I will be joining the Destination Aesthetics Beauty Suites in Roseville for 2020!

The fun stuff

As some of you may know, I have been at my current location in Carmichael for two years now, one that we put a lot of time and money into to make it perfect. And it was pretty good for about a year, until it wasn’t. The decline of my current location was out of my control, and was largely due to negligence of my landlords.

The main offenses were the elevator breaking, which happened over a year ago. They refused to replace it after learning that it could not be fixed. Since I am the only tenant on the second floor of the building, the $100k price tag for an elevator replacement was not on the horizon. The second offense was the parking gate breaking, which caused homeless to enter the common area of the building and set up their camps right in front of my door! This caused me to call the sheriff multiple times, and also caused me to lose business due to trash and people hanging out in front of my unit during business hours. This also caused huge messes to be left about the property, some which were hazardous with drug paraphernalia or human waste. I had enough of it.

I had a lawyer draft a letter that I sent on Christmas eve, demanding to be let out of my lease due to their negligence and breach of many of the items in the lease contract. I braced myself for push back, but to my surprise, there was none! They accepted my termination of my lease and my last day is January 31, 2020. Now for the good news!

This morning, December 27, 2019, I signed a new lease for a space at the BRAND NEW Destination Aesthetics Beauty Suites Roseville! I went to check the spaces out a few weeks ago, and fell in love with the front corner room that has floor to ceiling windows on two sides! They haven’t even finished building out the space, and by the time it is done it will be absolutely beautiful!

Destination Aesthetics is a widely popular med spa in the Sacramento area, with nurse practitioner Shawna Chrisman as the owner. Currently there are 3 locations (Sacramento, Folsom, and Elk Grove) with Roseville to be the biggest and newest location. Since most of my clients are in the Roseville/Rocklin area, I could not be more excited to join in the fun over at DA. I will still be my own business, as I am renting one of the Beauty Suites, but we are connected by a glass door to the med spa.

If anyone knows anything about the people over at DA, they know how to throw a party. I know for a fact there will be a fun grand opening party sometime in the near future, and I will keep everyone informed when this happens! Look out for specials and giveaways for my services, and bring a friend to the party! There will be something for everyone.

Nitty gritty

In addition to the new move, I have made a few changes with my pricing and policies. Prices didn’t necessarily go up, as some prices went down slightly and some changed. I will now require my clients to use a referral card to get the referral discount, but as always, the cash discount is the same as the referral discount, so if you bring cash or the referral card in, you will save $50! You can request up to 3 referral cards to give out at your next appointment.

I also am trying to use my work phone for calls less, because calls regarding appointments can sometimes take almost 20 minutes, and most of that time can be cut down by reading through the documents on my website. If you do have questions, or would rather I help you book an appointment, you can always text or email me. It’s 2020, time to utilize all the technology we have around us! You can also book an appointment directly through Vagaro, which is linked on my website. You DO have to input your information including a mobile number and email. The mobile number is necessary for emergencies if I have to cancel (this RARELY happens unless emergency) or if I am running late for reasons out of my control, and the email is so I can email you pre-appointment paperwork and an invoice for the service.

I am also going to be more firm with my late policy, last minute cancellation, and reschedule policy. Due to my schedule only being 3 days per week, I will now require a deposit of $50 for all touchup appointments to avoid no shows or last minute cancellations. If you want to get put on a wait list, you can do so through Vagaro. If you reschedule an appointment more than 3 times, you may be denied future services. If you no-show an appointment, you will be blacklisted and denied future services.

The initial appointment for brows or liner includes one touchup at 6-8 weeks. If you leave my office happy with the work, you must wait the 6 months before coming in for another touchup. Skin heals differently for everyone, and what you do to your brows after you leave my studio is detrimental to the health and healing of the brows. You must follow the aftercare instructions to the T. Even then, skin is skin and perfect healed results are NEVER guaranteed. Permanent makeup is an art, and everyone is different. If you are just extra picky and have one or two spots that maybe are slightly lighter than the rest, you will have to wait the minimum of 6 months. If something happened out of your control and you HAVE to get in before the 6 months, you will still be charged the 6 month fee. This is for your benefit to keep the skin healthy and in good shape for tattoo. If you have ANY questions about healing or aftercare, PLEASE send me a text or email, and I will get back to you right away. You are investing in your brows and your face, and you will have the best result if followed properly.

