{Re}Post! "My Five Top Tips for (Most) Clients"

Greetings from Los Angeles! I am down here briefly for The Makeup Show LA that happened last weekend for education/kit investment, for work (and hustling!), and two bridal consultations! I have consultations and meetings lined up when I return home and  I cannot wait to meet my potential brides of 2013 (& 2014!)!

This morning, I am feeling particularly grateful to have great clients & great potential clients!  To potential future clients & vendors alike, I urge you to read this blog by Preston Bailey: "My Five Top Tips for (Most) Clients"!

Just in case you did not click through to the link, I will highlight - in quotes the 3/5 that stood out to me (even though ALL 5 are important!)

"I. We are artists who have gone into business to make a profit. Please refrain from placing us in a position where we feel you are trying to get us to give away our services. It is disrespectful, and leads to resentment of both the client and the job itself.

II. Our main goal is to make you happy. We have the utmost respect for you and your budget, which is why we are willing to be honest about what you can and cannot afford. Please remain flexible with your budget, if you want “more” than what your budget allows.

V. Last but not least, know that we value and respect you. Without you, we do not have a chance to design, and we do not have a business. It is for this reason that we are always willing to go the extra mile, and further. Please be generous and responsive with your feedback, as it is the only way we can learn and grow."

These are great advice, and written so concisely and nicely! I couldn't have said it any better than Preston!  I have some thoughts that came to mind when I read them and here it goes:  Regarding #I, we are artists and service providers, but we are people too - we need to make a living doing what we do! #II. We would not be in this industry if we did not have any desire to make you happy - in fact, that is our main goal! But please understand that our rates are a reflection of our services and unique artistry, something that can't be interchanged with another artist based on pricing, and if you like what we offer and are interested in hiring us, then please don't forget to think about us when you are designating where to spend your budget!  #V. If you don't provide any feedback (positive or constructive), it would be difficult for us to meet your needs. We are artists with our own vision, tastes, and personalities.  We are eager to please you (the client!) and make you happy but we cannot do that if we don't know what you are looking for! 

To end this seemingly random blog post, here is a random photo from Monday's photo shoot! :P  You know backstage in fashion week where the photographers come in and snaps away of the makeup in progress? This was one of those images! I was in the middle of finishing up her makeup, lashes are not done, and obviously her lips are still missing! :) :) No worries, with the right products, you can reduce the appearance of dryness!  

It was an absolute pleasure to work with an amazing team - this gorgeous model (Sacha from Wilhelmina LA), photographer Alvin Nguyen, and celebrity hair stylist Daven Mayeda on this shoot.  I was definitely excited and inspired again with everyone's creative energies coursing around! Most importantly, I challenged myself with trying to do eyebrows a different way than what I'm used to (based on the class/demo taught by Sam Fine last Saturday at the Makeup Show LA)!  I'm just happy to be pushing myself harder to get to the next level!!! 

Until next time! Have a happy Thursday/Friday and Weekend ahead! v^o^v

Contemplating for an exciting 2013!

I hope everyone is having a great January so far! I thought long and hard about what to blog about as the first post of the year! I think blogging is like exercising; once you've stopped for a while, it is so much harder to get started again! I took an entire week off work over the Holidays, and that was really lovely! Last October, my husband and I FINALLY made it to our honeymoon (it only took us 3-4 years of marriage to finally go on vacation/honeymoon!).  I figured if I worked majority of the year, I should take Christmas and New Years off!  For a week, I felt like a normal person - going to the grocery store, cooking, spending a lot of time with friends and family, regular exercise, de-cluttering my home, spending time with my husband.  It sounds terribly mundane, but these moments are precious to me because strangely, it doesn't always happen, and definitely not in such a peaceful manner!  You could say because of work-aholicism (admittedly, my partner and I are both workaholics) or...a more neutral yet accurate way to say it is "I'm a small business owner." I prioritize my work over a lot of things and I've been gradually working towards having a more balanced lifestyle!  Reflecting back on 2012 and how it buzzed by, I am determined to work on that balanced lifestyle in 2013! 

