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Archive for February, 2012

Non-Surgical Facelifts are the Hot New Thing in Skin Care

Posted on: February 29th, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

Non-Surgical FaceliftThere is a new wave in skin care that is increasing in popularity. While facelifts used to mean expensive, invasive surgery, non-surgical facelifts are becoming all the rage. This is a form of acupuncture where needles are used to cause micro-trauma to the face, which promotes collagen and elastin production in the dermis. Over the course of a number of sessions, usually 6 or 7, this has the effect of a facelift without invasive surgery, and for a lot less money than would be spent on a surgical facelift.

What does this new line of defense against the signs of aging mean to estheticians and students attending esthetician school? It means there is a new game in town, and if you do not know how to play, you may miss out. The rise in popularity and highly effective nature of the non-surgical facelift make it a skill that is very likely worth learning and one that could greatly increase the profitability of any esthetician’s business. Students should discuss with their school the issue of whether this is something that has a role in the future of esthetician services, but also look around at the demand and determine for themselves if it something that could increase business.

In fact, there is a growing trend that sees acupuncturists hiring estheticians to perform non-surgical facelift services in their offices. This is a great deal for both the acupuncturist and the esthetician, as the acupuncturists pays quite well, and they are able to increase their business significantly. They are able to focus on the holistic health benefits of their services, yet still offer their clients the anti-aging benefits of acupuncture as well, through the esthetician.

The partnership is one that is both lucrative and currently somewhat rare, making it prime for an ambitious student or experienced esthetician looking for something different. Adding the skill to an already extensive repertoire of esthetician skills could very likely prove to be a huge financial boon, and whether working with an acupuncturist or in a standard spa, the service is becoming more in demand by the minute. It is quite possible the non-invasive and less expensive nature along with the obvious effectiveness of this procedure could cause it to replace standard surgical facelifts as we know them in the not too distant future, and those who know how to do it only stand to reap the rewards.

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Was this Ottawa Fashion Week Designer Racist?

Posted on: February 27th, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

“It was nothing against any race,” designer Andy Nguyen said in the wake of a very well received fashion show at Fashion Week in the vibrant and progressive Canadian capital of Ottawa.”I’m sorry if it caused people to think that.” While it is common for designers to have small quotes published in the aftermath of big shows, rarely is the focus shifted from the clothing lines to possible racist undertones.

Such was the case after Nguyen trotted out handful of models that had their entire faces covered in black makeup, a move that was creative and completely innocent in nature. Unfortunately, the move was met with criticism by a few overzealous critics with large social followings. In the aftermath of the show, Ottawa software engineer Rachel Decoste let her feelings be known about what she viewed as a show that celebrated old-fashioned racism. Decoste chose to see the artistic move as one that was a low-blow against the African-American community, calling the makeup “black face” and noting that the show was performed during Black History Month. Hers and the words of a few select others sent Nguyen into full backpedal mode.

The 22-year-old upstart designer spoke from the bottom of his heart when he explained that the decision to coat the entire faces of a handful of models in a thin layer of matte black makeup was nothing more that a unique idea meant to play on the lighting in the auditorium and the contrasting colors of the outfits. Ottawa Fashion Week defended the young designer by stating that they received no complaints from those in attendance; the vast majority of whom actually gave Nguyen a standing ovation upon the completion of the show.

While a few people’s feathers were ruffled by the display and seemingly disappointed by the fact that no on in the audience acted in a way that showed open disgust, Nguyen’s makeup choice was obviously a bold and innovative move that had absolutely nothing to do with race. The makeup was clearly not done in the style of racist “black face” – it was just black makeup. Period.  The racially offensive “black face” makeup of the late 19th and early-20th century was an over-the-top attempt at offending African Americans. But Nguyen’s models had nothing in common with the thick, glossy approaches of yesteryear that exaggerated a red mouth and other features.

A “scandal” such as this can certainly be a scar on the record of a designer, especially a young one that is still forming his image. But very few people are in the camp that Nguyen meant anything offensive, and his models — many of whom are African American — seem to fully support him and his vibrant, refreshing work. So in short – stop looking for problems and start focusing on the fashion.

View Photos from the Andy Hoan Nguyen Show at Ottawa Fashion Week   

What do you think? Cast your vote!

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Beyoncé Opens Cosmetology Center In Brooklyn

Posted on: February 24th, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

Megastar Beyoncé Knowles has long been a part-time philanthropist during the downtime of a music and film career that has brought her fame and recognition all over the world. In March of last year, Beyoncé was the official ribbon-cutter at a ceremony that marked the opening of The Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at Phoenix House, an organization that was conceived and founded by the versatile 30-year-old and her mother.

