Last week I had the distinct pleasure of being an invited lecturer at the 2nd annual Dermalogica Middle East Congress in Dubai. And what an event it was! Perhaps more important than the event itself (and all of the fabulous information that was shared with the attendees) was the impression that they made on me. What a wonderful group of skin therapists! We had male and female guests from UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Kuwait and Iran. These countries are very different from where many of us reside, yet I couldn’t help but notice they had the same questions, issues and dreams about their businesses as their skin therapistcounterparts from around the world.

I was especially impressed with the group of 65 (primarily women) from Pakistan. At first it was theircolorful traditional Salwar kameez attire that caught my attention! Then, upon speaking with many of them individually, I was taken not only by their dedication and commitment to our industry, but their personalstories of how skin care transcends beyond the business and helps make a difference in others’ lives.

This concept resonated with me because in my 31 years in this industry, I know all too well that it’s not the scientific lectures or the products that I help to develop that gives me a sense of personal satisfaction. Rather, it’s the one-on-one moments where a skin therapist conveys to me how Dermalogica and The International Dermal Institute have helped them in their professional business. It has helped them to be more successful, and in many instances their success has ensuredthat they can put food on their family’s table and pay for their children’s education. When I hear how many of these women themselves are now committed to helping others in their community, it gives me great pride to be part of this industry.

In particular, one delightful woman stands out in my mind. Ms. Nighat Misbah is a successful business woman responsible for 30 skin treatment centers in Pakistan, and has also dedicated herself to a cause that is incomprehensible to most of us. In Pakistan, many women are subject to having acid thrown in their faces, or being doused in kerosene and set afire, if they scorn their boyfriends/husbands or bring shame to their family. This horrific crime leaves these women disfigured and scarred for life. Mrs. Misbah has joined forces with her sister to form the Depilex Smileagain Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps these victims with the medical recovery process, then helps train these women in a trade or skill, empowering them on the journey of rebuilding their lives. Ms. Misbah is using her career as a professional skin therapist to give a hand up to women who are desperately in need. The work and help that this organization provides is nothing short of heroic and today they have successfully helped over 400 women! I urge you to look at their website: www.depilexsmileagain.com/zakat.htm

I couldn’t help but appreciate the irony of the title of my presentation at this Congress: Zero to Hero. I talked about how there are heroes amongst us and that heroestake all shapes and forms, including education and products that raised the bar in an industry such as ours. Ms. Misbah is truly a hero to many, and I applaud her for her amazing work with women in her country. It also reminds me that each and every one of us can make a difference. At Dermalogica, our campaign with joinFITE is a simple way that all of us can give a hand up towomen worldwide. The amazing thing is it’s at no cost to you! Simply encourage clients who purchase joinFITE products to log on to joinFITE.org and enter the unique code, found on the product package. Once your clients unlock the code, Dermalogica donates the funds on their behalf. It couldn’t be any simpler, and yet it can make a difference for a woman entrepreneur, that just needs a helping hand.

I look forward to my return visit to the Middle East, and maybe even a visit to Pakistan to visit my new friends.

Kimberley Bosso is a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, founder and owner of “Queen B Makeup,” and celebrity make-up artist known for her editorial work in publications including ELLE, ROLLING STONE, POP STAR and many others. She’s done award-winning celeb makeup for the likes of Justin Bieber, Marissa Tomei, Andy Garcia, Taryn Manning, the “Jersey Shore” Girls, Matt Damon, Aidan Quinn and Zac Efron. Her work takes her to Fashion Week and red carpet events in New York, Paris, LA and wherever famous faces need to be perfected.

Kimberley also developed and teaches her 4-day intensive make-up course, providing a pro certificate upon completion in both beauty and airbrush make-up. In this course, all facets of makeup are covered, addressing what an aspiring artist needs to know to become a successful pro, including the business and marketing portion needed to get started. Students fly in from around the globe to attend this exclusive, one-of-a-kind course.

Kimberley’s also currently producing her own organic make-up and skin care line, writing a beauty/make-up book, and developing a series of makeup “how-to” DVDs.

QUEEN B’s ADVICE FOR SUCCESS:
“Something I share with my students is a quote from Muhammad Ali. He says “More than your skill, is your will.” You can be the best at what you do, and it’s important to be greatly skilled, but sometimes technique is not enough. Even more important: willingness to persevere through rough times. Belief in yourself! And most importantly, never give up the knowingness that you are great, and that greatness is waiting for you around the corner. “

HOW HAS THE DIGITAL AGE – RETOUCHING, PHOTOSHOP – CHANGED EXPECTATIONS SURROUNDING YOUR PROFESSION?
“The new technology does not affect my initial make-up in the slightest. I’m known to be a perfectionist in achieving flawless skin, so I have the intent to strive for the best when I’m hired to make up a model or celebrity. I do know first-hand that retouchers LOVE when they can refrain from having to spend hours perfecting a photo. They really respect when a make-up artist puts all of her effort into her work.”

WHAT DO YOU LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! ABOUT YOUR WORK?
“Besides it being lucrative, nothing beats the freedom of being your own boss. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t feel gratitude for being able to have a choice each day.”

WHAT QUALITIES DOES A PERSON NEED TO SUCCEED AS A PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIST?
“It takes will, tenacity, skill, and a personality that is tolerant and adaptable. Without sharp business skills, you’ll be eaten alive in this town. Oh, and never look back. Very important in any aspect of life.”

WHICH DERMALOGICA PRODUCTS DO YOU USE ON YOUR OWN SKIN?
“Each night, I love to use Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer. They leave my skin extremely smooth and clean by removing the dead cells that accumulated during the day. I’m addicted to this stuff. I also use the MultiVitamin Power Firm around my eyes, and the Age Smart® Super Rich Repair all over, along with the Intensive Lip Complex.”

Dermalogica Academy, located in the heart of NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood, ups the ante for future skin therapists. Beyond merely meeting licensing requirements, the challenging curriculum prepares the few, the proud, the brave to succeed in every aspect of the skin care profession. It’s intense. No more than 12 students per class. The preparation is for the industry, for life, beyond simply passing the State Boards licensing exam. Here’s what Dermalogica Academy Director Steven Frost has to say about making the grade:

WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 QUALITIES NEEDED TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE ACADEMY CURRICULUM?
Dedication – Our program is accelerated and jam-packed with advanced content to provide an unparalleled foundation for our future skin therapists to meet the market demand of the new consumer who expects more than a skin therapist. They expect the therapist to be a personal skin coach to expertly guide them to healthy skin… so it takes a unique dedication to become a this kind of skin therapist.

Passion – passionate about skin, passionate about people and being of service to them. When you love what you do and who you do it for… it’s remarkably rewarding.

Connection – to the material, to the craft, to fellow classmates and ultimately to clients through the power of human touch.

AND THE TOP THREE QUALITIES NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE SKINCARE PROFESSION?
Be Positive – Clients are attracted to great, authentic, enthusiastic attitudes – it’s the first step in building a client base.

Be Knowledgeable – Skin therapists must know exactly what they’re doing and why. Part scientist, that really understands the structure of the skin and how it operates, and part investigator, to find out what’s affecting the skin and why. You have to become an expert problem-solver, a researcher, a teacher… and the list goes on.

Be Willing – to do the work necessary to achieve success – from the basics of being on time – this business is about respecting client’s time – they’re paying for ours… to the mundane routine of doing the laundry. When you do skin… there’s always laundry… and everything in between.

WHAT MAKES A CAREER IN PROFESSIONAL SKINCARE SO APPEALLING?
First of all, can I just say, it’s a great living? And it actually has an economic future. The latest report from the US Department of Labor ranks Skin Therapist (okay, they may call it ‘Skin-Care Specialist’) as #8 in the Top Ten occupations with the highest percentage of growth through 2018. This is huge! Eight out of the Top Ten are health care-related – which is fantastic as we focus on health, not beauty.

A result of our ‘new’ economy, which may be a bit of a euphemism, we’ve sacrificed vacations or put off buying a new car or a home… but we are investing in ourselves, in order to learn something or to improve our health and well-being. Consider the success of specialty fitness centers like “boot camps,” barre classes, Pilates and spin studios – they’re booming! – and so is professional skin care.

At Dermalogica Academy, the focus is on skin therapy training, where the latest techniques and equipment support the new skin therapist. We give students everything they need to give a great treatment and educate their clients on how to take really great care of their skin. We’re a launch pad for new careers where one can gain the skill to become a licensed professional in less than 5 months… and the knowledge to be successful immediately. That’s pretty fast.

As I said earlier, it’s not for the faint of heart. It does take drive, persistence and stamina. But, for someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, this challenge can be more desirable than the anxiety of corporate downsizing, sitting in a cubicle, wondering if your position will be eliminated, or the newer term… ‘merged’… with just a mouse-click.

No job is “safe” in today’s economy! For some, the promise of financial independence, a flexible schedule, and the honor of literally touching people’s lives – we consider professional skin care to be one of the healing arts – is all the security they need.

DERMALOGICA ACADEMY
140 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011-2420
(212) 243-3000
www.dermalogicaacademy.com

By Vicky Dallimore
International Training Specialist,
DERMALOGICA

Having spent 9 years of my life in the UAE in the skin care industry I was always asked the question, “Are women considered second-class citizens, and are UAE women given the same opportunities as men?”

When I arrived in Dubai in 1998, I worked in a spa, which was visited predominately by ladies, especially UAE nationals. I found it extremely interesting to listen to their stories of success as young entrepreneurs. I quickly realized that being a young womon and a UAE national living in Dubai, they were now part of a generation of young women at the forefront of fast-paced cultural change.

For many years, it was considered inappropriate for women to speak to men outside their immediate family (meaning, not their fathers, husbands, brothers, sons) in public, let alone work with men or own their own businesses where they would possibly come into even casual social contact with men to whom they are not related. Now, the new generation that I spoke to and met are part of a generation that have a voice and want to be treated as equals.

There are many key, powerful women who are looking to change the way they are viewed and to change traditions. Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women’s Establishment, is a key figure within empowerment of women. I first heard about Sheika Manal through her ladies club in Dubai where I spent time training and introducing the Dermalogica brand to the spa therapists who worked there. Sheihka Manal is truly a visionary who plays such a huge part in enhancing women’s contribution towards the country’s progress. She holds a bi-annual conference on ‘Women as Global Leaders” and, as President of the Dubai Womens’ Establishment, she champions the cause of women and believes in enhancing and developing the talent of women in the UAE, along with educating girls in developing countries.

I also found it very interesting to see a UAE woman as a governmental minister. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi is the United Arab Emirates’ Minister for Economy & Planning. In November 2004, she became the first woman in the country’s history to assume a cabinet position. For many young Emirate women, Sheikh Lubna al Qasimi is already a role model.

In a country where women are the minority, and where patriarchal tradition and culture are so strong, I found it very significant to the times, and endearing to see that the role of women is changing and they are now being given a chance to succeed. They no longer have to be second-class citizens!

And never shall be again. Thank-you, Vicky. – JANE WURWAND

I recently posted about women in the Netherlands, and how a recent study conducted there raises interesting questions about defining women’s success (see the post, “MOMS RISING”).

Simply put, new studies demonstrate that Dutch women prefer to work part-time, and don’t seem to aspire to the bone-crushing, 90-hour weeks which define American women’s career viability. If you’re a woman and you work, I’d love to hear your comments on this in the COMMENTS section of our blog (click on “leave a comment” beneath the title).

The post about the Netherlands prompted a fascinating conversation with Emmy Hop, who is our Dermalogica Marketing Manager/Benelux in the Breda Area of the Netherlands. What I learned from this conversation is that the hard-driving super-achieving career model we have in America doesn’t work for Dutch women – nor, perhaps for Dutch men.

One key difference which immediately strikes me: Emmy describes a 50-50 split of the domestic workload between herself and her spouse, as well as backup from other family members. Most American women I know here in the States don’t have this arrangement, even when they work full-time.

Jane Wurwand: Here in the USA, working women are always talking about achieving a Zen-like “balance.” While managing a complex life requires skill, I think this idea of balance is an unrealistic expectation when you deal with a job, a marriage, a home. Add in a child or two into the mix – or even a dog! – and forget it!

Emmy Hop: You are right, there is no such thing as balance. However, it depends on the definition you give to the word “balance.” To me, balance is about putting energy in something and getting positive energy back. Furthermore, balance to me is that I have enough “me time,” lean back, take the time to enjoy both private life and work. Taking time for things is a source for creativity. Going over the edge is fine, enjoy! But take good care of yourself, because in the end, to put it bluntly, no one else will. You are the “human capital” to yourself, family, friends and employer. I always work from my own strength. Everyone has plenty of those!

Jane Wurwand: Americans are notorious for working more hours than most other countries and never taking time to stop and smell the roses – or, tulips in the case of the Netherlands. What do you think?

Emmy Hop: I can only speak about the Dutch work-style, since I am part of it myself. I have never worked in the USA, so I cannot judge. I work part-time, 4 days a week, although the 4 days do end up in more hours eventually. Like you said in the blog, Dutch women are very satisfied to work part-time. It’s not just young moms with young kids, either; half of our part-time female work force here is age 40 and up. In the Netherlands, 70% of women work, and most work part-time. If only full-time jobs were available, many women would not work at all. Flexibility is what makes the system function.

Jane Wurwand: You’ve said that your husband also works part-time, that you share the work of caring for your child and home, and that other family members also are there for you. What else makes it possible? How do you get dinner on the table every night without dropping from exhaustion?

Emmy Hop: It’s our attitude as a country. The day care our son goes to is fantastic. Kids can have their dinner there at 5 p.m. This service makes such a huge difference! No stress between 6-8 p.m. My husband and I have our dinner together after 8 p.m., so we have all of that early evening time with our son.

Shout out to our readers everywhere. I love LA, love being an American, but I think maybe we can all gain some working wisdom from our Dutch sisters!

Dermalogica Industry Insider Member and Celebrity Makeup Artist, Rea Ann Silva Shares Her Entrepreneurial Journey

After 20 years in the beauty industry, never in my wildest dreams did I think that a fuchsia-pink, non-disposal, egg-shaped, edgeless, seamless makeup sponge would be my claim to fame. Which just proves that being an entrepreneur is full of surprises.

Four years ago, I created the Beautyblender, which is the makeup sponge I describe above. I got the idea for purely selfish reasons. As a professional makeup artist, I was sitting with my team in a trailer on the Paramount back lot in Hollywood, while HD TV was making quite a buzz within the industry. I was posed with an even bigger challenge than ever before; not only was I responsible for making people look their best on camera—now they needed to be HD-ready with flawless skin for those close-up and personal moments.

Then, there I was, cutting up makeup sponges into shapes we could use, something that every makeup artist did. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I’d much rather be having donuts and coffee with my girls than cutting up sponges.

So, Beautyblender was born—a superior makeup applicator that is a “must” for those in the industry who are HD-Ready pros. But its success rests with everyday women. They love it because the perfect egg-shape makes it easy to apply everything from foundation, concealer and other products with no streaks or seams. They also love the fact that you don’t have to throw it away after just a few uses. Blendercleanser, the lavender-based cleanser for the sponge, reduces bacterial action and keeps junk out of our landfills, because the sponge may be used many, many times. Even the packaging is dual-use—it’s a pedestal where the freshly washed sponge can be further sanitized by oxygen and sunlight. And, when the well-used sponge has finally given up its little hot-pink, egg-shaped sponge-soul after many, many successful makeups, I urge people to send the worn-out product back to my company, where we recycle them en masse.

Lots of people think that they are “secretly” meant to be entrepreneurs, mostly because they’re bored with their day-jobs. This is like people who say they are “really” artists or writers.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I will say that there are sacrifices required. Time away from my family has been a huge investment, because I continued to work as a professional makeup artist so that I could get my sponge on the radar of the entertainment media.

The other qualities you need as an entrepreneur are persistence and focus. I was a bit naïve in the beginning, but I was also very patient. The key is not to get flustered to the point of defeat.

There were plenty of naysayers who did not take my idea seriously. At all. I got some very disappointing initial advice. If I had listened, I would still be sitting in the trailer, cutting up sponges, and wishing for a donut and coffee.
REA ANN SILVA
www.beautyblender.net

Comment on this post and share your entrepreneurial journey. Want to help a woman entrepreneur in this world? Join Dermalogica in helping 25,000 women from around the world to start or grow a business. Visit joinFITE.org to learn how.

OH, BEHAVE Keeping Manners in Mind
by Annet King

Being present, and giving a present—as in a gift—are one in the same, in many ways. This is an area of social life where people may be unconsciously rude, perhaps a little greedy. And it’s really a shame, because the giving of any gift, whether the gift is a delicious meal lovingly prepared for friends, or something you have taken the care and trouble to tie with a bow, really should be joyful.

I feel that gifts come in many forms. While there is certainly a time and a place for an actual material prezzie, in a box, wrapped in gorgeous paper and ribbons, other sorts of gifts may at other times be even more welcome.

For instance, when you need someone to patiently listen as you vent. Or, if you’re under the weather, someone to come over and give you a hand around the house—take out the recycling, water the plants, vacuum the rugs. When you’re melancholy, someone to pour you a cuppa tea (or maybe something stronger!) and tell you how much you are valued. These gestures of generosity are wonderful, heart-warming gifts, although they cannot be measured in monetary value.

The best part, therefore of giving any present is truly being present yourself. This means being able to transport yourself into the feelings of others. You can imagine how much your hostess’s feet hurt after the end of a long evening of entertaining, so naturally you’ll return the favor soon. When someone is courteous enough to ask how you’re doing, and remembers to ask about your cherished pet frog, you’re genuinely interested enough, or at least polite enough, to reciprocate. Find out what’s up with them, how their summer was, how that yoga workshop in Nepal went, etc. As always, the key to good manners is getting outside of our own selfishness. Even if you really don’t give a darn about the pet frog, it’s just nice to ask.

But back to the kind of present that’s tied with a tag and great big beautiful bow. Is it wrong to want material things? No. But I do think that as a society we’ve become craven, crass, callous. It personally seems, well, impersonal, to me when people announce what they want to receive as a gift. If they are so clear about what they want, then they may as well just go and pick it up for themselves.

My favorites to give and receive are simple, thoughtful, handmade gifts. Realizing that not everyone is an artist, or has the time to whip up an afghan, we can still be creative and heartfelt.

I also rankle at the expectation that you will supply a gift for a baby shower or other occasion. Weddings traditionally have a formal gift-registration, and thus nuptials are traditionally an occasion to expect a gift. Other occasions are not.

By the way, I am in favor of Lewis Carroll’s famously unceremonious “un-birthday”, and the whimsical, unexpected gift. If you’re strolling down the boulevard and you see a purple umbrella, and you’re moved to just snap it up for a purple-mad friend, why not? That’s a real joy. The spontaneity makes it as much fun to give as to receive.

But if this sort of serendipity does not make itself readily available, a card, a call, a hug, maybe of bottle of champers should be more than enough. Sometimes just remembering the date and sending a sweet email is enough to make someone’s day!

Begin by making yourself present, mentally and emotionally. Show that you care. This is priceless, and it’s free.

OH, BEHAVE Keeping Manners in Mind
by Annet King

As a member of the etiquette-police, I am always on a rant about people being inconsiderate which, unless they have incredible social graces, also amounts to being rude.

And on the face of it, sharing would seem like a good thing. As children, we are taught to share our toys, sometimes clothes and the attentions of our loved ones. As adults, we may struggle to share credit for good ideas (and the blame for bad ones) with colleagues, and so on.

But, contrarily, the wrong kind of sharing can actually be very poor form, in terms of minding our manners.

“Over-sharing” is a recognized phenomenon in psychotherapeutic circles. I think it’s an unwelcome outgrowth of the confessional style of some 12-step programs, and is further fuelled by cultural influences such as tattletale reality-television, where people reveal things on camera that I’d never even tell my teddy-bear in the middle of the deepest, darkest night. We may take an interest because we are inherently voyeuristic, and this is poor etiquette indeed.

Is sharing food at the table, as in eating directly from other people’s plates, good manners? I’d say not. If you simply must have a taste of your dining partner’s tiramisu, ask. If your dinner partner is a good sport, perhaps she or he will spoon off a taste and discreetly pass it to you on a saucer, as if you are the family pet.

Sneaking another’s pomme frites without asking is forbidden. I really think that women do this because they’re not gutsy enough to admit to their own cravings. There’s nothing I like more than a stunning girl who is confident enough to order the fully loaded burger and relishes every bite shamelessly! Don’t get me started on the couples who accompany you to dinner, and then share a main course — this practice really gets my goat. Just order your own and enjoy it! Don’t spoil the special and beautiful act of eating and being together by also telling me all the things you can’t, don’t, won’t eat, and calories you’ve consumed today. Learning that you will only consume 25 grams of carbohydrate per day is way more sharing than I need.

Other things which really should not be shared:

• Gossip. Just because you’ve heard something juicy is no reason to pass it on.

• Razors. And certainly not with someone you only know slightly, like a roommate. These implements can transmit blood-borne disease. (Ditto for the toothbrush – which I hesitate to even mention.)

• Cosmetics. Never mind that your BFF just begs to use your glitter lip gloss as you primp in the bistro ladies’ room. Don’t do it. Your lips and skin, yes, yours, swarms with bacteria, mostly, along with the occasional virus, yeast, mould and fungus. So does the skin of your friend. This is normal. But make-up breeds the bugs in notorious concentration. Conjunctivitis is the true test of friendship.

This last point leads me to a mini-rant on packaging. Choose skin care products that dispense measured doses from a sanitary and airless mechanism. For instance, always choose a pump, versus a big wide-mouth jar (the $500 “miracle creams” in pots always crack me up, for precisely this reason) with the cute “Barbie” spatula. The latter is contaminated as soon as the product comes into contact with the air. Add to this the fact that the product lives – and I do mean that literally – in your bathroom, where, like it or not, fecal bacteria thrive, even in the air, in the in most spotless facilities. And it’s no wonder bugs proliferate. You don’t want to share in the proliferation, even if you’re only sharing with yourself.

OH, BEHAVE Keeping Manners in Mind
by Annet King

We all dread taking the responsibility for directly making someone else feel bad. This would make us feel bad about ourselves; we want to believe that we are “nice people.” So, often we take a passive approach, and try to let silence speak for itself.

When you’re waiting to hear from a prospective employer, the silence is, well, deadly.

There are many parallels, notably waiting for someone you’d like to marry — or at least date == to call, email or text. There is a gender element in the latter, yes, although it may be an outdated one. But men as well as women experience the stomach-knotting angst of waiting for “the call” in both personal and professional contexts.

When you know perfectly well that someone is waiting to hear whether you will hire them, marry them, or perhaps simply invite them over for a game of checkers, say something. If the answer is no, try to do it face-to-face. (This is especially true of even a casual interpersonal relationship — who can forget when Carrie Bradshaw’s swain-du-jour broke up with her via a ‘sticky note”?)

Look them calmly in the eye, then simply say whatever it is that needs to be said.

• Don’t couch it in a lot of lawyer-ish back-story or preamble.

• Don’t editorialize or moralize about why or how you’ve reached your current decision.

• And don’t condescend with parental platitudes like, “This hurts me more than it hurts you”, because chances are, it doesn’t.

• Don’t apologize until, or unless, they burst into tears, in which case, keep it short (just offering a box of tissues may be sufficient).

Tell the truth. Tell it simply, briefly. Don’t go on and on. This applies in every medium: face-to-face, hard-copy letter, email, phone message, phone conversation.

Examples are:

“Your grade is an F. You will need to repeat this class in order to graduate.”

“You and I are no longer dating.”

“Your mother has run off with a matador, so dinner will be later than usual.”

“The position in question has been filled by another applicant.”

“There presently are no seats available until March, 2013.”

“This stain is pomegranate juice, and pomegranate juice never, ever comes out of white linen.”

It takes guts to tell someone something that they don’t want to hear. It takes the skill of a butterfly-surgeon to do so without absolutely smashing their self-esteem to smithereens. But saying nothing is the coward’s way out. And cowardice is rude.

OH, BEHAVE Keeping Manners in Mind
by Annet King

Is it okay to bring my child to the skin treatment center (spa, salon) while I have an appointment?
Frankly, I’d prefer if you brought your dog.

Okay, now before I am vilified as a child-hater, let me just say that I’m a dog-lover. There is a distinction.

Is it rude for a client or customer to bring a child to a professional appointment? Potentially, it is. This is because there are many other paying customers in the facility at any given time. And many of them are there, frankly, to escape the patter of little feet for a blessed hour or two.

Different skin treatment centers, spas and salons have differing policies regarding whether or not children may visit. If you choose to overlook these policies then yes, you are being rude. However, if the facility permits it, continue to keep the comfort of other clients in mind.

Also, if you have to keep an eye on little ones, you can’t really “be here now,” as the bumper sticker says. Distraction will diminish YOUR experience. If it’s a 10-minute brow tidy, it’s no big deal. But wondering whether your little darlings are getting into mischief for 60 to 90 minutes really makes your visit more stress than bliss for you as well as others present.

Back in the bad old days, proper people said that children were to be seen, not heard. These days, with ear-buds, texting, Droid and all the rest, utter silence among smaller people is possible, but this is a wasted opportunity. And it seems rather sad. Kids are insular enough these days; in fact, I honestly believe that their isolation leads to a distinct generational rudeness.

If you do choose to bring a child to your next skin care appointment, of course you must notify the skin therapist in advance! Then, my advice is to bring two. Because any skin treatment center worth its microfoliant can make it a fun, engaging, interactive, even informative experience for kids, and having a buddy makes it better. Reduces whining, “whinging” as we say in the UK, pouting, sulking, and demands for candy and designer clothes.

This presumes that your skin treatment center has stepped up their game with what we call the Skin BarSM, where customers perch on bar stools, pin their hair back, enjoy an array of products presented on trays, sushi-style, and clean up with cotton swabs and personal steamers. A healthy beverage, like a flavored smart-water, is good for the customer inside and out, and seems a bit glam.

But here’s the thing – once your kids hit the Skin BarSM, they’ll never want to leave.