Alessandra Müller - Facialist

A little sun, a beautiful day at the beach, lunch on a terrace… I live in Portugal. I’m certainly not going to tell you to spend your life hiding indoors.

But there’s something I wish more women understood: enjoying the sun and deliberately tanning are two very different things.

A tan is your skin’s response to UV exposure. And while that golden colour may fade, some of the damage caused by repeated exposure can accumulate over time, contributing to pigmentation, premature skin ageing and an increased risk of skin cancer.

Does that mean you should be afraid of the sun? Absolutely not.

It means being a little more intentional about how you enjoy it.

Wear your SPF. Reapply it. Seek shade when UV levels are high. Remember that your neck, chest and hands need protection too. And please, don’t treat sunscreen as permission to spend hours tanning.

You can love sunny days and still make decisions that support your skin’s long-term health.

The goal isn’t to avoid the sun. It’s to enjoy your life without making unnecessary sun damage part of it.

Darling, you are beautiful 💖
Take care of your skin.

I went to Spain for work, but somewhere between trains, long walks, new places and dinners with myself, the trip became about much more than that.

Travelling alone has a funny way of showing you who you are when nobody else has an opinion on the plan.

You choose. You change your mind. You figure things out. And you realise how good it feels to trust yourself.

I came home inspired professionally, of course, but also with a stronger appreciation for the life I’ve built — one that gives me space to work hard, stay curious, travel, create and still belong to myself.

Maybe that’s my favourite kind of freedom.

And yes, I would absolutely travel alone again. 💖

Ale, vamos mudar completamente a abordagem. Em vez de falar sobre tratamentos ou sobre o que a cliente deveria fazer, quero trazer uma perspectiva mais interessante: a relação que as mulheres têm com a própria pele e como essa percepção muda ao longo do tempo.

Um carrossel que faz a cliente pensar, sem tentar convencê-la de que precisa de um facial.

CAROUSEL — When did your skin become a problem?

SLIDE 01 · COVER

When did your skin become something you needed to fix?

And who made you believe that?

SLIDE 02

You probably didn’t notice your pores until someone told you to minimise them.

Or your fine lines until an advertisement suggested you should prevent them.

Somewhere along the way, normal characteristics of your skin became concerns you were expected to do something about.

SLIDE 03

Not every change in your skin is a problem waiting for a solution.

Skin has texture. Pores are normal. Your face changes as you age.

Taking care of your skin doesn’t have to mean correcting every visible detail.

SLIDE 04

You can care about your appearance without being at war with it.

You can enjoy skincare, invest in treatments and want to improve certain concerns without believing that your natural skin is somehow unacceptable.

These things can coexist.

SLIDE 05 · FINAL

Your skin is allowed to look like skin.

My approach has never been about making every face look the same.

It’s about understanding your skin, supporting its health and helping you feel comfortable with the face you see in the mirror.

Healthy skin is more interesting than perfect skin.

Caption

Working with skin every day has taught me something interesting: women often notice things about their faces that nobody else would ever think to question.

A pore. A fine line. A little texture.

And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to improve something about your skin, I think it’s worth questioning where that desire comes from.

Skincare should be something you choose because it makes sense for you, not because an algorithm has convinced you that every visible detail needs correcting.

You can take your skin seriously without taking every beauty trend seriously. 💖

One thing I’ve learned from working with international clients over the years is that the treatment someone books isn’t always the treatment they actually need.

Sometimes a client comes in asking for a specific procedure because she saw it online, a friend recommended it or she believes it will solve a concern she’s had for years.

But before I recommend anything, I want to understand her skin, her habits, her expectations and what she’s already experienced.

A consultation should never feel like a questionnaire you need to finish before starting the facial. It’s where you begin to understand the person in front of you and make informed decisions about her skin.

And sometimes, the most valuable thing you can recommend is not another treatment.

For the professionals here: what’s one question you always ask during a consultation?

I’ve been reading Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke, and it made me reflect on our relationship with reward, consumption and the constant search for something new.

Not just in our personal lives, but in the way we approach skincare and professional development.
I see women constantly changing their skincare routines, hoping the next product will finally make the difference.

And I see professionals investing in new technologies and training before they’ve had the opportunity to fully develop what they already offer.

I’ve also had to question my own decisions over the years. Is this investment genuinely going to improve my work, or am I simply excited about the idea of something new?

There is nothing wrong with wanting more, learning more or investing in yourself. The question is whether those decisions are taking you somewhere meaningful.
Sometimes, progress looks less like adding something new and more like becoming better at what you already do.

And that applies to far more than skincare.

Skin by Ale Müller 💖💖💖

A good facial is not about how many techniques we can fit into one appointment.

It’s about understanding the person in front of us and making the right decisions for their skin.

After years of working with different skin types, concerns and expectations, I’ve learned that sometimes the most valuable part of a treatment happens before we even begin.

It’s in the questions we ask, the details we notice and the decisions we make based on what the skin actually needs.

And sometimes, that means choosing a gentler approach, simplifying a routine or deciding that a particular treatment isn’t necessary.

For my clients, I want every facial to feel considered, personal and intentional.

And for the professionals following me, this is something I believe is worth remembering: learning new techniques is important, but knowing when and why to use them is what makes that knowledge meaningful.

Because the goal isn’t to perform the most impressive facial.

It’s to provide the most appropriate care for the person in front of you.

Ale x