My Skincare Routine

Hi guys ! Back again I see. So this week I’ll be talking about my skincare routine and what products I use.

If you haven’t read my skincare story click here and give that a read first. It explains a little bit of my history and how my skin has got to where it is today.

Sitting comfortably? Then let’s begin.

Okay so it might sound ridiculous but I kinda love cleansing my face! Especially to get rid of any makeup I’ve had on for the day. When I’ve been at work all day and listened to clients stories of their lives; some happy and some sad. It’s kind of a way for me to strip myself back and just become me again. The me when I’m not at work.

I mean I’ve had clients in for facials and they’ve broken down because a pet has died or a woman for a bikini wax whose sister is cheating on her boyfriend and she feels guilty for not telling him, but feels loyalty to her sister! I get told all sorts of things! I’m basically a therapist as well. Taking off my makeup is a way to remove all those things that I’ve had in some small way experienced with them.

The routine started off simple, but it’s evolved and grown from simply cleaning and moisturising.

My Daily Skincare Routine:

• Cleanse
• Tone
• Moisturise
• Eye Cream

Both morning and night I follow this routine, I will generally use the same products each day but I will sometimes use samples that I have been given at work, or what I have gotten from magazines.

My Weekly Skincare Routine:

• Exfoliating once or twice a week depending on what my skin needs
• Use a mask to target different issues. I will multi-mask (use two or more masks at once to get the best results) if needed.

I ensure to remove dead skin cells at least once a week, if I didn’t I would basically be using my moisturiser for no reason. What is the point in moisturising already dry and dead skin cells when you can have fresh regenerated ones from underneath !

My Miscellaneous Skincare Routine:

• Have a facial at least once every 4 months (I basically do my own every day so I don’t need them as often, but I always recommend a facial every 4 -6 weeks to clients!)
• Clean my face sponges and replace regularly so that bacteria, dirt and makeup doesn’t build up over time (This can cause spots, eye infections etc.)
• Clean my make up brushes every day with a sanitising spray to prevent spot causing bacteria from building up on the brushes
• Deep clean make up brushes once a week to really get the ingrained make up and bacteria off them !

I do these ‘extra bits’ because it ensures that I keep my tools/equipment as sterile and as clean as possible, using dirty tools and make up applicators can make spots worse !

Now yes this may seem a lot, but it is truly worth it. My skin has never been as good as it is now and it also helps to plan for the future. After all the quicker you start to look after your skin the less wrinkles you’ll have when you get older, BONUS !!! (Check out this article if you don’t believe me!)

Our skin is the largest organ in the body; cleansing ensures that make up, dirt, dead skin cells and bacteria are removed. And when using certain products cleansing can also help to fight the first signs of ageing, adult acne, rosacea, redness and many more… It’s all about finding a routine that works for you.

I always try new products, mainly because its part of my job to know what’s on the market and what works and what doesn’t. But I love trying new things, especially if I find a new product that I simply cannot live without! But listed below are my staple products that I return to again and again.

My Holy Grail of Skincare Products:

• Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion – Boots Essentials (£1.50 each or 3 for £3.00 across the range)
• Pre Cleanse – Dermalogica (£34.35 for 150ml)
• Essential Cleansing Solution – Dermalogica (£49.00 for 500ml)
• Balancing Lavender Toner – Elemis (£22.50 for 200ml)
• Skin Prep Scrub – Dermalogica (£28.50 for 75ml)
• Skin Smoothing Cream – Dermalogica ( £47.70 for 100ml)
• Herbal Lavender Repair Mask – Elemis (£31.00)
• Radiance Face Mask – Balance Me (£18.00)

 

Check out Dermalogica here !

 Check out Elemis here !

Check out Boots here !

Check out Balance Me here !

YES I KNOW ITS AN EXPENSIVE HABIT !! (£210.05) But I did not start out on the higher end products, I started on Boots, then Simple etc. I worked my way up and found what worked for me and trust me it was worth the money (Plus I get 20% Dermalogica at work !), and they last for ever ! With the higher end more professional skincare brands a little product goes a long way. They roughly last me anywhere between 8-12 months !!! Plus I ask for a lot of this stuff for birthdays and Christmas so I wont be buying it constantly, the thing is I know it works, it works for me its worth the money !

