Week 5: Tests, Tests, More Tests……WARNING: Venting ahead.

[Photo Credit: Unknown]

Whoever thinks Beauty School consists of slathering on creams and telling clients they look faaaaabulous has it ALL wrong! There is a serious responsibility factor surrounding the professional cosmetic skincare industry. Not that I hadn’t realized this before, I did, but it’s taken on a new level of awareness now that I’m in school.

Last week, we had the dreaded Anatomy exam. Dreaded is an understatement. Besides the eight million terms we needed to know, there was the prep process which I found infuriating to say the least. For whatever reason, Ms. Tanna’s normal process of preparing us for exams fell terribly short with this one. We received our usual worksheets with the exception of receiving nine sheets as opposed to our standard four to five. There was quite a bit more book work involved and like all of our previous tests, two chapters were covered. Now, if there was EVER a time to focus solely on one chapter, THIS was it. Anatomy knowledge is crucial in the esthetics world because we are in the industry of touch. So, knowing what we’re touching, how it’s connected and the names of the organs, muscular system, tissues and so on is muy importante!

But NONE of this stuff mattered as much as this: Every single worksheet we received had lots of terms, but each sheet had different definitions for each term. This drove me insane because Ms. Tanna always advises us to study our worksheets in preparation for the test but how do you study several different definitions for dozens of terms?! We know the test will usually consist of 60 questions and the worksheets are usually pretty good with connecting key points to memory. For example, one of the primary functions of the cerebellum is to control balance, so I connect balance with cerebellum. Sounds simple right? It helps to pinpoint the answer without getting too tripped up by other terms used in the answer options. We’ve been told that’s often how the State Board examination goes, so you have to be careful of trip-ups and one way to do this is by zoning in on key terms.

Part of my study process is to create flash cards for myself along with typing out a study aide of brief definitions for each term I’m required to know. I found myself creating 175 flash cards for last week’s test and my study aide, which normally maxes out at 4-5 printed pages reached 11 pages this go round. My brain was overburdened and I was stressed from not being able to narrow down the terms to what was going to be on the actual test. Tensions ran a little high at Beauty School last week, that’s for sure.

As if this wasn’t enough, our Anatomy exam would be followed by our Back Treatment Practical exam. Our first Practical of the course. The only parts of the Back Treatment that concerned me were the timing and the massage piece. Ms. Tanna had timed us several times during Back Treatments and while always “close”, it wasn’t always easy to predict. See, Ms. Tanna thinks we should “get an idea of what an hour feels like” and allow that “feeling” to guide us in our treatments to determine proper timing. Um yea, I’m impatient, I don’t know what five minutes feels like much less 60 so this tactic falls on deaf ears where I’m concerned.

Fortunately and for the most part, our notes have guided us fairly well. We were allowed to keep a watch nearby but instructed not to look at it too often, so besides the quick time check following the desincrustation and again once the mask was applied, there’s not too much we can do. The massage steps were a whole other animal but by the time the Practical rolled around, I had them memorized – all 16 steps. That was the hardest part for me. I came up with a way to setup my cart to guide me through all the other steps. A method quickly suggested to my other classmates by Ms. Tanna and now they too have duplicated my system. Not complaining, glad to be of help.

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Goodnight Sweet Liz….

“She was unquestionably gorgeous. She was lavish. She was a dark unyielding largesse. She was, in short, too bloody much.”
–Richard Burton

This morning, as I prepared for another day at Beauty School, I received a CNN alert message on my phone announcing the unfortunate passing of “the goddess to end all goddesses”, the one and only Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. While well aware of Elizabeth’s publicly documented health issues, it came as no less of a shock to hear of her passing. That’s the thing about celebrities, depending on how much we adore them, receiving unfortunate or exciting news about them can stop you in your tracks, resulting in your immediately telling a loved one about it. That was the case for me this morning, suddenly, perfecting my eyeliner was of minor importance as I left the bathroom to tell my boyfriend before forwarding the CNN alert to my mother and sister. The entire time, images of Liz flashed through my mind. Her unforgettable performances in Butterfield 8, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and a host of others, not to mention her undeniable beauty.

