Cheap Beauty Tip of the Week: DIY Face Masks

Facials are luxurious. They can also be expensive. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, be sure to check out my Cheap Beauty Tip of the Week on Broke-Ass Stuart's page. I'm featuring three of my all-time favorite DIY face masks. They're cheap, easy and 100% natural. You don't even have to be a broke-ass to appreciate these recipes.

Celebrating Cancer Survivors: June 5th

My Mother and I, in 1986

When I was 6 years old, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was only 26 years old. At the time, I had no idea what breast cancer was or what it meant to be diagnosed with it. All I knew was that my mother was very sick. I watched my mother lose her hair, her appetite and even a breast. The thing I remember the most about my mother's fight was that she never lost her spirit or will to live. My mother is one of the strongest human beings I've ever met.

In honor of my mother's successful fight against breast cancer, I wanted to publicly recognize Cancer Survivor Beauty and Support Day. June 5th is national Cancer Survivor Beauty and Support Day. This is a special day where all cancer survivors including men, women and children, regardless of their type of cancer or when they were diagnosed are honored with a day full of complimentary pampering. Many local businesses voluntary choose to participate in this event by providing complimentary beauty services all day long to any and all cancer survivors.

I'm proud to announce that San Francisco Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology will be participating in this event. If you are in the San Francisco area on Tuesday, June 5th, SFIEC will be providing complimentary hair cuts, blow-outs and facials to all cancer survivors. There are two ways cancer survivors can book their appointment for June 5th. Either "Like" SFIEC on Facebook and book the appointment through Facebook directly or call 415-355-1734 to make an appointment. Be sure to mention that you're a cancer survivor when booking your appointment.

For more information on Cancer Survivor Beauty and Support Day, please visit the Cancer Survivor Beauty and Support Day website.

Do You Think H&M Should be Blamed for Skin Cancer?

Photo: H&M

According to the Swedish Cancer Society, H&M should be ashamed for "promoting tanning as a fashion accessory" in their latest ad campaign. The clothing retailer is now apologizing for featuring a bronzed model in their recent swimwear campaign, just days after the story of Patricia Krentcil aka New Jersey's Tanning Mom came out, making "tanorexia" a household term.

It's hard to say if the model featured in the campaign sported the dark tan naturally or if she obtained her dark skin artificially through the use of photoshop, lighting, makeup and/or a bronzed spray tan. Regardless, people seem to be up in arms about H&M promoting tanned skin as beautiful skin and are quick to blame the retailer for any spike in people dying from skin cancer this summer.

Check out the full article written by Lylah H. Alphonse, Yahoo Shine: H&M Apologizes for Featuring Bronzed Model. Are We Too Worried About Tanning?

What do you think? Should H&M be blamed for promoting tanned skin and skin cancer or is all of the publicity from critics only fueling the ad campaign fire into selling more swimsuits?

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day!

I can't believe it's already May 1st! Even though this year is almost half way over, it feels like 2012 just got started. May 1st has always been a special day for me for two reasons. One, my mom's birthday is always the day after, on May 2nd. Two, my mom and I have shared a special May Day tradition ever since I was a little girl.

My mom once told me a long time ago that May 1st was May Day. On May Day, it was a popular tradition when she was a little girl that people would gather flowers, put them on someone's doorstep, ring the doorbell and then run away. I never knew the backstory behind the whole tradition. I just loved the idea of surprising someone with flowers. So every year, I would pick flowers for my mom and either put them on the doorstep for her to find or put them by her bed while she was still sleeping so that way they would be waiting for her when she woke up.

Sounds like my mom knew what she was talking about too. According to Wikipedia, May Day really does exist here in the United States:

"May Day was also celebrated by some early European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States, May Baskets are made. These are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone's doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away. The person receiving the basket tries to catch the fleeing giver. If they catch the person, a kiss is exchanged."

Now that I'm older and don't live within walking distance of my mom, I simply post a picture of flowers on her Facebook page. I also sent her a text this morning filled with flower emojis to her iPhone. What can I say? I'm a big ol' dork who loves her mom and loves a fun tradition.

Happy May Day everyone!

Want to See Some Really Cool Hair?

