Beauty Filter

http://www.britishbeautyblogger.com/2011/10/beauty-fatigue.html

Great post about all the new products that keep coming out trying to capture our attention if only for a moment. I think this is applicable to all the consumer packaged goods/services/things that people are trying to sell us. There's just a general sense out there that everyone is tired. Too much stuff is trying to be sold to too many people that have too little money.

How do we come back from the brink? Filtering. I posted a quote on my Facebook page about information overload. The crux of the problem is filter failure. Too much information is getting through that would have been filtered in years past (stopped by either economics or lack of access)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150333358682919&set=a.10150311598582919.346808.505287918&type=3&theater

I'd say one of the biggest problems I've encountered since working as an esthetician is that everyone has a favorite brand. I'm no different. I've found brands that I love since working at a med spa. And I'm sure I'll find more brands that I love. The problem comes when everyone assumes that I know everything about every brand. No, I'm sorry, I haven't heard of your skin care brand that you love. I'm sure it's awesome. But I don't have time in my life (or with my skin) to try every single product that is out there.

What's your beauty filter? Mine happens to be brands sold in professional only channels. I'm mostly familiar with and tend to trust more brands that are sold to beauty professionals. Why? Because they have to make the product good enough for a professional to like it. Professionals are picky and hard to please because  they need stuff that's going to work on their clients, or they won't get any repeat business. Also companies typically consult with professionals while creating the products. So the development process is entirely different than for products that are tailored to what consumers want. I'm not saying you can't buy products sold to consumers. Go for it. It's just not going to be the most optimal use of your money. So if you want to find a way to make the most of your limited dollars, professional brands could be a good filter.

The other filter is learn your ingredients. I think I've said this in a couple of posts. Knowing basic ingredients in beauty products allows you to look for the stuff you like in the higher priced brands and see if it's in your lower priced brands. Also you can make a call as to whether or not that expensive cream really has enough of a particular ingredient in it to justify its expensive price. The higher the amount of the ingredient, the higher it is up on the label. Take a moment to compare the first three ingredients in a professional moisturizer and a retail moisturizer and you'll see what I mean. But if you find that ingredient that you love in your professional moisturizer in some generic brand at the drugstore, get it! It may not be the best use of your money, but at least you know what you are paying for.

BizAstrology October 2011

BizAstrology.com™

Let the Stars Guide You to Business Success!

It's October one of my favorite months of the year!

We are looking at the stars through the business cycle: Lead Generation = attracting clients, Lead Conversion = having sales conversations that convert a potential client into a paying client, Client Fulfillment = delivering the product or service, and Operations are those ongoing recurring (cyclic) activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value and profit.

Of course you have to pay attention to all four parts of this cycle but there are going to be some months that it's more beneficial to put more attention on one area.

Enjoy! and know the recorded interview will be coming soon.

In Joyful Service,

Jenn August & Ilana Weiner

Overall Themes in October 2011

Strong Libra Energies Leaving Us Feeling Out Of Balance

The end of September might have felt pretty intense, as thought there was full moon out there every day of the week. The full moon isn’t until October 11^th, but we did have multiple planets lining up in Libra (Sun, New Moon, Mercury, Venus and Saturn) around September 28^th. The intensity of the planetary energies most likely manifested itself in everyone feeling out of balance, especially Libras. Libra is the sign of justice, partnership and balance, so if you had any big blow-ups with your sweetie or your boss, just blame the planets and try to move on. Even if (and especially if) you more than likely feel as though you were completely justified in the blow up. Sometimes Libra energy can bring out the self-righteousness in us all. This happens when we are able to clearly see both sides of the story but land firmly on our side. The Sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn are all going to be congregating in Libra until the first week of October so give yourself (and your partners) a little time before things settle down.

Mars In Leo Leading to Creativity

For the past few horoscopes, Jen has asked if this is a good time to focus on a particular area of the business work cycle. Mercury rules lead generation and conversion, while Mars rules operations and Jupiter rules fulfillment. With Mercury dancing in between Libra and Scorpio, it will be a volatile time for lead generation and conversion, where you may find yourself moving from feelings of intense injustice to deep felt emotions. Hold off on having any important conversations with new clients until after the Ariean Full Moon on October 11^th. Mars in Leo is a fantastic aspect for coming up with creative ways to set up your business operations. Everyone will have this powerful energy running through their creative sector  through November 11^th. Take advantage of thinking of unique ways to get your business operations flowing smoothly.  