Thanks for reading this far STAY TUNED next week for another post !

J

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Twitter: @MLAJessTBT

Don’t forget to leave a comment on this post and on my other social media platforms or email me at: mylifeasjessthebeautytherapist@hotmail.com with ideas for new posts, requests, thoughts or questions !

J

x

It’s nearly over…

This academic year is coming to an end and the end of this blog; I have completed many different tasks in order to complete my action plan however before the action plan I discounted some tasks from my SWOT analysis because of time and commitment restrictions these included:

• Completing the Dermalogica Training – Unfortunately I did not have the time to be able to complete this training due to work and university commitments; however once this academic year is finished I will be completing the training as I will have the time and resources to do so. I feel that when I have completed this training I will be able to offer a deeper breadth of knowledge to myself and therefore offer greater knowledge and expertise to my customers

• Completing Hot Stone Massage – Regrettably I also did not have the time to be able to attend a hot stone workshop at college. I did look into this option but again the sessions clashed with my work and other personal commitments ;  I will hopefully be able to attend these sessions when the new level 3’s start in September. I feel that if I can offer this treatment it will greatly improve my skills and offer new opportunities to my customers.

I believe that once I have completed these tasks I will overall be more knowledgeable and determined to succeed in other aspects of my career; gaining this experience is the first step to my progression in the beauty and spa industry.

Signing off…. J

xx

 

 

 

What I’ve accomplished this year…

Okay this year has been hard and challenging in places and I’m not just talking about academically im talking about my personal life to; but I  won’t bore you with those details (Plus there personal).

One of my favourite quotes is the one stated above from The Incredibles and in some situations its true like for personal things that can’t be changed but for academia it doesn’t apply. Reflection and development are the core to succeeding. By using an action plan for the year I have been able to focus on what my weaknesses are from the past and turn them into strengths.

 

Kolb’s Reflective Cycle (1984) has been of great help to me over the course of the year. I have been able to use it to determine what went wrong or well, what I learnt from the experience and then developing those skills further and reusing them more effectively.

Step 1 – Concrete Experience

This year has been tough definitely, but I have had many experiences that I have been able to develop my skills over. Take for example my blog post on the Indian Head Massage tutorial.

Step 2 – Reflective Observation

Once having an experience I wrote down what I think I did well and what I didn’t do so well. I then asked the people that were there if they had any other ideas for how I could improve.

Step 3 – Abstract Conceptualisation

Then I concluded what I learnt from the experience or what I hadn’t and this lead me to step four…

Step 4 – Active Experimentation

I then tried out what I had learnt again and practiced different things that the other people had mentioned (Indian Head Massage… Again) After I had practiced the whole process started again to see what I could strengthen next time

I’ve accomplished so much this year through my action plan and my personal life, I think I’m finally learning that I must develop to be able to progress.

This year has been full of reflection and development for me and I can only hope that I can continue to learn, reflect and develop over time.

 

J

 

 

I’m almost there !!!

OMG !! Where did this (academic) year go ? This is crazy but it’s nearly well and truly over!

I’ve got my research project all printed and bound ! #soproud This took me hours and I’m so happy it’s done but a little sad to.

I’ve got four units left to do and two are to be handed in next Monday! So then il have two left ! This is madness it’s literally going so quick.

I’m now having to make a BIG decision! Do I do the level 6 in BusinessManagement or do I do my assessors training and then see if I want to do teaching???

Anyway better get some more work done, I’ve got to get everything ticked off this list !

J

Employability Week

For employability week I was asked by my university supervisor if I would come and talk to the Level Three hair groups about progression onto Levels Four and Five. I said that I would enjoy doing that and asked what kind of things they would want to know.

When I arrived at the session the students were rowdy and noisy but soon calmed down once their tutor had explained what we would be discussing. V the study skills coach also attended the session and gave a short presentation of the sorts of things to expect once studying the level 4.

