Makeover GiftPresent Her With Free Beauty Services & Secret Style SpotsWe all love a good beauty makeover, don’t we? As the saying goes...what a difference a day makes...a makeover day! T.V. shows like “What Not to Wear” and “Ten Years Younger” are both popular, and give women the chance to get expert help with clothing and makeup. But you don’t need to be on T.V to make it happen… With a little planning, you can organize a makeover day – a great experience gift. A perfect gift for her birthday, graduation, Christmas or any other celebration, and one that makes good economic sense! Free Makeup Makeovers
Another way to treat her is to schedule a free makeup application. If you want to give her a gift card you can have her bring it along. Make it an event! Buy her a cocktail if she is 21 or over, and bring a camera along for a “before” and “after” picture so she can keep the memory of her makeover gift day with her.
Here are some great places to go for complimentary cosmetics application. OriginsOrigins is a worldwide cosmetics chain specializing in eco-friendly beauty products. Origins stores are found in upscale malls and sometimes in department stores.What is extra-special about Origins is that the makeup artists will first give you a free mini-facial, and let you select from five different kinds: age-erasing, firming, redness relieving, brightening, or hydrating. When she has a mini-facials you can discuss color and ask for a makeup application. Find an Origins store near you or walk-in. Origins products average about $20-$60 dollars. They only sell their own Origins brand of cosmetics, but their products appeal to both older and younger women. One of best freebies around! SephoraSephora stores can be found worldwide and have an incredible selection of over 250 kinds of cosmetics, including their own Sephora brand. You can receive a free makeup, skincare or fragrance consultation. Reservations may be required if you want to be sure to get in on a certain day.Find a Sephora store near you. Sephora stores have cosmetics to appeal both to both adventurous, wild women who like bright colors (Urban Decay, Stila, Smashbox) and more conservative, traditional women who like classic brands (Yves Saint Laurent, Clinique, Lancome). Their products have a huge range in price from very inexpensive $5 - $100 or more. NordstromNordstrom has a stellar reputation for setting the standard of department store custom service, and it still a sure thing when it comes to getting help with a free skincare, cosmetic, and fragrance makeover. For more information contact a Beauty Stylist on the Nordstrom Beauty Hotline live chat or toll-free phone.Beauty Training Schools - Secret Spots for Style and Savings
So you want to spoil her but you are on a tight budget. Or maybe you’d like to treat her to twice the amount of salon services for half the price. How about getting a $150 dollar hair color for only $15 dollars, or a $75 dollar haircut for free? Is she willing to be a little adventurous? If so, there is a great solution… If you live near a major metropolitan city, you have two choices to indulge her. You can either book an appointment on a training night at a regular salon or at a training salon school. A Special Salon NightMany top-notch salons offer haircuts and colors free or at a reduced rate one day a week, usually in the evening. You can turn this into an amazing makeover gift by booking her an appointment and coming along to keep her company. Services are done by students supervised by trained professionals.Allure Magazine put together a fantastic directory of training day prices at chic salon nationwide. Have a look! Find a Makeover Gift with the Allure guideSophisticated Services, Cool Schools
Whether it is called an institute, academy, or school, these training salon services make for great gift giving. Services are performed by students under the supervision of professional instructors, so you'll pay much less, sometimes 50% - 80% less, but the quality brings clients back again and again. Make it a memorable makeover and experience gift for her. You can get her a haircut, color, manicure, pedicure, massage, facial, body scrub, waxing, and many other treats, at terrific prices! Check individual training school and cosmetology websites, as many offer gift card or gift certificates. Aveda Institutes and AcademiesGreat for: Eco-conscious women who like an earthy, green atmosphere, women who like both sophisticated and classic styles. Aveda institutes have always been a favorite of mine, and have largest selection of spa services that I know of. I love the yummy natural plant-based fragrances in their shampoos and conditioners like cherry bark and rosemary mint. The salon in Dallas plays trendy pop music in the background in the hair-cutting section, but the spa area is very serene and quiet, and has nature sound, or zen music playing. Try them out for a gift she will love. If you live in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or Washington D.C. you can find information about Aveda Institutes online through the Aveda Beauty Basics website. Aveda Institutes, Beauty Basics, Inc.To find other United States Aveda Institutes click here. To find Canadian Aveda Academy Salons click here. To find International Aveda Academy Salons click here. Paul Mitchell Partner SchoolsGreat for: Women who like Paul Mitchell products, women who like green, American-made products, women who want a microdermabrasion treatment (offered at selected locations) Rivals Aveda Institute for the amount of services offered. John Paul Mitchell Systems has an extensive selection of products! Over 90 products (including the brands Paul Mitchell, Modern Elixirs, Tea Tree, Paul Mitchell Pro Tools™ and Paul Mitchell Professional Hair Color). All John Paul Mitchell Systems hair and skin care products are manufactured within the United States. Peppermint sea twist body wrap anyone? :) Services differ by location.
