Fashion week is here!! We can't wait for the Lorick show today! Check out this great audio on the beginning of NYFW http://cot.ag/dnWTbW

Check out all the new Repêchage Press coverage in the UK! Are you our fan on Facebook? http://cot.ag/cMhuNg

Lydia's recap of SpaExec and United Aesthetics Organization (UAO) Check it out http://bit.ly/aodqwV & let us know what you think

Exclusive Interview: Yolanda Amador Leading Spa Consultant Talks About Spa Projects & Skin Care Training http://ping.fm/OMBFr

Lydia Sarfati's New Blog Post - International Spa Trends & New Spa Concepts. http://bit.ly/9EMI5y

RT @RemedySpa: The Famous @Repechage Four Layer Facial is available at Remedy! Treat yourself to this decadent facial today!

Lydia's Birthday Today! Get 20% Off on ALL Repêchage Orders. Offer Ends Tonight...July 8th Midnight EST. Visit http://www.Repechage.com

It's Lydia Sarfati's Birthday! Celebrate with us and enjoy a 20% discount until midnight EST! Happy Shopping! http://cot.ag/6LOPt4

Ghana just scored! 1-0!!

Ghana vs Uruguay in world cup right now--Go Ghana!!

Lydia is teaching a Classic European Facial class at headquarters today! What is your favorite Repêchage facial? We love to hear from you!

We have our lights off and our blinds open today at Repêchage. Who else is saving energy on this beautiful Friday?

Check out this amazing special on our Limited Edition 6 oz Vita Cura Triple Firming Cream! As seen in @Glamour Magazine http://cot.ag/9yCTgE

New Blog Post - How to get Involved in Medical Esthetics? http://ping.fm/AVKnW

New Blog Post - Creating a Facial for Father’s Day >> Mens Grooming Products & Tips - http://ping.fm/Y5mxZ

Repêchage Hosts Three Day Face and Body Treatment Workshop Academy

New Blog Post - Repêchage Hosts Three Day Face and Body Treatment Workshop Academy >> Special Guest, Arinola Adeniyi - http://bit.ly/ac86s8

Repêchage is Turning 30! >>How did Lydia Start The Skin Care Company?

Interview with Lydia Sarfati. How She Started Rêpechage and Where She Plans on Taking It.

Lydia Sarfati, CEO and Founder of Repêchage is continuing to expand what started as the one and only Four Layer Facial and a 12 sku product line to what is now a skincare empire. There have been changes over the years, in location, in number of employees and there has been expansion!

Lydia speaks about her motivation to continue providing results-oriented skincare, and also shares what inspires her and her many accomplishments along the way. She gives way to an overall view of a successful life from raising her family to her family joining her workforce. Catch a glimpse into the life of a CEO with an around the clock schedule, a world travel itinerary and get a first look at the trans-continental Repêchage collaboration launch of Lydia’s second brand, Kanshi. 

Check out our interview with Lydia and be a part of the past, present and future of Repêchage!

To Read the full interview please visit www.LydiaSarfati.com

LydiaSarfati.com New Launch!

We're happy to announce the newest addition to our family at Repechage: www.LydiaSarfati.com - a forum designed to provide advice, education, interviews, knowledge, real life experiences and much more to the professional skin care business.

Join us as we spotlight the hottest beauty trends, interview salon owners and beauty executives, share knowledge, and provide you with information about the world of skin care and beauty in great detail.

We hope you'll stop by frequently to read our posts and start your own conversations about skin care, beauty, salon, spa—whatever your heart desires.

Look forward to your success!

Lydia Sarfati

Going Green! Salon & Spa Marketing Tips for a Better Tomorrow

Going Green!

For your clients- For your Business- For your Planet

Consumers in the beauty world are now more eco-friendly & educated than ever! We have discovered that our skin is a mirror, ultimately reflecting what is going on inside of our bodies. With this in mind we find it logical that the best way to take care of our skin is to rid it of impurities! Pure and natural beauty will shine through when you “green” up your skincare routine.

Research shows customers who are motivated to shop for natural, organic beauty care products also consider the ethics of the salons and companies they purchase those items from. Beauty lovers who have a genuine concern and support for the environment are generally drawn to salons and spas that take steps to use natural products and reduce their carbon footprint.

