Dr. Ewoma: The Skincare You’re Wasting Money On, What Really Defines Beauty, & Why She Left Traditional Medicine to Build a Cosmetic Empire

Award-winning cosmetic doctor and founder Dr. Ewoma Ukeleghe reveals the truth about how much doctors really make, how she built her aesthetics empire, the skincare secrets that actually work on a budget, and the patients she refuses to treat. She joins Maggie Sellers Reum on this episode of Hot Smart Rich to break down money, beauty, Botox, and the aesthetics industry. Dr. Ewoma gets real about walking away from traditional medicine when everyone around her thought she was crazy, building a career on her own terms, and why she believes inner healing is just as important as what we see in the mirror. They get into Maggie’s questionable lip filler from a decade ago, the treatments Dr. Ewoma actually swears by, and her best skin secrets at every budget. She breaks down how to build a skincare routine that actually works, what’s worth splurging on (and what absolutely isn’t), the patients she refuses to treat, and why Botox might just be the ultimate gateway drug. Get unselfish access to insights that will help you own the room. Sign up now https://linkly.link/2jPXJ ⸻ Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (04:54) Why You Should Listen (05:35) The Reality of Being a Doctor (07:57) Why She Chose Medicine (08:25) From Medicine to Cosmetics (11:14) Why She Left the System (14:26) Facing Resistance (15:59) Building a Powerful Personal Brand (18:32) Are You Ready for Cosmetic Work? (20:01) SoFi Ad (21:14) Stan Ad (23:05) Be Confident, Be Audacious (24:13) Is Dr. Ewoma a Character? (26:17) What Is Beautymaxxing? (26:48) Identify Your Best Natural Features (28:49) Beautymaxxing vs. Looksmaxxing (30:19) How to Beautymaxx Affordably (31:32) Beauty AI Investments (32:08) Is It Worth the Splurge? (33:16) High-Maintenance, Low-Maintenance Beauty (34:59) Lifestyle Habits That Boost Beauty (37:47) Affordable Ways to Look Better (39:48) The Psychology Behind Cosmetic Treatments (41:49) Maggie’s Botox and Filler (43:09) Cosmetic Procedure Red Flags (47:32) Alya Health Ad (48:44) Osea Ad (49:44) The Ideal Skincare Routine (51:48) What’s Worth the Spend? (53:00) US vs. UK Cosmetic Regulations (54:29) Rapid-Fire Questions ⸻ SoFi - check out SoFi Home Equity Loans at http://SoFi.com/HSR Stan - https://ig.getstanley.ai/?ref=hotsmartrich&utm_source=podcast Alya - https://alyahealth.com/s/hsr and use code HSR for 20% off Osea - Use code HSR for 10% off at http://oseamalibu.com ⸻ Hot Smart Rich: Your Business & Culture Gossip For ambitious women wanting to own the room, gain power, and build wealth. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotsmartrich/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotsmartrich Maggie Sellers Reum: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiesellersreum/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maggiesellersreum LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sellersmaggie/ Locker: https://www.wantlocker.com/users/maggiesellers ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/maggiesellers Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/maggiesellers/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Maggie Sellers Reum?

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• 0:43Maggie Sellers Reum?

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• 1:33Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What are the few things under $200 that people can do to improve their appearance and the way that they feel about themselves?

• 1:40Speaker 01

  This is tricky. Do I give the PR answer or do I give the actual answer?

• 1:44Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Actual answer.

• 1:45Speaker 01

  Ah, obviously.

• 1:47Maggie Sellers Reum?

  This is why I'm having you on as a trained medical professional doctor. I remember finding on Craigslist, this Russian nurse. I went and I got my top lip filled and it has never gone down. And I'm now 34 years old and I still do not know what was put into my top lip.

• 2:04Speaker 01

  Bloody hell, what did she put in your lip? I started out helping people get better from their illnesses that as a doctor I was making 1,300 a year. So I moved into helping women feel more confident within themselves.

• 2:16Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Both you and I have done a full transformation.

• 2:18Speaker 01

  Love it.

• 2:19Maggie Sellers Reum?

  So let's get into beauty maxing.

• 2:21Speaker 01

  I aim for like 90% perfection and then 10% just a little bit more. Because that imperfection, that makes the 90% look amazing.

• 2:30Maggie Sellers Reum?

  So I want to play a fun game of myth busting. Mouth taping.

• 2:33Speaker 01

  Pass, no.

• 2:34Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Retinol versus Tretinoin.

• 2:36Speaker 01

  100% Tretinoin.

• 2:37Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Red light face masks.

• 2:39Speaker 01

  I don't think I've ever said this publicly, but...

• 2:44Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Hi, angels. Did you know that subscribing to our channel is free? It doesn't cost you anything and it is the simplest way for you to support Hot Smart Rich and help us grow so that we can bring you more of the conversations you love. Just hit the subscribe button below and thank you.

• 3:05Maggie Sellers Reum?

  In case you missed it, you're allowed to be hot, smart, and rich. So let's get into it.

• 3:15Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Dr. Iwoma, are you ready to get hot, smart, and rich?

• 3:17Speaker 01

  I'm so ready, darling.

• 3:19Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Thank you so much for doing this. For someone that's just clicked in, they don't know who you are, they don't have context to this conversation, what would you tell them to get them to stay to what we're going to listen to today?

• 3:30Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, I'm a medical cosmetic doctor. Been qualified now for 10 years. I have built an insane community of super engaged women of over 700,000 where I talk about everything from skincare, body glow, self-development, men even. I'm just a character, basically, but I guess they'll find that out today.

• 3:50Maggie Sellers Reum?

  How will my life be different if I listen to this conversation in full and apply it to my life?

• 3:56Speaker 01

  I think listeners are going to leave feeling motivated, empowered. I often hear from my friends that like they often feel that energy from me whenever they meet me. They're like just ready to go. They're ready to pursue what like they need to in life. So I'm convinced your listeners are going to feel that way.

• 4:12Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I would agree because I have known you parasocially for almost four years.

• 4:18Speaker 01

  Really long time.

• 4:19Maggie Sellers Reum?

  And we've both seen each other's journeys, transformation. And of course, there's the physical aspect of that, which we'll talk about today, but there is so much of the inner work, the confidence. And so what I decided to start doing to my community was make a promise to the angels as to what I believe people are going to learn if they listen to the conversation in full. And I believe that people will understand the true ROI of betting on yourself. I think that they will save time by cutting through wellness, beauty bullshit, and they will know exactly what they are worth. Do you agree with that promise?

• 4:53Speaker 01

  A thousand percent.

• 4:54Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay, so let's go a little bit backwards. Tell me about your earliest context that we need to know to understand the current version of you.

• 5:02Speaker 01

  Oh, there's a lot. I feel like despite being on this earth for just a few decades, I've lived quite an eventful life. I've lived many lives. I feel like I'm on my second or third at the moment. But I think probably the most sort of pertinent part of my life would definitely be when I worked in the NHS, which is our National Health Service. By and large, especially sort of the human element, I absolutely loved it. But the day-to-day was quite interesting, to say the least. And it was funny because, well, not even funny, quite sad, but around the time, Gina doctors were striking and it was the first time in like almost forever and that they were striking with regards to pain, working conditions. So that was just sort of the general context of the time.

