Processing at Eden Salon & Spa

If you’ve ever had your hair colored, you are aware of the time it takes for the chemicals to do their magic under the foils.  It’s a great time to relax, make plans for the rest of the day, catch up on texting, read a magazine, or just daydream about how gorgeous your hair is going to look by the time you leave the salon.  This weekend while processing at Eden Salon & Spa, I was passing the time doing all of the above and came across this little gem in the magazine I was reading.

I think this perfectly encapsulates my feelings exactly.

I love anticipating how my hair will look when it’s all done and I think it turned out wonderfully, thanks Eden!  Check out my After picture that I took on my way out for a Girls Night:

Saturday Morning at Eden Salon & Spa

I love a trip to Eden Salon & Spa any day of the week, but there is something awesome about Saturday mornings for me.  I don’t have anywhere to go, and there isn’t a lot I can do while I wait to process other than relax.  This trip would be different though because Nicole left out Aveda’s color samples for their rainbow colors and I wasn’t able to set it back down.  I decided on a whim that I wanted, no, NEEDED violet on my hair.

Later my mom had her appointment and we got to spend some time together reminiscing about when Eden was the architectural firm we both worked at.  Her hair turned out gorgeous!

Oh, you want to see my before and after?  Well, ok.

Before:

After:

As you can see, I’m a little blonder.  The purple is hard to see (which is what I was going for) but you get a peek at the bottom there.  Why did I do it?  Because I needed to let my Freak Flag fly for a little while before I lose it entirely.  Seriously, I never thought I’d be discussing and thinking about roof shingles and mortgages at 25 so this is a neat, temporary break from all that.

Somme Institute Saved My Skin

When you’re a teenager and you get visited regularly by the acne fairy/monster, the solution is Proactiv.  Just use it as directed and you’ll be fine.  Ok, now that we’ve set the youth straight, it’s time to talk about the horrors of adult acne.  I hate my acne problem but what I hate more is the fact that old standbys like Proactiv don’t cut it after a certain age.  My skin became more sensitive and more prone to drying completely out, rendering go-to products for teens nearly useless – or worse, they would even create new breakouts.  So what’s a girl woman to do?

The answer for me has been to improve my skin as much as possible by using grown-up products that can do double duty – prevent breakouts and wrinkles while using good-for-skin ingredients with none of the fillers.  Of course this is obscenely expensive, but the products last a long time.  My system is from Somme Institute, a skin care company that specializes in creating luxurious beauty products using MDT5 technology (Molecular Dispersal Technology 5) and mark their products with a simple colored circle to indicate the magic stuff inside.

I mentioned the steps in a previous post about using them for an at-home spa day.  They are that luxurious, for sure, but I also use these every day.  The steps are as follows:

1. Cleanse – I don’t use the cleanser Somme makes so I substitute one from the drugstore packed with benzoyl peroxide.
2. Transport – glycolic acid pads to exfoliate
3. Serum – Vitamin C for brightness and clarity
4. A-Bomb – rich moisturizer that doesn’t clog pores
5. Sunscreen – I don’t use the one they make so I improvise with Bare Minerals, which has SPF 30 built in

Now my skin looks worlds better but nothing will knock out my acne for good except (hopefully) menopause.

I pick up my Somme products at Preen Apothecary.

Venetian Nail Spa – The Greene, Dayton, OH

I went shopping at The Greene the other day and decided it was a perfect day for a mani/pedi.  I love the Venetian Nail Spa because other than just the fact that it’s strikingly gorgeous the moment you step inside (dual waterfalls, sky mural in the vaulted ceiling, marble-esque floors, etc. – basically the polar opposite of Rose Nails) the services are awesome and not at all expensive, especially considering what you would expect being that it is the nail spa in The Greene.

In a very un-me move that would have shocked my regular techs at Luxury (it’s not my basic black, near black, almost black, etc.), I went for an orangey, coral-y, pink with iridescent glitter on just one nail on each hand.  I think it turned out pretty awesome.

Even though I was the annoying customer who came in with shopping bags, they helped me put them all on my arms and even got my car keys out of my purse for me.  If there is any real lesson in dependence, it’s trying to get out of a nail salon without ruining your nails.

I know I don’t normally write about chains in any capacity, but this place really is very beautiful and definitely a great place to go relax after a hectic shopping trip for something terrible like a swim suit.  Or jeans.  Or work shoes.  And no matter how fancy the place looks, at its heart it’s just your neighborhood nail spa with technicians who live and shop in the same area as you.

Spa Day at Home

Although nothing quite beats a day at the spa, creating your own version at home is a lot cheaper and more convenient.  Here’s what I use to relax and get back to beautiful after a grueling week.

1. Aveda Rosemary Mint Body Lotion – smells like a spa, so it sets the mood
2. Somme Institute Warming Face Mask – it smells like pumpkin pie ice cream…mmm…
3. Somme Institute Transport – glycolic acid pads
4. Somme Institute Serum – Vitamin C at its best
5. Somme Institute A-Bomb – smells like marshmallows, moisturizes like whoa
6. Nars Mud Mask – well, you know how I feel about this miracle stuff
7. Crest Whitestrips – it’s how coffee/tea/cranberry enthusiasts look approachable

Finish it off with a little more eye cream than you use daily, and you’re good to go…read a book and drink some peppermint tea.