I shared with my close friend outside of my industry that I have March-Dec 2012 weddings to catch-up on my blog, and he said: "Liz, you better get to it!! Do it now!!!" I'll be trying my best to put those up, but I'm not making any promises!  I thought about it over the holidays - my purpose of having a blog is to give the reader (or potential client) a glimpse to who I am/who I am as an artist (they are not mutually exclusive!), who I am as a business owner, and a sample of my personal aesthetic. I find that while I do want to showcase my work (Look what I've done!! yipee!!!), I think that it's more important for my future clients to know that my personal aesthetic is actually not as important as my clients' personal aesthetic! 

I really just want to make my client happy.

On occasion I would get into deep conversations about beauty with people I encounter, about the visceral impact it has on us.  People outside of the fashion/beauty industry and don't care much for it would be surprised to learn how up-close and personal a hair and makeup service can get.  It's visceral, emotional - it can trigger something that affects them in a way they never thought a simple makeup/hair service could!  It can be anything...I compliment the client's lips while doing lipstick, and she says: "they are just like my grandmother...I miss her..." I enjoy meeting different types of people, but what's even more enjoyable, is if I can help them reach their goal with their hair and makeup!

I sometimes ask myself: Who am I to decide what you "should" look like?  What gives me the right to be a "taste maker" with your makeup & hair? When I was little, art teachers would say: "You really have an artistic eye" and I knew it was meant to be a compliment and felt joy hearing it - thanked them politely, but I never felt like what I saw was necessarily unique or "better" than my classmate next to me - my vision and interpretation is divine, and sacred - to me! The same way my classmates' interpretation is sacred to them.  However, I understand when my clients come to me, they generally do want my input and opinion, which I do share, but I end up either following the clients' preference, or meeting in the middle!  Why? Because my goal is not  to impose my aesthetic; my goal is really that the client looks in the mirror and loves what s/he sees, feels beautiful, and their day is "uplifted" in some way! Sometimes my clients' preference follows my personal aesthetic to the dot!  When that happens, I feel like: "Wow! you really 'see' like me!!" and that's a lot of fun!  But not my primary objective!  When I see how fabulous they feel, I cannot help but "see" them as simply "Beautiful" - even if the up-do or the shade of lipstick is not one I would normally choose. I see beauty as being beyond a person's subjective interpretation of their reflection.

Earlier today, my client from last fall used g-chat to let me know that she had written a review on yelp for me! I immediately went to read it, and it really made my day! Immediately I was reminded of an inspirational book, "Life of a Daymaker" by David Wagner, owner of the Juut Aveda Salons.   I loaned that book to my mother-in-law who brought it with her to Seoul {who also is still holding onto my copy of "The Philisophy of Andy Warhol"! Hey Omeoni! I want my books back! ;P} but if I still had my copy, I would be opening up a passage randomly, and find a paragraph to inspire me. After reading Life of a Daymaker, I love my job even more! I want to be my client's Daymaker, and that's my goal - but when my clients tell me I made their day, they actually become MY daymaker! ♥ I highly recommend reading the story that changed his life, and the rest of the book! I loved the part where described how he got into his career, one that his family did not support, and that he started humbly as a valet car parker for the clients who went to the Aveda salon. He made sure he was the BEST car parker and worked his way up and was determined to become a hair dresser!  If my goal in life was to make a lot of money, I probably would have opted for a career in finance - but alas, that is not my goal for my life!  I love being of service to someone who needs my service, and I love making someone's day.  As makeup/hair artists, we don't have the easiest job nor the hardest job. There are parts of it that I am sure we all do not LOVE doing - just like any other job in the world. For us, we feel like we have the best job! I truly feel grateful to have worked another year in this industry, doing what I love - Hopefully many more years to come!! But as my friend says, cross the bridge when you get there! Take it one year at a time!  