• 5:43Speaker 01

  And very quickly into my sort of hospital training, I just realized that this is not for me. And of course, as a doctor, you anticipate super hard work and working like a dog. That's fine, but I feel like I have to be very delicate with this. But because what I want to say is that I just didn't feel safe, basically. It didn't feel safe. You know, even when I looked at my seniors, and obviously, you know, your seniors to a degree, you really aspire to be like them, right? But then when I looked over at them, I was like, oh, I don't envy your life. Is this the end of the road for me in like 10 years' time? No. I had a really important conversation that I think was one of the things that really

• 6:27Speaker 01

  changed the trajectory for me at that time. I spoke to a mortgage broker and he told me, based on my salary, I was maybe making about 2,200 at the time, which I was like, oh my God, amazing. Ironically, the following year, as a doctor, I was making 1,300 a year. That's how us doctors in the UK get paid. And he said to me, based on that, the banks at Maxima would be able to lend you 100,000 pounds for a house. I was like, what? And maybe that was an element of 23-year-old naivety, but I was like, wait, let me do the math. Let me map this out on a chart, just because I am that way, I think very logically. And I was like, wait, so I'm probably going to be like 40 by the time I can afford a

• 7:11Speaker 01

  house by myself on this current sort of salary trajectory? I was like, yeah, that's not making sense. That's not the kind of life I envision myself, you know, having. And yeah.

• 7:21Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I think I'm so curious, like even back to childhood, you, did you just love helping people or what was it that initially drew you into becoming and pursuing a doctor, knowing the hours were going to be brutal, a lot of, not disrespect, but a lot of like unthinkt work? And the salary is not something that necessarily would draw people in after what you just said. So what actually drew you to help people?

• 7:48Speaker 01

  Initially, it started out very traditionally in terms of, you know, helping people get better from their illnesses and things in the hospital. And then when I moved into the sort of cosmetic dermatology realm, it was helping people feel more confident within themselves. And then now it's all of those things, but also helping women feel sort of empowered, educating women about sort of issues that they're facing day-to-day. So fundamentally, I feel like that's my sort of calling, helping people solve their problems. It just sets me alight. It's really interesting. I just love it.

• 8:21Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Where are you at in life to be able to take the bet on yourself and completely leave what is the norm and even looking at your seniors and saying, I don't envy your life? Did you have role models that you were modeling your next steps after? Or how did you find the confidence back then to bet on yourself and to open up your own cosmetic clinic?

• 8:41Speaker 01

  That's an incredible question and I think it summarizes my 20s so perfectly. You know, I was considering a career in finance, management consultancy. Those are kind of like the sexy careers that doctors moved into at the time. But I just thought, ugh. Iwoma, this is gonna be same shit, different smell. I just knew it. I'm even lucky getting emotional now because day two period.

• 9:04Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Same.

• 9:04Speaker 01

  Really?

• 9:05Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Yes, I'm on day two. Oh my god, this is why I love this show, because we get to talk about periods.

• 9:11Speaker 01

  Hoping I don't bleed through this.

• 9:13Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Not on the liar.

• 9:14Speaker 01

  No, not the liar, never.

• 9:16Maggie Sellers Reum?

  No.

• 9:16Speaker 01

  Got my granny knickers on, so, you know, I was getting emotional just with regards to

• 9:23Speaker 01

  just that time of life. It was just so incredibly emotional and difficult. And the fact that, on reflection, I made fantastic decisions that didn't feel like fantastic decisions at the time is mind blowing to me. And I think what really sort of helped me to make such a big decision is a couple of things. I think first of all, I've always been a very headstrong character. And then also, going back to the context of the time, I was getting paid pennies. And again, I really want to stipulate here. Obviously, becoming a doctor in the UK, I wasn't expecting to become a millionaire. That wasn't the goal, that wasn't the focus. But I think at the very least, I expected to have a comfortable life, right? So I fundamentally realised that a key problem was being in a job, being in the system.

• 10:08Speaker 01

  And maybe it just kind of speaks to my personality, etc. But even when I was in the NHS, the sort of part and parcel of working a job really perplexed my mind. Annual leave confused me. So I was confused that I had to like ask a woman that I've never met, doesn't know me, is a pen pusher, whether I can like go on holiday or not. And she might say no. I was like, what? I don't entertain this. I was so confused. So just even simple things like that, I was like, I don't think this is for me.

• 10:45Maggie Sellers Reum?

  We have talked a lot on the show about the way that you show up to your job in terms of your appearance with clothes and styling. And we've had a lot of guests that come on and said, when I decided to invest in my wardrobe or invest into what I looked like, I actually saw an increase. And one of the things that I am so excited to talk about is how that actually is reflective in your appearance, right? Like what you physically look like. Because I know that there are going to be people that are going to listen to this and be like, this is dystopian, this is actually harmful for body image. And I think it is such an important conversation to have with someone who has dedicated now their life to helping people through cosmetics, through aesthetics, through what they actually look like.

• 11:29Maggie Sellers Reum?

  So talk to me about how you made that decision, going from working into that field, from actually helping people, whether it's just stay alive.

• 11:38Speaker 01

  Maybe for a little bit, I had to sort of grapple with going from something very serious to something not so serious. But again, I think it was just a small price to pay really, because what was on the other side of that was such opportunity. And you know, to my colleagues who at the time were kind of like, oh, this is beauty therapy, this.

• 12:00Speaker 01

  Well, what I really want to say was sod off, but I'll keep it PC for today. But one of my colleagues who was a little bit apprehensive of me making this transition away from the NHS. And you know, he was like, obviously, like, I have great surgical skills. So you know, if you need like someone to help you remove moles for your patients, that kind of thing, I can do that. So even just sort of a takeaway for your listeners, when you're making these transitions, do not wait for people to congratulate you, do not wait for people to encourage you. Even some of my family members were like, what are you doing? I don't think this is for you. But I was like, no, guys, I'm just gonna stick through this.

• 12:44Speaker 01

  One thing that I really ruminated on, this was, you know, a phrase that I really ruminated on at the time. And that is, it is easier to change yourself than to change a system that doesn't want to change. That's what I focused on.

• 12:58Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I got goosebumps when I read that, when you said that to my team in the research call. I was like, it is so hard to change a system, but it's so easy to change yourself. And I think that goes back to having an internal locus of control and knowing that like things are not happening to you, they are happening for you, and you are the maker of your destiny. But it's hard when you're in that thick of like, everything feels hard, to take just one step forward. So I want to ask about the first step that you took. You decide, I'm not doing this. What was the first step to actually leaving what you had known and opening up a clinic?

• 13:35Speaker 01

  You know what? I think the most important first step for me was really working on my mindset. And so whenever people come to me and they're like, you know, I want to change my career, or I want to do this particular thing, but I just can't, something is stopping me, I always say, start with your mindset. Your output is because of the mindset, right? So you really need to master that. And it's not an overnight thing, despite what TikTok wants to tell you, you know? It's not pretty. At times, it's very traumatic, may involve a lot of therapy sessions, and fundamentally hitting rock bottom. And that's what happened to me. I don't think I've ever said this publicly, but I was so burnt out in the NHS, I basically became clinically depressed and had to take time off work due to the stress and everything.

