Beautiful Skin for Summer

TIPS ON SKIN CARE

Why do our hands age faster than other areas?

Hand skin is naturally thinner and thins more as we age. Frequent hand washing and sanitizing hand gels cause dryness of the skin and cuticles. Hands are also more exposed to UV light and the environment than other parts of our body. Hand and nail treatments help to shield against everyday damage that ages hands. Always use a sunscreen in the daytime and intense hand recovery cream before bedtime.

Also remember that your skin is precious so make sure you wear sunscreen daily! Even on overcast days, UVA and UVB rays can damage the skin. Use a sunscreen with at least SPF 30 when you are outside – apply liberally and often. Find a body lotion and face moisturizer with SPF. It is worth pay a few bucks more now to keep your skin healthy for life!

Cellulite Busted!

I’ve seen it and I’m sure you have, too. The summer clothes have made their debut in stores. Cue the eerie music. I’ve also seen the way around showing skin with the beautiful, long-flowing dresses that cover everything from here to there; but honestly, how many days in a row can we wear those? Let’s face it: we are Californians and it gets hot in this state!

I urge you to not hide yourself from the shorts, skirts, tank tops and even swim suits. Rather, embrace yourself for who you are and if you want a little help, Simply Beautiful is a quick phone call away to help you shed inches, tone up or just improve the appearance of your cellulite.

In fact, the talk around the salon this week is that many clients aren’t as concerned with their body size as they are with dimples and the “cottage cheese” appearance from cellulite.

It is also important to remember how we get cellulite to understand how to remove it. Cellulite is the most visible sign of water retention and causes the appearance of dimply skin because of stored fluid between fat cells in fatty areas. Cellulite occurs on areas with the poorest circulation – typically in the thighs, hips and stomach – since there is more waste build up here from larger fat cells. Poor circulation does not effectively nourish the cells or remove body waste like the circulatory system is supposed to. If waste builds up then the body dilutes the waste to safe levels and stores them in interstitial spaces (between the cells), resulting in water retention. Water retention is the retaining of excess fluid and puts pressure on the circulatory system which carries off fewer waste products. Waste products (or impurities like smoke, alcohol, medications, fake sugars, etc.), are all around us. What the body cannot eliminate it dilutes and stores causing water retention, which causes poor circulation.

In the case of cellulite, I would recommend coming in to try our ProEllixe Vibration Machine that helps to build muscle tone in addition to releasing impurities from the lymphatic system. We also have our always popular Cellureduce Body Wrap – great for breaking through stubborn cellulite. This wrap includes a spray that we apply before the wrapping process to helps dissolve cellulite a little easier than just the wrap for greater results.

Simply Beautiful is your one-stop, cellulite-busting shop! Call us today to schedule your appointments! 888.WRAP.101

Spring Showers Bring Something Beautiful!

Spring is here but despite the clouds and rain showers, warmer weather is on its way. When we put on the short sleeve T-shirts and stop hiding our bodies in bulky sweaters and pants, we feel forced to start looking at our bodies. After indulging in Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, we still have a few more cold months to hide and worry about those extra goodies for another day; however, for many of us, the time has come to worry.

Simply Beautiful has great body wraps to get you looking and feeling your best. We are currently running our first-time discount special of $99 for our Slender Tone wrap – our most popular body wrap! This process helps you shed inches from the body while reducing cellulite and tightening the skin. It’s your perfect way to get a Spring-ready body!

Did you know that the delicate skin on our face suffers during the winter, too? Now you can rejuvenate your look with our amazing esthetician, Sharon Kleven, “The Eyebrow Lady”. Sharon is an expert in everything from facials to Microdermabrasion to face and body waxing. Schedule your appointment with her today!

Skin Care Hours

San Ramon
Wednesday 9:00 – 6:00
Thursday 9:00 – 6:00
Saturday 9:00 – 3:00
(925) 327-0776

Milpitas
Tuesday 10:30 – 3:00
Friday 10:30 – 3:00
(408) 263-1975
(evening appointments are available upon request)

www.simplybeautifulnewyou.com

Sharon Kleven Joins the Simply Beautiful Team!

Meet Sharon Kleven! Sharon recently moved to California from Scottsdale, Arizona where she was a successful business owner of Skin Care By Sharon for 13 years – she was known as “The Brow Lady”! She has 15 years of skin care experience with education and certifications in Advanced Skin Care: Diamond Tone Wand Microdermabrasion, Sun Damaged skin, Hyper Pigmentation, Adult Aging, Eyelash and Brow Tinting, Face Mapping, Teenage Acne & Nova Eyelash Extensions, Chemical Peels, and Make up Artistry/Application. Sharon values customer loyalty and is passionate about professionalism, excellent client care, guest services and personal attention to detail.

Sharon has been married for 15 years to her “big kid” husband and has 3 children – 2 boys and 1 girl – from ages 21 to 33 and one 9-year-old grandson. Simply Beautiful is so honored that she has picked to work with the #1 Body Wrap Salon in America!

