I Wish That I Could Have This Moment For Life*

I am a HUGE fan of drake. I have actually SEEN him and been around him a couple of times before but never met or talked to him. He has come to the spa a handful of times, but only for massage and steam...never for esthetics :(

So when I got the message from my owner if I could do our signature Turkish Hammam Bath treatment on him, I was beyond thrilled! - Obvi trying to play it cool though :P

I think he was hesitant at first because he had no idea what the treatment was and thought he was getting a massage (the treatment was booked my someone else for him) but he was a good sport and went ahead with the turkish bath! The feedback that my owners got after and from what he told me during the treatment was that he loved it* :D

It was such and amazing experience, especially since I am a huge fan. One of the nicest and polite celebrities I have encountered.

Hope to see you soon drizzy!

Shellac & Gelish, the new kids in town...

In the past year a new revolutionary product came out: SHELLAC by CND (creative nail design) and others followed - GELISH (nail harmony)

Have you ever wanted a polish that required no drying time? Does not chip? A polish that last more than a week? What about a gel overlay that does not need harsh abrasive tools? Or a gel overlay that does not damage the natural nail?

This is where Shellac/Gelish comes in.

It is a hybrid gel that is applied like a regular polish to the natural nail with a special base coat and topcoat. It is cured under a UV lamp and requires no drying time when it is finished. No tools other than a simple file, orange wood stick and buffer are needed to remove it therefore no damage is done to the nail!

To remove, your therapist wraps your nails in a cotton soaked with acetone (the main ingredient in nail polish remover) They then let it sit for 10min to let the polish dissolve and flake up. After that, they then will flake off the remaining polish with an orange wood stick and buff the nail bed.

Like I said there is NO DAMAGE to the nail! However, bc we r soaking the nails in nail polish remover instead of a wipe like we do when removing regular polish - overtime the nail may get dry. This is when I advise you to get an express manicure with no polish and a hydrating paraffin dip ;) then go back to the gels in a week or two.

I have had the product on and off of my nails for more than a year now and have had no problems with my nails, everyone is different though.

Shellac and Gelish are the two most popular lines out right now and are the same thing and work the same way just different companies. Right now this is booked more than a regular manicure with regular polish at my spa. Ask your spa if they have it!!!
{Photo: GELISH Light Elegant, 3 coats}

Sorry...

...Ok, so I lied, I let too much time pass :( do you forgive me? 3rd time is a CHARM! Xo

A Year Has Come...and Gone...

Wow. So its been exactly ONE YEAR since I last wrote! :o sorry guys* it won't happen again!!!

The good news is that I have a lot to talk about!

Some highlights were going to New York and trying out a traditional Turkish Bath treatment for the first time. I got to create my own version and train my awesome co workers and it is now a popular and favorite treatment at my spa!

I also got to meet and work on our local homegrown amazing talent and my favorite artist, DRAKE <3

We also brought in the ever popular new product SHELLAC and GELISH hybrid gel nail polish at my work which is a popular choice for manicures now.

So sit back and relax, a year has come and gone and I promise next time won't be that long* Ill see you about once a week and feel free to email me any questions or topics you want me to talk about!

Xo
Kendra Nichole

A New Year, A New You ... Cosmetic Surgery!?

So this is my first blog for the new year (sorry it's been a while!). This is a strong topic and one that all of us have talked about at one point or another.

Did anyone make a new years resolution? How many of you had a new years resolution that had to do with your health or appearance? (Guilty!)
Everyone is trying to improve themselves, who wouldn't want to be the best they could be? :)
Some people choose to get a trainer, join a gym, go on a diet, eat healthy or...get plastic surgery.

With Heidi Montag just recently coming out at age 23 and have 12 plastic surgery procedures total, 10 at one time this is a very hot topic, some are defending her and most are criticising her. She was insecure with herself and among many other excuses she had she feels to succeed in the pop music biz she needs to look a certain way - never mind that, she can't even sing! No matter how "hot" she looks, she still cannot sing or create good music and her record sales reportedly sold 658 in her first week...that is beyond terrible by the record industry standards.

Heidi is never going to admit she made a mistake and her looks didn't help with her music career.

When opting for plastic surgery seriously look with in and decide why and WHO you are doing this for - if you are doing this for a career boost and don't get the job you were going for, are you still going to be happy with the way you look or are you going to regret it?

I do not feel that botox, microdermabrasion and peels etc are considered plastic surgery and will touch on these subjects on a later date

For people that want a breast augmentation, nose job, lipo etc I will say this : do your research! Think long and hard and make sure you are comfortable with your surgeon, look up any lawsuits they may have had or former clients with a not so great feedback. Also, talk to people that know and love you and LISTEN* why are you doing this? Insecurities or a de formality? There are some things that can be fixed NATURALLY instead of surgery...you just have to be willing to work for it - working for anything makes it that much rewarding!

