BEAUTY Q&A: HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU TIP YOUR HAIRSTYLIST?

Your hair appointment shouldn’t be shrouded in fear of tipping the wrong amount. Cutting your hair too short? Maybe. Making a huge mistake by getting bangs in the middle of summer? Definitely. Dealing with the pressure of wanting to leave the salon looking like your best damn self (even though the whole thing is kind of out your hands) is enough to deal with without factoring in tipping-related stress. So if you’ve been preemptively wondering how much extra cash you should bring with you to your appointment, quit Googling and stopping asking your friends because everyone’s going to have a different opinion. To answer this ever-so-popular question once and for all, we reached out to New Jersey-based hairstylist Jennifer Geoghan.

“Twenty percent of the cost of your service is a good rule of thumb for tipping,” says Jennifer. Simply plug the price of your haircut right into your phone’s calculator and multiply it by .20 to get the dollar amount you should give your stylist. For example, a $50 haircut will lend itself to a $10 tip; a $100 haircut $20, and a $200 haircut $40. “Hairstyling is a work of art,” Jennifer adds. “A stylist’s price depends on their education, skill, number of years in their careers, continued education and keeping their tools and products up to date. Keep in mind when paying for a service and tipping a hairstylist, you are paying for their history, not just the service itself.”

And what about the washer or assistant who had a hand in the whole thing? “Tipping the washer or assistant is ultimately up to you, but $3-$10 is always helpful and appreciated,” says Jennifer. “Even though it may seem that the assistant or hair washer isn’t doing much in the scheme of things, their wages aren’t super high, mostly because they are barely getting hours. So, the assistants and hair washers really rely on their tips. Plus, they’re helping out the hairstylist a lot behind the scenes to ensure you have a calm, successful and happy appointment. If you know that they played a big role in making your hair fabulous (say, washing it or blowing it dry) consider tipping, so they know their work was appreciated.

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Ask Lee: How to Know if the Job is Worth the Move

Me and my friends decided to make April our career-focused month so I thought why not also bring it on here BeautyLeeBar.com. So sticking with that Work It theme, today I wanted to respond to a career-related question I received to my BeautyLeeBar.com inbox. A reader named Angela wrote in recently, asking my advice on whether a great job offer she’d received was worth moving across the country for. Relocating for a job is something that many people consider at some point during their careers, so I thought it was worth sharing my advice with everyone in an Ask Lee post…

Making a big move is always intimidating no matter what the reason. It means stepping outside of your comfort zone and the life you’ve created for yourself. It means leaving all your favorite neighborhood spots from your dry cleaner to your workout studio to your coffee shop, and starting from scratch. And more importantly, it often means leaving behind friends and family, too. But when it comes to your career, taking big risks can also mean big rewards. Plus, experiencing a new city can also be exciting and eye opening.

In the end, no one can really make a big decision like that but you. But if you’re considering relocating for a job opportunity, I put together a list of several good questions you can ask yourself…

How to Know if the Job is Worth the Move

1. Is this truly a dream job?
2. If the job doesn’t end up being as amazing as you think it is, will there be other opportunities in this new city?
3. Will having this job on your resume be a huge boost for your career even if you don’t stay there forever?|
4. Are the opportunities in your current town pretty limited?
5. Does living in this city appeal to you on its own, outside of the job?
6. Are you mostly excited or mostly nervous about the possibility of moving? (It’s normal to be a little of both!)
7. How easy will it be for you to visit your old city if you get homesick or want to stay in touch with friends?
8. Is it relatively easy or hard for you to pick up and move at this stage in your life? How tied down are you? (Ie. Do you own or rent your current home?; Are you single or in a long-term relationship?)

You can use these questions as a starting point for deciding whether this opportunity is worth taking. If it helps, go over the answers with a close friend or family member whose opinion you trust. While the decision is yours to make, they might be able to tell which direction you’re leaning in, even when you can’t.

Have you ever made a big move for your career?

Share your own experience and advice in the comments!

XO Lee

Beauty Q&A: I Bought The Wrong Foundation Shade — What Should I Do?

