Image Source: http://carrie-persichini.blogspot.com

So often we are asked, “Will my stylist get commission for that?”  The answer is no. No they won’t.   You’re probably thinking, “How can this be? How do they make money?”   If you’ve ever been a client at Maximum FX, you’ve probably noticed a different vibe as soon as you come in. Everybody is laughing, smiling and having a good time. Unlike many salons, you’ll notice team members helping each other out. In fact, it’s not uncommon for you to receive services from one, two or even three people before you leave the salon/spa.   Behold our secret to happiness!

Are you ready?   Here it is:  We don’t pay commission. Not on service sales and not on product sales. You know how you dread going to some places because as soon as you walk in the door, you have a salesperson drop off the ceiling or leap from behind a large potted plant? We know the feeling too, and we don’t like it. So we designed our system to be different and more enjoyable.   How?  You ask?   We compensate all of our staff by salary, a very nice salary.    This means no matter what’s going on, they are getting paid.

By compensating our staff on what’s known as a “Team Based” system, it allows us to function more efficiently and to allow more flexibility to our clients. Can’t get in with your favorite stylist or maybe just want to try out someone else? Go for it!   We don’t mind.  We actually encourage it!   The entire focus of our team is to ensure every guest’s day is being made. This even comes down to products. When our staff is recommending a product, it’s because they truly believe it’s the best product for you, not because they’re trying to make commission on the sale. The same goes for services too!

So next time you feel like switching it up a little, just let us know. After all, variety is the spice of life!

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Many people have issues with going to pedicure salons because they hear the stories where people contract infections.   There should be cause for concern because not all nail salons are careful when it comes to sanitation. As a nail therpaist at MFX, I understand the obligation we have to our clients to ensure the safety of their health. We follow strict guidelines issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.   I’d like to share with you 4 things to look for when getting a pedicure to ensure that you’re not compromising your health when doing so:

1) Here’s the most obvious sign: Make sure the place is clean! Overall, if the shop environment is clean, usually everything else is as well.

2) Watch closely how the nail therapists interact with you and other clients. Are they pulling new and clean utensils out of sanitized bags or ovens for each service? Most reputable nail salons will have multiple sets of nail implements that can be cycled through the sterilization process. A typical salon may have up to twenty sets of nail implements, allowing enough time between nail services to sterilize equipment before they are used again in another service.

3) Are the nail therapists wearing gloves? Check to make sure they take them off before touching anything or someone else.  If they do touch something other than your feet, pay particular attention whether they change their gloves or not.

4) This is a big one: Inspect the jacuzzi tubs! Make sure that they are clean and that there is no residue from the previous pedicure. Pedicure tubs should be filled with some sort of disinfectant and allowed to soak for at least 15 minutes before they can be used for the next client. Additionally, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation code requires that salons and spas document every pedicure in a log book along with sanitation checklists to follow for each pedicure service. Ask to see this log if you are unsure whether the sinks have been sanitized or not.

I recently went to a spa with a good friend of mine where the employee worked on us at the same time. We were fine with it but she never changed her gloves or switched utensils. Even though I know my friend doesn’t have any weird aliment to be concerned about, I was bothered by this.   I started to think to myself: What if my friend had been someone else instead?  What if my friend had some sort of fungus that I didn’t know about? Do they do this all the time? I knew better but I didn’t say anything.   If you find yourself in this predicament, you should say something.  Remember, you are going there for a service and are paying for it.   Speak up if you think something might be wrong. If you don’t say anything now you could pay for it later with a trip to the doctor’s office and some pricey special medication that you are embarrassed to purchase. Pay attention and don’t be afraid to ask questions.   I promise, you really don’t want to pay for it later.

Here’s another great article on pedicure safety by Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. – 10 Tips for a Safe Salon Pedicure

At MaximumFX we understand all too well how frustrating it can be when you call for an appointment the same day and can’t get in. Heck, sometimes it’s several days or even weeks depending on your stylist and service needs. “Can’t they just squeeze me in?” you wonder. We know you don’t necessarily see what goes on behind the scenes, so we thought we’d give you peek “behind the curtain”!

Our team arrives to work 10 minutes before their first scheduled appointment for a quick briefing. We call these mini-meetings “huddles”. The purpose of our huddles is to allow our team members to review daily goals, communicate strategies and promotions and development their plan of action for the day in general. Then it’s time for the fun to begin. Instantly you hear the sounds of laughing, water running, phones ringing and blow dryers whirring! Believe it or not, it takes a lot to orchestrate a typical day in the salon. Our guest care team is busy answering phones, booking appointments and taking care of you and their salon team while our designers are making you look fabulous.