I will also be holding firm to my no tattooing over previous artist’s work policy. This means if you have had your brows or liner done somewhere else, I will not work over it. This is due to many factors including: depth of ink, potential scar tissue, saturation of pigment, shape, color, symmetry, skin type, etc. Many people think I can “fix” the problems you may have, but the reality is I can only do my best, and most of the time the work isn’t worth the headache, or multiple touchups and fixing of old work could end up costing the client $1,000. There are very few exceptions to this rule, and you MUST come in so I can see your brows up close. If I deem them too difficult to work over, I will refuse the service.

I may also refuse services to clients for any reason, since I am only myself and work closely with people every day, I want to make sure my clientele are the right fit for me, as well as my being the right fit for my clients. I suffer from multiple autoimmune diseases so keeping myself healthy and happy is important to my overall wellbeing. I will provide a great service to you, but you must respect the art and the artist in return.

Much love to all for the new year!

Mandie

New Year, New location, New Rates for 2018!

Happy New Year (a couple months late)!!!! 

As many of you may or may not know, my life has been a whirlwind for the last 4 or 5 months while I went through a transition.

I recently took over and remodeled an older medical office to use as my new tattoo studio. If we back up to August, that is when it all began. I put in my notice at the end of August, and by the end of September I left my Phenix Salon Suite in Rocklin to move to a space in the downtown/Land Park neighborhood of Sacramento (where I live). I made this decision because of the location, the clientele, and to work with one of my closest friends. We had SO MANY plans to make it into a great work environment and to have an awesome "beauty mecca" for all of our clientele. It turned out that we were unable to get my room permitted to be a tattoo studio, so I had to think quickly and find a new location ASAP! I was able to work from home a little bit here and there, while stressing out about finding a new space. It was the end of October, and I was having no luck finding anything. I finally got a hold of a commercial leasing agent and she showed me a few available units in an old medical building in Carmichael, and I fell in love with one of the units.

The unit was DISGUSTING! But I loved it. I have watched enough HGTV to know I could handle a renovation of that magnitude. Plus, the rent was affordable and they offered me 3 months free while I did the upgrades! I knew we had a ton of work ahead of us, but it was exciting. The work we did on the space was: deep clean, including all cabinets and blinds, new waterproof vinyl plank floors, professional paint on all surfaces except the cabinets, new plugs, switches, and light fixtures, patched some holes in the wall and ceiling, replace some ceiling tiles in the hallway, remove old defunct cables and phone lines from the walls, remove a giant floor to ceiling wooden filing cabinet that we had to break apart into a million pieces to get out of the room, remove and replace the bathroom vanity and sink, and of course, decorating and making it feel like home. Since we did most of the work ourselves and it spanned the course of the Holidays, it took us just about 3 months from start to finish. 

It took us 3 months to get everything done and permitted, and now I have been working out of the unit for about a month, still getting used to being there and getting my work flow going, but I love it. It's huge, professional, clean, and cozy. I wanted it to feel like my second home and a place for clients to be feel at ease with the decision of having permanent makeup done. 

With this renovation, and upgrades to my services and education, I felt it necessary to increase my rates to remain competitive. Brows went up $100, and eyeliner procedures went up $50. As always, I give a discount of $50 off if you bundle services. Please read the Permanent Makeup page for information on pricing.

If you are interested in booking an appointment for brows or liner, please email me using the contact page! I'd love for you to see the new space and more importantly, to be one of my happy clients!

Thank you

Mandie

Existing Brow Tattoo Coverup

As you may already know, as of January 1 I decided that I will NO LONGER accept brow tattoo cover up clients who have had work done by a previous technician. Coverups can RARELY be done with microblading because you NEED the contrast of the skin against the hair strokes. When covering up old work, I come across inconsistent color, shape, scarring, and many other factors that inhibit my ability to give my client my best work. A coverup almost always involves a solid brow done with the machine first before microblading can be done at a follow up appointment. The work done with the machine doesn’t always hold as well when doing a coverup, and sometimes a third or even fourth appointment is needed. When a client receives my work as a cover up, they expect it to be perfect, and the reality is that it RARELY is perfect. Whatever has been done underneath will ALWAYS try to show through, especially if it’s deep, dark, or the shape is inconsistent.