If you managed to read all of this rambling...then...! In conclusion, I am very excited for 2013! I'm looking forward to all the new people I will be meeting, seeing their vision of beauty with the "inspiration" images they will be bringing me, and just doing lots of makeup/hair!!! Yay!!!

A blog always looks better looking with a photo! I'll have to do a full credit later, but for now, Makeup, hair, men's grooming by me in June 2011! Photo by Christine Le. Florals by Indelisa @ Royal Bloom Boutique, hair piece by Bonnie @ One World Design, Jewelry by Yael Designs, gown by David Tutera @ BoLee Bridal Boutique!

Z-life Magazine Publication{winter 2012}

Photography: Laura Tillinghast
Photography Assistant: Rebecca Herem
Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (me!)
Model: Hannah + Jana @ Stars Model Management

I've been meaning to try Zumba for a while, more so after these two assignments for Z-Life Magazine!  Coincidentally, I received these photos today, and I also received my Zumba Fitness Xbox game in the mail!!  Now that my husband and I FINALLY installed curtains, I won't have to feel self conscious about my neighbors looking in while I attempt to work out a sweat in my living room! ;)

I was very very excited to get an opportunity for a tear sheet that features "beauty" work and we got to do 2 different features (one for the serum, the other for the hair chalking technique!!!)  I was pleased to see that it was also the first story in the issue!!! yay! I look forward to work with this magazine again and of course, trying Zumba!  For the serum shot, my left hand is in the shot (lol! my first shoot as a 'hand model'! lol!!!) and Rebecca was holding the serum droplet!!  It was a lot harder than it looked but we were able to get the shot under Laura's expert guidance!!  Laura did an amazing job with...everything!!! Planning the shoots, casting the PERFECT models, and then - the beautiful product shots!!! Bravo bravo!! I can't feel more proud of the spread!!! Not shown here, but there was a product shot that featured a REAL LIVE SNAKE!!!  Click to see it! I think that is pretty rad!  :) :) :)

On the personal note....

I'm heading to LA next week for a job, and the job continues the following week here in the Bay - and  after the job completes, I head to NYC for a destination wedding!  I don't know...my goal of catching up with blogging doesn't seem to be a realistic one...! You may also notice that I seem to prefer to blog the commercial/print work that I do, versus the 37+ weddings I haven't gotten around to!!! I hope you don't think that I prefer one type of work over the other because of this!!! The truth is, blogging about my lovely brides and their handsome grooms requires more time commitment, and also I am still collecting the photos from spring/summer weddings. My beloved iMac is also reaching the end of its rope....! And I'm having trouble updating my gallery on my bridal page...which brings me to... my new bridal website that will launch Spring of 2013!  I will begin working with a webdesigner/developer this coming month!  It's very exciting but wow...I was thinking Nov/Dec will be a nice down time for me, but it didn't end up happening that way.  I hope I don't sound like one of those people who goes "I am just SO busy...SO busy" and it gets annoying.  You know the type!!!  :P  But I have to say my plate is quite full, and I feel very blessed to be busy (even though I do whine about it when it gets a little overwhelming!!), working in an industry that I love.  In the meantime, if you would like to see sneak peaks of bridal photos, please like & follow the Skyla Arts Facebook Page.  I also have a Commercial Facebook Page, Elizabeth Chang | Makeup & Hair, dedicated to sharing commercial/print/photoshoot work.  Lastly, I'm active on Instagram and post behind the scenes snapshots and of course...my cat Skyla, and occasionally the food I'm eating :)

Yesterday I did a bridal preview/consultation with a lovely bride-to-be, and she asked how many weddings I did/am doing this year, and I said: "I think it's 40 or 41" and she thought that was a lot!  Definitely a lot more than last year!  But I know of colleagues that do 60+, or 100+! I had a conversation with them about it...I ask them..."How do you manage??!!"  Next year I will feel so lucky & honored if 40 brides choose me for their big day! I'm just hoping that next year will be even better than this year!  And by that I don't mean I hope to get more than 40 brides! :P Truly truly...to my clients who hired me, if I haven't said it enough, THANK YOU! Yes yes...This is a belated Thanksgiving post! :P :P 

Until next time!!! *smiles*

I just wanted to post this bec

Voted as Staff Favorite from the Camera Ready Cosmetics' Raw Photo Contest!

