Graduation!!! ... Now What?

okay, now that I've had some time to actually relax from a busy prior week as well as weekend...

Graduation Day... the day on which I completed the required 1600 hours of education mandated by California in order to attend State Board in order to obtain my license which I had to take out 2 student loans for so that I can become a licensed Cosmetologist....

it was a day that was bittersweet to say the least. no more getting up early to sit in traffic to roll my kit up to my station, no more two hours of theory, no more smoke breaks with my friends, no more talking and listening to my favorite teachers...

I can still remember the first day of school, sitting all giddy and freaked out, wondering what I was going to learn. Would I be able to retain all the information? Would I even be good at this profession? Luckily enough... the answer to these questions is a resounding yes!!! thank god!

now it is time for me to put all I've learned to the test and see if what I've gained from Cosmo school is enough for me to be a successful stylist.

i will have to rely on myself now to know the difference between a cold wave and a soft curl perm, a thio and a hydroxide, the different angles of a haircut, the arc of a developer's strength and the tone of someones skin or hair...

-okay, enough with the sorrowful diatribe-

though i am sad to have completed my schooling, i also see it as the close to a chapter in my life to self-improvement. I've come to believe that my decision in going to Cosmetology school was one of the best things i ever decided to do for myself. to be surrounded by people with such passion and creativity was intimidating and inspiring all at once to the point it could be overwhelming. Cosmo school has also given me challenges that I know I would never received and overcame had I continued working in the job i had before I decided to go to school.

i also know that i wouldn't have been able to graduate had i not had the love and support of these wonderful people...

-my parents-

thank you for always saying you were proud of me in what I've accomplished and showing happiness in my success as well as always praying for me and believing in me.

-my sisters-

thank you for always coming in for me to work on you, even though we bickered, we always had more laughs than i can even remember and it helped make memorable days at my school

-my grandparents-

thank you for always being so readily available to pick up the babies from school on the days that i was in school.

-my in laws-

thank you for allowing us to live with you so that i could pursue my dream to start a new career in a profession that i LOVE!

-my babies-

thank you for always loving mommy through this long journey and always greeting me with a smile when i come home from a long day at school

-my instructors-

Ms. Renee, Mr. Joe, Ms. Kim and Ms. Belinda - i have learned so much from you and i am so grateful because this knowledge will be the tools that i use to take care of my family as i go out into the world. everything that you have taught me is invaluable and i am so grateful to have had all of you as my teachers!

and last but not least...

-my hubby-

thank you so much, my love for always having faith in me, even when i didn't have enough in myself. thank you for putting up with the tears of frustration, listening to my rants of OCD-perfectionism, hugging me when i was upset and rejoicing with me when i accomplished a particularly hard obstacle. this year was definitely a hard one, but i totally agree with you in that this is the happiest we have ever been because you put me first and wanted me to be happy over all. thank you for working so hard to provide for this family AND give me all the things that i wanted and needed -but mostly wanted- for school and for myself. i am truly blessed to have a wonderful ride-or-die man protecting and loving me as good as you do!

now... State Board... i hope you're ready for me, cuz here i come. ;-)

a quick glance at 13-months and 1600 hours in Cosmo school




First Day of School!



how i learned that i HATE doing nails... lol

gotta get your head in the game...


first of many friends


first full on haircut...back when i was afraid to cut hair




i will CT you!




coloring outside the lines!


cutting off my hair for my current style


Long Beach Hair Show


GRADUATION DAY! oh what a JOURNEY it has been!

The End Is Nigh..!

Graduation... it's looming for me. In 11 days to be exact. I can't believe that I made it through the whole program! I remember my first day... so full of excitement and also a lot of nervousness. Thoughts like, "did I make the right choice?" "Will I be good at this?" "What if I fail?"

I can honestly say I made one of the best choices ever by attending Cosmetology school. All of the milestones that happened during my education (Phase 2, making Gold Team, finally "getting" how to cut hair, Phase 3, finals, etc) just added to the wonderful memories that I will take away with me once I clock out for that last time.

I have so many people to be thankful for though. They are half of the whole reason I was able to put so much effort into this program. My parents, my sisters, my in laws, my grandparents, my friends and my husband. They are all the reason I was able to commit to my dream. They will always have my gratitude!