Please be realistic with your expectations when getting a cover up done. I have given away many free touchup appointments to get it right for my client, but I don’t believe I should have to do that. The reality is that the work previously done needs to be removed, or it needs to fade out for many more years before having more work done. If the previous work has been done too deep which creates scarring, more tattoo will not penetrate the scar like it will virgin skin, creating patchy and uneven texture. 

I try to accommodate my clients the best I can, but I cannot compromise my own work due to clients who have unrealistic expectations about a tattoo coverup. If you have an appointment booked and you have existing tattoo, please send me an email to hello@makeupbymandie.com for a refund on your deposit. 

If you have really oily skin, very dry thin skin, are over the age of 60, have rosacea, sun damage, or use heavy exfoliants, you may not be a candidate for microblading. If you have an appointment coming up and you have a question if you are a good candidate, please email me by using the contact page. 

Thank you for reading this post, and I hope to continue to make this city more beautiful, one brow at a time!

Mandie

Microblading now offered in the Sacramento area!

Before and after microblading on my client with an Everlasting Brows 11 point needle tip

Most people were not born with perfect brows, and either can't see well enough to fill them in, don't have the time, lead an active lifestyle and don't want to wear makeup, don't have the hand dexterity to fill them in, or they plain just get sick of putting makeup on every day and want to simplify their routine. Microblading can help! I was a skeptical about it when I first saw it being offered a couple years ago. Little did I know I would be the one offering it today!

Microblading is the process of using a small hand tool called a microblade to implant a fine hairstroke line of pigment into the upper layer of the dermis. The fine stroke line means there is less pigment implanted into the skin, therefore making it fade within the course of a couple years. Since fading happens rather quickly, it is suggested to come in every year or so to touch up the color and make adjustments as needed. The microblade itself has a small needle grouping of anywhere between 7-14 very tiny needles packed together in a row. These needles can also vary in thickness depending on the diameter of the client's hair, and the amount of needles determines the length of the hairstroke it can create. The etching of the skin with this needle creates a fine hairstroke. It. Is. BEAUTIFUL!

The microblade tool from Everlasting Brows using an 11 point needle tip

When it came to learning permanent makeup, I wanted to do it right. I knew that learning to microblade was the end game, but as a perfectionist and a person who wants to continuously learn, I went the correct route and took a 100-hour fundamentals permanent makeup training, where I learned brows, eyeliner, and lips with a digital hand piece machine. I trained under Karen Holvey of Huntington Permanent Makeup Academy in Orange County. With her vast knowledge spanning 30 years in this industry, I learned many things about the industry, about tattooing, about skin, and about client issues. I knew that it would set me apart when I took my microblade training. Back in April when I first decided this, I purchased microblade tools to practice with at home. It turns out that when I took my microblade training recently, that my work and experience did stand out against the other students in the class. I took my training with UK based Everlasting Brows, which was a 3 day course offered in the San Francisco area. 

Now, why YOU need microblading! If you know me, you know that I do not bullshit you! I stopped working in retail cosmetics ten years ago purely because I was never 100% committed to any one product line, which didn't make me a very good salesperson. This means that I don't back anything that I don't really believe in, and microblading is one of them. 

Microblading is meant to mimic hairs. This is important to understand because while traditional permanent makeup applied with the hand piece CAN offer a shaded in look as well as hairstrokes, microblading cannot do that, nor can it cover an existing tattoo. Think of the microblade as an exacto knife. The fine angled blade can only cut in one direction, which creates a hair. You cannot continuously cut over and over again in the same spot with the microblade, or you would traumatize the skin. The hand piece can do this, because it goes in and out of the skin like a sewing machine, creating a fine dot pattern that eventually blurs out, instead of a precise cut that remains sharp. Since I have been trained in both, I can offer a blended look which combines both traditional permanent makeup and microblading, giving you a realistic looking brow that also retains a look of being filled in with powder. Most people are a great candidate for microblading or permanent makeup, but there may be a temporary or permanent contraindication that would prevent you from having it done. Please refer to the FAQ section on my Permanent Makeup page. 