Located in the heart of Brooklyn, the center will offer a seven month cosmetology program that will prepare students to complete the New York State Cosmetology Licensure Exam. The exam is essentially the gateway through which all potential cosmetologists in the great state of New York must go before they enter the profitable and colorful realm of hair styling and other forms of beautification.

Although the center will be open to folks from all walks of life, the student population will be former addicts that are seeking a springboard to a stable and happy life. Beyoncé actually had the idea of the center all the way back in 2008 when she visited a Phoenix House while rehearsing for a movie role. She said that she immediately bonded with many of the women and felt sympathy for them in light of the fact that nobody chooses a life of dependency and addiction. Given the fact that Beyoncé’s mother owned and operated a salon while she was a child, the idea made perfect sense to both women, who soon teamed up to make the dream a reality.

Cosmetology is the perfect career for someone who has once lived as an addict. “The first sign of recovery is caring about your appearance,” noted in a recent interview. “Hopefully this center will be a place that changes lots of lives every year.”

The center’s location is perfect for graduates that are looking for work in the neighborhood. New York City is known for having some of the most vibrant and skilled cosmetologists in the entire world, so even though the job market is vast, the competition is also fierce. The school doesn’t aim to simply go through a checklist of lessons and requirements, but rather to give the students incredibly valuable, hands-on experience that will equate to good paying jobs and a sense of stability and purpose.

In addition to learning their way around a salon, students will also be taught real-world skills that pertain to computers and money management, amongst other things. Beyoncé is a regular at the center when her schedule allows her to be in town, but the birth of her and husband Jay-Z‘s first child late last year will likely curtail her social activities for awhile. Even so, the incredibly talented and beautiful performer can certainly lay her head on her pillow at night knowing that she is making a positive impact in an often crazy and uncertain world.

Beyonce Knowles Phoenix House Cosmetology Center

Photo provided by Phoenix House

Visit the Phoenix House official website for more information.

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Military Spouses Often Face Licensing Issues When PCSing

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

Military Spouse Cosmetology LicensingThe life of a military spouse is often a challenging and stressful one, but the Obama administration is taking some big steps toward ironing out some legal licensing kinks that will make it easier for military spouses with varying specialty degrees and licenses to find employment upon relocation. The nature of being in the military obviously involves a great degree of uncertainty in terms of living location and duration. Lives are often uprooted and replanted in the span of one short week as a result of the incredible demands that are put upon a full time service member, particularly PCSing (permanent change of station).

Many spouses that stay home and take care of the household and/or children while their loved ones are overseas tending to foreign affairs often become bored with the routine and seek out a meaningful and rewarding career to supplement the household income and give themselves a greater sense of worth. Thousands of military spouses have gone through the process of attaining accreditation to be professional attorneys, real estate agents or cosmetologists, for example, only to have to start over at the beginning of the process when their spouses get orders for a new station.Obviously, this is a horribly unfair reality that can add much stress to what is often already a tense situation, not to mention the negative impact it has on a person’s ability to generate household income. A legal sticking point lies in the fact that each individual state is responsible for determining the guidelines of their licensing rules, meaning that the federal government has little jurisdiction in the matter.An extreme example of the discrepancies would be a cosmetologist that relocates from Manhattan to San Francisco having to put in an additional 600 hours as an apprentice in order to qualify for a cosmetology license in the Golden State.

Despite this, the White House has rallied 11 states to agree to honor the licensing of other states when it comes to military spouses. The deal is structured so that if the state requires that the licensee undergo the process again they will be given a temporary license with which to do businesses until they have satisfied the local requirement. The news is being met with enthusiasm and optimism by the fleet of military wives and husbands whose lives and cosmetology career paths have been directly altered by this unfortunate situation.

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Rihanna and $5,000 for a Bottle of Nail Polish?

Posted on: February 21st, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments
Red Carpet Manicure's Amor 24 Gel Polish

Image provided by Red Carpet Manicure at https://www.facebook.com/redcarpetmanicure

Nail polish in an added little accessory that really puts some pizzazz in your look. When you’re wearing a little black dress, a fierce shade of red on your fingers and toes can really pop. Even a color that matches your attire, such as a light pink shade of polish with your paisley pink shirt, can be an attractive way to paint your nails. However, the newest revelation in painting your nails is a celebrity-sported trend that includes gel nail polish.

But it’s not just your average gel polish. It’s a $5,000 bottle of nail polish. Rihanna showed off her gel-painted nails that were done by celebrity manicurist, Kimmie Kyees. Although many celebs are following this trend, Rihanna showed off her gel-manicure at the Grammy’s this year. Her nail polish cost $5,000.

