Tanya Tonkonoh
Skincare Educator & Professional Beauty Therapist
Understand your skin. Choose with confidence.
I combine nine years of hands-on beauty-therapy experience with professional training in UK, Ukraine & Poland to help clients make informed, practical skincare choices.
Also known online as Tanya Holistic Therapist
“Know what your skin needs. Save time, money and guesswork”
9+
Years of professional practice
500+
Client consultations
300+
Products tested / 50+ brands
10+
Documented qualifications & training certificates
Background & Education
My journey into beauty therapy began with a simple wish to learn facial massage. Working directly with people quickly made me realise how much more there was to understand — not only about skin, but about the person as a whole. That curiosity pushed me to explore my profession more deeply, including cosmetic chemistry, nutrition and, more recently, healthcare education.
My professional training spans UK, Ukraine & Poland. It includes cosmetology and hardware cosmetology training with Magnifique Beauty School (2018), face massage training with Cream & Caramel Professional Beauty in Warsaw (2018), myolifting facial massage training with Denis Demidov Training-Center in Kharkiv (2019), and the VTCT Skills SVQ 2 in Beauty Therapy at SCQF Level 5, awarded in 2025 and credit rated by SQA Accreditation. In 2026, I also completed Medik8 professional product, facial-treatment and peel-protocol training through Clever Beauty.
I also hold a bachelor’s degree.
My next stage of formal education is healthcare: I have accepted an unconditional offer for HNC Healthcare Practice at West Lothian College. The full-time programme is at SCQF Level 7 and is due to run from 24 August 2026 to 11 June 2027. SCQF Level 7 is the same framework level at which first-year undergraduate study sits in Scotland, and HNCs are designed to support progression into degree programmes, often with advanced entry where university requirements are met.
The HNC will cover Safe Working Practice for Care; Clinical Skills for Care Practitioners, including practical skills and calculations; Professional Standards for Care Practice; The Human Body in Health and Illness; Understanding Personal and Professional Development; Sociology and Health in Scotland; Therapeutic Relationships: Understanding Behaviour; Exploring Mental Health; and Healthcare Practice Graded Unit 1. West Lothian College describes the teaching team as having backgrounds across medicine, nursing, psychology, social work and education. For me, this is an important step towards understanding health more broadly and strengthening the way I think about safety, communication, evidence and the person behind the skin concern.
The course also requires a minimum of 288 hours of work experience. Through West Lothian College's partnership with NHS Lothian, HNC Healthcare Practice students can apply for a paid Healthcare Support Worker role. If I am successful through the NHS recruitment process, that employment can be used to complete the required HNC clinical hours while gaining paid experience; students who do not secure the paid NHS role can still complete their required clinical hours in other care settings. The HNC does not make me a nurse and I do not present myself as one. It gives me structured healthcare education, clinical experience and a recognised route towards further nursing study.
Qualifications & Professional Training
Twelve completed credentials are supported by the certificate scans supplied for this page. The VTCT qualification also includes a unit summary covering facial skin care, waxing, brows, lashes, gel polish, make-up, manicure, pedicure and professional effectiveness at work.
The HNC Healthcare Practice entry below is clearly marked as forthcoming: its current status is evidenced by the West Lothian College application record showing an unconditional offer accepted, and it is not included in the count of completed certificates.
Credential
Diploma in Cosmetology (157 hours)
Magnifique Beauty School, Ukraine
Hardware Cosmetology (57 hours)
Magnifique Beauty School, Ukraine
Face massage, neck and neckline
Cream & Caramel Professional Beauty, Poland
Myolifting Facial Massage
Denis Demidov Training-Center, Ukraine
SVQ 2 in Beauty Therapy at SCQF Level 5 — Pass
VTCT Skills; credit rated by SQA Accreditation, Scotland
Medik8 Product Knowledge — Brand Ethos & CSA Philosophy
Clever Beauty / Medik8, UK
Medik8 Professional Facial Treatment Protocols
Clever Beauty / Medik8, UK
Medik8 Professional Peel Treatment Protocols
Clever Beauty / Medik8, UK
Detox & Corrective Massage — Theoretical and Practical Course
Denis Demidov Training Center, Kharkiv, Ukraine; completed 12–14 April 2019
Nutrition & Nutritional Science Course (112 hours)
Ekaterina Novikova School of Nutrition, completed online; certificate dated 10 February 2020
Cosmetic Chemistry — Full Course
First Cosmetology College, Ukraine; completed 28 December 2018
Advanced Facial Lifting & Massage Course (16 hours)
MediCare Professional; completed 21 March 2019
HNC Healthcare Practice at SCQF Level 7 — accepted / forthcoming
West Lothian College; unconditional offer accepted. Course dates: 24 Aug 2026–11 Jun 2027. NHS Lothian Healthcare Support Worker opportunity is subject to successful NHS recruitment.