With microblading, you don't have to have existing brow hair to obtain a natural look. Since microblading is meant to look like real hair, it is still totally realistic looking! If you do have hair, or want to change your shape or fill in sparse areas, you are also a great candidate for it. Many of my clients tell me that they're mostly happy with their brows, but that they just want to fill in a few spots, lift their arch, or just make them look fuller. Guess what? These are all GREAT reasons to have it done!. If you are in Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, or anywhere in the Bay Area, Tahoe, or Northern California in general, you can come have them done! There is a shortage of well trained artists in Sacramento, so I decided to change that. As a makeup artist for the last 12 years and an esthetician for 3, the amount of clients I have asking for this service is ten fold what it was when I first started in the industry. 

My salon is located within the Rocklin Phenix Salon Suites, and my business name is Mandie Fenrich Permanent Makeup. Please email me through the form on my website, or visit my facebook page here!

As a deal for any new clients who book before December 31, you will save $100 off microblading or traditional permanent makeup for brows! Your appointment includes a touchup at 6-8 weeks, and then it is strongly suggested to come in every year for a color boost. Once you book a day, I will send you an invoice via Square of $100 to retain your date. Your deposit is non-refundable and if you need to change your appointment for any reason, I need 24 hours notice to be able to rebook your time slot. Please respect my time and I will respect yours!

I am a member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals and a BBB Accredited business.

BOOK NOW!

Soon to come -- permanent makeup!!

When the State of CA Board of Cosmetology took away my ability to tint eyebrows and eyelashes, I was left crushed. Since then I have been helping my clients with their lashes and brows with waxing, shaping, and extensions. Something still didn't seem like it was good enough, and I am ALWAYS on the hunt for solutions to my clients' problems. Permanent makeup solves MANY of these problems, but permanent makeup today is not the same permanent makeup of the 90s.

When I was first starting to work in makeup, I worked for Macy's and Nordstrom, helping women find the perfect foundation or the perfect lipstick. What also came with this, was full makeup application appointments, some of which were focused on me trying to work around bad, faded, or improperly applied permanent makeup. I would have to conceal brows that had faded to a light grey or red, had drooped down the face, or were the wrong shape entirely. I was absolutely TERRIFIED of permanent makeup and I advised all of my clients against it. Well, that was 10 years ago and I can safely say that times have changed. 

I first rekindled my love for permanent makeup (especially permanent brows) about a year ago, when following various makeup artist on Instagram, and someone had posted the work of a woman in the Concord area. Her work blew my mind. The brows were not the blockish, dark, looming inky brows of the 90s, no, they were beautiful, natural, hairlike strokes placed perfectly on the client to work with their skin tone and bone structure. Little did I know, an obsession was born. 

Over the next year, I followed many artists and researched techniques on permanent makeup, as more of an interest than an actual career path. I found that the techniques for permanent makeup had changed, that inks, tattoo guns, and technique had changed, leaving the brows of yesterday in the dust. It was around this time that my own clients starting to ask me if I was ever going to offer this service, as I would be great at it. I never even gave it a thought, until I did.

About a month ago, I was on a work trip with a friend, and we had a little too much to drink the night before. The next morning, I woke up very early and decided to research some stuff on my laptop, and on a whim I started to look into permanent makeup. I decided, right then and there, that this was something I really wanted to pursue. I had already been a makeup artist for 12 years and an esthetician for two, so a transition to permanent makeup seems like a natural one. 

When I was doing my research, I found an academy in Orange County that offers a 100 hour training, in a facility that is dedicated to providing professional education to many permanent makeup artists around the country. I chose the Huntington Academy of Permanent Cosmetics, because they seemed to really be involved in their student's education, as well as not being flashy or wanting to just make money off the student. For the education I will receive, the investment is completely worth it. 

In August I will be in the week-long class, and after I am complete, I will hopefully be apprenticing under another permanent makeup artist, with the goal to build a full clientele by next summer. With my existing expertise in makeup, bone structure, color theory, and skin type, I plan to specialize in hairstroke brows (also called microblade, 3d brows, 6d brows, or featherstroke brows) and also eyeliner. I will still be taking lash and makeup clients, but over time I will let those fade out. I am hoping to be closer to the Roseville or Folsom area, to be able to cater to all of my Sacramento clientele and also clients further up the hill.

