Hi Clients and Friends-

I'm taking a break from waxing for a bit. It's become more hectic than I anticipated with my twins and 8th month old. I'm sad about this for I've made many new friends. It was always a delight for me to visit with each one of you. This may just be a summer thing I offer. So check back then.

Thank you for your support,

Lindsay Rector

The Wax Doll

Ingrown Issues (Repeat)

An ingrown hair is caused by too many skin cells building up on the surface of the skin not allowing the hair underneath to grow through it.  The hair then curls back down into the skin causing an inflammed, red bump known as an ingrown hair.

My clients have found great success by using St. Ive's Apricot Scrub in the shower. Scrub area vigorously.  Then apply oxy 10 zit cream or any other kind of zit cream with Benzoyl Peroxide on it once out of the shower.  Within a couple of days your irritation should be significantly reduced.  You can use the generics of both products, I do.  

Ask any questions for more tips and tricks

The Wax Doll

24 Best Beauty Buys Now Beauty: glamour.com

I get lots of questions from clients regarding makeup.  I am not an expert in this arena but do own a good amount of makeup and have tried many different kinds.  I found this from Glamour Magazine and wanted to share it with you.  

 

The Wax Doll

24 Best Beauty Buys Now Beauty: glamour.com

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24 Best Beauty Buys Now

Five years and 365,400 reader votes later, our annual Glammy awards are still revealing beauty deals that get you gorgeous every time. Meet the 2009 winners. Which ones are in your bathroom, and which should be?

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the best mascaras

From drugstores:Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara ($6.50)

Five-time winner!

The famous pink tube’s content “lasts,” and the wand “coats every lash”—all for “a recessionista price!”

From department/specialty stores: Lancôme Définicils Mascara ($24, lancome-usa.com)

Five-time winner!

Définicils “lengthens lashes beyond belief,” with no clumps. “Makes me look like I’m rocking fake lashes,” says one reader.

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Pregnancy and Itchy Skin

Itchy and Scratchy Skin

Can't stop scratching? Itchy everywhere? Well, you are probably not alone. Thousands of pregnant women right now are scratching away at their itchy skin. Thankfully, this is temporary and can be remedied. Read on for some itch tips!

Mild itching is common in pregnancy because of the increased blood supply to the skin. This increased activity can cause other discomforts such as sweat rashes.

Stop the Itch
There are many measures you can take to make yourself more comfortable.

• Keep some calamine lotion in the fridge and daub it on itchy skin
• Since scratching can irritate your skin, gain psychological itch-relief by scratching a stuffed animal in all the places you ache instead of your own skin!
• Never wear tight clothing; loose cotton clothes will keep you itch-free

Stomach Rash 
Many women get a pregnancy rash that occurs on their stomach nearer the end of pregnancy. If you do get a pregnancy rash on your stomach:

• Don't scratch at it too much as this can tear the skin
• Ask your doctor or midwife if there is anything you can take to ease the itching
• If itching becomes severe, or you develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes), see your doctor as soon as possible, as you could be developing a rare pregnancy complication known asIntrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP).

All the above information is from this website www.pregnancy-info.net

Eyebrow Quiz

Hi!  This should be fun.  Get  a pencil and go to a mirror.  Follow the steps below to see how your eyebrows shape up!!

4 Steps to measure your brows

1. Take an eyeliner pencil and place it  vertically against your nose. It should run from the side of the nose, mid-mouth, and by the tear duct of the eye. This is where your eyebrow should start.
2. Next place the pencil diagonally where it should hit the middle of the mouth, nostril, and outside the iris of the eye. This is wear your arch is. 
3. To determine the end of the eyebrow, place the pencil diagonally across to the opposite corners of the mouth, nostril, and outside corner of the eye.
4. Place your pencil horizontal from the start of the eyebrow to the end of the eyebrow. The pencil should create a perfect straight line.

Read more:http://cosmetics.suite101.com/article.cfm/eyebrow_shape#ixzz0MmAEEkN1

So, tell me, how did you measure up?

The Wax Doll

Good Question...

I'm replying to an anonymous comment from the "Hard Wax vs Soft Wax" post.  

