TABATHA'S SALON TAKEOVER- ALLURE SALON

After I made it official and declared Tuesdays" TST Tuesday" I couldn't wait to see what was in store for Allure Salon down in Coconut Grove Florida.

Pablo the 21 yr old salon owner was neck deep in debt over 75,000 and in the habit of being totally disrespected by his staff (pobresito Pablito). His story did inspire me because he worked his way from receptionist to salon owner in a short period of time (that's pretty cool).

The staff meeting was like every staff meeting that I've ever been in in this industry. The owner is not doing enough to promote the salon and the stylist are totally annoyed. Thank goodness Tabatha was there to help them help them out. They hit the beach to promote the salon. Offering free consultations and hair cuts what a great marketing idea.



There were no casualties just one temper tantrum thrown by a seasoned stylist (not surprising). I wish the team at Allure the very best.

BEAUTY ON A BUDGET

We are being bombarded with talks of an economy gone bad. The information overload can be overwhelming, but we have to stand tall and, most importantly, look good while we wait this thing out.

Here are a few things that you can do right now to look your best.

Clip Coupons

Grab your scissors, local newspapers, and a few of those value pak ads and clip coupons to your favorite spa or for beauty products. If the thought of doing so seems daunting, add your girl friends, a few bottles of wine from Fieldstone Winery, and make a party of it. This could save you big bucks and put a little wiggle room back in your beauty budget.

Stay Connected

If you are serious about keeping yourself pampered, join your esthetician's e-newsletter, Facebook Fan Page, or follow her on Twitter. This way your ear is to the ground; and when she has an awesome special, you will be in the know.

Find a Beauty Buddy

Some spas offer packages "buy 9 and get 1 free" or something like that... Well, why not partner with a friend or foe, just as long as you are beautiful, and take advantage of a package deal. You can split the cost among you and keep yourself looking fierce while saving money.

Word of Mouth

Hey, even if you don't have a pair of scissors, a computer, or friends, you can still be beautiful on a budget. Become a glambassador for the esthy that you believe in. Send referrals her way and take advantage of loyalty programs offered by your esthetician. All is fair in love and beauty.

The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. Remember, this is all about survival of the cutest.

THE BACHELOR, QUEEN BEE & ME

As an esthetician that provides services for males, I have noticed a trend among bachelors. We will be waxing right along for several months, or even years; and then one day, he comes in with this come hither expression on his face, and he tells me that he is twitterpated (not with me). I am like what? Twitterpated -- NO!!!!

In plain English it means that he has met someone, which by normal standards, I am totally happy for him because we all need Love; but in clientese, what he just told me was that our days are numbered -- no more afternoon wax sessions, no more skin care consultations, and then Ms.Esthetician will be getting the boot because there's a new sheriff in town and she don't play.

As a matter of fact, she's going to convince him that I am useless and that he is spending way too much money on my professional services (which are really for her benefit), and that he could save money by not waxing with me anymore. Hmph! Of course, this is only a ploy so that he will turn right around and spend all that he has saved on her. The Manipulation.

Fellas, stay strong. Don't end up being the guy whose girl waxes him on the bathroom floor with the Sally Hansen DIY Kit. This = Epic Failure. Here are a few things that you can do to have the best of both worlds.

Keep It In The Closet

What happens at Ms. Esthetician's stays at Ms. Esthetician's. No, I am not advocating deception; but I am telling you the less she knows, the better off we are.

Eye of the Tiger

The cat is out of the bag, and now that she knows about your manscaping habits, fight the good fight to keep your regular grooming schedule. There are some things that are not worth compromising. If grooming is a part of who you are as a person, then be authentic and keep up your routine, and encourage her to have one, as well.

I believe that person should never sacrifice more than you can afford to lose. Be good to yourself. Wax.

GETTING YOUR MONEY'S WORTH

I continue to get the same phone call..."How much do you charge for a female Brazilian bikini wax? Tell them the price and one of two things happens. They either book the appointment with me or continue to shop looking for a better deal.

I think it's pretty safe to say that people love bargains. My mom is the queen of bargain land. If the needle in the haystack had bargain written all over it, my mom could so find it with her eyes closed. I've had to draw the line when it comes to my bargain hunting; I don't buy cheap shoes, toothpaste, undergarments, or skin care.

The saying you get what you pay for is true. There are times when you've saved $30 to turn around and pay $80. I had a client come back in, in the fall, and she'd first gone to another salon in her neighborhood to get a bikini wax. After she'd paid her money, she ended up calling me to re-do what she supposedly had done at the other salon.

Now listen carefully; look before leaping into that bargain at a local salon or spa. Some things you should consider are:

1) Are they fluent in clientese?

2) Are they licensed?

3) Are the details for their services posted? Don't be afraid to ask for details of the service that you are looking for. If they can't give you details, keep going until you can get them.