Please check back with me periodically to inquire about being one of my first clients at a very discounted rate! 

Ten items to winterize your skincare and makeup kit!

When I think of fall and winter, I think of cold hands, pumpkin spice lattes, dry skin, ankle boots, cozy sweaters, rainy mornings, foundation that doesn't match me anymore, and more dry skin. Prepping your skin and switching up a few items in your makeup bag will make a world of difference when getting into the colder months. Below I am compiling a list of skin care and cosmetic items to combat harsher climates!

1. Sonia Roselli Sex-A-Peel Instant Exfoliation Spray. This liquid exfoliant is super gentle on even the most sensitive of skin. You spray it on, rub it in, and watch the skin bead up and peel off. Our skin may be losing moisture during the winter time, but exfoliation is just as important to keep new healthy skin growth and to combat those dry patches. 

2. Image Skincare Vital-C Hydrating Repair Creme. This rich, non greasy moisturizing creme is loaded with antioxidants and emollients to hydrate stressed, dehydrated skin and gives the skin a great base for foundation. 

3. Image Skincare Ageless Total Eye Lift Creme. This glycolic/retinol blend eye creme will help to resurface fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and texture around the eye area. It is better to use retinols and acids in the winter, when the sun's rays aren't as strong to minimize any sun damage that can happen while the skin is sensitized. 

4. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick. These shadow sticks are a favorite of mine for winter because I can use a light one such as Golden Pink for a soft wash of color, and then bump it up to a smokey eye by adding Rich Caviar or Heather Steel for a holiday party or a night out with friends. They go on creamy, but dry down and become long wearing and crease proof. 

5. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for lip and cheek. Another Bobbi Brown favorite! This lip and cheek creme is perfect for adding a glow from within for those dreary months. Use a natural color like Powder Pink for a soft natural nude pink wash of color, or bump it up with Raspberry for a richer flush across the cheeks and a beautiful berry tone to the lip. 

6. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Finding a great concealer that doesn't crease, is long wearing, and can cover up dark circles while looking natural can be a difficult find, but this concealer from NARS covers all your bases. Dotting on a tiny bit of this concealer under the eye instantly brightens and diffuses any trace of dark circles or hyperpigmentation, without looking cakey or amplifying any skin texture issues. 

7. Picky individual lash clusters. These are such a great find! If you are not one for fake lashes, but want a little bit of drama in your holiday party eye makeup, these small lash clusters are easy to apply and give volume without looking like false lashes. You can also mix and match styles to customize your entire look. 

8. Tom Ford lipstick. What else can I say about Tom Ford except that he owns my soul? His rich, creamy lipsticks combine luxury with true color payoff, comfortable feel, and long wearing properties. For the holidays I prefer a classic red like Cherry Lush, or a natural pink like Pink Dusk or Spanish Pink if you're pairing the lip with a smokey eye. 

9. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector. This is the PERFECT liquid highlighter because you can wear it on it's own patted over the high points of the face, or mixed in with your favorite foundation to give yourself a glow. Try Moonstone for light skin tones, and Opal for medium to deeper skin tones.

10. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille perfume. The ultimate sultry warm scent for winter. Tom Ford's perfumes come with a hefty price tag, but one spray will last through the entire day. Tobacco Vanille has warm notes of tobacco, spices, tonka bean, vanilla and cocoa. It's warm, sexy, rich, and perfectly luxurious. It's the perfect scent to warm up these cold nights. 

New business updates!

Some new life and business updates! I am slowly trying to wind my way down to 3 days a week taking lash clients in the studio to free up some days for teaching makeup at Paul Mitchell, for commercial and other production work, for weddings, for other business projects, AND to have at least one or two days off per week. As you all know, makeup is my first and one true love, so I really want to dedicate a lot of time to it, and doing lashes for 8 hours a day for 4 or 5 days a week is very hard on my body. I'd like to start working only Monday, Tuesday *or* Wednesday, and Thursday. If I have a slow week, I might add a day but starting in October this will go down to 3 days per week. Work hours *may* also change from 11-7 to 10-6 to accommodate my personal life considering I work from home. All currently scheduled appointments will still remain the same.