Each stylist averages 30-45 min per service/per client/per day. That’s a lot of clients! Here’s a peek of our appointment book on a typical day in the salon.

Do you see all that orange? Those are all clients who pre-booked their next appointment before they left the salon on their last visit.  Believe it or not, we have clients who are booked out for the rest of the year! As you can see, that leaves us with very limited availability. In order to accommodate as many clients as possible, we “book tight” leaving little to no room between appointments. Most gaps are only 15 minutes, so you can see how running even 5-10 minutes late can have a dramatic effect on the day and why it doesn’t allow us the opportunity to squeeze you in.

So while our Guest Care Coordinators are highly skilled at moving and manipulating books, the truth is there’s no benefit for both you and your beloved stylist and/or colorist when trying to squeeze you in.   It forces us to compromise in a bad way. For the investment you’re making, we end up rushing you in and out, cutting corners, and most of all stressed out.  That’s just not fair to you.   Our front desk and designers will do everything imaginable to get you in without compromising our core value of Service.  They truly are magicians at manipulating our books to make things work.   (As part of their interview, we measure how good they are at playing Tetris, just kidding)

The best option if you don’t have a schedule that’s as flexible as you’d like is to set up your next appointment with our Guest Care team during your visit to the salon. This guarantees you have your pick of time and day. We would rather be at the mercy of your schedule, instead of the other way around.   We’re always happy to help!

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Alright ladies let’s be honest, professional makeup brushes are an investment. And, like any other investment, we want a great return on that investment. To make sure that will happen you must take care of your brushes. People always forget this.  The best thing you can do is get on a brush cleaning routine…AND DO IT REGULARLY.   Also a tip that most people don’t know is to make sure you clean your brushes after you purchase them but before you use them. Why? Because during production, they collect dust, dirt, debris and bacteria.

For those that suffer with acne or have sensitive skin, you will greatly benefit from keeping your foundation brushes clean at all times. Reason? All that bacteria can cause break outs and when you have build up on your foundation/powder brushes it can cause your brushes to be rough and scratchy which will irritate the skin. The best thing for you to do is clean your foundation/powder brush after every use to assure you are taking the best care of your sensitive skin. I understand that is a big commitment, but once you get into a routine it will be easy as pie. If you’re one who never cleans your brushes think about all the old make-up and bacteria that builds up in your brush and then you go rubbing it on your face… um, gross!

5 Reasons why you should always clean your makeup brushes:
~Old make-up
~Dirt & debris
~Bacteria
~Oils
~Dead skin cells

Some of you may have heard of using a gentle baby shampoo as your brush cleaner. This is okay because it will clean them and be gentle on the brush, however it will not disinfect the brush. So, I’m going to share with you a lil’ homemade brush cleaner that I learned a while back and it works wonders.

Supplies:
~Any basic dish soap 
WHY?- because it disinfects and cleanses the brush
~Extra Virgin Olive Oil (sounds weird I know but trust me)
WHY?- to recondition the bristle hair after it’s stripped of oils and disinfected by the soap
Ratio: 1 part olive oil to 2 parts dish soap

Tips on how to wash your brushes:

When wetting your brush be sure to hold it head down at an angle under LUKE WARM water. Why not hot water? If you use hot water it will break up the glue in the ferrule which will loosen the bristles and destroy your brush.

**Also, DO NOT submerge your brush and DO NOT run water into the ferrule. Doing this will also loosen the glue in the brushes.

Be sure to work a small amount of the cleanser into the hairs. Wash thoroughly but gently – DON’T scrub.

A big part of cleaning your brushes is how you dry them… DO NOT stand them up. This allows water to run into the ferrule which loosens the glue as well. Below I have taken a picture of my brushes drying to show you a technique that I use and I also attached a picture I found on Pinterest of another smart way to dry your brushes with a simple wire hanger and some chip clips.

Hope you enjoyed learning a thing or two about better brush care.  Try it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Another option for drying your makeup brushes. Image source: http://www.michellephan.com/post/my-ultimate-diy-brush-cleaner

An innovative way to create a makeup brush holder. Fill a mason jar with polished rocks and voila, you have a brush holder.