Posts Tagged ‘beauty tips’

Alcohol and its effects on your skin health

Next time you reach for that martini,  bellini, or glass of savignon blanc stop and think about how the alcohol will affect the health and look of your skin.  If health and beauty are important to you, and I’m certain they are, have a read about some of  the biggest cons of consumption.

Con #1 – Alcohol depletes the body of Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that fights off skin damaging free radicals.  Without antioxidant protection, free radicals destroy our collagen & elastin fibres (which are responsible for keeping our skin firm and wrinkle-free).  Vitamin A also promotes cellular turnover (our skin’s natural exfoliation) pushing the new healthy skin cells up to the surface and shedding off the dull dead ones.  Alcohol greatly intensifies the aging process causing your skin to lose its natural thickness and suppleness.

Con # 3 – Alcohol causes dehydration and reduced oxygen & blood circulation

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it causes the body to rapidly lose water.  Water is internal moisturizer which is responsible for maintaining the health of all body systems.  When we are dehydrated our skin becomes dry,  skin irregularities (including lines & wrinkles) become magnified, and skin has an overall unhealthy look with poor tone and texture.  Alcohol leads to poor liver function which causes toxins to appear on the skin in the form of blotches, blemishes, and bumps.  The skin also takes on a sallow cast.

Con #4 – Alcohol dilates blood vessels

Alcohol causes blood vessels to swell and with repeated swelling they permanently lose their tone and can even burst.  Blood vessel dilation looks like a permanent redness or flushing of the skin.  Rosacea, psoriasis, and other skin conditions are worsened and the expanded blood vessels cause an all over puffiness to the face.

Con #4 – Alcohol can cause us to neglect our skin

How many times have you come home from a party or a night club and just crashed on your bed without removing your makeup?  Our skin detoxifies and repairs itself while we sleep which is why it is crucial to go to bed with clean, makeup-free skin.  Also, eye makeup will migrate into the eye causing extra puffiness when we wake up the next morning.  Red, puffy eyes are not attractive, period.

Having an occasional drink with friends won’t ruin your looks, but just remember that moderation is always key.

We would love for you to share your thoughts on the topic of this blog posting! Also as special offer just for being a follower of our blog enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique onTwitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

Beauty Bloggers: Sharing the Knowledge

Something I just noticed, showing my naivete when it comes to blogging, is that we lacked a Blogroll.

Most of you know what this is. Essentially it’s other bloggers that we as a company and I as myself enojoy reading. These have to do with Beauty and Fashion and even just the gloriousness of Vancouver herself.

The women that write these are powerful, brilliant and hilarious. They focus on sharing what they’ve learned to make everyone elses lives more interesting and full.

I wanted to give a shout out to those that I read daily, have supported us as a company or have encouraged me personally. It’s a wonderful network to be a part of and by no means is my list complete. I will add to it as I make new discoveries.

They will be full of joyful information to make you feel fabulous, or tell you of events to be fabulous at.

We’ll do it alphabetically to be Swiss-like and neutral:

• Black Girl with Long Hair: I was pleasantly surprised when this fantastic site linked to one of our blog posts. They have a wonderfully interactive community that shares tips and tricks for hair styles and health. They also do fun giveaways!
• ChickAdvisor: This is necessary resource for all those Beauty Junkies out there. User generated reviews of spas, products, restaurants and shops. The store reviews are almost primarily Canadian, as are the events. But any one can benefit from the product reviews. Their ChickLit Blog keeps you up to date on the hot new trends, parties and all round interesting things.
• five-corners: a great fashion and lifestyle blog based out of Vancouver. She’s been wonderfully supportive,  and is super informed about shopping sales in the Vancouver area.
• Musings of a Muse: This girl blows my mind. Everyday I get an email that reviews or informs about a list of products from all over the world. I don’t know how she finds the time, but I love every second of it. You must subscribe to her RSS feed. Also she makes it ok to combine an obsession with beauty products with geekiness (represent the WoW Ladies, ya Blood Elf Priest). Funny with a healthy does of love for sparkles and nice smells.
• Spa Beauty Schools : She has been so supportive of us since we undertook Social Media. This site is for people interested in becoming involved in the beauty industry. It’s an excellent resource all around for information, tips and tricks. She also has her own personal blog at Simply Fabulous which also deals with Fashion.
• Temptalia: Probably one of the most popular beauty bloggers out there. She does close ups of beauty hauls, specializes in Mac makeup and plays around with gogeous eye makeup looks. Impossibly kind, she also does a lot of polls and giveaways. Very interactive!
• The Beauty Brains: These ladies are a must if you love products but have a bit of a skeptical streak or sensitive BS meter (like me, I frown a lot while listening to pitches from most cosmetics lines). They combine a love of beauty with science. Claims and questions are submitted by readers and then assessed using published journals in biology and chemistry to see if it’s feasible. They are proponents of the idea that claims have to make sense in relation to the ingredients used and the proven uses and effectiveness of said ingredients. Even though our philosophies clash occaisionally, they present their ideas in a funny, informed and easy to read manner. It’s hard to argue with science.

