Long and the short of it - a little self reflection

I can now declare- I have long hair.  Per the definition of Gene Juarez Academy: Long hair is hair that touches and falls on the shoulders.  For the first time since childhood, I can put my hair into a braid and have it stay.  Despite over a year in beauty school, I still feel like this is a novelty I am constantly amazed about and am trying to figure out something new to do with it!  I love, love, love it!

I was at a client's house last week and her husband (who has known me a LONG time) looked at me and said, "So... how long are you going to have your hair like this?" - he was talking about my red hair.

"long" and red

For years and years and years and years... really all of my life - until a little over a year ago - I had short blonde hair.  That may surprise many of my lovely friends, but it is true.  I now have *what I consider* long bright red hair.  Lately I have had a hard time finding a picture of myself that looks like my "current self" (that's why the picture above doesn't necessarily "touch my shoulders")!

Short blonde... 

I don't feel like I even recognize myself. 

I feel like I am getting a better understanding of women's need to (or not) cut their hair, the feeling of "growing it out" and having success with it.  I think this is the longest I have ever gone with out a cut!  I used to go every 6 weeks * religiously*  - every 6 weeks... and I was very particular.  Now, I am still pretty particular, but would be happy with a "trim" and blow out!

Your perception about something like your own hair is so significant - inside I still feel like I am a short haired blonde!  I don't scare as easily when I look in the mirror, as I used to!  This gives me a greater appreciation for when I make a significant change to a client's hair - such as going from short to long, or brown to blonde... or red!  Well, whatever you are up to - with your hair - these days, enjoy it!  If your not enjoying, really enjoying your hair... let's change it!

*no teasing

Beauty Army

First, I will tell you about my experience, then I will post the press release below for Beauty Army.

This is a big deal.  

The release of Beauty Army was New Years Day at noon.  They had a big count down that stretched the page for the past several days.  So, the clock ticked down and... the page went down.  It took over an hour to actually get through, meanwhile the Beauty Army people were on facebook posting updates and trying to recover the space that 65000,  yes 65000 had crashed on their site.  Only 300 boxes were available.  I was lucky (and persistent enough - beauty products will do that to a girl) to get in on the subscription!

12 bucks a month for 4-6 premium brand, deluxe size samples - free delivery. 

Below is the press release that will tell you all the important details about how you too can subscribe and get the wonderful perks I am about to receive in the mail next week!  I will then do a review of what I got!

http://www.beautyarmy.com/

Join the Beauty Revolution!

Our Army is a elite group of beauty enthusiasts who like to try before they buy!  Beauty Army is a monthly premium beauty sampling subscription service that allows our members the choice to choose:  Choose your own samples or have us choose for you.  Giving our members the option to choose their own kit prevents waste and disappointment; you will never receive unwanted products!

Simply click the “Sign Up” page on your computer or mobile device to get started!  After answering a few beauty questions, we will recommend a selection of samples for you to choose up to 6.

The multilevel personalization, you choose or we choose for you, comes at the same value:  $12 monthly or pay for 1 full year at an 11 kit cost of $132 and receive your 12thkit free!! As always, Beautiful, the shipping fee for your kit is included!

Once your kit ships, you will receive an email with your the tracking number.  To ensure smooth delivery all of our kits will ship USPS First Class, which does not require a signature.  You kits will ship as follows: Order between the 1st and the 15th of the month and your kit will be delivered that month.  Place your order between the 16th and 31st and you will receive you kit in the early part of the next month. We are currently shipping only to the US at this time.

Have you fallen in love with a product in your kit? Make sure you leave a review on our website so the Army can see what you think and don’t forget to stop by the shop and pick up a full size, shipping is a flat fee of $5 per order.  Our membership as well as our store accepts all major credit cards.  


Beauty Army is proud to support the Beauty Bus Foundation, an organization that delivers dignity, hope and respite to chronically or terminally ill men, women and children and their caregivers through beauty and grooming services and pampering products.  www.beautybus.org  Beauty Bus accomplishes their mission through:  In-Home Beauty and Grooming Services, Pop-Up Salons and the Bag of Beauty Program: Beauty Bus gives complimentary Bags of Beauty filled with pampering products to remind patients and caregivers that they deserve to look and feel beautiful. 

A cut every 6-8 weeks? I think so!

Your hair grows 1/4 inches a month - on average.  It also grows at different rates all over your head and you typically will develop split ends (yes it happens to everyone).

I have talked to woman after woman who has hair on the longer side that don't get their hair cut very often.  One of the guest's hair I cut this weekend had really, supper long hair.  It took me about 30 minutes to untangle and brush through her hair.  I ended up taking about 4 inches off - she hadn't had a cut in over 4 months and was completely overwhelmed by her own hair, which she liked to wear down and couldn't manage very well.  Well, we also ended up cutting some long bangs on her - she was super excited about that because it made her feel like she had an instant change that she could see, beyond the super long hair that she chose to keep.  Since it was such a change for her, I scheduled a time to see her next week to check on her new bangs to make sure they are still working and to see if she wanted to go shorter.