• 14:21Speaker 01

  And so I think by essentially hitting rock bottom, it really just allows you to evaluate, like, why am I here? How did I get here? I was like, I cannot be waking up every day wishing that I didn't wake up. That's how much I hated work, you know? I felt like my soul was being chipped away at daily. But going back to the mindset piece, I think, yeah, you need to be very intentional about that. As I said, you can do things like therapy, being very dedicated to that, reading self-help books, go on retreats, whatever it may be, take time. And I will say, working on your mindset can take years. And really, it's not something that stops. It's something that I've continued to do over the time. And it's something I take incredibly seriously.

• 15:05Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I think that for me, it's so similar. Like, I think I've always believed so much in my potential. And I think the worst thing to me was waking up one day and being like, I didn't live up to my full potential. Like, there would be nothing worse than that. But it's hard when you're in that moment of just like, complete burnout, complete unhappiness, where on paper, you shouldn't actually feel that way. And I think that this is why having you on as a trained medical professional doctor, to speak on the power of personal branding and to speak on the power of influence and to speak on the power of betting on yourself, is such a powerful conversation to have because

• 15:47Maggie Sellers Reum?

  on paper, you had what so many people strive for. And it made you clinically depressed and burned out. So I'm so curious to talk about how powerful a personal brand can really be. At that time, to tell everyone, like, I'm going to then open up a cosmetic clinic, you were met with a lot of hesitation. A lot of people saying things like, oh, well, that's not really what being a doctor is supposed to feel like. How did you approach what you knew you wanted to do when everyone in your life was actually telling you it was a horrible idea?

• 16:17Speaker 01

  I'm the type of person that, once I've made my mind up, no one can really change my mind. And because I'd hit such lows, I was like, the only way is up from here. I mean, can this get any worse? I would much rather have no title or have the less glamorous job if my life is amazing, you know? That is what is important to me. And so that's why I think it was somewhat easy for me to make that transition. So I came across this doctor specialising in cosmetic dermatology. And I was like, wow, this is incredible. And it sounds kind of daft, but like, you know, eight years ago,

• 16:56Speaker 01

  botox fillers, skin treatments, it wasn't a thing like it is now. It was very much for like high net worth, VIP people, and that was it. It wasn't in the mainstream whatsoever. But I just felt like it was so perfect because it allowed me to work for myself. And I'd concluded that, I think that's the problem here. I don't think you can be in the job, Iwoma. Even when I was in the NHS, the sort of part and parcel of working a job really perplexed my mind.

• 17:22Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I think that that's why I'm so excited to have you on for today, because you've always pushed against the mold and you've always been early. And I'm so, I was so curious to ask you this question specifically. Now that you're a few years, obviously, out of making that decision and building this incredibly strong personal brand, how would you actually describe your personal brand that led you to this moment, to where you are now?

• 17:48Speaker 01

  Direct, transparent, no nonsense, funny, educational.

• 17:55Speaker 01

  And just normal, you know, I think it's so funny with this personal brand thing and just seeing how it's evolved, you know, amongst doctors. Because, you know, again, in this sort of personal brand realm, social media realm in the beginning, doctors were afraid of social media. And to a degree, that was normal. That was sort of understandable because, you know, our sort of governing bodies were sort of like, oh, be careful on this, you know, you can't do this, you can't do that. So I understand the apprehension. But when doctors did start to show up on social media, it was very sort of straight laced. Everyone was wearing lab coats, no personality. I've never sort of felt that pressure to lean into what is expected from a doctor.

• 18:40Speaker 01

  People resonate with people. And so bringing myself to the forefront has just been the easiest thing. And I've found actually, the more that I bring myself to the forefront, the more my community grows, the more the opportunities abound.

• 18:55Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Well, and I can even say to relate to you, like, I was never good at science, ever. But I've always been really fascinated with doctors because there's just like a level of sophistication, discipline, motivation, the things that I really value in entrepreneurship that I believe you have to have as a medical professional. Um, but I think what really drew me to you specifically, because I actually don't follow that many doctor profiles, is it's like the feminine grace. It is the elegance that you carry yourself with that I was really drawn to. I also think it's the hot takes. And one of your hot takes that I'm obsessed with is that you don't necessarily agree with this viral glow up manifestation because it typically neglects the inner self-work

• 19:38Maggie Sellers Reum?

  and confidence that any sort of beauty maxing is actually layered on top of. So I want to start there because I think that when you are going into a full transformation with both, which both you and I have, and I think we should probably insert some photos into the YouTube.

• 19:53Speaker 01

  Oh, baby.

• 19:53Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Right now of the before and afters of both of us. We're doing it, Dr. Yoma.

• 19:58Speaker 01

  To be fair, I've shown people, so I'm not even embarrassed at this point.

• 20:01Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Me either.

• 20:01Speaker 01

  They've seen it all.

• 20:02Maggie Sellers Reum?

  They've seen it all. You actually have an amazing list of things to do as it relates to improving your self-esteem and self-worth before you actually start talking about all the beauty maxing stuff. So can you just walk us through what some of those self-worth, self-esteem checklists are to do before you start taking some of the things we're going to talk about with beauty maxing?

• 20:24Speaker 01

  Yeah, incredibly important. And really just to echo your point, of course, I'm a real proponent of looking your best and being glamorous and love that shit. But all of that is just fluff if everything underneath isn't making sense, you know? And so I always say to people, start with the inner work. By and large, it's for free. By and large, you don't need to inject yourself with any sort of filler or anything like that. And it's something that you can start today and do. In many ways, it's probably harder than the outward appearance stuff. You might hit bottom within that. You might come to significant sort of earth-shattering realizations about your life, especially if you do the work properly.

• 21:08Speaker 01

  That is everything from, you know, addressing maybe unhealthy relationships within your life, whether that be familial relationships, friendships, actual intimate relationships, whatever it may be. You know, taking stock on your career. Are you happy genuinely? And even on that point, it's not even, should I be happy? I'm happy because everyone tells me I'm happy? No, are you happy?

• 21:34Maggie Sellers Reum?

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• 22:16Maggie Sellers Reum?

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• 22:46Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Hot take incoming. Making more money as a creator doesn't actually require you to have more followers. I see so many creators getting this wrong. And this is part of the reason why I love what our show partner Stan is doing with their V2 of their funnels and order bumps. Because if someone is already buying from you, that's a completely different moment than someone casually watching your content. It means that they trust you, they're paying attention, they're already in checkout mode. So instead of sending everyone to one link and hoping for the best, Stan helps you create a smarter buying journey. And with Order Bumps, someone can add something extra at checkout with one click. If you are building a creator business, this is the kind of thing you should be obsessed with, like every brand founder is. I'll let you in on one secret.

• 23:31Maggie Sellers Reum?

  The top earners on Stan all do this. Sign up today to set up your funnels and order bumps and get started with a 30-day Creator Pro Trial at link.stan.store/meggy. I love what you said.

• 23:50Speaker 02

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• 24:15Speaker 03

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• 24:42Maggie Sellers Reum?

  And you made a clip that was like, here are the five things to stop doing to improve your self-worth. And one really stuck with me specifically for my audience. And it was underestimating your qualifications because women are actually less likely to apply for a role unless they meet 100% of the qualifications. Men will apply for that role if they meet 60%. And I think that's really important for my audience specifically because it's something I even did when I was starting my career. Like, I was applying for senior director product marketing roles at Shopify when I was like 24 years old, 25 years old. It's just so audacious. And I didn't even think that that was a problem. But I often see this with my community is that they think that they need 100% of everything

• 25:26Maggie Sellers Reum?

  to even go there. So I'm so curious for you as someone who obviously chased those resume virtues at one point of like having a doctor, having all of those qualifications. Why was that one the first one that you listed in terms of improving your self-worth? And just stop underestimating yourself?

