The Lashelle Effect
Lashelle Ullie Using Skin Health as Self-Wellness
—by Arielle Harris
Lashelle Ullie, founder of The Lashelle Effect Atelier on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills, is bringing a new meaning of wellness to skin health. Ullie grew up in the world of beauty, raised by a family that took fashion, sophistication, and skincare seriously. “My grandmother said that if you take care of yourself, you can take a gentleman anywhere” says Ullie. Though he initially planned to go into fashion, sketching stylish designs at a young age, funding was scarce. To save for fashion school, Ullie decided to go to a community college and work to pay future tuition.
At 17 years old, he started as a stock boy at Estee Lauder. Constantly eager to dip his hands and brushes in the beauty space, Ullie jumped at opportunities to do women’s makeup at events. Recognizing his talents, his superiors allowed him to do makeup and skincare, which would be the starting point of his 20-plus-year career in all things skin. Throughout his career, he’s made his way across every beauty counter and brand: Neiman Marcus, Chanel, Saint Laurent, Tom Ford, Bobbi Brown, MAC and many more. From Macy’s to Sephora, he was trained by brands directly and mastered the field of skincare and makeup.
For the next five years, however, Ullie went into men’s grooming, landing a job working for Damone Roberts, a famous men’s eyebrow groomer. With the focus on male clientele, Ullie noticed the positive impact the physical touch, pampering, and grooming had on these clients. He questioned why this form of self care was not more normalized and commonplace among the male demographic. From that point forward, Ullie wanted to use his work to continue doing what he was best at in his field and address this prevalent stigma surrounding the concept of a man’s form of self care and skin health.
Ullie’s Beverly Hills boutique salon has been successfully open for over two and half years and has catered to clients like Kelly Rowland, Toni Braxton, Pat Cleveland, Robi Reed, Emma Watson, Johnny Galecki and Toni Collette.
“Many men didn’t see makeup and skin care as self care,” says Ullie. “We don’t need to see beauty like it’s marketed towards women. We can see it as universal wellness. Toxic masculinity has held men back for so long. When another man is pushing this concept of skin wellness, it inspires more men to partake; they can be in touch with that intimacy and therapeutic touch that is often categorized as feminine or being ‘for’ women.”
Ullie works with all types of men, including trans men, and is proud to see that the world is in a reboot and men are too. “It’s important that men see each other, say, do, and demonstrate their participation in skin health to get peers to follow and normalize it,” says Ullie. “Skin protects you so why shouldn’t you take care of it? Are you not taking care of it because it seems frivolous? You think you don’t have enough time? Is it too feminine? You have to pay attention to skin, in a way, to understand yourself. You have to look inside to care for the outside and make the inside feel better. When we throw away the notion that skin and beauty is for women only, we as a society can begin to heal old deep-rooted mindsets.”
Overall, Ullie’s continues to promote overall skin health as part of lifestyle medicine and continuum care for everybody. His motto “Self Respect through Self Care” is always integrated across his practice; as a firm believer that skin health should be incorporated and heavily considered in a health care plan just as much as anything else, Ullie is introducing how beauty can go beyond skin deep.
In addition to his salon work, Ullie provides free massage and skin therapy treatments to cancer survivors and those in substance abuse recovery through his foundation, I Am Back.
The Lashelle Effect Atelier salon is located at 338 N. Canon Dr (Salon 90210). For appointments and reservations, call (323) 571-3749 or email lashelle@lashelleullie.com.
Photos courtesy Lashelle Ullie