Verruca Plantaris... aka. Plantar Warts... aka. Warts

WARNING! .THE FOLLOWING BLURG CONTAINS PHOTOS AND INFO THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME, BUT I STILL WANT YOU TO READ IT :) WARNING!

Plantar Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are commonly contacted from moist walking surfaces like showers and pools. They look like pea size callouses with tiny black freckles inside and are often pushed inward do to the pressure on the feet.

Be aware of your body, Just like you are told to be aware of any changes in moles or any lumps in breasts - be aware of warts! Commonly on your feet.

We get some clients that have plantars warts and I'm not sure if these people are aware they have them but decide to say they are unaware when I tell them they do, or if people just don't realise that if it wasn't there before, chances are it doesn't belong there and you may want to check it out*

I can still work on you if you have warts- obviously I will be wearing gloves! And take all necessary precautions to insure the safety of me and my future clients. And any spa that passes the health code is using a disinfectant/sterilising method that is strong enough to kill the bacteria in the tub. I have to avoid the area, no massage because it could spread the virus any where else I touch you and no filing down the wart!

The only time your service provider may refuse to service you is when it's a severe case or when you have come in for multiple pedicures and told every time that you have plantars warts and to treat it or see a doctor and you keep on coming back and it hasn't gotten better.

This tells us either your warts are deeply rooted and a more severe case or you are dis regarding what your estheticians has been telling you and not treating it at all.

Like I said we can work on you BUT should only work on you with warts ONCE. We go easy on you the first time - let you know you have warts and how to treat it. After this you shouldn't come back for a pedicure until they are gone, down by 50% or you just book in a polish change (no soaking).

If you know you have warts and STILL decide to come in for a pedicure, don't be shy in telling your therapist BEFOREHAND that you have warts. We really appreciate this and it prepares us, instead of being surprised later*

For the treatment of warts, go to your drugstore and get over the counter product. If you use it just like the instructions say too and they still haven't gone away then see a doctor, they may have a stronger method for you.

The photos I showed are a mild/normal case of plantars warts...they can get a whole lot worse. So like I said before, just be aware of your body and skin for any changes. If you aren't quite sure if you have a wart or have any other skin condition problems - come in and see me and I will be happy to help you out! :)

Use Protection...A Top Coat

This is a step you should never skip*

And I know some of you do!

Not only does a top coat finish the look of your polish by making it glossy and making the colour more vibrant, but it is the deciding factor on how long your manicure is going to last, and how quickly it is going to dry.

Now here is the hard part : there are a million top coats and only few that do the job.

I have tried OPI, Seche Vite, Essie, China Glaze, Out the Door, Creative, Sally Hansen Revlon and a whole bunch more!

What I found to be annoying with some top coats and led me to try a million and see what the best one was, is after and hour of drying and sometimes 24hrs you could ding your nail and there would be a dent in the polish. The polish is dry to the touch but not dry throughout.

So I set out to find the perfect top coat and here it is
> Out The Door, America's #1 fastest drying Top Coat.
And yes, that is the whole title lol.

It is one of the few products in this world that live up to it's name.

Once you apply the top coat it is dry to the TOUCH in 1 minute and thoroughly dry in 10 minutes, no dinging and denting your nails after that!

One small tip : 5 minutes after you use your top coat, any top coat, run your nails under cold water and this will cool down your hand temperature and quick dry your nails*

I could talk about. Quick dry drips and sprays right now, but I will save that for another post! ;)

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

24 days till christmas!

This is the month of dressing up and christmas parties. One of my favourite looks for the holiday season in red lips with a dewy glow*

Here are some tips for achieving this look.

When choosing your lipstick colour, get professional opinions. There are a million colours of red with a million undertones that do not suit a million people. You also have to choose what you are comfortable with because I find that tanned people suit the bright and orange reds, but if that doesn't say YOU then it won't SUIT you. So bring an honest friend and make a day of it!

When you choose the right colour for your lips, create a flawless canvas (your face)...give yourself a mini facial, exfoliate, moisturise, conceal - conceal outside your lip line also, apply liquid foundation and powder.

Line your lips with a similar colour but please do not go too far outside your natural lip line, you could end up looking like a clown - if you want fuller lips, choose a red lip plumping gloss and put it on top of your red lipstick*

Apply your chosen lipstick colour and with a conceal brush conceal around your lips to prevent the colour from bleeding as the day/night goes on

That takes care of the lips, now for the dewy glow!