Liz personified beauty. How many people do you know with lavender eyes for heavens sake? It was as if God chose to create the ideal vision of femininity when he gave us Liz. One of the few famous women whose grown-up beauty is clearly visible in her early childhood photos. She looks like herself as odd as that may sound though very relevant in a time of surgical enhancement mania. She was unaltered, unassisted and unenhanced. Her parents were clearly an excellent genetic match.

I’m certain Liz’s looks would have defined her legacy had her style, grace and bold talent been less grand. She was what I’d call “one feisty dame”, and made no apologies or excuses along the way. Eight marriages, twice to the same man, a range of highly coveted movie roles and talent to boot! Let us not forget what she did for the slip! What had been seen and utilized as just a necessary undergarment of ladies fashion took on a whole new meaning of sultry when she donned the simple chemise in Butterfield 8. Suddenly, the slip became THE SLiiiiiiP, and all the rage in cutting edge come-hither sex-appeal. Only Liz.

Now, many have argued the talent factor of Marilyn Monroe. An argument you should be prepared to lose if having such a discussion with yours truly. But, Liz was a given. She was unquestionably talented, a force to be reckoned with, often outshining some of Hollywood’s most captivating leading men. Ms. Taylor held her own and just so happened to be beautiful in the process. Isn’t that the stuff from which icons are made?

Even as she aged, her stunning looks were obvious, yet unlike Raquel or Sophia, sex-appeal was not always the stride with which she entered a room. No, that wasn’t necessary for Liz. Her confidence was leveled by her tell-it-like-it-is demeanor, almost as if she was not aware of her appearance, making her that much more appealing and undoubtedly all the more envied.

I believe heaven exists. Now Ms. Taylor will no longer suffer through surgeries or pain. She’s reunited with her parents, her “dear friend Michael”, those whom she loved dearly, fought for tirelessly and unfortunately loss to the awful destruction of Aids and of course, her beloved Richard.  Like so many aging greats who have passed before her, she’ll now be honored with awards, accolades and honorary tributes and for future generations, possibly gain more notoriety in her passing than when she was alive.

Known for speaking her mind, she has been quoted as saying:

“When people say, ‘She’s got everything’, I’ve got one answer – I haven’t had tomorrow.”

Now you do Liz, NOW you do…..

Goodnight Sweet Liz, may you Rest In Peace…

Some of Elizabeth’s famous quotes:

* I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine. You can’t possess radiance, you can only admire it.
* I am a very committed wife. And I should be committed too – for being married so many times.
* I don’t think President Bush is doing anything at all about Aids. In fact, I’m not sure he even knows how to spell Aids.
* I fell off my pink cloud with a thud.
* I sweat real sweat and I shake real shakes.
* I’m a survivor – a living example of what people can go through and survive.
* I’ve always admitted that I’m ruled by my passions.
* I’ve been through it all, baby, I’m mother courage.
* It is strange that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.
* My mother says I didn’t open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked.
* So much to do, so little done, such things to be.
* Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses.
* Success is a great deodorant.
* The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.

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I Wax, Therefore I Am…… (Week 5 Day 1)

[Photo Credit: http://beautymarkproductionsinc.com/a-womans-guide-to-waxing-unwanted-hair%5D

One thing I’ve learned since I started blogging about my beauty school journey is a lot happens in five days. There’s something new everyday at BS. This presents a challenge for my weekly blogging routine. A challenge I’m not too fond of honestly. Basically, I end up spending a nice chunk of my day off preparing and revising my blog entry. So, I’m switching up gears a bit in an effort to shorten my entries and capture the moment better.

Take today for instance. The day started out rough as we reviewed numerous worksheets and study guide pages in preparation for Friday’s exam on Anatomy. A subject I’ve come to look upon with pure disgust, quite frankly. TOO many terms, TOO much info, TOO many parts. It’s fully capable and has proven rather effective at causing pounding headaches, angry paper-shoving-off-the desk tantrums and rants of gibberish and head scratching before I finally give in and start studying. That’s my method. Don’t hate.

Anyways….needless to say the first part of the morning was crap and I wasn’t sure what to expect for the afternoon. I knew we were going to learn how to properly wax a client but I just wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I’ve had over a dozen or so estheticians wax my brows throughout my life and I fully believe there’s an art form to it and not many masters exist.  Many do it but not many can DOOO IT. So, I was leery about this whole waxing aspect of BS.

