Calling all KDHamptons beauty junkies! How many times have you rushed out to buy a hot new beauty product, or tried a new treatment that left you looking the same way you walked in? My beauty closet at home is a graveyard of broken promises! Until now….

My lifestyle expert pal and former Allure magazine colleague, Martha McCully, recently turned me on to an incredible beauty guru named Thuyen Nguyen who recently opened a new spa in Wainscott named La Don. Vogue has already granted their holy seal of approval sharing, “The Ho Chi Minh City-bred facialist ensures you leave his new La Don Spa feeling as good as you look,” and KDH could not agree more! The 1,000-square-foot sanctuary boasts an Indo-Chinese vibe, hosting clients from Oscar winning actresses to glowing haute Hamptonites. Learn more about Thuyen and his magical product line in his NEW KDHamptons Beauty Diary below:

KDHamptons: Why did you decide to open a spa in the Hamptons?

Thuyen Nguyen: After my successful 4 year reign [2 to create and 2 opening years] as creative director of the spa for Robert De Niro’s Greenwich Hotel, I gained such a following outside of the hotel’s clientele for my La Don services and products that I knew it was time to debut my own free-standing spa.  I have been setting-up private spa rooms and performing my signature spa services [facial, massage, body treatments] for clients in their private homes between NYC, LA and the Hamptons since 1998, and when I was looking for a space in the city, I was encouraged by several clients that there was a greater need for a new spa experience out East. [Thank you spa whisperers!]

Since I’ve had a longtime love affair with the Hamptons, I thought what better place to first debut my brand.  My clients all own homes here, I know the Hamptons like the back of my hand, and best of all, I feel good out here.  So here I am.  I am proud that I have introduced the first genuine Vietnamese-French spa experience in New York.

KDHamptons: How would you describe your spa in your words?

Thuyen: The spa feels both intimate and exclusive with comforts and luxuries that are of an exotic nature.  It truly is an extension of me, my past to my present, my heart and my soul.  From working so intimately in the most private homes of my clients, I felt like the best transition into a more public stage is to create a feeling of a home to invite people into my world, and offer them my own visions and passions for wellness.  Since my clients all have the most beautifully designed spaces, I thought it was best to create something luxurious, unique and authentic that would stand-out from any other spa setting out East.  And at the same, a reflection of me.  That’s what clients feel when they enter.  My spirit is in the complete design and in every unique art piece that I chose.

KDHamptons: What is the philosophy behind your THUYEN product line?

Thuyen: Both the La Don spa body line and the facial line, THUYEN, are formulations that I created to yield professional results and are the same formulations I’ve been using in my professional practitioner’s kit throughout my career.  They’ve been tried and tested on now countless clients.  Few skincare lines have that hands-on experience, and positive results and feedback from so many demanding clients.  I’ve been the go-to-guy to prep clients faces and bodies for the most high-profiled situations like the red carpet at the Oscars, the Met Gala, cover shoots, film premiers and television commercials.
KDHamptons: I admire that you have made your own rules in creating your line. How did you get to that place?

Thuyen: I’ve always done things a little bit against the norm. Most lines are first developed with marketing stats and PR strategies in hopes that it is well received, and that they can attract a celebrity endorsement.  I actually packaged a product that already has a following with support from clients who’ve held me as their secret weapon for years.  So in a nutshell, my products are professional-grade, developed and used by a professional.  That is why I chose the tag line “Le Soin de Peau du Professionnel” or “The Skin Care of the Professional”.

KDHamptons: What is the secret behind your serums?

Thuyen: for me the word “secret”, “chemistry”, “formulation”, “magic” all go hand in hand.  They all fall into the umbrella of Alchemy which is : an intuitive knowledge of transforming basic raw ingredients into something special and of complex formulation.  I have been an Alchemist since childhood.  Like a chef is an alchemist of foods, I am an alchemist of skincare.  When other kids played with toys or Leggo’s, I experimented with my mother’s collection of Asian herbs, powders, and oils.

KDHamptons: How else did your upbringing influence the creation of your line?

Thuyen: When I journeyed into creating my product line, I took the recipes I learned from watching my mom create her own skincare regime and upgraded the formulas with my modern knowledge.  I searched for a mix of natural and organic ingredients that would combine synergistically to work in an effective way to enhance the techniques within my professional facial services.  Maybe that is where the “secret” lies.  My line stands out from most lines because it is a line of sound passion, knowledge and formulation from a real professional that has been tested and has proven via the most demanding clients to yield professional results.

KDHamptons: Where can the THUYEN facial line be purchased?

Thuyen: The line will only be available through the La Don Spa, and exclusively at Aedes de Venustas in NYC for now.  The Aedes store will start carrying it in the fall, and they plan an in-shop cocktail launch in Sept. Will let you know:)

KDHamptons: Your body butter is a celebrity favorite, how does it work such magic?

Thuyen: The key is that it is not diluted with fillers [even water is a filler].  The magic is super-rich ingredients, low temperature melting to maintain integrity, then hand-poured.  The process is tedious, infused with tons of love.  It is a mix of raw butters like mango and fair trade shea and organic oils, so the active ingredients permeate the skin and immediately treat dryness versus merely covering-up like most lotions.  When something just sits on the skin, it will eventually rub-off on clothing which is why soo many women always say to me, “I put on tons of lotion in the morning and I’m dry by noon.”  That body butter could never stay long on the shelf during its debut at the Greenwich Hotel, and now that it’s only available at the spa, we still end-up with back orders!

[Here is a mention of butter:  http://www.thefashionspot.com/beauty/168351-celebrity-makeup-artist-gina-brooke-a-tfs-exclusive-interview/]

KDHamptons: A beauty insider shares that Jennifer Aniston is a Thuyen devotee. Is that true?

Thuyen: Yes, I have received blessings from clients Jennifer, Eva Mendes, Uma Thurman and Natalie Portman.  I take care of there body and face when they are shooting or doing appearances in NYC, as well as when I am in LA, especially during the winter awards season.  I do occasionally travel to meet them at locations, but most make there way to me in NYC.

KDHamptons: Will you be open all year round? [please say yesssss!]

Thuyen: Yes! I will be open year round on a general appointment-only basis.  This helps ensure that the spa maintains a more exclusive, intimate atmosphere which both the clients and I are most comfortable with.

Location:

La Don Spa
382 Montauk Highway
Wainscott, New York
631.604.6500