Central Hawke’s Bay sisters Renee and Miriam Sciascia unite beauty and business for Napier symposium

Hawke's Bay sisters Miriam Sciascia (left) and Renee Sciascia are co-organisers of LABSNZ 2025 to be hosted in Napier on May 2 and 3.

Two Central Hawke’s Bay sisters have joined forces, combining their collective knowledge and love of the beauty industry to organise Napier’s first beauty symposium.

Co-founded by Miriam Sciascia of Haus of Lash NZ and Renee Sciascia of The Brow Shop NZ from Pōrangahau, LABSNZ runs from May 2 to 3, and is designed to elevate beauty professionals and spark innovation.

The symposium includes a chance to learn from international speakers, such as Kristina Melncicenco, Bianca Festejo, Renee Mikkelsen, Julia Mann, Keren Christmas, Lisa Walker, Nikki Rae, Sommer Deaves, Kimberley Haworth, and Sarah Wood - all leading professionals in the beauty industry.

The event will also cover AI advancements in beauty, social media branding, salon growth strategies, the permanent makeup (PMU) industry, with workshops, and an expo to explore different products.

In addition to the educational content, LABSNZ will feature a global online competition for lash, brow, and PMU artists, as well as an awards night to recognise and celebrate excellence within the industry.

Spurred on by her love of beauty, Renee qualified as a hairdresser and later trained as a laser, tattoo and hair removal specialist. In 2024, she launched her brand Black, a lash and brow lift product.

She said she and her sister shared a passion to “bring the world to Hawke’s Bay” where beauty was concerned.

“It’s always been a goal of ours to unite the lash and brow industry together under one roof.”

Renee said the event was aimed at anyone in the industry, from those just starting to those who owned a business and wanted to elevate their work.

She said the industry could be intimidating, so the symposium was designed as a safe learning environment.

“It can be quite scary for some who enter the industry, and sometimes people feel they have to fit a certain mould.”

Renee said there would be an emphasis on healthy habits when it came to running a beauty business.

“We are trying to provide a space where they feel comfortable and connect in a down-to-earth environment.”

She said the beauty scene in Hawke’s Bay had a lot of home-based businesses and the symposium offered a chance to explore business growth.

As for working with her sister, Renee said they had a positive and productive relationship despite “having totally different mindsets”.

“My sister and I are all about helping people.”

She said Miriam sat back and did the quiet mahi behind the scenes, while she was the one who would connect with people.

“It helps because she will do certain work and I’ll do certain work.”

She said they had pushed themselves to achieve their goal, and hoped people could see the value in the experience.

“You can train your hand to be the best person at doing this, but you also have to train your mind to run a business, because they are two different things.”

Renee said the symposium was still looking for people to exhibit at the expo, and welcomed anyone who wanted to connect.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.