Saturday, January 31, 2009

To Pluck or not to Pluck that is the REAL question.
Are eyebrows beyond your comprehension? Do they just seem too impossible for you to try on your own?
Your eyebrows can set the foundation for your face, framing your best features and making you look younger and more awake. My 4 year old daughter refers to them as “eyebrellas” Little umbrellas for your eyes. They are the main focal point on your face and can make or break a look.

Eyebrow fashions change like hair styles. But just as with hair styles not everyone can do the style they see on their favorite star. You have to work with what you already have.
A great way to test a look out on yourself and see if you have the hair it takes to pull it off is go buy a charcoal pencil from the art store. Draw your eyebrow onto your face as you would like to see it on you. Keep a photo handy of the style you like to refer back to.
Now inspect your work. Do your hairs actually even grow where you have them drawn? Does this style suit you?
A good rule of thumb to follow as far as shaping and arching your eyebrows is as follows .Take a pencil and place right on the outside edge of your nose going straight up to your forehead. Your eyebrows should not start any closer or farther away than this line. Now place the pencil on the tip of your nose and looking straight forward direct the pencil over the center of your iris at an angle. Where the pencil crosses your eyebrow should be the very highest part in your arch.
(I would like to take a moment here to credit my model Fifi VonPaint for being gracious enough to allow us to draw on her face for demonstration purposes)
Use your handy dandy charcoal pencil to mark these spots! Color in your eyebrows and then when you go to pluck do not go over into where you have drawn.
This will keep you from looking like The Rock.








If your eyebrows are nearly invisible or painfully fine, Try dying them on! Use carefully a dye for eyebrows and make sure you do not get it into or near your eye area as this can be extremely dangerous. Your face is covered in superfluous hairs called lanugo. These baby fine hairs are hard to see and are almost clear. But if you dye them they become visible and you can take advantage of them showing up to form part of your eyebrow arch. Its truly amazing to see a client who never thought they had enough eyebrows to shape suddenly have a frame for their face.
Now that you know how to shape your eyebrows you need to know the right way to pluck them. First step is use an astringent over the area to prevent infection. Sanitize your tweezers with alcohol. Wash your hands thoroughly. Put a little tension on the skin and pull the hair out in the direction of growth. After you are done plucking use the astringent again to close down the opened hair follicles and prevent infection.
If you opt for waxing use the same sanitation precautions.
A few tips for waxing:
Apply wax in direction of growth and remove in opposite direction of growth.
Try to avoid plucking between waxing. The hairs have to be long enough for the wax to grab them and when you pluck a few out here and there in between times, those hairs will probably be too short to adhere to the wax next time. You need your eyebrows on a schedule so they are all ready to wax at the same time to get the best results.
When you are removing the wax put enough tension on the skin so that the skin doesn’t “flop”.If you do not put enough tension on the skin you can tear the delicate eye area skin.
Don’t tan before or after you wax. This can cause your skin to rip and burn and leave nasty scars.
Use a mineral oil based product to remove wax residue .If you accidentally get wax on an area you don’t want removed use the oil to gently remove the way off those hairs and reapply the astringent before continuing.
If you are using heated wax don’t get it too hot. It should be just hot enough to spread easily but be comfortable to the skin. Test temperature on the back of your hand. Also for wax that uses muslin strips press the strip and rub with gently with your fingertips to make sure it adheres to the hair .Don’t let the wax cool all the way before removing the strip .You want it a little soft still when you remove it so it doesn’t take part of your skin with it. I count to 4 rubbing the strip the whole time and then remove the strip. You may need a few seconds more or less depending on the temperature of wax at application. Sugar waxes and waxes that do not use muslin strips should be allowed to cool completely before removal or they will just break and shatter and your left trying to pull of little bits of wax with one hair in each.

If your eyebrows resemble any letter of the alphabet like an upside down V or a sideways J or C or god forbid an M or - -and you just cant get the shape right ,go to a professional (a term I use loosely )Make sure you go to someone who deals in skincare and eyebrow shaping not your stylist. Many stylists do a great job with eyebrows but most are clueless about shaping and just clean up what you already have. Get a good foundation to build from and you should be able to maintain your eyebrows as long as you don’t get crazy and start plucking the wrong hairs!
If you have crazy hairs that grow straight out or are way longer than they should be don’t pull them out! You may be left with big holes in your eyebrows. Opt instead to trim them with a small pair of scissors. I use a good pair of cuticle shears that are not curved for this. Only cut one hair at a time and cut each hair a slightly different length .Hold the shears at an angle along the hair shaft so the tips end up pointed and more natural looking. Don’t give yourself a eyebrow flat top! Trim them sparingly and use an eyebrow brush after each cut to inspect your work. A little goes a long way here.If you need help troubleshooting problems that are not covered here or just enjoyed this article , post a message in reply! I would love to know what you think.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Victory rolls...bumps and beehives...are mullets next?


