NEW! SPA PARTIES & HOUSE CALLS!

SPA PARTIES are FUN!

I just did my first Baby Shower Spa Party a month ago.  I performed hand/arm treatments and neck/shoulder massages.  I also created scrubs, soaps and bath bombs with super cute packaging and utilized the invitation logo, date and name of the Mom-to-Be.

It was so much fun, and a smashing success, so I have now expanded my skin care services to include Spa Parties and House Calls!  Customize your  special event with mini-facials, peels, waxing, body treatments and neck/shoulder massages on your party menu.

Also, I can target age groups, skin issues and themes:
Kids parties with gentle mini-facials and DIY projects like soap-making and mask-making with fresh fruits;
Teen parties with special attention and information about treating teen skin issues;
Anti-Aging parties focusing on the best treatments for aging skin: brown spots, wrinkles, dryness, sensitivities; Theme parties focusing on romance, pre-concert festivities, birthdays, divorce, anti-stress, summer solstice, etc.

If you really want to make it special, I can create personalized scrubs, lotions and soaps and labels with your party's logo, a special quote, whatever you want!

What a great gift for a special person: Brides, Moms-to-Be, Birthday Girls, the Broken Hearted...You bring the booze and I'll bring the pampering.

HOUSE CALLS
If you are local, and want to stay home and have the spa experience come to you, get a full facial, peel, waxing or body treatment.  Prices start at $50 for the first custom facial (plus an extra $10 to go over the bridge or for locations over 10 miles away).  Add-on prices remain the same.  Each additional person is only $30.  It's a great treat for you and a couple of friends.

Contact me at (415) 948-3577 or by email me at la_stephenator@yahoo.com.

New Toys, New Peels, Better Facials!!

Hi friends!
I went to the Face and Body Expo in San Jose this weekend and bought a bunch of new serums and masks from one of my favorite skin care lines, Skin Script.  I'm excited about their new Pomegranate Enzyme peel, a mild but effective enzyme peel that has lots of antioxidants, hydrates and brightens all skin types.  


I bought a new gadget called the bt-Micro.  

The bt-Micro tool uses ultrasonic sound waves to "shimmy" off dead skin cells, plus microcurrent (safe, low level positive electrical impulses) to stimulate collagen and elastin, retrain the facial muscles, and when combined with serums, creams and masks, increase product penetration.  It has another desincrustation function that uses negative electrical impulses, which open pores and release sebum for easier extractions and deep pore cleansing.  


It's so rad.


Finally, I got these crazy magnifying glasses that make me look like a mad scientist in a cave. But they replace the use of a mag light, which I always felt is cumbersome and expensive for what it does.   These things work pretty well, if you don't get scared.

The show was a fun and educational, but a little overwhelming with all of the products and machines being pushed.  I attended a few lectures about ingredients and new therapies, and even had a telangiectasias spot (small, dilated blood vessels) removed on my jawline by a machine called a Lamprobe.  The spot was immediately 50% lighter, but I can't tell if it's completely disappeared yet because now the blood is coagulated and scabbed (as expected), so when that falls off, I will let you know if it works.  The machine is used to remove blood vessels around the nose, red spots and small moles.  Unfortunately, it costs around $6,000, so I won't be buying one any time soon, but I will share what I know about it if you are looking in to getting a treatment.  It's usually $150 per treatment at a high end spa or medi-spa, and can take a few visits to completely remove the spot.


Well, I came home broke so please come in for a treatment so that I can make some money back!  I'm still offering facials for only $25 and that includes LED light therapy, light facial waxing, and with the bt-Micro to deep clean your pores, and make the most of the serums to plump your skin.  


I need the practice and it's the end of summer, so you might need a facial.  It's a win-win!


xoxo,
Stephene

New Toys! High Frequency Machine for Acne & Wrinkles and a Wood's Lamp for Deep Skin Analysis

High frequency machine in use

Santa brought me a high frequency machine and a Wood's lamp for Christmas.  I must have been really good last year!  


A high frequency machine is a super-cool esthetician's tool that helps with a wide variety of skin issues.  It's pretty magical.  I've witnessed, first hand, big, cyst-like pimples reduce in size by up to 50% after one visit.  In a nutshell, the tool is a wand that holds electrodes.  The electrodes help heal blemishes by creating ozone on the skin, killing bacteria, promoting healing & circulation, and removing toxins.  It also helps aging and wrinkled skin by oxygenating the skin and allowing for better product penetration.  It stimulates circulation which helps produce collagen and elastin.  It can also be used on the scalp to stimulate hair growth.

A Wood's lamp is an ultra-violet light that sees beneath the skin's surface.  It can detect all skin issues, including clogged pores, blemishes, dehydration and sun damage spots that are working their way to the surface.  By using the lamp, the esthetician can start working on these areas long before the issues reveal themselves.  

Skin under the ultra-violet Wood's Lamp light shows a variety of conditions beneath the surface

I'm adding these treatments FOR FREE ($15 - $30 value) to all of my facials for a limited time.  

A DIY DETOX FACIAL - Be a Bitchen Kitchen Beautician

So the holidays are over, you pushed the limits and now you’re tired, broke and feeling ugly?  You spent all of your money on gifts and partying and you don’t have enough for new skin care products, let alone a pampering facial?  


I’ve been in that situation almost every Monday of my adult life.  I started experimenting with at-home facials a long time ago, and I’ve learned a few things since beauty school that I wish I knew back then.  I love expensive products, but it’s not realistic to expect people to spend crazy money on skin care right now.  That’s how I became a bitchen Kitchen Beautician over the years.