I then asked if any of the students were thinking about going on to the program; none of them were particularly interested as they all had jobs currently is salons and would be working full time once they finished their level 3.

I explained to them if they did change their minds they can still apply and I would answer any questions they had then by email.

I then attended a session with the older group of hair students who were studying the level 3; one of these students was really interested in the course and asked lots of questions. I explained about the level of work and commitment you have to give to the course just in order to finish one unit; and she was still very enthusiastic. I explained to her if she needed any advice about the course she could contact V or myself and I would help them the best I could.

I then went to see the current Level Four’s and spoke with them about the change onto Level Five; they all seemed enthusiastic and also had some questions about Unit 6 Project Design, Implementation and Evaluation. I explained to them about my project but told them there were not set topics to choose from so they could take the unit wherever they wanted. This seemed to really boost morale of the group to finish the Level Four and continue onto Level Five.

The group also had some questions about their current units so I spoke with them on what I had done to reach each assessment criteria. I then wished them good luck with the rest of their course and said if they wanted to contact me on anything else they could do.

I wished all the groups with the best in their studies and their careers. I would say that although some of the students were not necessarily interested in the courses that they did gain something from myself coming to speak to them. It may not be something that they consider straight away but maybe in a couple of years they would consider studying.

In terms of my own employability I have continued to network on LinkedIn and all other social media platforms and on Twitter I even had a conversations on one of my Tweets with Models Own !!!

  

J

 

Keeping up with the Karda… Beauty and Spa Industry !

You didn’t really think I’d do a post on the Kardashian’s did you? Well I suppose in some ways they do have an influence on the industry. I mean they have makeup, nail care, hair care, eyelashes ! You name it they’ve probably done it! (And probably will do everything else beauty related in the future).

They’ve definitely left a large stamp on the beauty industry and with shows such as theirs; TOWIE, Geordie Shore and various others it’s no wonder these ‘celebrities’ make such an impact on our industry.

Just the other day I had a lady for an eyebrow wax and she wanted them like ‘Kim K’ and yes I knew instantly what that meant; I had to explain to the client that eyebrows are defined by your face shape and will not look the same on everyone! I explained and she asked tonnes of questions and seemed really pleased that I spent the time to explain this to her (She left really happy I might add – without Kim K eyebrows).

So as part of my action plan I decided that being in the hair,beauty and spa industry is very quick paced with new products coming out every week or so. I needed to brush up on my knowledge and keep ‘on trend’ and up to date.

I started by looking at companies on Facebook and these linked to different pages that advertised new products and up and coming trends. Facebook was easily accessible as I already have an account and know how to use it. Facebook was ideal also as it linked me to local and international companies that had great products; I was notified immediately when these companies posted new trends or products so it was easy to keep up.

    

Next I looked to Instagram which I also use on a daily basis to keep up to date with friends and celebrities day to day lives. Again the format was easy to follow as I already have an understanding of the site and use it regularly. I could easily look through ‘tags’ on different subject areas such as ‘spa’ or ‘facial’ to bring up products, reviews and new treatment ideas. I have found that both Instagram and Facebook are really current and up to date as they can post anything with a few clicks. Twitter offered a similar platform to Instagram and often posted links to websites, training courses and companies with new products or treatments. Just by searching terms such as ‘beauty’, ‘spa’, ‘facials’, ‘waxing’ etc.

   

 I’ve found that for myself as a Beauty Therapist Dermalogica’s Instagram accounts are really up to date and show new products and trends. There is at least one new post each day; whether it be a new product launch, inspirational quote or competition.

 

   Another really good find was my subscriptions to Cosmopolitan and Glamour Magazine; the monthly magazines have regular beauty coloumns, articles and pages on hair and beauty products, trends and spas.
  

LinkedIn has also been a great influence in keeping up with the trends; being able to connect with people in my industry and following companies, and people who I can learn from or have an invested interest in. It has allowed me to contact people in the industry that have different skills and training to me and has also opened up an opportunity to attend the Beauty UK Show in May this year.

