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.

The Latest and Greatest

Not too long ago, I went and got a medical certification for my esthetics license.  It hasn't quite advanced my career, but it definitely gave me a new perspective on medical cosmetic procedures and it gives me the ability to educate my clients on different procedures and enhance any work they may have done.

Of course, it isn't only medical procedures that are complex and difficult to explain.  There are a host of esthetic procedures that you may encounter in a spa that can seem a little scary or need additional explanation.  This handy guide will hopefully answer some of your questions, but it should not be a substitution for your esthetician's education.  By this, I mean, if your esthetician can't describe it, can't give you the benefits of it, and doesn't know the contraindications of it... go elsewhere.

An Essential Oil to Watch: Lemongrass

This month, in American Spa they had a spotlight on the essential oil Lemongrass.  You’ve probably been exposed to it already.  That delicate citrus scent in your calming tea is most likely coming from lemongrass.

Lemongrass has been around for a long time.  It has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine.  Ayurvedic medicine uses it to relieve cough and nasal congestion.  Even now, new uses are being found.  It has become more widely used in spas for site-specific pain relief and in 2006 research out of Ben Guiron University in Israel found it was killing cancer cells.

I think it’s safe to say that that Lemongrass is really going places.