Reflexology

Last week, my husband bought me a 60-minute reflexology session Groupon from local, Nine Dragons Foot Finesse.

For those that aren't familiar with reflexology, it is a type of massage localized on the hands and feet; however, it is meant to treat the entire body.  It is believed that all parts of the body are mapped out on the hands and feet.  Using an acupressure technique, you manipulate the areas to treat different areas of the body.  For example, got problems with your sinuses?  You're going to apply pressure to the area just below each toe on the top of the foot.

Now I'm no stranger to reflexology.  I attended esthetics school in Hawaii and Japanese and Chinese rituals were a standard part of the curriculum. We learned the basics of foot and hand reflexology so we could integrate them into our facial services.  

Make no mistake, I do not believe in reflexology to replace traditional medicine.  I do think it can compliment it, but if you have an ailment, seek medical advice as soon as possible.  If you enjoy Eastern Medicine, there are plenty of holistic MDs that can assist you in the treatment plan that is right for you.

Back to my visit...

Bridal Make-up Cindy: Mother of the Bride

I was at the salon doing a make-up trial for a wedding next week while another wedding was getting ready.  Cindy, the mother of the bride, was interested in having her make-up done.  She's got these great eyes that were just screaming to be highlighted.

© Day Spa Central - Cindy

Her main concern was her under-eye area.  Using some concealer to even out the skin tone under her eye and sprayed it twice to give an even color that blended well into her cheeks.  I also highlighted her brow bone and inner corner to bring the eye up and away from her trouble area.  Finally, her brows were a little sparse, so we filled them in to finish the look.

© Day Spa Central - Cindy

And I made sure to highlight those cheekbones.

© Day Spa Central - Cindy

She was a lot of fun to work with and her skin took color beautifully.

Watching diligently was her granddaughter who was also the flower girl.  Normally kids love to dig through make-up and just play.  It isn't something I encourage or normally allow, but she seemed to show a genuine interest in my tools.

I liked this girl!  We talked pink and purple sparkle for about 15 minutes.  Then we put on some shimmer and color on her eyes for her big day, but I certainly can say she's a make-up artist & model in the making.

She was too cute!

If you’re interested in my make-up services, you can contact me at info@day-spa-central.com or at 219.789.4998.  I do on-site work in the Northwest Indiana/Chicago area as well as working freelance at Salon Trisse in St. John, Indiana.  You can make hair appointments and make-up applications there by calling 219.365.0814.

Product Test: Nivea Extended Moisture Daily Lotion

Part of my fantastic Sample Gift pack from Target was a sample of NIVEA Extended Moisture Daily Lotion.  It is a body lotion meant for dry to very dry skin.  That’s great for me because my skin is ridiculously dry.  Not only am I incredibly pale, which leads to drier skin, but I’m getting older and I have a health condition that keeps my skin incredibly dry.

The overview of the product is as follows:

• A luxurious, non-greasy lotion, Extended Moisture provides up to 48 hours of relief for dry, tight skin.
• Infused with Pro-Vitamin B5, and NIVEA's Hydra-IQ technology, Extended Moisture lotion gives ultra long-lasting, skin nourishing moisture.  
• Hydra-IQ is NIVEA's exclusive technology that supports skin's own hydration network to unleash deep, non-stop moisture that lasts more than 24 hours.

So needless to say I was really excited to see if this works.  It is rare I can find an over-the-counter option that is less expensive than the medical or spa products.

Test Drive: L’Oreal Magic Lumi – Light Infusing Primer

Since I primarily do make-up, I try to keep in front of new products that come out.  However, I’ll admit that I stick to what I know works.  Seriously, make-up in general is expensive and I hate buying something and it not work the way I want it to.

Unfortunately, you can’t really try drug store make-up and I tend to stay away from product palettes, even in fancier stores.  Trust me.  I’ve worked retail in a make-up/skincare environment.  I can tell you that people violate those things with fingers and – gag – double dipping… even in lipsticks.  Just thinking about it kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies.

So when I found a free sample in one of the gazillion magazines I read, I couldn't wait to give it a try.

Bridal Make-up – Lori: May 25, 2012

Last week, I posted some pictures of future bride, Lori.  She was the one happily smiling away after getting her hair (by Lindsay) and make-up (by me) trial done.  Well two days later was her wedding – a beautiful Friday that had the sun shining and the first really warm temperatures of the season in the Greater Chicagoland Area.

