Ever since my post regarding the Pros & Cons of Shellac and Gel Manicures, people have been commenting that they either love their shellac or have noticed what I did–it destroyed their nails. CND just issued a press release stating that those of us in the nails destroyed by Shellac realm may have had our manicure done by a salon who didn’t properly apply and remove the Shellac or who mixed products not ensuring or measuring up to CND’s standards.

As an educated consumer, here are some pointers for making sure you receive the REAL CND Shellac:

1)    Look for the CND seal of approval on the window of your salon.

2)    Ask if the salon uses CND Shellac products.

3)    Watch the products that are being used during the service – if you do not see “CND Shellac” on the bottle, it’s not Shellac.

4)    During removal, do not allow soaking of nails in a bowl of acetone – request CND Shellac Remover Wraps or cotton and tin foil removal method.

The program is rolling out first in New York, California, Nevada, Colorado, Ohio and Chicago, and will expand across the US in 2012.

I’m happy to hear that they are going to start enforcing quality assurance when it comes to a manicure it seems many people desperately want. I will say that for me however, both of my CND Shellac Power Polishes were done with all CND Shellac products and I still had a problem with the manicure. The first time was by a CND manicurist at Cosmoprof and the second time was at a salon who followed all of the same steps as the first manicurist and used the appropriate products (no mixing of product or filing.) Regardless, hopefully if there are salons out there not following the proper protocol, this certification process will help weed them out. What do you think?

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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It’s no secret that the Poconos has an amazing destination spa tucked away in the hills of Hawley, PA: The Lodge at Woodloch. I’ve been to The Lodge at Woodloch several times and have had the pleasure of experiencing a facial, massage, pedicure, enjoying a weekend getaway with my boyfriend golfing and kayaking, makeup consultation with Christopher Drummond in their boutique and last week for the launch of their renovated Lotus Salon, along with the newest addition of Master Stylist Christine Lafferty, I headed up for a much needed hair color and cut.

First of all, while the spa may tend to be on the pricey side (it is a luxury spa after all) the Lotus Salon’s prices fall in line with what most hair salons in the area charge. So if you’ve been hesitant to try them out, put your wallet woes to rest. Lotus Salon uses Wella hair care products for color, which I have had a very good experience with in the past when I previously went to Salon L’Etoile in Jenkintown, PA. Christine used a demi-permanent color on me with a color lock. They also use Alterna (the LOVE of my life) and Moroccanoil (love their anti-frizz and hairspray) hair products.

Christine is amazing. She listens to what you want, skillfully cuts your hair all while engaging with you like you’ve been lifelong friends. And there’s nothing fake about it–Christine is super personable and it makes you want to hang out with her. But I’ve found that of most of the staff at The Lodge; just real, down to earth people (which essentially is what the Poconos is about–a truly hometown feel.) Christine previously had an upscale salon in Boston, but came back to Northeast PA when a family member was dying from ovarian cancer.  Since then, she decided to remain in the area and landed at The Lodge at Woodloch (they are lucky to have her!)

Loved the outcome of my hair! Have you experienced the Lotus Salon, or any of the spa treatments, at The Lodge at Woodloch? To view all of their offerings see their website at www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com.

*Disclosure

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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My niece Emily is a beautiful girl, both inside and out. The last year and a half has had a lot of changes for her though: her grandmother passed away from lung cancer, her grandfather had a stroke, and my sister and her husband took in 3 of his nephews who were going to be placed into foster care (and they are now in the process of adopting them.) Her husband’s sister and her daughter also moved in with my sister. Did I mention that my sister has 4 kids already, two of which are special needs? We lovingly refer to my sister’s family as The Duggars. But joking aside, Emily, who is 10 years old, began to get depressed and with the adjustment to her new family life, lost sight of her dreams.

Me, Emily and my sister Courtney

I love my niece to pieces and she has always talked about going to New York. She’s heard me talk about my trips to fashion week and to various events and who I’ve met along the way, so I knew that for her 10th birthday I wanted to surprise her with a trip into the city. With many thanks to Jason Backe and Ted Gibson of Ted Gibson Salon and Melanie Notkin of Savvy Auntie, I hatched a plan to have Emily’s hair done at Ted Gibson Salon, as well as take Em to the top of the Empire State Building with a journal in hand to write down what her hopes and dreams were.

