October marks our second anniversary
and to celebrate it, we’ve prepared a lot of great activities for our lovely
Alira Community. That’s why we’ve decided to start the party early and start unveiling
our surprises right away!
To start things with a bang, get
ready to restock on all your favorites because we’re chopping off 20% on
all of our retail products! This first treat is only valid from October 1st
to October 2nd, so hurry up and get them while it lasts.
Our second surprise of the month is the
fabulous one hour makeup classes that the lovely folks from Jentry Kelley are
giving at our spa on October 8th. Normally, this classes have a price of $100, but for our
Anniversary we’re giving them to our customers free of charge! Just remember to
ask our staff to sign you up for any of them.
Last, but not least, don’t forget we’re
contributing to breast cancer awareness month with our pampering sessions for
all patients and survivors.
October is just around the corner,
which means colder weather, a ton of seasonal products and Halloween. However,
October is also the month of Breast Cancer Awareness, which is an annual
campaign to increase awareness of the disease. While most people are aware of
breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the
disease in its early stages and encourage others to do the same.
According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk of a woman in the United States of getting breast
cancer is one out of eight. That means that that one woman will be facing a tough
treatment regime and the unrelenting effects of cancer, which will often leave
her tired, hurting, and undermine her self-esteem.
That’s why we've decided to help the
brave women who are fighting or have survived this disease in the best way we
can: Giving them a little pampering time! So,
throughout October we will be giving complimentary "Alira
Signature" facials to all breast cancer patients and survivors.
Do you know someone
who might benefit from our little treat? Remember to call us first so we can
book her a special appointment!
A couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have
ever imagined using the word “marathoner” to describe myself; I could barely
run around the block, much less 26.2 miles. But, as all good stories begin, one
autumn Sunday, as I was having my usual breakfast one little question crept up
in my head: “why don’t you go out for a run?” Those first few laps around the
block seemed like a titanic task, but as I started gaining momentum I felt
empowered by one single thought. “I can do this!” As the first miles started to
pile up and I began to run more seriously, the transition between running for
fun and running to a reach a goal was quite natural.
When I thought about the biggest
goal I could reach, I thought about one of the most famous marathons in the world,
The New York City marathon and its 26.2 miles. That seemed like an ambitious
yet attainable goal, and while I was at it, why not do something that I enjoy
while helping others? That was the exact moment when I decided not only to run the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, but to do
it with Team for Kids.
Yes, I'll be one of those little dots.
Team for Kids is a team of volunteers who
raise funds for critical services provided by New York Road Runners Youth
Programs. These programs combat childhood obesity and empower youth development
via running and character-building programs in low-income schools and community
centers in New York City, throughout the country and in Africa. While I’m
helping Team for Kids as a runner, you can make a difference by clicking here
and making a donation! The collected money will help New York Road Runners Youth Programs
continue their lovely labor throughout the country and, if you bring the receipt to the spa you'll get a travel sized Kerastase product as a gift!
At Alira, we are in love with braids, all sizes
and types. They are so beautiful and chic; they can sometimes be the perfect
accessories for a perfect outfit. That being said we wanted to share with you a
little history on this amazing hairstyle and give you some tips on how to braid
your own hair.
Braids have been a part of society for about
30,000 years. It all started with the Venus of Willendorf, a woman figurine who
is thought to have some kind of woven or braided hairstyle. But this is not the
only ancient braided hair we can find in history, the
Venus of BrassempouyandPharaohMenes
were also thought to show off this hairstyle in their time.
In some
regions, a braid was a means of communication. Looking back in time, one
individual could learn a wealth of information about another (whether they were
married, mourning, or of age for courtship) simply by observing their
hairstyle.Can you imagine if we did
that today? What would your hair say about you?
Braiding
is also traditionally considered a social art. Because of how long it takes to
braid hair, people took time to socialize while braiding and having their hair
done (Like we did when we were younger and had our girlfriends sleepover, or
like we do now at the salon when we come and get dolled up with mimosas). It
begins with the elders making simple knots and braids for younger children.
Older children watch and learn from them, start practicing on younger children
and eventually learn the traditional designs.
Here in
the US, you see mothers and grandmothers braiding and putting colorful beads in
little children’s hair. This carries on a tradition of bonding between elders
and the new generation. I do this with my daughter and we always have a blast.
Would
you like to learn some braiding tricks?Watch the video we are sharing with you below and learn how to do 4
different types of gorgeous headband braids. Remember, practice makes perfect,
so no getting frustrated if you don’t nail it the first time.