    

I’ve also made use of the thousands of videos on Youtube; I have watched different videos from how to carry out Dermalogica Skin Mapping, The Spa Find Youthful You Anti-Ageing Facial and more…. The opportunities were endless, I watched product reviews, product and treatment reviews and ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos which has opened up a new variety of explanations as to why people experience goosebumps or tingles on their body when listening to a person carrying out their treatment.

 

 

Although these websites, apps and accounts have been helpful and influential I still think that training is essential in terms of continually keeping on trend and up to date. It has helped me to be able to converse with clients about new products on the market and to be able to sell Dermalogica products but I feel that if I attended some training I would have seen more benefit from this development activity.

These social media platforms however are a really easy and cost effective method of ‘keeping up with the beauty and spa industry!’

J

Reception At Revive Hair, Beauty and Spa

  

At Revive Hair, Beauty and Spa clients are welcomed to the reception area which  hosts comfy chairs and magazines to relax with before appointments and a retail area that stocks both Crystal Clear, Dermalogica, Spa Find and Wella products. 

As part of my action plan I wanted to work on my reception skills; in order for this to happen whenever I didn’t have any treatments I would spend this time on reception helping out the other reception staff. 

We use Shortcuts at Revive and I have had some experience with this when I had to complete my reception duties modules on Level Two. Over the course of the year I have used Shortcuts more often and am finding it really easy to book clients, cancel clients, rebook clients, and take payments. 

  

I am quite happy to attend reception and arrive clients on the system but I feel that I still need practice when it comes to cash handling and the cashing up system at the end of the working day. This is another task that I want to continue to progress with after the action plan is finished. 

  

Due to a member of staff having to leave for medical reasons the reception was put under more stress until a new replacement could be found. I applied for the job but turned it down as it would have meant I’d have to give up my beauty therapy job; which I enjoy immensely. 

In order to help out my team at Revive and to also show my willingness to learn and provide assistance; I offered to come in on Fridays and help with reception and curriculum support. 

Some tasks that I had to complete whilst I was helping out included; 

• Attending reception 
• Taking phone calls
• Meeting and greeting clients
• Taking payments and rebooking appointments

 

• Offering clients drinks
• Offering clients advice on treatments, services and retail products
• Attending dispensary
• Attending the students when they needed products, equipment or help within the spa
• Attending the spa, cleaning, pool testing and spa client journey’s 
• Preparing classrooms with equipment, products and materials 
• Ordering stock room and taking stock checks 

 The days that I did these tasks really helped with my action plan and my progression with working on reception and also selling products as many clients asked for advice and help.

  
I want to continue to progress with my reception skills as I believe that reception is the first point of call with clients; where five star customer service sets the scene to clients. 

Critically I think that I should have been allowed to spend more time shadowing other members of staff as I was often left along on reception and then had to find the staff member to help me. However in the fast paced environment this wasn’t achievable as the staff members needed to be everywhere at any given point in time. I think for me it showed that Revive need more membes of reception staff to deal with the fast paced environment that the job demands. 

J 

Proofreading!!!

I decided that proofreading was something that I definitely needed to add to my action plan and develop over the year. I decided that using a proofreader to check over my reports and presentations was the next best step to take in order to achieve higher marks for my work.

  
The aim was that once I had finished a report or presentation I would email the study skills coach; and organise a meeting so that she could go through them with me and change any errors  or spellings. 

It became apparent that with the amount of assignments due in around the same time being able to meet the study skills coach wasn’t viable. I decided that asking my parents and sister (who is also doing a university course) would be the next best option. 

  
Everytime an assignment was ready I would get them to read through it. It actually did bring out certain areas that did need changing; whether it be the punctuation or the actual wording of a sentence in order for it to make sense. 

Proofreading has definitely helped and may have gotten me higher marks for some assignments but only time will tell. It’s so important to proofread an assignment when you are writing a report; you assume that what you are writing makes sense. However for someone else it may just be complete gibberish ! 

