Cara Bartkus Opens New Salon

Congratulations to Cara Bartkus on opening Serene Skincare Studio in Woodbury, CT. Check out this great article in today's Voices newspaper. Also visit her website to learn more.

Vote Maggie and Team as Best in Shelton!

Go to Shelton Patch.com and vote IAAS graduate Maggie and her great team at M Spa and Skin Care the best spa in Shelton! Hurry, voting ends soon.

An Update from Julia

Julia Ramos Critelli in a new salon in Plano, TX

IAAS Graduate Julia Ramos Critelli has written to tell us she is now working at Renee Rouleau for Beautiful Skin in Plano, TX. In her note she tells us "We do strictly facial treatments and facial waxing and I'm building a clientele pretty quickly. People seem to really like what I do... Which is great because I love what I do!" No surprise to us that people like what you do for you were a great student here at IAAS. Congratulations Julia, we are excited for you!

Gina Daddona Featured in Passport Magazine

Congratulations to IAAS graduate Gina Daddona who was featured in Litchfield County Time's Passport Magazine which just hit the newsstands.  Click here to read Meet the "Brow Goddess" written by Daniela Forte.

Menopause and Peel Treatments in Septermber

Attention all graduates and practicing professionals, Trish Green returns in September to teach more advanced training courses. Mark your calendar now - you don't want to miss it! The response to Trish's classes has been amazing. Everything she teaches is actionable and guaranteed to increase your profits.  Here are the dates:

Understanding Menopause

September 16 & 17, 9am-5pm

Help Your Clients Navigate This Important Life Change

Menopause is as individual as a thumbprint; no two women experience it alike. Some scarcely register any physical change while others are bombarded with inexplicable symptoms. As we reach menopause the three primary hormones that have kept our body well in terms of the structure of our skin, our physical body, and our emotional wellness, begin to fluctuate wildly. This class will take you on a menopausal journey that will look at the nature of these changes. Doctors of natural medicine have identified 12 specific groups of menopausal women - learn how to recognize them, recommend correct skin care protocols and incorporate a complete holistic approach for their well-being. Learn natural remedies such as essential oils, Bach Flower remedies, Herbal Tinctures and Supplements to assist in the treatment of symptoms.

Peel Treatments & Techniques

Uncover the Inner Glow

September 18, 9am-5pm

You'll be amazed by the results of this special formula peel and the income potential it represents for you.

Emails will be sent out with course information - be sure you are signed up to receive our email and newsletters.

Hard Facts of Hot/Cold Stone Facials

We had a great turn out for the Hot & Cold Stones Facial Class as well as the Peel Treatment training. Trish Green teaches so many concepts that enhance traditional skin care services. Our seminar attendees leave with the tools and knowledge to incorporate these actionable services immediately into their offerings and maximize their profitability. It is always an amazing experience and we look forward to Trish's return in September.

Hot Stones

Hot and Cold Stones

Cold Stones

Trish Green and Class

Connie Devine Celebrates 10 Years

New Fairfield native, Connie Devine, celebrates her tenth anniversary as an aesthetician this June and the time, she says, has just flown by! For 8 of those 10 years she has provided skin care and beauty services at the Copper Lily Salon & Day Retreat in Wilmington, NC. Connie’s success results from the fact that skin care is as much a passion for her as her career. She credits the training she received at the IAAS for lighting that passion. While visiting Wilmington, NC two years after graduation, Connie fell in love with that community and immediately moved there. This resulted in her doing what she loves in a place where she loves living.

“I tell everyone how rewarding being an Aesthetician is,” Connie states. She first learned of aesthetics as a career option when she was 21 years old and visited the IAAS as a client. “A friend of mine was getting married and she took all her bridesmaids to IAAS. I had never had a facial before and didn't know what to expect. Half way through the facial I remember asking the student aesthetician if this was going to be what she’d be doing for a living? When she answered "yes,” my life focus changed.” As a corporate secretary at the time, Devine had a great job with all the perks one could want in a career. What she didn’t have was a job she enjoyed. The student aesthetician at IAAS made her feel so good she remembers saying to herself, "I want to make people feel this good and knew then, that's what I wanted to do.”

Devine continued to be a secretary for ten more years, all the while thinking, “I could continue being a secretary and be miserable and not feel like I make a difference, or I could take a leap of faith and follow my heart.”  When she finally worked up the courage to switch careers, she enrolled in the night program at IAAS while continuing to work. Once graduated, she dedicated herself exclusively to her new career.

“I enjoy everything that I do and especially the connection with women. Women need to take care of one another and encourage each other to be the best that we can be. The healing aspects of my career make me feel as good as it does my clients,” Devine states. “It means so much to me that I am able to make others feel good about themselves.”

The training she received at IAAS has had a HUGE impact on her career. She realizes that the structure of this dedicated program forced her to learn all the important nuances of the trade that make her excel at what she does.  “Not a day has gone by in 10 years that I have not thought of what I learned while studying at IAAS.”  She also knows that to remain successful “you have to keep your passion about what you do, without getting burned out.”  Her prescription for this is to practice what you preach and take time to recharge by getting facials yourself, “everything we promote to our clients is just as important for ourselves. It makes us better aestheticians when we recharge.”

At the North Carolina spa, Connie offers numerous types of facials which she customizes to the needs and interests of her clients. The facials offered include long, short, hydrating, deep cleansing, microdermabrasion and natural fruit peels.  Additional services include lash & brow tints, Brazilian waxing, and Alexandria sugaring (another method of hair removal). As if offering facials is not relaxing enough, Connie is also a certified reflexologist and incorporates those relaxation techniques into her services.