As I move into November the warning I started giving my clients three months ago is sinking in. November and December are notoriously slow in my industry. People don’t have enough time during the holidays and tend to let everything but family, parties, shopping, and school events slip to the wayside. Knowing this, I have learned to do most of my advanced training in these two months as well as any major vacations. What does this mean? Well it means I am working a total of 11 days in November and those days are split between three locations.

I started warning my loyal clients in August that this was going to happen. I pleaded with them to book ahead. Some did, but unfortunately not everyone is as freakishly anal as I am and now my books are full and I really don’t have any additional days to fit people in. I had hoped to come in on Friday’s to try and accommodate more clients, but my new spa supervisor just doesn’t get me and what I do. She has made it very clear that I am not “special”, so I must play by the same rules as everyone else. This means no coming in special for a client here or there. No making decisions for myself. I am just a cog in the corporate machine and I have no voice. This is a real shame since it cuts off my ability to please my clients. Clients that I care about and do everything in my power to keep happy.

Ahhh well, I don’t imagine it will be a problem much longer. For me change is afoot. I have been moving towards it for a while, but recent events have given me a kick in the butt. It’s time to move on. As one of my clients reminded me yesterday, change is a double edged sword. It’s scary but always leads to better things. Sometimes those better things take a little while to get to, but they are always right around the corner.

Here’s to a rapidly approaching new year and better things to come.

What makeup you use is important. Many people ask me if they can apply makeup after the facial. My answer is always, “If you are asking that you must know you are using something that is bad for you.” Unfortunately most makeups on the market are manufactured by the same 5 major companies. I don’t care what the names and labels say, they are all the same darn thing. And they are all CRAP! They contain toxic binders, harsh chemicals, and harmful dyes that stop your skin from functioning properly. It is not uncommon for me to be performing extractions and tell you what brand and color makeup you wear by the leftover makeup that has built up and clogged your pores. Bad makeup = bad skin. It’s just that simple.

So what should you use? Well mineral makeup has really come into its own over the last two years mostly due, in my opinion, to the infomercial success of Bare Escentuals. But mineral makeup has continued to grow because people are realizing you can have a flawless finish with a healthy makeup. Mineral makeup is made of pulverized micronized mineral elements. These are natural substances that come from the earth. Think rocks.

Mineral Makeup is the ONLY makeup I recommend, and Jane Iredale is the line I recommend as #1. There are lots of great mineral lines out there right now. Glo, LadyBird, Bare Escentuals aka Bare Minerals, Young Blood, and Mineral Mine are just a few of them, but if you really want the BEST then you have to use Jane Iredale. There is no competition.

After years of using Iredale myself and selling it to satisfied clients I can say that Jane Iredale is the best on the market. I have used just about every other mineral makeup, and trust me, each have a few products I love, but when it comes down to a line that leads the pack it’s Iredale. Jane Iredale began the line because she wanted something natural and healing that effectively covered bruising and redness from peels and surgery. She also wanted it to look perfect in photos, on film, and television. She succeeded so well that the Iredale has not only won an Emmy, but is one of the only makeups that holds up to the perfection needed for HDTV quality.

The first major mineral cosmetic on the market, Iredale sets the bar high for it’s competition because Iredale is about coverage and skin care. It is oil free, contains no FD&C Dyes, or fillers and binders such as lanolin, mineral oil or talc. This makes it completely non-comedogenic. Iredale is so safe it is used on babies as sunscreen!

Iredale is known as “The Skin Care Makeup” because every product is designed to help correct what you are concealing and to enhance your daily skin care routine. Oily? Use Absence, Pure Pressed Powder, and Balance Spray. These products contain ingredients to clean, blot, and balance oil production. Dry or concerned with anti-aging? Use Liquid Mineral, Amazing Base, and D2O. These products will add moisture and antioxidants to your skin while they cover any imperfections. Just had a peel or stayed in the sun too long? Liquid Mineral, Circle Delete, Absence, and D2O will cover the damage flawlessly while healing the skin and reducing the inflammation underneath.

