Shanelle Carroll-Pudney, along with Pip McGregor, built Lauren & Louise at Shanelle's home in 2018 out of frustration over salon suppliers who charge extra, have long wait times for orders, and provide no support once the range was in the salon.
The two women have backgrounds in beauty therapy and makeup artistry in salons and skincare clinics for many years but once the NZ brand took off, with their effective hypo-allergenic formulations, they began to focus entirely on growing the business.
The brand's signature premium loose mineral foundation (included in all of MyTreat's February 'Self-Love' Box!) is as much skincare as it is makeup. Formulated with New Zealand organic algae, the powder has been clinically proven to improve skin elasticity, retain moisture and reduce redness.
In April 2022, Pip handed the reins over to Shanelle who is looking forward to sharing new and exciting developments with their customers. With us here, she shares more about the brand and her idea of what the relation between self-love and makeup is.
Why is the brand called Lauren & Louise?
The name comes from Pip's middle name, Lauren, and the middle name of the makeup artist that was working for her at the time, Louise. Mine is Frances so it didn’t really fit in there! It all happened over a couple of glasses of wines.
What does self-love mean to you?
To me, self-love is loving who you are — jiggly bits and all. None of us are perfect and as women we tend to be very hard on ourselves. We always put others before ourselves. We need to take care of our own needs and happiness even if it is just in small ways. Paint your toes, read a book or magazine, sit and listen to the birds for 10mins.
How would you tie using cosmetics and makeup to self-love?
Makeup is a very quick way for women to give themselves a lift. You don’t have to be a pro or know a lot but evening out your skin tone with a simple foundation or tinted moisturiser and a wee bit of mascara can really lift you and make you feel ready to take on the day.
What's your ideal Valentine's Day?
A day away from the “norm”. No cooking, cleaning, and rushing around. I am not into the typical red roses and chocolate type of Valentine's Day. It's actually the perfect day to celebrate self-love. Take some time out for yourself (You don’t have to have a partner, husband, etc.)