What this means for you... I appreciate all of the referrals but currently I cannot accept new eyelash clients because it is becoming hard for me to even reschedule existing clients at their normal 3-4 week cycles. If you are a client that consistently reschedules or cancels, I will not be able to rebook you within a reasonable amount of time, instead I will have you reschedule your own appointment by booking online, or you can book an appointment with my apprentice Michon, who does very good work. I am still accepting brow wax or other facial wax clients, as that takes less time than lashes.

I strive to offer the best services to my clients and I appreciate all of you, and without you and your business I would not be where I am today. I will continue to work my ass off and put out the best services possible and I do appreciate everyone's flexibility and patience with my schedule. I really wish I could work 10 days a week for 30 hours a day but alas it is impossible.

One last thing then I'm done I SWEAR! If you want to LEARN lashes, I will be blocking out some days in November where I will take up to 3 people in my studio for an intensive teaching session. This requires a deposit of 200 for me to purchase a hand selected lash kit. You can make great money but it takes a certain kind of person to really become great at it. Fine motor skill, PATIENCE, and good eyesight and body mechanics is really the entire job. If you are interested AND licensed or soon to be licensed, please contact me.

OK LOVE YOU ALL and Whide kitty loves you too

I'm on the news!

I've been on the news a few times in the past half a year or so, so here are links to those interviews and stories! Have fun checking them out!

Good Day Sacramento story on Oscar red carpet makeup 

Good Day Sacramento story on prom makeup part 2

Good Day Sacramento story on prom makeup part 1

Good Day Sacramento story on strobing and contouring

Lash extensions story on KCRA

Why should you hire me?

Okay, now, sit with me for a second. Take a deep breath. We're going to do a little guided imagery. Sip a little bit of your tea, close your eyes... well wait open them back up, I need to explain what we're doing. Ok, good. Now, imagine your life as it would be 30 years from now. Maybe you have climbed the ranks at your job, maybe you're getting ready for retirement, maybe you're a first time grandmother. You look over next to you and you see the man you married, the love of your life, the person who makes you whole. You notice he is asleep and sawing logs. You love him anyway. You start to feel nostalgic. Maybe the song that played during your first dance comes into your mind. You hum it quietly and smile, holding back the feeling of tears welling up in your eyes, tears that signify the importance of that day, and how that day has set you up for the future you would share with the love of your life. 

What else do you remember about that day? Was it the friends, the family, the love that radiated through the air? The busy morning getting ready with your bridesmaids, the champagne, the laughs, the photos, the terribly uncomfortable heels you couldn't wait to kick off during the reception? Was it the vows you spoke as you fought back the shakiness in your voice and the shedding of happy tears? Was it finally being able to tear into that steak after doing 13 rounds of P90X that started immediately after your engagement? If you answered yes to any of these, then you had a perfect day. 

A perfect wedding day should be one in which everything ran smoothly, where each of your vendors worked tirelessly and seamlessly to allow you to relax and enjoy your day. The venue, the food, the flowers, the DJ, the photographer, the videographer, the booze... every vendor you chose to share in your day, and all of their work elegantly planned and executed to create the perfect scene for two people in love to commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. Let's get back to the tea and think a little more about that day. What else do you remember? Shift your gaze up from your super futuristic laptop over to your bedside table and pick up the photo from that day. It's of you and your husband just after being pronounced man and wife. How do you look? You think to yourself "wow, I really looked beautiful on that day," because you were. Because you are. You remember that you hired a team of dedicated bridal beauty stylists to turn you into the best, most beautiful version of yourself on the most important day of your life. You put your trust into these people, just like you did with the rest of your vendors, and with that trust you have beautiful, timeless photos that you will look back upon many times during the course of your marriage. The memory of your other vendors and services supplied at your wedding may fade with time, but the photo of you and your love is what you have to remind you of the happiest day of your life. These very wedding photos will be shared with your family and passed down to your children (if you choose to have them), to your children's children (if they choose to have them), and these future generations will look back on them with love and admiration. You understood that how you looked on that day was important to you, and that hiring a makeup artist and hair stylist was an important aspect of your wedding. So how do you choose?