Many women tell me their dream is to have skin so perfect they don’t have to wear makeup. This is a wonderful goal, but with a makeup like Iredale you will stop thinking of it as “makeup” and start thinking of it as what it really is – an extension of your skin care routine. Makeup isn’t just about covering imperfections. It also supplies a barrier between the gunk that touches your skin throughout the day, and highlights your finest qualities. With Iredale you can know that you are getting ingredients that benefit the skin and an SPF that the FDA has given a “very water resistant” rating. I always brag that I apply my makeup in the morning, workout with my personal trainer, shower, rinse my face, blot it dry, then go to work. I never re-touch or re-apply and yet my zits, redness, and brown spots are all covered.

What makeup you use matters just as much as what products you use matters. You wouldn’t workout and then eat Burger King would you? I didn’t think so.

What makeup you use is important. Many people ask me if they can apply makeup after the facial. My answer is always, “If you are asking that you must know you are using something that is bad for you.” Unfortunately most makeups on the market are manufactured by the same 5 major companies. I don’t care what the names and labels say, they are all the same darn thing. And they are all CRAP! They contain toxic binders, harsh chemicals, and harmful dyes that stop your skin from functioning properly. It is not uncommon for me to be performing extractions and tell you what brand and color makeup you wear by the leftover makeup that has built up and clogged your pores. Bad makeup = bad skin. It’s just that simple.

So what should you use? Well mineral makeup has really come into its own over the last two years mostly due, in my opinion, to the infomercial success of Bare Escentuals. But mineral makeup has continued to grow because people are realizing you can have a flawless finish with a healthy makeup. Mineral makeup is made of pulverized micronized mineral elements. These are natural substances that come from the earth. Think rocks.

Mineral Makeup is the ONLY makeup I recommend, and Jane Iredale is the line I recommend as #1. There are lots of great mineral lines out there right now. Glo, LadyBird, Bare Escentuals aka Bare Minerals, Young Blood, and Mineral Mine are just a few of them, but if you really want the BEST then you have to use Jane Iredale. There is no competition.

After years of using Iredale myself and selling it to satisfied clients I can say that Jane Iredale is the best on the market. I have used just about every other mineral makeup, and trust me, each have a few products I love, but when it comes down to a line that leads the pack it’s Iredale. Jane Iredale began the line because she wanted something natural and healing that effectively covered bruising and redness from peels and surgery. She also wanted it to look perfect in photos, on film, and television. She succeeded so well that the Iredale has not only won an Emmy, but is one of the only makeups that holds up to the perfection needed for HDTV quality.

The first major mineral cosmetic on the market, Iredale sets the bar high for it’s competition because Iredale is about coverage and skin care. It is oil free, contains no FD&C Dyes, or fillers and binders such as lanolin, mineral oil or talc. This makes it completely non-comedogenic. Iredale is so safe it is used on babies as sunscreen!

Iredale is known as “The Skin Care Makeup” because every product is designed to help correct what you are concealing and to enhance your daily skin care routine. Oily? Use Absence, Pure Pressed Powder, and Balance Spray. These products contain ingredients to clean, blot, and balance oil production. Dry or concerned with anti-aging? Use Liquid Mineral, Amazing Base, and D2O. These products will add moisture and antioxidants to your skin while they cover any imperfections. Just had a peel or stayed in the sun too long? Liquid Mineral, Circle Delete, Absence, and D2O will cover the damage flawlessly while healing the skin and reducing the inflammation underneath.

Many women tell me their dream is to have skin so perfect they don’t have to wear makeup. This is a wonderful goal, but with a makeup like Iredale you will stop thinking of it as “makeup” and start thinking of it as what it really is – an extension of your skin care routine. Makeup isn’t just about covering imperfections. It also supplies a barrier between the gunk that touches your skin throughout the day, and highlights your finest qualities. With Iredale you can know that you are getting ingredients that benefit the skin and an SPF that the FDA has given a “very water resistant” rating. I always brag that I apply my makeup in the morning, workout with my personal trainer, shower, rinse my face, blot it dry, then go to work. I never re-touch or re-apply and yet my zits, redness, and brown spots are all covered.

What makeup you use matters just as much as what products you use matters. You wouldn’t workout and then eat Burger King would you? I didn’t think so.

Busy day for me today – which I both loath and love. Sometimes my profession, and probably most people’s, is a love hate thing. As my clients know I work INSANE hours. If you look at the hours posted on this site you will see part of the insanity. What I don’t reveal to most is that I take clients before and after my official hours. I don’t like doing it, but I love my clients and love the work so I will do whatever I can to fit a good client in. This often means a 6am-9pm day…like today.

