Conference

The other day I went to an esthetician's conference in Philadelphia.

Side note: either blogger or my computer does not recognize the word esthetician.

I was inspired.

I just performed my first facial on a game friend of mine and am now encouraged to perform more on anyone who will lay down in front of me.  I've got the serums, so let's do this!

I told my friend to keep a watch on her skin and tell me what happens, though, because the products I got were from one of the less credible-looking booths at the convention.  Definitely more credible than SOME (cough cough "we do facial here") but I did avoid the medical-looking stands because I don't own a lucrative business that can afford or benefit from such products - or use great quantities of them.

The convention was set up like a flea market.  And man, did some of those vendors look intimidating from a distance - but it was really only the graphic design of the signage and pamphlets and the presentation of the products.  I only encountered one pair of ladies who were confused as to why I was standing in front of them if I wasn't interested in buying.  The rest had their happy selling faces on and were more than happy to talk to me.  And since I'm so sweet and innocent and doe-eyed and ignorant-looking, I received many free samples.

I used half of a free sample to cleanse my friend's face.  I wasn't being stingy.

Yay free samples!!

There were also little stages set up all over the place, and there were speakers up on a large stage separate from the vending area in the morning.  I got the hang of bouncing around whenever I got bored.  How naive of me - I thought I would actually stick with one person for an entire presentation!

There was one woman on the big stage who presented on skin peels.  At least that's what they said she was going to do.  I left before she got to that because she spent at least 10 minutes reading off her slideshow in a scolding voice about electrons and free radicals without connecting any points for us, or being excited about what she was saying.

Most importantly, what she was doing with the atom structure should have been a short intro as a reference point for her.  Instead, it became a weed-out speech for audience members who really didn't care enough about peels to get through her scolding session (e.g. me).

I wonder if she even got to peels.

I wonder if, once she got there, she ever referenced her atomic intro.

I wonder if she will be invited back next year.

There were at least three other presentations that showed me hands-on techniques I never learned in beauty school (offense somewhat intended, somewhat not to my school).  "Aha!" thought I.  "Given the right materials, and already knowing the basic steps, this new knowledge gives me what I need to gift my friends in a NEW way!"

So I spent kind of a lot even though the products weren't quite snob level and am really looking forward to being a kitchen facialist.