My sister and I were reflecting on how this in-between time has an effect on a young girl’s self esteem. Like many girls these days, puberty is hitting some younger than others. This has really had an effect on Emily and she has tried to downplay it by hiding her body under vast layers of clothes, not really taking care of her hair and overall creating a sloppy appearance. While appearance isn’t everything, it was clear to me that it was simply a manifestation of how she was feeling on the inside. She didn’t want anyone to pay attention to her body changes as girls made fun of her for looking pretty and at the same time would make fun of her if she choose to be sloppy. Either way, kids weren’t looking at what a great puppeteer Emily was or how awesome she did in the church drama group. For Em, she just couldn’t win. And it hurt her self esteem overall. You can see in many of the pictures before the pampering…Emily never smiles. But once Jill Englesen was done with Emily, check out that smile as she inspected her hair. LOVE it.

What was perfect about Jill styling Emily’s hair, is that Jill is an artist. She and Emily talked about how much they love to paint. Throughout our time at the salon, Jill kept encouraging Emily to keep painting no matter what. To keep dreaming and to know that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to.  I know that Jill really made an impact on Em.

As my tagline says “because we all deserve a little pampering,” I wanted to show Em that sometimes pampering yourself physically can sometimes (OK, many times) pamper you mentally and emotionally as well. I wanted her to see and feel for herself what it was like to take care of herself AND feel good about it–who cares about those girls at school! I wanted her to promise to herself that she would see her dreams through, to know that they are important and that she is a very talented and amazing girl.

If there is a girl in your life, whether young or old, be sure to take time to encourage her today. Too many people out there are always trying to bring us down and take away our dreams.

I love you Emily.

Love, Auntie Shannon

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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If you survived Black Friday and are still in need of some holiday gift ideas for the family or friend who loves beauty products, then I know you’ll find our Holiday Gift Guide useful. Amanda, Gail and I put together some of our best and most favorite gift ideas (i.e. gifts we’d like to see under the tree) into a 13 page catalog. We opted not to create a multitude of holiday gift posts and thought a handy catalog that you can browse through and link directly to the product would make for a great all-in-one-place guide.

Here’s what we covered: Hair care, skin care, bath & body, holiday kits, cosmetics, gifts that give back and spas and spa treatments that we love. There’s some nail polish mentioned in there too!

Many thanks to Kelli & Co. for creating the cover for our Holiday Gift Guide. When reading it, make sure you view it at 100%; it is a downloadable PDF.

Enjoy the catalog and please feel free to pass onto your friends! Download it by clicking this link: Holiday Gift Guide

Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links and 2 brands mentioned are clients.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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On Monday, November 21^st I attended the red carpet premier of the reality makeover web series, “In The Chair”. This new docu-series highlights women who have not had the privilege of experiencing a full spa experience for a variety of reasons, ranging from negative makeover experiences in the past to heartfelt stories of personal tragedy.

Show host Stephen Marinaro (better known as TheSalonGuy) treats each woman  to a head-to-toe makeover at award-winning spas and salons in New York and New Jersey, showing both clients and viewers at home the caliber of quality we should all expect from our salons.

Live Performances prior to the episode launch.

The event on Monday was packed. Both women and men came out to socialize as they enjoyed live performances, food, and support the show’s launch…but I don’t think many expected the impact this premier episode would have.  When the episode aired, I was blown away by the courage of Donna, recipient of TheSalonGuy’s  first makeover treatment and survivor of horrific domestic abuse.

Donna, a beautiful, soft-spoken woman spoke candidly about her abusive, tumultuous marriage – her husband suffered from various mental illnesses and she was constantly at the mercy of his outbursts. She was denied a social life, and each visit to a salon for a haircut or treatment ignited her then-husband’s jealous rage, and the abuse would begin. The abuse and outbursts escalated, and Donna finally gathered the courage to walk away after being shot in the face – the bullet was lodged in her eardrum and blew out her eye.