Cut Crease Tutorial

Reflection...

tonight's blog is going to be a reflective one.

i know that i don't write as often as i like, due to time constraints and plain and pure laziness... but this is something that's been on my mind for awhile now...

lately, i've been asking myself a serious question: am i selling myself short when it comes to my career? the reason i ask is this. i am surrounded by passion driven people at school every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. some of my classmates have dreams of owning their own salons, working as celebrity stylists and make up artists, even moving to LA or New York to pursue their careers. now there isn't anything wrong with these dreams at all...

-except-

why don't i have these dreams? why don't i want to become a celebrity stylist or MUA? why am i content to stay here and work here when people tell me that i can go so far in this industry.

i had to ask my husband if something was wrong with me. why didn't my dreams reach beyond the borders of the Bay Area? who doesn't want to open their own salon or move to LA or New York?

i've been wondering this particular aspect about myself for awhile now. a couple of weeks at the most. i've had to sit back and really think back to why i even got involved in the beauty industry to begin with. i decided to pursue this career because i like, no i love, making women (and men) feel like they look their best. i love making a person feel so much more confident when they leave then when they first stepped into the salon doors. i figure, there are a lot more regular, ordinary people who want to feel like a celebrity. like someone important.

i remember we were told to write our mission statement for school several months in, and i remember writing some ridiculous paragraph having to do with being the absolute best in my industry and blah blah blah. now there's nothing wrong with that. i truly believe that when pursuing a career, you should do your absolute best and have goals set out for you. the problem with my particular mission statement was that it had absolutely nothing to do with why i got into the industry. i got into this industry not to be famous, but to make people feel like they are famous when they sit in my chair.

now what does this have to do with reflecting and all of that? i guess i just needed to take a step back and reread my mission statement. just like my husband said, it's ok that i don't want to move to LA or New York. it's ok that i don't want to own my own salon - at least not yet. and i don't even think i want to try and work for celebrities. i need to remember that i'm perfectly fine with staying in my small hometown where all my friends and family are and where i can work my magic in my home area. i would much rather spread that happiness here where people need it rather than in a hoity toity kinda place where brown nosing is a necessity.

the point i had to make for myself was that i'm living my dream. i love my schooling and i will also love my job once i graduate. it doesn't matter where i go or what i do as long as i'm happy with what i'm doing. that's definitely something that requires deep thinking and reflection.

GOLD TEAM BABY!!!

I DID IT!!! i achieved my goal of Gold Team in Cosmetology School! What is a Gold Team Member, you ask? Remember the "Dean's List in school ? Basically the same thing. We mentor new students and are recognized for excellence and achievements in school. I just wanted to share this with you! This was one of my goals ever since the first few months of theory and now, 9 months into school I DID IT!!! Such a HAPPY DAY!!!

Facial Primers at Drugstore Prices

ever wondered how to get your make up to stay on without it getting cakey, waxy or running off? does it look kinda blah after that first four or five hours of the day and you're wondering how to make it last longer?

i'm sure you've heard this term before, but what you need is FACE PRIMER. like the primer before a paint job, you need a primer before your make up application.

but make up primer can get pretty expensive. so here are some cheap drugstore options for those who are in a pinch but still want that freshly applied look even 6 hours into the day!

after doing a couple hours of research, these are the two i've come up with and am now sharing it with you. :)

(i've included the references and reviews i researched just in case you don't believe me, lol)

Dry Skin

Monistat Bikini Chafing Gel

(http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/04/12/is-monistat-bikini-chafing-gel-a-good-makeup-primer/)

(http://www.makeupgeek.com/articles-reviews/choosing-your-best-face-primer/)

there are also a ton of reviews on YouTube singing praise to this particular "primer". here's one:

this is another video on comparisons between your brand name primers and your drugstore "primers"... very informative!