Dual Expressions Salon – Dayton, OH

In my lifetime, I may have had hundreds of trips to nail salons, nail spas, salons and spas that offer nail services, cosmetology schools that teach nail services, etc. but I can honestly say that on New Year’s Eve, I had the best manicure and pedicure of my life!  Let’s back up a little:  A few weeks ago, I was actually able to have a latte “for here” at Ghostlight Coffee with my sister.  As we were looking around at all the cool stuff to look at in Ghostlight, I found a card for an organic spa called Dual Expressions:  an Organic Salon for Faces, Hands, and Feet.  I was impressed that this spa offered any organic services at all but that they also perform nail services?  I wasn’t expecting to ever see that on a card on a coffee shop community board – in Dayton.  So I called and scheduled an appointment for a mani/pedi on New Year’s Eve before a big party my husband and I were throwing in hopes that I would look great for the evening and maybe get some me time to relax before the shindig.

Arriving at Dual Expressions, I met Kelly and some of her helpers and I was immediately struck by how well they had worked with a small space to create a calm and relaxing environment without making the customer feel claustrophobic.  They accomplished this by utilizing smaller furniture and making the pedicure stations perpendicular to the front door.  Speaking of the pedicure stations, Kelly made the bold decision to do away with the traditional ultra-shiny glitter, chrome, and plastic throne of most nail salons, opting instead for a lush wicker swing.  Basically, rather than feeling like you’re getting your nails done, you end up feeling like you’re just enjoying a glass of wine on the veranda on a summer day.  The services are personalized to you based on your preferences – I chose grapefruit oil for my pedicure to help get me energized for the party.

I left Dual Expressions feeling completely calm and relaxed and my nails looked amazing, I can’t wait to go back!

I apologize for the fuzzy iphone photos, I was trying to be stealthy.  Except for the last one, I was trying to show how awesome the glitter looked for NYE.

Dual Expressions 

931 A Shroyer Road

Dayton, OH  45419

937-298-3825

Shear Joy Gets a Website!

Recently after a very relaxing facial from Shear Joy Salon & Spa, I was confronted by Teresa, the salon manager, “Are you Girl About Town?”  I was sort of shocked and had to take a moment to try to remember exactly what I had written about Shear Joy before answering in the affirmative.  “I knew it!  You need to look at our new website.” 

So I’ve taken a look at it and couldn’t be happier.  The website achieves it’s purpose, which is just to occupy a space on the internet for people to land when searching for their salon.  The colors and design match the salon and spa exactly – almost as if they had the web designer take paint swatches.  The layout is simple and clean and easy to navigate. 

Take a look at their website for yourself – and while you’re at it, make an appointment!

Skin, an Apothecary Gets a New Website!

I am pleased as punch with Skin, an Apothecary’s new website.  It has all of the features of a normal online store and none of the frames from their less-than-perfect website of the past.  Take a look at the new and improved site here. 

Here’s a glimpse of the simple, clean design they’ve chosen.   (Also, their new Aquamarine scent is divine, give it a try at Preen Apothecary).

Lexington Nail Spa – Vandalia

I noticed while driving to my grandmother’s house that the quaint Pretty Nails had a new sign and balloons but on closer inspection, I noticed that the name had changed as well – to Lexington Nail Spa.  Earlier this week I went ahead and tried it, not expecting much based on the name.  To my surprise, smiling back at me were several familiar faces from Luxury Nail Spa in Butler Township.  After the initial stand off (“What are you doing here?”  “No…what are you doing here?”) we got to talking and I found out that a few people from Luxury Nail Spa opened Lexington and each member of a big family got to pick out one aspect of the interior design (how cute!).

They have made some vast improvements to the tenant space including adding some decorative archways, increasing the number of pedispas to 10, and adding more manicure tables.  I’m a little confused by the color scheme and light fixures (deep rust totally goes with neon yellow…) but knowing that there were many minds involved in the decision making helps put an adorable, all-hands-on-deck spin on it all.

I think this will be my new go-to nail spa because it’s adorable, affordable, and I can walk there.  Plus it’s nice to go where everyone already knows your name!

Lexington Nail Spa

734 W National Road

Vandalia, OH  45377

937-898-0240

Pevonia Blemish Stick

This product is embarrassingly under Pevonia’s SpaTeen line of products, which doesn’t make me feel great considering I’m a few years removed from being a teenager and still suffering with acne.  It’s actually called Blemish-B-Gone.  My aesthetician at Shear Joy had me try this product and I must say, despite the emphasis on teen acne, it works very well on my adult acne.  One stick will last you a very long time, even if you use it frequently.  Priced at $20, it’s not as cheap as the drugstore brand equivalent but works worlds better without drying skin.  I promise, it doesn’t even sting.