First and foremost, I start out with one of our signature facials at the salon. I like to have a facial fairly regularly, but if you haven’t had one in awhile, now is a great time to slough off dead skin cells and start the warm, balmy weather with a fresh face. Have you tried our fresh strawberry brightening facial? Strawberries are loaded with salicylic acid and vitamin C so they’re naturally perfect for brightening and exfoliating the skin! It’s refreshing and rejuvenating just in time for summer. This is a seasonal facial so be sure to make your appointment soon!

Next up is a BRAND new product from Bumble and Bumble but I’ve been using it and LOVING it! The Surf foam shampoo is so fabulous for summer. It’s light weight, has a clean scent, and wipes out impurities to make way for soft texture that is made for the beach (and summer)!

Next up, lemon+ sage body scrub from Bliss! This product smells so fresh and so clean (just like Outkast sang back in the day)! It’s a great all-over body scrub that can be used once or twice a week. I like to use it Wednesday and Sunday. Definitely use it BEFORE you shave your legs!

What are your favorites for summer? Happy Memorial Day and remember to thank all who have served and died for our great country!

It’s not uncommon to hear me say that “my brides are my children.” It’s true–even though I have three children of my own, from the time I meet a new client, whether that’s at a preview meeting or on the day of the wedding, I feel a motherly responsibility for the duration of time that they’re in our hands. I appreciate and understand that they’ve chosen Make Me Fabulous to be a big part of one of the most important days of their lives. They’ve placed an enormous amount of trust and faith in our abilities and I’m so thankful.

Getting married is such an emotional event on so many levels, culminating on the actual wedding day. While the focus of that day is the bride and groom, the larger event is about family. We often get to work with the mother of the bride and groom, grandmothers, sisters, nieces, and sometimes daughters–generations coming together for such an important event. And we’re so honored by that.

Most of what we do at Make Me Fabulous is behind-the-scenes on a wedding day. Either the bride and her attendants come to the salon to get fabulous, or we go to the hotel where they are, or maybe we’re invited into a bride’s family home and set-up shop in the kitchen. Though we’re seldom visible to the guests, the role we play is a public one because we want every bride to feel their most beautiful and fabulous on their wedding day. We hope they do.

I do my best to remember this everyday, but I’m so very thankful for my family and, by extension, all the Make Me Fabulous brides out there. So, on this Mother’s Day, Make Me Fabulous is saying thank you to ALL the moms–for without them, there wouldn’t be any brides (or grooms)! Happy Mother’s Day!

And, don’t forget, we’re offering 50% off select products from Bare Minerals Ready and Philosophy in April to help make room for these new bliss products!

Moisturizer is SO important and should be applied within minutes of getting out of the shower to help your skin retain moisture and prevent it from drying out. I LOVE the classic Lemon + Sage body butter from bliss–so luxurious, thick (yet light–how do they do that?!), and paraben free!

Want to shed your winter skin and find your warm, inner glow? The Blood Orange + White Pepper body scrub and soapy suds will leave your skin feeling smooth and refreshed! The smell is incredible, too!

Looking to improve your “trouble” spots? Just in time for shorts season, check out Fat Girl Slim which will help visibly reduce the appearance of cellulite!

Lastly, bid a “farewell to fuzz” at home with Poetic Waxing microwaveable waxing kit! Helps keep hair at bay for at least four weeks!

Will you be stopping by the shop to check out these new products? We hope to see you soon!

Alayne

With Spring “officially” here (at least on the calendar) it’s time to put away winter and embrace warmer weather! There are so many great beauty trends for Spring 2013 and today I want to highlight some of my favorites!

Pink. So long orange and hello, Pink! We’re seeing pink eyeliner, pink lips, and pink hair highlights. Try one, try them all, but maybe not all at once…

Nude nails. Gone are the bright, kaleidoscope nails of years past; 2013 is demure and neutral. Nude nails provide a balance to the bright colors we’re seeing on the runways. We love these colors from Essie (all available at the shop)–for fair skin tones, Glamor Purse and A Crewed Interest and for medium skin tones, Broach the Subject and Nude Beach.

