With a River Oaks Location of Her Super-Clean Salon Set to Open Next Week, Maryam Naderi Is Nailing It!

THE PANDEMIC BROUGHT its tragedies and challenges, to be sure. But this past year has also delivered a sense of purpose and community to many, as well as a renewed focus on things that matter. The latter was the case for Elizabeth Thompson and Hilary Amburgey, who spent the last year building Jollie, a "mindful movement" brand of fitness accessories with a charity bent that launches today.

WAY BEFORE GIANTS like SkinCeuticals and BareMinerals started custom-mixing serums and foundations, and the phrase "personalized skincare regimen" gained traction, Stevie McCord, founder of the new Urban Alchemy Lab in Rice Military — formerly Heights Skincare on Heights Boulevard — was already custom-blending serums for her clientele in the Heights. "It's been interesting to see it become so popular nowadays," McCord says. "I've done them long before a lot of different companies out there started making them."

McCord is a licensed esthetician and CIDESCO diploma recipient with 23 years of experience. She has worked in education with brands like Biokosmetik of Texas and has consulted and worked for local spa standouts like the St. Regis and Adara Medical Spa, before stepping out on her own five years ago. She's an herbalist, an aromatherapist and an ayurveda practitioner who's loyally sought-after for her holistic approach to beauty — from facials and peels to lymphatic massages and her famous ayurvedic Shirodhara healing technique, which involves pouring warm oil into the client's forehead, followed by a scalp, body and head massage. "Skincare is my jam, but I incorporate a more holistic approach," she says. "I do a lot of lymphatic drainage, talk to my clients about their lifestyle, their diet, and might also refer them to an acupuncturist and nutritionist. At the end of the day, it all starts in your gut."