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Dream Hair at Home

It finally happened, that elusive moment that every girl dreams about… the moment that you create salon hair at home, all on your very own. I’ve been honing my flat iron and curling iron skills for over a decade, so don’t think that I’m referring to a particularly good styling session. No, the moment I’m reminiscing about is when you leave the salon after having received the perfect cut or color and you experience the incredible softness, shine, body, and almost weightless quality of your hair. Well, in the confines of my small apartment, I recreated that blissful salon moment with the help of a couple amazing products. And because I’m feeling so elated, I’m going to share my secret weapons with you so that you too can live the dream.

I thought it was going to be a pretty average night – I hopped in the shower and began to wash my hair with my favorite Kérastase shampoo. I use Kérastase Bain Croma Riche, but check with your Designer about the best shampoo for your type of hair and its particular needs. I focused on shampooing the scalp and then ran the suds through the length of my hair. Rinse and repeat, and it’s time for Kérastase Chronologiste. Chronologiste is an incredible treatment that will renew, nourish and strengthen your hair. I’ve started using it once a week in place of my conditioner and already I have seen a dramatic change in the health and appearance of my hair. Also, each package lasts between 10 and 20 applications, making it really affordable. I mixed the two ingredients of the treatment together, they activate each other, and applied it to my wet hair. 10 minutes later I rinsed thoroughly and stepped out of the shower. After gently squeezing out the excess moisture, I combed out my hair and opened my first ever bottle of Shu Uemura Essence Absolue, a multi-use nourishing protective oil. My hair tends to lack moisture, so I put an ample amount on, gathering my hair at the nape of my neck and applying the majority from that point down through the ends. Time for my BabylissPro Carerra 2 Ceramic Ionic Hair Dryer. If you don’t own a ceramic hair dryer, go out and buy one immediately - it will change your life. As I dried my hair I angled the airflow down to help smooth and seal the hair cuticles until it was dry, but cold – that’s how I know I’ve not over-dried it. I finished and noticed something, my hair was shinier and softer, with great body and that super light, freshly cut feeling.

I ran out into the living room and startled my roommate. “Check out my hair!!” I exclaimed. “Feel it!!” Now this is someone I’ve known since middle school. She’s witnessed my best and worst hair moments and even she was impressed by how great it looked and felt. I should have taken my hair out on the town to celebrate, but it was late and so I climbed in bed. When I woke up, I looked in the mirror to find the same great hair I had fallen asleep with – no joke, I didn’t even take a brush to it before leaving the house for work this morning. Was it the Kérastase shampoo and treatment, the Shu Uemura Essense Absolue or the Babyliss Ceramic Dryer that gave me the beautiful salon hair? My guess is all of them. With the right products for your hair and some education, there’s no reason why you can’t recreate your post salon look at home.

Lucky for you and for me, Gene Juarez is having a Guest Appreciation Sale starting this Thursday and running through August 30th. It’s the perfect time to pick up the amazing products I’ve mentioned at a great discount and, as always, designers will be on hand, happy to share their expertise.

Posted by: Ashley Wilson, At-Home Salon Hair Creator

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The Savvy Traveler

I love traveling. Whether it’s to a neighboring city or out of the country, I can’t wait to hop in a car, train, boat or plane and be on my way: exploring the local sights, culture, and cuisine. There are, however, a few things that tend to temper my travel experience - stuff that I take for granted when I’m at home, but when I’m traveling, make all the difference, like a good night’s sleep, my favorite shampoo and conditioner, and quality skin care products.

For a long time I believed jet lag to be a necessary evil of traveling. I accepted that I would spend the first night in my new location, exhausted but sleepless, and then awake the next morning with bloodshot eyes, looking less than lively. The first full day of my trip was typically useless – my body and brain needed to adjust to the time change and new environment. And then, a friend and coworker, Frieda Lehn, lent me H. Gillerman’s Organic Sleep Remedy and Travel Remedy. I took the easy-to-apply essential oil remedies with me on my next trip and slept heavenly. I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to enjoy my new surroundings – take that, Jet Lag!

