The woman widely credited with building French cosmetics giant L'Oreal into a force to be reckoned with here is back.

Beauty industry doyenne Theresa Huang, 54, stepped down as managing director of L'Oreal Singapore in December 2006 after 27 years with the company.

Now she is doing her bit to improve industry standards with her own beauty school, Urban Beauty Academy.

Billed as a one-stop shop for all things beauty-related, it has classes on everything from make-up artistry and manicure techniques to salon business management.

'Cosmetics is about a day-to-day need. But to gain a deeper understanding of beauty, education has to be a part of a person's development,' says the immaculately groomed Huang, who estimates that she has invested over half a million dollars in Urban Beauty.

The school, set up in October 2007 at 184 Bukit Timah Road, is an airy three-storey 2,950 sq ft shophouse with three full-time trainers and five others who offer classes on a project basis.

Huang herself conducts classes on make-up artistry and style coaching.

The classes are open to anyone, with the bulk of students coming from corporate clients such as cosmetics brands and spas.

Prices range from $800 to $5,500 for a 30-hour course.

Urban Beauty also offers consultancy services for spas and hair and beauty salons.

It also has a distribution arm, Urban Beauty Distribution, which brings in brands such as luxury gift soap maker Gianna Rose Atelier and spa product maker Biotone.

Huang's retirement from L'Oreal Singapore was the culmination of two factors - planning and health.

The mother of two sons, aged 24 and 28, had always planned to retire from the corporate world by 50 so she could pursue other interests.

She also needed to take time off for an operation to replace two slipped discs in her lower back but did not think it was 'ideal' for her to take extended leave to recuperate while still at L'Oreal Singapore.

So, two months after her retirement, she went for surgery.

Four months later, she was well enough to go on a trip to the United States and Europe, where she studied the beauty business in cities such as San Diego and London.

Something clicked and she returned to Singapore to set up Urban Beauty to further the standards of the beauty service industry.

Her years at L'Oreal have given her a strong grasp of beauty trends and the needs of consumers.

'I am now able to translate those needs into education, where I can create a relevant syllabus for my students,' she says.

What she misses most about corporate life is her interaction with people from various backgrounds, from her employees to the retailers.

However, she admits it is a relief that she no longer has to 'fight fires' on a daily basis.

'When you are dealing with so many small situations, there is a tendency to lose your creativity and strategic vision.'

Still, she is grateful for the contacts she made, many of whom are now friends.

She says: 'I have been able to help some of them with their start-ups and many of them have also recommended customers to me.'

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.