Professional Experience
I have worked as a skincare professional for more than nine years, including three years of practice in Scotland, with clients in both Ukraine and Scotland. I have provided more than 500 consultations and tested more than 300 products across 50+ brands.
I offer both in-person and online one-to-one skincare consultations, typically lasting 60–90 minutes. Each consultation includes two months of follow-up support, with the option to book a follow-up consultation at a reduced rate if further guidance is needed.
I regularly work with clients concerned about acne, rosacea, pigmentation, skin sensitivity and signs of skin ageing. Recommendations are personalised to the client’s current skin condition, goals, tolerance, lifestyle and existing routine.
Book a skincare consultationMy Approach to Skincare
Every product available in the store is selected according to the same professional standards. I do not choose products simply because an ingredient is fashionable or because a claim is persuasive; I look at how the formulation fits the person and the purpose.
Professional sourcing & education
I prioritise professional skincare brands supplied through authorised UK distribution and complete manufacturer-led education or technical training before recommending the products I work with.
Ingredient & formulation assessment
I assess the formulation as a whole — not only the presence of a single active ingredient — including how ingredients work together and whether the product is appropriate for the intended skin concern.
Scientific & clinical support
Where available, I give preference to products and active ingredients supported by published scientific literature, clinical studies or other credible evidence.
Individual skin suitability
Products are selected around the client’s skin type, current skin condition, tolerance and treatment goals rather than a universal routine.
Personal evaluation in real practice
I personally research and test the products I recommend and use professional experience to decide whether they deserve a place in my practice and store.
For me, professional skincare is not defined by a label. It is defined by formulation quality, professional education, scientific support where available, and selecting the right product for the right skin. These are the standards I use when selecting every product in the store.
My Story
During my nine years working as a skincare professional, I have noticed one recurring pattern: many clients make mistakes with their home skincare routine — not because they do not want to understand their skin, but because it is genuinely difficult to know what is right among countless products, advertising claims and conflicting advice.
After each consultation, I would create a personalised routine, but clients then had to search for every recommended product across different stores and compare countless options on their own. At one point I realised that a consultation should not end with a list of recommendations; it should end with a place I genuinely trust. That is how this store was created.
Connect & Learn
If you would like to understand your skin better and make more informed skincare choices, you can also follow my social channels. I share practical explanations of ingredients, active ingredients and modern skincare in a way that is intended to be clear and useful rather than overwhelming.
Credential Evidence Appendix
These scans can be used as visible trust evidence on the About page or opened in a lightbox from smaller certificate thumbnails. For the live site, use descriptive alt text and keep the full-resolution originals available for users who want to verify the credential.
SVQ 2 in Beauty Therapy at SCQF Level 5
VTCT Skills — Awarded 10 June 2025 · Grade: Pass; credit rated by SQA Accreditation.
What this confirms for my practice: This nationally recognised qualification confirms assessed practical competence across beauty therapy, including a dedicated unit in facial skin care. Completing the wider set of units strengthened the consistency and professionalism of the way I work with clients, not only the individual treatment technique.
VTCT Unit Summary
VTCT Skills — 2025 · Includes “Provide facial skin care treatment” and eight additional units.