Over the intercom...Thanks for waxing with Ms. Esthetician, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

PAYING IT FORWARD...

My parents are polar opposites when it comes to their shopping habits...my mother is the avid bargain shopper, and my father is the "big spender" of the family, well at least according to her. I think I have a little bit of both of my parents' qualities in me. Since boarding the entrepreneur express, I am more conscientious of where I spend my money.

Don't get me wrong; I love me some Target' (that's French for Target), but it's a little different now. I make it a point to support local business, like yesterday when I dropped my watch off to Jay at Rizzo Jewelers to have the battery changed for $3.00.

Or when I hit up the sidewalk sales in Rochester, and stopped by Sole Sisters last week. I picked up a really cute pair of all black leather pumps for $20.00 and a super cool Made In Detroit hat that I just adore for $25.00.

So normally I would not pay $25.00 for a hat, or $75.00 for the jeans that I bought today at Bella Vita Boutique in Ferndale, but I want to spend my money with other local entrepreneurs. Since being in business, I have learned that smaller businesses cannot afford to buy in bulk the way that "big box" stores can; so the prices are higher.

To me it makes perfect sense to shop local to fuel my economy, and support the community that I live and work in. In my opinion, that is priceless.

WAXING @$$ AND TAKING NAMES...

Over the last few years body waxing in particular brazilian bikini waxing has gotten a bad reputation. There is the lady that lost her legs to a self wax and then the young woman from Australia that almost died from a brazilian bikini wax. Why on God's green earth would anyone want to wax putting them self in harms way?

The strongest arguments against waxing are based on misinformation and over the top exaggerations. Here are the myth revealed.

When I asked my facebook fans and twitterverse peeps, why they did not wax? I heard a resounding "Because It Freaking Hurts". So my response to that is "Duh, you are ripping hair out from the root". That is not a good enough reason to refrain from waxing. I'll say this "if you can have sex, you can wax. If you wax you can have even more sex".

"My friend told me that her cousin's, neighbor's, grandmother's, niece on her father's side had a brazilian bikini wax a few years ago and she said that no one should ever wax do brazilian waxing". Remember the childhood game telephone?...by the time the story gets to you it's really different than when it was first told. It's in your best interest to do your own research on body waxing...citysearch and yelp are resources that provide great feed back.

"Two Weeks is Too Long To Just Let Myself Go". Understood. The growout phase has been known to bring grown men to their knees in sheer agony, but it is so worth all of your efforts. Wax once enjoy two weeks of smoothness and then re-enter the growout phase a changed person.
"
"I don't want anybody looking at my yewwho". Self image is important and I take into consideration that people are sensitive when it comes to their bodies. I will offer this bit of advice. I see backs, cracks, and sacs all day long and as long as you are fresh and clean you blend in with the others. "If You've Seen One You've Seen 'Em All".

Share your thoughts on body waxing myths.

TOP TEN REASONS PEOPLE CHOOSE MS. ESTHETICIAN

You'll be amused:

10. I have not double-dipped since 2006

9. Other really smart, beautiful,trendy people come to me for their waxes

8. I actually went to beauty school, graduated, and have a real state of Michigan issued license

7. Growing up my mom told me "don't pick your zits" Guess what mom? People pay me to pick their zits

6. The sense of fulfillment after a days work is very life changing--Just joking I love ripping out unwanted hair

5. I have really high standards-- translation, my prices are premium and worth every penny

4. I am thorough, but not in a creepy weird way

3. I love giving advice on skin care--which fulfills my secret desire of being a psycho-therapist

2. I will wax anything, if it sits still long enough

1. I give away free thongs

UNPROTECTED WAXING

Unprotected Waxing Is BAD... Really really bad...

OVER-NIGHT SUCCESS...MY FOOT

There is no magic pill...that will give you instant success...hard work+determination+FOCUS=Success. That was a tweet (twitter-my favorite form of social media) that I sent out last week. disclaimer-It generally helps if you hava a passion first, then apply the combination. Just wanted to put that out there.

I attended an informational seminar given by Mr. Michael Angelo Caruso on June 23,2009. The seminar was aswesomeass. Mr. Caruso did an excellent job in sharing the keys to his success, and there it was. My Aha/Whew-Hoo moment came slightly after the seminar say around 3 or 4 am Wednesday morning, as I was sitting at my computer pouring over my notes and tweeting my heart out.

Looking for the magic combination to send this "WAXSTAR" into orbit. That magic combo was Hard Work+Determination+FOCUS=Success. It hit me like a ton of cushioney play play bricks, you know the kind you buy your kids...yeah those are the ones, but still a ton of them. I was jumping up and down running around in circles. Thank the Lawd above my husband was at work and my daughter was with my folks.