“I look forward to working here at Simply Beautiful and meeting all of you!” – Sharon Kleven

Skin Care Hours
San Ramon
Wednesday 9:00 – 6:00
Thursday 9:00 – 6:00
Saturday 9:00 – 3:00

Milpitas
Tuesday 10:30 – 3:00
Friday 10:30 – 3:00
(evening appointments are available upon request)

Simply Beautiful’s Bay Area Celebrities

As we welcome ourselves to another New Year, many of us set the trendy traditions to resolve unfinished business from prior years. Every year I see similar resolutions from friends: stop biting finger nails, be more productive, go to the gym four times a week, find a GOOD boyfriend. Whatever the resolution, it is 99.9% of the time for the better rather than the worse. You rarely see someone post on their social network: “My New Year’s resolution is to start smoking”… or… “be upset and angry more often”. Our society doesn’t work like that (thank goodness!). So this year, if you are a little late on the resolution train and don’t want to be, might I make a suggestion for you? Make the effort to just be healthier and feel good about yourself. This, to me, is always the successful resolution because it is all-encompassing. It quite possibly could keep your mind off more stressful things like constantly thinking about your weight and making healthier choices in general (that could lower that number on the scale).

In other news, Bay Area celebrities are invading Simply Beautiful – in a good way!

Letty B

Letty B is the newest addition to the radio station 99.7. She just got her first wrap the other day and is all about it! Check her out on weekdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Micki Gamez

Micki loves coming in to Simply Beautiful! With her busy schedule on 95.7 The Wolf, she still finds the time to pop in for a quick wrap and occasional facial. We love having her here with us! She can be heard weekdays on The Wolf from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Dreena Gonzalez

Dreena’s fun and energetic personality gets listeners pumped during their work day from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m on Wild 94.9. With a newborn in her arms, she is anxiously waiting for the day when she can come in to get wrapped! However, she has told all her friends about the wraps at Simply Beautiful and they have experienced great results. She can’t wait to come in!

Lisa Foxx

Want the latest Hollywood gossip? Lisa’s got it at night on Star 101.3. When Lisa comes into Simply Beautiful, you can’t help but feel like your in the presence of bright lights and special treatment. Listen to her during your late night travels and you’ll quickly start to feel like her BFF!

New Year, New You!

Happy New Year! Simply Beautiful hopes that everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday season and welcomes you to 2011! In the New Year, we often set resolutions – whether it be new ones to help our well-being or old ones that we finally commit to accomplishing, most have to do with our health. So if you happened to overindulge in the past month, that’s OK. We have your solution and resolution! Now until the end of January, Simply Beautiful is offering first-time clients a $99 Slender Tone Body Wrap! We offer packages and membership deals to help you achieve all your goals with affordability. Schedule your appointment today! 888.WRAP.101

Happy Holidays from Simply Beautiful!

It’s the Tuesday before Christmas and we were just discussing how so much has happened in the past few months. First of all, we had such an overwhelming response to the second year of our Food Drive. The bin was filled with a plethora of canned goods, pastas and cereals, most of which seemed like healthy food options to help our fellow Bay Area residences. In fact, when the bin was picked up yesterday in San Ramon, the food bank representative was quite concerned that we had so many donations that he would not be able to get the container down our stairs! We made it and the food is on its way to help many families in need. Thank you to all our clients who donated and helped make it a huge success!

Second of all, we have had a few new lives enter the world in the past few months. Traci gave birth to her second child, Maddison, in October and Amanda just had her first baby a few days before Thanksgiving. She had a little boy, Landyn. We are now waiting for the news of Sarah’s little boy to arrive any day! We wish all these new babies and mothers health and happiness in 2011!

If you are waiting for those last minute gift ideas, we want to remind you that we have gift certificates available in any dollar amount or as services. To ensure you get the certificate by Saturday, we highly recommend coming in to either salon to pick it up. We will be open for gift certificates on Friday, December 24th until 12:00 p.m. so don’t wait too long! Simply Beautiful will be closed Christmas day but will reopen on Sunday, December 26th for appointments.

We wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday and New Year’s! See you in 2011 for some awesome deals to kick off the New Year!

Simply Beautiful’s Food Drive

Simply Beautiful has signed up again as a donation location to help the Food Banks of Contra Costa, Solano, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. Last year we had an overwhelming response to our food drive! The drive will be going on from Monday, October 18th until Monday, December 20th so there is plenty of time to get your giving hats on and help some of our fellow Bay Area residents who are having a difficult time this year.

As a thank you for your generosity, Simply Beautiful will give you 20% off your body wrap when you donate 3 food items or more! Please feel free to donate items at anytime! *This discount is available for one-time redemption only.

In case you need some extra motivation on what to give, here are some items that food banks are in need of the most:
– Meals in a Can (stew, chili, soup)
– Tuna and Canned Meat
– Peanut Butter (in plastic containers)
– Canned Foods with pop-top lids
– Low-Sugar Cereals
– 100% Fruit Juices in single serving boxes
– Canned Fruit in juice
– Canned Vegetables (low salt)
– Dry Beans
– Enriched Rice or Pasta
– Powdered Milk

Child Friendly List
– Unsweetened Applesauce
– Graham Crackers
– Raisins
– Pop-Top Tuna
– Pretzels
– Granola Bars (without peanuts)
– 100% Fruit Rolls
– Low-Sugar Cereal Bowls
– Fruit Cups

Simply Beautiful would like to pass on healthy eating habits to our fellow Bay Area residents so please choose items that are nutritious and make conscious decisions about what to give (please avoid donating Top Ramen Noodles). Other items to avoid are those in glass containers and bulk quantities of rice, flour and sugar.

