Ethnic Skin Aficionado

Here is an interesting article I found in Skindipity.

In my career as an Aesthetician I have spent a notable amount of time researching the art of facials and questioning my clients about their prior facial experiences. For many of my early years in the industry I rarely treated myself to a facial figuring that I could do that myself, and splurging for the massage instead.

It wasn’t until I had received so much feedback about my facials being the best experience a client had ever had that I decided to find out what was being done (or not done) elsewhere that was so different. Read the rest of this entry »

If you work in the spa or esthetic industry there are certain influencers that you should be aware of. Such a person is Lynne McNees, President of the International Spa Association (ISPA). For over 20 years, ISPA has been recognized worldwide as the professional organization and voice of the spa industry, representing health and wellness facilities and providers in more than 70 countries.

As the president of ISPA for over 16 years, Ms. McNees has weighed in on a variety of topics ranging from men’s health to student scholarships.

I met Ms. McNees last summer at an ISPA event in New York City. She has what’s known as “presence”,  you immediately feel a certain electricity crackling around her. In spite of all that star power I found her  very easy to talk to.

Today she sits down with Ethnic Skin Aficionado to answer the following questions; Read the rest of this entry »

As an African-American beauty blogger and esthetician who specializes in ethnic skin, I have a very diverse range of clients. I tend to attract a lot of new estheticians in particular who come to the spa not only for services but information as well. They seek tips on everything from facial techniques to how to progress more rapidly into a lucrative spa job. I also receive a lot of e-mail from beauty students who feel for a variety of reasons that they are not being properly prepared by their beauty school to face the real world after graduation. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes we want things handed to us. I’m guilty of that. Because I’m not a techno weenie and my husband and sister both have degrees in IT, I become lazy about remembering how to do what on the computer.  I share our home office with my techie husband and annoy him on a daily basis asking questions about downloads and uploads and the difference between MB’s and KB’s.  Amazingly though when he’s away and I have a computer problem, I manage to read enough of the notes I’ve taken from his fount of knowledge to resolve the issue quite nicely. Because, you see, I had the answer all along. Read the rest of this entry »

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

New Book Helps Esthetic Students Get a Leg Up in the Industry:

International Spa Consultant Pens Insights and Expertise

Philadelphia, PA (April 24, 2013) – When international spa consultant and award winning esthetician Linda Harding-Bond talks about skin people listen. She has trained over 100 spa therapists for such notable organizations as the Oberoi Hotel Group in India which is ranked by Travel & Leisure magazine as #1 in the world and the GoldenEye Resort and Spa in Oracabessa, Jamaica owned by music legend Chris Blackwell, producer of Bob Marley and U2. Now she shares practical insights in her new e-book titled, The New Esthy Handbook: An Essential Guide for Novice or Nervous Estheticians. Read the rest of this entry »

I decided to become an esthetician at the age of twelve after seeing the movie In Like Flint. Of course life happened along with other things and I didn’t have a chance to realize my ambition until my thirties but it did happen. But not in the way I envisioned. My dream of an exotic spa job on a tropical island was replaced by a closet sized facility in an urban location. And instead of the sounds of the ocean and birds, I got horns honking and stylists shouting at each other above the din of blow dryers. Read the rest of this entry »

When I graduated from esthetic school, I didn’t know how much I didn’t know. Many esthetic instructors have limited knowledge about the real spa world and though their advice was well meant it wasn’t   relevant in the real time market.

There was no easy resource to help and guide me and things haven’t changed that much.

Until now.

The New Esthy Handbook: An Essential Guide for Novice or Nervous Estheticians http://amzn.to/YmKM59 is an easy to read, easy to follow downloadable must-have for a new graduate or therapist who is serious about getting solid, up to the moment information and a fast leg up on the competition.

It is also the perfect tool for spa managers to build their staff meetings around.

Garnered from 18 years of experience  as an award winning working esthetician and international spa consultant, I’ll provide you with the exact information you need to get you started on the path to success. Topics like;

*Which Spa Environment is Right for You?

*What Qualities are Employers Really Seeking?

*What Interview Questions will You be Asked?

*What Questions should You be Asking?

*Easy Ways to Make Big Sales

*The New Normal-How to Get and Keep Ethnic Clients

*Should You Have your Own Spa?

*The Truth about Waxing

The New Esthy Handbook: An Essential Guide for Novice or Nervous Estheticians is a critical read for anyone who is interested in learning the insides of the spa industry. Download now. Available on Apple I books Vook.com and Amazon.com  http://amzn.to/YmKM59

As an esthetician, nothing can be scarier than performing an extraction and suddenly seeing a long red striation come across the skin. It can be a freak out moment as you mentally run through all of your steps thus far wondering if you’ve done something to cause this scary skin reaction. Read the rest of this entry »

Right about now is when the mad beauty dash begins and my schedule goes into overdrive. Spring is coming and everyone is trying to get their excess weight off and their skin right. But now is when I also begin to see a reoccurring theme; bad skin as a result of overeating, little exercise and carrying too much body weight. Read the rest of this entry »

About a month ago I was on a Black hair site and the topic of vision boards came up. Religious folks came out of the woodwork decrying the concept as heathenish and anti church and espousing all kinds of surprising opinions. I never thought that much about it but lately I’m seeing a lot of folks with vision boards. Read the rest of this entry »