World renowned brow artist and Director of Brisbane’s luxe medispa Simply Laser, Leona Gallagher, talks about the importance of skin care, the future of non-surgical cosmetic treatments and their ritzy new location on Edward Street.
When did you begin Simply Laser? At the end of this month it will have been five years since I started my dream job and created Simply Laser!
You are an expert in beauty Leona, tell us about your career in the industry so far? There’s so much to talk about! I adore working in this industry and getting amazing results for clients has been a great love of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ve studied and worked in the beauty industry for almost 10 years, doing my thing all over the world. I’m known globally for my brow artistry, and creating stunning brows tailored to each and every client is my passion. I am results driven and want to help people to achieve their skin and brow goals; it’s so rewarding seeing the confidence that treatments can give people in their everyday life.
You have recently moved the medispa to Edward Street in Brisbane, tell us about your choice in location and why the move? It was definitely a move we’ve been thrilled to make. With Simply Laser growing steadily over the past five years, we realised we’d outgrown our original home. It was time to move onwards and upwards to a bigger premise that aligns with our luxe reputation. Edward Street is well known in Brisbane for their high-end brands, and opulent offerings that really resonated with me and with what Simply Laser has grown to represent. Not only that, it’s a more central location for our clients and allows us to expand and help more clients achieve their goals. Ever since we moved I keep telling everyone how much I love the street, our new home, our landlord, everything. And the coffee around the corner at Marchetti Café is second to none.
What aspects of Simply Laser do you love the most? One of the things that has always been important to me is how we make the clients feel, and my staff are a key component of that. Each member of our staff really cares about our clients and you can just feel the love whenever people come in. It’s such a feel-good place to work and visit. How lucky am I to get to come here and bask in the warmth of this place and our people every day.
What attracted you to launch a Laser Cosmetic and Skin Clinic? The thing I love most about working in a laser cosmetic and skin clinic is that the results for our clients can be truly life changing. People come in with skin concerns and problems, knowing we can help them overcome that is life-changing for me too! Then we started looking for other treatments that were results-driven to keep that feeling going, brows and skincare were the obvious next step. Being in this area of the industry means we can always be looking at the latest research and technology to produce cutting-edge results.
When did you discover the importance of skincare? I’ve been so interested in everything skincare from a very early age. My aunty was always very particular about how she took care of her skin and she looked amazing, so that fascinated me. I dedicated myself to making sure I could not only do that myself but help others as well.
What is your personal skincare routine? I have such belief in the products that we stock here at Simply Laser, I’ve created my whole routine around them. I use the DMK and Image products morning and night. Both brands include lots of nutrients that your skin really needs as you get older. I also am very strict with always using sunscreen, especially in the Australian climate; it’s my most important bit of beauty advice! In terms of moisturisers I love the Image Matte Moisturiser because it’s not too oily and leaves my skin feeling so soft. I also do DMK Enzyme Therapy every few weeks and skin needling every two-to-three months.
What are the most beneficial treatments offered at Simply Laser? Since our treatments are all based on great results, all of them are so beneficial. In terms of brow perfection, microblading is amazing because it can give people more defined features and brows that they may never have had before. I also love the DMK Enzyme Therapy for repairing skin damage and replenishing the complexion and glow. If it’s acne scars or reversing the aging process, RF skin needling gives phenomenal results. And of course laser hair removal to deal with unwanted hair. We also now have our own in-house nurse and doctor to perform cosmetic injections.
Can you give advice to those whose skin suffers in winter? It’s so important to take extra good care of your skin in winter to ensure you keep moisture levels high. We have many treatments that can help, so come in and see us. Also just because it’s winter, don’t forget your sunscreen!
What is the most popular treatment at Simply Laser? It’s hard to pick just one! Laser, skincare and brows are all equally popular I would say.
There are so many trending beauty treatments out there at the moment, tell us about microblading and its benefits? There’s so much buzz around microblading but it’s so important to get it done by someone who is a specialist in the field. Microblading is a semi-permanent solution for people who want to fill out their brows. This could mean they have gaps, sparse brows or even no brows, and microblading means no more wasting time pencilling in brows. My technique involves creating fine hair-like strokes in the skin and implanting pigment at the same time to create a natural look. I do a full facial assessment on each client and make sure that the shape is tailored to enhance the facial features of that particular client and the colour is specially picked to suit each person. There’s no one-size-fits-all generic brow shape here! The area is fully numbed beforehand so it’s not a painful procedure. The technique I use has been around for 5000 years and is common in Asia. I was actually trained by one of the masters over there!
What is the importance of a strong brow according to you as a professional? Honestly these days brows are one of the first things people will notice about your face. So many people tell me no matter how non-made-up they will leave the house, they always do their brows before going out. Perfect brows can give your face a non-surgical face lift if they’re done right. It’s so important if you want good brows to make sure you don’t leave them in the hands of amateurs. Everyone can have good brows if you put them in the hands of the right people.
Dermapen is trending, can you share more about this treatment with us? This treatment is one of my personal favourites because it’s so revolutionary. I have lots of larger pores and I always find having a Dermapen needling session reduces their size dramatically. It also helps skin cell turnover, reduces scaring, and helps get that antiaging glow people love.
What do you believe, is the future of non-surgical cosmetic treatments? Have you heard of the Golden Cocktail Facial? You should definitely look it up, it’s amazing. Kim Kardashian loves it!
Visit Simply Laser on Level 4, 190 Edward Street for all you skin needs.