Oily Skin

Milk of Magnesia

i have used this as a primer myself, having oily skin, and it does work! it also helps a lot with those of you who have acne prone skin. i've also used this as a mask at night to help clear up any oncoming pimples that i really do seem to get over night. i do recommend this to be used sparingly because it can over dry your skin.

references and reviews:

(http://skincare.lovetoknow.com/Milk_of_Magnesia_for_Oily_Skin)

(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/milk-of-magnesia-for-skin.html)

(http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemID=10870/Milk_of_Magnesia/Unlisted_Brand/Masks/)




all right, so here you go! hope you enjoyed this Beauty Tip of the Week!

TKB Trading Haul/Review

recently, i found out a dear friend works for a mineral make up/distributing company based out of the Bay Area. she came to visit me at my school and even brought me a little sample of some shadow. (we had a good laugh because she walked to the bathroom and when she walked out she saw me testing the shadow on my hand. she said i looked like an addict of some sort. LOL. i AM a make up junkie after all.)

after her visit, i went home and checked out the site. it is called TKB Trading and has been around since the early 90's. my friend, who works in the shipping department, told me how far their business ranges all over the world, all the way from here to Australia.

the site is extremely user friendly and easy to navigate. there are a variety of things to take a look at from DIY mineral make up kits, to ready made eyeshadows, lipsticks, bath salts and dyes, etc. since my main attraction was the make up, i immediately maneuvered myself over the "Colored Micas" under the makeup tab. they have over 200 different eyeshadows, ranging from vibrant to muted shimmers, and enough sparkles to assuage any make up junkies next fix. after poring through the pages and pages of colored shadows, i finally came up with 14 shadows that i decided i had to have. TKBs Pop! Collection in Raspberry Pop, Strawberry Pop, Tangerine Pop, Lemon Drop Pop, Apple Green Pop, Blueberry Pop and Grape Pop. Then some metallic as well as some soft shimmers in Crucible Gold, Crucible Red, Sagittaire Mica, China Jade, Smokey XXX, Copper Basics and a beautiful brown red shadow with blue interference called Chameleon Fine.

14 shadows for only -get this- $1.50 per sample. and each sample consists of about 1 full tablespoon (approx. 15 grams)! shipping was only $3.25 and it took 4 days from when i initially placed my order. so for loads of product, cheap AND fast shipping, i only spent a little less than $25.00! sounds almost too good to be true, right? well, yeah, it does. there had to be something that wasn't adding up. so, naturally came the next question, "how does it show up on the skin?"

being a darker skinned girl, i usually have issues with shadows that aren't as vibrant on my skin as i'd like them to be without some kind of mixing medium. especially those that are yellow and purple based shadows. so i did what any make up junkie would do.

SWATCHES!!!

First up: Raspberry Pop, Strawberry Pop, Lemon Drop Pop and Grape Pop.

Dry w/ flash:

Wet (using MAC's Studio Fix +) w/ flash:

Next: Apple Green Pop, Blueberry Pop, Chameleon Fine, Smokey XXX and Sagittaire

Dry w/ flash:

Wet (using MAC's SF+) w/ flash:

Last: Crucible Gold, Copper Basics, Crucible Red, China Jade and Patagonia Purple (the sample given to me by my dear friend, Nancy!)

Dry w/ flash:

Wet (using MACs SF+) w/ flash:

As you can see, the color pay off is really good, especially foiled using Studio Fix + or any other type of mixing medium.

I also wondered about durability, so I decided to try out one of the shadows to a reception I was attending this past weekend. I chose Copper Basics for my eyeshadow over Urban Decay's Primer Potion and using MAC's Studio Fix + to set it.

Beginning of the night (please don't mind the wolf-woman brows, lol):

Copper Basics on lid, Urban Decay's Smog and Grifter in crease and Sin on brow bone.

I love how the copper shows up so vibrantly on my skin. so far so good!

End of the night after dancing and partying hard with my friends:

as you can see, the shadow stayed in place very nicely even though i'd sweat underneath it from all the dancing i had been doing. if anything, the only issue was my eyeliner which had run slightly into the corners of my eyes. there was minimal creasing and it was still as vibrant as when i'd walked out of the house some 8 hours earlier. the shadow was also very easy to remove with some make up remover wipes and didn't leave any stains or irritation.

so i can easily say that i am very pleased with this product and will more than likely be shopping at this site again!

Thanks for the heads up, Nancy!

hope you enjoyed this review!

XOXOX