Facialist Vee Mistry Shares How To Age Well In Life And Business

Vee Mistry, CEO of SKINBYVEE, a luxury skincare brand, offers Cryotherapy and deep facial massages to help clients achieve their goal skin results. With over 25 years of experience as an esthetician and a two-time entrepreneur, Mistry specializes in holistic cold skincare treatments. Internationally known as a facialist, Mistry’s work is rooted in wellness and relaxation.

As a practitioner, she takes pride in creating personalized approaches for each client. Her work has gained the trust of high-end clientele, from Canadian Olympic gold medalists to Hollywood directors who travel throughout North America for her services.

In 2009, Mistry opened a spa and sold the business in 2015. Five years later, she founded and launched SKINBYVEE as an e-commerce store in 2020. Nowadays, Mistry divides her time between her private studio in Toronto and Casa Cipriani in New York City, where she has a residency and retails the SKINBYVEE Gua Sha Cryo Sticks in the United States.

Forbes spoke with Mistry to learn more about forming strategic partnerships, putting customers first, and pro-aging.

Lydia T. Blanco: What inspired you to become an esthetician and launch SKINBYVEE?

Vee Mistry: I have always loved all things beauty, making people feel great about themselves, and seeing the results. Getting a client to relax during a facial or body treatment so they leave feeling like a million dollars is an incredible part of the experience.

The launch of SKINBYVEE came about because I identified a gap in how facials and skincare are approached. Often, practitioners use a one-size-fits-all methodology, or people are automatically pigeonholed into a skin type. To truly change the largest organ in our body, the skin, we must approach it as its own unique DNA and prescribe treatment and products with a 360-degree approach.

Trust and Relaxation Go Hand In Hand

Blanco: How did you build your clientele and their trust as a facialist?

Mistry: Trust is earned. I believe in only sharing what works. It is always my job to educate and give clients the correct tools to be well-informed, enabling them to make good choices for skincare and treatments. With that approach, clients are more inclined to book my services. That is why I never force a sale of a product or service.

People know when they are being sold something. SKINBYVEE is about sharing helpful tools and resources through virtual consultations or our social pages. By doing so, my clients trust to refer me. Sharing is what builds trust and integrity.

Create Safe Spaces

Blanco: As an esthetician, why and how did you decide that a holistic approach would be best when providing services to clients?

Mistry: In 2017, I noticed a pattern of new clients coming to appointments and complaining about their skin. It could be anything from acne to dermatitis. These clients would tell me they had tried every single lotion, laser, and peel—and nothing worked.

During their consultations, they would tell me about their hormones being out of whack, experiencing irritable bowel syndrome, or having pre-menopausal symptoms. Some shared they were having a significant life change that caused them stress. I started seeing patterns between those moments and their skin reactions.

Now, I start my consultations by asking about major concerns, followed by a deep dive into people’s lifestyles, medication, and family history. Thereafter, I inquire about the products they are using.

This holistic approach allows me to correct and change so many clients’ skin concerns and help them on their journey to transformation rather than a quick band-aid moment of relief.

The Benefits of Cryotherapy

Blanco: You created the SKINBYVEE Gua Sha Cryo Sticks. Can you tell us more about how they work and the benefits of adding them to a skincare regimen?

Mistry: SKINBYVEE is a trademarked company, and we are working hard to get our Gua Sha Cryo Sticks patented. The sticks were created out of my love for both Cryotherapy and facial massage.

Within my facials, these tools support the skin’s resilience and health. The tool works on both a deep and superficial skin level. The Cryotherapy is delivered through a gel padding embedded into the ladle and delivers cryotherapy for 12 to 15 minutes. This delivery sends a surge of oxygenated blood, feeding the dermal layer in the skin where our collagen, elastin, and fibroblasts are housed. Equally, it works at a follicular level to help destroy P Acne bacteria, thus minimizing breakouts within 24 hours. There is also a constricting of Vasodilation within the capillaries assisting those who struggle with broken capillaries and contact dermatitis such as Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea, and posterior dermatitis.

The Gua Sha Ergonomic helps sculpt, lift, and contour the architecture of the face. Its shape allows it to easily target small areas such as the inner corner of the eyes and nose. The benefit of using the tool with your skincare is that it will make your skincare work harder.

The SKINBYVEE Gua Sha Cryo Sticks have multiple benefits for so many skin concerns and goals that you eliminate the need for so many tools, one that does it all.

Blanco: How did you form the relationship with Casa Cipriani that led to your New York City residency?

Mistry: I was in the right place at the right time – and the right people shared my name in the right rooms.

I was in New York for the Met Gala prepping faces, and my team received an email from Casa Cipriani asking if I would be interested in collaborating. The residency has been organic, with each visit becoming stronger and stronger. Clients are slowly starting to refer to us and hear about us – and we are all excited to see the growth in such a short time.

Out With Anti-Aging And In with Pro-Aging

Blanco: What advice do you have for women on the go as they care for their skin and handle business?

Mistry: Skincare shouldn’t be a chore or a nuisance; it should be something you look forward to morning and night. It doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars – and it doesn’t have to be a 20-step process. It is your moment of pause and disconnecting from life, even if it’s only washing your face and putting on your moisturizer and SPF. Simple routines are equally as impactful as the longer ones. Taking care of yourself is equally important as caring for those around you.

Lastly, my approach is ‘pro-aging’ instead of ‘anti-aging.’ I loathe the term anti-aging.

Aging is a privilege; it is an honor that not everyone gets. That’s why we should be grateful and happy.

I have lived 48 amazing years and look forward to more years ahead of me. Life is too short to get hung up on a line, wrinkle, or pigmentation.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.