• 25:42Speaker 01

  I always say to people that you need to have the audacity of a man, a white man specifically, especially for black and brown baby girls. The audacious, because, you know, over the years, as I said, like, I wasn't always this confident. It's been a journey, for sure. It's been a journey. And I really realized within this journey that being meek, being humble, being very safe and, you know, you don't want to tell people that I'm... It gets you nowhere, nowhere. It's a waste of time. And actually, those that are the most confident, the most audacious, even if they don't know shit, get the furthest. That's what I realized. And so I realized that, wait, like, I've already got the qualifications.

• 26:27Speaker 01

  Yes, I could probably get more, but are you going to be at uni your whole life? Like, come on, you need to stop someday, right? As long as you sort of meet that competency threshold, what else do you need? The rest is low-key like a popularity contest when you're being interviewed, right? And I think for me, what also really helped me in the early days of building my confidence is that I would always sort of see it as a game, like almost a role that I had to play, like playing this more confident, sort of elegant woman. And I guess after a while, it just became reality.

• 26:57Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I have been saving this question since you came on, which actually feeds into playing this role. You said at the very beginning, the character, I'm a character. And I am fascinated with that. What did you mean by that?

• 27:10Speaker 01

  Hmm. One of my techniques in life has been to sort of almost detach myself from myself, to sort of externalize my identity from myself. What I mean is that identity one is who I actually am, the actual being and essence of you, Yoma. And then identity number two is effectively the Yoma that I show on social media, the Yoma that turns up at work, you know? It's not that I'm being manipulative, it's not that I'm faking it. It's still me, but it's to a degree a performance. I'm dialing up certain aspects of my personality. Because it's a job and performing, right? If you do ever receive sort of criticism or negative feedback or whatever have you,

• 27:52Speaker 01

  it's almost like it's that other Ewoma that's receiving the feedback. It's not me. And so I never really feel like my true self is being attacked, very rarely.

• 28:01Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I feel like part of playing a character is like, again, what you show up like, right? What you look like. And so I'm very excited to get into this part of the conversation because in the last solo episode that I did, this kind of got taken into wildfire in an amazing way. And I talked about something called wardrobe rage, which is basically when you are getting dressed in the morning, you feel like you can't be your best self because you can't find something to wear. And it actually will very negatively affect women more than it will actually affect men. And there's about a hundred and seventeen or a hundred and nineteen days in a woman's life in her career that she will waste just on deciding what to wear. And I found a very interesting stat for the same state of which women go into

• 28:43Maggie Sellers Reum?

  for how much time they spend a day on their looks. And it's thirty nine minutes a day, which is almost two full years over your lifetime. And at this show, we talk so much about ROI and the return on time. So let's get into this topic of beauty maxing, improving your appearance. What is beauty maxing for someone that's hearing that for the first time?

• 29:07Speaker 01

  Essentially maximizing the way that you look, maximizing the way that physically you show up in the world. It's not about transforming yourself, transforming your appearance into a whole nother face. That personally is not what I define as beauty maxing. It's very much leaning into your natural features and just dialing them up quite a lot. So that's what beauty maxing means to me.

• 29:29Maggie Sellers Reum?

  How does someone know what their natural features are?

• 29:32Speaker 01

  Very good question.

• 29:33Maggie Sellers Reum?

  We can use my face as an example, like what are my natural features?

• 29:37Speaker 01

  It's funny, I often get asked this question of, Ewoma, what would you do to my face? What do I need? Look at me, tell me, tell me. And I was like, oh, you're beautiful, you're great, you're perfect, you don't need me. And I'm not lying, but it's just the fact that I take my job, my role as a doctor incredibly seriously. And I understand that as a medical professional, our words have weight. I can very easily put an insecurity into someone's head that was never there.

• 30:06Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I would say my natural features are my cheeks, which everyone asks me, are they real? Yes, they are. Never had filler there. Um, I would say my eyes are actually a knack, they're huge. So what I've noticed when I get even glam done is that when someone accentuates my eyes and my cheeks and then my lips, it starts looking like a clown because you're now accentuating so much on your face. So for someone that's listening to this, like, how do they identify what their natural features are that they should lean into? Like, is it the biggest parts on their face? Is it the things they like the most? Like, how do they start identifying this?

• 30:37Speaker 01

  It's kind of a blend of everything. And also another sort of tool in recognizing that is what do you get complimented on the most? That's another sort of way to go about it. So I, for me, I often get complimented on my shoulders, kind of genetic, kind of the gym. And so because of that, I dress in a certain way where if I want to look my best, the shoulders are going to come out, right? I think also you need to take stock of maybe the parts of your external appearance that you don't feel as confident in, you know, that you feel like objectively maybe need a little bit of work or an area of your body or whatever that you'd like to improve. But we're not aiming for perfection because perfection doesn't exist. And also perfection clinically, in accordance with clinical studies, is actually really ugly.

• 31:21Speaker 01

  So my sort of beauty aesthetic is I aim for like ninety percent perfection. And then just the ten percent, just a little bit needs to be off, just a bit, just a bit imperfect. Because actually it's that imperfection that makes the ninety percent look normal and look amazing.

• 31:37Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What is the difference between beauty maxing and looks maxing?

• 31:40Speaker 01

  What I've learnt, because again, I entered the space, this sort of beauty maxing space, just solely focusing on beauty maxing, external appearance, et cetera. But I've now come to realize that actually looks maxing is sort of birthed in sort of an incel culture and all of the nastiness that comes with that. But just to clarify, I'm not talking about that. It's almost like we're reclaiming something that is somewhat negative and making it positive, right? And also fundamentally, what people need to realize is that we've always been beauty maxing. We've just given it a new name. So I'm like, why are people getting offended? And then even next of all, I'm like, darlings, you do understand that this is my specialty. My specialty is aesthetics.

• 32:23Speaker 01

  And I've been doing this, talking about this, injecting my face for almost eight years. Why are you surprised? I'm the first person that will tell you, you don't need this. The response from people has been interesting. It's been very triggering and I think, and again, I can only speak about the content I've put out there, right? Um, and with all the content that I've put out with regards to beauty maxing, it's very much been about me, my journey, my body, my face. Nowhere have I told people that you need this, right? And so I find it incredibly strange that people, if we're being honest, women are being enraged by what I decide to do with my body.

• 33:00Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I also think that there's a part of it that relates to the money of how much it can cost to actually look your best. And so I actually wanted to start with what are the ways that people can beauty max that are actually very inexpensive?

• 33:12Speaker 01

  Some of us weren't taught hygiene, darling. Very basic, but very important. And that's everything from actually showering once a day. I know you're looking at me, Maggie, like, baby, people don't shower. People don't shower. On that note, people don't lotion. The body needs to be lotioned and moisturized every single day. If you can, you know, getting manicures, pedicures, grooming your like brows, you know, getting a lash lift, whatever it may be, investing in your hair, getting it cut, trimmed. Those are some of the very easy things that you can do. One of the biggest game changers for me that relatively costed not much money was having a one-on-one makeup class. Because it's all well and good kind of following YouTube tutorials, but it's really helpful having actual qualified makeup artists talk through with you.