Vintage and retro hair is hotter than ever.True glamour is back so ditch the knotted pony and check out what is hot now!










Well it is always true what goes around comes around.But god willing mullets and flock of seagulls hair do's wont be coming back around in my lifetime!


Alot of stars now are wearing hair styles reflective of long lost glamourous stars.
You can see the influences from starlets long gone like Betty Page in styles worn by stars like Amy Winehouse and Kat Von Dee.
















Another popular blast from the past is 40's victory rolls.Victory rolls became popular in the late 1940's, and were meant to celebrate the Allies' victory in WWII.




Check out always fashionable Gwen
sporting her support for the allies with
her victory roll here.










So break out the bobby pins and pin curl clips.Acheiving these fashionista styles are much easier today than back in the roller set days.
Try setting your hair dry with a curling iron and pinning the curled hair into loose pin curls and let your hair cool down while pinned.This will set the curl and you can brush through the curls and form them into your own retro hair style like a victory roll or soft sexy finger waves.
There are so many products on the market now to make bumbs and rolls easier than ever.Clip in extensions are readily available for every hair color and type.
Pretty sexy hair is in again!Stay away from fads and take note of styles that have always looked pretty through the 1940's to the 2000's.
And as Ron Burgandy would say
"Stay Classy"

NEW DISCONTINUED STUFF COMING SOON

Just to let everyone know weve received a large shipment in for our webstore including alot of hard to find and discontinued products today.We will be doing inventory and listing these items on our webstie this week so if you are looking for something drop us a line at errynlea@hotmail.com and let us know what you are looking for that may be out of stock in our catalog.Many original sebastian products including cellophanes colors and redken shades EQ in a variety of colors will be in stock soon!
More CND brisa products and OPI microwrap coming soon also.
Let us know what you are looking for so we know what products you would like to see available again!
Post a reply here or email us.Phone contact info is on our website also.
Thanks,
Erryn

How you can keep your hair color from fading

Well first of all here is a quick lesson in hair color to help you understand what is going on. This in turn can help you understand what's up with that and how to prevent it.
There are three primary colors that make up all other colors in the color spectrum. These are the primary colors red, blue and yellow.
Artificial hair color molecules vary in size from one another.
Blue being the smallest, red the medium and yellow the largest.
When you get your hair colored the hair cuticle opens and allows these colors to penetrate into the shaft then seals back down to keep these molecules in.


How this relates to how your color fades
Think of it like you fill a funnel with three different sized balls .The smallest balls will trickle out before the larger balls come out.
So if your hair color has blue or violet base like a blazing blue violet based red or a pearl shade of blonde and even ash and cool brunettes, the blue base color molecules in your hair are going to fall out of the shaft first leaving you looking brassy because the yellows and reds are shining through.
Red heads are the class that has the hardest time with color fadage though. Its just so painfully obvious when your color fades, especially if you have a red violet based color because it is a double whammy. Your losing the blue AND red molecules out of the shaft which can leave you with a not so pretty red tones which can vary from pink to orange shades.
Now copper based red heads don't have as much of an issue as violet based red heads because the blues involved are minimal for the most part. But not everyone can pull off a copper based red. On the right skin tone it can be glorious , but on the wrong skin tone you just look like you got a bad dye job. Copper based reds loose the red
pigment fastest and start looking yellow and dull.
Blondes have challenges which vary by the tone of blonde. Platinum and pearl or champagne blondes loose that oomph when violet undertones fade and they can begin to look brassy. Golden blondes can loose their warmth and start looking just white and flat.
Another reason your color may change over time is pollution and free radicals like the sun, pollution in the air and water and mineral deposits.Clorine,tanning and yes, even your shampoo and styling products
can strip your color.



