Mix of beauty and books
[attach]4626[/attach]After she lost her job in April 2010, Andrea Victory was asked what she would do if she had a million dollars.
When Victory, who had always dreamed of opening her own beauty store, continued to contemplate the question with her boyfriend Stephan LaCasse — now her fiancé — they decided the time was right to bring the idea to life.
“We decided to go for it when we realized we didn’t need a million dollars after all,” says Victory.
Nearly one year later, in April 2011, they opened the doors to Pretty Beauty & Books, a clean and green beauty boutique in Mirvish Village.
“Clean means products free from harmful and questionable ingredients,” says Victory, adding that they won’t sell a brand or product she hasn’t tried out. “We believe beauty should be safe and effective with no compromises.”
It wasn’t until they were already in the planning stages for the store that they shifted their focus to natural and ecological cosmetics and fragrances, as well as books on the subject.
Victory’s initial concept was to carry all types of make-up, but everything changed when she developed a bad skin reaction on her face.
“It would burn if I put make up on it … It would sting like crazy so I had to just stop using everything,” says Victory, who studied Cosmetic Techniques and Management at Sheridan College.
At that point she reread the book No More Dirty Looks: The Truth about Your Beauty Products — and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics, which she considers a guidebook for the shop.
“So then we just eliminated every company that wasn’t just clean and green,” she says, adding that by making the shift she has cut down on the amount of products she uses on a daily basis.
Victory says they have high standards for what they stock. She says everything has to be clean, work great, have a nice consistency, texture and scent, come in pretty and eco-friendly packaging and has to come from a company with a similar vision to their own.
“I wanted it to be the opposite of mainstream beauty buying,” she says, which is why the store has feminine and vintage design details. She says she didn’t want uniforms, lab coats, harsh lighting or anything with a clinical feel.
“The pink striped floor was inspired by candy and I like the kid in a candy store feel,” she says. “Beauty should be fun and I want the shop to represent that.”
In July the store also went online with the launch of [url]www.shoppretty.ca[/url] and Victory and LaCasse made the decision to move closer to their boutique.
“I love Mirvish Village,” Victory says. “We can eat lunch outside, there’s a flower shop across the street, vintage stores, cafes and bars. It’s just so charming.”