• 33:55Speaker 01

  Okay, how can we start maximizing those features that we were talking about, you know, without looking clowny?

• 34:00Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Well, is this where you think that things like swan beauty will actually do really well? Because it's like AI one-to-one, it's you looking in the mirror and it telling you what to actually do?

• 34:08Speaker 01

  Again, there's pros and cons and dangers to that for sure. But you could argue it's a relatively inexpensive way to get a bit of what you need, really.

• 34:19Maggie Sellers Reum?

  That was actually my latest investment that I've never talked about yet. It's a company called Thea AI. And it's essentially a Cosmo dermatology AI layer, an app that essentially takes pictures of your face, uses AI, you talk to an AI. And if, so right now I'm suffering from perior dermatitis. It diagnosed it. And eventually the next phase is like telemedicine where it can actually get you the primarial cream or whatever, Primavera cream that I'm on. But I think that's because this personalization is actually really necessary. So I want to play a fun game actually of like rapid myth busting or like what's worth the splurge, what's not. Okay, let's start mouth taping.

• 34:56Speaker 01

  Pass, no.

• 34:57Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay, red light face masks.

• 35:00Speaker 01

  Spend.

• 35:01Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Salmon sperm facials.

• 35:02Speaker 01

  Spend, yeah, yeah.

• 35:04Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Skin cycling.

• 35:06Speaker 01

  Yeah, spend.

• 35:07Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Snail mucin.

• 35:09Speaker 01

  Spend, it shouldn't cost you too much.

• 35:11Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay.

• 35:12Speaker 01

  It's just a great hydrator.

• 35:13Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Masater Botox.

• 35:15Speaker 01

  On the right candidate, a thousand percent worth of spend.

• 35:18Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Retinol versus tretinoin?

• 35:20Speaker 01

  Hundred percent yes, much prefer tretinoin.

• 35:23Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Why?

• 35:24Speaker 01

  It's strong, it's prescriptive. And so you get maximum results. However, there is a propensity to get a lot of side effects with it, dry, flaky skin. So if your skin can tolerate it, it's going to transform your skin and make it look young forever.

• 35:38Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Let's talk about something that I often see on TikTok and I actually fundamentally believe in. As a highly ambitious woman that has a lot going on, it feels impossible to do everything. So this whole routine of high maintenance to be low maintenance, I love. Because even for me, I remember when I first got keratin or like a smoothing treatment in my hair, having very frizzy hair, it actually made a huge difference to how quickly I could get things done in the morning. So for you, what is your high maintenance to be low maintenance routine?

• 36:08Speaker 01

  Every two weeks, we need to be doing a manicure. Annoyingly, my nails grow that quickly. So the nail spend is quite expensive. So nails every two weeks, pedicure at least once a month, maybe more during summer because your nails grow quicker and so on. Facial every month, that's a must. Within that facial, I'll get like a light chemical peel, microneedling, an LED, deep extractions. And I just find that that helps to just give the skin a nice MOT every month. I love a Brazilian lymphatic massage. Shout out my girl, Clebia, hey. Um, love it, keeps snatched, you know, everything you want. Maybe a lash lift if I'm feeling funky, but I just use lash serums from time to time. I love massages.

• 36:53Speaker 01

  Massages isn't quite. Sort of, you don't get that outward payback, but I just find not only does it just provide a bit of lymphatic drainage, it also just keeps me distressed. And then injectable wise, because I'm not going to pretend that all of this is due to water and 10 K steps a day. I've actually kind of slowed down with the injectables over the years. I've learnt that it's a marathon, not a race. And so you need to be very measured with how often you do these things. So I now maybe do my Botox probably once a year, max two. Slow down with the filler and instead I'm skiing towards bio stimulators, so things like Sculptra. And I actually tend to do that in Korea. Yep, she goes all the way to Korea to get her skin treatments and injectables.

• 37:36Speaker 01

  May or may not get sedated when I'm there, very normal in Korea, by the way. Okay, I think that's somewhat comprehensive, but there's probably way more that I do. I know it, but I don't want to bore your audience.

• 37:49Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I think they're fascinating.

• 37:50Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 37:50Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What about the basics of things like sleep, nutrition, water? Like, is that important?

• 37:56Speaker 01

  So important. And it's actually one of the things that I vet for in my skin consultations, because more often than not, all of those things is the very reason why they're coming to me with a skin problem. And I think people really do overlook the sort of connection and the link between psychology, mental wellbeing and your skin. They're absolutely linked. And, you know, more often than not, I have women coming to me in their twenties, in their thirties, and some of these sort of exacerbators or even triggers for their acne, stress, work, you know, workplace stress. And it's crazy because I've even had some situations where, you know, my patients have left relationships, toxic relationships.

• 38:39Speaker 01

  And also sleep, if you're not sleeping, it's going to show eventually. And whether it be through dark under eye circles, just sort of premature aging of the skin, what else? Smoking, ladies, why? Why? Why are we trying to kill ourselves? No, don't do it. I know it looks chic and cool, but not on them. So you can really tell when someone's like a chronic smoker, heavy smoker, they get sort of grey, black skin changes around the mouth, on the lips. And that's a permanent sort of pigmentation. Just the skin overall, instead of having like a healthy, you know, flushed glow, it just looks pale, grey, lifeless. And then also typically, that's when you start to see other skin issues like very

• 39:23Speaker 01

  dry skin or even breakouts too.

• 39:26Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I think that's one of the most interesting things for me too, because I think that we talk so much about beauty maxing and all the things that are very expensive, but there was actually something that I just did that was $200. I'm not saying it's nothing, but it fascinated me. I did a buccal fat massage and my massage therapist talked to me about this muscle right here, the S C M, right?

• 39:50Speaker 01

  Stenocleidomastoid.

• 39:51Maggie Sellers Reum?

  She said to me, Maggie, if these are tight, it is going to drag your face down because your muscles are literally pulling at your face. And so every single day I started massaging this muscle right here, the S C M. And I've actually seen my face lift. And this is a free thing that I am now doing with myself every single day with Iguasha. And there are free things that people can do to improve their appearance that we don't talk about enough. One of my most viral threads that I just posted was about that, like name something under $200 that's completely changed your appearance. Well, if you had to single out just a few things that people can do that are affordable under $200, that are going to improve their appearance and therefore the way that they

• 40:35Maggie Sellers Reum?

  feel about themselves, what would those be?

• 40:37Speaker 01

  The first thing that comes to mind that is under $200 and very easy to get in the States, crest whitening strips, what are they, like 30 bucks in Target? So good. Like, I've been using them for almost 10 years and every time I go to the dentist, like, how are your teeth so white? Why are you here coming to me for more whitening? I'm like, it's crest whitening strips. And definitely in the UK, due to sort of the limitations on the amount of peroxide that they can use during whitening treatments, there's actually more peroxide in those strips than what we use professionally in the UK. FYI, but please use remineralising toothpaste at the same time, because if not, it's going to make your teeth very sensitive, just word of warning. So crest whitening strips can absolutely transform your smile. On that note of just sort of muscles, and as you mentioned, sort of the, you know,

• 41:22Speaker 01

  stenocleidomastoid sort of pulling down on your lower face, even a massage gun loves it. You know, you can get even like a cheapy one on Amazon and that's something that I do almost every day. I tend to do it sort of on my shoulders, this sort of area, the back, just to help loosen up all the muscles sort of just below the face to stop that sort of dragging and just to improve sort of, or even free up that tension as well, which can actually show up in the face. A facial can make a hell of a difference. Even just getting extractions once a month, if you struggle with sort of breakouts, oily skin, transforms the skin. As I said, it's just like a really nice reset every month. Demeplining is pretty cheap.