Besides sleep, I also used to sacrifice my hair and skin when I traveled. I abbreviated my beauty routine because of space constraints. Plus, I was tired of having my products confiscated during airport security, or having them leak all over the contents of my suitcase. But invariability I would start to miss my Kérastase and Arcona products. I have unruly hair and hotel shampoo and conditioner just doesn’t suffice, particularly if I’m spending a lot of time in the sun and surf. Which is why I was so excited to hear that Kérastase was offering travel sized products for a limited time. No more hotel shampoo for me! Just as perfect for travel are Arcona’s Triad Pads. Each pad is a cleanser, toner and moisturizer all-in-one, and the package is perfectly sized for adding to your carry on. Now I can have great hair and skin, while still saving room for all of the souvenirs I’ll pick up.

These simple products have made my travels that much more enjoyable, allowing me to focus on the adventure and experience, and not the things I miss like restful sleep and quality products. I hope they will do the same for you!

Posted by: Ashley Wilson, Savvy Traveler

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Summer Essentials

If you're like me, you've got a bag of summer essentials that is close at hand during these beautiful but brief sunny months. I've always prided myself on being a light packer - Sunglasses? check. Swimsuit? check. Towel? check. But after chatting with the Department Directors at Gene Juarez, I realized my summer essential bag was severely lacking! Thankfully I've made the necessary additions to my bag, bathroom, and beauty routine. Here's the inside scoop on summer's must haves.

A little summer glow is nice, but not if it means age spots and premature wrinkles! Protect your face with Skin Authority's Sunscreen Moisturizer SPF 30. It's powerful protection in a lightweight formula, and perfect for daily wear and under makeup. If the sun does happen to get the better of you, Éminence's Echinacea Recovery Cream will heal and hydrate your sun burnt skin.

Like our skin, our hair needs protection too! Aqua-Seal by Kérasaste Paris, is a protective waterproof cream that when applied before a swim in the ocean or pool will ward off damage from salt water and chlorine. After, shampoo your hair with Kérastase Bain-Après Soleil, which nourishes and restores sun exposed hair.

If you want sexy, sandal-ready feet, make sure that Essie’s Lapis of Luxury Polish makes it into your summer essentials. This beautiful ocean blue polish is all the rage from the runway to the resort! At night, use Get Fresh’s Rescue Me, a rich cream infused with healing lemongrass that will heal the heel and leave you with soft, smooth feet.

It’s not unusual to forgo heavy makeup in the summer months, so if you’re looking for coverage that won’t weigh you down, Custom Blend Pure Mineral Makeup by Gene Juarez is a great option. A professional Makeup Artist will blend your mineral foundation, concealer, and finishing powder to match your exact skin tone, and can even custom blend eye shadow and blush perfectly suited to your unique style. And for hot summer nights, don’t forget to bring along See the Light Illuminating Lip Gloss. You’ll get a gorgeous pout with these lip plumping glosses, and never have to worry about application because they come with a built in mirror and light – how cool is that?!?

It’s always important to stay hydrated, but during the summer months, this is especially true. Add a little flavor and a whole lot of benefits to your water with Pure Inventions. These delicious antioxidant water additives are all natural, zero calorie, sugar-free, caffeine-free, and gluten-free. My personal favorite is Cranberry with Elderberry.

Finally, if you want stunning skin year round, consider adding a Tampico Dry Body Brush to your routine. Dry brushing exfoliates, smoothes, tones, and detoxifies, and just two minutes will give you the circulation and blood flow benefits of 30 minutes of cardio. Tampico’s dry brush even includes a detachable handle for those hard to reach areas – brush away my lovelies to brighter, more beautiful skin!

So there you have it! 10 little additions to your summer essentials that will make this season unforgettable. See you at the beach!

Posted by: Ashley Wilson, Summer Essentials Expert

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The Clarisonic Opal

We all know that wrinkles are part of aging, but sometimes it feels like they show up way too soon, particularly around the eyes. Eyes are so expressive – they crinkle when we smile, open wide when we are excited or surprised, and squint when we’re upset – all this activity over time leads to what I like to call “character lines,” not to mention that this delicate skin is easily damaged by the sun, making it more susceptible to wrinkles. So what’s a girl to do? Freeze her face in an emotionless state and never venture out of doors? Absolutely not! You can age gracefully and reduce the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes, now in as little as 60 seconds.

