Meeting my mission…

I thank my mother for introducing me to the world of beauty. As a little girl, I would sit intently anytime I had a chance to watch her care for her skin & apply her make-up. It was a dreamy way to start the day. That fascination with feminine rituals of beauty felt mysterious & yet natural. I was creatively inclined & drawn to the arts from an early age.

My first job within the industry was as a counter manager for Lancôme. It was the equivalent of Christmas every day to me! After a few years, I was recruited for a job doing makeup for a large spa chain in the northeast. Brides, news anchors, local socialites & all of the spa ladies.Tremendous fun & a gig I’m happy I said yes to.

My life took a u-turn as I grew restless with so much emphasis on goals & sales. I found myself drawn, if you can believe it-to the legal field. I worked & also studied full-time receiving a Bachelor’s degree. I worked as a litigation paralegal focusing primarily in medical malpractice insurance defense. I dabbled in make-up jobs here & there & art fell dormant during that time in my life.

When I moved to Charleston, I landed a paralegal job & was absolutely inspired to attend night classes full-time for an esthetics license. I can’t explain this other than to say my higher purpose was fulfilling what was to come. After passing the esthetics boards, I accepted a job at the private club spa on Kiawah Island in the early 2000’s yet I wasn’t ready to let go of my legal career.

Almost a decade later, things became really interesting. I went through a challenging time & every definition that I held of myself came into question, career included. Vipassana meditation beckoned me, which I was unfamiliar with, yet showed up in my life in about 5 ways over two weeks-catching my attention! I attended their 10 day silent meditation retreat. While meditating, esthetics, art & make-up flooded my mind for the first time in ages. My soul’s calling for sure but I had no idea how to do what I love and make it work financially.

When I returned to my job at the law firm, some of the top paralegals had been laid off. Instinct told me I was next & sure enough…including a generous severance. After 17 years, that chapter was complete.

The next day, a friend invited me to go with her to a spa for a massage. I went & wildly, sitting at the front desk was the former director of the Kiawah spa I worked at several years prior. A serendipitous reunion. Smiling, she said “ go enjoy your massage & when you come out I’ll share about the opening we have for an esthetician”. I was stunned. After a wonderful interview with the owner, I landed the job. That’s how I re-entered the field & for the first time, full-time.

I went from making a lot of money in the legal field with all of the benefits, a/k/a “golden handcuffs” to under $20,000 in my first year-and in my 40’s! I had to let go of some things, but-the independence & freedom! That made it feel “Right” even when sometimes things didn’t seem easy. I was riding on the wings of angels & it felt exhilarating. In my memory, it remains the most magical time in my life.

After 8 years in the corporate spa setting, with the encouragement of clients & friends, I took my other hand off of the proverbial monkey bar & began Verte Skincare. That was October 2018.

Gone are the days of seeing hundreds of clients each month. I am grateful I can take my time, thoughtfully care for clients & create dreamy treatments I would want to receive myself.

This lady is on a mission to offer nurturing to others in a gorgeous & serene setting away from a world wrought with the over-stimulation of technology & noise. And do so with meaningful purpose.

So often, I think of Joseph Campbell’s words: “the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are”. I’m still learning that and realizing many of my clients are too. I hold infinite thanks in my heart to the people who have played many roles in my life. All of whom in one way or another, have helped me find my wings…

With love,
Tara