Individual Signs

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19)

Fulfillment

I want my Aries to find their ideal business partners. If last month was spent taking a critical look at your career ambitions, then this month should be spent seeking out the partners that will take you where you want to go. You’ll know they are the right partners if they immediately help you earn more money. With the full Moon in your sign around the middle of the month, this could be a very emotional and intense time period for you. My moon is in Aries, so I intimately understand the volatile nature of Lunar Aries. It is the type of energy that is quick to get anger, happy or sad, but just as quick to move on. Try not to take anything too personally this month. Also look to any projects that are ready to come to fruition and harness the power of the full moon in your sign. To get them going.

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20)

Operations

I want my Taurus to find peace and balance in their health this month. Did you shake up your everyday routine last month? This is the month to settle everything back down and get into step with the new route that you’ve found. The full moon is in your twelfth house of the subconscious, which means that dreams will be particularly prophetic, vivid and emotional. Take the time to remember your dreams in the morning. You could even invest this month in a small dream journal that you keep buy your bed so that whatever is going on in your subconscious finds its way to your waking life. The focus next month will be more on partnerships and gaining income. This month is more about creative problem solving in operations in your home business.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

Fulfillment

I want my Geminis to create new ways to wow your existing clients. How did your home projects turn out last month? By now you must feel more settled in your home environment. Or maybe a key question was answered in your home that is going to allow you to move forward with more certainty about a plan. Your ruling planet Mercury is traveling through two signs this months, making you feel a little more stable in your communication and gift of gab. Be aware of any extra emotion that might be felt around the middle of the month concerning your friendships. If it’s time to end a friendship that isn’t doing anything for you, end it. Use all the tact at your disposable to create as clean a break as possible.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

Fulfillment

I want my Cancers to focus on bringing projects to fruition with as much diplomacy as possible. Did you speak up and speak clearly to those around you on an everyday basis last month? Perhaps your co-workers, business partners and clients are still getting used to the new you. Don’t be afraid of embracing this new honesty, but find a way to speak with tact. You’ve got both the full moon and Uranus in Aries in your tenth house of career, fame and honors.  

Leo (July 23 - Aug 22)

Lead Conversion

I want my Leos to work on balanced communication. Last month you focused on maximizing your everyday expenses. Now that your personal and professional services are automated, you’ll need to put your energy towards convincing any potential clients that you are the only person for the job. With intense energies lining up in the cardinal sign of Libra, you’ll need to take a balanced approach to how you share your thoughts. With a fiery full moon in your ninth house of philosophy, you’ll find ways to share you passion with others in ways that are both inspirational and convincing.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sept 22)

Lead Conversion

I want my Virgos to make sure they are receiving the pay that they deserve. Did you enjoy the warmth and love from having the sun in your sign last month? Your confidence in your abilities should have grown over the last few weeks of September as Libra made its way into your second house of wealth. Because so many planets are lining up in this second house, this is the time to fully embrace what you’ve always know and make sure that you are getting the right hourly rate. The middle of the month is a great time for lead conversion with the full moon in your eight house of other people’s money. Because Virgos are ruled by Mercury, I know you will be nimble and quick in your conversation, even during a time when emotions are running high and tempers may flair at the smallest slight.

Libra (Sept 23 - Oct 22)

Lead Generation & Conversion

I want my Libras to find ways to harness the powerful energy of all the planets in their sign. This is the ideal time to speak with new clients and try to woo them to your ways of thinking. Because the last few months were an intense time for your career, with Mars in your tenth house. Now that he has moved into your eleventh house, you may find that your friends are more instrumental in helping you move your day to day operations forward. Make sure that you make time to go out and socialize, because you’ll be surprised when a friend finds a solution to a problem that has long troubled you in your work life.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21)

Operations

I want my Scorpios to focus on mental preparation. The planets of Mercury and Venus are entering their sign in the middle of the month and the sun will shine his rays on you at the end of the month. This means that your communication, love and true self will feel more radiant than usual.  I’m sure you experienced some surprises when you let your friends know what was going on in your everyday life last month. Now that you’ve let them in, find a way to let them see the shining light that drives your passion and focus. Mars is taking a turn in your tenth house of career, fame and honors, so watch out world! When Scorpios have the full power of their ruler in their career section of their chart, anything is possible. You may find yourself going in a whole new direction for your career or finally starting that new business idea that has been percolating just below the murky depths of the Scorpio subconscious.  