Get a shimmer powder and apply it right on your cheek bone, apply a light bronzer on your cheeks with a soft pink/peach blush!

When doing red lips, I tend to like the eyes to be natural - gold shimmer, thin eye liner and mascara. This way your lips are the focus and you look fresh not messy!

Enjoy*

Say My Name

There is nothing I love more then to see clients coming back to see me* it tells me I am doing my job and making people happy.

This goes for anybody who is in this profession. So, if you enjoyed your services and the company of your esthetician, make her day and request her next time you go back to that spa.

Also, in appreciation she may squeeze in extra services, be lenient if you are late or just make more time for you ;)
Its a win/win situation!

Products I Love <3

There are a million blogs about beauty products, where self proclaimed beauty addicts list their favourite beauty products...me, I'm just going to do a little blurg*

INGLOT NAIL POLISH:

Surprise! It's not OPI :)
Inglot is a european brand with over 300 polish colours and is formaldehyde free. It has numbers to identify the colour instead of catchy names - What's catchy is their colours and its cheaper than most polishes and I guarantee that you will find your favourite OPI colour in Inglot.

DERMALOGICA:

Since I got into this business, I have always been a fan. Their education they give to post graduate students is top notch so anyone who uses this line should be well educated. I also find that when treating my clients that I have a variety of products that I can customise to a specific persons skin type. The price range is fairly moderate ranging from $40-$80.

MAKE UP FOREVER:

The pigmentation in their blushes and eye shadows is very high, therefore the colour is rich and last longer. Also their foundation selection has a variety of shades and type. My favourite line of theirs is the HD line. It will make your skin look flawless in person and in pictures.

LANCOME HYPNOSE MASCARA (waterproof):

It will never smudge and will only come off with an oil based make up remover. I love the brush applicator its not to thick and not to thin and gets every lash.

Are there any products you want me to review?

Tips

This subject is one of the most frequently asked questions by clients.

Just like waitressing, hairdressing and bartending, esthetics is a service industry and therefore we don't get paid a high hourly rate and rely on tips.

Tips stands for "To Insure Proper Service" technically it was meant to be paid FIRST to make sure your service is the best* I kind of disagree with this and feel that the service should be the best to begin with.

However, a good time to give tips before the service is when you may have high demands or special requests like "can you focus more on the foot massage and my calf area for about 10 minutes?"

I once had a client hand me $10 before a facial and say all she wanted to do was relax, not get any advice on her skin or be asked any questions...she knew her demands were bossy and specific, so she paid me first to let me know she would appreciate it and that's a good way to go about that type of situation.

When should you give a tip after the service?
If you loved your service! :) and how your nails, waxing or facial turned out there should be no reason to not tip.
Typically tips should be 15% of your total services. Cash credit and debit tips are usually accepted most places, but like with anything - cash is preferred. If you tip on debit or credit, it goes on your service providers paycheck and gets taxed.

When should you not tip?
When you are not happy with your service. If you felt it was rushed, not all hairs were removed or the polish application was sloppy.

So I hope this was helpful and did not come across as demanding! I realise it is very straight forward, but it is a frequently asked question and you wouldn't believe how many times we work hard all day to walk home with $5 for the whole day and most of it has to do with some people just don't know when to tip or if to tip*

Winterizing Your Hands

Good morning!

As winter is fast approaching, some people may find their hands are getting very dry - especially if you are applying hand sanitizer every 5 minutes! So here is my quick fix to hydrating your hands. Do this before you go to bed...

(1) Exfoliate
- Mix some sugar and oil (soybean or olive) and rub your hands together for about 1-2 minutes to exfoliate, or you can buy and exfoliator like St. Ives scrub from shoppers drugmart.
(2) Mask
- Mix avocado and honey together and apply a thin layer of the hydrating mask to your hands. or again, you can get a hydrating life brand mask from shoppers drugmart that can work just as well.
(3) Cuticle oil
- Apply a cuticle oil on your cuticles. I love Essie's apricot cuticle oil or you can use olive oil.
(4) Moisturize
- Use your favorite moisturizer and apply a thick layer to your hands. for dry cracked skin you want a cream that contains urea for all others, any cream with shea butter is nice.
(5) No glove no love
- Finally apply cotton gloves to your hands to seal in all the moisture for the night.

Spoil yourself and do this every night! also when you book in for your manicure, treat yourself and do an add on of Paraffin Wax*

My First Time...

Hey guys!

So this is my very first blog...im a little nervous* lol.

First and foremost - welcome! and feel free to ask me any questions relating to the beauty industry.

ex and oh,

Kendra Nichole