19 Questions With Melissa Berg
by The Candidly Team
This article is part of our series called "People We Like," in which we highlight interesting women, across all walks of life.
Leaders, great cooks, doctors, parents, writers; people who inspire us.
Today, we’re featuring Melissa Berg, also known as “The Beauty Nurse.” Melissa is an experienced, skilled aesthetic nurse injector and founder of Crafted Beauty, a full service beauty clinic specializing in everything from injectables to hydrafacials to brow lamination and more.
The Candidly Questionnaire
1. What’s your most compelling quality?
My social media authenticity.
I’m also a really simple person. I know what I like to do on the weekends (lay in bed for hours) and I know what I don’t like. I second guess the big things in life sometimes, but never the small ones. I am extremely loyal—to a fault. I prefer my animals to people most days.
2. What’s your worst quality, according to your friends?
Great question. I imagine it would be my perfectionist tendencies, or perhaps that I don’t make enough time for them.
3. What’s an overrated value you don’t buy into?
That you have to look a certain way to be beautiful. The value of beauty is not dictated by media or industry. Beauty is in the way we present ourselves. It is the confidence to be you. And yes, people can have lip injections and be a confident individual simultaneously.
4. Does a fancy cleanser matter? Derms always tell us to use Cetaphil or CeraVe but is this really good advice?
I cringe at Cetaphil and CeraVe. They are gentle enough for the skin, but do nothing.
I don’t think you need a fancy cleanser, but you do need an effective one that removes bacteria, makeup and all the grime our skin endures every night and day.
5. How do you feel about cilantro?
Oh gosh I love cilantro. I grow it during the summer and use it a lot in my cooking.
6. Are essential oils anything?
Absolutely. They are a big part of my life. We have essential oils diffusing all day in our clinic and in my personal home.
Everyone who walks into Crafted Beauty notes the smell. People remember smells, and I want people to remember their experience at our clinic.
7. What's the most effective beauty trick you know?
I am a huge fan of gua sha. I have done this ritual for over 3 years and have noticed clearer, tighter and firmer skin. I can honestly say that I look better at 37 years old than I did at 27 years old.
8. How do you get your self-esteem?
I believe self-esteem is not truly given, but something to continually foster and nourish. Fortunately, I came from a family that highlighted strengths and encouraged me to break glass ceilings no matter what industry I chose to work in.
My mother is a force of nature and would have never let me fail. Trust me, that didn’t mean I didn’t fail, because I did. My failures pushed me to grow, because I never saw them as a setback. My father is also a character. He is relentless when it comes to hard work and success, and I think I just followed that lead.
Self-talk is crucial too. I try to speak kindly to myself, because words have power. Building a support system and being kind to yourself to the point where you like yourself…that is self-esteem to me.
9. Does our diet really affect our skin?
It sure does. There are a couple of foods I stay away from— dairy, gluten and sugar— because they’re a big cause of inflammation. And when our body is inflamed, it shows on our skin. When I eat dairy, my skin will look dull, and I may get a few pimples for about 5-7 days afterwards.
10. How do you handle conflict in your closest relationships?
Honestly? Stage-five runner and avoider. Sometimes I like to push it under the rug. It’s terrible, but something I am working on. No one likes conflict. But conflict at work is handled much differently than with people in my personal life, which makes sense because there is a certain level of vulnerability there.
11. What’s something you’ve changed your mind about in the last year?
I’ve stayed off social media quite a bit more the past 3 months and I am really enjoying being more present. I often used to feel like if I wasn’t engaging with social media all the time, I would lose people’s interest or not get as many patients. The opposite has happened.
12. Serums are so confusing. What is a single serum or “treatment” that women over 40 can incorporate into their routine to give them visibly younger looking skin?
Retinol.
Retinol is still one of the only things that is proven to reverse signs of aging. A lot of other things out there are just fluff.
13. Who is someone in your field of work that you admire?
Pinky Elliott, RN. Julie Horne, RN.
14. What Insta account speaks to you deeply?
@sbkliving has always been my favorite account to follow. She is a home/lifestyle blogger. She is a mom, loves cooking and posting about it, and I just love her style.
15. What quote or phrase has stayed with you?
“What you do to your face, always do to your neck.” I don’t remember who said it, but it’s a good one.
16. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about yourself as a leader?
That being a boss is hard! I’m very personable, and so the boundaries between boss and friend can be tricky.
17. What's the biggest beauty secret you've learned in your career that you want every woman to know?
Never forget SPF—ever. Eighty percent of wrinkles come from sun damage. That means you can prevent 80% of sun damage if you would take one minute to apply sunscreen. Don’t forget that tans last a week tops, but sun damage lasts forever.
Also, we all know this, but never go to bed with makeup on. It’s a sin.
18. Describe your actual bedtime routine.
I take a bath every single night. It’s what starts the calming process for me to unwind for the night. I do my full skincare routine. For me it’s relaxing and I see the changes skincare has made in my skin so I get excited about doing it.
I also usually like to watch a show before bed. It keeps my mind from going back to work and helps me shut my brain off.
19. What’s your relationship with bangs?
Every time I get them, I regret it. My hair stylist knows to never allow me to talk her into them.
What is your single favorite:
Treatment for dark spots: IPL.
Wellness product that *actually* works: Nue Co supplements. I am a huge fan.
Lip balm: Mizzi Cosmetics Intense Therapy. Or anything from Henné.
Jeans brand: J Brand or Agolde.
Eye cream: Skinbetter Science InterFuse Treatment.
Mascara: Thrive Causemetics.
Sweats: Cozy Earth.
Beauty product that gives instant results: For an instant glow and hydrated skin— Anfisa Lilou Balm.
Last minute gift: Face mask, candle, slippers.
Bra: True & Co.
Shampoo: Davines (their entire line)
Comfortable shoes: APL.
Splurge skincare: ZO Skin Health Firming Serum.
Drugstore skincare: Sorry, none.
Everyday bag: LV tote.
Guilty-pleasure TV show: Anything crime, murder.
Drink: Water! Coffee in the morning. Wine at night.
At The Candidly, we recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love. Sometimes, our friends recommend their favorite things, too. All details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
