We Are Upstate With Master Esthetician Leigh Kelley

Leigh Kelley: I grew up in a small rural town in Virginia then moved to Richmond, VA for college.  After graduating, I spent a decade living in Brooklyn, then back to Richmond, then Los Angeles before settling down in the Hudson Valley.  It feels very nice to finally call a place home and know that my family and I are staying put.  The nomadic lifestyle was fun in my youth but these days I live a much quieter life.

I fell into skincare by accident, but it was truly a happy accident.  My degree is in Art History with an emphasis on museum studies and cinema studies.  A very different path.  My father is an architect and I worked for him throughout college. Upon moving to NYC, I landed a job working admin for a small boutique architecture firm, where I eventually took on the role of a project manager.  But after five years with the company, I knew it was time to move on.  A friend suggested that I check out the Aveda Institute in SoHo.  I toured the school and registered that very day!  The idea of being hands-on with clients but in a peaceful environment really resonated after years of chaos.  I have worked in the industry for over 11 years now and have experienced every end…clinical, holistic, working for A-list names and everything in between.  How I work now is a culmination of those experiences.  This industry can be tough and I have had some really intense experiences, but it has all led me to where I am today and for that, I am extremely grateful.

Understanding the factors which play a role in skin health is critical to being a good esthetician.  That can include home care, stress, diet, environment, lifestyle, hormones, inflammation…the list goes on.  And those factors can vary widely based on the individual.  So having the flexibility to tailor a treatment to what a client needs at that moment is so important.  Those factors can shift from day to day.  There is certainly a trust that is developed in building relationships with my clients and at this point, they feel comfortable coming in and saying “do what you think needs to be done.”  I also work closely with clients to develop a home care protocol that is right for their skin and provide support in between services.

Every modality and product I offer is something that I would either personally use and love or would give as a gift to a friend and feel confident that they would love it.  My services incorporate a lot of sculpting facial massage, which moves lymph and increases circulation.  I previously worked under a big name in the industry who is known for her massage techniques and feel incredibly grateful to have trained under someone so skilled.  Over the past few years, I have expanded my training and learned a range of approaches.  These days, I can pretty easily identify areas of tension in the face as soon as I touch someone and kind of let my hands intuitively guide me from there.  That is a skill that has come from years of experience.

The modalities I offer are all highly results-driven.  Microcurrent and LED are two that I have used throughout my career and I absolutely LOVE.  In a younger client, they can really slow the aging process with treatments every 4-6 weeks and in more mature clients, they serve as an excellent way to non-invasively soften lines, lift and sculpt.  For clients who need more corrective work, I generally recommend a series of back-to-back treatments and then monthly maintenance.

My product lines were selected based on the integrity of the ingredients and the efficacy of their blends.  My primary backbar line is iS Clinical, which is a clinical strength line packed with active ingredients, but they are all very beautifully buffered to reduce inflammation and not be overly aggressive the way some lines are.  They hands down make my favorite Vitamin C serums, which can be a tricky ingredient for some skin types but even my most sensitive clients have been able to tolerate these.  I also am the exclusive provider of MBR (Medical Beauty Research) in the Hudson Valley and I am obsessed with this line. It truly is the creme de la creme of skincare and their products are unlike anything else on the market.  Their Cream Extraordinary is my favorite cream of all time for dry/dehydrated skin and has quickly become a top seller at the studio.  Their products are pricey but are highly concentrated, so you get several months of use out of each container since a little goes a very long way.

Keeping your routine simple tends to work best for most people, from every standpoint.  10-step routines became big over the past few years; however, your skin really does not need that much, not to mention the time and expense of maintaining that.  My biggest recommendations are a gentle cleanse, a steady dose of Vitamins A, C and E (Pro-Heal Serum by iS Clinical is perfect for this!) and finding a moisturizer and exfoliant that work for your skin.  SPF is non-negotiable for daily use.  It is scary the number of people who come to me and say they do not use SPF daily.  That is the number one thing you need to do for your skin.  UV exposure not only leads to potential skin cancer, but also causes damage in the form of inflammation, hyperpigmentation and premature aging.  It doesn’t matter how many fancy products you use…if you skip SPF and/or sunbathe, you are going to see it in your skin over time.

I am honestly so immersed in that world that it is difficult to answer honestly.  I feel like much of what I do is influenced by my business and my business is in wellness.  With that said, I am not big on trends and ignore a lot of the GOOPy-style wellness stuff.

Wellness can be as simple as taking a quiet moment to clear your mind or taking a walk.  Anything that makes you feel at peace and allows your mind and body to feel good.  I don’t really believe in restriction and think everyone needs a vice or two.  But if those vices make you feel good, that counts as wellness in my book.

The wellness industry has really blown up over the years and the demand for facials in the U.S. market has become huge.  When I first began many years ago, facials were considered pampering if you had the disposable income or they were something you did if you were experiencing issues with your skin.  But post-COVID especially, more people are making the connection between the benefits to your skin and the deep relaxation you can get from a treatment.  I personally incorporate a lot of facial massage and do Gua Sha treatments, both of which trigger the parasympathetic nervous system which really allows you to feel like you are floating away in the treatment bed.

That this job is easy and that estheticians make a lot of money.  It has become a very saturated industry but a lot of estheticians don’t make it past a few years.  Some jobs pay very well while others hardly cover the bills.  The past 11 years for me have involved a lot of advanced education, a few horrible bosses, living paycheck to paycheck and truly wearing out my body.  The literal aches and pains are very real for estheticians!  That said, I truly love what I do and have stuck with it and found my path.  And I have met some really incredible people along the way.

Social media, specifically Instagram, and word of mouth have both been incredible for helping to grow the business.  My web designer, Kristen Bromiley of Hayda Studios, has been beyond wonderful in sharing social media tips and tricks with me.  Unfortunately, I am very lazy with it though.  Ha!  She helped build the social media for another very big name in the industry and someday I hope to be able to hire her to take over my social media management.  But for now, I handle it myself and some days I feel inspired and other days I do not.  But that is okay.  As long as my treatment room is busy, I don’t really care about my online presence.  That said, clients have told me that they love watching the facial massage videos I post.

The most rewarding is spending time with clients I really love and meeting so many interesting people.  I also get really excited by all of the technology and learning new techniques.  So many fun toys to play with in the treatment room! The most challenging would be physical exhaustion.  Some days I manage this better than others but estheticians are very hands-on and as I get older, my body isn’t bouncing back the way it used to.  But as long as I maintain yoga and deep stretching, I am typically okay.

Yes!  In mid-June, my Ionix Oxylight arrived!  This machine is incredible…it does so many different things! We used it for red-carpet prep at my previous job in Los Angeles and it truly makes people look like a million bucks.  The microcurrent, ultrasound and radiofrequency on it are excellent for tightening and sculpting.  But my personal favorite is the oxygen mist combined with LED.  You leave feeling so refreshed and energized and glowy.  I have a few other things in the works which I can hopefully reveal soon!

It’s such a supportive community with so much diversity.  People here seem to truly get excited and want to support the businesses they love.

Village Grocery for my morning matcha, Brunette for my evening glass of wine.

More vegan-friendly restaurants.  I would specifically love to see more well-prepared and thought-out vegan breakfast and brunch options around here.  That and of course affordable housing for all.

You have to come in for a facial to learn my secrets.

A beautiful hike with my family, a good meal at Garden Cafe, a Gregg Araki movie marathon at Tinker Street Cinema (Can we make this happen?!?), coffee in bed, more than 7 hours of sleep in a night.

Excitement for what is to come.