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang
Photography: Rummy Makmur

Model: Lauren Loveless @ Stars Model Management SF


If you follow my pages on Facebook, this is probably old news for ya! ;) Recently Camera Ready Cosmetics or CRC, one of my favorite online stores and also where I purchased my FIRST Yaby palette (oh memories...!) hosted a photo contest on facebook - the premise was to submit un-photoshopped photos (Raw Image) and ask people to vote for their favorite image as the first prize, and the 2nd prize is that the staff of CRC will vote for their favorite - and my submission above had the highest votes!  I am really honored to receive this prize - it means a lot to me, to receive votes and support from the artist community!  I was excited and delighted to receive the 2 Embroylisse products: Embroylisse 365 Body Firming Treatment Cream and Embroylisse Essential Dry Skin Balm!

I posted the edited photo during a blog post in August [Click here!]  I am particularly proud of this image, not just because it won some great prizes, but I pushed through in some of the techniques I've been working on, and that it was on trend!

Honestly October and November has been a constant roller coaster - the good is really good, and the bad can be really bad!  The constant change and unpredictability of what your day is like going into a job is exciting and appealing, but the flip side is it comes with these highs and lows.  Which is why when I received the message from Mary (owner of CRC) that I had won, I was just really happy and excited! Brought me from a low to a high and I'm doing my best to stay at the highs - or at least a steady middle ground! ;D  Lol I just re-read this paragraph and it looks like my job is some drug! I have to say though - that's just part of being a part of the creative/beauty industry and the cultural economy. It really helps just to see it like it is - and just go with the flow.

That being said, I am looking forward to my appointments this week, and a marathon of makeup & hair this Saturday for my clients! :) 

Website updates...major work in progress!

Yay! new photo from Bridal Editorial we did!

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang | Skyla Arts
Makeup & Hair Asst.: Erika Taniguchi
Models: (above) Alana | Look & Natalya | Scout
Photography: Mark & Tammy | Memoire Studio
Venue: Kohl Mansion
Hair Accessory: Bonnie | One-World-Designs
Gowns: BoLee Bridal Couture 

*Special thanks to Christine at Christine Marie Events for helping me pick up the hair accessories! I couldn't have done it without you!! <3

My Bridal site is in dire need of a facelift...! I wish I could write about my first NYC trip, but sometimes I don't know which blog should come first!!! I've been working at this on and off for 9 months now - separating my Bridal from my commercial/fashion page, and I'm going towards the finishing line, but not quite!!!  Other than that, there's still tons of other stuff to do...Mark & Tammy just launched their new website: Memoire Studio - And I think I nearly died in envy~! I loved it and man someday I'll be able to afford hiring someone to make something like this for mee!  :)

I've been reprinting my print book, kind of holing myself in my office, organizing photos, updating website, etc etc.  I feel like I haven't been able to catch my breath since Spring time! Ao much updating to do! So many blogs to write! I just wish that there was a global gallery to update - like...all the photos would just Sync to each other!Can somebody please invent that? And all the resolutions will be exactly the same - I want my bridal site to sync to weddingwire+yelp+facebook, my commercial website to sync with my iPad Portfolio app+facebook.

Another major project I've been working on is separating my Bridal from my Fashion/Commercial work...And my photography page lol...That has yet to be created...I have to completely re-do my bridal page (and all I've done was the splash page so far! Oh dear. . . . )

Another necessary division is my facebook...! If you would be so kind to "like" both of my pages, that would mean a lot to me - considering I only have 22 likes on one, and 210 likes on the other! ;(  I realize how unpopular and sad I am when I go to other people's Facebook pages with like 1000 likes!!!!  I'll be posting more on my facebook if people respond to me lol!!  I'm interested in offering tips & even great deals - Facebook only!  Will the updating ever end??? is there a light at the end of this tunnel??!

