Vote Luxe Best of the East Valley!

The description for the contest starts off: “Got a salon you count on for outstanding color and cut every time?” Well, we are hoping Luxe is just that salon  and more for you! Will you vote our name in the spot for Best Day Salon/Spa? Visit the Best of the East Valley 2012 site by clicking HERE. You can vote once every 24 hours per email address, so we hope you will think of us and often! We greatly appreciate your support! For more information on the contest, including the rules, see the website. Thank you!

Why Kissing is a Beauty Treatment

The site, healthyandbeloved.com shares a collection of little known facts, er, wives tales in some cases, about smooching we’d thought you’d like to know in time for Valentine’s Day! Our fav? Well appropriately, it is #14!

1. Thirty-seven percent of men keep their eyes open while kissing whereas 97 percent of women close theirs.

2. A one minute kiss can burn as many as twenty six calories.

3. Research shows that almost every muscle in the body can be used when two people kiss.

4. It is said that if you kiss a person with the same hair color as you, the result is more passionate.

5. In a lifetime we can expect to receive some 25,000 kisses, ranging from pecks on the cheek to the full-blown weak-at-the-knees variety.

6. Our brains have special neurons which help us to locate another pair of lips in the dark.

7. A kiss can be ten times more effective than morphine in reducing pain, as it’s thought that it activates the body’s natural pain-killers. So when a mother tells her injured child that she’ll kiss it better, that’s exactly what she does.

8. The Ancient Egyptians kissed with their noses. Lips didn’t come into it.

9. The average person spends around fourteen days of their life kissing.

10. The longest kiss lasted for 17 days, 10½ hours in Chicago, 1984. The longest screen kiss between Jane Wyman and Reg Toomey, who smooched for 185 seconds in You’re in the Army Now in 1940.

11. It is still technically illegal in Indiana for a mustached man to “habitually kiss human beings.”

12. In medieval Italy, if a couple were seen kissing, they could be forced to marry.

13. The most famous screen kiss of all time has got to be Between Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind. But in reality, Gable’s false teeth and whisky-laden breath made Leigh shudder with distaste!

14. Kissing acts as a beauty treatment. It makes your eyes shine and your skin glow.

15. Babies who are kissed are often more affectionate in later life.

Madonna: Super Style for the Bowl

OK, she’s 53 and she still rocks a stadium. From her hot Givenchy boots, to the long lashes (we’ve been addicted ourselves), to the way her music seamlessly melds with the latest hits, many say it might have been the best Half Time ever. However, Madonna’s hair caused the biggest stir, with people even placing official bets on what color it would be for the show. Modern Salon gave her two thumbs up on her blonde style done regularly for major events by stylist to the stars Andy LeCompte, who charges (gasp!) $500 a haircut. With our women’s cuts starting at $45, a thermal style on our menu for an additional $15, and a lash application (without makeup $20, with $15), we can have you looking like a rock star on your budget.

But, in the meantime if you’d like to get Madonna’s look, start with Bumble and Bumble’s Prep to detangle and give hair texture and then spray Thickening Spray in the root for lift. A dab of heat-activated Bumble Straight Blow Dry or Moroccan Oil will keep away frizz and protect from heat and MO helps shorten dry time. When hair is dry, use a large barrel iron to crimp chunky sections of hair, setting each curl with
Moroccan Oil or Bumble hairspray. She’s been at it  three decades, so it is safe to say Madonna is still a hot style icon.

Photo of the Week: Beautiful Ombre

At least once a week we’ll try to bring you real life hair and nails from Luxe so you can see what we are up to! This week, we caught up with Manager/Stylist/Wedding Team Leader Danielle Arias Jones (she’s been so busy!) and this beautiful, nautral-looking ombre color she did for our client and receptionist, Jaime. Breathtaking!

InStyle Honors Bumble and Moroccan Oil

We agree with AZ Spa Girl Fan Cathy who says: “A hair tip from me is to ask a professional what products should be used for a specific look you want to achieve.” We agree! Getting the look you want may be as simple as getting your hands on the right retail products and Luxe Salon & Spa only has the best. We are proud to offer the Moroccan Oil and Bumble & Bumble lines, both of which received the 2011 Best Beauty Buy designations from InStyle Magazine. Along with its beauty editors, Instyle asks industry experts what their picks are for various categories. We should mention that Bumble’s Styling Creme has been honored four years in a row. Our professionals will help you find the hair products you need to create the look you want.

What Do Your Brows Say?

Not too long ago, Oprah talked about a Yale University of Medicine study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery which found that even small nuances in a woman’s eyebrow shape conveyed emotions that she herself did not feel (at least in that moment). These emotions included fear, anger or even sadness. What are your brows saying about you? At Luxe our Estheticians recommend a professional shaping at least every two of months if you are a DIYer to keep your plucking in check. After all, who knows what kind of message you may be sending to colleagues, dates or even your family without even realizing it! Our brow waxing services start at just $20.

It’s Giveaway Time!

We are sure it is not lost on you that the Holiday of Love is almost upon us! Do you have an amazing husband or boyfriend who is so eager to please that he is not even sure where to start making reservations? We have the answer! Join Luxe Salon & Spa, and our partners Otaku Sushi and Arizona Mom’s Network for a great Valentine’s Date Night Giveaway! You can win a Shampoo and Style, Make Up Touch Up (eyes and cheeks any way you like them!), a basket of retail goodies and a $50 Gift Card to Otaku Sushi, which is a mere two store fronts away from our salon and the best sushi, sake and Asian cuisine in the valley! And you don’t have to take our word for it alone, after all they are the 2011 Best of Chandler/Asian Cuisine Recipients! Click the link above to get all the details on how to enter and then take the time to discover AMN’s amazing site full of resources: Networking, local blogs, Giveaways, Community and Company Directory that is focused on local women, their businesses and their interests. A great local resource!

Voting Drawing to a Close

We have been buzzing about Jennifer Sedler, Miss Arizona because we are super excited to see such a great, smart, talented woman go for the big crown! We are rooting for her and hope that you will take a moment to read a great, quick interview with her on the ABC site and then go to the Miss America Site and vote for her to win America’s Choice (at-home voting portion of the competition) and be in the Top 15! Thanks for your support!

In the Name of Love …

We are headed into the Season of Love and so we are asking YOU for a Valentine of sorts … a few minutes of your time to spread the word about us. We would appreciate your support in letting everyone know what we are doing well to take care of you when you come to our salon. If you find a site that we are not represented on, would like to link to our site, or simply need some help with the technology, give us a shout out at luxesalonopr@yahoo.com. We’ve included some links to give you some ideas (you can click on the colored words and go right to the site!): a Recommendation and Like on our Facebook Page, a Tweet and Follow on Twitter (@luxesalonaz), a Review on Yelp, a Review on AZ Spa Girls, or a 1+ and add us to your circle on Google+. We’re not picky, so give us some love on whatever sites you roam! We thank you for your support!

Photo of the Week

Natural light plays on extraordinary color work. photo/Joe Utley