The critical side of me however wishes that I’d made time for the study coach to proofread my work also as she is used to the methods of assessment and how to hit criteria. For future courses I will definitely use her as an asset 

Get someone to proofread for you even if they do it section by section. Because trust me reading a 50 page report on something that your not interested in can be labourious ! 

J 

P.S – I made my sister proofread this very blog post ! 

Mentoring !

As part of my action plan I wanted to take it upon myself to mentor and coach younger and less experienced learners in different aspects of Beauty and Spa Therapy.

I decided to start this process when a level 2 student started volunteering on a Saturday where I work; it became apparent that she was very enthusiastic but did lack some confidence and understanding in some areas such as waxing and the spa journey that clients take.

I chose this student mainly because she showed a real passion for the role. I started the mentoring by introducing myself and explaining what I wanted to do within the process and if there was anything that she wanted to focus on.

She immediately said that she would like help with her waxing technique and would like an introduction to the spa as she was considering whether to do the beauty or spa level 3 route.

When I had time I mentored her and let her ask questions; I also allowed her to shadow me whilst I was doing spa journeys. She said that that had really helped as she was always thinking of what to talk to clients about. I spoke through the consultation process of the spa and allowed her to practice on me also. I did this a number of times throughout her time at Revive.

I also showed her how to answer the phone whilst on reception and take payments; for me this was a great experience as it allowed me to pass on this knowledge once I had learnt it recently.

I helped her with her waxing skills when she was struggling with a client; I went through the techniques and approaches as well as the actual application of the treatment.

I shadowed her aftercare advice on as many treatments as possible and she asked questions on alternative products to offer. She quickly picked up on the products and how to communicate with the client.

She asked me plently of questions throughout the time she spent with me and said that she has really enjoyed and learnt a lot whilst volunteering.

Critically I want to continue to improve her skills if she continues into the level 3 as she shows real promise to progress as a beauty therapist if she chooses. I will do this by meeting with her on more regular occasions and once something has been learnt I will ask her if she wants to look into any other aspects of beauty therapy. For example I have friends who work on cruise ships, salons and spas so I could utilise them and encourage her in other avenues of beauty therapy.

J

HE Student Conference 2016- Center Parcs

  29th February 9:30am -4:30pm Center Parcs

Student Conference 2016

With Vision West Nottinghamshire College – Ana Smith, Louise Knott, Sally Dodsley and Vandana Sharma

The student conference which was hosted this year at Center Parcs contained workshops on both EMPLOYABILITY, COMMUNICATION and CONFIDENCE.

To begin the day we discussed the current University Centre building project, students were advised to ask any questions that they may have, we also gave suggestions on how we want the building to work when it opens this September (2016) just in time for the new courses to start.

Next was a workshop on employability; Ana Smith talked over what employers look for from business and customer awareness to problem solving skills and communication and literacy skills. This workshop was a great eye opener not just for me but also for the other students on the conference who were all at different stages of study.

The confidence workshop focused on who we are as a person; what we offer to those around us to friends, family but most importantly what we offer our employers both present and future. We looked at personal branding and how we market ourselves to employers.

And finally the workshop on Communication which was by far the most involved and active of the sessions; we spoke about the fact that when communicating with people you must

• be clear and concise
• make sure that they can hear you
• enunciate and dictation
• check that information is correct when you receive it
• cut out the middle man to ensure the correct message is received (but only where possible)

We played a classic game of WHISPERS ! All fourteen students stood in a line and then passed a message along the line by only whispering it to each other with no repetition. As you can imagine it didn’t go quite to plan as what Ana had hoped. The message a the start was completely different to that at the end.

Ana then said that remember as a receiver of a piece of information you must respect the messenger, ask questions and paraphrase yourself to ensure your own understanding of the message.

At the end of the session we also carried out a task in which we were paired up and then sat back to back to each other. One person was given a picture and without showing it to the other person they had to describe it, but similarly to WHISPERS! only once. The drawing below shows my attempt (my drawing was the best interpretation of what my partner had described).

Overall the day was really good and gave me some excellent references for my reports (BONUS!)

Signing off

J