The beginning of our business!

We found a location in Glendive for our business, so for the next few weeks we will be finishing up the paperwork and other legal necessities, remodeling the space to our preferences, and getting everything moved in.  It is all coming together finally, and we are so excited...also stressed and anxious with all the chaos, but above all, SO excited!  We plan on opening to the public in the middle of January.  Online business profiles/websites have been started, so you will see those soon....and also the name we chose, contact info, service and product details, pictures, and lots more!  See you soon!

The path to my dream business

Our plans took a bit of a detour, so here is an update.  It was a big decision for us, but my husband and I moved to Glendive to be near my family in August of 2016.  We've had multiple bumps in the road and some job changes that prevented us from setting aside money for the business, but we are back on track for opening our salon, day spa, and boutique.  We have a large chunk of the tools and equipment purchased, but there is still a lot more we need.  If everything goes according to plan, we will be opening later this year.  Of course, website and social media pages will be created and maintained once we are closer to opening.  It's been about 10 years since I've had salon clients in Glendive, so I will have to rebuild my clientele, but we will have the help of our employees, friends, and family.  I am beyond excited for this new chapter in our lives.  I am currently not selling Amway products, and I'm not sure if I will again, but we will definitely carry other brands of professsional beauty products.  Thanks for reading! I look forward to sharing further progress and pictures of our new venture with you.

New Amway products!

Recently Amway has created some new products and updated some products, so I'm going to tell you a little about them.  The links will take you directly to the products on my Amway selling site, where you can order.

They re-vamped their men's skincare line; it's now called Artistry Men.  It contains 5 products - Gentle Face Wash, Smooth Shaving Foam, Post Shave Toner, Serum Concentrate, and Facial Moisturizer.  The benefits of these products are to help skin with oil control, hydration, smoothness, repair, and minimizing fine lines and wrinkles.

http://www.amway.com/stephanieh/Shop/Product/Category.aspx/mens

Artistry Exact Fit Beauty Balm Perfecting Primer was created to improve the makeup experience, and it has an SPF of 35 to protect against harmful sun rays.  You can wear it alone for the look of minimal makeup, or you can wear it underneath your other foundation to make the foundation blend easier, enhance your foundation, extend the wear of your foundation, make skin texture appear smoother, and hydrate your skin.  http://www.amway.com/stephanieh/Shop/Product 

Another new beauty product is Artistry Ideal Radiance Illuminating Color Correction Cream, and it has an SPF of 50 to protect against harmful sun rays.  This product is a tinted moisturizer that brightens skin tone, reduces redness, and diminishes dark spots and skin imperfections.  It is part of the Artistry Ideal Radiance skincare system, which also includes Cleanser, Moisture Lotion (toner), Moisturizer (for oily skin), Moisture Cream (for dry skin), Essence Serum, and Spot Corrector. 
http://www.amway.com/stephanieh/Shop/Product/Category.aspx/Beauty-Artistry-Ideal-Radiance

Nutrilite has put together Tailgate Bundles.  They have BodyKey Whole Grain Tortilla Chips, BodyKey Mixed Nuts & Pumpkin Seeds, and your choice flavor of Nutrilite Twist Tubes 2GO-Fruits and Vegetables (Mango-Citrus or Twisted Berry).  Plus, they are currently 15% off!
http://www.amway.com/Shop/Product/Product.aspx/Amway-Tailgate-Bundle-Special-Offer

XS Sparkling Juiced Energy's new flavor is Dragon Fruit.  XS Sparkling Juiced Energy contains as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, plus it's 25% real fruit juice and contains 200% of your daily recommended vitamin C intake, without extra added sugars.
http://www.amway.com/Shop/Product

BodyKey Meal Replacement Shakes are updated with the new flavors Cinnamon Swirl, Dutch Chocolate, French Vanilla, and Strawberry Cream.  These creamy, delicious shakes  are a well-balanced meal and can replace up to 2 meals per day.  They are an excellent source of protein, with whey protein concentrate and soy protein isolate.  They contain 22 essential vitamins and minerals and have no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.  They are also gluten free.  Just combine 1 scoop into 8 ounces of cold water.  There are also Ready-To-Drink Meal Replacement Shakes, available in French Vanilla and Milk Chocolate.  They contain many of the same benefits as the other shakes, plus exceed them in having 24 essential vitamins and minerals.
http://www.amway.com/stephanieh/Shop/Product/Category.aspx/Nutrition-Weight-Management-Shakes

BodyKey Meal Bars, Wellness Bars, and High Protein + Fiber Bars have been updated.  Meal Bar flavors are Caramel Cookie Dough, Mixed Berry, Caramel Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Brownie.  Wellness Bar flavors are Nutty Dark Chocolate, Coconut Almond, Cranberry Almond, Chocolate Cherry Cashew, and Super Berry Nut.  High Protein + Fiber Bar flavors are Chocolate Coconut, Triple Chocolate, and Chocolate Raspberry.  All of these are gluten free and contain natural, healthy ingredients.  They have no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
http://www.amway.com/stephanieh/Shop/Product/Category.aspx/Nutrition-Weight-Management-Bars

Nutrilite vitamin and supplement labels have a new look, and some of them even have new names.  http://www.amway.com/stephanieh/Shop/Product/Category.aspx/Vitamins-Supplements

I covered the basic information on these products, but if you want more detailed information, you can find it by following the links.  There are additional new products coming out in the next few months, and I will post on those when they become available.  Hope you found something new that interests you.  Christmas is coming, and Amway is a great place to do your shopping.  There is something for everyone.  As always, you can head over to http://www.amway.com/stephanieh to browse through all of the products.

Thanks for reading.

Changes Everywhere

I cannot believe all of the changes since my last blog post.  I've contemplated about some life choices so many times I can't even remember all of the past decisions I've come to.  The end goal was basically the same, but the journeys varied.  I'm just trying to figure out the best way to get there.  I know that seems quite vague, but let me explain a little of where I'm at.  I'm happily married, and we currently have no kids.  I work part-time at a retail job that I started 6 months ago.  I have updated my Amway business and new selling site (amway.com/stephanieh).  The salon part is where I'm at a major crossroads in this journey.  I quit working at the last salon about 9 months ago and have been delayed with starting at a different one, for various reasons.  I've been having such a strong desire to open my own salon, day spa, and boutique...for many years actually (as I mentioned in my 1st blog post).  It's almost unbearable to work at anyone else's salon because I've grown so impatient to start mine.  I feel very fortunate that my husband, from day one, has supported and shared this dream with me.  It will be a family-owned business (started by my husband and I) that will start small and grow as business prospers, in order to keep the business debt low or non-existent.  This means we have to save like crazy, which is very difficult in this economy (as you know)...but this is a dream we are determined to fulfill.  So in the meantime, we will work the other parts of our career paths...for now, there aren't many desirable salon opportunities available, but if I decide to work at one temporarily I will let you know. 

Spa Services

I keep seeing ads in magazines and on tv about do-it-yourself-at-home nail and skin products.  I understand that people want to save money, but for those that have had a manicure, pedicure, facial, body scrub, full-body massage, or scalp massage done in an actual spa, you can understand more where I'm coming from...why just settle for that at home stuff when the real thing is SO much more beneficial?!?! 

1. The relaxation doesn't even compare...you get to relax while someone else does the work.
2. Professionals were trained and know much more information about nails and skin than most people.
3. Spas have tools and equipment to make services more effective.
4. The massages we give during each spa service not only feel good, but have many health benefits:  improve circulation and get blood flowing, reduce or even get rid of stress and anxiety, ease pain, improve sleep, boost immunity, beat pms, raise alertness, brighten and bring back skin tone color, and ease disease treatments.

Don't settle for less than you deserve.  Everyone needs to pamper themselves occasionally.  I would agree that it's definitely necessary to take care of nails and skin at home, between professional services...but please don't skip out on those spa services.  Your body will definitely be thanking you.

I'm refraining from discussing hair and waxing services, among others, at this time, but I currently wanted to just discuss services that get massages.  Thanks for reading!

Dandruff or Dry Scalp

If your skin can get dry and irritated, it only makes sense that your scalp can, too.  Winter is especially harsh on our bodies, so use these tips to help keep your body healthy and comfortable.  Switch to a shampoo and conditioner specifically formulated for dry hair/scalp or dandruff.  Only wash your hair in mild warm (not hot) water, and only wash every 2-4 days (whenever your hair needs it).  Turn down the heat on your heat styling tools.  Use coconut oil on your scalp to relieve irritation and rehydrate.  Get scalp massages to stimulate your nerves, get blood flowing, and cause more oils to come out of your pores; plus the conditioners or oils used during the massage are like a deep conditioning treatment.  Use at home masques and deep conditioners on your hair and scalp, or get deep conditioning treatments at the salon.  If you live near Missoula, get a hold of me for salon/spa treatments.  I would love to help.

Artistry hydrating skincare

Hey just wanted to let you know about some of my new favorite products.  My face is normally oily, so of course I avoid using hydrating products on it.  Winter is so dry though, and my face seems dryer than ever, so I knew I had to change something.  I decided to try Amway's Artistry Essentials hydrating system.  I love it!  First of all, they smell so good but not overpowering at all.  They are also made with natural ingredients and leave your skin incredibly silky smooth.  Since when can you find face products that smell this good AND actually work?  I'm very satisfied.  If any of you want to try this hydrating skincare system or their balancing skincare system, I have samples you can try.  Plus, I'm currently using these products at the salon for my facial services so let me know if you want a facial.  The more I use Amway, the more I want to...I love my business! http://www.amway.com/Shop/Product/Product.aspx/Artistry-Essentials-essentials-hydrating-system?itemno=105489&pwsID=StephanieBishop

Career Passion

Don't get me wrong...I love my job and what I do, but it's nice when you have a great day with clients that just confirms you're in the right place doing the right thing.  We all need our passion renewed from time to time.  I constantly learn new things and see things from new perspectives.  I love that there are so many different types of people in the world, and I love when we can be open to new ideas and ways of life.  All of this happened in only a few hours.  I had inspiring chats with clients about helping others and pursuing dreams and happiness.  I fixed a client's horribly thick, crooked bangs that she cut herself...changed them into super cute, short, choppy, layered bangs.  I re-shaped & evened out eyebrows that were mismatched because of a disease that caused hair to stop growing.  I helped a client donate her hair to locks of love, and the result was a really stylish, layered bob.  I heard about family problems and complications that for the thousandth time made me extremely thankful for the family and fiance that I have.  I heard about hair habits that were extremely foreign to me.  These may seem like small tasks, but I was in the right kind of mood to let them affect me in a positive way.  That's definitely something that makes life more meaningful and worthwhile.

Yellow & Orange Hair

There seems to be an abundance of it.  Sure some people like it and want it, but when your goal was a pretty blonde color, no matter how light or dark, it's really disappointing to end up looking yellow, gold, or definitely orange.  I've been there myself, and to be quite blunt, I was horrified.  The absolute first thing you should do is have a hairstylist tone it for you.  This costs way less than an actual color application and is way worth it.  There are different ways to tone hair, but most toners work similarly and have similar results.  The toner I use has purple and blue pigments that counteract the orange and yellow shades in your hair.  The hairstylist will discuss with you your desired shade.  If you want a light blonde and your hair won't seem to lift higher than an orange color, wait some time to bleach your hair again.  Sometimes hair will stop processing if it's too damaged, so you'll need to let it recover a little before going lighter.  In the meantime, definitely get your hair toned so you're not embarrassed to go out in public.  Please don't try to tone your own hair at home; it's risky business and is better left to a professional.  After you get it toned in the salon, it's always a good idea to go buy a violet or purple shampoo to use at home because the toner will fade (it is usually semi-permanent); violet or purple conditioner is optional, but it IS made to help blonde hair.  Use the violet or purple shampoo & conditioner as often as it looks like your hair needs it.  Leave them soaking in your hair if you want to get better results.  Be careful not to over-do it though, or your hair will turn grey and purple; if that happens, no worries because it will calm down in your next few washes with using your regular shampoo.  These tips can be used for natural hair, colored hair, or bleached hair.  If you have any questions about this topic please comment below.  Thanks for reading!

My Career Background

Welcome readers.  I realized that I've used facebook and other sites to post photos and other concise info about my business, but I haven't taken the time to really talk about it - discuss my passions, my experiences, my favorite products, beauty tips & advice...so that's what I'm going to start doing.  I've been a licensed cosmetologist for over 7 years and been an Amway consultant for over 4 years, but there was usually another job I had to focus on, usually a retail store.  A few months ago I had finally had enough of the corporate world and decided to do cosmetology full time.  I love it, but now I definitely want & need more clients.  I rent space in a local salon & spa until I can save up money to open my very own.  Hopefully this blogging will take me up to that moment and far beyond.  I would love for anyone to join me on this journey.