When selecting a bridal makeup artist, find the one that will make you look and feel your best. Also, understand that having the wedding of your dreams is a luxury, and that hiring the best styling team to take care of you and your party is a luxury service. When you've found the artist you like, it should be because you know that they have dedicated their entire career to making women just like you feel beautiful and special on their day, without the added horror of mascara streaks running down your face or lipstick smearing all over your new husband. They know what they're doing, and they constantly strive to be the best in their industry. If they're using a product on you, it's because they've tried 30 different products that were similar and chose that one because it looks and performs the best. They constantly attend professional education classes and seminars, and study the trends in bridal style, in fashion, and in makeup and hair. As such, experienced, dedicated, and highly skilled makeup artists set their rates to reflect the service they deliver.

When you book an artist like myself, you will know that we have seen it all, that we are not surprised by anything you may throw at us, and that we've done hundreds or maybe even thousands of weddings on brides that all had one goal in mind: to be the most beautiful version of themselves on their wedding day. If you find yourself wavering on booking a bridal makeup or hairstylist because of their rates, understand what is included in the rate, and then understand why they've set that as their rate. Rates reflect many things, and should never try to be negotiated on the basis that someone just wants a deal. If you're trying to book one of the most highly sought-after artists in your town, there is a reason why they're there. A few hundred dollars that you might save by hiring someone cheaper or inexperienced may become the nightmare you wish you had avoided, and many vendors become wary of a client who is just trying to get a deal, and they may not want to work with that client. After all, this day is about you, and all your vendors working seamlessly to allow you to enjoy the most important day of your life. 

When you look back on your wedding photos 30 years from now, you will remember how beautiful you looked, and the beauty you see on the outside is a reminder of the way you felt on the inside. When you put your trust in the hands of a professional, you will find it was your best decision aside from marrying your best friend.  

Mandie

FIRST BLOG POST! Brow Extensions.

****** I AM NO LONGER OFFERING BROW EXTENSIONS******

So you've arrived here somehow. Allow myself to introduce....myself. My name is Mandie and I am a person who loves makeup, lash extensions, brow extensions, waxing, and making people beautiful. As someone who is all up in people's faces every day, I find some interesting things people say about themselves. If I am waxing brows, most of the time my clients will complain about sparseness, bald patches, the inability to grow brows, or just general dislike of their natural shape. I wanted to fix this. 

I researched what my options were, and since I was already offering brow tinting, I felt like I needed to offer something that would actually help solve the problem, rather than just trying to cover it up. That's when I found eyebrow extensions. Unlike lash extensions, eyebrow extensions bond the hair directly to the skin, rather than the hair. This allows the client to achieve the most natural-looking brow shape. The colors used are either light brown, dark brown, or soft black. The hairs are very fine synthetic hairs and the bond is a medical-grade adhesive. One brow can use anywhere from 20 hairs for a very soft fill or all the way up to 100 hairs to achieve a very full brow shape. 

When I get a client, I look at the shape of their face, their brow bone, and their overall sense of style, to determine the best brow shape for them. If they have a brow shape already, I may clean up the area with a wax and tint the remaining hairs. I may also mark on the skin where the angles of the brow belong. I will start with longer hairs (7mm) and start to fill in the beginning part of the brow, with the hairs pointing upward and working my way out, mixing lengths between 5-7mm. I follow the natural shape of the brow bone and the hair growth and I blend colors if necessary. This creates the most natural-looking shape. I check with the client once I am about halfway through to determine the shape is appealing to them. We communicate and fix any concerns. Once I am done, I explain post-care which involves not scrubbing, scratching, touching, applying oils, lotion, or makeup, or brushing the brows vigorously. Care for the brows would be lighting pushing hairs into place, keeping the brow area clean and dry, and touching them as little as necessary. 

Brow hair are attached to the skin and not the hair, making them more likely to shed because of the cell turnover in the skin, and the natural oils in the skin which will naturally break down the glue bond over the period of 1 to 2 weeks. I recommend getting a set of brow extensions for a special occasion, or if you plan to get regular fills, to fill once a week for 3 weeks, then rest one week to exfoliate the skin under the brow, and then to receive a new full set. 

I hope this was informative! 

mandie