I have a simple Detox Facial that uses cheap ingredients from your cupboards and fridge.  You won’t even need to go to the store.  No excuses. 

One of the first symptoms that you might notice after the holidays is sallow, blemished, irritated or dehydrated skin, red, puffy eyes and lackluster lips.

Lots of parties often means more make-up, falling in to bed without washing your face and waking up with a big ol’ zit or blotchy break-out along with your hangover.  Then your lips are dry and flaky and your eyes are dark and puffy.  It sucks.

A lot of skin is dehydrated.  There’s a difference between “Dry Skin” and “Dehydrated Skin”.  Dry skin is a genetic condition and refers to skin that is lacking oil production.  Even skin with pimples and clogged pores can be dehydrated, so you need to do something about it.  FEED IT.  Dehydrated skin refers to a lack of water.  Indoor heat, air conditioners, wind, smoking, and drinking causes the skin to lose water content, making it tight, sensitive and irritated.

First, don’t feel bad.  Everyone around you is going through the same thing and is feeling the same way when they look in the mirror.  I get up-close-and-personal with a lot of faces and believe me, every single person has something going on that they aren’t happy about.  So get over it and go to your kitchen.

Here’s my FIVE STEP AT-HOME DETOX FACIAL

Prep:  Gather the following:

-       A pot of water

-       A towel

-       A washcloth

-       4 Chamomile, green or black tea bags

-       Jojoba, Grape seed or Olive oil

-       A gentle face cleanser

-       White or brown sugar

-       Exfoliating mask ingredients (see below)

-       Blemish spot treatment (if needed)

-       Moisturizer

-       Aloe Vera gel (optional)

1)    Put pot of water on stove and bring to a boil.

2)    Moisten two teabags and place in refrigerator.

3)   It's best to do this facial at night, before bed.  You skin warms up as you sleep, which helps the nutrients penetrate deeply as you sleep and repair.

STEP 1

Start with a Cleansing Oil Massage. Pour 1 – 2 tablespoons of jojoba, grape seed or olive oil in your palms.  Massage in to face and neck and around eyes for 2 – 3 minutes.  Rinse by adding warm water, little by little, until you can feel the normal texture of your skin again.

I know this sounds crazy, but a lot of oils are really good for all skin types, including oily skin.  Jojoba is the best, but if you don’t have that, grape seed oil or olive oil are also very good.  Here’s how it works:  Oil attracts oil.  So, when you massage oil in to your skin for several minutes, you increase blood circulation to the surface of your skin, opening the pores and loosening the dirt, make-up and sebum.  As you continue through the cleansing process, that loose sebum will eventually get washed away.  The antioxidants and other nutrients in the oils help to heal and feed your hungry skin and blemishes.

STEP 2

Now you need to cleanse with a very mild soap or creamy cleanser.  Even if you’re having a breakout, start gentle and your skin will thank you.  Please don’t use any harsh soaps, especially something like Irish Spring, Ivory, anti-bacterial soaps, little hotel soap bars or any other random soap on your face!  These types of soaps strip the natural oils.  All skin types need those natural oils to keep skin pH in balance.  You’re better off rinsing your face really well with water than using harsh soaps with fragrances and chemicals.  Don’t forget, you’re DETOXING.

STEP 3

Steam.  Sometimes I just take a nice hot bath or shower, or you can boil a pot of water and drape a towel over your head for 10 minutes.  Add some tea bags or other herbs like rosemary, sage, chamomile or calendula, if you have them.  Do not steam if your skin is extremely sensitive or dry, you are experiencing Rosacea or a major acne breakout.

STEP 4

Exfoliating Mask.  This is important!  Exfoliation will help shed dead skin cells, bring circulation to the surface for nourishment, and further loosen clogged pores.  It also allows for deeper penetration of the nutrients.

You might not have a favorite exfoliating product or mask, but you can still easily exfoliate at home and should do this at least a couple of times a week.  


Make an exfoliating paste with fine grain sugar (white or brown is fine) and some of the following ingredients, depending on skin condition:

      - Oatmeal (for soothing irritated skin).  Grind the oatmeal in a coffee grinder until fine.
-       Plain yogurt, milk or cream (for soothing, hydrating and lactic acid exfoliation)
-       Honey (pulls moisture toward the skin and acts as an anti-bacterial agent for blemishes)
-       Egg white (tightens skin and pores, good for oily skin)
-       Tomato, blended (Good for blemishes and toning)
-       Lemon juice (brightening and toning - not for sensitive or acneic skin)
-       Pineapple pulp, blended (for brightening and toning)
-       Canned pumpkin (for extra exfoliating acids for blemished skin)

Please note:  If your skin is extremely sensitive or acneic, gently massage your face with a washcloth and gentle cleanser at the end of the second cleanse.  Make a mask with the appropriate products above and do not add the sugar, as it can be too irritating.

Massage in to skin, including lips (but avoid eyes) for 2 minutes.

Apply cooled chamomile, black or green tea bags to your eyes while you relax and the mask does its thing for 10 – 15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

STEP 5

Hydrate.  This is also important for all skin types.  It’s crucial to keep the moisture and oil content of your skin in balance.  Overly stripped skin will cause an over production of oils, leading to more pimples down the line.  Use your favorite moisturizer, or spot-treat blemishes, and then follow with aloe vera for oily or blemished skin.  For dehydrated or sensitive lips and face, apply a light layer of jojoba, grape seed or olive oil mixed with aloe vera and let it soak in overnight.

You will wake up glowing, dewy and gorgeous.