What you can do to prevent it
Look for sulfate free shampoos that are gentle and made for color treated hair.Sulfates will strip your hair and make it squeaky clean which is great for non color treated hair, but avoid them like the plague if you want to keep your color fresh.
If you are planning on being outside alot or if you tan, use a hair product with a sunscreen. There are alot of these on the market now a days.
As far as styling products go, most contain alcohol which can lend to the issue. I would love to say stay away from anything with alcohol in it, but it isn't the most realistic advice I can give. Many manufacturers have marketed alcohol free styling product but they never go over very well. Without the alcohol styling products just take way too long to dry and by the time they dry, your style is flat and your look like a wet dog with sticky hair. If you do happen to find a great hair styling product that is alcohol free then by all means use it! Otherwise just make sure you have a leave in product to buffer the bond between your hair and the product. This doesn't have to be a leave in conditioner that weighs your hair down. It can be a leave in reconstruct free styling cream or gloss. There are alot of things you can try for this purpose just read the labels and ask your stylist if you are unsure what will work for you.
Rinse your hair in cool water to seal down the shaft over the color sealing it inside.
Don't wash every day. Try to wash your hair only when needed, not just because your already in the shower.
Wet your hair and apply a leave in conditioner before getting in the pool. If your hair is already saturated it will soak up less chlorine which fades color just like chlorine bleaches clothes out. After you get you out of the pool wash your hair again before it dries.Dont let the chorine harden into nasty deposits in your hair forcing the hair cuticle open and letting your color free to go down the drain.
Cover your hair in the tanning bed. I take a head wrap in with me.Ya I look silly, but nobody sees me, at least I hope not!
If you have hard or well water ,buy water to wash your hair with. You can get water by the gallon for under a dollar at most grocery stores.
Keep your hair healthy. Damaged hair will not hold color well because the shaft isn't strong enough to keep the color in and free radicals out.



What you can do to bring life back to your color
Try out color depositing shampoos and conditioners. They are a great way to give your color new life between salon visits. Go for a color that will enhance the tone and base colors that you need to re deposit. Use at least once a week to maintain color and more often if you need more deposit.
I also love semi permanent color to freshen color. Look for ammonia and peroxide free temporary hair color rinses that last four to six shampoos. These should be bottle to hair products. If you have to mix two things before application not temporary color! Your mixing a color and a developer no developer in temporary color. Its just basically like lip gloss for your hair. A color coating that washes back off with no damage and no permanent changes.
There are also alot of styling products available now that either have pigment added to them or reflective particles to add shine and dimension to your color.
Change your makeup and clothing as your color fades. AS your hair looses pigmentation so should your cosmetics and clothes. This gives the illusion that your just softening your look this week. Save the iridescent blue eye shadow and black eye liner to vamp up your fresh color next week.
And of course to stay beautiful check out our store and blog to get our updates on beauty tips and products.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

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Check out what Killer Startups as to say about us .Vote for us too and help get our review seen by more people!

New review from Killer Startups!!!

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Monday, January 26, 2009

My Favorite Products Right Now!

My favorite products for hair skin and nail.....
Number one all time favorite is
PAUL MITCHELL SUPER SKINNY SERUM BIGGIE 8.5 OZ
Its a lightweight leave in smoother and defrizzer.Not too heavy or oily and perfect for almost every hair type and texture.Great for flat ironing and curling or just plain ole every day use under gel mousse etc.

My newest vice is
TIGI Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Hair Shampoo 6.3 oz.
OH MA GOOSES! I have long thick hair that gets oily and this stuff is great to make your style last just one more day.Gives body and is great when your hair is "too clean" to get it to do anything as well.

I have a 4 year old who LOVES this
BIOSILK KIDS PURPLE BODY FOAM 3 PACK
She wont take a bath without her body foam!Smells divine and it lasts a long time due to the foam application.

Now this product is one of my customer favorites and I have tons of peple who swear by it
American Crew revitalize starter kit Normal
I also carry this in moisturizing as well as refill bottles of the revitalize spray and the serum is sold separately.ive had alot of customers tell me they have tried all sorts of products for thinning hair and this is the only one that worked for them.

Another popular product is
Joico Body Luxe bodyluxe root lift foam 10.2 oz 2 PACK
The great nozzle allows for easy application directly at the root for maximum body boosting super power.

Now here is my daily regimen of shampoo and conditioner
Pureology Hydrate Shampoo 32oz
Pureology Hydrate Conditioner 32oz
Pureology Instant Repair Leave in Conditioner 8.5 oz
I have bleached my hair dyed it black bleached it again then used 30 volume to turn it flame red then back black.And my hair is healthy as a babys hair and to my waist in length.Pureology is all organic and vegan and sulfate free.I also carry the volume line in my store and i can get just about any pureology product you may be looking for just ask!!
I will never use anything else other than pureology on my hair(im allergic to most shampoos as well and this does wonders for me)

Joico K Pak Line has wont many stylist choice awards as well for transforming dry damaged hair into healthy shiny hair.I have some great deals on gallons of K pak shampoo
Joico K-Pak Gallon Shampoo Free shipping inside the USA