"Speaking of "Silly Questions"...I have always wanted a Brazilian Wax and my husband is begging me to get one for our anniversery. I am hesitant because I know that when my husband's beard grows out it gives me razor burn. So, I guess my question is does a Brazilian Wax cause razor burn for your partner in their private areas as it grows out? Sorry for the personal question!"

No, it won't.  If you shaved the area possibly, but not if you've waxed.  Here's why, when you shave, every hair has been cut off at the same level and it grows in with a blunt feeling, or prickly.  Waxed hair grows in less and not as blunt. Therefore, it can't create the friction or irritation that shaved hair can cause.  

Be brave, go Brazilian!! (You won't regret it!!)

The Wax Doll

Hard Wax vs. Soft Wax

"How long does your hair have to be to be waxed the first time? What length does it have to grow before you can get waxed again? About how often do women come in to be waxed? What is the difference between hard and soft wax? Which do you use?"

Hi Mandy-

Thanks for the question.  Hair growth needs to be 1/4" or about 10 days, 7 days if your hair grows quickly.  If eyebrows are getting waxed I recommend 2-3 weeks in between appts. Brazilian time is about 4-5 weeks before you return.  

Hard Wax:  In theory, the purpose of hard wax is adhere to the course hair in the bikini area, not the skin and the hair as soft wax does.  The result leaves your skin less irritated and a more thorough waxing. 

Soft Wax: Serves for finer hair, facial hair and can also serve for coarse hair, but primarily used for eyebrows, upper lip and face.  

My preference is Soft Wax.  But if you just read the differences is seems like Hard Wax is the way to go.  In theory yes, but in actuality no.

Soft wax is much faster to use if you know what you're doing, which I do.  Skin gets irritated regardless since it's getting ripped out at the root.  Hard wax has to harden once it's applied to the skin, it takes longer to do a brazilian.

Years of experience tells me that clients want this service done AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!!!  So, that's exactly what I do. All of this is my opinion though.  Both waxes serve their purpose; remove hair.

The Wax Doll

How to block out Blackheads!

My most recent question was about blackheads from Tiffany. I replied with a few questions of my own and this is what she said: (I have her permission to post this dialogue.)

"I stumbled across you blog and I thought I would ask a few questions of my own. I have never been huge into taking care of my skin {don't cringe ;) I know it's bad} until now. I just turned 30. I have TONS of black heads, and I am constantly picking at them. I wash my face every day. I don't do it so much at night {I know, that's bad too!} but it's washed every single day. What can I do to help eliminate these ugly things. They are on my nose, chin and around my lips. I HATE THEM. What would you suggest?

I do NOT smoke
I am Caucasian, to be politically correct.
i have combination skin and I use Cetaphil products on my face.
I hope that helps. I can't wait to see what you have to say. Thanks so much!! "

Tiffany,  you've asked a fabulous question regarding blackheads.  They do seem a bit pesty and are hard to get rid of.  Knowing that you don't smoke, your blackheads around your lips aren't caused by the tar from smoking, so I venture to guess you use a fatty type of lip balm or lip gloss.  Such as carmex, chapstick or some lip gloss. If you overapply the fat from the product will eventually clog your pores outlining your lips. 

 The blackheads on your chin make me wonder if you touch your chin a lot without your awareness or could be because you're combination/ t-Zone skin type (only on the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin forming an invisible lower case t).  Blackheads in the nose is very, very common, and can also spread into the cheek area, but that isn't as common, again the t-Zone for the cheek problem.

Cetaphil is a wonderful product.  That's great you wash your face in the morning.  Something to think about though, you know the grimy feeling your teeth have at the end of the night, your face is the same way.  All day it's been exposed dust, pollution, sweat, free radicals and sun damage.  If you knew your face was as filthy as your teeth are at the end of the night, you'd be washing your face just as faithfully as you brush your teeth.

By not washing your face at night you're  leaving all the day's dirt and dead skin cells get absorbed back into your skin.  You see Tiffany, at night is when the skin gets to rejuvenate.  Skin is the largest organ and it gets fed when you're sleeping.  Every day your skin is sluffing hundreds of skin cells, but if not washed away then stay in your pores and over time those pores will expand to accommodate the dirt collection you're accruing.  The oil and dirt eventually turn dark or "black" due to exposure to the air, it oxidizes.  