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

Lead Generation

I want my Sagittarii to expand their social networks to find friends that will help them grow their business. You’ll find many inspirational moments with Mars in your ninth house, but I need for you to prepare for Mars entering your tenth house. In November he will be taking an unusually long turn in your house of career, fame and honors. Sagittarius are already born with luck since Jupiter is your ruler. November through June of next year will be one of the best times in a while to truly capitalize on that luck in your career. Did you find ways to make your day to day life line up with your dream career vision last month? This is the perfect set-up for going full speed ahead with any dream clients that you will attract and retain in November.

Capricorns (Dec 22 - Jan 19)

Lead Conversion

I want my Capricorns to focus all of there energies on their gift of negotiation in their career this month. Last month you spent time preparing for communication in your career. Now you have several planets lining up in your tenth house of career, fame and honors. Because of the intensity of energies that everyone is feeling, you’ll need to step up your game by keeping your head calm, cool and collected, which comes as second nature to Capricorns. You also have Mars doing a touring of your eighth house of other people’s money, so it’s a great time to get creative when it comes to financing your career projects.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18)

Lead Generation & Lead Conversion

I want my Aquarii to focus their energy on maximizing their career this month. The Sun will be taking a tour in your tenth house, give your career much needed jolt of energy and lifeforce by the end of the month. Because it will be moving into Scorpio, be aware of your emotions and how they impact those closest to you. Did you find ways to get more support financially for your day to day life last month? You should be feeling more financially stable now. This will empower you to wax poetically on the greater good that you and your business can do for the world. Focus your attention on higher education this month. If you are thinking about going back to school or investing in yourself in any way, do it!

Pisces (Feb 19 - March 20)

Lead Conversion

I want my Pisces to put everything they have into finding solid sources of new and sustainable clients. Hopefully you spent last month taking a very close look at your everyday partnerships to figure out what is working and what isn’t. By now you should have shed those relationships that weren’t doing you any good to begin with.  With a fresh clean slate, you’ll find your business growing stronger for the first couple of weeks of October. By the end of October you’ll need to shift more into bigger picture thinking of

October Dates to Calendar

Sun in Libra until 10/22

Venus in Libra until 10/9 then in Scorpio 10/10

Full Moon in Aries 10/11

Mercury in Libra until 10/13 then in Scorpio 10/14

New Moon in Scorpio 10/23

To Your Greatest Success!

Jenn August, C.H, C.L.S.C

Business Hypnotherapist & Success Coach

http://www.beyondbusinessforwomen.com

Musical Philanthropist

http://www.thesoundofgiving.org

Ilana Weiner, L.E.

Beauty Magician

http://www.beautybyilana.com

Have a wonderful month! Celebrate yourself - You deserve it!

Beyond Business LLC All Rights Reserved TM® Copyright © 2011

BizAstrology.com is a TM property of Beyond Business LLC

Beyond Business for Women PO Box 817 Reno, Nevada 89509 United States (800) 815-7681

Sell This Cream!

So I've jumped into the eBook madness. My first one is advice to beauty reps trying to convince owners/estheticians to buy your creams. These tips are pretty obvious, but you would be amazed at how many people don't do these very simple things. I'm not going to buy a $100 face cream from you if you can't be bothered to bring me a sample!

Beauty By Ilana Sell This Cream! eBook

Extreme Beauty

http://beautyeditor.ca/2011/09/22/front-row-at-fashion-week-the-beauty-dos-and-the-beauty-donts-kardashians-im-looking-at-you-guys/

I'm not gonna lie. I love Drag Queen makeup. It's so exaggerated, over the top and glam. And my favorite thing in life is when women do it. Because it makes us look hyper feminine. Now I'm not a big fan of Lady Gaga's drag looks because really, she's more doing Art School makeup. Which a drag queen wouldn't be caught dead in. Nope, Drag Queens wanna do everything in their (and MACs) power to make them look as feminine as possible.