She went home with some detangling spray (I'm so glad) and an appointment set for 8 weeks from now to revisit the idea of making even more of a change.  This is setting my guest up for a routine of maintenance, feeling like she has a plan for her hair and ultimately success when she looks in the mirror.

Julianne Moore probably gets her hair cut often, but still maintains her length.

My cut used to be VERY inverted and precise.  If I let my cut grow out beyond 6-8 weeks, you can really see it!

Front View of Posh's famous inverted bob.

Observing Posh's famous inverted bob, to maintain the percision, you can assume that her hair is cut very frequently. 

This would also be true for many men - they get their hair cut every 4-6 weeks, you can really see it if they don't!  It's great - this is one of the things that most men really get when it comes to their appearance and general maintenance.

The women I see coming in have generally waited soooo long to get it cut, colored or highlighted that it feels like a heavy burden after they have waited so long, rather than a complete pampering joy they could experience more often.  There are few things better than a precise cut and a great blow out! 

Here's What People Are Saying: Services with Arica

Here is what people are saying: 

Arica not only provided very convenient haircuts for me and my daughter but also amazing quality. She was quick and efficient while providing very stylish haircuts. I would highly recommend her personal and attentive services and I will definitely be using her again!

Services: Haircuts for entire family and feather extensions for the girls

Karina Tinsley

Arica did such a professional job of cut and color in my home! It was convenient and relaxed, and saved me time and money that traveling to a salon would have cost. She provides such an invaluable service to busy moms!!

Services: Haircut (for Heidi and daughter), Highlights, Feather Extension (for daughter)

Heidi Bleeker

I just wanted to share that I had Arica Kildea come to my home for a haircut and she did such a great job! It had honestly been a year and a half since my last cut, it had been so hard to find the time to make an appointment and find childcare that I had given up and started cutting it myself!

What a blessing it was to have someone come to my home and cut my hair during nap time! She was very professional and listened well to hear exactly what I wanted. She spent over 2 hours with me and even took the time to straighten my hair (something I would have have to pay for in a separate appointment in a salon)! I think her salon that comes to you is so awesome I just wanted to share!

Services: Haircut and Flat Iron

Jenni Vander Ploeg 

Having two young kids has made it almost impossible to get out of the house to get my hair done. A friend recommended Arica and I couldn't be happier. The first time she came to my house to cut and highlight my hair I felt like I was hanging out with an old friend. She did a fantastic job!

Services: 2 Haircuts and Highlights

Jaime Green

Arica came out to my house and had all the tools she would have had in a salon, I didn't need to provide anything.  She cut my hair and my daughter's perfectly - we were both very happy with the cuts which is not something we had experienced with others in the past. And - she even cleaned up afterwards!  All said and done, it was a great experience and we'll be having Arica over again!

Services: Color and 2 Cuts

Jackie Hallstrom

Want to know more?

• Prices and Services
• Hair at Home - What to Expect
• Email Arica for an appointment! 
• This month's Special

Pricing - Services with Arica

Pricing Guideline


My services are geared to the client who wants their services done on their schedule, primarily at their home - no need to hire baby sitters - traveling to and from a salon with extra expense.   


My goal is to save you time and money with a first class service that comes to your door. 

No need to provide anything (such as towels), clean up anything (such as hair, foils or bleach), I bring it all and leave your house the way I found it! 


Salon services for the entire family: 
Hair Cuts
Women $35
Men $20
Children $20
Buzz Cuts $12


Let's plan a family package that works just right for you! 

Dimensional Services
Partial Foils - highlights and lowlights
start at $80
Full Foil - highlights and lowlights
start at $120


Color
start at $60 


Highlight packets (to add minimal dimension)
$3.50 per packet - up to 10 packets
This is a good way to extend the life of a full or partial foil, or just add a little dimension, for example highlights around the face and can be done quickly during a hair cut session. 


Corrective Color
Priced upon consultation
Extensions
Feathers 
$20 per extension and up
Arica is a Fine Featherhead certified Salon

Fashion piece
$20 and up
Full or partial head of extensions 
price determined individually upon consultation


Additional Services
Deep Condition 
$15.00

Toner (over highlights) 
$40
Makeup and Skin Care Wardrobing
Arica will help you weed out your makeup bag and skin care - what to keep, what to throw out.  Recommendations for future purchases and guidelines on when/how to purchase items that will be long lasting for your particular needs. 
$30 per hour, 1 hour minimum 


Product
I offer 2 full lines of hair care products - they are reasonably priced and are delivered right to your door with your service!
It's a 10
KMS California 

The Basics

Client Feedback
Hair at Home - what to expect
This Month's Special 

Contact Arica - make an appointment

http://finefeatherheads.com/

What's your makeup number?

• What is your makeup routine?  
• How much time do you spend putting your makeup on - on the typical morning?  