Going Green in your spa can be costly initially but in the long run it will help you bring in the $GREEN$. Spas who invest in turning their space Green generally earn their money back within the first 1-2 years they are in business. So, you are ready to start going green, but what makes your spa “green”? Green spas use therapies that conserve energy and water. They recycle materials whenever possible and actively seek ways to reduce waste. The use of natural and organic skin, hair and nail care products in green spas is a huge focus point as well. In general, the mission of a green spa is to show a responsibility to their guests and to the environment by reducing exposure to toxic chemicals, minimize generation of hazardous waste and to conserve energy.

Going Green at home can be a challenge in your daily life. But imagine how tough it must be for green-minded salons. All day energy use and mountains of old hair are just the beginning of the obstacles these salons face. Below are some easy ways salons can take steps to flip the green switch…

Lighting

Make lighting in the salon more efficient and effective. Update lighting systems by installing LED and Halide lights which will create the right balance of light for stylists. These lights are 3 times more powerful, but use only a fraction of the energy and heat as halogen bulbs and will drastically reduce electricity bills.

Appliances

Improve the efficiency of your appliances. Hair salons obviously can’t let their clients hair dry naturally, but choosing to install energy-efficient hair dryers can cut costs and reduce electricity consumption.

Recycling

Recycle all product packaging and reclaim your customers packages for recycling purposes as well. Many salons offer clients 10% more in product refills if they bring back their old bottles, which reduces waste. Also, start to use unbleached paper products in the salon.

Hair Clippings

If possible, reuse old hair clippings. Salons can enroll in programs that recycle old hair clippings for various uses. Matter of Trust, is a company that takes donations of hair clippings and recycles them to make mats used to clean up oil spills around the country.

*Find out how to participate in this program or donate to Matter of Trust.

Water Consumption

Use low flow faucet aerators and low flow showerheads to reduce water consumption.

Other ways
Green spas may also provide robes made of natural fibers, provide recycling containers through the salon, use natural sources of lighting where ever possible, maintain a Zen-like atmosphere and an emphasis on nature in the décor.

Going green not only benefits your salon and spa business but your clients and your planet as well. Check out the local programs in your area that can help fund your Green business and give you the tools and ideas you need to make it happen!

For example, in New York visit the website for NYSERDA whose aim is to help businesses in New York meet energy goals by reducing energy consumption, promoting the use of renewable energy sources, and protecting the environment.

With the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day swiftly approaching on April 22, 2010 what a perfect time to start taking these steps to be more GREEN at home and in the spa! We take hours every day to make ourselves look and feel beautiful, let’s start beautifying the environment at the same time!

This article was brought to you by Guest Columnist: Jill Walker of Repechage.

What was the inspiration for bringing seaweed into cosmetics?

Snow Can't Stop Beauty Pros! InterCharm Global Beauty Event

Last week, I was so happy to attend the InterCharm Global Beauty Event in Kiev.  InterCharm is a three-day exhibition for perfume and cosmetics industry professionals. 

When I arrived, I was so surprised to see how many people had attended, even with a big snowstorm from which the roads had not yet been cleared. There were many large American nail companies like Essie and OPI.  But the beauty show was dominated by medical estheticians.  The cosmetologist and dermatologists in Europe are very into injections- you can't imagine all the huge lips and puffy chipmunk cheeks gathered in one place!

At the Repechage booth, we demonstrated facial treatments and the Opti-Firm Eye Contour Treatment at the Facial Bar.  It was a new concept for the people to have these treatments done sitting up, and it was extremely well received!  In addition to our booth demonstrations, I gave two classes on anti-aging and acne and presented the Repechage signature Four Layer Facial.

On the last day, I helped to judge the facial competition created by Dr. Irina Medvedeva, President of the Ukraine Society of Estheticians.  The estheticians were judged on the following:
Cleansing
Peeling
Massage
Application and removal of mask
Protection
Makeup
Proper analysis of the skin and home recommendation

The winner was so excited to receive a first class trip to the US!

It was a great show and I was thrilled to be a part of it and now to be able to share it with you.  I have a very busy week ahead of me as I went from the Ukraine straight to Africa! Exciting news to follow!

Pictures to come...be sure to check back!

How to Wash Your Face & Proper Facial Cleansing Video Tutorial

I uploaded a YouTube video about How to Wash Your Face & Proper Facial Cleansing. It actually goes with the blog post below this post. Here is the Permalink for How to Wash Your Face. Proper Facial Cleansing: More than Just A Splash of Water!



