It’s fitting that I catch up with Venetia Archer on International Women’s Day, as we’ve both come a long way since our sheltered schooldays at Francis Holland. Recently listed in Forbes’ “Thirty Under Thirty,” Venetia is now quite famously the driving force behind London’s Uber for beauty services, the digital concierge app – Ruuby…
Interestingly enough, the idea was borne during her days in the geo-political risk space. Strapped for time, Venetia was continually on the look-out for an app to help her fit in essential treatments on-the-go but there were none at the time.
Having spotted the gap in the market and inspired by new-age technologies such as Uber and Deliveroo, she developed Ruuby as a digital black book of beauty…
Not only does the app open up appointments at London’s top beauty salons and spa but rather conveniently, you can arrange to have a treatment in your office or home! So there goes that excuse for dull hair or nails…
Timings are flexible, with appointments from 6.30am to 11pm to suit both early birds and night owls; and there is a real emphasis on quality, with a strict vetting process in place for at-home beauty therapists.
Given that there are other apps now cottoning on to this concept, one of my main questions to Venetia was in terms of what sets Ruuby apart from the competition. In addition to staying ahead of the technology, she emphasised Ruuby’s focus on keeping up with the latest beauty trends, including wellness offerings such as on-call nutritionists and vitamin drips… There’s a curated tone to the listed recommendations too, with the app letting you access the diaries of some of London’s top celebrity stylists and beauticians!
A (typically) rainy evening lent the perfect occasion for test-driving Ruuby at home, with my nails in dire need of sprucing up ahead of the weekend.
My therapist was punctual and remarkably efficient, setting up a makeshift station on my dining table. I was all manicured within the hour, cosily sipping my tea on the couch as I let the polish dry to the fullest degree (I’m not sure about you, but my nails inevitably always chip the second I walk out of a salon!).
As Venetia noted, it’s always the small things which make the biggest difference, with well-groomed hair and nails never failing to add that pep to your step. I couldn’t agree more as I headed out to dinner that evening!
If you fancy giving it a go too, you can download Ruuby on the app store and use the code ‘TFD17’ for 20% off your first booking. Happy grooming!
I’m a huge fan of mobile beauty apps!
Me too! Although there’s no excuse for when my nails are even slightly unkempt now… xx