I just went through a survey that asked those questions in a way I have not looked at before.  Here is the question:  how many items are in your makeup bag that you use on a daily basis?  I thought this was a fair question, as I have never actually counted before.  If any of you have seen my  train case where I keep my "daily" makeup, you will know - it is quite large and extensive.  I like variety and honestly have gotten many cosmetics at a fraction of the retail cost and/or been given them via a cosmetic company's gratis program.  Hence I don't wear the same makeup items every day - mainly shadows and lip products and blushes tend to get rotated fairly quickly.

So, here is my number: 15 - yes, on the typical day that any of you may see me, I have used 15 pieces to pull my look together. What to know what that looks like?

This does not include skin care steps:

1. pore filler
2. primer for face
3. primer for eyes
4.  foundation
5.  bronzer
6.  face highlighter
7.  blush
8.  shadow 1
9.  shadow 2 (sometimes I use 3 and 4 shadows)
10.  eye liner
11.  lash primer
12.  mascara
13.  brows
14.  setting powder OR urban decays all nighter - depending on the day I expect to encounter
15.  Lip gloss or lipstick - some days both

wow!

So, let me get down and dirty:  If I had to pick 5 items (which I think is average for most women) - what would those be?

1. primer
2. foundation
3. bronzer (yes, you all know I am an addict)
4. mascara
5. lip gloss

How'd I do?  What are your five basics?  What would your 15 (we can also call this night out) consist of?

Reply to this post on the fb link - I would love to hear from you! 

A note on primers:  I don't feel any makeup should go on your face with out a primer, that is why you see it repeated in my routine so many times.  It makes all the difference in the world!  If you have not tried on makeup WITH a primer, go to your local department store and ask for a sample.  Or, here are my recommendations: 1. Mac (face only, not eye, but lash ok) 2. Bare Escentual's primer - it works best with loose mineral makeup, it tends to ball up with other cosmetics, but the makeup primer and makeup work best together.  (face and eye, not lash primer) 3. Smash box 4. Urban Decay (face and eye), Makeup Forever.  

I can go into skin care and hair another time, but those are things I do without leaving the house as well.

Quickly:  on a day to day basis, my hair is terrifically easy to take care of in terms of styling - maintaining my color is another story...  

My love hate relationship with Groupon

I am strictly speaking about Groupon's hair and spa services for the purpose of this blog.  Groupon has destroyed the basic framework of the Salon industry here in Seattle.  Groupon is not a friend to Salons and Spas.

Here is why:   

• Do you know how Groupon works with small businesses like Salons and Spas? 

• The Salon gets 1/2 of the amount taken from the transaction between you and Groupon. 

•  A service (like a cut and foil) may sell at an amazing price like $60.  

• The Salon only gets $30.  

• The stylist who actually does the service typically only gets a 30% commission on whatever services are preformed.  The Stylist who is actually performing your service for less than $10 per hour - which for a cut and foil is indeed making less than $10 an hour since it is a flat rate for the service you are receiving and they are giving.  

• Your tip means the world to them and they depend on it.  You always need to tip to the amount BEFORE  the discount.    

Salons are hoping that you will turn into repeat business and/or buy retail items from them to help make up the money lost on giving you such a great deal.

Many Groupon lovers will continue to chase the next big deal on the Groupon hair circuit, however this feeds the cycle of low pay for the Salon and Stylist that will work on your hair and are hoping you will become a regular, buying retail products.

Question:  Do you really want an underpaid, perhaps disgruntled Stylist working on your hair?  

Solution and Alternate Ideas for using Groupon:

Ask your current stylist or salon to match the current Groupon you are interested in - you might be surprised - they might just say yes!  They would like to keep your business and all of of the profits as well!

If you do use Groupon, make sure that you TIP your Stylist really, really, well on the retail amount of your service.

Use a small guy - like me!  I will always work with you and you are keeping your money local, knowing that 100% of the profits are going back into the local community.

Call or Text Arica: 425.770.8191

Source: dreambookdesign.com via Jasmin on Pinterest

An unexpected perk: the kids

As I travel from home to home creating beautiful hair, my primary clientele is Moms with kiddos.  One of the things I have really come to enjoy is the warm welcome I now receive.   Especially with 3, 4 and 5 year olds...

Last week I gave services to the entire family and the sweet little girl kept saying that she liked me because I was there to do hair and had red hair.

Apparently my red hair ups the fun factor.  

On Friday, I went into a family's condo - they buzzed me in and I had to walk down a long hall to get into their home, so they knew I was there.  As I was walking down the hall, two kids were yelling "ARICCCAAAA!!!" Immediately they had me.

Today, I went to my friend's house to cut her daughter's hair and we were going to test out feathers as well (oh!  fun!).  As I come to the door, I hear "She's here!  She's Here!  Arica!"  With just a little bit of screaming.  Their Dad quickly moved aside to let me by!

That's just the last week - it just keeps getting better.  I love my mommies and their kiddos!