So my favorite two looks of the don't are the queens of the drag queen make-up:  Kim Kardashian and Pamela Anderson. I love those crazy spider lashes on Kim. Yes, I'm currently trying to grow my own with Latisse. And the ideal would be if I could find someone to tint my upper and lower lashes every month. Then I would have similar spider lashes. Really, I have very long lashes on the bottom. Although I think that has to do with the fact that I don't wear mascara there. Thank Risa (friend/esthetician) for that tip. Which means that now I only pull out the mascara for the special occasions since even the most gentle mascara has been damaging my lashes.

Pam Anderson. What can I say. You know what works on your eyes. Lots and lots and lots of dark black and light blue shadow blended to a black mixed with smokey grey. Love it! You will always be an edgy Barbie come to life for me. Speaking of the smokey eye, I love the trend that we are moving towards of monochromatic color on the lid, in the crease and under the eye. I first noticed it with Drew Barrymore's commercial for the Cover Girl product that is color and primer in one. This trend speaks to the lazy beautician in me for simple everyday makeup that makes your eyes pop. Blending is just too much work for the office and has been relegated to the weekends.

Beauty Share of Wallet

Share of Wallet is a fancy MBA marketing term for how people decide to spend their money. I spend the majority of my wallet on beauty products, entertainment and technology. Within beauty, skin care products get the highest share of wallet. Not just because I'm a facialist. I've always cared way too much about my skin. Come to think of it, that's probably what drove me to become a facialist. Skin is something that you carry with you forever. It should be your beauty foundation.

Onto beauty spurlges. Everyone always asks me what they really need to spend on their beauty products. I think this comes from the fact that there is such a wide range of prices out there. $1 for Suave shampoo, $50 for Kerastase shampoo. $5 for Olay face wash, $38 for SkinCeuticals face wash. What do you really need to put your money towards?

Depends. I know that wasn't the easy answer you wanted to hear. The reality is that everyone should buy a face wash, shampoo and moisturizer that is appropriate to their skin/hair type. The best way to figure that out is to go to a professional and ask. Next time you get a haircut, make sure you to ask what the best type of shampoo for your hair is. When you go to your facialist, ask what ingredients/type of cleanser they recommend for you. For example, some people do great with a gel cleanser, while others need a cream cleanser. As far as buying the particular brand that your hair stylist and facialist recommends, it really has to do with your particular needs. Do you have problem areas (dandruff, dry hair, breakouts)? Then you should try to stick to the brands that your hair stylist/facialist recommends. The reason is that they have more than likely seen their fair share of the problems that you are dealing with. They've spent years trying out different products with their clients and now they definitely know what products will actually truly solve your problems. Your less likely to end up with a closet full of products with half met expectations. You are paying for knowledge when you buy that face cream from your facialist.

If you have normal hair and normal skin, you can probably get away with getting the cheapest hair and skin care products out there. But if you have any sensitivities at all, you are going to want to avoid over the counter products you can get at drugstores and grocery stores. The reason those products are so cheap is because they have less active ingredients. That's why they work just fine for people that have normal hair and normal skin who don't really need a lot of active ingredients. They just need something that is going to clean their skin and their hair. But the reason those products are irritating to the majority of us who have skin/hair problems is because what they lack in active ingredients, they make up in fillers, preservatives and perfumes. Scent is the number one allergen out there. Next time you are at the drugstore, take a whiff of the biggest brands that you know (the ones you see the most on TV) and you'll notice that they have very intense smells. That's because they are filling their bottles with scent. Sometimes, to be fair, that scent is being used to mask lower quality ingredients.