• 42:04Speaker 01

  I did a bit of demeplining yesterday and that just helps remove sort of the peach fuzz on the face and provides a little bit of exfoliation too. Brow is for me another thing that can really make a transformative difference to the face. So what's that, 20 bucks at most, maybe a little bit more?

• 42:20Maggie Sellers Reum?

  As a doctor, when you see someone start and they go through that physical transformation of actually looking their best, how do you qualify what that patient's journey is from where they're starting to where they end up in terms of how they feel?

• 42:36Speaker 01

  Very good question. I think it's all about, first of all, patient selection. And what I mean by that is are they fit to undergo the treatment? And that's specifically mentally fit. You know, I think dysmorphias of varying degrees are very common within the cosmetic dermatology space and to a degree it's expected. I think my personal opinion on it is where sort of you're on that sort of lower end of dysmorphia, but you have incredible insight into that and you can sort of rationalise and, and you're within reality, that's when I'm like, okay, I'm comfortable. But where maybe people that are on the other side of the spectrum, severe dysmorphias,

• 43:19Speaker 01

  obviously number one, I need to point you in the direction of psychiatric, psychological help for sure. And I don't mean that in a mean way, just this is very much a safeguarding thing. Are you doing it for confidence, for self empowerment? Or are you doing it to appeal better to your boyfriend? That is not the reason to do it. You know, and it's funny because, actually, let me not get into it, but yeah, I just have a very funny story about, yeah, about that time of, I said to my patient, I was like, and again, this is one of my regular patients, right? So we've developed that rapport, whatever. And I was like, babe, I think you're here because you're bored. And she absolutely just burst out laughing and she was like, how did you know? Yeah, I'm bored.

• 44:01Speaker 01

  I was like, babe, but this is not, these are not procedures that you do when you're bored. And I know it feels like that, I know it's just like, oop, bit of lip filler, but baby, no. Unbored yourself somewhere else, not in my clinical chair, sorry, honey. And then the next sort of stage that I really urge and sort of put my patients through and something I say to everyone is at the start of your injectable transformational journey, you need to be very clear in your mind, what is your ceiling of happiness? That's what I call it, your ceiling of happiness. You need to be very clear that, okay, if I do X, Y, Z, address that thing, that thing, okay, then I'll be happy.

• 44:37Speaker 01

  And that is so important to be clear in your mind from the beginning, because to a degree, these treatments are quite addictive. You know, more is more is more is more is more. You know, when people start with toxins, you know, I often say that toxins are a bit of a gateway drug, a metaphorical gateway drug. It tends to not just stop there. And so if you don't have a handle on these things from the beginning, I mean, the results can be disastrous.

• 45:02Maggie Sellers Reum?

  So my bottom lip is real, my top lip, I actually have an injection in.

• 45:05Speaker 01

  Obsessed.

• 45:06Maggie Sellers Reum?

  And I was always very self-conscious that my lips were like very different sizes. And when I was about like 19 or 20, no one had any cosmetic work done. And I remember finding on like Craigslist, this Russian nurse, like a part of Toronto that I did not live in. I went and I got my top lip filled and it has never gone down. And I'm now 34 years old and I still do not know what was put into my top lip. At least she was a great injector because it still looks good and natural, but to this day I have no idea what was put into my top lip. Because I think back then it was such a hush, hush space and that's why I'm so glad that there are people like you who are willing to have the conversation in a safe way.

• 45:48Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Because then when I moved to LA and I remember wanting to start getting Botox, I only wanted Botox right here. And the injector, the doctor was like, oh no, sweetie, you, you need it all in your forehead because it actually won't work unless you, unless you do it all there. And I remember being like, well, then I don't want it. And I left her office and I was like, this felt like a red flag. So for you, what are those green flags and red flags? When someone walks into an injector's office or clinic where you can very quickly tell, like, this is not the place where you should be trusting this provider to inject something in your face because it is very serious.

• 46:24Speaker 01

  Well, first of all, I'm sorry about that. Bloody hell, the fact that your upper lip hasn't recovered? What did she put in your lip?

• 46:30Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I don't know, you can feel it after.

• 46:32Speaker 01

  I will, hun, sorry. Red flag number one, do not go to unscrupulous places or via unscrupulous sort of databases or whatever have you, websites, et cetera. Number two, make sure that you go to someone who's actually qualified. In the UK, unfortunately, the regulation is very, yeah. And so technically, anyone can kind of inject. Your lash lady can technically inject, it's not illegal here, which is crazy. And so it's really important that you go to an actual medical professional, a nurse, a doctor, et cetera, a dentist, et cetera. And you need to be very careful of people, especially on Instagram, who use very vague

• 47:17Speaker 01

  language of master injector.

• 47:22Speaker 01

  Whenever I see that, I'm like, baby, what does that mean? That is cosplay for, or even code word for, you are not medically qualified professional. You are a baby girl off the street who did a weekend course in filler and is now calling herself Master Injector. So medically qualified people only. The third red flag would be a doctor who doesn't know how to say no to you. You really need a doctor who will say no to you because, you know, as I said, this, this realm can be very addictive. You want this, you want that, but you need to have a very firm doctor be like, darling, no, we're not doing this. I'm so sorry. This doesn't look natural. I don't think this is going to be in the best interest of your face or the aesthetic of what you're trying to achieve.

• 48:04Speaker 01

  Because if you find yourself in the opposite hands, a doctor who says yes to everything, that's when your face will start looking like something else. Let's just say that. In terms of green flags, I would say a medical professional, an injector that you actually get on with. You know, I think we forget these soft skills. You know, you, over the years, you will spend a lot of time with your injector, with your sort of practitioner. And so you need to like them. You know, don't think that just because they're a doctor or whatever, you have to tolerate them. No, like, this is such an intimate space and it's such a transformative space, not only just transformative for the face, but with my women, like I have had such deep conversations about,

• 48:50Speaker 01

  the baby girls have told me all sorts of things that obviously will remain very confidential. And so you need to be, or even find an injector who makes you feel safe. And then the second green flag, hmm, oh, this is a good one. Second green flag is, do you like the way that your injector looks? Very important. It's not always an absolute thing. I would definitely say that. You know, there's definitely some injectors who look a little bit less than natural, but are fantastic injectors. But it's just very important because if you like the way that your injector looks, by and large, you can assume that you share the same aesthetic. Commonality in aesthetic is very important with the person that you're getting injected by.

• 49:33Speaker 01

  You need to have, to a degree, the same sort of ideal of beauty. If not, you're going to walk away incredibly unhappy. And then the third red flag would be, I would say reviews, reviews, recommendations. Has your girlfriend gone there? Has your mum gone there, et cetera? And have they all had good experiences?

• 49:51Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Especially if they're not an influencer, like just the person that's not being motivated to have a great experience.

• 49:57Speaker 01

  Exactly. Because even technically being an influencer, I do appreciate that. A lot of establishments will give influencers better treatment.

• 50:04Maggie Sellers Reum?