Lol ok ok no more whining~~~!  I'm super excited about the fact that FALL is here~ it's my favorite season!!  The only thing about fall...is that the leaves around where I live really pile up - I feel like I can swim in it! But...it's so nice...seeing the leaves falling~

There is no "I" in Team!

Makeup, Hair & Manicure: Elizabeth Chang

Photography: Rummy Makmur
Models: (left) Morgan @ Stars, (right) Jordan @ Scout
Post-Processing: London Retouch

I know...I was planning to do a whole blog post on this and that, but I've been a little bit occupied with work! That's a good thing right??!  Got bills to pay! :P I am uber proud about my recent projects.  This one above in particular - The last shoots I worked with, Morgan on the left, and Jordan on the right, I was not 100% proud of the images, so I requested an opportunity for a re-shoot, and during the re-shoot, I planned everything myself, including coordinating the models, making the schedules/call sheet, and Oh yeah, doing Hair/Makeup/Manicure for both models - all by myself.

Sometimes you just have to make things happen for yourself.  Every single person who participated at this shoot, we pulled out ALL the stops!!!  ALL of it.  The difficulty was HIGH, but despite the challenges, I am just thrilled we got 3 images out of that evening for our portfolio.  It's not perfect, it's not the most exciting thing you've seen in the world, but to me, that day I really pushed myself harder and was able to say that I reached my goal and not just "oh man I wish I could have done this..."  I am only as good as my team, and man - we were an AWESOME TEAM that evening! The models were prepared, and we were all excited to make some magic.  While we stuck on schedule (to the clock!!! woohoo!!! Go team), I also had the pleasure to share some personal stories with Jordan, and we all enjoyed listening to Morgan's 2 month adventure in Milan!  Her stories showed her courage and determination, living alone in Milan, was really inspiring to hear.  Persistence and Perseverance - what better qualities can you have if you really want to succeed in something?  

Special thanks to amazing Audre VanBroers, who introduced me to London Retouch, whom I hired to post-process the image for us! If you go onto the website, you can also see the other Beauty story I did with Audre VanBroers, another thing I am uber proud of!

Oh yes, did I mention - Tereza from London Retouch also decided to use our image as her banner image!!! SF represent!! Of course, thanks to Stars Model Management & Scout Model & Talent Agency to trusting me once more with their  beautiful and talented SF Beauty models I've had the pleasure to work with!

Lastly...I'll probably be blogging a lot more once October rolls around... but for now, I've been working on my "new" website: http://elizabethchangmakeup.com [It's just a face lift from my former fashion/commercial portfolio website]

You can click there to check out some of my new work that...I just haven't been able to blog about!

Recent Hair & Makeup Works - online!

I am way too behind on my blog...May through July is just one big blur of bridal, commercial, portfolio upgrades...!  So...instead of a text heavy post, let's have an image heavy one! These are screen shots of recent online features or works!  I am also very thrilled to see more of my hair and makeup work on Georgiou Studio's website!  Lots of excitement, I guess..a lot of early mornings, packing/unpacking kit, and going to bed to fall asleep between 10-11pm due to exhaustion!  Ok ok enough rabbling~! :) Will have a meatier blog soon! <3

 

Cover of July's InStore Magazine!

Photography: Laura Tillinghast

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (me me me!)

Jewelry: Yael Designs

Model: Khrystyna @ Look SF

Woohooo!!!  This is my 3rd magazine cover - but actually, it is the first time the magazine printed my name!  The previous times, they did submit the info, but it was unfortunately omitted, and it felt really bad to be honest...a few tears later, I just thought that eventually it will happen - and it DID happen!!! 3rd times the charm I guess???  

You can view the E-magazine here but also, the image is also seen on http://www.instoremag.com/ !  Liz=Happy! ! ! ! 

