At 20 years old, Monique Lewis is quite possibly Ōamaru’s youngest business owner.

She opened her beauty business MK Beauty & Boutique at 2A Harbour St, at the start of May, and is loving it. 

“Oh, it's so fun. It actually is just really nice, because, I mean, I'm doing just everything that I want to do, and I'm getting such nice clients come through the door.”

The premises, which had previously been Ageless Antidotes, run by Donna Kaiser, was already set up for beauty treatments, and so it was a quick turnaround for Monique, who took over the lease on May 1, and re-opened on May 3.

Prior to opening her business, Monique was working at another local salon. She then took a three month break to secure her products, and carry out extra training, including “specialised facial training” in Auckland.

Before her first job, she gained her initial qualifications in Christchurch at the National School of Aesthetics. During an 18-month period the former Waitaki Girls’ High School student earned her NZQA Level 5, and also international qualifications in beauty therapy, she said.

She decided to go out on her own at 20, because the opportunity presented itself.

“I just came in and got to talking with Donna and all of a sudden it was like, why would I turn it down, you know? 

“And I had a lot of family support and back up as well. They were like, ‘absolutely, you can do this’.”

MK Beauty stocks three skincare brands, all of which are Australian-made, and female-founded, owned and operated. These are Bare Roots, Synergie Skin and Ginger & Me.

Bare Roots is certified organic, and “perfect for really compromised skin”, she said. 

“So it's all your rosacea, dermatitis, sensitive, acne - it's for skins that really, they can't use any other skin care, like this is what this skin care is made for.”

Ginger & Me is “all about neuroscience”. 

“So it's all about rebuilding, restoring that cell to cell communication in order to have healthy cells that produce healthy collagen, elastin, all of that.

“So they're all about, first of all, getting healthy skin, and then from there on . . . actives and getting, you know, results.

“Then lastly we have Synergie, and Synergie is . . . a clean science brand. It's like the perfect combination between nature and science.

“So it uses a lot of natural products, but it also uses, you know, specialised peptides and complexes and things like that. You see it in results. It's just amazing.”

Monique uses Ginger & Me and Bare Roots in her facials, with Synergie coming on board later, but stocks all three brands for home use.

Carrying out facials is one of the young business owner’s favourite treatments, and her mum Mel Lewis is often the lucky guinea pig.

Monique said the facials are all about relaxation, and this reporter can attest to that, having been spoiled with one of her signature facials during this interview.

“I love massage. I'm always trialling new moves and testing new things . . . with the massage, I really like to stimulate the blood flow to get a toning and a lifting. 

“I think every part of your facial should have its benefits, and if you can get a nice lifted face, while also being relaxed, that's really nice.” 

Monique’s facials are receiving somewhat of a facelift themselves at the beginning of September, and her new menu includes three completely new treatments.

The most popular ones are staying, but will be more time-flexible, so clients can choose a shorter or longer luxury treatment, she said.

“And then we're also releasing treatment plans as well, which again, I'm very excited about. It's been in the works for multiple weeks now.” 

These will include a customised skincare prescription, a discount on home care products and five facial treatments.

“It's trying to educate and then also you're getting a range of facials and treatments and then from there on out you kind of can pick what you like.”

Along with the facials, she offers the usual beauty treatments, and said her other favourite thing to do is eyebrows and lashes.

“Because I think . . . it's the tiniest difference that can make such a big change in someone's appearance and give them such a confidence boost.”

MK Beauty & Boutique also has a collection of homewares, which Monique thought a lot of people might not be aware of. She stocks candles, locally-made jewellery, pot plants, and other homewares and accessories. 

“And pretty much everything we have in the salon is either New Zealand or Australian owned and made. 

“I try to keep it New Zealand, but there is like, you know, if you can't go New Zealand, you go Australia.” 

Outside of the business, Monique likes to be at home and “chill out”. She and her partner have a one-year-old border collie, and she has been playing netball for Athletic.

She loves the work flexibility that beauty therapy offers, because it is a skill she can take anywhere, and running her own business has always been on the cards. 

“It was always something that I knew I wanted to eventually do. I didn't think I'd be doing it at 20, but yeah.”