Favorite's Fridays: Grateful 160

When is the last time you thought of all the things you are grateful for? If your answer is Thanksgiving then this is a great "favorite" for you. 

I stumbled upon GRATEFUL 160 when I went to the Spark & Hustle conference last year. One of the speakers mentioned this website and I had to look it up. The "160" in Grateful 160 is the amount of characters that you can reply with - like a tweet. 

Grateful 160 is an amazing service that allows you to think of all the things you are grateful for. They will send you an email once or twice a day that reads:

"Hi there Athena! What do you have to be thankful for this morning?" 

You simply reply to the email and it creates an online thankfulness journal for you. At the end of the week you will get an email that will show you all of your entries for that week. You can also log in to the website to see all of your entries. 

I think this is a GREAT tool for anyone. It gives you the opportunity to take a moment and think of something you are grateful for on a daily basis. What an amazing thing! Sign up - it's FREE!

Don't forget to "LIKE" GRATEFUL 160 on Facebook

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taken from their website- 

"grateful160 is a gratitude journal that gives you an email or SMS/textnudge up to four times daily to count your blessings. You reply with an email or text of your own with a short reflection of gratitude which is stored in your journal.

Each week you get an email summary of all you had to be thankful over the week or you can access your journal online"

Three Common Concerns About Permanent Makeup

Three common concerns about permanent makeup & cosmetic tattooing:

1) Is it painful?

While everyone has a different pain threshold. Most clients feel nothing, some feel a slight tickle and few feel a minor, tolerable, discomfort. Every permanent makeup procedure begins with a topical anesthetic to the appropriate area. If pain is a concern, do not drink coffee, alcohol or caffeinated beverages before a procedure. Caffeine can make you jittery and uncomfortable during a procedure. 

2) If it is permanent, then I can't change my look or style right?

Cosmetic tattooing is not to replace your conventional cosmetics on a daily basis but to enhance your natural features. You can always apply traditional, conventional makeup over your permanent makeup without hurting it! Permanent Makeup is intended to enhance your natural features and allow you to look naturally fabulous when waking up, while working out and every moment in between. While some do choose to use permanent makeup as a replacement to conventional cosmetics, it is typically due to allergies from conventional cosmetics, or an extremely busy lifestyle. 


3) Do you use clean needles?

I use brand new, never opened needles on every single client. Each time you come in for a procedure or follow up appointment, a brand new, never before used needle is used. At the end of your procedure, your needle is thrown away (in a special sharps container). No needle, barrel or tube is used twice. 

To learn more, visit
FOOLINGMOTHERNATURE.COM

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Up And At 'Em

Getting my hair colored by
the fabulous Carrie Jo @ Addison
Salon in San Francisco! 

Well, the cat's out of the bag. I recently had my second hip replacement surgery, I am doing wonderful and I wanted you to know!

Four years ago, my friend and I were in a car accident that totaled our car. In the accident I ended up hurting both of my hips and have had them both replaced now. I am thrilled that it is over, done with and I am almost ready to my dancing shoes back on!

My surgery was on Tuesday, March 26th and on Saturday, only 4 days after my surgery, my daughter and I had a girly day at the hair salon and walked a little bit. That night I went to dinner and a movie with my family too. (We saw Olympus Has Fallen - great movie)

Thank you for the many text messages, emails, phone calls and smoke signals that you have sent to me during my recovery. I am happy to report that I am out and about, back at work, and have my daughter and son-in-law helping me, chauffeuring me around and taking care of me. 

See you soon! 
xoxo, 
Athena Karsant

With my baby girl at the salon!
Mommy & Me beauty day!

Right after my eyelash tint!

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SPCP Conference 2013 - Las Vegas

If you are not willing to learn no one can help you! 

If you are determined to learn no one can stop you!

 

here are a few photos from the conference in Las Vegas. There are double of some of the photos because these were Facebook posts that I made. 

FoolingMotherNature.com

Favorite's Fridays - Witch Hazel

You may or may not know of the wonderful (though foul fragrant) toner/astringent called Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel has been used for many, many years for medicinal purposes by the American Indians. It was produced by boiling the stems of the shrub and was used to treat swellings, inflammations and even tumors. 

Today, you can purchase Witch Hazel at any drugstore, grocery store or superstore (i.e.: Target). I recommend Witch Hazel as a toner to my clients after they have had permanent makeup procedures because it is an effective natural pharmaceutical and is often used to cleanse the skin, treat acne, and is good for oily and combination skin types.

TIP: I love taking simple cotton rounds, placing them in a jar (one that previously came with similar face pads soaked in a toner), and pouring Witch Hazel on top of them so I can make my own pre-soaked toner wipes. They are great to keep by the bed too! If I am tired and want to wash my face in bed, I will use these or my favorite baby wipes.


Here are wonderful uses for Witch Hazel:

It's great for blemish control
Shrink bags under the eyes
Soothe poison ivy and poison oak
Soothe razón burn
It is GREAT to soothe a sunburn

AND MORE!

The Importance Of Eyebrows

Eyebrows are more important than you think. Look in the mirror and make a few different expressions (happy, sad, angry, surprised, shy etc). Your eyebrows are an important part of showing emotion! As we age, we tend to lose the tails of our eyebrows or we over-tweeze, and those precious hairs don't grow back! 

Here are some famous faces with their eyebrows removed via photoshop. Eyebrows make a BIG difference!

With all of my clients, I create hair tiny strokes so that your brows have depth and definition. No one will look at you and think your eyebrows are tattooed! There is a running joke in my office that when we have to tweeze a few hairs near our brows, we can't exactly tell which are real hairs and which are beautifully tattooed hair strokes. It is extremely important that each and every client leaves our office with brows that are specifically designed for their face. No two sets of brows are the same and there are no stencils used ever... that is what sets us apart.

The picture below is a great example of the technique that I use on all of my clients. To watch a similar brow procedure that I performed on a client on THE DOCTORS TV show, visit my my PRESS page on my website. (CLICK HERE) (There are two segments.)

Cosmetic Tattooing - Lips

Did you know that as we age the color  in our lips fade, and our lips even lose their shape! Just another thing to worry about as we get older... add it to the list along with gray hair and gravity. Many of my clients who've had their lips tattooed can look up to 10 years younger by perfectly defining their lips and adding a blush of color. No need to worry about pain; I only use the best topical anesthetics. Any cosmetic tattooing procedure is a multi-session process. I have found that it's better to start small and gradually build out your lips to be the perfect shape for your face, your look, and your lifestyle. I customize each color to compliment your undertones, hair and skin tone. What most clients experience and enjoy is the subtle plumping which is a side benefit of the procedure. It's as if you've turned back the hands of time to a perfectly shaped mouth a blush of color and plumping all in one. 

It's amazing how our body can reheal itself. The tattooing process can stimulate blood flow back into the lips. Also, if you desire a more pouty lip, tattooing even a millimeter outside of your natural lip line/shape can make a BIG difference in your lips and look.