Most people are familiar with the Sonicare tooth brush and its incredible plaque destroying power, and if you’ve had the pleasure of using a Clarisonic face cleansing brush, you know how it leads to softer, cleaner, healthier skin. The creators of these systems have just launched their latest breakthrough, the Opal Sonic Infusion, which uses sonic, micro-massage technology to immediately reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, with results that build over time. The Opal helps your eye serum penetrate deeper into the damaged skin layers, revealing your skin’s natural, youthful appearance. It is so easy to use and the application is only 30 seconds for each eye. I have personally been using the Opal for the last two months and the skin around my eyes looks brighter, healthier, firmer, refreshed and renewed! Plus, the soothing micro massage feels amazing. I use my Opal in the morning and at night with my favorite eye serum.

If you are interested in learning more about the Opal, our Skin Care Therapists and Makeup Artists are always happy to share there expertise and help you design a personal skincare regime.

Posted by: Lise Corriveau, Skin Care Director

Thursday, July 1, 2010

A Few of our Favorite Guest Experiences

Everyday, we, the Artists, Therapists, and Management of Gene Juarez Salons & Spas, have the immense pleasure of sharing in the lives of our guests. Here are just a few of our favorite guest experiences that come to mind as we celebrate you!

Jamie, General Manager at Alderwood
At Alderwood, I am honored with many opportunities to interact with guests and share in their experience. Being around people who are here to celebrate events, spend time on their personal well-being and maintain a beauty regimen is so fun. I get to manage the flow of their visit and support their experience. I am constantly reminded that the smallest things often make the biggest difference for an individual. The other day I was able to procure a small item that we did not have available for sale and gift it to a guest who visits us every week. She had fallen in love with a small bag that was part of a promotional drawing and upon each visit she would remind me (and the front desk staff) how much she would love to carry our branded bag. After asking around I finally found one and surprised her by leaving a message that the bag would be waiting for her upon her next visit. It is such a silly thing, but I imagined the guest's small joy and celebration upon receiving the message. This, of course, was corroborated once she came in for her visit. She was "over the moon" about her little lunch bag and has been carrying it around as she travels. Again, I am honored to work in a positive and giving environment where I can share in the experiences with guests. I could probably recount a new fun story for each day that I work here. The little things in life; a sincere welcome, a small gesture of kindness, a moment of personal service, a token of gratitude, make all the difference. This is what I hope to deliver to guests since I am thankful to have gained all of these things from my experiences with them.

Rochelle, General Manager at Redmond
My favorite guest experiences are those I get to read about through a personal letter sent or through a phone conversation. To take time out of your busy day and give a compliment about your experience is so meaningful!!

Over the years I have received a range of letters/phone calls but one that stands out most:

A Bride called right before she left for her honeymoon (she was at the airport) to thank the staff for making her day so special. She wanted to thank everyone from the Bridal Coordinator who set up her appointments, to the Front Desk for greeting her so kindly and telling her congratulations (she felt extra special that they knew it was her special day as she arrived), to the Designer and Makeup Artist for making her feel so beautiful all day long.

Hearing how we get to help create these memorable guest experiences makes me proud to be the GM at the Redmond Gene Juarez Salon and Spa.

Mercedes, Manager at Tacoma
One of our guests with very thin hair has tried everything we've ever offered to help with thin hair and hair growth. She was very hesitant to try our newest product "revitalize hair" because of the price, but after some education from her Artist, she was open to give it a try. She has been using it for approximately 6-8 weeks. She was in last weekend and her new hair growth is visibly noticeable. She told us that one day she was leaving her house and her husband made a comment that she needed to fix her hair because it was sticking up everywhere. She looked in the mirror and notice that all of the hair that was sticking straight up was new hair growth! She was ecstatic! She can't stop staring at herself in the mirror because she keeps noticing more and more hair growth! She ended up purchasing 3 more of the product and is keeping track of all her new hair growth and giving us regular updates.

She told us that she has more confidence, she feels like she has conquered something that she has been battling with for many years! We are so happy that we were able to help and share in this experience with her!

Posted by: The Gene Juarez Team