Yay! Finally name credit~~ *tear*

San Francisco Engagement Makeup [Vivian & Richard]

Makeup Artist: Liz
Hair Stylist: Glam-up
Photographer: Junshien International Photographers

Congratulations to Vivian & Richard, who tied the knot June 18th, 2011! These are from their engagement photo shoot, which happened in May - rescheduled due to the rain!  Thanks again to Junshien for the referral!

I also wanted to thank Vivian, for putting up with my runny nose on the engagement shoot makeup day! :( I had caught a cold from the traveling I did, and definitely wasn't at 100% that day...! And...I felt super embarrassed when I was doing her makeup and my nose would be running, and I had to RUN to the bathroom, wash my hands, and then continue! :( I felt really bad...but I was relieved that everything turned out OK in the end!!!

On their day-of, I arrived in SF, at the Glam-Up salon to get Vivian ready, and usually I ask where they are getting ready instead of where they are getting married/having reception...and it turned out...Vivian knew my cousin's bride, Jen, who happened to have their reception on the same day at the same venue, AND they knew each other because they went to the same graduate school!! What a small world!!!!!!  Vivian told me they were going to take a photo together - I can't wait to see it - as well as the beautiful photos of Vivian & Richard's big day in Sharon Heights!!! ^o^ For now, please enjoy the beautiful photos of their engagement session, taken by Junshien International Photographers!  I loved both of their outfits! These are some of my favs, but Junshien also made a slideshow of their photos from e-session in HD on their blog! Check it out!!!

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This is my busiest summer yet...! I am not complaining and grateful to be blessed with wonderful bridal/commercial clients! The sun has been waking me up EARLY and then work work work, collapse=sleep deprivation!  Finally a day off this Sunday, I collapsed at 9:00pm last night and slept till 8:33am!  Intense deep sleep and I think I am caught up because I feel great!! :) :) :) I really need to update my portfolios/blogs/facebook, etc...!  <3  I need to charge up for my busy week ahead and 'destination wedding' in Monterey, CA! woohoo~  I am excited.  Have a great 4th everyone...! 

Beautiful Morgan + Hair accessory Rental!

Model: Morgan @ Stars SF

Makeup & Hair: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)

Photography: Rummy Makmur
Makeup & Hair Assistant: Erika Taniguchi

For Bridal makeup, it is trendy to enhance lashes (false lash application) or use an airbrush - but I love love the natural clean look.  It's my style (and it's apparent) but that doesn't mean I cannot deliver smokey eyes for bridal as well! It all depends on what the client wants, and what would look good on them.  I give a lot of options, but sometimes my clients prefer if I just do it on them! ;) 

I am excited to announce that as part of my bridal and special occasion service, I will be providing accessory rentals! Instead of it being an extra expense, renting an accessory is a fraction of the cost.  The only thing I require is a security deposit that I will return to you in its entirety once the accessory is returned safely.  The one on the model is one of my favorites~ I didn't think of myself as a feather person, but as long as it's small and tasteful, I like it on an accessory.

Early rise tomorrow for a wedding gig tomorrow! I knew this was going to happen - spring/summer/early fall months are always the busiest in my industry, but the pace of life went from relatively balanced to woaahhh it's been over a week since my last 'day off'!  Hope everyone is having a lovely memorial day weekend!  :) 

*NEW* Skyla-Arts.com

A new and improved Skyla-Arts.com is up and running! I'm really helpless at CSS, so I'm really proud of myself for at least getting the hover effect to work! This process took over 2 months to organize the 2 new websites, and there's still some fine-tuning work to be done on the Bridal website (which will be a modified version of my former website), but the *new* commercial/fashion portfolio, is available at http://portfolio.skyla-arts.com or the middle link! Last but not least, to the right is my skin care business. Now everything is under one umbrella, but still separated so that the website is targeted towards your needs or interest.  Still some work to do, but *PHEW* at least my menu is done! 