What I recommend is wash your face at night.  No exceptions. Continue with your Cetaphil and add an exfoliating scrub and use it three times a week.  I like the Neutrogena Facial Scrub that mimics a microdermabrasion.  Works great.  My favorite skincare line is ROC.  I love it and it's at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart...etc.  Use products that contain antioxidants, or an alpha hydroxy.  Your greatest bet is to get a facial and have your pores cleaned out.  Use a moisturizer every morning.  It creates a barrier between your face and the environment which helps your skin stay protected better.  You won't get rid of every single blackhead, but they will decrease significantly by following the few suggestions I've stated above.  

Okay Tiffany, this should be a springboard for you.  I hope to have not overwhelmed you.  Please get back to me and the other readers in two week's time and let us know how your skin has responded.  We all look forward to hearing your progress!!

Thanks again, 

The Wax Doll

Sensitive Skin and Waxing

A question was left for me the other day so here's the question and my answer.

Question: "What do you do for women with super sensitive skin? I have tried all different kinds of waxing options and they all leave me with what look like burns on my eyelids. Yeah, it's a pretty good look for a few days. Generally it looks like my skin gets pulled off/burned/something terrible, where the wax is applied. Any tips?Thank you!"

What I like to ask my clients before waxing is "what kind of skin care products are you using?" I ask because depending on what my client uses could give her a result similar to yours where your skin is taken off. It's known as "lifted" skin, but the result is red skin for days, scabs over at times, burns after waxing. It can be caused if wax is too hot and you're burned. Also it can occur if you're using skin care products that are thinning your skin like a retinol, alpha hydroxy, acne treatments, recently sun-burned skin, taking acne medication. I can usually tell if a client is using any of these products but not always, so when in doubt I ask what they use on their face. If you do use any of the above mentioned products, avoid applying the products near the eye area and above the brows for a week. (Or any other area of your face that you get waxed.) That'll prevent any skin problems from waxing.

Maybe you don't use anything on your face at all and you truly have sensitive skin. Don't get waxed, bottom line. Have your specialist tweeze you very thoroughly. I offer that with the clients of mine whose skin cannot be waxed.

If this does happen to you, use neosporin to treat it, it's just like any other skin abrasion. It'll take a few days to heal up, maybe a week if it's really bad.

I advise you to disclose any information to whomever is waxing you before hand. Your aesthetician will always perform better when she has all information pertinent to your service.

Thanks Hillary for the great question! If I haven't answered your question fully, let me know.

The Wax Doll

Lindsay Rector

Under Eyes Too Light...

Regarding my last entry about getting brighter eyes, I had a comment about a woman whose under eyes are too light.

Essentially, she doesn't need the concealer...or does she?  

My answer to that is yes, you still should use the concealer of sorts to blend both skin tones.  

While you do want bright eyes, you don't want to look like you've been tanning with goggles on. So my recommendation is to get a concealer that is a darker tone.  If you get the color of concealer that is your face, not your under eye, then that should be perfect.  That will create a natural blend of skin tone from under your eyes to the rest of your gorgeous face.

What other questions do you have for me?  I am licensed as a Skin Care Specialist a.k.a Aesthetician.  That means I know about skin care regimes, scarring, acne, moisturizers, makeup, basically anything that deals with your face!

The Wax Doll, 

Lindsay

Get Brighter Eyes

Feel like your under eyes are always dark?  Lorac's eye concealer is great for this problem.  One end contains the concealer, the other end is a highlighter.  It reflects light so your eyes literally look brighter.  There are other products out there that do the same thing, but I'm mentioning Lorac simply because it's the one I choose to use.  It's also great because it's long lasting.  Some eye concealers can be too dry causing your fine lines to be more prominent. There are other concealers designed for illuminating your eyes but they're poor when it comes to concealing and staying concealed all day.  

Another tip for brighter eyes: Put a white shimmer shadow around the outside of your tear ducts.  Try it to one eye and compare.  Makes a differene.   I use a MAC shadow called Phloof, but any shadow fitting the criteria will do.  You can also line your inner eye lids with white eyeliner, but I only suggest that when getting your pictures taken.  It doesn't look very subtle in person.

