What I Love

I am a girl who grew up in a quaint farming community who had big dreams of grandeur. I strongly feel and many times say to people with a matter of fact confidence, “I am supposed to famous you know but people just don’t know it yet!” As a girl, I dreamt of red lipstick, high heels, and imagined myself adorned with expensive earrings and scarves riding in fast cars and dating rich men while living in the city.

I loved to spend hours rubbing my mom’s feet or performing facials on friends with procedures that I thought were accurate to the best of my knowledge. At a fine age of two, and much to my mother’s horror, I discovered that red Smarties® made a delectable shade of red on my lips and every chance I could I would beg my auntie to paint my nails red. For Christmas at the age of eight or nine, I got a kit that in which I could formulate my own make-up, perfume, and nail polish. My point is that I was born to be in the beauty industry and I discovered my calling very young. My father would often ask me why I needed to wear face paint for the horses. Even in to adult life, he would threaten to remove my artificial nails with horse hoof cutters, which was often met with an annoyed retort.

I am attracted to all things sparkly, bright and noticeable. I am a self-appointed Diva in the ways of couture. I like pink, animal print, big hair, heavy makeup and sensual perfume. However, I love the feeling of letting my hair down, being makeup free and digging my bare feet into cool mud; going fishing, riding horses, and just getting dirt under my nails. I don’t drive a sports car but have a sporty Jeep Wrangler (that is adorned with eyelashes of course). This is why I call myself a “Prada® Wearing Farmer’s Daughter”. This title definitely suits me.

I am an esthetician, nail technician, and makeup artist and also an educator in my field. I chose this career for many reasons. On the lighter side, I love to talk and be the center of attention and when I am working I can talk all day and not get into trouble. When I teach, I am the center of attention! How perfect is that? “HEATHER’s in the house Whoop Whoop!”  However, on the serious, deep and personal side; I feel very blessed to be in a position to help women feel better not only by being a neutral ear to hear, but also help physically enhancing their natural beauty. It is amazing how sexy red polish peeking up from sandals makes a woman feel. I strongly feel that every woman has the right to feel beautiful and look beautiful.

To tweeze or To wax

Waxing Parody according to Shakespearean Heather

To tweeze, or not to tweeze, that is the question:

Whether ‘tis Nobler in the mind to suffer

The Stings and Perils of outrageous tweezers

,

Or to take Arms against a Sea of follicles,

And oppose them with a Pot of Wax: to epilate, to tweeze

No more; and by epilate, to say we end

The continual ache and the thousand Natural twitches

That the Flesh is subject to?  ‘Tis  a Hair removal

Devoutly to be wished. To wax and not tweeze,

To wax, perchance to Dream; Ay, for soft legs

Or Perhaps, a Dream of a proper Brow line?

For the Dream may come true,

When thee have Dialed the Phone. Shuffle of this mortal coil,

You must give pause to the tweeze, and Respect thyself

Remove the Calamity of so long a torture;

Waxing is much quicker

Parody of Hamlet’s speech written by Heather Grecko (Hillis)

Nails

I have been meaning to post some of my work. Featuring nails that I have done with LCN products.  However, before I do so, I want to say a little about the newest craze of light cured polish.

This will be a bit of a soap box rant. However, it's intent is to make people think.

It is frustrating for me that clients will ask if I do Shellac. CND is the product that produces Shellac, it is actually a brand. There is OPI's brand which is marketed as Gel polish. I use Recolution which is LCN's product. Although, similar in what it's purpose is, extended wear polish, it contains no harsh acidic solvents. It does, like the others, uses an acetone base remover. Shellac is not the process....just remember it is a brand, just as Puffs is a type of tissue, just as Kleenex is. We tend to use the brand name Kleenex to refer to when we need a tissue. Just as we say Rollerblades, which is a brand, rather than inline skates. It is great marketing at the beginning but what happens is eventually that company loses the authenticity of what their name is when it becomes what general public refers to as language.

So on that note. Light cured polish is extended wear polish. It's longevity regardless of the product used, is soley dependent on the client's wear and tear, or life style. It is also dis-heartening when clients prefer to blame the tech if the light cured polish, polish, or artificial nail chips; or if it doesn't last like intended. It is very important to realize that if  you as a client takes care of your manicure or artificial product, you are in control of what happens. The tech has done her part in making sure she is educated in the product line, cured it and applied it in accordance with manufacture recommendations. The owness is now on the client to respect that manicure. I as a technician have no control of what a client does after I leave.

Service provided is service paid for. It is no different after you buy that expensive blouse. The manufacture or sales clerk did their part and offered a product. How one takes care of that clothing item is dependent on it's continual condition to be worn. As a consumer, for the most part, if one washes a shirt in-correctly from what the label recommends, do you think that manufacture will take that product back? I can guarantee not.

In conclusion, manicures, and artificial products are not forever. However, with proper care they can last longer and provide the wearer happiness which will make the nail tech feelnsatisfied that she made you smile for the time you wear that product.