You’re probably wondering, what exactly made this manicure so pricey? First, gel polish goes on smoothly and has the added benefit of lasting longer than many other polishes. Gel polish even maintains its shine and color for extended periods of time. These polishes last up to two or three weeks without chipping. This is probably why celebs are so intrigued to use this form of nail coloring. The polish used on the pop princess’s nails was Red Carpet Manicure’s Amor 24 gel-polish. This probably doesn’t mean very much to you, since some of Red Carpet Manicure’s products are priced at less than $15 per bottle. However, the 24 in this gel color means something important —24-karat gold. Yes, that’s right, 24-karat gold. Each bottle of the gel-polish is made of real 24K gold, which is why it comes with a $5K price tag.

While your favorite stars are rocking sexy, sparkling nails, you don’t have to be envious, because you can have gold infused gel nail polish, too. No, we’re not advising you spend your life’s savings on nail polish. Instead, we’re suggesting that you purchase an alternative, such as Real Gold’s flecked top coats. They come in either gold or silver, and are composed of real gold or silver particles that are in the topcoat polish. There are plenty of different ones to choose from, including pure silver glitter, 12K white gold and 22K gold, and they’re much more budget-friendly at only $7.95 for a 0.5 oz. bottle. Real Gold Inc. also launched a real precious metal polish costing only $14.95 for a 0.4 oz bottle.

Try these products at home to mimic Rihanna’s gold nail polish look:
 

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Getting a Facial Massage

Posted on: February 21st, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

KCTV5 anchorwoman Carolyn Long and her colleague, the forward-thinking fashionista Michael Mackie, joined teachers and students at Mitsu Sato Hair Academy in Overland Park, Kansas to learn more about the art and science of giving and getting facial massages. They talk about what estheticians do, as well as some of the things you’ll learn in esthetics school while giving real facial massages!

 

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Try Out These New York Fashion Week Hair and Makeup Trends

Posted on: February 20th, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

All too often, the hair and makeup at any fashion week seems over the top. But every now and then a jaw-dropping application inspires an epiphany and makes you think, “I could totally pull that off in real life.”

A prime example would be the sexy tousles of the Rag and Bone show. In what has been described as a “Patty Smith goes to India” style theme, Redken lead stylist, Guido Palau, created ultra-feminine and “downtown cool” dreadlock waves. To achieve the look, Palau applied a generous amount of Redken Full Frame Volumizing Mouse to hair while damp, then allowed the locks to air dry. After separating the hair with a scattered ’70s center part, Palau massaged Redken Rough Paste 12 from root to tip, separating and twisting large chunky sections of hair along the way. A little ruffling at the crown added the finishing touch.

Another look fashion followers can try at home includes the red-lipped-ponytail combo from Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2012. According to Glamazon, models wore a prim and proper side-part with the rest of the hair sleeked back at the nape of the neck. Shiseido Artistic Director, Dick Page used a matte Dual Balancing Foundation to offset the crimson lip color. The waxy, custom blend went on with a small eye-shadow brush for precision.

Experts will tell you creating lipstick is an art unto itself, but Perfect Rouge in Cerise or Valentine make great stand-ins. Here is another bit of advice: exercise cautious optimism with applications of red because they are easy to overdo. The same can be said of colorful eyeliner apps.

With Ginnifer Goodwin, Reese Witherspoon and a bevy of other stars spotted sporting jewel-toned eyeliner, you would do well to familiarize yourself with color, or at least make friends with the idea. For the Costell Tagliapietra show, makeup artist Lisa Butler of the MAC Pro Team applied peach and mauve to the upper lids and touched off the lower lids with a soft teal color. At StyleSight.com, Butler says blending gray and green cream shadows below the eye added drama and personality to an otherwise nude foundation.

Butler used a pointed liner brush to apply a mix of shades from the Delft and Natural Fibre Fall Trend Crème Eye Shadow Palette. This particular collection of color pots is not available until later this year. But you can get the “bright eye” look this season with Tigi High Density Eye Shadow Palette or the Yves Saint Laurent Ombres 5 Luminieres N.13.

Just remember cream shadows are tricky. Shannon R., a beauty blogger at Self.com, says cream shadows settle into the creases on the eyelid. The same goes for the fine lines around the bottom of your eye. Priming the area with foundation or powder promotes a longer lasting finish. At the risk of looking like a resplendent peacock, you also want to apply cream shadows with a light touch.

What do you think, beauty fiends? Are you ready to put these fashion week trends into practice?

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Beauty gives back during New York Fashion Week

Posted on: February 17th, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments


When most of us think about fashion week, we think about A-list designers, flashbulbs and unyielding glamor. However, a new trend within the industry may change our view of fashion week forever. With all eyes trained on fashion industry insiders, the country’s top designers are tapping into the excitement and glamour of fashion week to help provide fundraising opportunities for non-profit organizations for women and children.

