BEHIND THE PURPLE DOOR – PURPLE DOOR BEAUTY

Tamborine Mountain is undeniably a beautiful place, a cradle of aesthetic wonder nestled in the hinterlands. So too, then, is Purple Door Beauty tucked away within the mountain community, a salon where Lindy-Lou works to transform her clients into visions of beauty as radiant as the verdant nature that surrounds them with her holistic techniques drawn from that very same natural world itself. With years of experience in beauty therapy and a wide variety of treatments on offer, Lindy-Lou has more than a few tips to share with us today.

by Kyle Hitchmough

How did Purple Door Beauty get started?

I worked in the pharmacy just down the street for nearly 10 years, and through that I got to do some courses. It grew from there!

Where does the name come from?

A good friend of mine is a graphic designer and artist, and she was helping me design everything. We had no idea where to go! She said “I had a dream you were standing behind a door welcoming people in. I said “You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve just painted half my door purple!” She looked at me and said “Purple,” I said “Door,” and we both said “Beauty” together! We both got the tingles.

For those who might not be familiar, can you explain what you offer here?

I am a beauty therapist so I offer the basics, waxing, facials, all that sort of thing. I do specialise in skin and brows, and I am also a natural therapist and a kinesiologist. I offer a holistic approach, from the inside out and the outside in. I can treat you everywhere! I deal with holistic beauty.

What kinds of treatments do you do?

I do skin needling, which is a specific anti-aging treatment. I also do skin treatments like microdermabrasions, peels, all those sorts of things. I do a lot of waxing packages, head to toe. I have packages of the facials as well. I also offer a chakra balancing reiki massage. I specialise in doing individual packages, so if you want 3 or 4 treatments and want to book me out for 3 or 4 hours, I can organise a personalised package for you.

You also do makeup, correct?

I am a makeup artist by trade, yes! I started when I was 14 and I’ve won many awards with my makeup artistry as well as my beauty therapy, like Makeup Artist of the Year in Queensland a few years ago! I constantly place in the top 10. I don’t like to talk myself up too much, it’s embarrassing, but over the years I’ve won so many awards I could wallpaper a wall with them.

Have you noticed any trends in the beauty industry on the Mountain?

Brows are the big thing at the moment. Everybody has them! They’re the frame for the face. Lash lifting is starting to come in too. They’re like a perm for your lash so it curls them nicely.

What is the most popular service or package you offer?

The eye trio, which is your brow wax, brow tint and eyelash tint. That’d have to be number one. It’s a beautiful little treatment, non-expensive that just makes you feel so good because of how it brightens up your face.

What goes into the average day here for you?

I work Tuesday to Friday here in the salon and I generally do weddings on a Saturday. Lots of brows, a few facials, quite often some kinesiology as well. It’s nice and broken up so I’m not doing the same thing day in and day out.

What kinds of products do you use here?

I use quality natural products because that’s where my heart is. I’m a natural therapist, I don’t want chemicals in the body. I also have my own range of skin care products. It’s as much Australian made as possible, all the packaging is recycled and recyclable and eco-friendly. There’s no nasties in it whatsoever, not tested on animals. Many years of testing have gone into it to create advanced, natural skincare. I have moisturisers for dry, oily or combination skin, body moisturisers, body wash, eye creams, cream cleansers, gel cleansers, a wonderful scrub, all the serums you can imagine! The ingredients have essential oils as well as herbs, so it boosts the anti-aging possibilities and helps clean up acne.

Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?

I love it! Absolutely love it. It’s like a world of its own. People actually care for other people up here, whether you know them or not. If you see someone fallen down on the street, you go help them, it doesn’t matter if you know them. If you fall down on the Gold Coast, everyone will just walk past and look at you thinking you’re drunk! It’s just amazing the help you can get from people in a small community like this.

What’s your favourite thing to do in the area?

There’s heaps! Spice of Life, of course. I love the bakeries too. Food is my thing! Cauldron Gin is amazing, the new Bailey’s is amazing— they’re doing a great job up there. Then you’ve got the parks, which are so much fun, and the bushwalks are just awesome. Every time we have visitors we go on a rainforest walk.

What do you think Purple Door Beauty really provides to the area?

It provides the essential services of basic beauty as well as the specialised stuff. It’s definitely the atmosphere. The nicest compliment I always get is that people feel so relaxed in here, and it touches my heart that people feel that way.

What do you enjoy most about doing this?

Everything! I love my job. Honestly, the saying is true: if you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. And I don’t!

What’s been your most memorable moment in your time here?

I often get ladies who want to stay on the table! It’s so comfy. They just don’t want to get up. They say “I’m staying here!” I say “No worries, next one’s a Brazilian! I can do you top to tail, just don’t look down!”

Purple Door Beauty
53 NORTH ST, TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN, QLD 4270