We’ve all had days where our hair just isn’t cooperating. Either we didn’t have enough time to wash and dry it in the morning, or it poured during the commute and our once-straight locks now have us looking like Medusa. You could go to the local salon and get a blow-out, but you have a lunch meeting and there’s no way you would return in time. You could “sample” your way back to glam at the nearest department store makeup counter, but the last time you did that you were guilted into buying $120 worth of products—OK, maybe “guilted” wasn’t the right word, you’ve used that oxidizing face mask at least twice since buying it.
Or you could go to The Lieu. A self-service, full beauty pop-up located in your office. Within minutes, you can fix your hair, retouch your eyeliner, grab a healthy snack, and be on your way to crushing that glass ceiling.
Maybe you have a dinner date later that evening and you don’t have time to get home beforehand—where does a woman change and retouch her makeup besides a public bathroom? Is the gym really a viable alternative? Then, as The Lieu founder Rebecca Lima says, “[Y]ou end up pack-muling your beauty routine into a handbag, and wrecking your back in the meantime … and what if you forget something?”
According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, women comprise 47% of the labor force. More than 39% of women work in occupations where they make up at least three-quarters of the workforce. Working mothers are also the norm. Nearly 70% of mothers with children under 18 participate in the labor force and over 75% of them are employed full-time, leaving them with less time now more than ever. According to Working Mother magazine, the average working mother works 98 hours a week when factoring in family duties; that’s very little time to do much of anything else.
With the current unemployment rate around 4%, quality new hires are in high demand, forcing corporates to come up with creative benefits packages (aside from salary) in order to attract top talent. So, with an abundance of working women, working moms, and flexible HR budgets, there’s never been a more compelling case for companies to start offering benefits that cater to women’s needs.
Which is why the timing of The Lieu is spot on. By offering a self-service beauty experience at your workplace, The Lieu eliminates wait times, appointments, high cost, and travel time to and from a salon. Lima says, “It gives women an opportunity to look and feel their best while under time constraints…it also saves them money, boosts their confidence, and gives them a place to find solace and comradery—not to mention the ability to network with other women in a relaxed atmosphere.”
The Lieu offers a “Lieu Kit,” a curated box of products and tools that can go into any bathroom, or a full suite set-up that can be retrofitted to any dedicated space within the workplace. To find out more about this self-serve solution for working women on the go, go to TheLieu.com.