On the 14th of March, the UK celebrates Mothering Sunday - a day to show our love and appreciation of our mothers or our mother figures. Many female figures aside from our mothers, in the form of film stars, musicians, authors, designers and more, are seen as a huge influence on women through their looks, their style, their attitude and their intellect. The Lubatti range is named after Madame Lubatti who was a skincare expert in London. An extraordinary woman, she was ahead of her time in the field of beauty and skincare. Skincare expert Tracey Malone has used the recipes which were passed down to her many years ago to develop the products. She talks to us about Madame Lubatti - how she inspired her in her life and her works:
“Apart from her innate elegance and gracefulness, what made Madame Lubatti stand out was her amazing knowledge of skincare. She was very strict with her clients and beauty therapists alike and her skincare preparations were the talk of London town. She was incredibly stylish - she wore red lipstick, sported a short, demure, blonde hair-style and worse fishnet stockings."
Whilst image and skincare was obviously a main priority in Madame Lubatti’s life, Tracey also says that, “She had a real passion for travelling, particularly to Asia. You can tell that her Far-East destinations were a huge influence on her techniques through her massage routine and by the oils and spices that were used in her products.”
Tracey grew up observing her mother, Eileen Malone (who was a London skincare expert in London during the 60s and 70s) and Madame Lubatti, a homeopath by trade. She soon became skilled at hand mixing the creams learnt of a unique facial massage technique which Madame Lubatti and her mother passed down to her.
“I have so many fond memories of Madame Lubatti, but a few which stand out are, having tea with her in a grand patisserie with beautiful, hand-painted, bone white china tea sets and enjoying have tea parties there! I also remember admiring her designer collection of hats and shoes and being allowed to play with them!”
I ask her, had she not had the privilege of being able to learn from her particular background, would she still have the same enthusiasm for skincare?
“It was obvious that I always had a passion for skincare because of my love for scented oils and for the general knowledge of looking after your skin. Although my mother and Madame Lubatti showed me an insight into skincare that I would never find anywhere else, I personally LOVE to speak to people about their skin!
The influence of which Madame Lubatti has on me today is that I feel I have maintained such an interest and understanding in what works in skincare. The technique I practice and the use of certain oils and creams makes all the difference in the effectiveness of the products on your skin.”
Madame Lubatti’s clients included the beautiful Vivien Leigh and Princess Marina as well as society Ladies in London, other English royalty and film stars. Today, Tracey has an exclusive client set including a number of society clients, English royalty and Hollywood celebrities. With these clientele remaining loyal to her over the years I inquire about how she develops her products and who she tries them out on.
“Lubatti is based on the original creams/lotions made by Madame Lubatti, so they go back many many years. Obviously there are strict procedures in place to ensure quality and safety is absolutely paramount in our products, and so there are a number of people involved – however, my ideas and concepts are translated into actual creams and I test them on myself to begin with. This is particularly important for 2 reasons: 1) I have sensitive skin and I want to ensure these products can be used by all women with different skin types and 2) I like to know what the products feel like on my own skin.”
In light of this current, growing obsession with trying to look younger Tracey says, “For me personally, I think having hydrated, brighter, smoother skin is key to making you and your skin look years younger. First and foremost, I look after my skin through my daily routine and I also eat a good diet to keep me looking healthy.”
Madame Lubatti herself, as described by Tracey was “Stylish, strict, revered and intelligent.” She stood for elegance, beauty, glamour and style and this is evident in the Lubatti Collection today. Tracey’s favourite products from the collection are “Day & Night Face Gel, the Sparkling Eye Gel and the Clear Skin Tonic infused with the beautiful Damask rose. One beauty product I cannot live without would be Day and Night Gel - I use it all the time, morning and night. It freshens and calms my skin and is good to use with or without makeup (I don’t wear a lot of makeup) - it makes my skin look bright and awake.”
Madame Lubatti clearly had an insightful influence on Tracey Malone’s life and in her work. Her legacy is celebrated through the collection which endeavours to make women look and feel beautiful. “If she were here today, she would be very proud and approving of The Lubatti Collection.”
Written by Rosie Flynn