I wasn’t sure how many people I was going to be working on that day.  I only knew for certain that I would be doing Lori’s make-up.  Upon arriving at Salon Trisse, I found out I would be doing Lori’s make-up along with five bridesmaids, the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom.

The ladies at Salon Trisse were already hard at work...

© Day Spa Central
Allison perfecting an updo

© Day Spa Central
Lindsay working the curls

One Of the Reasons I LOVE What I Do For a Living

I spend a lot of time with brides doing their make-up.  I've been incredibly lucky to have worked on some lovely women who graciously allow and trust me to be a part of their special day.

These women are usually under a lot of pressure with last minute details by the time they see me.  There is occasionally some drama, but I've never had to deal with any "Bridezillas".

Then I meet someone like Lori...

Lori doesn't live here.  In fact, she lives about a 13 hour drive away.  I know this because I lived in a small suburb of Philadelphia named Reading and made the long drive back and forth to Northwest Indiana many times.  Not only has she had to coordinate a wedding from over 700 miles away, her fiancee's family is all from the Philadelphia area.  She's had to coordinate their arrivals and hotel accommodations and travel.

And they're all driving.

Yet, she was upbeat and an incredible amount of fun.  I got her in my chair after Salon Trisse stylist Lindsay Vrane did an incredible up-do (and I promise to have great pictures of it on the big day) and she basically gave me carte blanche to design her make-up.  That can be a lot of pressure on both of us because the bride gives up an incredible amount of trust to let that happen.

When I was done, she loved it and I was beyond excited.  But that isn't what this post is about.

Lori is less than two days away from her wedding and was so relaxed and fun, the test pictures I take to make sure the bride is photo ready turned out like this:

Test Drive - Dove Nourishing Oil Care – Leave in Smoothing Cream

A couple of months ago I started scanning freebie web  sites looking for samples of goodies.  They don’t always have products that I’d want, but I get a lot of hair/skin/body care samples to examine.  I figured it was about time to start telling you about the products I take for a test drive.  The first one I tried out was Dove Nourishing Oil Care – Leave-in Smoothing Cream. 

My hair is incredibly fine so all it takes is a dash of humidity and I’m a mess.  Since I spend a lot of time with steamers and/or franticly applying makeup in small spaces, I’m a mess most of the time.  The unfortunate thing is that a lot of products weigh my hair down, so I’m stuck with "frizzies" or greasy-looking hair.

The Debut – Jaycee: May 12, 2012

© Day Spa Central
Happy 18th Birthday Jaycee!

One of the things about doing make-up is that I get to experience a lot of different types of events.  On May 12, 2012, I experienced my first Philippine Debut.  It is a coming-of-age party celebrated on (or near) the young woman’s eighteenth birthday.  It is a party where the celebrant has a court of 18 people – 9 men and 9 women – with a uniform outfit and a gorgeous gown for the birthday girl.  The party structure is very similar to a wedding with the court performing traditional dances for the guests.

The birthday girl is Jaycee, a lovely young woman who picked out a yellow gown for herself that was breathtaking.  Her court wore tuxedos and bright and flirty coral dresses.  Jaycee wanted her make-up simple and elegant so she was camera ready and not overdone.

Now if you’re counting, we had Jaycee, her 9 court members, mom of the celebrant and several aunts who wanted hair and make-up in about 4 hours’ time.  The stylists that joined me are independent stylist, Dana Espinoza and Salon Trisse stylists, Allison Perkins and Lindsay Vrane.

Side note:  Allison does my hair and I LOVE it.  She is a master at matching the perfect shade for your skin tone.  You should definitely check out Salon Trisse and all the stylists there.

Bridal Make-up – Christy: May 5, 2012

I spent the morning of Cinco de Mayo at Salon Trisse doing the make-up for a gorgeous bride named Christy.  When we did her trial the previous Thursday, she let me know she wanted to do a smoky eye but more charcoal than brown.  I started pulling out the things I would need and then she told me about her dress.

It was ivory and had lavender beading.