Bridal website: http://skylaarts-bridal.com

Fashion/Commercial Portfolio: http://portfolio.skyla-arts.com

Harmony Skin Solutions (Skin care, advanced treatments): http://harmonyskinsolutions.com

Check it out! :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Website(s) is under renovation!

If you stopped by my website today, you might have noticed there's a temporary message on the top instead of the usual website! I am in the middle of a DNS switch and reconfiguring of my website! Major face lift...  In the mean time, please contact me at skyla.arts@gmail.com  if you have any questions or if you need to inquire for makeup/hair/photography services!  Thank you for your patience & understanding! 

Kris - Beauty

Models: Kris Jung @ Stars Model Management
Makeup, Hair & Manicure: Elizabeth Chang (Skyla Arts)
Photography: Rummy Makmur

I've been back from LA last week and finally returning to a full swing of things with photo shoots and bridal trials happening this past weekend.  I was just really occupied with enjoying the show that I took absolutely 0 images! I even brought my camera with me, but the whole time I was just focused on either working the yaby booth, grabbing items for my kit (including the airbrush kit! woohoo!) and attending the classes that I signed up for - as well as networking and receiving VALUABLE constructive critique from different artists! Now I am convinced I need to get an iPad lol...! Let's see how I do by the end of this year. ^o^ Other news, I've been busy working on my new website and trying to get it to function! And the last step will be to re-configure my current website and then...Voila! Rebranding done! yay!  

I am very happy to share these 4 images ~ There was one more but I found that these were the stronger ones that I like! Especially the black and white ones.  I want to thank Rummy again for letting me take the reigns on the creative direction in this one!  :) I wanted to do the darker kind of looks, and I had some magazine clippings/inspiration images that I saved ages ago.  ^o^ Kris (the gorgeous model) and I might get together and film a makeup tutorial! *maybe* But hope you enjoy the photos! :) And keep stopping by! Don't forget about me!! hehe

Introducing...Harmony Skin Solutions!

I am excited and proud to introduce Harmony Skin Solutions! I tried my best to blog more, but with the truth is, I've been busy going to advanced training courses and launching my new skin care business along with my friend and esteemed classmate Liliana Aranda whom I've met from Aveda - a spankin' new (mainly) on-location spa and chemical peel service.  The product line we chose to use on our clients is the reputable PCA Skin - one of the few brands cited on medical/dermatology textbooks.  We hope to help men and women obtain and maintain healthy skin by fitting skin care services into your busy schedules.  So! If you are in the Bay Area, don't hesitate to book your appointment soon!!! :)

Just to share a little bit of the story of Liz & Liliana, we got along at the get-go on our first day attending Cinta Aveda Institute.  As esthetic students, we would perform services on each other in the intro-phase of our studies (before doing it on clients at the clinical-phase). The thing is, we had 10 hours of class a day, and I had to wake up early to commute to San Francisco, so by the time we are exchanging service, it was like my nap time - I was OUT.  So when Liliana was treating my skin, and doing the massages on me, it was then she saw a green color, a distinct Reiki experience! (For those unfamiliar with Reiki, please check out the Wikipedia link! ^o^).  For further details of how it happened, you would need to ask Liliana since I was completely asleep!  But during the course of intro phase, Liliana experienced the green color twice with me (while I was asleep!) The green color corresponds with the Heart Chakra - most commonly associated with harmony, creativity & nature.  I know to many it might sound a bit mystic, and at first I was very intrigued because it was my first time learning about Reiki, but it made perfect sense that we would experience the harmony color, as it exemplifies our relationship.  It was a mere coincidence that during our first official business meeting, I pulled out my netbook sleeve and it had the birds on a tree branch, and Liliana was wearing a necklace with a silhouette of a bird sitting on a branch!

The funny thing is...I decided that I wanted Maria to be on our website and brochure for advertisement, and now I REALIZE subconsciously, I also picked her because of her GREEN eyes and the color of her hair - very earthy.  I did her makeup/hair and photography with my *new* lights.  I am excited for all the  potential growth in my business as an esthetician, and also as an artist.