Let's say you have problems with your hair/skin but you really want to spend your share of wallet on that vacation to Mexico. Then make sure you ask your hair stylist/facialist to talk to you about the ingredients in the products that they recommend. Your task will be to become a label reader. For example, for the majority of  people with acne, hydroxy acids (salicylic and glycolic for example) and benzoyl peroxide are the most effective ingredients. Typically the products that your facialist are recommending for your skin have those ingredients in them. You can try out the drugstore versions, just make sure that your product doesn't have too many ingredients that might irritate your already sensitive skin. If you have any questions about a particular ingredient, bring the products you are using into the salon or spa and ask. Many facialists and hair stylists are beauty ingredient scientists.

To Your Beauty Health

I am a medical perfectionist. Okay stop laughing. I'm a hypochondriac. Which just means that I like to fix every single health problem that I have.

Since skin is my passion, perfecting my own skin is my life's work. Right now I'm dealing with a hodgepodge of skin issues that make me very unhappy. Have irritations on my skin really does affect my mood. But they also allow me to experiment with a wide variety of treatments.

First up, I tried the one that maybe you've heard before: Pre-Natal vitamins for hair, skin and nails. I do see a shine to my hair and my nails are stronger than ever. But my skin didn't get better or worse. Next, probiotics. I've heard about them for about a year from my beautiful massage therapist client Jenny. Then I started seeing commercials touting their miracle benefits. I've been taking them for about a month and haven't felt anything (except the occasional heartburn). I did notice in a magazine that Eminence is touting their probiotic skin care line. http://www.amazon.com/Eminence-VitaSkin-Skin-Probiotic-Masque/dp/B004D7I7CO

Onto Omega 3s which change your heart and your life, supposedly. I will attest to the fact that when I briefly took Lovaza (prescription version of Omega 3s) I had the softest skin ever. I've been trying to get about 3G of Omega 3s a day and I've noticed my skin softening. Now the bain of my existence: Hormonal Acne. It's been a big problem for me in the past two months. I stopped hormonal birth control back in February (I'd been on it for 10 years, seemed like enough time) and expected my skin to explode.

Nothing happened, oddly enough, except for increased oil production around my nose. Then in August my face started to fall off. I've been on the roller coaster ride of battling hormonal acne flair-up since then. One will pop up just as soon as another one has healed. Just in case you aren't familiar with it, hormonal acne is very similar to cystic acne, in that it is often deep, angry and painful.

I'm going to give the probiotics and Omega 3s two more months and then I'm going to try the next beauty health product on my todo list: Cod Liver Oil. Yup, that stuff from when our grandparents were kids. It's Omega 3s plus Vitamin A. Vitamin A helps your skin cells shed and renew themselves (that's what RetinA is). I'll report back in the New Year on whether or not I've seen a change from Cod Liver Oil!
http://beautyeditor.ca/2010/09/02/the-single-best-product-evah-for-your-skin-is-not-in-fact-an-actual-skincare-product/

Beauty baggage

It's crazy talk, but I think I might be ready to commit to lip stick again. OCC's Lip Tar have me jumping back into lipstick. They are those hybrid thingies that go on like a lip gloss and stain your lip like a lipstick or a lip stain. The only problem that I have is getting used to the lipstick thing again. It is very drying. I'm sure there are lipsticks with mega moisture. I'll just have to do some more investigating.
http://www.occmakeup.com/lips.html

Even LC and fellow fashionistas are getting into Lipstick. Everything is so cyclical. 
http://thebeautydepartment.com/2011/08/go-bright-or-go-home/

I'm totally down with the bright pink. Spider lashes too. But glossy eye shadow is not my thing. I have enough problems with my shadow slipping as it is. No more gloss on top of that. Although I should probably never say never. It seems like it might be one of those things that if I try it, I'll love it.

As for the title of this post, it refers to the beauty baggage that we all carry with us. Me, I can never go too long with unplucked eyebrows, because it reminds me of my high school days. My BF Paul warned me about the dangers of over plucking after I had a wee bit of a waxing accident last week (a perfect storm of too hot wax, double waxing and waxing on the face). Don't worry I will never take it to the extreme of bleaching or disappearing eyebrows.

Lips are the other big beauty baggage that I carry around. For some reason, my small mouth and cupids bow lips look funny to me when they stand out with lipstick. I'm much more comfortable playing up my eyes. Point is, we all have beauty stuff that stays with us. Thank god the fashion goddesses challenge us with reminding us to wear a bright shade on our lips now and then.