Being a person with fair sensitive skin I really like Dermanew Products
DERMANEW FACIAL PURIFYING CLEANSER FOAMING GEL 6.8 OZ
and they have a great applicator cleaner i use all the time to clean my makeup brushes and applicators to prevent the spread of bacteria and breakouts
dermanew foam applicator antibacterial cleaner 6.8 oz


Im also a BIG fan of the sunless tan as I get older
REPECHAGE HYDRA SOLEIL SELFTANNING GEL SUNLESS TAN 6 OZ
Repechage is a great seaweed based product line

AND MY ALL TIME FAV EYE SHADOW
TIGI BED HEAD SPLURGE CREAM EYESHADOW METALLIC MARTINI
I carry 3 of these in my makeup bag!It is waterproof and easy to apply.You can apply light for a pale smoky gray or apply heavy for a flashy silvery sheen.Lasts ALL DAY AND NIGHT!

And for your stylist out there I have some great deals on this
Goldwell Oxycur Platin hair bleach 17.6 oz CASE OF 12
free shipping and below wholesale price so stock up!!!!
Best Bleach on the planet IMO

And sadly OPI has discontinued one of the best scents of Avojuice they ever made
DISCONTINUED SCENT OPI AVOJUICE BERRY 6.6 OZ
I do have a few in stock left as well as some other discontinued scents by OPI
This lotion makes your skin feel quenched not oiled and sticky after it dries.

I would love to hear some comments on your favorite products!

DIY Hair at home

Times are tight right now and an increasing number of people are trying to cut costs by DIY hair color and more.
A Great way to extend your do at home is a quick bang trim.Don't get carried away with the old kitchen shears and hack yourself to pieces!Go to Sallys or another public beauty supply store and pick up a pair of hair cutting shears.You can get a cheap pair that will work just fine for about $15.Cutting your bangs wet can be a downfall due to shrinkage upon drying.Your best bet is to fix your hair as usual (skip the hairspray)and collect all the bang area into one section.Pinch all the bang area into one piece and hold between 2 fingers directly centered over the bridge of your nose.Hold your fingers low right above where you want to cut.If you need a half inch off then cut a quarter inch off in one smooth movement horizontally.When you release your hair the outside edges should be a bit longer than the center If you need a bit more off just repeat the process only cutting a minimal amount each time until you get your bangs to a manageable length to get you through until your next cut in a salon.
Want to venture into coloring your hair at home?
If you are looking for a major change in color (more than 2 shades darker or lighter)Then you shouldn't even consider DIY as an option.If your just looking at a retouch and you already know what color you have on your hair just try to ONLY do your regrowth that can be seen.Overlapping color can cause major damage.But if you are the kind of person who has regrowth showing after 2 or 3 weeks in your part line and around your hair line...find out what level color and tone of color you have on there and get a color close to that.I would recommend using a demi permanent color on your regrowth between salon visits and never using anything more than 10 volume developer to blend in the regrowth with the colored hair.This can extend your hair color visits to the salon by a few weeks pretty easy.By the time the Demi permanent color is fading out you ll be ready for an all over retouch and color refreshing in a salon.Make sure you run this option past your stylist and see if they have any pointers to help you stretch your color.
If you just want to put all over color on your hair to blend gray into your natural color then again go for a demi permanent color.Stay away from pre boxed color and opt for Sallys or another public beauty supply store.A 10 volume developer will just blend the grays in and the color will fade naturally leaving you with no line of demarcation as the roots grow in.If you really want to do permanent after you find the perfect shade you can move up to 20 volume developer but be careful not to overlap on retouch.You may need to enlist the help of a friend for a retouch.If your ends are fading then take the remaining color and mix it with half conditioner and pull it through to your ends for the last 5 minutes of processing just to freshen the ends up.
Don't go too far from your natural color or you may end up paying hundreds of dollars for a corrective color service in a salon!!!!

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Interview With A Stylist

Ok so your not happy with your current stylist.Youve been going there for years because gosh darn it....shes such a nice person and you feel guilty "cheating" on her.
Well I have good news!
Divorcing your stylist is easy and painless.
No lawyers no red tape.It isnt a marraige and if your stylist isnt continually bringing new things and new ideas to the table then she/he isnt a stylist.They are just a hair cutter doing the same things over and over like mowing lawns.A good stylist will keep updating his/her education to EARN their clientele so dont throw your money away on a stylist that just is in it for the cash and not the passion of the business.
Ok so now youve decided to make a clean break but your scared.....
Its OK to be scared and you very well should be.
Any yahoo with a pair of scissors can get a license and start hacking at people !
Think of it as dating your perspective hair mate.