  A few months ago, I come downstairs and Courtney is answering emails and chugging out of our olive oil bottle. I was intrigued, kind of disgusted, but very curious. So I started looking into the benefits. I found the most chic brand that fits into my hot smart rich life with Alya Health. Alia makes these daily olive oil shots from a rare Tunisian olive that's naturally really high in polyphenols, which are nature's best medicine that helps to naturally lower your inflammation in your body. Even before they became a sponsor, I've been taking one before I eat and I've actually noticed less bloating and fewer sugar cravings. I cannot eat without these now.

• 50:45Maggie Sellers Reum?

  And with my ADHD, I'm loving these for a clearer head and more steady focus. I love that I only need one shot a day and I don't have to worry about poor digestion, bloating or fatigue anymore. And they taste amazing, smooth, buttery with that little peppery kick. So olives have officially made it from my wedding into my daily routine and I'm giving my angels a code for 20% off. Just use HSR at alyahealth.com. This was the first brand I heard about when I moved to Los Angeles almost eight years ago. Osea. Now, this brand I remember hearing about because when I moved to LA and it was Dry AF,

• 51:29Maggie Sellers Reum?

  someone told me about this Andaria Algae Body Oil. I started using it and fell in love with the ritual of taking care of my skin. It's wild to me that eight years later, multiple careers later, they are now a show sponsor. Their Andaria Algae Body Oil is one of their best products, clinically shown to instantly and visibly improve skin elasticity and deeply moisturize because it's made with Andaria seaweed, known to help skin feel firmer and more youthful. If you want to give this incredible oil a try, I have a special discount for my HSR angels. 10% off with your first order with code HSR at oseamalibu.com. That's code HSR at oseamalibu.com.

• 52:15Maggie Sellers Reum?

  And let me know what you think. I was actually going to talk a little bit about skin.

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• 53:16Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Skin products because I think that obviously there is so much on the market. It is so hard to know what is actually going to make the difference. But let's actually drill down to like ingredients. What are the ingredients that you think if it's in there, immediately skip? Immediately skip? And are there ingredients that you like to see in very specific products that you will not use unless they have them in there?

• 53:43Speaker 01

  For me, I would say proceed with caution where there's sort of essential oils, fragrances. It's not an absolute thing. I would definitely say people are not necessarily aware that also the quality of the essential oils and fragrances make a difference within formulations too. I can make a difference between whether they break you out or not. Also for me, anything that's like laden with oils, you know, plant oils, this oil, nut oils. I'm just like, absolutely not because I have mildly oily skin. I struggled with acne in my teens, early twenties. So I generally do not use facial oil. I, I stay away from that. I'm also very mindful with sunscreens. Sunscreens are another common one that can really make people break out.

• 54:26Speaker 01

  So just be conscious of that. In terms of the whole mineral, physical sunscreen debate, again, it's just kind of an element of trying and seeing what works for you. And then if you do sort of have any particular issues, trying to figure out if there's a particular filter within that sunscreen. In terms of the ingredients that I lean into and I'm like, give me more, definitely any sort of retinoid. So retinoids are essentially the family of everything from retinol, retinol and tretinoin. Hmm, I love a good acid. Some of my favorite acids include azelaic acid. Another great one for perioral dermatitis as well. I love hydrating products. So some of my favorite hydrating ingredients include, I don't know, hyaluronic acid, polybutamic acid,

• 55:11Speaker 01

  this ebola, you name it. And that's why I particularly love K beauty for that.

• 55:16Maggie Sellers Reum?

  And with all of this, like I think when I first started into really having to take care of my skin because I crazy hormonal acne was starting to get prorial dermatitis, like it just felt all so overwhelming. And so even thinking about like putting together a routine for you, like how can people really understand what is a routine? How do they even layer things? Like, is it all so personalized? Or what is like your go-to blanket when someone's like, I'm just starting and I need a routine to look my best with my skin?

• 55:43Speaker 01

  Yeah, very good question. So really the fundamental with any skincare routine is a cleanser, some sort of hydrating slash moisturizing product. And then last of all, sunscreen. So that's kind of like the backbone, the skeleton of any skincare routine. And then in terms of what you layer on top of that, that essentially depends on your skin type or skin concerns and your skin goals. So you need to be very clear about all of those three things. And then that's when you start leaning into sort of certain products or certain actives that then address all of those things. And with that in mind, I find that the reason that people are so dissatisfied with their skincare routines or why they're not getting the results that they're hoping for is because they're not using the right ingredients for their skin concerns. They're using what's hot and trending right now on TikTok.

• 56:24Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Where is worth the spend if people are on a very tight budget to improve what they look like to therefore feel better on the inside?

• 56:34Speaker 01

  Okay, how much more money have we got to work with on a tight budget?

• 56:37Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Let's say we have. Three hundred dollars total.

• 56:42Speaker 01

  Well, beyond all the things I've previously mentioned, that's when you could potentially, depending on where you're based, you could start foray into the world of chemical peels, maybe. Foray into other microneedling. Microneedling is the most unsexy, low-key boring treatment, but is fantastic in terms of results. I swear by it. I love it. It's fantastic for sort of texture, addressing pore size, scarring, boosting collagen. It's just amazing. I feel like a really great place within your skincare routine to invest are definitely serums. Serums obviously are where you can get the sort of targeted treatments in. And so some of my favorite brands for that, that fall well within the $200 mark, include brands like Medicate.

• 57:27Speaker 01

  I love Allies of Skin for their serum. So good. And Skinceuticals. I would say those three brands are like the brands that fill up probably most of my serum shelf.

• 57:37Maggie Sellers Reum?

  It is alarming when you think about even the food industry of like what we are allowed to eat in the US versus the UK. Is it the same thing with beauty?

• 57:43Speaker 01

  For sure. In terms of cosmetics, we're a lot more sort of stringent in Europe compared to the States, unfortunately. And even, you know, speaking to the stringentness, or even in many ways, dare I say, lack of innovation in the cosmetic space within the States. Just recently, you know, a new filter in like, what, 20, 30, something like that, years was just approved. And that's a shame. It's a real shame.

• 58:09Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Dr. Iwoma, I feel like we've had such a comprehensive way to like really understand how to improve our life based on feeling good on the inside, but also looking good on the outside. Is there anything else that you feel like we haven't talked about that you would want a woman to hear? Based on the conversation of improving their life and really achieving what they want?

• 58:26Speaker 01

  Super random, but I love listening to like the OGs of like self-development. Because I don't know about you, I find that like the self-development gurus of today are basically recycling all of the knowledge from the greats. But I feel like you hear it at the core from these like old men. It's reminded me, or even a message that I heard through that, that I think would bode quite well with your community would be,

• 58:50Speaker 01

  yes, it's all well and good, sort of manifesting, praying for, working towards that hot, smart, rich life. But also pray, manifest, call in, work on the attributes, the tools, the mindset, the physicality, the grit that is going to get you there.

• 59:08Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Dr. Iwoma, let's do some fun rapid fire.

• 59:10Speaker 01

  Let's do it.

• 59:11Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What is the last thing you put on your credit card?

• 59:13Speaker 01

  What did I put? Probably Amazon. Super random.

• 59:16Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Love that. Is it same-day delivery in the UK?

• 59:18Speaker 01

  No, we're so behind.

• 59:20Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What's the delivery time?

• 59:21Speaker 01

  Next day.

• 59:22Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Oh, that's fine. Okay.

