Sunday 22 May 2011

Biotherm Homme Abdosculpt Review

I bought this product a couple of times. I would buy it again. It is one of my favourite Biotherm Men's products. Although it will not give you abs (like the hot Biotherm model for this product) this product does firm and tighten the skin around the abdomen area. I did notice a difference when using this product. I believe it retails for around $55 CDN. I much rather use a product like this than go to the gym or change my bad eating habits! :)
Rating: ***1/2 out of *****

Sunday 15 May 2011

Everything you need to know about PEDICURES. Part 1


Implements (Tools) needed for a Pedicure
1.           
               Nail File
2.        Toenail Clippers
3.       Foot File
4.       Foot Bath and Pedicure Chairs (Separate or Together)
5.       Toe Separators (optional)- they are awkward. Kleenex can be used instead.
6.       Cuticle Pusher
7.       Cuticle Nippers
8.       Nail Polish (Base, Top, and Colour)
9.       Nail Polish Remover
10   Cotton
11   Cuticle Softener (can be used on calluses)
12   Foot Sanitizer
13   Foot Soak
14   Pedicure Slippers
15   Foot Lotion
16   Towels
17  Credo Blade (optional), Ingrown Nails Remover (optional)

SPA Pedicure Products

1.       Foot Scrub
2.       Foot Mask (Usually Menthol/Peppermint) or Paraffin Mask
3.       Aromatherapy Oils, Specialty Creams

Pedicure  Pre-service
1.      
            Make sure that all of your implements are properly sanitized.
2.       Make sure that you have everything you need to perform the service
3.       Set up all of your implements and towels
4.       Fill the pedicure tub with warm water, add the foot soak solution.
5.       Greet your client, fill out client file, Perhaps your salon has containers with individual implements for sanitary purposes. Pull this out.
6.       Choose a nail polish colour.

Common Foot Conditions to Look for:
1.      
            Nail Fungus
2.       Athletes Foot
3.       Ingrown toe nails
4.       Calluses
5.        Bunions
6.       Corns
7.       Warts

Saturday 14 May 2011

Naturmed Review

A well known Italian skin care line by estheticians. While I was receiving my training as an esthetician at Laurenzo's School of Esthetics. I taught my class of estheticians at the Canadian Aesthetic Academy using the Naturmed line. It is also the line I chose to use when I operated my own spa. I continue to use this line for my home services. Naturmed offers a wide range of aromatherapy, natural, and scientific ingredients. Results can be seen immediately after a Naturmed spa treatment. The Glycolic peel and fruit acid mask are amongst my favourites in the line. It is an affordable line to use by estheticians and affordable for client to purchase and use at home.
Rating: ****1/2 out of *****

Clarins Bright + Exfoliator Review

I am not a big fan of the Clarins brand but this scrub is my FAVOURITE! It is one of the best on the market. It smells wonderfully pleasant and has strawberry and raspberry ingredients in it. The exfoliating beads are gentle yet effective. I like to start off using this scrub on my cleansed face dry, work it in, and then and water as I work it in further. After that I rinse it off and my face is bright and squeaky clean! The price isn't bad. I believe it retails for $34CDN for 50ml. They recently repackaged and reformulated the scrub. The new version is just as good as the old version.
Rating: ***** out of *****

Clinique Dramatically Different Mositurizer Review

This moisturizer is an excellent price in comparison to moisturizers of other Prestige brands. It is unfortunate that is offers little to no anti-aging benefits. It is a basic moisturizer that only offers moisture to the skin. It balances the oil and water content in the skin. If you are using this product you would still need to use a better moisturizer on top of it as well as an SPF factor. It is a pointless product in my opinion and not worth the $29CDN for 125ml. I believe that the only reason it is so popular is its price point and it is a qualifier for Clinique's Gift with Purchase amount of $26.50. If you MUST buy a DDML product I would suggest the Gel formula as a better option. It is lighter in weight and not as greasy/heavy as the lotion.
Rating for lotion: * out of *****
Rating for gel: ** 1/5 out of *****

Lancome Genifique Review

One of Lancome's newer products. A youth activating concentrate that is intended to be used under your serum day and night. Due to its success Lancome has added several other products to the Genifique family. When this product first came out I was absolutely in love with it. It is very light weight and one only needs a drop or two for use on the face. I came to realize that 1. This may just be an extra skin care routine step that is not required and 2. The results were not extreme. It offered some extra hydration to my skin but besides that if didn't offer me any other results. This product is over priced. Retailing at approximately $95 CDN for 30ml and $125CDN for 50ml. If you are well off and are looking for an extra step, though unnecessary, to your skin care routine, then this product is for you.

Rating: *** out of *****

Estee Lauder Idealist Review

This is one of Lauder's best products. It gentle exfoliates your skin leaving it feeling silky smooth. An excellent product to perfect your make up application. It is a serum and is intended to go under your daytime moisturizer. I personally preferred the older formation better than the new one. However, the new formulation offers pore minimizing through its water chesnut ingredient. Glucosomine is one of Lauder's ingredients of choice for a gentle exfoliation. This product leaves your complexion radiant, even and luminous. $63 CDN for 30ml and $93 CDN for 50ml makes this product expensive, but worth the money. Sometimes Lauder produces 100ml value sizes which is well worth it. A less expensive and very similar product is Clinique's Turnaround Concentrate which retails at $47 for 30ml. Clinique is owned by Lauder and Turnaround offers comparable results.
 Rating: ***** out of *****