Jocleyn Petroni, The A-Listers’ Facialist Who Is All About Love

“Family is everything to me. I am one of four very close kids and I adore my siblings.

My parents are perfectionists who always wanted what was best for us. They imposed tough rules and guidelines, and such a strict upbringing was not easy for me. However, those experiences shaped my very nurturing and compassionate approach to life and to other people, and I learned the values of patience and hard work, becoming a natural perfectionist myself.

Being a perfectionist is both a blessing and a curse. It affects me daily and my relationships have suffered from it, because it can be hard for those around me. I know perfectionism is an unhealthy mindset, but also that at the end of the day I am who I am and I continually work on myself.

My innate patience and need to get things just so have allowed me to deliver a premium service offering in my business. I am extremely neat and detail-focused, which has been an asset for our treatment offerings as well as for team training and coaching. Everything from our cleaning and preparation routines to our results-driven facials and meticulous manicures were designed to my high standards and the exact same level is expected of and provided by my staff. We strive to provide a stellar guest experience.

Everyone faces adversity, and for me, I now know that it’s not necessarily about whichever specific tough thing that happens, but rather what I learn from it and how it ends up shaping me.

I have learned to put myself first and to love myself first. I’ve learned that success is subject to my own happiness. I’ve learned that we all emanate from the one source, and to treat everyone in a way that I would like to be treated. I’ve learned to stay true to myself and to confidently be myself, regardless of anyone else’s perceptions. I’ve learned the value of connection – with myself, with others and with nature.

Not many people consider beauty therapy as a forever career option, and I was no different.

I couldn’t afford to study and not also be working, so when I wanted to give beauty therapy a try I interviewed at different colleges and asked them about scholarships. All that led to was being laughed at. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon and I have always been hard working, so I decided I would commit myself to working full time and studying full time. The college I chose to study with inquired with the government about scholarships, and when they were granted five of them, they gave one to me. It felt like a real sign of the opportunity that lay ahead of me in this field, and I knew I would be so proud to eventually be a beauty therapist.

Once I began learning about beauty therapy, it felt like coming home.

I still can’t quite believe that my day to day work involves doing something that makes me so happy. Our facials are my favourite treatment to give, as they are a beautiful and intimate experience. I feel lucky that I get to touch people all day and make them feel cared for. To me, there is nothing more wonderful than giving someone a facial, because I love love! As much as the experience gives to the client, it gives to me also.

I meditate during every facial treatment that I give. I often incorporate what is called a Buddhist Powa practice. Traditionally, it is used by someone who is dying; in my experience, this makes it a deeply loving meditation. It elevates the facial experience that I give to my clients.

The best part of my work is being hands on with all of our clients.

We work with wonderful people here at home, and I also get to travel around the world to work with our celebrity clients. I am a creative person, and it’s a joy to work with other creative people for editorial shoots and campaigns. I very much enjoy advising and collaborating with the best beauty brands in the industry. I am passionate about education and training and coaching my own team, as well as continually learning and being inspired myself. The hardest part of all of that fulfilling work, though, is when it takes me away from my kids.

We embrace client feedback, and the biggest compliment I can ever receive is when a client expresses their joy in no longer feeling a need to wear makeup.

Being able to give women the confidence to go bare faced, thanks to their skin journey with us, is the most gratifying part of my career.

My own skin care routine is constantly changing, partly because my skin is.

Also, the science and technology behind skin care products evolves so quickly, and one of the most fun parts of my role is keeping on top of that. I’m very lucky to be approached by different skin care brands to work together. I choose to collaborate with the brands that can provide real results, because I want my clients to see that in their own skin.

I’m currently using a combination of products from La Mer and iS clinical, which is a revolutionary skin care company using pharmaceutical grade ingredients that are also all-natural! That combination still blows my mind. I combine their active products with La Mer to provide healing, repair, moisture, hydration and nourishment. La Mer gives my skin that beautiful dewy finish and keeps it plump and bouncy.

Here in Sydney, I have all my beauty treatments done at my own salon by my amazing team of skin and nail experts. I have The Heart Chakra Facial every four weeks and I have The BIAB Manicure every three weeks.  

I am working on firming and toning my skin at the moment with our NeoScult Facials and radio frequency needling, as well as treating my pigmentation and melasma with Cosmelan.

I so enjoy being a client in my own business and having three therapists work on me in simultaneous harmony for a facial, manicure and pedicure is my heaven. It is one beautiful, reiki-filled hour of love and I leave with real results.