Someone with such style and flair deserved better than a regular old smoky eye in blacks and grays!  She has beautiful brown eyes and lovely skin, so I knew she could pull off a deep purple.  Also, she needed extra long lashes.  While she got her hair done, I pulled out all the tools.

When we were finished, she looked flawless…

© Day Spa Central
Make-up: Gretchen Wilson
Stylist: Chaunah Macewicz

Free Samples from Target

On occasion, you’ll see me post about free samples of make-up, skincare and/or haircare on my Facebook page.  Back in March, I posted a link to Target’s Sample Spot where they were giving away a Sample Bag “full of goodies”.

I’m usually pretty skeptical about these things.  I’m not saying that I haven’t gotten a lot of sample/freebies from the links, but it usually isn’t a lot of product and when it comes to skincare, you need to use it for at least a week before you can see if it is going to make any changes to your skin.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my mailbox and found a heavy little box (about the size of a box of checks).  What was inside was this…

© Day Spa Central

Bridal Make-up – Natacia: April 29, 2012

The last you heard from me, I had done a bridal make-up trial for gorgeous bride, Natacia.  She didn’t want a natural look.  She wanted something that popped and made her stand out.

As I said before, I love a bride that takes a chance.

I always take pictures of my brides after their trial so they can see what they look like on camera.  After some reflection and a slight hair-color change, she decided she wanted more dramatic liner coupled with a bright color on her lids without any shading.  She sent me a couple of pictures.  One is of Angelina Jolie, so I can’t post it since I don’t know where it came from.  The other was of the type of eyeliner she was looking for.

I did her eyes and some concealer before she had her hair done.  In fact, that’s the way I did all of the lovely ladies.  Once hair was done, I sprayed her foundation and finished off her face with contouring and lips.

Bridal Make-up Trial – Natasia

I love a bride that takes a chance.

Natasia contacted me to do a trial for her late-April wedding.  When I asked her what style she was looking for, she said she didn’t want to go with traditional make-up because she wears that every day.  She wanted her make-up to really pop, use color and look glamorous.

That’s my type of woman!

She doesn’t wear lipstick often, so we decided dramatic eyes were the way to go.  I picked out an electric violet and deep purple contour with deep purple eyeliner that would be winged.  That would be followed by three coats of mascara.  The rest of the face would be soft and enhance her natural features.

The minute I started putting make-up on her eyes, I could tell she has a face for make-up.  It took the color well and soon we were done.

Experiencing HydroMassage

As some of you may or may not know, I have Fibromyalgia.  It is a muscular and nerve disorder that causes constant pain, fatigue, memory and, when it gets bad enough, depression.  One of the things that can help someone with Fibromyalgia is massage, but that can get quite expensive if you need it more than once a month.  Also, not all massage therapists are familiar with this condition and you can end up leaving your massage in a little more pain than you anticipated.

At my monthly Fibromyalgia support group, we were given cards for a free trial for a HydroMassage from priorityfitness, a personal training center.  Some of the group members had already tried it and said it helped them, so I decided to do a little research.   

Essentially, you lie on a heated massage water bed (much firmer than a traditional water bed that you sleep on) fully clothed and a travelling jet works from your ankles to your neck.  It seems as though it is able to sense where your body is at on the bed so it conforms to your shape as the jets move up and down.  You start on your back, but you can turn on your side or on your stomach if that is something you need.  It is fully customizable, so you can select the pressure, speed and location of your massage.  The fancier models, like the one I was on, allow you to play music and movies as well.

Gerodimos-Crowe Wedding – November 19, 2011

On November 19, 2011, I was honored to do the make-up for Helena Gerodimos for her wedding.  I was introduced to Helena through her brother, Rafael who is friends with my husband.  Not to get side tracked immediately, but I will be doing the make-up for Rafael and his fiancée Ashley's wedding this year.  I’m VERY excited

Okay, back to this wedding…

Helena had decided on airbrush makeup with dramatic but natural eyes including false eyelashes.  When I met her for the first time on the day of the trial, I quickly noticed Helena is a natural beauty.  She’s the type of woman that makes my job very easy.  I also got the opportunity to meet her parents.  They were delightful and I could tell they were all really close. 

I worked on her for about 30 minutes before I let her take a look.  She was delighted and then her father came into the room.  When he began to tear-up, I knew I had done a good job.