There you go! This is just a taste of the blogs that enrichen my existence. They all make me laugh, teach me neat stuff and all around make me a more interesting person.

So read! Learn!

Support the Beauty Warriors that scrounge and search for the perfect product/tip/revelation for you.

Leave your favorite bloggers in the Comment Section below, I would love to know who inspires you.

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Tips for the Perfect Polish Application

There are reasons why estheticians take the steps that they do when applying polish to the toenails. So all the doubters out there who say that base/top coat isn’t necessary, remember that most spa pedicures last for at least a month and usually need to be removed only because the toe nail has grown out, not because of chipping.

That being said there are always exceptions. Such as lots of sand.  will rub polish right off.

I’m going to explain step by step what you need to do to get a long lasting polish application at home. This is how I’ve seen it done at every spa I’ve worked at by estheticians trained around the world. There is a process.

Here’s what you need:

• Polish remover
• Cotton balls
• Kleenex
• Orangewood stick
• Base coat
• Polish
• Top Coat
• Drip Dry (optional but super useful)

1) First off, remove polish and do any foot maintenance you feel you need. Steps to a full pedicure can be found here.

2)Once all that business is done, use one kleenex for each foot, weave it between the toes. Keep the ends poking down towards the bottom of the foot so it won’t get in your way. We use kleenex because you can be sure it’s sanitary every time. No guarantee with reusable toe separators. Also the kleenex comes in handy later. Double up if you need to separate the toes even more.

5) Use a cotton ball soaked with polish remover. Neutralize each nail by wiping it with the cotton ball. This will remove any and all traces or oils and lotions, giving you the best possible base for your polish to adhere too. If you skip this step, the polish will flake off where ever there was any oil product. It can’t stick properly.

4) Starting from the outside edge of either foot you will work across. Keep this same pattern through the whole process to give the layers time to dry.

5)Apply the base coat. You just need a very thin layer.  Apply it in one or two strokes to each nail, avoiding the skin as much as possible. Polish peels off of skin within a day. So if it dries leading onto the nail, you will get flaking.

6) Choose your polish color. Wipe the brush back and forth one or two times to get all the color on one side of the brush. You want very little, because toes are very little. Thin coats will give you better coverage and take way less time to dry. Usually you can get the three smallest toes done with one brush load. This of course depends on nail size.

7) The most strokes you want is three per nail. Any more and you’ll start to drag the polish as it dries. Most polish is self leveling. By the time you get back to it for the second coat, it’s usually spread out and settled properly. You want an even coat with no pooling. Use one hand to grip the toe on either side and pull the edges slightly from the nail. It gives you a bit more space to work with. Again, don’t touch the skin. You want to get close, but not touch the cuticle or sides. If you do, immediately use the orangewood stick to collect and clean the edges. You can use the kleenex between the toes to wipe the excess off off the end of the stick.

8)Take your time and be as tidy as possible. This takes practice. In school polishing is one of the first things we learn and takes almost the full year  to perfect. 3 strokes, never touching the skin. It’s tough. Go back and do the second coat. Let it dry and settle for a bit.

9) With the top coat, you want enough product on the brush to keep the bristles from dragging in the freshly applied polish. The brush should glide. Same rule as before, wipe up any excess that gets on the skin. When it peels off the skin it will pull off any color that’s attached to it.

10) Wrap a little cotton around the end of the orangewood stick, dip it in polish remover and do any tidying that needs to be done. Give it a few minutes to set and then spray/drip on the drip dry product. This will set the top layer or so and moisturize the cuticle.

11) This is the important step: It will still take AT LEAST AN HOUR TO DRY. You cannot get around this. The four coats required to get a long lasting application take a long time to dry. No shoes or socks for as long as possible. Two hours is best. Yes the top coat will stop feeling tacky before that, it does not mean the layers underneath are dry. Nothing is more frustrating to estheticians than watching someone decide 20 minutes after the service that it is in fact dry and put on boots. They forget that this is what we do for a living. We gain nothing by asking you to wear  flip flops.

So be patient.

Even going to bed will give you sheet marks on the toes.

There you go! Almost a thousand words on the proper way to polish nails. Who knew it was so complicated?

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!