PaperCity Magazine

October 2014 - Dallas

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— RENÉE ROULEAU OCTOBER | PAGE 29 | 2014 BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR AND OWNING YOUR OWN COMPANY IS A LOT LIKE JUGGLING KNIVES. I THINK IF I WAS THE FIRSTBORN, … MY LIFE WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT. " " FREE TIME, COOKING AND DOBERMANS. When I'm not traveling, I spend most waking hours working on my company, so I don't have a lot of free time. As for who cooks, I wish I could tell you that being married to a French husband provides me fabulous French meals and wine every night for dinner. But, sadly, we work too much, so these are saved for special occasions. As for our Dobermans, Florian's mother in France used to raise them, so he has been around them since he was very young. We believe in rescuing dogs, so we get all of our dogs from Doberman Rescue in Grand Prairie. We have rescued nine dogs over the past 14 years, and we give them a loving home and lots of room to roam. Our dog Duke [who sadly died this summer] was a Katrina rescue, and Vada was found running the streets in Garland. We love the breed and really appreciate the protection it provides us living out in the middle of nowhere. STYLE POINTS. My style is ever changing. I would describe it as a mash-up of sophisticated, boho-chic, a touch of rocker and a splash of world influences. Is there such a thing? I always pick up great finds when I travel overseas. My latest is a really cool jacket by Martine Rose that I got in Tokyo. It's actually a men's line, but they have some great pieces that I like. I generally dress younger than others my age, but if I want to look younger, why not dress it? Having fun with my clothes is a great outlet for me. My favorite place to shop in Dallas is V.O.D. All the cool girls shop there, and the owners, Jackie and Liz, are so great to work with. In New York, it's Bird or No. 6 Store, and in L.A., I like a lot of the vintage shops on Melrose, and I often pop in to Kelly Wearstler for accessories. NAILING IT. My father always told me when in the business world, "Always have a nice manicure. Never have chipped polish. It looks sloppy." I couldn't agree more, and I've always taken really good care of my nails. My friend Stephanie Stone, nail artist to the stars in L.A., does amazing art on my nails whenever I'm out there, and I get inspiration from her when I'm doing them myself at home. I try never to do the same thing twice. It's a creative, low- commitment way to add some interest to my look and a lot of fun. AN AMAZING RIDE. When Florian and I first began to ride motorcycles together, I was on the back of his bike, but after a few years, he felt that I would enjoy riding my own. I got my license 13 years ago and have loved every minute of it. I have a Harley Davidson Sportster with a custom paint job and loud pipes, but I'm ready to upgrade to something bigger. We do weekend trips around Texas, but our bigger trips have taken us to Minnesota, California and to the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Our goal is to ride in all 50 states. So far, we've been in 13. Next up this fall: the East Coast. We've also ridden in Athens, Bali, Auckland and Cape Town. Cape Town has been my favorite ride of all time. We rode through the mountains overlooking the sea, saw baboons and penguins, and had an amazing ride. LIFE-CHANGING WORKOUT. My best friend turned me on to CrossFit three years ago, and it's been a life changer, to say the least. Every workout challenges me both physically and mentally and gets those happy hormones running through my veins. When I travel, I never miss a beat with my workouts, as they have locations all over the world. I travel to L.A. and NY regularly to see clients and always do CrossFit when I'm there. I've also been to CrossFit in Tokyo, Paris, Madrid, Istanbul, Athens, Dublin and Auckland. BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR. I didn't attend college, as I wanted a faster path to entrepreneurship. But whether or not you have a business degree, nothing really trains you for the real world of running a business. Owning a business can be a lonely place because no one understands the amount of responsibility and decision-making you have on a daily basis. I'm very active in the Dallas chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization; it's been amazing to travel to various conferences and meet other entrepreneurs. LEVERAGING THE WEB. I still have our first website [launched 1998] in the archives. My, how times change! I started writing articles sharing my skincare expertise, and they were easily found through search. I've since written 1,300 skincare posts, and we get incredible traffic to our site (reneerouleau.com) from these. (I also contribute on refinery29. com, byrdie.com and Teen Vogue). I continue to post once a week, and surprisingly, there are still many more skincare topics to cover! SOCIAL MEDIA. Social media is where people are in social mode, not buying mode. From day one, I saw this as an opportunity to share my expertise. I share skincare tips and offer personal advice by answering skincare questions, and because of it, have developed a huge following. Also, it doesn't hurt when my celebrity clients (especially one with 23 million followers) tweet about my expertise. That drives new fans fast. SKINCARE TIP. The first and most important thing is to focus on your home care routine. A lot of people want to go to an esthetician or dermatologist for a quick fix, but home care is where you're going to get the best benefit long-term. I compare it to a personal trainer for the body: If you work out with a trainer five times a week, but at home you're eating unhealthy junk food, you won't get the best results. Rouleau at the Renée Rouleau Skin Care & Spa at Preston Road, Plano. Jeremy Laing dress, from V.O.D. Rouleau's 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster. Lyrics from The Beatles song "Blackbird." Vintage 1969 Porsche 912 from her husband's classic car collection. Fireplace memorabilia from the French Army, circa 1970s.

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