After lunch, Ms. Tanna asked the class for a show of hands of hairy legs or arms. The hands didn’t so much go up but the chatter began. Pant legs were raised and arms were lifted all seeking approval as to whether the hair had grown long enough. Several girls offered underarms and ahem… other things up for waxing. Now, Ms. Tanna had informed us on Day 1 to stop waxing but that was 5 weeks ago so no one heeded her request given the timeframe. I had a few weeks of hair growth on my legs and arms, though the hair on my legs doesn’t grow much at all; barely below the knee and nothing above it. I think I get that from my mother, she’s pretty much devoid of leg or arm hair. Surprisingly, Ms. Tanna chose me as her model for the waxing demo. I was kinda excited, because 1) I was a pro at getting waxed and 2) at least Ms. Tanna would be doing it (for my first time) as opposed to one of the girls.

As we all gathered inside the spa’s wax room, I changed and Ms. Tanna started her demo, walking us through every step. The girls asked me if I was nervous. Ha! Nope. I get my hairline waxed thanks to a low one inherited from my father’s side of the family. If you can tolerate that hair being ripped out of your scalp AND neck, you can tolerate anything getting waxed. She used a low temp wax that was quite comfy on the skin then she ripped and ripped and ripped. It was over pretty quickly and having never waxed my legs before, I now prefer the super stubble-free feel compared to shaving. What a difference a day makes huh?

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And then there were 9….

[Photo Credit: Unknown]

What a week it’s been at Beauty School!

Unfortunately, Anya’s health declined and she will not be returning to class. She returned briefly on Tuesday but left around ten, right before our morning break. Seems she spent a few days in the hospital after leaving school early last week & was referred to a cardiologist who discovered a heart concern that needs attention. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and she will be missed.

As for the remaining nine, we started the week learning the complicated massage technique that goes along with the Signature Facial. It’ll take some time to master it just as it has with the massage technique for the back treatment. Ms. Tanna had us practice on the mannequin which felt odd though it was helpful.

This week’s curriculum was LOAD-ED with information. I swear I had dreams about the Stratum Germinativum, Merkel Cells, Langerhans, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Wheals and a host of other terms associated with the Integumentary System. Thank goodness for layman’s terms. All of this info was crucial for our exam. Ms. Tanna considered pushing the exam to next Tuesday, but considering the entire school will be attending a beauty show on Monday, we all mutually agreed it would be best to get it out-of-the-way on Saturday.

We had Thursday morning to complete about a dozen worksheets in preparation for the test and I asked if there would be a pre-test. Ms. Tanna said she had not planned on giving us a pre-test this time but after seeing the shocked and concerned looks on all of our faces; she agreed it was needed. This test was not based on the same type of material as last week’s test. No. Not at all. This test was the high school bully to last’s weeks test by far! It kicked it’s a**, in other words! A pre-test was definitely and desperately needed.

After taking the pre-test and finding out how many I missed, I was in panic mode. I missed seven and not because I guessed wrong but because I simply didn’t know. I still would’ve passed but that wasn’t the point. I didn’t want to just pass. I’m in this to win this and I NEEDED to retain this info. I had a lot to study & the test was the next day! Soooo, I went home, took care of things I had on my ‘To Do’ list, then it was time to hit the books! I crammed for a few hours until my eyes were falling out of my head. I reviewed the types of massage, the layers of the skin, and diseases/conditions over and over along with creating my handy homemade study aide which somehow helps material to absorb better. Don’t ask about the specifics. It’s a highly technical and complicated process involving typing words onto a sheet of paper, I don’t want to get into it. Ultimately, ready or not, I had to go to sleep if I wanted to be in any kinda shape for Saturday’s exam.

I woke up Saturday morning, still feeling very uncertain so I reviewed my study aide all the way to school. I knew there’d be 60 questions on the test and eventually took solace in knowing that there was no way I’d fail it, even if I didn’t live up to my own expectations.

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Week 2: Beauty School Review

Photo Credit

I’m feeling a little sleep deprived tonight so I’m going to sluggishly belt this post out before hitting the hay…..

Week 2 of BS found us all a little tired & coming up with some “preferreds” by the end of the week…….

PREFERREDS:
* We’d prefer Saturdays as half-days instead of whole.  Saturdays feel completely different from other days of the week. It’s hard being in class ALL day every Saturday.