The Wax Doll

What is a Brazilian???

Hi Readers - I got a great email today with a personal question.  I have the woman's permission to post the question but I'm leaving her identity anonymous.  
 
"I have never got a bikini wax, nor Brazilian, before. I always, always wear shorts while swimming so it hasn't been an issue. Plus, the idea of another person having to wax my bikini line is embarrassing to me! :) I know this is a common thought among women who are new to the waxing idea. What are your thoughts? As the aesthitician: Do we need to be worried about grossing you out? Do you want us to trim quite a bit before we get the procedure done? Is it better for us to do it ourselves in the privacy of your own home (which I am too afraid to do)? Am I totally crazy for thinking this? :)"

I appreciate this email in many ways.  For myself, I am so oriented with waxing that I often make the mistake that others are as well. 

• Bikini wax: anything hanging out of your underwear line is waxed and a bit more if you want.
• Brazilian wax: anything hanging out at all is waxed.  It is very thorough and the best way to go!!!  
• I am not grossed out by waxing your down under, not in the slightest.
• Please do not trim for me. That often results in more work for me then if you had just come to me "au naturale"
  

I'm not sizing up your thighs, butts, stomachs, nothing!!  I don't notice, I can't really explain it other then a Gyno sees tons of down unders and doesn't blink an eye, same here.  There isn't anything I haven't seen and I'm not bothered by any of it.  If you think you've got too much going on there, you don't.  All clients that have seen me for this were nervous at first concerning my bedside manner.  I make a point for you to feel comfortable with me, to be fast (it takes 20 min or less start to finish), and for you to feel as little as pain as possible.  

First timers, yes, it will hurt, but the pain doesn't resonate.  Second timers, so much easier that the second timers become regulars because they're so happy with the result of so little hair growth.

My guarantee: Come get your brazilian, if I don't deliver everything I've promised in this post, I won't charge you.

If you have more thoughts or comments leave them here, if they're too personal, email me at lindsayrector@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading!

The Wax Doll

Oatmeal and Yogurt Face Mask

This is a great face mask for all types of skin in need of hydration. 

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oatmeal, finely ground
• 1 tbsp live, organic yogurt (skip the flavored stuff)
• A few drops of honey

Preparation:

Add the yogurt to the oatmeal in a small bowl and mix together.

Warm a few drop of honey. To do this, warm a spoon under hot water for a minute, then add a few drops of honey to the spoon.

Stir the honey into the yogurt and oatmeal mixture.

Apply the mask to the face. Leave it on for 10 minutes, then rinse off with several splashes of warm water. Follow with a warm washcloth.

Apply moisturizer.

(Information courtesy of www.about.com : beauty)

The Wax Doll

Acne scarring

One way to prevent scarring from acne is to use a high SPF level (30+) on the area of the break-out.  Even if it's only one pimple. 

The sun's rays will darken the skin that is healing leaving a red mark that can last several months.  Be sure to cover up so it won't happen to your beautiful face! 

Lindsay

But I just tweezed my eyebrows

This is a common excuse I hear from women as to why they don't get their eyebrows shaped.  I have never, and I mean never, seen a woman who tweezes her own brows that doesn't need waxing.  "Whoa that sounds harsh," you might be saying.  Here is what I mean, when you tweeze you can only get so many hairs.  Waxing gets ALL  the hairs.  A completely clean finish.  The result is smoother eye makeup, a more polished finished, a definite arch, basically, perfect eyebrows!  Another reason not to only tweeze is it's difficult to get your brows symmetrical with your face.  Another person doing this for you, like me, will do a much better job at balancing your brows to your face shape.  

Have any other questions skin or waxing related?  Let me know...

The Wax Doll

Ingrown Issues?

 An ingrown hair is caused by too many skin cells building up on the surface of our skin not allowing the hair underneath to grow through it.  The hair then curls back down into the skin causing an inflammed, red bump known as an ingrown hair.

My clients have found great success by using St. Ive's Apricot Scrub in the shower. Scrub area vigorously.  Then apply Oxy 10 zit cream on it once out of the shower.  Within a couple of days your ingrowns should be significantly reduced.  You can use the generics of both products, I do.  

Ask any questions for more tips and tricks

The Wax Doll