Before gua sha, crystals, and palo santo, Mayia Alleaume had makeup brushes. Trained at the Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, she met the makeup artist Topolino almost by chance, went on to work backstage at runway shows for Thierry Mugler, and assisted Stéphane Marais. Yet, through the endless ritual of painting faces, she began to look beneath the skin.
The story begins in the Basque Country, between mountains and sea. Long before turning her gaze to the beauty room, Mayia Alleaume trained at the conservatory: first classical dance, then singing. She would later say she discovered there something that would become the very heart of her work: breath, sound, and vibration. Next came the Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux—forms, colors, and a career originally destined for the canvas rather than the mirror.
Then, on a photo shoot, she met the makeup artist Topolino, who invited her to assist him upon graduation. Mayia stepped from the Beaux-Arts into the backstage of fashion, working with the teams of Thierry Mugler and later alongside makeup artist Stéphane Marais. She would later reflect on this discovery with poetic simplicity: working on faces felt even more beautiful than painting on canvas.
Yet, it was precisely those years spent applying makeup that led her elsewhere. Mayia watched skin grow fragile under the weight of conventional cosmetics and began searching for another way to care for it. In 2007, with the close support of her sister Kattina, she founded Sentara Skincare.
Her work took her from Paris to Los Angeles, and travel became her second school. She trained in lithotherapy, gua sha techniques, and sound therapy—particularly with crystal singing bowls. Gradually, Sentara Skincare evolved into Sentara Holistic. Beauty was no longer just what one applied to the face, but a harmony of gestures for the body, the mind, and, in the brand's philosophy, energy.
Today, the boutique's inventory reads like a 2026 version of a beauty kit: stone gua shas, face rollers, acupressure tools, Yoni Eggs, crystals, and purification ritual objects. Sentara also offers crystal consultations and experiences blending facials, manual techniques, meditation, and sound. Here, the "energetic" benefits are a matter of philosophy and Sentara’s signature practices, rather than established medical effects.
Her mantra beautifully captures the journey from the runway backstage: “Energy is the new Beauty.”
Taste
Sentara Holistic · Mayia Alleaume · Energy is the new beauty · Basque Country · Beauty rituals · Gua Sha · Matcha ceremony · Auric Spray · Crystal bowls · Sound healing