It was incredible to hear someone speak so openly about her past, and there seems to be no one more deserving of TheSalonGuy’s royalty treatment than Donna.  She  and her daughter were taken to Vito Mazza Salon in Woodbridge, NJ (a place I have frequented myself in the past) and given a full spa experience, complete with massage and hair treatment. The audience gathered anxiously around the screens, waiting for the premier. This was the first time Donna had been pampered in far too long, and her joy –undoubtedly paired with a hint of nervousness — was impossible to ignore.

After the episode ended, the event concluded with Donna walking onstage in front of our audience to roars and applause.

It’s refreshing to find a show that focuses on inner beauty just as much as (if not more than) outward appearances. Words alone cannot do the episode of “In The Chair” justice.

Watch the premiere episode of the online reality show on Youtube here.

Amanda Huggins

Amanda is a PR and communications girl living and working in the NYC area. She is a firm believer in the powers of a strong cup of coffee and fire-engine red lipstick.

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The importance of well groomed eyebrows should never be underestimated.  After all, eyebrows frame our face and also has the power to transform it.  Yet there are still many of us out there, who will invest in facials and top of the line skincare and makeup, but then kind of forget about the brows…or worse yet go to an inexperienced aesthetician and get our brows completely hacked in five minutes after we have spent the last three months growing them in…ok I digress.

I was given a referral (from a pretty reputable source) of a place to get my brows done before a photoshoot and ended up having a good amount of my eyebrows waxed off in a few minutes and left with horribly thin and dramatically arched brows that I have to constantly fill in (which for someone who likes to spend 5 minutes or less on her daily makeup routine, is very annoying.)  Plus I cringed every time I looked in the mirror because I looked like I was constantly surprised or tired and older…sometimes all three at the same time.  Being that I had just moved to South Beach and knew absolutely no one, I had no idea of where I should go to get them fixed, if that was even possible nor would I have trusted another “referral.”  My only option was to continue filling them in and hope that since I was in the Sunshine State my eyebrows would grow in faster…because everything grows faster in the sunlight…right?

My brows did start growing in…to their natural shape and not the hyper arched scrawny line that was waxed on to my face.  While I was ecstatic (and still continue to be) about my brows growing in, they now looked a hot mess.  I needed a major brow overhaul.  Lucky for me a trip to my hometown of Minneapolis, MN for my friend’s wedding was in my near future so instead of taking my chances on an unknown salon/spa and have my brows defiled, I decided to wait until I was in Minneapolis to go to the only person who understood my brows and their needs (she was actually the first person to clean and shape my brows to perfection) and immediately after booking my Flight to MN, I booked at appointment at Blink For Beauty to see THE brow guru herself, Christina Snead.

Christina has been in the aesthetics and fashion industry for 12 years and is an absolute expert, you only have to glance at her brows to know that you will be in the best of hands. The first time I saw Christina was after a makeup artist shaved off most of my eyebrows and filled them in with brow powder to hide the deed (imagine my surprise after I got home and washed my face!)  I don’t know how she did it, but Christina saved me from looking like something out of Star Trek and I’ve never looked back since.  I was hoping that she would again be able to work whatever magic it is she does and save my brows for the second time.

The next morning after my flight to Minneapolis, I woke up and headed straight to Blink For Beauty (I would have gone right after my flight landed but the studio is not open at 11pm).  Upon walking through the door I immediately felt reassured and relaxed.  The space is absolutely breathtaking. It is modern and sleek yet very relaxing, warm and welcoming…much like Christina herself.  It’s always a great idea to get there a bit early to browse the great selection of jewelry, dresses and beauty products that Blink For Beauty carries, I especially love the wrap bracelets and products from Coola.

I didn’t even need to explain the torture that my brows underwent in Miami; Christina pointed out where too much had been waxed off  and explained to me what she would be doing to clean them up as well as to make sure they would grow back into their natural shape.  In twenty minutes my brows were transformed…as well as my entire face.  No longer did I look like an surprised, angry, tired Klingon, but my face somehow looked cleaner and more refreshed.  I swear her chair has magical powers because although she is removing hair from your face, she manages to make the process absolutely relaxing and painless.  I always get a bit sad when the service is over because I absolutely love being in the Blink For Beauty studio surrounded by calming music, relaxing scents, the nicest aestheticians I have ever met and the pretty great, but hard to find beauty products.  When I did manage to tear myself away from Blink For Beauty, I of course, had to leave with a bracelet…

In four weeks, when my brows are again ready for a tune up, my plan is to fly to Minneapolis and once again head straightaway to  Blink For Beauty.  I am convinced that paying for a plane ticket is a much better choice than walking around and having people speak some weird language to me because they honestly think I might be a Klingnon (thanks to my brows) and to be honest Blink For Beauty is definitely worth the plane ticket, after all they have transformed hair removal into an art form.  Now, if only I can convince founders Christina and Brook to start traveling and teaching their “art of hair removal” secrets to the rest of the nation…first stop of course would be Miami.