This year, several designers have partnered with non-profit groups like the Bottomless Closet to produce fashion show fundraisers. The Bottomless Closet is a non-profit organization based in New York City that helps disadvantaged women learn how to dress for success. As the economy wanes and federal and state grant funding remains sparse, non-profit organizations like the Bottomless Closet have gotten more creative in their fundraising efforts as they try to supplement their straining budgets.

One such creative partnering resulted in the development of Real Fashion Real Women, a fashion show event produced by celebrity stylist Derek Warburton. While Warburton is best known for styling some of Hollywood’s leading talent, including Beyonce Knowles and Miranda Kerr, few realize that the stylist himself was once homeless for a few months during his youth and relied on the kindness of strangers to help him get back on his feet. This experience, along with his general desire to help others, resulted in the idea that eventually became the Real Fashion Real Women fundraising event.

The Real Fashion Real Women fashion show was held Thursday at New York’s Empire Hotel and featured 24 real New Yorkers who walked the runway in some of fashion’s most recognizable names. Funds were raised through tickets sales ($50 per ticket) and via personal donations. The women, who were all New York residents, wore garments from a handful of A-list designers including Nicole Miller, Nanette Lepore, Betsey Johnson, Rachel Comey and Raul Penaranda.

While Thursday’s fashion show event was a celebration of what can happen when fashion and non-profit come together, the event also helped to boost the self-esteem of the 24 women who were selected to walk the runway based on their inspiring life stories. Many of the women who participated in the event came from difficult backgrounds which included poverty, domestic violence, homelessness and incarceration. Not only did the fashion show provide critical funding to the Bottomless Closet, but it also helped the models to recognize their own beauty and learn to be comfortable in their own skin.

If you are a hairstylist or make-up artist who would like to become more involved in your community, there are many ways you can help. Use your skill set to help women and children by getting involved with women’s organizations like the Bottomless Closet. Or, gather a team of hairstylists and make-up artists to assist with a fundraising fashion show in your city or provide makeovers for women’s organizations that help unemployed mothers find work. For more information about how you can make a difference in your community, contact your city’s women’s center or your local office of Health and Human Services.

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What People Think I Do: Cosmetologists

Posted on: February 17th, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

What People Think I Do: Cosmetologist

Copy and paste the code below to embed this funny image into your website or blog!

When the hot new meme “What People Think I Do” started, we just had to jump on board and make one for cosmetologists. There are so many common misconceptions about what cosmetologists do, though cosmetology is a very respectable career worth being proud of! Your friends may think you’re the new source for free haircuts and manicures. Your parents may think you’re still just playing around with makeup. Society thinks you sit around and do each other’s hair and gossip. Your kids think you’re cutting off an extension of them when you cut their hair. But what you really do is consult with clients and make them feel great about their appearance. Go you. :) Here’s more information on what a cosmetologist really does. (And cosmetology is not just making people pretty.)

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Get the Lead Out, FDA, and Get the Lead Out of Lipstick

Posted on: February 16th, 2012 by Beauty Schools Directory No Comments

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Lead was once considered a material solely found in paint and other products manufactured before the ’90s. However, many products on the market today contain lead, including children’s toys that were recently pulled from shelves. The dangers of lead toxicity range in severity from vomiting and headaches to memory loss, hypertension and miscarriage.

With so many women who put on lipstick to get a little fabulous for Valentine’s Day, the issue of lipstick containing a small amount of lead was brought to everyone’s attention once again. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calmed consumers by posting on their website that the amount of lead in lipstick is minimal, and since the product is made for topical use only, there’s not enough in the product to be a cause for concern.

Prior to the FDA putting the rumors regarding the dangers of lipstick to rest, the coalition the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics stated that there is no safe amount of lead, especially when you take into consideration how much lead accumulates in the human body over time. In addition, pregnant women and children may use lipstick, and there’s no way to determine exactly how much lead is safe for either group.

At the beginning of the month, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics suggested to the FDA to enforce a limit on the amount of lead in lipstick. The response to the urgent letter was announced by the FDA soon after in the form of the web post made by administration to inform consumers that there’s no immediate danger in the lead levels. In fact, the pigments in the cosmetics have a cap on the amount of lead in them; however, the cosmetics themselves don’t have any limits implemented at this time.

The consumer group questioned the remarks made by the FDA. This lead to the FDA re-releasing data that was found last year dealing with the levels of lead in 400 different lipsticks. From these findings, the FDA concluded that the average lipstick contains 1.11 ppm of lead. Although lead isn’t an actual ingredient in lipsticks — it’s due to contamination of the raw ingredients — the consumer group still urges the FDA to apply restrictions to the amount of lead in cosmetics. The administration has made no further statements on the subject at this time.

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