Week 8 – The Bright Side, Goodbyes and Practicals…

[Photo Credit]

Since my attempts to see the glass as half full, lots has happened…allow me to update.

The Bright Side of the BS Pimp Game….

Before I get started, let me preface this post by saying that I’ve battled an ugly case of writer’s block lately, hence the longest delay in posting since I started this blog. Yes, it’s a real condition for which I desperately wish I had a cure. When it strikes, one who typically writes with fluidity suddenly finds it difficult to put thoughts to paper. It’s a real pain and despite battling it for years, I’ve yet to come even-close to finding a solution. Once the severity of said symptoms lessen, I manage to trudge out a few paragraphs until it ultimately passes. All I can do.

The upside of being pimped at BS (thank goodness I found one) is the experience gained from working on actual clients. Paying strangers who give feedback, have special requests, lack any familiarity with the term “spa voice” and do all the things that real clients would do in the “real world”, such as tip. Surprisingly, BS clients tip very well and I really enjoy the satisfied feeling that comes from making someone feel great about their skin and the service I provided. A feeling that we don’t experience from working on each other or eager cosmetology students begging for free services. So there it is, the only upside thus far. I’ve averaged it out that we each earn BS about $200 in revenue during our two-day weekly clinics. Not much right? Multiply that by 9 & you get $1800 per week for my class alone, not to mention the other, larger classes. We only see the tips portion of that income. Looking at the big picture, I already know that my goal is to work for myself. Realized a long time ago, the real reward is in the owning not the working but to do so, you have to KNOW what you’re doing. Before I had my first admissions meeting with BS, I mapped out my plan. I’ve tweaked it a little over the last eight weeks but for the better. Main goal is still the same, just the journey there has changed a bit. Which leads me to my next topic….

Goodbyes suck.

This week started much different from any other so far at BS. Ms. Tanna waited until we were all seated before she started with.. “Girls, I have some news that I have to share with you. My husband was offered a job in his company that will relocate him to California. So… I’m…. Leaving….”

A few minutes of silence and shock filled the space between her last word and the first sigh of disbelief that was followed by dozens of others. We couldn’t believe it. We had questions. She had answers. The bottom line: her last day was only three weeks away. I felt sad. Still do. Sad, concerned, disappointed, lil worried. I connect with Ms. Tanna. I see her as a mentor. We share the same outlook and passion for this industry. She gets that I’m not here on daddy’s dime or because the job market tanked landing us in a recession that caused many to reconsider their options so why not “try this”. She likes that I “walk to the beat of my own drummer”, encourages and understands it. She’s equal parts teacher, mother, mentor, example and she wears all hats very well. In my opinion, she’s the best educator this school has to offer, not to mention skilled in managing what could easily be an out of control class. Some days, it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. I wonder how some people never seem to run out of stories (NEVER) and why they feel the need to share every single one of them. Fake laughter and obligatory gestures can be just as draining as genuine laughter and real emotion. The latter makes me happy, while the former drains my energy and makes me sleepy with annoyance. So, with this news, I plan to use my remaining time with Ms. Tanna to the best of my ability. She will be at our graduation in June which is nice, though bittersweet.

Read Full Post »

Making Lemonade…..

[Photo Credit: http://catsdogs.glogster.com/When-Life-Gives-You-Lemons/]

I planned on writing a new post tonight but need to spend the time studying for tomorrow’s exam on Electricity.

Just wanted to quickly thank everyone for the e-mails, comments & “keep ya head up” words of encouragement.

I appreciate them all.

Unfortunately, my BS experience is handing me bushels of lemons at the moment. But GUESS what I’m going to do?

Yep, I’m making lemonade. Lemon pie, lemon tarts, lemon martinis… hell, it’s not my first time having to set up a stand and it sure as heck won’t be my last. Out of anything that feels like destruction, great creation is possible. I’ve done it before. So, looks like it’s that time to strap up my galoshes to do it yet again (shout out to my mother for the resiliency gene)…

If things went too right, it just wouldn’t be life. Life is just as screwed up as that last sentence. The challenge, as I see it, is to finesse the unsettling into something that works for us.

More to come.

Till my next post, here’s a little something beautiful by a talented artist, gone far too soon…

Stay tuned,

Sweet Pea

Read Full Post »

The pimpin’ side of BS…. PIMP not PRIMP!

[Photo Credit: http://www.zwani.com/graphics/pimp/%5D

There’s something that’s really concerning me regarding BS. Here we are, six weeks into the program entering Phase II. As I’ve mentioned before, we were rushed through our first six weeks and while we’ve retained some information for sure, I feel more facts should be permanently implanted into our psyche than what’s actually been stored. It’s been bugging me. The rush, that is. I thought it was maybe the result of all the other necessary info that’s sure to follow in the coming weeks. Yea…um….not so much. I’ve thought long and hard and come to the sole unsettling conclusion: they’re pimping us!

A harsh statement one might claim? Perhaps. And it’s not one I make freely. Personally, I feel it sucks and it’s wrong. While perfectly within their right to do so, it’s not to the benefit of the student but the school. A school that is just as much a business as it is an institution of learning. In a nutshell, I paid a huge amount of money to make them more in the long run…

Here’s how I see it:

1. BS is the premiere beauty school of choice for cosmetologists and this factor allows them to attract a large number of prospective esthetic students as well.
2. BS offers exclusive elective courses and opportunities not available at other beauty schools in an effort to maximize their appeal to prospective students.
3. BS is a huge corporation that leads the way in beauty school publications and is the standard curriculum on which many state board exams are based.

