Certified beautician and founder of ShalShani Mineral Cosmetics Hazel-Kay “ShalShani” Anderson, who had lines snaking at her booth at the Jamaica International Beauty Expo last month with her serums for wrinkles and remedies for prostate health, sat down with Tuesday Style Dryer (TSD) to share her aesthetician journey.

“I got into the beauty industry by being rebellious. I was studying law and needed to make some quick money to leave home when I was 19, so I dropped out and started working as a beauty consultant,” she explained.

Over the years, the UK-born beauty buff has worked with several prestigious stores including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Debenhams and brands such as Clarins, Estée Lauder, Clinique, Christian Dior, La Prarie, Iman, Fashion Fair, Lancôme and Dr Nicolas Perricone (Bermuda).

The beauty enthusiast also outlined her perseverance in becoming certified and how she is continuously eager to learn new things. “I went to the USA in 1983 and saw the Vietnamese applying acrylic nails and asked if they were coming to London to do training. Six months later I was a certified nail technician. Always wanting to learn more, I qualified as Aestheticienne ITEC in London, specialising in holistic products.”

In addition to her accomplishments and acquired knowledge of the industry, conceptualising her own brand in 1983 came as a result of seeking a solution for her children’s eczema. “I decided to create my own brand because I got fed up with getting skincare products that weren’t working on my daughter’s eczema.

“I wasn’t thinking about the healing process until my son was also born with eczema in 1991, and [I used] the same concoction to heal eczema (excluding all dairy products). The unique brand name Shalshani I got from my son Shallum and my daughter Shani. This is the name I’m now known by. My most positive experience to date is creating a detox product in memory of my brother Anthony Leroy Anderson, who passed in my arms of pancreatic cancer. I allied it DIFALA (Doing it for Anthony Leroy Anderson) in his memory; it is my number one product.”

As it relates to the local beauty scene, Anderson shared how her presence became visible. “The National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) used me a few years back as a member of the board to set the standards for beauty. And, last month, the reception at the beauty expo in Montego Bay was amazing! The top products were Difala detox and Silver Collag face serum; all my Silver face oil was out of stock on the last day!”

What’s next for ShalShani? Wellness and Beauty tours.

“I want to educate our young ones and I also want to have our anti-aging line going. Beauty is at any age. I am tired of hearing ‘well, I’m 45 now. It’s all over!’ No, it isn’t. I want to do some look good, feel good tours and workshops,” she said.

“A lot of our women here are depressed and need help with uplifting themselves, so here I am. Whilst on this subject, I also think our men need talks regarding their lifestyles hence they were also at my booth, lined up for their booster capsules,” she added.

TSD highlights some products from ShalShani Mineral Cosmetics, as they make their way to brick-and-mortar stores near you!