could make it back to what was actually meant for me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Being extremely busy doesn’t make you successful. I’ve always used my abilities for other companies and brands, but they didn’t understand the true value of them. I finally used my intuition and gut instincts to launch my own brand, from a space of authenticity, and have been feeling success now than I ever did before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oilofpearls.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oilofpearls/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/people/Oil-of-pearls/100063800724635/

Image Credits
Lacey Salas Joe Morón III Christa Lou Vaznis