• 59:23Speaker 01

  We're suffering here, Maggie.

• 59:25Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What is the last most expensive thing you've purchased on your credit card?

• 59:28Speaker 01

  A little cheeky watch.

• 59:31Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What watch? The AP. You put that on the credit card recently.

• 59:35Speaker 01

  Well, technically my debit, but yeah.

• 59:38Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I'm obsessed.

• 59:40Speaker 01

  It was a dream watch, actually, that I put on my vision board.

• 59:43Maggie Sellers Reum?

  When did you get it?

• 59:44Speaker 01

  Couple of months ago. Yeah, yeah. So I've wanted this watch for probably like two years now. And rose gold. I probably shouldn't flash it.

• 59:52Maggie Sellers Reum?

  No, I love it.

• 59:53Speaker 01

  I like being demure with these things. I'm like, it's fake.

• 59:55Maggie Sellers Reum?

  One product you'd never leave home without?

• 59:57Speaker 01

  Lip balm, crusty, dusty, peely lips. No.

• 1:00:02Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay.

• 1:00:02Speaker 01

  Very off-brand.

• 1:00:03Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What is the most overhyped skincare ingredient right now?

• 1:00:07Speaker 01

  I think what annoys me in the skincare space now is just like the fattiness of some launches. I'm like, you people are just launching stuff for the sake of it. Like, it's what I call TikTok skincare. It's like, we've got this already. We've had this before. But now there's glitter and different colors in it. Why are we doing this?

• 1:00:24Maggie Sellers Reum?

  What is a product to get rid of tech neck?

• 1:00:27Speaker 01

  Ooh, peptides, lots of peptides.

• 1:00:30Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Like injectables?

• 1:00:32Speaker 01

  Well, not, not those kind of peptides, though.

• 1:00:34Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay.

• 1:00:34Speaker 01

  But peptides in terms of topical peptides. So again, Medicate have a ton of, you know, different products for that. But any sort of peptide treatment, very anti-aging, and help to sort of boost collagen, all that good stuff. Also retinoid, that's going to be great. And also just hydrating the neck too. A lot of the lines in the neck, not all, but a lot of the lines in the neck are just due to dehydration, really.

• 1:00:58Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay, what is the biggest skincare myth you wish would die?

• 1:01:02Speaker 01

  I think the first myth that comes to mind is black don't crack. Maybe it cracks. Ooh, some of the baby girls are looking way beyond their years. They're wearing the struggle on their face. Black can absolutely crack. Yes, genetics is very much on our side, but it is not an excuse for not looking after your skin.

• 1:01:23Maggie Sellers Reum?

  You can only pick one for the rest of your life. Body care?

• 1:01:28Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Or Botox and injectables for your face?

• 1:01:30Speaker 01

  This is tricky because I'm going to tell you about something after. So I'm like, do I give the PR answer or do I give the actual answer?

• 1:01:38Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Actual answer?

• 1:01:39Speaker 01

  Ah, obviously Botox. I just, I need it.

• 1:01:45Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay, what is one step people skip that they should absolutely not in their skincare routine?

• 1:01:50Speaker 01

  Sunscreen. It's very unsexy, very boring. If you haven't found the right sunscreen for you, it's kind of greasy. So hence, I absolutely advocate for using a sunscreen that you actually love. Like, we don't want to age beyond our years, and sunscreen is the way to prevent that.

• 1:02:06Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay, so the last two. If you had to tell yourself an HSR love note for the rest of your life, what would it be?

• 1:02:11Speaker 01

  I'm really proud of you, Iwoma. That's what I'd say.

• 1:02:14Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Love that. And if you had to title the season of your life, what would it be called?

• 1:02:18Speaker 01

  The first thing that comes to mind is, the bitch is back.

• 1:02:23Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I love you. Dr. Iwoma, if people want to follow, want to find you, where can they find you and how can HSR help you?

• 1:02:31Speaker 01

  Well, in terms of where to find me, on Instagram, it's Dr.IwomaYukilege, very long. But just type in Dr.Iwoma and you'll find me. On TikTok, it's Skin Doctor without the I. I also have a YouTube. There are a couple of scammers impersonating me, but if you put my full name, you will find me. Where else can they find me? I have a subreddit called Dear Doctor. What else, what else, what else? Also, they can book a skin consultation with me and even a girl chat with me. As I said, I love to solve people's problems. If you have a man that's stressing you out, we can talk about it. My availability is very limited, but you know, those are some of the ways that you can reach me.

• 1:03:08Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Love it. And how can HSR help you?

• 1:03:10Speaker 01

  I mean, well, Maggie, you know, we're friends now. I'm just saying.

• 1:03:13Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Yeah, obviously.

• 1:03:13Speaker 01

  I'm kind of forcing myself upon you.

• 1:03:14Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Obviously. We have for four years parasocially, so now it's just in person.

• 1:03:18Speaker 01

  I'm kind of fine, girlie. But I'm trying to play cool.

• 1:03:21Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Girl, same. This is why I love having this podcast now because it's like I get to meet people in real life, whereas TikTok was just like by myself.

• 1:03:28Speaker 01

  How can you help me? I don't know. I'm working on a great project.

• 1:03:32Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Are you fundraising?

• 1:03:33Speaker 01

  Soon to be.

• 1:03:33Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay.

• 1:03:34Speaker 01

  I am. I am.

• 1:03:35Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Okay. You have to send it to me.

• 1:03:36Speaker 01

  I think I'm ready to move into the next iteration of Iwoma. I love the social media stuff, but me being me, I get bored really easily. And, you know,

• 1:03:48Speaker 01

  it's funny, one of my influencer friends, he basically calls, you know, promoting products on social media, the equivalent of being a QBC lady. And, yeah, I think, I think I've done a fair bit of that. And I'm like, I think it's time to do it for myself. And so that's what I'm working on. Addressing a white space within beauty. It's very on-brand for me.

• 1:04:09Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Love it.

• 1:04:10Speaker 01

  We've got the skin out. That's all I'll say.

• 1:04:13Maggie Sellers Reum?

  Love it.

• 1:04:13Speaker 01

  There's a reason why skin always looks buttered up. If any woman has very deep pockets out there and likes the idea of me after today, come and invest in me, baby.

• 1:04:23Maggie Sellers Reum?

  I love it. Our first pitch live. Dr. Iwoma, we love you. Thank you so much for coming on and I'm so happy that we had this chat.

• 1:04:31Speaker 01

  Likewise.

• 1:04:42Maggie Sellers Reum?

  If you're starting a business, there are certain things that are so fun to think about. Y'all know I love a mood board, so everything that relates to the creative, the name, the brand, the website, the vision board. But then there are the things that make you pause and ask, am I even doing this correctly? Or do I even want to be doing this? Like forming your business, getting the right documents, keeping your personal information private. This is where our sponsor, Northwest Registered Agent, is so helpful. They're a one-stop shop for founders who want to launch and legitimize their business without turning it into a giant admin spiral. They help you form an LLC or a corporation, act as your registered agent, and give you tools like a business address, operating agreement, website, phone number, professional email, and free guides.

• 1:05:26Maggie Sellers Reum?

  They also have real corporate guides who know your local laws. Visit northwestregisteredagent.com/hsrfree and start using free resources to build something amazing. Get more with Northwest Registered Agent at northwestregisteredagent.com/hsrfree.

• 1:05:46Speaker 05

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