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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A few years ago when I went to The Lodge at Woodloch for a facial and massage, I swore that one day I would spend the weekend at their destination spa. The rooms are luxuriously appointed, the spa cuisine is to die for (I had lunch there during a recent event with Christopher Drummond Beauty) and the grounds are breathtaking. Although I only live about 40 minutes from The Lodge at Woodloch, the resort is tucked away here in the Poconos in such a way, that it felt like I was traveling far far away…

One of the first things I noticed about The Lodge at Woodloch, was their superior customer service. We (Bryan & I) pulled up to the gated entry to give our name for our stay and by the time we got to the valet, they opened my door calling me by name and once inside, the concierge, also motioned to me calling me by name…all of which made me feel like a valued customer and not just some random person checking in. We scheduled a spa treatment, 9 holes of golf at Woodloch Springs, Wake-Up kayaking for 7am the next morning and made a reservation for dinner. After a quick tour of the resort, Bryan sat down for lunch at Tree while I was whisked away for a Tension Tamer massage with Gwen.

If you haven’t heard me tweet and Facebook incessantly about how much I LOVE this spa, then you certainly need to stop by and try it for yourself. I chose the Tension Tamer massage, as sitting at my desk all day working has really had its way with my upper back and shoulders. At times, the pain has become unbearable. The Tension Tamer focuses on this key muscle group to help melt that stress away. And boy did it! At the beginning of the massage I told Gwen that I could barely feel any pressure from her hands in the area surrounding my neck because some of the area had gone numb. She worked her magic and within 30 minutes I was telling her that she was a magician. Suddenly there was feeling back in that area and the tension in the surrounding muscles began to ease up. I honestly did not want to leave after my 50 minutes were up. Gwen told me that due to my line of work, that I really needed to have massages focusing on that area more often. I completely agree!

After finishing up a lunch plate that Bryan brought me to the room, we made our way over to Woodloch Springs, which is a private community with an 18-hole PGA 2 golf course. Since I have never played golf before, we decided on just doing 9 holes. The course was gorgeous despite how wet the green was from all of the rain we’ve been having in the Poconos. Bryan taught me how to play and I have to say, golf is hard work! I have a new respect for pro-golfers now!

Dinner at Tree was delicious and we each had salad and chicken that was out of this world. At about 9pm we decided a swim was in order and made our way to their Aqua Garden (which has amazing waterfalls) and their Horizon Whirlpool. On a dark night with a view of the stars, it was breathtaking.

I slept like a baby that night and I honestly didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning because the bed was so comfortable! Made me realize that I’m about due for a new mattress for my own bed. The morning was a little chilly, but we made our way to Little Lake Teedyuskung for our 7am kayaking. Since the rest of the people who signed up for the session were no-shows, we had the guide all to ourselves! This 1:1 session was great as we learned more about the area we live in and got to take in all of the wildlife. Although the really ridiculous spider that kept jumping into my kayak, which almost made me flip over when trying to get it out, was not so amusing (at least for me, but Bryan and our guide thought it was pretty funny.)

After breakfast at Tree, my feet begged me for a Restorative Rosemary Pedicure at their Lotus Salon…and how could I say no? The view from my seat was beautiful and the bourbon vanilla soak helped soften my dry heels. I loved the seaweed wrap and Antoinette made my toes look pretty with SpaRitual’s Crystal Water nail polish.

All in all, it was a relaxing and fun-filled weekend that we truly enjoyed. So whether you live locally and are looking for a staycation without feeling like you are really still local or are looking for a Pocono getaway, The Lodge at Woodloch should top your list of places to go. If you’ve visited or have had a spa treatment here, please share your experience in the comments!

Find them on Facebook and Twitter, too!

*Some images from The Lodge at Woodloch’s website; disclosure: a portion of this stay was gifted.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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What is a model to do when the opportunity to shoot with an awesome photographer pops up last minute, but finding a great makeup artist to be on set at the last minute …on a Saturday…in the middle of Minneapolis Fashion Week…and in the beginning of wedding season, proves impossible…

Well in my case, she gets her makeup done before the photo shoot and hopes that it looks great on camera, stays put and goes with the hair and wardrobe once on set…that’s a lot of hoping!  I just could not leave that much to chance.  I needed to find a place to have my makeup done A.S.A.P and a department store makeup counter was not an option…nothing against department store makeup counters but I was already “hoping” that a lot of things would work out for the best and I did not want to “hope” that I would end up with an experienced makeup artist.  As luck would have it, during Minneapolis Fashion week I had the opportunity to be a part of a fashion show that was co-produced by  Smart & Chic Beauty Lounge and the makeup look they created for the show was absolutely amazing so I knew that’s where I needed to go to have makeup done…if they could fit me in at the last minute of course…and thanks to the founder of Smart & Chic, Julie Swenson, they did.

Smart & Chic Beauty Lounge is a Bridal Studio, Beauty Boutique and Blow Dry Bar that also carries some pretty amazing beauty brands as well as hair accessories and purses…I HAD to have the lip slip by Sara Happ and my new favorite makeup bag item; my love and toast roller perfume in candied citron…frankly I am still shocked that I only left with two items because I had my eye on a lot more.  Smart and Chics’ atmosphere is very warm, inviting, comfortable and feminine, thanks to the furniture and decor that are all either heirlooms of Julies’ grandmother or were acquired from local antique shops.  I was actually pretty bummed that it took makeup artist, Asia Schulz, less than an hour to create the look because I just did not want to leave my new happy place.

The makeup that Asia expertly applied was exactly what I had in mind for the shoot, it also lasted for the duration of the shoot and would have lasted longer had I not removed it (photo shoot makeup can be a bit much when you’re having dinner at a family restaurant). While I was getting my makeup done I also caught glimpses of hair and make up that was being created all around me and I can definitely see why it is a local favorite for bridal and special occasion hair and makeup.  I will be back in MN in July for a friends’ wedding and will definitely be making an appointment at Smart & Chic to have my makeup done…I also need to grab the rest of those fabulous  beauty products that I missed on the first round.

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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One of the events I had the pleasure of attending during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week was a Manicure Trend Event hosted by Salon A.K.S to showcase their custom blended nail creations for Spring and Summer.  With a lot of their clients embracing bolder nails (thanks to the likes of fashionistas like Rihanna and Fergie),  for Spring and Summer the Salon A.K.S nail team went for a modern twist on the French Manicure and produced six amazing (three for spring and three for summer) looks that have me peeking down random holes for any sign of a Groundhog.  All six looks were the result of custom blended nail colors from Essie and Deborah Lippmann by the three A.K.S Nail Technicians Kelly, Doris and Rita.

For Spring the looks were very soft, feminine and ethereal.  The three custom blended shades for Spring are Greek Goddess, Baby’s Breath and Lilac in the Tuleries…I feel ethereal just saying them out loud.

The looks for Summer are flirty, fun, edgy and sexy…I can definitely picture them on the likes of Rihanna,  Katy Perry and even Lady Gaga.  Of the three shades (Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Polka Dot, Sizzling Summer Pink and Hot Poppy) my favorite is Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Polka Dot (try to guess which one that is from the pic).

Of course one simply cannot attend a Manicure Trend Event without sampling one of the trends.  The shade I chose was Lilac In The Tuleries…with the exception of the white tip.  The shade looked great on my skin tone and although it was Lilac it seemed to go with everything I wore that week.  I also left with tips from my nail technician, one being that the white spots  nails do not indicate a calcium deficiency as many people think, but is actually a sign of dehydration, the other tip was that miniaturization right before bed is necessary in the prevention of dry cuticles and hang nails.

With this winter seemingly being one of the worst I can recall in a very long time, it was great to experience (if even very fleetingly) a taste of early Spring.

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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