The video demonstration by Lauren, from Repechage, is taken from my chat with Glamour Magazine (see February issue on newsstands p.44) about "Great Skin...a few basics right at your bathroom sink"

If you have a YouTube account, can you please login and 5 star the video and add it to your favorite list on YouTube and add comments if you enjoy it. Also, please pass the video along to your friends to make it viral.

I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks,
Lydia

How to Wash Your Face. Proper Facial Cleansing: More than Just A Splash of Water!

I recently had a wonderful chat with Glamour Magazine (see February issue on newsstands p.44) about "Great Skin...a few basics right at your bathroom sink" and I wanted to share with you the steps to effective at-home skin care for your skin type.

The foundations for any skin care regimen consists of cleansing (which includes the removal of makeup and dirt as well as exfolation), protection and hydration. It is crucial that you learn your skin type and develop a  skin care program accordingly. Below are my skin care tips to glowy, healthy skin:

Cleanse:

No matter what your skin type, you should always choose a cleanser that is soap free. Soap does not belong on your face! That being said, all cleansers are not created equal. Be sure that you are choosing the right cleanser for your skin type.

Oily and acne/ blackhead-prone skin types should choose a gel, foam or mousse cleanser with a neutral pH and mild salicylic acid, no more than 2%. Repêchage Hydra Medic Foaming Gel Cleanser deeps cleanses without causing dryness and uses Triclosan to help control problem causing bacteria. Repêchage Hydra Refine Gentle Cleansing Mousse helps eliminate pore-clogging oil, minimizes shine and fights blemish-causing bacteria.

Dry skin types should use a cream cleanser with a pH of 5 to 6, which is slightly acidic. Repêchage Hydra 4 Cleanser is a gentle creamy cleanser designed to remove debris and makeup while protecting skin. Olive Leaf, Olive Oil and Seaweed formula calms skin and gives superior protection to the skin’s moisture barrier.

Work the cleanser in circular motions. Mousse cleansers should be removed with about 6 splashes of water. Remove cream cleansers with cotton. Pat dry with facial tissue or a clean, soft face towel. You don’t want anything too abrasive on your skin.

Exfoliate:

There are so many over the counter facial scrubs with abrasive ingredients. These tend to cause invisible tears to the skin and do more harm than good. The purpose of exfoliation is to remove dead skin cells, renewing the surface of the skin. This should be a gentle process.

Repêchage Honey and Almond Scrub uses almonds which are rounded for gentle exfoliation that won’t damage skin. It is excellent for dry skin as honey naturally hydrates.

For Oily types, Repêchage Hydra Refine One-Minute Clarifying Mask deep cleans and absorbs oil without drying. Tiny spheres of rice bran wax exfoliate gently.

Repêchage Rapidex Marine Exfoliator with Phyto-Marine Actives is a unidose program that rids the skin of dead cells. Rapidex is what I like to call “measured exfoliation” because it comes in safe and effective pre-measured swabs. Excellent for all skin types.

Toners and astringents are an additional part of cleansing. Toners work to restore pH balance to skin and astringents help to control oil and breakouts. Dry skin types are more likely to use toners, such as Repêchage Hydra Dew Smoothing Toner Pads, which are saturated with seaweed to bind and restore proper moisture and reinforce the pH balance of skin. For oily, choose an astringent like Repêchage Hydra Refine Astringent Pads which helps to control oil and minimize pore size.

Moisturize:
Those with dry skin should choose moisturizer that contains humectant ingredients to attract moisture and/or lipid ingredients to bind moisture. Humectants include hyaluronic acids, mucopolysaccharides and glycerine. We use seaweed in Repêchage products because it has a high sugar content which attracts moisture.

Repêchage Hydra Dew Moisturizing Day Cream makes skin visibly dewy with an exclusive seaweed-based formula that restores the skin’s natural Hydra-lipid layer for long term hydration.

Oily skin should use oil-free moisturizers with humectants. Repêchage Hydra Medic Mattifying Moisturizer uses a micro alga to help control excess oil and shine.

Apply moisturizer with light, long strokes- do not rub in!

Now that you have the basics, I wish you happy cleansing. Here’s to beautiful skin!