* We’d also prefer to focus on one practical per week. Currently, we learn one technique and practice it a few times before learning a new technique, then we go back & forth between the two. I’d like it if Ms. Tanna would demo one technique then have us do it 10x before going on to the next one. Five with her walking us through and five solo. I think we’d be crazy to not be ready for the test by then.

Oh well, moving on…

This week, two girls fell ill following their treatments. Lake was dizzy after her first dual treatment where she received an hour-long back treatment followed by a 30-minute mini-facial. I don’t care for these because you’re on the table for so long. I got antsy myself. Lake was dizzy then grew light-headed before vomiting altogether. Ms. Tanna ushered us girls out of the spa while she tended to her. Later, we found out that Lake hadn’t slept well & wasn’t feeling too good to begin with so it was understandable.

The following day, Tora felt dizzy following her back treatment and ended up not coming to class the next day.

Then two days later, Anya became really dizzy after her dual service. It didn’t help that Catya looked at her & said she was white as a ghost. She was, but a statement like that would only startle a client so I would’ve refrained from saying anything of the sort. I simply would’ve asked if she felt okay and left it at that. But Anya didn’t feel well, she suffers from vertigo and taking prescription meds for insomnia. Seems she’s experiencing some bad side effects which led to her leaving early and not returning the following day. We later found out that she went to the ER later that evening after Staigen was excused to drive her home. Ms. Tanna didn’t want Anya driving in her condition. I hope she’s okay and returns to class tomorrow.

THE UGLY SIDE OF BS:

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m really not feeling all the irritation my face is experiencing due to the daily facials. So far, I’ve had two facials and a few extractions done. My face looked a hot mess this week. I was NOT happy. Ms. Tanna has advised the girls who give me facials to use a special serum to prevent my skin from experiencing hyperpigmentation. I even purchased the product & used it twice but I don’t like the dry patches it caused so I’m going to return it. I’m gradually nursing my skin back to health via my diet, Vitamin E, Vitamin A & Emu Oil along with some other all natural remedies that have worked in the past. It’s already improving so here’s hoping it continues. I can’t allow the fact that I’m in beauty school to cause me to forget that I KNOW what’s best for my skin. I may be a kitchen esthetician but I’m a good one if I might say so myself. I’ve cleared & improved my skin along with recommending beneficial products and treatments to others so I’ll do what I must as a BS student but I’m not going to relinquish all my intuition and knowledge to the birds.

Sometimes, age IS  a factor..

One thing I’ve noticed is the distinct difference in maturity between the ..ahem.. more mature students and those born, say, in the last 21 years or so. I now understand why I was foolish to think an older esthetician would be overlooked in lieu of a young 20-something in the job market. There’s a HUGE difference in tact, conversation and demeanor between the ages and in a field where baby boomers are shelling out serious dough for serious skin care treatments, it matters how the esthetician carries herself. If the client is spending upwards of a few hundred dollars for a peel or laser treatment, they certainly don’t want to hear shuffling feet, obnoxious giggles or see loudly decorated fingernails wielding a laser capable of peeling off their entire epidermal layer. Just saying.

I felt the tension Saturday as we were faced with only one hour remaining in our day and still needed to complete a round of back treatments plus sanitation afterward. Catya was moving slow but talking fast, as usual, in the mood to regale us with her stories. Catya is one of those people who has a story for evvverrrrything under the sun.

You: “I could never live in Antarctica, nor would I want to.”
Catya: “Omg, I have the craziest story about Antarctica. One time on spring break, me & my friends”…….

Just as she was about to embark on one of her stories while the rest of us quickly prepped our carts, Snarksun kinda politely told her not to. I silently said a thank you for that. Oddly, Catya didn’t get it & assured us it would be a fast one. The lack of verbal interest and our continued rush caused her to shutty, temporarily at least.

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Beauty School Week 2 Review: Coming Soon

Hmm, this week at BS was rather interesting…. some quick highlights:

* ER Visits, Fainting & Ambien Trips…

* The Ugly Side of BS Revealed

* Um, Age IS a Factor Sometimes

* The Test

* Mid-day Dance Party? Really? Reaallly??

* Ladies Night…..

* He’s NOT gay, he just dresses really well

……….& MORE COMING SOON

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