Interview each stylist your are considering:
Where do i find perspective stylist?
Check people out everywhere you go.If you see a hair style you like ask that person who does their hair and where.
Get a manicure , pedicure ,or facial at a nice salon and ask the Esthetician or Manicurist who they would reccomend from that salon.
Dont judge a book by its cover.Ive seen butcher jobs come out of "high end" salons and amazing work come out of mom n' pop shops.Its all about each stylist individual passion and style not about working in a salon for prestige or money.

REMEBER THE RULE OF DATING A STYLIST
Never Ever Go To Third Base On A First Date

1st base:Styling.Painless non invasive and a great way to see what they are made of.
Make an appointment for a blow out and see if they can make your hair look great without using electrical tools.This takes some talent and training and is a great test of skills.While your there check out what other stylist are doing and what they are sending out the door.If you see something you like ,make note of where that stylist chair is and what they look like and call in and ask about that stylist.Ask about what kinds of continuing education the salon offers to their stylist.Let your stylist know you are looking for a simple easy way to do your hair that does not involve flat irons or curling irons and make sure they show you how to do the same thing at home.Get your hands in there and ask if they can show you how to hold the brush and blow your how out properly.A good stylist will take the time to educate you.A bad stylist just wants to get you out the door as quickly as possible and get paid.



2nd base=color...Color is much easier to correct than a cut.Go for a nice semi or demi permanent alternative to test their skills.Ask what shade,base color and what level color as well as the brand they are using.Then ask them why they are using that.Educate yourself as much as possible.you have every right to know what is going on with your hair dont feel guilty for asking as many questions as you want.A knowledgeable stylist will welcome the chance to show off their database of information they have collected through the years.


3rd base=cutting...by now your ready to consumate your relationship with a cut.First time go slow and easy ...just a trim...maybe some texture added...remember you still dont know this person as well as you need to before your biggest commitment together ever.........Your new style baby.
Once you are sure this is the stylist for you then you can consider a change of look.Bring in photos of what you like.Bring several different looks and ask the stylist what would be the best for your hair and ask why.Then GO FOR IT!!!


Build your relationship
Educate yourself as much as possible and tap your stylist brain.Ask about every product and ask why they are using it and what it does.I know you want to dive in and tell them all your secrets and make a new friend ...but try to stick to their skill level and getting to know their stylist personality first.Ive heard over and over as a stylist that a client will retun to you if they like you as a person even if your skill level isnt up to par.That is a fundamental clientele building tactic.Make them like you and they will be back.Dont be that client.Make your stylist earn their keep by educating themselves and you and the friendship will grow out of respect and gratitude for a job well done and youll look and feel better than ever.

HOPE THIS HELPS!!:>
Erryn

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Free And Low Cost Beauty Tips You Can Do At HOME!!

OK so its winter and your hair is a frizzy staticy mess...
Join the crowd.
GOOD NEWS!!!Taming the static is much easier and cheaper than you may think!
Nothing better than running a dryer sheet over your hair to de-static your hair.

Itchy scalp?
Try making your own sugar scrub at home.Just mix over the counter sugar with a lightweight conditioner and mix into a paste.Apply it directly to your scalp in sections.This will soothe and exfoliate your dry scalp and the sugar as it dissolves rinses away easily.

Itchy Skin?
This is one of my WORST issues.Winter time turns my skin into a dry itchy mess so I use my hair conditioner on my skin after I wash.Sounds odd i know but basically the PH of hair and skin are the same .Apply a quick thin layer of conditioner to your worst areas like legs and elbows and rinse it off quickly then pat yourself dry and apply lotion as usual.Youll notice a difference within a week that your skin actually feels "conditioned"

Now here are a few simple tips for your hair that cost you nothing but changing your habits.

Rinse your conditioner in cool water.I know it is a horrible way to end a hot steamy shower in cold water but ....your hair will love you for it.This seals down the cuticle sealing the conditioner inside the hair shaft giving your hair more shine.

Make sure you blow dry your hair with the dryer pointed from the roots to tips.This also helps keep the cuticle sealed and makes your hair shaft look smoother and shinier.It also cuts down on your flat iron time!

Avoid washing your hair every day if at all possible.Imagine what would happen to your favorite swater if you washed it every day!Even if you have problems with oily hair there are products out there made for this very problem.Check out this new dry shampoo TIGI Rockaholic Dirty Secret Dry Hair Shampoo 6.3 oz. .I Keep a can in every bathroom and one in the car!

Hope these little tips help and if you have hair problems or solutions please post them here!
blog ya soon
erryn