Matte lips. Gloss is usually boss, but like the nude nail color trend, we’re seeing (and loving) the matte lip look. Pick up Treasure by Glo Minerals at Make Me Fabulous to achieve this look!

Pixie cuts. While some celebs have rocked a short haircut for years (Halle Berry), Anne Hathaway is turning this trend on its head (along with Charlize Theron and Kiera Knightly). Considering going short? Make an appointment with Amy or Jessica from our Make Me Fabulous team and receive a 10% discount!!!

Will you be trying any of these trends for Spring? Let me know in the comments!

Alayne

Biz and Angela talked a lot before the wedding about Biz’s wedding day look; she wanted it to be simple and romantic. Biz also requested that her hairstyle be soft and undone so as not to over power her modern, structural, but classic Peter Langner gown. The birdcage veil polished off her elegant wedding look. Angela says, “Biz couldn’t have been easier to work with. She was so relaxed, so in love, and so happy about the day.”

Check out the whole spread from Martha Stewart Weddings online or on newsstands now and be sure to read wedding planner Katie O’Malley’s take on the day over on her blog, too! Thanks to photographer Matt Gillis for these images–he captured the essence of the wedding so perfectly.

Congratulations again to Biz and Micah; theirs was a quintessential Saratoga wedding and we were so honored to be part of it!

Have you ever dreamed of having full eyebrows again or long lush lashes without mascara! Advances in these two popular cosmetic procedures have come along way.  They are also very simple to do.

Join our experts on hand to answer all your questions. They will also be offering discounts off your first service! This Friday, January 4th, 6-8 pm. http://www.ballston.org/First-Fridays/

Refreshments and demonstrations will also be provided!

“Beauty Boot Camp” – Mazzone Hospitality offers advice from wedding professional during live web chat

Capital Region residents invited to tap area’s top expert for beauty and style trends

Scotia, N.Y., DATE – Mazzone Hospitality today announced it will host its fifth live web chat on Wednesday, October 3 at 6:30 p.m. with a top beauty and style professional discussing hair, nails, makeup and more during “Beauty Boot Camp: Preparing For Your Big Day.”

The web chat will provide prospective Capital Region brides an opportunity to ask beauty and style questions to licensed esthetician and cosmologist Alayne Curtiss, owner of Make Me Fabulous in Ballston Spa, NY. Curtiss is a preferred vender and close friend of the Mazzone Hospitality family.

“The bride gets one shot to make her grand appearance, and the work begins months before any makeup gets applied,” said Susan Baker, vice president of sales and marketing for Mazzone Hospitality. “Making hair and makeup choices early in the process can pave the way for a pristine final product.”

Some of the latest beauty and style trends in wedding planning will be discussed including the importance of hair and makeup trials, color selection, finding the right stylist, having a beauty checklist for your big day and the convenience of a stylist that travels to you.

The “Beauty Boot Camp” web chat will stream live from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the Mazzone Hospitality wedding blog, Aisle Files, to desktops, laptops and mobile devices. Mazzone Hospitality has held several successful live web chats since November 2011, from owner Angelo Mazzone’s personal Thanksgiving preparation tips to general tips on wedding planning.

Participants in the live dialogue may log on to the Mazzone Hospitality wedding blog, Aisle Files, at www.onereputation.com/aisle-files. No pre-registration is necessary and users may simply type questions and comments for Curtis in the chat field at the bottom of the page. Participants will be able to view questions being answered through livestream feed on the blog.

Mazzone Hospitality’s signature wedding event locations include Prime at Saratoga National, Glen Sanders Mansion, Hall of Springs, Key Hall at Proctor’s and its newest venue, Mazzone Hospitality at Hilton Garden Inn Clifton Park. Mazzone Hospitality’s Mansion Catering provides full event service to any location in the Capital Region.

For more information about the wedding professionals’ web chat hosted by Mazzone Hospitality, visit www.onereputation.com/aisle-files.

