Victoria Arpels

At 19, I made a decision that I had no idea would shape the next 20+ years of my life…

Chapter 2 — Becoming an Educator

I’d already fallen in love with the beauty industry, but at just 19 I decided I wanted to take things one step further and began my teacher training.

Over the next four years I gained my Certificate in Education and BA (Hons) in Inclusive Practice and Education, while teaching beauty therapy part time and working alongside some of the UK’s leading beauty brands.

And I think this was the point where everything started to change for me.

I realised I didn’t just love doing beauty.

I loved understanding it. Teaching it. And helping other people understand it too.

Seeing someone’s confidence grow because they’d learnt a new skill gave me a completely different sense of purpose.

Looking back now, I can see just how much those years shaped everything that came afterwards.

They laid the foundations for Next Step Beauty but they also shaped the way I work today as a Skin Specialist.

I still don’t just want to do something to your skin or hand you a product.

I want you to understand WHY.

Why we’re using a particular product.
Why your skin is behaving the way it is.
Why I’ve chosen a particular treatment.

Education has been at the heart of my career since I was 19… I just didn’t realise then quite where it was going to take me. 🤍

And there was still SO much more to come…

Chapter 3 coming soon. 👀

MELA vs TXN… if they both target pigmentation, why would you need both?

This is something I get asked all the time and the answer is simple:

They don’t do the same job.

pHformula UK & Ireland MELA Serum

MELA is designed to target uneven pigmentation and dark spots, helping to improve the appearance of an uneven skin tone and create a brighter, more uniform complexion.

pHformula UK & Ireland TXN

TXN takes a different approach. It contains tranexamic acid and is particularly useful when we’re working with stubborn, uneven pigmentation and helping to improve overall skin clarity.

So… which one should you use?

For some skins, I may prescribe MELA.
For others, TXN.
And for some of my clients including myself there can be a place for both within a carefully planned routine.

And THIS is exactly why professional skincare isn’t about buying whatever product is trending on Instagram.

It’s about understanding your skin, the type of pigmentation we’re dealing with and which ingredients are appropriate for you.

Two products.
Two different roles.
One goal healthier, brighter, more even-looking skin.

If pigmentation is something you’re struggling with, don’t guess your way through your skincare.

Start by understanding your skin.

DM me to book a skin consultation.

This is why I’ll never promise you perfect skin after ONE treatment…

This is what 6 months of understanding the skin, consistency and the right treatment plan can look like.

This client came to me struggling with rosacea, redness and sensitivity and rather than trying to aggressively “fix” her skin, our priority was to understand it, support it and work with it.

Over a 6 month period we focused on:

✨ Regular pHformula professional treatments every 4 weeks
✨ A carefully prescribed pHformula homecare routine
✨ Supporting and strengthening the skin barrier
✨ Calming visible redness and sensitivity
✨ Making adjustments along the way as her skin changed

And THIS is why homecare matters just as much as what we do in clinic.

Your professional treatment happens once every 4 weeks… what you do with your skin on all the days in between matters.

Rosacea isn’t something I promise to magically “cure” but with the right knowledge, professional treatments, homecare and consistency, we can work towards calmer, stronger, healthier-looking skin.

No quick fixes.
No chasing trends.
No unnecessarily aggressive treatments.

Just science backed skincare, consistency and a plan created for YOUR skin.

This is what investing in your skin looks like.

If you’re struggling with redness, sensitivity or rosacea and don’t know where to start, DM me to book your skin consultation.

All products pHformula UK & Ireland

SkinResults

If you’d told 16-year-old me where this journey would eventually take her, I’m not sure she would have believed you… 💗

CHAPTER ONE — THE PASSION

Before the businesses, before Next Step Beauty, and before I had any idea where life would take me… I was just a 16 year old girl who had fallen in love with the beauty industry.

My journey began at City College Norwich, where I completed my NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 in Beauty Therapy.

I was fascinated by everything about beauty the treatments, the transformations, the creativity and, most of all, the confidence you could give someone through something you had learnt to do with your own hands.

At that age, I certainly didn’t have some huge plan mapped out.

I just knew I’d found something I loved.

After college, I was desperate to get out into the real world and gain experience, so I began working in a busy spa environment.

And looking back, those early years taught me far more than just how to perform treatments.

They taught me about people.

How to listen to clients.
How to build trust.
How to make someone feel comfortable.
And how powerful this industry can be when you make someone feel good about themselves.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but those experiences were laying the foundations for so much of what would come later.

There would be businesses, risks, mistakes, challenges, some incredible highs and definitely a few lows along the way.

And eventually, there would be Next Step Beauty.

But 16 year-old me knew absolutely none of that.

She was simply following something she loved and taking her first step into an industry that would ultimately shape her entire life.

And when I look back now, I think there’s something quite special about that.

Sometimes you don’t need to know exactly where you’re going.

You just need to be brave enough to take the first step. 💗

And that was mine.

Chapter Two coming next… and this is where my journey really starts to take shape.

I’d love to know if you could go back and speak to your 16 year old self, what would you tell her?

83 years young today… ❤️

Happy Birthday to my Amazing Dad.

Another year, another birthday and another reminder of just how lucky we are to have you.

Family really is everything, and as I get older myself, I think I appreciate these moments and the time we have together more than ever.

Thank you for always being there, for everything you’ve done for us over the years and for simply being you. ❤️

Today is all about celebrating YOU… 83 and still going strong! 🎂🥂

We love you more than you know.

Happy 83rd Birthday Dad.

Here’s to many more memories, laughs and birthdays together.

No one warned me that being a mum of boys would mean spending THIS much of my life around football… 😂⚽️

But do you know what? I wouldn’t change it.

Today we’re off to Tottenham for a football day with the boys and these are the days that remind me just how important it is to embrace the things THEY love too.

As mums, we spend so much time driving them to training, standing on sidelines, talking about matches, listening to who scored what goal… and pretending we understand every transfer 😂

But somewhere along the way, their love for it becomes part of our life too.

So today the Tottenham shirt is ON ⚽️ and I’m embracing every minute of it.

Because one day they won’t need us to come along…

And I have a feeling these noisy, busy, football-filled days are going to be the ones I miss the most. 🥹

Any other football mums feel exactly the same? ⚽️👇🏼