While I give a good facial I am immersed in what I do. I forget the time and just ride the ebb and flow of the energy. I trust my instinct and have faith that the energy will keep me on track. So far its served me well. Of course, I have off days. Days where the energy and I can’t seem to sync up. Days when I just pray that no one notices the extra effort I’m exerting to make up for the disconnection I am experiencing. Thank goodness that those days are few and far between. Even on an insane 8 facial and 4 wax day like today I end at home tired but happy.

Today I was on. Today the energy was flowing and I was changing my client’s lives. I made them feel wonderful and look better and that does the same for me. So today I loved my job even though I came home to see the sad look my boyfriend tried to hide. He doesn’t see me enough. My back is aching and tomorrow is going to be one hell of a long day. I think of it now with loathing, buy if I’m lucky the energy will allow me to come home with a smile on my face. It just takes the right frame of mind. Oh and the right clients always help!

I may not be a doctor or lawyer, but this Skin Fitness Expert has to admit she is one hell of a workaholic. I loath it and I love it.

Busy day for me today – which I both loath and love. Sometimes my profession, and probably most people’s, is a love hate thing. As my clients know I work INSANE hours. If you look at the hours posted on this site you will see part of the insanity. What I don’t reveal to most is that I take clients before and after my official hours. I don’t like doing it, but I love my clients and love the work so I will do whatever I can to fit a good client in. This often means a 6am-9pm day…like today.

While I give a good facial I am immersed in what I do. I forget the time and just ride the ebb and flow of the energy. I trust my instinct and have faith that the energy will keep me on track. So far its served me well. Of course, I have off days. Days where the energy and I can’t seem to sync up. Days when I just pray that no one notices the extra effort I’m exerting to make up for the disconnection I am experiencing. Thank goodness that those days are few and far between. Even on an insane 8 facial and 4 wax day like today I end at home tired but happy.

Today I was on. Today the energy was flowing and I was changing my client’s lives. I made them feel wonderful and look better and that does the same for me. So today I loved my job even though I came home to see the sad look my boyfriend tried to hide. He doesn’t see me enough. My back is aching and tomorrow is going to be one hell of a long day. I think of it now with loathing, buy if I’m lucky the energy will allow me to come home with a smile on my face. It just takes the right frame of mind. Oh and the right clients always help!

I may not be a doctor or lawyer, but this Skin Fitness Expert has to admit she is one hell of a workaholic. I loath it and I love it.

I make a point to keep up on the latest trends and technology. From innovative equipment to products and techniques only the best will do. This often means I have to hunt down some obscure and often strange products based on an article I read, a murmuring I’ve heard, or a recommendation. But working skin care in America can often be a drag. The European market is usually years ahead of us, and quite often, very snobby to us yanks.

Over the last few months I have been researching two products that came onto my radar. The first is a possible replacement from my very popular tubular mascara, Blinc. Now I LOVE Blinc, but when I heard that there was another company making something very much like it, but with the possibility of an even better thickening agent I was interested to learn more. The other item is a machine that has gotten a lot of press called the Perfector. This machine is state of the art, based on Noble Prize winning science, and has 7 functions such as galvanic and microcurrent. Sound amazing huh? Well from the research I have been able to glean it just might be the best machine on the market today.

Now just because an item is “hot” doesn’t mean it’s the best. Often the hottest items are the ones that had the most packaging and marketing money thrown at them. Just look at a makeup counter to prove my point. You think all those pretty bottles have good stuff in them because they have an expensive price tag and a name you recognize? I don’t like to talk trash about other products, especially ones you might have forked a lot of cash out for, but I will say that if those companies spent more money on the stuff that goes in the bottles and less money on designing and advertising the bottles, that maybe that crap would be worth the money.

You may not be able to trust branding or pretty packaging, but you can trust me. I make a point of thoroughly researching any item I carry. I read the literature and science studies. I make phone calls and ask questions. I test the product on myself, and then I ask a family members and trusted clients to try it too. Once I have a complete understanding of what the product does and how well it does it, then and only then do I consider using or selling it. And as many of you know, although I can appreciate good packaging, I don’t really care how pretty the bottle is. It’s what’s inside that counts!

After spending about 3 hours hunting for the proper people to contact for these two new products I finally found email addresses and sent out inquiry letters to both companies. Then I waited. And I waited. AND I WAITED. After about two weeks I sent out two more emails, but no responses made their way to my in-box. Pretty pissed off I emailed two more emails, and I must admit they were both a little less friendly and a lot more “WTF is wrong with you.” I am not proud of this fact, but it did get me a response from my possible Blinc replacement.