We cannot wait to get started with all the giving on Monday!

Body Waxing and Facials

Human nature teaches us to engage in personal relationships with people we love and care about. It could be with family members or a spouse, friends or even your hairstylist. But when it comes to skin care, we may skimp on that relationship since it is viewed more as a luxury item. However, it is just as important to have healthy skin for our own emotional well-being as it is for beauty’s sake.

Estheticians are licensed to find ways to help smooth the skin, remove dirt and bacteria from pores and remove unwanted hair. With regular visits to your esthetician you not only get to know them, but they get know you and your skin and how to make you feel great.

Facials in particular are beneficial to everyone. Whether you are acne prone, have blackheads, clogged pores, or if you just want to replenish and to take an hour to relax, facials are wonderful for your skin. Women and men of all ages have complicated skin; even Hollywood stars don’t have perfect complexions but proper pampering can give your skin a break from any unwanted condition.

Body waxing also helps us feel beautiful and raises our self-esteem. Facial waxing conveys our outward appearance to others without plucking ourselves; body waxing reduces constant shaving and adds convenience to our lives. Estheticians are, in essence, artists. Nothing is applied, removed or shaped without a purpose so it is important to develop a relationship with a skin care specialist which is why it is important to have personable estheticians who love what they do.
As busy parents, business professionals, spouses, students and above all, people, you owe it to treat yourself. And through treating your skin with body waxing and facials, it will thank you later.

– Vicki Espiritu

Our Amazing Skin

As a competitive swimmer, I am completely obsessed with sunscreen. Whether I’m in the pool or just walking my dog, if I see sun, there is a screen going over my skin to protect it. So I was thrilled when my friend posted the Environmental Working Group’s 2010 Sunscreen Guide on her social networking site. I browsed the site and found some great information on the sunscreens that work the best, and more importantly, the ones that failed. Other information the site reports are sun safety tips, frequently asked questions and seeing how consumer’s sunscreen brands rank. However, my attention was glued as I opened the subtopics of the full report and scanned the list to see a few items about the potential damage sunscreen can cause the skin. Well, that’s news to me! Even though sunscreens do more good than harm, it turns out that some of the ingredients in sunscreen can be potentially harmful to the body. It turns out that there are tons of US-approved UV filters but some of these protectants can damage skin cells.

While reading all this, I’m constantly thinking about the skin’s absorption. The skin it the body’s largest organ and has many functions like protection and immune response, sensation, body temperature regulation, and excretion, but to me absorption seems like the most human controlled function of the skin. Although the skin permeates elements like oxygen – this is why we shouldn’t paint our bodies or saran wrap our skin or else we will suffocate – it also absorbs all other things we put on it like lotion, perfume, medicine, pollution, and chemicals from cleaning supplies and body care products. Chemicals? Ick! So once these things are absorbed in the skin, where do they go? Yep, the blood stream. We could be making ourselves sick just by what we nonchalantly apply to our skin.
Then I found my double whammy: Chlorine. Chlorine is an oxidative agent which means that it kills germs and living things, like bacteria, that come in contact with it. Unfortunately, this also means that chlorine tries to take the life of our skin. (Chlorine vapors are also emitted from your daily shower.) I have noticed first-hand the negative effects chemicals like chlorine have on my integumentary system. After my intense workouts, my skin is incredibly dry and my hair brittle. But there are things to help like hair detoxifiers and lotions to remove such chemicals.
Aside from all the yucky toxins out there in our environment, there are healthy minerals that are great for the body! After understanding the amazing functions of this organ, it is easier to comprehend how things like mineral body wraps work. Minerals are absorbed into the body through the skin and are circulated throughout. Already, this seems like a healthy process! First of all, minerals are necessary to keeping us functioning. Secondly, you could actually drink the mineral solution. As a rule of thumb, try to consume or apply products that contain ingredients that are edible (or at the very least, pronounceable). Lastly, the skin is not suffocated with the use of saran wraps; these types of mineral wraps use porous bandages that allow the skin to breathe and absorb oxygen along with the minerals. Mineral body wraps are great for maintaining the healthy balance our bodies need but they also help to remove all these impurities and make the skin hydrated and young.
So will I stop my pool training? Never, but I am now completely aware of how to help my body even more by finding the right sunscreen and looking for lotions and shampoos to counteract the chlorine that deposits on my skin. An hour and a half in the pool a few times a week could wreak damaging effects on my body. But then again, so can just going outside for an hour with all the pollution and sun. As long as awareness takes over, I can help my largest organ and try to keep it healthy for life.

Find your sunscreen and how it ranks at http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/full-report/does-sunscreen-damage-the-skin/

For more information on body wraps, visit Simply Beautiful

References
The Physiology of Skin
Chlorine

-Vicki Espiritu