About Mazzone Hospitality

Mazzone Hospitality owns and operates several of the Capital Region’s premier restaurants and banquet halls including: Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia featuring Angelo’s Tavolo, two ballrooms and an inn; Aperitivo Bistro, a dynamic wine bar and bistro adjacent to Proctors in Schenectady; Angelo’s Prime Bar & Grill, a casual and modern bar and grill in Clifton Park; and Angelo’s 677 Prime, an upscale steakhouse and wine bar in the heart of the theater district in Albany. Mazzone Hospitality also owns and operates Prime at Saratoga National, an upscale steakhouse modeled after Angelo’s 677 Prime, located on the grounds of Saratoga National Golf Club. Through its PRIME Business Dining division the company oversees corporate dining operations for M+W Group at The Foundry; GLOBALFOUNDRIES; PRIME @ 107; Ayco Café; Golub Headquarters; and the SI Group. The company also oversees the catering operations at the Hall of Springs, Key Hall at Proctors, and caters private weddings, fundraisers, and corporate or social events. For more information about Mazzone Hospitality, call 518-374-7262 or visit www.onereputation.com.

Philosophy fragrances “smell good, feel good”, are clean, wearable fragrances that inspire a greater sense of well-being, while leaving you smelling beautiful. The fragrances draw others closer and never overwhelm. Finally, people will say “you smell so good” instead of “what fragrance are you wearing?” The cannot live without product: Amazing Grace.

Finally, Philosophy bath and body “enjoy life”, their indulgence delight your senses and infuse a sense of joy into your day, while smelling positively delicious. Their famous shampoo, shower gel & bubble baths offer a multitasking, head-to-toe cleansing experience. The can’t live without product: Raspberry Sorbet 3 in 1.

We at Make Me Fabulous would love to share with you how Philosophy can make a difference in your life and give you the inside scoop on the products you simply cannot live without!

So for the month of July, schedule a facial with our uber- fabulous facialists,  Lauren and Erin, who will customize a facial and regime for you and also receive a FREE scented 3 in 1 Philosophy body product. Yup totally free! Stop in today or call for a customized facial experience you won’t soon forget!

Got more questions? Stop in and speak to Jessica, she’s knows all things Philosophy!

Who knew… 7 years ago… people thought I was crazy opening a Bare Escentuals Mineral Makeup Boutique in OMG, Ballston Spa??? (not Albany or NYC!!!) I heard, “oh that place will never make it” and “why did you open in Ballston Spa?” Fast forward… 7 years later…we triple our size and we are asked to provide ALL of the artistry and chapter demos for Milady’s Standard Makeup textbook, the first in years. Pretty cool!

Watch, myself, Kyle, Suzan, Angela and Amy of MMF in action below, along with an international dream team of authors and artists who provided copy for the book:

The Make Me Fab Team was commisssioned for several days to provide all the makeup and hair demonstrations for the book, while I was also asked to return as assistant producer for the video DVD shoot.  Not only did we perform the services for the step by step photos and instuctions, but our team was there to create the dramatic after shots!.  We also  dissected every instruction given in the book for accuracy as real working makeup artists.

It’s so gratifying to be chosen as world class worthy of helping to produce an international textbook, while also able to provide the Saratoga Springs/ Capital District region hair and makeup services at affordable prices. Upstate NY is truly a fabulous place to work and live!

Thanks, as well, for the opportunity to work with other fantastic professionals including Aleish Pierce, Michelle D’aillard, another fab Ballston Spa native, and Gina Boyce.  And… another special fabulous thumbs up to Daysha (the coolest chic around) and Tom of  Visual Recollection in Saratoga Springs, NY, where we shot the entire book! Not to mention a few very gorgeous models, including Sarah Von Ouhl who saved the day and a very sassy burn survivor we endearingly refer to as T-Rex! A very special thank you go out to the most amazing editor, Jessica, who also selected us for the project. You have no idea how much I adore you and your quiet sensibility and calmness!

Watch for more behind the scenes as we return when Milady decides to shoot the companion DVD! Coming out soon!!

I have to say alot of passion, hard work and persistance have paid off!