To find the Paul Mitchell Partner School near you click here.
The Salon Professional AcademyGreat for: Traditional women who like an incredible bargain, Redken products fans. The Salon Professional Academy (called TSPA) is a Redken training salon. My girlfriend here in Dallas, TX got a stunning cut and color from these folks. TSPA has many locations nationwide. Check the TSPA map for a spot near you. and then look at all the great TSPA services!Sassoon Academy School Connection MembersGreat for: Conservative women, women who want a long established brand. These schools are a little trickier to find online, but as the Vidal Sassoon school has long been thought of as the gold standard in hair style, it is definitely worth it! You will need to do a search for the phrase "Sassoon Academy School Connection" and the name of your city or state. If a member school is available in your area, the website will have the Sassoon Academy School Connection logo on it. Here's an example from California,
three locations of the San Diego Beauty Academy.
Once you find the right website for your area, will need to look for a link that says, "Salon and Spa Services."
Toni and Guy AcademiesGreat for: Younger women, women who want very trendy, cutting edge urban style and atmosphere. Toni and Guy Salons began in London and have expanded worldwide. Their cutting-edge styles are featured in many fashion magazines in Europe and the U.S. To find a Toni and Guy academy near you click here and choose the "Academies" tab.
The Gift of a Personal ShopperYou’ve probably given her a gift card for clothing in the past, right? Well, why not take the card with you and make an event out of the gift so she can experience a makeover gift with you. Start by setting up a free appointment to meet with a personal shopper (also called a personal stylist) at a quality department store. Many women believe that you must pay for this service, but it is not true! This is a free service. Here are three U.S. department stores that have personal shopper services at no cost, and links to the contact forms to schedule an appointment. Get your makeover gift started now: Macys Personal Shopper Contact FormBloomingdale's Personal Shopper Contact Form Nordstrom Personal Shopper Contact Form Make the AppointmentWhen you make an appointment, the personal shopper will ask you questions to help decide what type of clothing to select. You will need to know her dress, top, and pant size, as well as her hair and skin coloring (fair and blonde, olive or dark-skinned, for example).Try to remember what she always says she has trouble finding…is it pants that fit just right? The perfect party top? Colors or shapes that flatter her? Let the personal shopper know any special requests you have. If you want to keep this a secret for the woman you going to treat, just let her know that you have a surprise activity planned for her and plan to spend at least an hour at the store. This could be a very enlightening and helpful appointment for her! My Own Personal Shopper StoryWhen my sister scheduled me an appointment with a personal shopper at Macy’s and I found out I had been choosing the wrong length of pants for my height.What a surprise! I’m 5’4 ½, I am right on the cusp of being petite, and always shopped in the petite department, but the personal shopper told me that I really should be shopping the regular department and tailoring my pants at the hem. It has made a huge difference. My work history has often involved high profile publicity events with the television media, the press, community leaders, and sometimes a governor, so I needed to look my best. The Amazing Personal Shopper Experience...When you arrive at your appointment, the personal shopper will take you to a room where you all will be able to look at the clothing she has selected and try pieces on. If the sizing isn’t working, she will be the one going back to the racks to get a different size, color, or style, while the you can sit and chat. A fantastic way to shop.If you are the type of person who feels obligated to purchase something when you have received help from a personal shopper, please know that good personal shoppers don’t receive commission. This frees them to be completely honest about how the clothes look, and frees you from having to be worried that you need to buy something. So just enjoy – it feels incredibly decadent but doesn’t cost a thing. She will love it, and you can use the gift card on the spot if she finds something that looks amazing. A few final tips…
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