Cybil,
Thank you for your inquiries and we appreciate you approaching us. However, we are not currently looking for US distributors. I would also love to send you a sample but unfortunately we are currently out of stock.
Stay Beautiful!

WTF! Feeling like a grade school kid in the wrong clique I mailed them an ultra polite reply, and tried VERY hard to keep the sarcasm at bay:

Thank you for finally returning my email inquiries. I would appreciate being notified when you get samples in. Even though I am based in the US you never know when you might decide to distribute in my country – it is the land of plenty.
Take Care!

Who would have thought that getting information would be so difficult? Well this isn’t the first time I have run into problems, and I don’t imagine it will be the last. But I have never let a few innovation irritations get in my way. I carry every product I want to. When there’s a will there’s a way.

I am still waiting for a reply from the Perfector people. If nothing else, I have tracked down a local spa that is using one and have made an appointment to speak with the Spa Director. I also feel pretty confident that while I’m in the UK that I can track down this mascara. Keep your fingers crossed!

I make a point to keep up on the latest trends and technology. From innovative equipment to products and techniques only the best will do. This often means I have to hunt down some obscure and often strange products based on an article I read, a murmuring I’ve heard, or a recommendation. But working skin care in America can often be a drag. The European market is usually years ahead of us, and quite often, very snobby to us yanks.

Over the last few months I have been researching two products that came onto my radar. The first is a possible replacement from my very popular tubular mascara, Blinc. Now I LOVE Blinc, but when I heard that there was another company making something very much like it, but with the possibility of an even better thickening agent I was interested to learn more. The other item is a machine that has gotten a lot of press called the Perfector. This machine is state of the art, based on Noble Prize winning science, and has 7 functions such as galvanic and microcurrent. Sound amazing huh? Well from the research I have been able to glean it just might be the best machine on the market today.

Now just because an item is “hot” doesn’t mean it’s the best. Often the hottest items are the ones that had the most packaging and marketing money thrown at them. Just look at a makeup counter to prove my point. You think all those pretty bottles have good stuff in them because they have an expensive price tag and a name you recognize? I don’t like to talk trash about other products, especially ones you might have forked a lot of cash out for, but I will say that if those companies spent more money on the stuff that goes in the bottles and less money on designing and advertising the bottles, that maybe that crap would be worth the money.

You may not be able to trust branding or pretty packaging, but you can trust me. I make a point of thoroughly researching any item I carry. I read the literature and science studies. I make phone calls and ask questions. I test the product on myself, and then I ask a family members and trusted clients to try it too. Once I have a complete understanding of what the product does and how well it does it, then and only then do I consider using or selling it. And as many of you know, although I can appreciate good packaging, I don’t really care how pretty the bottle is. It’s what’s inside that counts!

After spending about 3 hours hunting for the proper people to contact for these two new products I finally found email addresses and sent out inquiry letters to both companies. Then I waited. And I waited. AND I WAITED. After about two weeks I sent out two more emails, but no responses made their way to my in-box. Pretty pissed off I emailed two more emails, and I must admit they were both a little less friendly and a lot more “WTF is wrong with you.” I am not proud of this fact, but it did get me a response from my possible Blinc replacement.

Cybil,
Thank you for your inquiries and we appreciate you approaching us. However, we are not currently looking for US distributors. I would also love to send you a sample but unfortunately we are currently out of stock.
Stay Beautiful!

WTF! Feeling like a grade school kid in the wrong clique I mailed them an ultra polite reply, and tried VERY hard to keep the sarcasm at bay:

Thank you for finally returning my email inquiries. I would appreciate being notified when you get samples in. Even though I am based in the US you never know when you might decide to distribute in my country – it is the land of plenty.
Take Care!

Who would have thought that getting information would be so difficult? Well this isn’t the first time I have run into problems, and I don’t imagine it will be the last. But I have never let a few innovation irritations get in my way. I carry every product I want to. When there’s a will there’s a way.

I am still waiting for a reply from the Perfector people. If nothing else, I have tracked down a local spa that is using one and have made an appointment to speak with the Spa Director. I also feel pretty confident that while I’m in the UK that I can track down this mascara. Keep your fingers crossed!