My main blog for all services, beauty and fashion ideas, photoshots, contests and more!
So many of you have just squeezed in your last appointments before the total shut down of non essential services . We have all seen this meme and laughed at how true it is.
So what can you do to keep up your beauty routine and make what services you just got last you? or how to deal with grow outs if you can’t get in. Also I loaded this with extra memes to brighten up your day!!
Ever just go to grab your car door handle and your hand slips just enough to bang your nail…and it hurts soo much!?
No you’re not being whimp. Nail sprains are very common and they can cause tons of damage.
I have lately been getting many younger girls coming and booking appointments online for acrylic or gel nails. Getting nails is a big step for young ladies and social media makes it seem so normal that tweens think: ‘No big deal”. But they are.
This week is PRIDE MONTH!! As a cis-bisexual ally I love celebrating pride and meeting new people. I get to talk to many different people going through different transitions (coming out, speaking up or starting a full medical transition). I thought that this year I will officially share what I can do to help professionally on here.
In the past few years I have become very accustomed to talking and helping transitioning clients with figuring out new beauty and health routines. I am no medical expert and can only go by what feels right for each client.
But in lieu of people asking the difference between a men’s pedicure or a men’s leg wax than a woman’s: I say there’s none. Hair coming out of skin and nails growing aren’t much different between men and women.
I want to share some very basic information about this process. I am not a doctor but having guided research from great places like Elevate and Thunder Pride and talking with trans clients, friends and their families. This is just speaking from a professional esthetician and makeup artist.
Guests of Plan Your Day Thunder Bay 2019 made their own lip scrubs hosted by Scotia Kauppi of Sweet Cherry Spa & Carly Hughes of Wink Beauty Studio.
Cinnamon Lip Scrub + Plumper
Why This Works Cinnamon is a natural lip plumper, so if you want that Kylie Jenner pout without the lip injections, this scrub is a foolproof technique to achieve that. Cinnamon also acts as a natural exfoliator and helps you achieve smooth, soft lips instantly.
When you follow a bunch of medical stuff on instagram like me you find other random videos and photos that are very intriguing. Being a ex-morticians assistant and a esthetician: I love anatomy. I follow podiatrists, estheticians, dermatologists, nurses, morticians and corners/pathologists. My newest obsession is watching sclerotherapy videos; the removal of spider veins and varicose veins
It looks like a reverse lightning strike in your skin!
In light of the new Gillette ad that addresses “toxic masculinity” which I am not super going to go into but as a mother of a young boy this did make a tear or two form.
But why should women care about men’s razors and the male ad? We buy the nice pink and purple Venus ones! Which also have their own more open minded add (not as much as Dove products) this one has a tattooed lady and a woman with vitiligo (the bleaching of coloured skin). They have even taken the pink away for blue and neutral colours.
But do we really need products that are for men or women? the answer is pretty much no.
The only time you should really look at skin care products when it comes to your genetic gender is some facial skin care.
Male skin is 25% thicker, makes more collagen (so they don’t need or worry about anti-aging as much), and they have more hair growth which means a greater deal of sebum production which causes more blackheads. Men’s faces deal with more problems like ingrown hairs, blackheads, and large pores.
Women’s skin is more easily affected by androgen hormones which can cause flare ups of adult acne.
So if you don’t have a beard, can’t grow a beard, don’t have acne or have hormonal issues that you are consulting your doctor about then you really don’t have to care.
The rest is preferences that many of us have been taught over our lifetimes. Gendered marketing started in the 1920’s and was used for girls and boys toys but since then has exploded into every market. Look at some of the crazy shit companies make for him and her!
Your skin care and body products are meant for your skin type: dry, oily, aging, sensitive or, normal. That’s all you need to care about. Market trends are pushing away from scents in general because of allergies but if you like the smell of lavender who cares! Like it. If you like your pits to smell like New Irish Car then go with it! Don’t want to smell like anything? Then keep to sensitive skin care lines or search out for a line that doesn’t add perfumes or fragrances in general.
Even packaging is changing to more netural, simple packaging so we don’t have to think ones with flowers are just for girls or ones with black, blue and silver lines or black bottles are for men. Hell I only want black bottles to match my style at home more than anything.
Don’t worry so much and don’t pay so much for a product that is higher prices but marketed with your presumed genitals in mind.
Year 4 of Sweet Cherry. Another strong year with a jump in more services, weddings, clients and movies.
In February I took a nail art techniques course from Nadja Beauty learning different nail art techniques and updating myself on basic skills. This was a very low low for me and a very high high. Low because while I was in the class I was the oldest tech who had been doing it the longest. The new techniques for nail foils and fitting shapes are so much more advanced now, especially the Russian styles. But after my first day of just feeling old, I really enjoyed learning the new art techniques. Above you can see my 3D acrylic pieces that I made of a dragon eye and a raven skull.
In March I had a wonderful warrioress set with Silver Cedar Studio/ Depress Metal Artwork fashion house at Derelicte with all new pieces than before. Each piece was a specific idea with woad warrior celtic makeup to go along with it. See above photo of model Diane with her buster sword.
In April I worked on “Where the Poppies Grow” as the head of makeup and special effects. This was a very close to the heart job for me, coming from a strong military family. The movie is set during WWI and focuses on the real life letters between a brother and sister from Thunder Bay as he is shipped off to war. Realism was the goal and with help from the CATSIM kit the military loaned me: I made great use of their prostheses and made some great effects. The movie premiered on the start of Vetrans week along with a military parade and has gone on to win numerous awards. See above to the wounder solider on a stretcher.
Another movie “The Discarded“: I had worked on a few years ago has also been winning awards at different festivals and its been nice to see that come up all year.
Halloween was extra busy this year as it was also the same day as Thundercon! So I had to give up my annual space for my Thundercon Workshop to stay at work. My Client Grimace the Butler definitely amped up our halloween collaboration game this year. He went as MGK and I was tasked with making custom rub on tattoos to match the famous rappers ink. Unfortunately I ran out of paper and ended up hand painting as much as I could of his back piece which is a portrait of Salvador Dali’s “Horses”. One of my rev-up to Halloween looks which was a quick piece I did in my bathroom at home turned out to be my most popular ever look, making friends and family think it was real. See above to the middle photo of me.
I graced the pages of The Walleye yet again with a piece about me as a makeup artist written by my beautiful friend Lea Morningstar. (Top right corner of photos) Lea has started writing now monthly for the magazine and I wish her all the luck to keep going with interesting pieces of “What’s Inside of…?”
This year at The Wedding Show: Fall Edition I was asked to do a presentation. I chose to do a talk about makeup looks and how trends can date you. With the wonderful help from Unveiled Bridal Boutique who lent me the dresses for my models and Bunnydeer hatbox for the hair pieces, and to all my models who helped out. I was able to talk about the reason why we call them “Blushing brides” I am not dissing any trends or those who want the instagram brow, sparkle lids with dark smokey eyes or dark or nude lips. I love those looks but also weddings aren’t the time to take risks with new trends. See top middle of me and my brides.
Thank you everyone for all your support and I will continue to look for new opportunity to better myself and my craft!
I am now taking online and in shop orders for Derma e and MUD makeup. If you want to order online you can click the links below to save your own copy and either fill out online and email back to scotiamua@shaw.ca or print bring it into the shop( I also have copies already printed in the shop). Orders are processed within 1-2 business days and takes about a week to come in. Orders must be paid for upfront.
Don`t forget that I have lots in stock at the shop too! But I can always order what I don`t have in stock for you!
We all have the same types of images that go through our head when we hear “Cruelty-free cosmetics”; the pig with lipstick on it, the monkey wearing nail polish, rats dyed with different hair colours and more.
There has been a big swing in the right direction as cosmetic companies have been switching to more ethically based testing and becoming cruelty-free. Many countries are banning testing on animals at all (Canada is one of them!) “43% of consumers are even willing to pay more for products that are not tested on animals.” – businessoffashion.com Though I do find many companies (such as Dermae available for order and sale in spa) still keep their prices reasonable, because being nice shouldn’t come at a price.
Sweet Cherry Spa 