So this was truly my moment. I then made a pact with myself to not look for the someone or something to help launch my success. I am in charge of M.E. You've gotta love the irony. On my journey to Greatness I read or heard that I needed a publicist, so I sought one out.

I had a conversation with her the week before my Aha/Whew-hoo moment in which I was critiqued to the highest form one human being can be critiqued. From the top of my "damaged hair" head (no, my hair is not damaged) to the soles of my un-polished feet"(don't tell her that she couldn't see my tootsies). I thought to myself "self, she kinda sucks".

She could have been a bull in my china shop, but I was not having that. No Way No How!!! Change this, change that, do this, do that blah blah blah. I wasn't offended or the least bit hurt. I actually laughed, because she doesn't know me very well. She shoulda asked my daddy about his baby girl that is part him, and the larger leftover portion being my mother. A 5'3" woman that won't start a thing, but believe me there won't be anything either.

For goodness sake she got the "Right One Baby". It was coupled with her critique-a-pa-looza, and Michael Caruso's seminar that I realized. "I Am Enough". That if I worked hard, was determined, remained focused than I would be a success.

Male Grooming

Guys are jumping on the grooming band wagon. This video gives the fellas a few pointers for keeping it tight if that's what they like.

A BEDAZZLED BIKINI WAX

A few years after the Brazilian bikini wax tore through the city, New York women were ripe for a new gimmick–something extreme to justify the pain and indignity of that half-hour, totally denuding procedure.

So some genius came up with the idea of arranging tiny, self-adhesive Swarovski crystals on the newly revealed expanse and charging $65 to $105 for the ordeal. And now that small hordes of would-be Carrie Bradshaws are lining up for the torturous treatment, two Manhattan salons are each claiming credit for this new frontier in masochism.

D.I.Y.'ERS

I have a confession. Off and then on again I have relaxed my own hair. It started in our kitchen in between the stove and the sink. That is where my mom would relax my hair. Then I graduated to doing it myself in the bathroom.

So after years of my hair snapping in two like uncooked spaghetti noodles. I convinced myself that I was one of those women with hair so fragile that it could not with stand a relaxer.

I then went cold turkey and Au natural (Oh¡ Napptural is what my little sister called it). I sported my fro for years. Until that time it caught fire after a fight I lost to a Conair blow-dryer. I was attempting to straighten my locks for a trip to Chicago.

Reintroduced relaxer in 2005, and sported a blue finned Mohawk shortly after the birth of my daughter. Then I completely lost my patience and shaved my head bald in January 2007. I was sick of my hair, and I could not figure out what to do with it.

We were on our way out to a U 0f D Womens Basketball game when I walked out of the bathroom. My head was shining like new money. I am pretty sure that my husband threw up in his mouth that day. He couldn't believe that I would cut my hair off like that. By the way we never made it to that game.

He immediately called my mother and asked for her advice. She said "oh she's at it again"? Again? Yes Again, I did this before after I was tired of my hair, I took the clippers to it and buzzed it off. It took me relaxing my own hair, two buzz cuts, and a pinky swear to my man that I would never cut my hair off like that again. To realize that I had no business doing my own hair.

All of this from a girl who's grandma Frances was an award winning stylist. I am not sure if I thought that my grandmother's God given talent would one day come to me like a Revelation, or that I would inherit her skills because she was my grandma, but inheritance, and God given talent does not work that way. I have accepted that I am an esthetician.

On my journey I have found the light. I am now allowing someone else to take care of my hair. Not do my hair, but take care of it. I have allowed her to suggest the products that I use on my hair, relax my hair, style it, and even trim my ends. I now have the assignment of combing my hair.

This has lifted a weight off of me. Might I add that I love my hair now. She is taking great care of it. What I've learned along the way is that my true sense of self does not come from how much I can do myself, but that I am taking great care of myself.


please feel free to share your hair care or DIY beauty stories.

BETTY'S COME IN ALL SHADES

Ok I get that as we age so does all of our body hair, and I get this question from women about what to do to cover the gray...Well one suggestion is waxing...I know waxing is my solution to most of the worlds problems, but there are other methods and one of them is coloring the pubic hair...

Hey un-frown your face you asked for options and I'm giving them to you. Actually the practice is not that uncommon and a lot of women are having great succes with coloring the hair down there...Betty Color makes a great product...Is Your Betty Ready?

BIKINI WAXING ILLEGAL *SMH*

The Great State of N.J. has outlawed the Brazilian Bikini Wax. So the poor estheticians of the newly renamed "Bush Garden State" will be forced into bootlegging brazilians. What is this world coming to? It is hard enough to find an esthetician to do the wax, now they will be forced under ground. Where the lighting is not as good.

New Jersey should reconsider their policies and come into the 2009s and let the people wax their bikini lines. Way to go N.J. you have been awarded the "Now That Is The Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard."