My Blog

Adios Gratuities!

09/07/2011 15:02:00

As of August 2011, Brazil Appeal Waxing is no longer accepting treatment gratuities. 'OMG! Really?' you find yourself saying. 'Yippee!!!' But then you may be thinking, 'Okay, but...why?'

There are (3) main reasons why I chose to make Brazil Appeal Waxing a gratuity-free business.

Reason #1: More moolah in your pocket.

Although gratuties are a win for the esthetician or service provider, it's not necessarily a win for the client. Yes, you may have received great service, however, shouldn't great service already come with the price of the treatment?

Reason #2: Tip buckets galore...

I don't know about you, but I think the tip bucket at businesses has gotten a bit too full and is now overflowing with expectation. I don't mind leaving a gratuity for a server in a restaurant who gives great service only to make miniumum wage while supporting a child at home. However, today's service businesses overwhelmingly now expect tips and some restaurants, spas, and hotels even include a 20% tip as part of a group package!

Here's some more examples: Visit Starbucks or Jamba Juice and there's the tip bucket. Drop off your clothing at the dry cleaners and there it is...the tip bucket. Grab a pizza to go at your local family-owned Italian restaurant and what do you see? You guessed it...another tip bucket. Again, if I'm dining at the restaurant, I don't mind leaving a tip, and a generous one at that, however, since I'm already shelling out $100.00 bucks every month for take out pizza at this restaurant...I feel the tip bucket is just plain greedy.

Which brings me back to my new no-tip policy. At Brazil Appeal Waxing, you can expect high-quality treatments with superlative customer service at every visit. After all, that's what you're paying for n'est-ce pas? My point is that if you're already paying good money for a great experience why should the business owner or service provider squeeze more money out of you for their benefit? Doesn't sound like a win-win situation to me.

But I inisist! Many clients are so pleased with their experience at Brazil Appeal Waxing, they sometimes insist on tipping me. I sincerely thank them as I politely decline and suggest they write a review on Yelp, FaceBook, and/or refer their friends and family to me.

Reason #3: Raising the Bar...

When I mentioned my no-tip policy to another biz owner (a hairstylist) she said to me, 'You do realize that you're probably the only beauty service provider in San Diego with that policy.'

'Perhaps', I said. Still, I believe I made the right decision for me and my business. I have thought long and hard about the direction I want my business to take and a no-tipping policy really raises the bar, so to speak, and makes me stand out from my competitors as a quality business establishment. After all, would you tip your doctor, attorney, or accountant who did great work for you?

So there it is. The 3 main reasons why I no longer accept gratuities. I'm just happy to have you as a client and to be in business because without you I would have no business. So to all who have supported Brazil Appeal Waxing, I say, Thank You!!!

Aging at Breakneck Speed

03/17/2011 12:21:00

I'm really bad at trying to guess people's ages...especially a woman's. One may think, 'How is that possible since you work with skin all the time?' Well, it's because most women I see naturally look years younger or they look years older than their real age.

Let's examine why a woman may look years older or what is called 'prematurely aged skin'.

Many of you may think that genetics plays a huge role in how we're going to age. It actually plays a very small role...only about 10%. 90% of how we age depends upon our lifestyle. So if your 80-year-old Nana looks great, don't count on you looking the same at that age.

So back to the question of what prematurely ages our skin. Here are the top 5 skin agers:

1) The Sun/Tanning Salons

2) Smoking

3) Drugs & Alcohol

4) Unhealthy/Fast Lifestyle/Stress

5) Not taking care of your skin and/or using the wrong products

The Sun: Yes, we all need a certain amount of Vitamin D from the natural sun, and even though we now have better sunblocks and more knowledge today to better protect ourselves against skin cancer than they did in the 70's when Malibu Barbie's leather hide tan was "de rigueur" many people still insist on getting a tan to look healthy.

So let's first clear up a common myth. There's nothing "healthy" about a tan. When our skin turns a shade of brown (or in my case...red) from over exposure to the sun, it is done to protect the cells from a heat source (in this case the sun). Over time, those surfin' safari weekends at the beach or floating your boat at the lake will catch up with you in the form of blotchy skin (i.e. brown marks called hyperpigmentation), wrinkles & crinkles, lines, dehydration, and a rougher texture.

Some of you may even develop skin cancer and yes it is a real cancer that kills around 8,000 people every year. If it doesn't kill you, the doctors may have to cut the cancer out of your ear or nose or some part of your face risking disfigurement. So the question you need to ask yourself...is....having a darker skin tone really worth ending up looking like a shar-pei in your 40's & 50's or more important...risking your life for?

Some of you may be thinking that because I'm a pasty white girl with red hair that I'm anti-sun. Absolutely not! I personally love light...it makes me happy! I'm just suggesting that you wear daily sunblock (even on cloudy, rainy days) and when you're at the beach generously apply a sunblock every 2 hours and wear a hat.

Regarding tanning booths...don't use them, period! The quickest way to have more lines on your face than a piece of grid paper or more brown splotches than an overipe banana...not to mention increasing your cancer rate by 75%...is to use tanning booths. If you want some color on your skin, use a self-tanner or what I use on clients in my treatment room...a brown-tinted sunblock that gives color and protects at the same time.

Smoking: There are no safe cigarettes or cigars, period. Smoking robs the skin and body of vital nutrients, causes your complexion to have a gray pallor or sallow appearance, creates wrinkles, yellows your teeth, makes your breath smell, and are just bad for your health (and everyone else's around you when you puff away and we're exposed to your second-hand smoke). Many people combine smoking with excessive sun exposure which is their choice if they wish to look more like a California raisin instead of a California Girl.

Drugs & Alcohol: As with smoking, drugs and alcohol rob the skin and body of important nutrients. Resveratrol is an anti-aging (antioxidant) ingredient found in red grapes and has been featured in many articles. Many in the health field even encourage a glass of red wine for health benefits, but the key here is moderation...not the entire bottle. There are no health benefits to street drugs and even prescription drugs are not healthy if they are abused. Again, those who consume drugs and alcohol are on a fast track to a complexion with many battle scars.

Unhealthy/Fast Lifestyle/Stress: What I'm really talking about here is diet, exercise, sleep, and stress. If an individual's lifestyle is primarily made of up junk food, they rarely exercise, they get less than 4 hours sleep per night, have a high amount of stress, and they basically burn the candle at both ends, their unhealthy lifestyle will eventually manifest on their skin in the form of wrinkles and sallow complexion. I'm not suggesting becoming a health nut...I could never give up my Haagen Daz Ice Cream...I'm talking about changing your eating habits to include more fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meat, chicken, and fish. Limit your sweets and save your soda for only special occasions (like when you have pizza). There is no nutritional value in soda and diet soda is worthless as well. Have water instead or sweeten your water with fresh fruit such as sliced strawberries or frozen blueberries...yum!!!

Most people need 6 -8 hours of sleep every night. Some nights we may not get in those hours which is okay, but if you make it a habit of getting less than 4 hours of sleep per night, your skin and body will pay for it inside & out.

Everyone has stress and there's no way to eradicate it completely from our lives. However, we can choose how to deal with it when it comes our way. Believe it or not...stress can actually prematurely age our skin. So don't take things so seriously and let things roll off your back like water on a duck.

Not taking care of your skin and/or using the wrong products: If you don't take care of your skin then it goes without saying that you're probably going to have an unhealthy and a prematurely-aged complexion. How many of you have gone to bed with your makeup on? If you don't wash your face at night, that foundation will eventually clog your pores and create blackheads.

If you're using the wrong type of products for your skin you may experience inflammation or dehydration both of which can prematurely age your skin.

So what do you do when there are a bazillion skin care products out there all promising you a facelift-in-a-jar? Good question. Here's the rule-of-thumb I'll share with you...most of your best skin care products are found in a spa, salon, doctor's office, medical spa, resort spa or those recommended by a licensed esthetician. Drug store products may make your skin feel soft, but the ingredients are not of the highest quality nor do they have a high enough percentage to actually make a change in your skin. Department store products are just plain expensive and don't work any better than spa or medical lines. You're basically just paying for the beautiful jar and the model representing it. As far as infomerical skin care lines go...well, they have an enticing price, however, I have tried some of the more popular ones and I could not see any difference in my skin at all. Plus, the bottles are super small. Great, I suppose, if you're a traveler or child.

Since I'm certified in over 15 professional spa and medical skin care lines, I have a pretty good idea of the best products to use for your skin. At Brazil Appeal Waxing, we use an organic bio-active line that is never heated over 105 degrees in which to feed, heal, and repair your skin. It's like giving your complexion a drink of vitamin-packed, antioxidant water every day!

So if you want a healthy complexion wear a daily sunblock, don't use tanning booths, don't smoke or do drugs, limit your glasses of red wine, get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, drink lots of water, eat healthy, limit your sugar, try to reduce your stress, use a professional skin care line, and get facials regularly from a licensed esthetician.

A Bumpy Road

02/18/2011 11:56:00

Are you down in the bumps because of your breakouts? If you're a teen you understand that you have pimples due to rising hormones especially if you're a teen boy. But what about if you're a woman in your 40's and never had acne as a teen, but now you're experiencing many bumps along the road that you never anticipated? What's a girl to do?

Well, the first thing you need to understand is that acne doesn't just happen to teens. In addition, acne can be triggered many ways. With women in their 40's, hormones are likely to blame, but not like hormones that teenagers experience. The hormones I'm talking about are directly related to menopause.

As if the 40's weren't challenging enough for you...and now you have to deal with acne. Let's examine why this is happening. As a woman ages, her hormones estrogen and progesterone decrease and testosterone rears its ugly head. Testosterone is also the reason many older women experience coarser facial hair especially around their chinny chin chin. Chin wax, ladies?

So let me give an example of what a typical 40-something woman does when her face breaks out. We'll call my female example Linda.

Linda is a divorced 46-year-old mother of two teenage boys and a full-time CPA. In addition to her already stress-filled life, she has started to get pimples and cysts. She surmises it's due to stress. (She's only partially correct). So while watching a T.V. infomercial one night, she orders the Benzoyl Peroxide based Proactiv acne kit and is confident that she's found a solution to her problem.

When the package arrives she's surprised to discover how small the bottles are...but that's another story. She reads all the directions and faithfully uses the products. Initially, her acne starts clearing up, but soon it returns and now she finds her skin extremely dry. She still has the acne...but now with dry skin.

What Linda doesn't understand is that not all acne is created equal. Linda is treating her acne like a teenager would. She thinks if she uses a drying benzoyl peroxide product to kill the acne bacteria then her acne will go away. That may work for a teenager, but her acne is due to hormonal changes from menopause so benzoyl peroxide is the last thing she should use to clear up her skin.

Instead, Linda needs to switch over to salicylic-based products and use ingredients such as Totara Tree to help clear up her skin. She also needs to reduce her processed sugar intake and eat more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Zinc oxide is a natural acne fighter, so she may want to think about using a zinc-based sunblock.

As far as her cleasing routine goes, she needs to stay away from harsh drugstore acne brands and instead use one made for adult acne. Brazil Appeal Waxing carries such products in our Astara Organic Skin Care Line. Totara Tree extract is exceptional at reducing bacteria levels, yet making sure to keep the skin properly hydrated.

Brazil Appeal Waxing offers a purifying skin treatment called the Blue Moon Facial. Emphasis is placed on deep cleansing of the pores, reduction of excess oil, healing of blemishes, and restoring proper hydration balance to the skin. This 1-hour acne treatment is effective for both teen acne and adult acne and is $90.

Get Off My Back!

02/10/2011 11:40:00

Let's face it...dating is challenging on so many levels, but for this article let's just stick to the subject matter of personal (male) grooming.

We ladies all agree that we would like to date a man with clean, kissable fresh breath, straight teeth (okay...that one's mine...but I just have a thing about good mouth hygiene so I suppose I won't be dating a Brit anytime soon) no smelly feet or gnarly grown toenails, no B.O., and no overgrown nose hair that looks as if it's strangling their mustache.

Now as far as a hairy chest goes it appears that there's a generational split. It's seems that many women over 40 generally prefer a hairy chest and women under 40 do not. Of course, if the guy looks like Brad Pitt or Simon Baker from the T.V. show 'The Mentalist'...all bets are off. Keep in mind this is not a scientific study...it's only based on information I've gathered from women and men over the years I've been an esthetician. Plus, girl talk with my friends.

One thing, though, that's pretty clear is that I have yet to find any woman who prefers a man with a hairy back. Having back hair like chewbacca isn't exactly a turn-on for women. Have you ever heard a woman say, 'Whoo hoo, my man has a hairy back!'?

Since back hair growth varies from man-to-man what's a sign that a guy needs to get rid of his....excess back hair growth? Well, if you can brush it....it needs to go.

Let's talk about options. There's the old standby...shaving. However, it's a wee bit difficult for a man to successfully shave his back by himself unless he has arms like Gumby. Not to mention that the hair starts to grow back within a day or so and now he has to deal with the 5:00 shadow on his now stubbly back. It's also not comfortable for a woman to run her hands over back stubble. Then there's the issue of ingrown hairs from waxing...oh, goody. What else is there?

Another option is laser treatments. According to the FDA, laser treatments are supposed to be advertised as, 'Laser Hair Reduction' and not 'Removal' as so many laser facilities would like you to think. I'm not saying that laser treatments don't eradicate the hair...they do, but sometimes not all of the hair. Frustrating...since laser treatments are very expensive and can be painful. Next?

Waxing the back is probably your best bet to temporarily removing the hair. If you're consistent with your waxing treatments, the hair follicles will actually die which means less hair on your back, but the key word here is consistency. Some men may need to go every 6 weeks for a year and some men may need to go longer. Coming in twice a year to get your back waxed isn't going to do much in terms of longterm hair eradication.

Now let's talk about the pain. Is it painful? It can be if the esthetician is inexperienced, doesn't know or use the proper techniques, and doesn't use a high quality strip wax and strips. To successfully wax the back, the esthetician must have all of these elements in place.

At Brazil Appeal Waxing, we use a high quality strip wax with strong wax strips plus we have over 25 years of proven waxing experience which means a quality service with little to no discomfort.

So to all you men who wish to get rid of that rug on your back, don't be afraid to call us. Your treatment will be done in a professional and private setting...not in a noisy and gossipy salon or spa.

P.S. Please keep in mind that we need your back hair to be at least 1/2 inch long for best results. If it's shorter than 1/2 inch long, it will be more painful to remove and will result in more erythema (redness), and more breakage.

Taking A Dip In Murky Waters

02/08/2011 11:00:00

In the beauty biz estheticians have their own lingo which we use on a daily basis...what I call beauty-ese. One catch-phrase is called "double-dipping" in which an esti uses a wax applicator (either a metal spatula or wooden wax stick) to re-dip into their wax pot when applying wax onto their client's skin. It's kind of like dipping your Frito into a dish filled with bean dip, taking a bite, and then re-dipping into the dip. Now, if it's your own bean dip...who cares? But just imagine 10 people at a party doing the same thing and now instead of an appetizing dish of bean dip you now have a disgusting petri dish filled with germs, bacteria and who knows....maybe even herpes simplex from that gal with the lovely cold sore on her lip? Bon Appetit everyone!

Well, it's the same thing when your esti "double-dips" her wax applicator. That pot of wax she's using to give you an upper lip wax has been contaminated with other clients' body fluids, vaginal secretions, dead skin cells, oil, bacteria, and other creepy crawlies that I'll leave to your imagination...oh, is that a pubic hair floating in the wax? So that pot of wax she's using for your service is basically a cesspool of germy filled yuck which is being applied to your upper lip or hoo haw!

Which brings me to this question. Can you get an STD from a contaminated pot of wax...say when you get a bikini wax? Well, the jury's still out on that one as far as medical experts are concerned, but as for me, why take a chance?

I haven't taken any scientific poll, however, based on my intimate knowledge of the skin care industry, I would estimate that approximately 85% of salons, spas, and waxing establishments double-dip every day. Here's a clue...if your esti gives you a Brazilian wax at breakneck speed (less than 15 minutes), she's probably double-dipping because in order to give you that assembly-line service, she needs to work fast and double-dipping gives her that time advantage.

So why would any beauty professional want to double-dip in first place? Well, as previously mentioned many waxing establishments who offer Brazilian waxing want to get you in and out fast so they can book more clients and make more money! So in order to do this, they need to double dip because when they use individual disposable wax sticks for every wax application, it slows down their time. Another reason may be that they just don't know or don't care or don't want to keep purchasing disposable wax sticks.

At Brazil Appeal Waxing, you'll have peace-of-mind knowing that we never ever double-dip. Yes, we go through a zillion wax sticks to give you our famous painless Brazilian in under 45 minutes, but you can be assured that our waxes and wax pots are completely pure! Our wax pots are also disinfected and cleaned between clients so you'll never find wax dripping over the sides or around the edges of our pots or having to step onto sticky, waxy floors or worse...having to witness that lone public hair that's been stuck on the side of the wax pot for two days.

So to all of you waxing devotees...here's the skinny...don't take a dip with just anyone, find out their dipping habits first.

Why Bother Getting A Brazilian?

02/03/2011 13:03:00

Many women (especially those of our parents generation and their parents generation) may be wondering 'Why get a Brazilian waxing at all? What's the point? And why do you need to remove the hair anyway?' In response to our mothers & grandmothers I say that it's not that a woman needs to get a Brazilian wax. I mean it's not like food in which we need to survive...although many of you may disagree...especially if you're dating.

Do we really need ice cream you ask? Or do we really need chocolate...especially during that time of the month? Do we really need that new hot pink purse with the cute little ruffles that was at JCPenney's I saw yesterday shouting out...'Buy Me', 'Buy Me'? As you can see I'm personally still struggling with that one...but, okay...I surrender and with my head held down, I meekly say, 'no'.

That said there are many positive reasons for a woman to get a Brazilian wax. So here's my Top 5 List:

1) With little or no hair down there, a woman doesn't have to feel self-conscious about an unpleasant odor down south because there's no longer any hair for a woman's secretions to cling to and thus no bacteria growth...and that is what causes the odor. Even if a woman showers 3x a day her vaginal secretions will get trapped by the hair and skin folds and bacteria will grow. If there's no hair down there, a woman feels clean, confident, and as Shania Twain says..."Man, I feel like a woman!"

2) Brazilian waxing is totally better than shaving because Brazilian waxing lasts longer and typically doesn't cause ingrown hairs, itchiness, or a rash like shaving does.

3) No more chafing between the legs...especially for joggers.

4) No more worries about embarrassing pubic hair peeking out of your swimsuit...remember that scene with Miranda in Sex and The City?

5) Many find their sexual experiences enhanced with their partner after getting a Brazilian wax.

So there you have it! My 5 top reasons for getting a Brazilian wax. So, no...we don't need Brazilian waxing, but let me refer you back to my top 5 reasons if you're still on the fence about getting one. Oh, and if you're worried about the pain...Brazil Appeal Waxing specializes in painless Brazilian waxing. So there's no more excuses.

P.S. When explaining the reasons to Grandma about why you need to get a Brazilian...do yourself a favor and don't mention #5.

There's Chocolate In The Air

02/02/2011 21:47:00

Brazil Appeal Waxing is offering decadent chocolate treatments in the month of February for all of you chocoholics out there. Since we specialize in painless Brazilian waxing for women we thought is was only fitting to offer a Chocolate & Roses Brazilian Wax in honor of Valentine's Day.

Yes, ladies...we'll use a real chocolate & roses hard wax to make you feel smooth and clean followed by a soothing chocolate & hazelnut after-wax lotion. So for those of you lucky women who are gettin' some lovin' at home, your romantic partner will be delighted to discover that you smell just like a Starbucks mocha down south. Now if that's not enough incentive for you to come in, you'll also leave with a scrumptious box of decadent chocolate candy...Yum!!!...

New Brazilian clients also receive $10.00 off their 1st visit and a FREE Upper Lip Wax (a $15.00 savings!) Oh, and did I mention that FREE box of chocolate? What's not to like?

$65 / Full Brazilian

$55 / Partial Brazilian

The other special we're offering is our French Chocolate & Strawberry Truffles Facial. So let's talk choc...warm French chocolate will be feathered onto your delicate complexion to nourish, hydrate, and fight against those pesky free-radical molecules which are on a quest to....Do I dare say? Age us prematurely! Yikes!!! By the way, did you know that eating dark chocolate is heart healthy? In moderation, of course...is that even possible? Anyway, just having this warm, nourishing and oh so sweet confection massaged onto your face, neck, shoulders, and arms will be nothing short of pure chocolate bliss for you and your skin. But wait!... You'll also receive a mouth watering box of white chocolate strawberry truffles to take with you. Saa...weet!!! 1 hour 15 minutes / $85

And what about the special man in your life? Well, we're offering our Blue Detox Back Facial... a seaweed-based treatment designed to detoxify, re-mineralize, smooth, and hydrate. Includes a relaxing pressure-point scalp massage and stress-reducing 20 minute warm lemongrass & lavender back & shoulder massage. Detox never felt so good! Also includes a FREE box of chocolate for him...but in reality it'll probably end up being for her...which is not a bad thing.

1 hour / $85

FYI...Valentine Gift Certificates are available for your special guy or your sweetie pie!