By: Laura Bennett
Tucked away in a quite alley of a busy Australian city is Aesthetic Artisan Group: a sweet-scented haven for salon-weary clients who seek respite from the impersonal care and rushed pace so many beauty outlets offer.
Walking off the street and into its modernised French provincial setting there’s no hairdryers buzzing or heels hitting floorboards, it’s calm and welcoming.
Beauty is in who you are
Founded by an industry expert, Aesthetic Artisan Group (AAG) is more than just a place to get a cut and blow-dry or lip wax, it’s the realisation of a long held dream to affirm her clients sense of self, and redefine our understanding of how true beauty is expressed. “Beauty for me is in who people are,” says Sarah. “The art of creating hair colours and styles is my opportunity to better represent who somebody truly is on the outside, by getting to know them on the inside… It ignites something”.
It’s this individualised approach that distinguishes Castillo’s studio, driving her passion to create an experience involving more than a magazine with a picture of Delta, Angelina, or JLo, and clients saying, “this one please.” “What happens here at AAG, is a moment in time where my heart is to speak life, to speak truth, to speak encouragement, and to speak hope over each person… believing that those words have power and they will cut through,” says Sarah.
Helping people shine
Sarah acknowledges AAG’s philosophy may seem counter-intuitive in an industry deemed ‘superficial’, but as a woman with Christian faith it isn’t without reason: “[God’s] put a really strong desire in my heart that each person on this earth would shine. I believe He’s created every individual on purpose, and deliberately, to be who they are. Sometimes through life and its trials we lose sight of that and we get caught up with what someone’s spoken over us, or what we see, which just isn’t the truth.”
Listen now for more of Sarah’s story, and follow Aesthetic Artisan Group on Facebook and Instagram.
Article supplied with thanks to Laura Bennett.
About the Author: Laura Bennett is a media professional, broadcaster and writer from Sydney, Australia.