Finding the correct shade of foundation can sometimes be a challenge, especially when you fall in between shades or are unsure of how to match foundation. What’s worse is heading home after a spree at Sephora only to realize that you chose the wrong foundation shade. Do you immediately turn around and return it, or should you add it to your makeup stash anyway? And even the Ulta Beauty and Sephora employees don’t always get it right.

If You’re Unsure of Your Shade, Go Lighter

If the shade is a little lighter than what you usually wear, you might be ok. It’s harder to lighten a foundation as there’s only really few tricks to do so, so it’s best to ask for a sample of the shades you think you are so you can take home and see. The samples are free. If you did buy a foundation that is a little dark, try mixing it with a lighter color concealer or use a foundation powder that is 1 or 2 shades lighter to lighten up the foundation.

Mix and Match the Same Formula

The best and easiest way to rectify purchasing a wrong foundation is to mix a lighter or darker concealer, in the same formulation, with the foundation to make it match your skin tone. If the foundation is extremely light, I suggest to strategically use bronzer to help deepen the shade. You can even try to mix the lighter foundation with a darker shade.

Contour to Your Advantage

The last tip is an important one: If you buy the wrong foundation shade, use your face structure to your advantage. “Since the face has natural contours to it, you can use that to your advantage when your foundation is slightly off from your skin tone. Highlighting and contouring in the right places will help conceal the foundation not matching your skin tone. So next time, before you run back to repurchase, play with some mixing and give it a whirl.

Ask Lee: Snapchat Q + A

Hey everyone! If you didn’t see on Snapchat I decided to do a Q + A. I want to be as transparent as possible so I’m answering what you guys want to know!

Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned since becoming a blogger?

A: This is hard. Like really hard… because I’ve learned SO MUCH haha. But the most important thing I’ve learned is that even though there are many different kinds of bloggers out there, we are a small community. It is important to support our own, there is room for everyone to shine. There are many fantastic bloggers who aren’t well known like Huda Beauty, Shay Mitchelle, MakeupShayla, iluvsarahii, Irisbeilin, Amrezy, Lauren Conrad, Angela Lanter, and etc. This is why I love to follow another blog/beauty pages that feature bloggers and upcoming bloggers who also have great talent.

Q: What’s been the most difficult part of being a beauty influencer/blogger?

A: Being patient! It’s easy to get frustrated and lose your temper instead of stepping back and realizing that everything will work out in the end. Keep doing what you love and everything will fall in place. It’s definitely something that I’m constantly working on! And also, I will say getting started. Putting in the first step is always the hardest because you end up second-guessing yourself.

Q: How do you keep motivated?

A: Okay, I have to tell you something here. I wake up 90% of the time with little to no motivation! I would SO rather lay in bed than get up and get going haha. But I go on Instagram and visit all the bloggers that inspire me. I have to remind myself that this is something I adore, I love writing and everything that has to do with beauty and skincare. This is part of my destiny!

Q: What’s your morning routine?

A: Wake up. Email. Instagram + Twitter. Tv On. Face washed + teeth brushed. Make myself coffee or tea. Shower + get ready for the day. ( Maybe I should do a Morning Routine Video Post 😉)

Q: Do you want to have kids?

A: YES! I want 4 kids: 2 boys and 2 girls. Maybe even twins. But before I get pregnant, I want to have a stable career and be married. 

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

A: Probably Degrassi or Grey’s Anatomy. Wentworth, Orange Is The New Black, The Sinner, Wynonna Earp, and Shades Of Blue are also amazing!

Q: Are you ever going to meet up with that trainer?

A: 😂 😂 Yes and no. His location is kinda far but I should if he is still going to give me free workout sessions. 

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a mua?

A: I have a lot of favorite parts! I love watching clients reaction and how thankful they are for my services. I enjoy learning new things and seeing how proud of my mom gets, and that’s just to name a few! Being a Mua/Beauty Influencer/Blogger is the best!

Thanks for your questions! I had a lot of fun reading + answering them! Always feel free to comment, message or email any other questions and I’ll be sure to answer

xoxo