What this confirms for my practice: The unit summary shows the breadth behind the qualification: facial skin care, waxing, eyebrows, eyelashes, gel polish, make-up, manicure, pedicure and professional effectiveness at work. For me, that breadth matters because good client care depends on professional standards and practical discipline as well as product knowledge.
Medik8 Product Knowledge
Clever Beauty / Medik8 — 30 March 2026
What this training added to my practice: I completed Medik8 training in product knowledge, brand ethos and the CSA philosophy. It gave me a clearer framework for understanding how the brand structures skincare routines and helped me explain product choices to clients as part of a system rather than as isolated products.
Medik8 Professional Facial Treatment Protocols
Clever Beauty / Medik8 — 31 March 2026
What this training added to my practice: I was trained and reached proficiency in Medik8 Professional Facial Treatment Protocols. Learning the manufacturer's own professional protocols strengthened my ability to work with the products in a structured facial-treatment setting and to make recommendations that remain consistent with the professional system behind the brand.
Medik8 Professional Peel Treatment Protocols
Clever Beauty / Medik8 — 1 April 2026
What this training added to my practice: I was trained and reached proficiency in Medik8 Professional Peel Treatment Protocols. This strengthened my understanding of protocol-led professional peel practice and reinforced the importance of manufacturer education, correct procedure and professional judgement when working with advanced skincare treatments.
Myolifting Facial Massage
Denis Demidov Training-Center, Kharkiv — 2019 · Theoretical and practical course.
What this training added to my practice: This course allowed me to deepen my facial-massage skills through a more specialised myolifting approach. It strengthened the precision and confidence of my manual work and helped me develop beyond a basic massage technique into a more considered professional facial-treatment practice.
Diploma in Cosmetology
Magnifique Beauty School — 2018 · Theoretical and practical programme — 157 hours.
What this training added to my practice: This diploma records 157 hours of theoretical and practical cosmetology training. It gave me a broad professional foundation and taught me to connect theory with hands-on practice, which later made it easier to build a more structured and thoughtful approach to skincare and treatment planning.
Hardware Cosmetology
Magnifique Beauty School — 2018 · Theoretical and practical programme — 57 hours.
What this training added to my practice: I trained in darsonvalisation, ultrasonic therapy, galvanisation, phototherapy, diamond microdermabrasion, cryotherapy, RF lifting, non-injection mesotherapy and vacuum therapy. Learning a range of device-based methods made me stronger at understanding how professional procedures can sit within a wider skincare plan rather than being treated as isolated techniques.
Face Massage, Neck and Neckline
Cream & Caramel Professional Beauty, Warsaw — 2018
What this training added to my practice: My original reason for entering beauty therapy was a wish to learn facial massage. This course developed practical work with the face, neck and neckline and strengthened my confidence in manual techniques. It became one of the foundations on which I built the rest of my skincare education.
Detox & Corrective Massage
Denis Demidov Training-Center, Kharkiv — 2019 · Theoretical and practical course.
What this training added to my practice: This course expanded my practical massage training with additional corrective massage techniques and a more structured approach to working with different areas of the body. It strengthened my understanding of massage sequencing, manual technique and the importance of adapting treatment appropriately to the individual client.
Nutrition & Nutritional Science
Ekaterina Novikova School of Nutrition — 2020 · Online course — 112 training hours.
What this training added to my practice: This course gave me a broader foundation in nutrition, human physiology and the role of nutrients in general health and wellbeing. It covered areas including digestion, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, the endocrine and immune systems, stress and metabolism. I use this knowledge as general professional background rather than as a substitute for medical or dietetic advice.
Cosmetic Chemistry
First Cosmetology College, Ukraine — 2018 · Completed professional training course.
What this training added to my practice: This course strengthened my understanding of cosmetic ingredients, product composition and how different formulations interact with the skin. It gave me a stronger technical foundation for assessing professional skincare products and making more considered choices within cosmetic treatments.
Advanced Facial Massage
MediCare Professional — 2019 · Advanced training course — 16 hours.
What this training added to my practice: This advanced course developed my facial massage technique further, with greater focus on precision, treatment flow and controlled manual work. It helped me refine the way I structure facial massage and strengthened the practical skills I use within professional facial treatments.