In terms of other treatments, I like to visit Haikoo in Bronte for a meditative float tank session. And I am such a fan of infrared saunas that my husband has just had one installed in our home for me as a birthday gift!  When I travel internationally I  take the opportunity to experience facials with renowned skin therapists all over the world.

I support my clients when they are going through invasive procedures, however these are not services that my business provides. We specialise in skin health – that is our lane and we stick to it.

Our goal is to give our clients radiant, glowing skin, and we achieve that through topical preparations and machinery, including LED light therapy, sonophoresis, microdermabrasion, hydrabrasion, radio frequency and needling. We choose not to perform treatments that ablate the skin because we choose not to cause inflammation in the skin, which can be ageing in the long term. We look to science and technology for procedures that optimise skin health and radiance. If what our clients desire involves something more invasive, then we recommend them to the very best doctors and surgeons to achieve what they are after.

I am always excited by how dynamic the beauty industry is, in terms of the technology incorporated into skin care. It is constantly changing and improving.

I also appreciate the spiritual evolution of the beauty industry, and how the benefits to skin health of turning inwards and focusing on the mind–body connection are being realised. The definition of beauty is evolving, and I enjoy evolving with it while also staying true to who I am and what I do. I am grateful to bring a real sense of myself into my business; as I grow, learn and change, I like to bring those elements into our salon’s culture, as well as to our treatments. My business is a true reflection of who I am and the joy we can all find in the beauty of life.

I opt for elegant, tailored clothing that is also comfortable.

Camilla and Marc is a definite favourite – everything I buy from there is classic and lasts forever. Scanlan and Theodore’s pieces are also beautifully made. And I like the shaping and silhouettes of Lee Matthews. I pair these standout pieces with staples from Zara, Uniqlo and MNG.

The way I dress is about feeling good, so I tend to wear comfortable cotton layers, and pair these with statement gold jewellery.

More recently, I find myself inspired by my four-year-old daughter Georgia’s wardrobe. Her fun, colourful outfits have led me to incorporating into my own wardrobe some lovely things from Lucy Folk and an investment gold handbag for everyday wear.

My interest in skin health comes from my Maltese dad, whose Mediterranean skin and hair I have inherited. My dad taught me to take a holistic and invigorating approach to skin and body health.  

Growing up, we had such special moments together taking our early morning ocean swims and scrubbing each other’s backs with sand by the water’s edge. He taught me the benefits of having a cold rinse off after my shower and to always apply body oil afterwards – body rituals that I still follow and savour every day.

Now, I exfoliate my body every day using a  cloth, and do a thorough scrub every week. I like cold sensations on my body, so I still always have a cold rinse off at the end of my shower, and enjoy winter ocean swims and ice baths when I can. I also find heat therapy for my body very relaxing, and am a fan of LED saunas, steam rooms and float tanks.

I’ve always been passionate about body care. I feel like Australia is a Sorbolene nation, and growing up I covered myself in the stuff! Nowadays I invest in luxurious body products that smell gorgeous and make me feel great.

Each day I apply an Ultraceuticals fruit acid moisturiser to my body, which is like a serum that buffs the skin’s surface to a fresh, smooth finish. Then I cover myself with one of Le Mer’s beautiful treatments, either the body cream or body balm – they both smell divine and leave your skin juicy.

A nightly family ritual for the four of us is an Epsom salt bath. We all enjoy getting in together so the kids can have fun and play, and then relax and unwind before bed.

Since having children, it has taken me by surprise how much in life is intensified and yet released at the same time.

I realise that most mums often feel tired, and I do too, and yet I also feel like my children have made my heart swell so much that it energises all aspects of my life, including my work. The facial experiences I give now are on another level, because I have this increased love for my clients and my team.  I have more love to give, more love that I am surrounded by and emitting, and it comes through to my clients during their treatments. I feel lucky to work in an environment that values loving kindness. It’s wonderful that I can bring my kids into my business; my daughter actually does the facials with me on a Saturday, which is the best thing in the world to me. Even when my children are not in the salon, I feel such a sense of connection between caring for them and caring for my clients that it is like they are. I have become more motherly to my clients.

As I’m getting older I am embracing my age. I don’t want to conceal it, and I don’t want to try to look younger than I am.

My skin sits better on my face as I get older. The beauty of wisdom can only be attributed to a woman who is confident in both her appearance and her stage of life.”

Story by Zoe Briggs. Photography by Camilla Quiddington.