Skincare Gratitude in 2020
Over the last several months, I have to admit it’s been a struggle to know what to share on my blog. I really needed (and still need) to take the time to truly reflect on what it is I want to put out into the world because it’s been such an unstable time for many of us. But the reality is that my biggest inspiration over the last 5 years of blogging has been my clients, which I’m not seeing a lot of at the moment. So when I go to write, I start to journal and it becomes a litany of complaints that starts to feel like just a big dose of verbal diarrhea. And the last thing most of you need to read about is about my uncertainty when you are still very much in your own.
How long do products last?
In our current times, the lack of control in the world outside of ourselves makes me look for solace in even the most menial of tasks. Organizing is one of the ways that has helped me with my anxiousness because I feel in control and structured enough when things feel like they are falling apart all around me. Organization means going through the cabinets, drawers, and all other compartments that accumulate junk or excess. For me, this typically means my toiletries and other beauty products. As privileged as that makes me sound, it’s my reality as you can see from this video where I organized my bathroom in my old LA apartment (I never thought I’d miss such a tiny space).
A TSC recap; A year since my Hayley hiatus
Hi everyone, here we are again just a few days away from my birthday and like many of you, I’m perplexed with where the time has gone. I mean, we are in a pandemic still where we’ve been in quarantine and/or social distancing for the better part of 5 months so maybe that’s it. It’s interesting to end up here again and be in a completely different place than I anticipated. Usually, I have some foresight as to what’s going to happen because I’m intentional in setting goals for myself, my business, and my family. Especially with 32. Why? Well, if you don’t recall, I took a monthlong hiatus last year starting on my birthday. Let me recap the year and bring you along for the lessons I had to learn the hard way and some of the blessings that I never expected.
Reflecting on my time in LA
Over the last 2 months since our move to Oregon, I've been processing a lot of heaviness and uncertainty. This processing has included many physical symptoms such as total body pain and aches, crying fits out of nowhere, and the overwhelming feeling like I made a huge mistake waking me up midway through the night. I’m now in a position where I’ve felt a good chunk of my feelings and am ready to talk about them. Many of you have been so curious about what things are looking like for me and it’s time I give you a proper update.
California Love! Esthetician referrals 💌
Moving to Oregon during a pandemic was, as you can imagine, a very stressful endeavor. I’m grateful to finally be able to start settling into my space and home, but I am well aware that there are plenty of things I left unfinished in California. So here’s my update for all of you wondering what’s next for TSC in Cali.
Acne Awareness Month
Did you know that June is #AcneAwarenessMonth?
My relationship with acne started over 22 years ago when I was just 10 years old. I struggled with it all the way throughout my teenage years and it's what led me to become an esthetician back in 2006. Here are the top 3 things I'm grateful to have learned from my acne:
Alignment is happening.
Alignment is happening.
Since my last blog post, I have received calls, texts, emails, and all sorts of communication of support. My heart has swelled with the loving energy I’ve received and absolutely didn’t expect from that particular post. When I wrote my last blog, it was so cathartic that I almost forgot about it after I hit publish. The experience of writing my deepest thoughts and emotions is my greatest form of therapeutic self-care so I do it for the feeling it gives me rather than focusing on potential reader reaction. So it means a lot to me when you all see and hear me for exactly who I am after sharing something so vulnerable like the fear of the unknown.
it's time I come clean...an update on all things TSC
I’m just going to pull the bandaid off and say it; this sucks.
Okay, I’ve been saying that a ton since this started but I feel like each week has added up another piece of bad news that I’m teetering between realism and pessimism only these days. The optimism makes an appearance as needed to keep me going, but all in all - this sucks. Let me have a pity party and tell you why.
A letter to all non-essential workers...
This is the last type of blog I ever thought I’d write but here we are.
It sucks to be labeled as non-essential doesn’t it? As much as I agree with the measures taken to protect our society from COVID-19, I can’t help but feel the anxiousness of what’s to come for all non-essential industries.
Try as I might, I have yet to find one piece of mandated closure information that even lists facialists or spas as part of non-essential businesses that have to close during this type. The beauty industry is left out of the conversation forcing business owners everywhere to make an incredibly difficult choice by themselves. That choice is to label themselves as “non-essential”. I hate even thinking about it because we KNOW in our hearts that we are essential to our clients, and even with all of our training for upholding medical-grade level sanitation, the risk of our exchange is still too high. We know it’s the right thing to do, as painful as it is to not be of service the way we are best during this terrifying time.
TSC list of Facial do's and don'ts
As a commitment to myself in 2020, I have decided to get a facial every month this year. It seems like a frivolous goal but honestly, it’s part study and part self-care. As a facialist for my entire adulthood, I know nothing but this work. I can go into facialist mode and work through a busy week with new and returning clients. I can tackle the hard questions and redundant newbie asks. I notice the little details and think ahead. However, being a recipient of these facials are just as important for me to elevate my craft…
2020 skin goals | inclusive beauty
There are so many intentions I have collected from all of you that I’ve been able to digest over the last month of introspective, post-holiday time. As the decade turned, I asked many of you what you were hoping for in 2020 in relation to your skin health. There were many beautiful commitments shared about breaking up with old fear-based beauty beliefs that perpetuate inflammatory habits such as negative self-talk and picking the skin. There were also enlightening commitments to practice love-based care by simply drinking more water or getting more supportive care. I was elated receiving all of the feedback and took a long time to come up with a way that I could help with these resolutions. Here’s what I came up with…
2019 Beauty Review
2019 was an impactful year in beauty. It’s an interesting time in the industry where both ends of the spectrum starting with super holistic practices all the way to intense medical-grade procedures are accessible to more people than ever. When I first became an esthetician, the conversations I was having about products and procedures felt so limited that it became pretty boring to repeat the same basic beauty beliefs over and over again. I’m grateful that we’re at a point where beauty beliefs are both expanding and shedding. As I look back through this last year of a very pivotal decade in my career, I wanted to share my favorite discoveries and what I hope for in the new decade. Here is my year in review:
My truth | What I've been hiding all along...
“Your eyes look brighter”, “You look so much healthier”, “Your energy level is so different” are just a few of the comments I’ve received over the last month from my clients, friends, and family. And I’m so grateful to be finally feeling this way post-surgery after feeling quite dim the last few years. But another important piece of feedback that’s worth addressing is how most people had no idea I was suffering. This is something I have to get off my chest because I grew up doing this work and it’s really exposing to break the 4th wall of my industry’s standards I couldn’t keep up with. I got hired for my first job as an esthetician days before my 19th birthday and have been consistently working in this title ever since so it’s safe to say that I know nothing else but this world. Some of the lessons I have learned have been from outside help breaking the conditioning that I allowed myself to trust. I’ve gone through my first heartbreak, phases of partying, and every type of common sickness while working like food poisoning, the flu, an allergic reaction, or even a chronic cyst in my wrist that prevented me from actually flexing my joints - all while caring for clients the past 13 years.