I'm a licensed esthetician and I'm not above admitting that I'm hair styled-challenged. My strength lies in my passion for anything skin. When it comes to amazing hair, I leave it to the cosmetologists (AKA the Cosmos). If you're in San Francisco on Wednesday, May 2nd and want to see fierce hair, be sure to come to SFIEC's Debut and Hair Show: Dream.

When: Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Place: DNA Lounge located at 375 Eleventh Street in San Francisco

Time: Doors open at 7pm. Show starts at 8pm

Price: FREE, but there is a $5 suggested donation at the door which goes to charity. VIP seat are available for $20, which also goes to charity.

Age Requirement: All ages, but the full bar is only open to those 21+.

Attending Debut is a great way to meet, mingle with and see the uber creative side of the soon-to-be-graduating SFIEC Future Professionals participating in the show. Come get inspired and see the talent that is about to graduate from SFIEC.

You can RSVP to the event either through email at events@sfiec.edu or call 415-230-7417.

See you at Debut!

Picture of the Day: Getting Ready for Core at SFIEC!

Welcome April 2012 Class!

I remember my first day at SFIEC like it was yesterday. "Core" marks the beginning of the educational journey at SFIEC for an esthetician (esties) or cosmetologist (cosmos). Core is when you first get acquainted with the school and the Paul Mitchell culture. It's when you meet and bond with your fellow classmates. It's the part of the program when you take most of your theory classes and receive a majority of the items in your kit. It's also the only time in the program when you get a full hour lunch!!

Core for me was a time of true self-discovery. When I started my program at SFIEC, I still wasn't 100% sure as to what I wanted to do in the industry once I graduated. I had ideas, but I didn't have any concrete plans. Looking back at my time spent in Core, I realize that this was the time in my career when I got introduced to the beauty industry. I discovered that there was so much more to being an esthetician then just giving facials and performing wax services. I quickly learned that my career possibilities were endless. Ultimately, the license that I'd be earning in five months wasn't going to determine my career path. That decision would be entirely up to me. In Core, I found that my own self-confidence would able me to be anyone I wanted to be and do anything I set my mind to.

My bestie estie and I got to assist with the morning orientation for all of the new Core cosmos and esties who had their first day at SFIEC today. Talk about coming full circle. I remember being in my own orientation two years ago like it was yesterday. I even remember the exact table and seat I sat in. I also remember how nervous I was. I'm so happy that I got to share my own experience with the new Core class today. I only hope that I can have some sort of positive effect and influence on them during their program as my Learning Leaders had on me.

A Case of the Pre-Shift Jitters

Do you ever experience the jitters before starting a shift? For me, anytime I'm experiencing anything outside of my normal comfort level such as a new job, new routine, meeting new people or attending a new class, I'm always prone to a mild case of anxiety. I don't think it's anything bad. It's just my body's way of reminding me that I'm doing something new and out of my ordinary routine. I'm a creature of habit. I love my daily routines. I love being in a safe and familiar environment, surrounded by people I know really well and feel comfortable with. If you put me in a new place or situation around people I don't know, I kind of freak out inside at first.

So it comes as no surprise that I have been experiencing pre-shift jitters before starting any of my waxing services for the day. At first, I thought my jitters meant that I wasn't a good waxer. After all, waxing was one of those things that actually made me nervous in beauty school because I didn't get as much practice as I would have liked to. The truth is, you never get as much practice as you'd like to in school. It's impossible. In school, you learn enough of the basics to get you prepared to work in the professional world. Then once you start working in the professional world, you get plenty of practice to hone your craft, learn efficient time saving tricks and eventually develop your own style.

I've realized that my jitters aren't a reflection of my skills (or lack of) as a new waxer. My jitters are simply a self-imposed way of keeping my professional frame-of-mind in check. My jitters reassure me that I care enough about my craft to do my very best and give each and every client that I see 150% of my time, effort and attention to detail. Those pesky jitters always seem to go away once I get into my groove of the service with my first client. Once I've gotten warmed up, my confidence kicks in. I then quickly remember that I'm a great waxer who is performing a stellar service for each of my clients.

As nerve-wrecking as having jitters before a shift can be, I'm so happy that they are there to challenge me and inspire me to constantly be learning on this new journey along my career path.

Do you get pre-shift jitters?