See where I’m going with all of this? Yea, not done…

• If interested in BS, your first contact with them will be so extremely impressive with ALL the focus and friendliness surrounding a huge buzzword: EDUCATION. BS talks up EDUCATION like nobody’s business. It’s the focus and star of every conversation you’ll have starting with the admissions staff to the Open House presentation to the website to every single piece of literature you can possibly obtain from them. Now, considering you’re paying for an awesome education, what’s not to love about that, right?

NO ONE tells you that you’ll be rushed through the first six weeks so fast your head will spin. NO ONE tells you that immediately upon completing Phase I, you’ll be held to client requirements two days each week where you’ll “work” in the student spa all day leaving only three days each week for classroom time AKA learning new information. Make that 3 days of classroom time for the first 3 weeks of Phase II before it’s amp’d up to 2 1/2 days in the spa leaving 2 1/2 days for class work. NO ONE tells you that after you cram 6 chapters into your first 6 weeks, you’re left with only 8 freakin’ chapters for the remainder of your 16 week educational journey. Hmmm… how does that make sense?

Now, some might argue this “requirement” is to “prepare us for the real world” and client experience is crucial to be successful. While I understand that, I counter that argument with the simple fact that I didn’t shell out all this dough to work at a beauty school, I did it for an education so I’m thoroughly PREPARED for that experience, which will come soon enough following graduation. My program is only 5 months long for goodness sake, which initially led me to believe it was going to be chock full of information with some work in the student spa but not the majority of my time here.

In my six weeks thus far, I feel fully confident performing Back Treatments, Signature Facials and Petite Facials – that’s it! So why not FULLY prepare us using our time wisely BEFORE we start working on clients? Is that too much to ask? Does it not make sense? I have an advantage over the others in my class when it comes to product knowledge but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn more about it. Most of my classmates struggle in this area because not enough time has really been spent carefully covering this information before “throwing them to the wolves”, so to speak.

Read Full Post »

A new chapter…..

[Photo Credit: http://ncerdleaders.blogspot.com/2009/01/almost-there.html%5D

As my weekend winds down to a close, I feel renewed and ready for the next phase. Literally.

This past Saturday was a big deal for my class as we hosted our Friends & Family event at BS. In a nutshell, it was a day of organized chaos where nerves ran rampant as we tested out all we’ve learned, studied and practiced on our first-ever round of clients AKA our friends and family. We were made aware of this event on Day 1 of BS but there was so much to learn between then & now, it made little impact. Not to mention, last week was a whirlwind of activity! There was the Phase 1 Final Review Exam on Wednesday followed by our Signature Facial Practical on Thursday. We were all VERY on edge about the Final considering Anatomy really put us through the ringer.

Unfortunately, Jolyna failed the Anatomy exam and had to retake it twice so I could only imagine how she felt about taking the Final. I would’ve been a nervous wreck but she has the demeanor of someone permanently stuck in a food coma infused with laughing gas. She might want to react quickly but seems unable to do so coupled with the fact that she’s riddled with inner distractions like the latest Jersey Shore episode or the hot guy she met on her way to work. I assume it’s her age possibly mixed with some other natural element from the earth. Ahem…uh, those familiar with the Woodstock era or Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, (depending on where your generation falls) will have a clear visual of the picture I’m painting here.

Anyhoo, last week was overwhelming and hectic to say the least. Two tests were scheduled along with our exit interviews. The purpose of exit interviews is to receive our grades, our overall average along with Ms. Tanna’s feedback of our performance in the class thus far, her expectations of us going forward, etc,.

Let me cut to the chase here …….I was relieved to have scored 96% on my Final Review. I missed 6 out of 100 questions. I’m a perfectionist but I made peace with it. Glad that was behind me, I was so unprepared for the Signature Facial the following day because I was struggling with the darn massage piece, once again. Notice a pattern here… somehow it all came together the night before the Practical. I chalk it up to divine intervention and a strong belief in The Secret because there I was, practicing on the mannequin and suddenly all of the steps just clicked out of nowhere!

During the test, Ms. Tanna sat closest to me so that didn’t help matters much at all. Even the most prepared student does not care for the teacher’s close proximity on test day. I tried to keep cool & stay focused. She simply told us which beds we were assigned, which of our fellow classmates would serve as our clients & gave us the start time but that was it. No timer. No talking. Just doing.

We had 15 minutes to have our clients complete their Consultation Forms, consult with them, select & prep their products, then have them changed & on the bed, ready to go. Mind you, the prep alone consists of cart set-up, preparing the required amount of cotton pads & hot towels, ensuring the steamer is ready and you have everything you need because once they are on that bed, you will be scored down if you realize you missed something thereby returning to the dispensary to retrieve it. We had 55 minutes to perform the facial, 10 minutes to have them change, recommend products as we escort them out and lastly, 10 minutes for sanitation. Keep in mind, our dispensary has 1 sink and there’s 9 of us. Somehow, we make it work, though rarely without venting our frustration over having only 1 sink. During test time, we must be silent so all frustration is usually released via subtle sighs and facial expressions.

Ms. Tanna opted to complete both groups then sent us to lunch before providing our feedback. We were all relieved it was over though anxious for our reviews.

Read Full Post »