Yaffa Beauty by Rica
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y'alla yaffa! OFFICIAL BLOG OF YAFFA BEAUTY BY RICA

Pro Tips: The 15-Minute Finish - Flat to Fabulous in 15!

12/10/2018

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How many times do you find yourself with 30, or even 15, minutes to get ready for a big event because life happens? As a professional stylist, we face this issue all the time. With practice, you can achieve a styled look in 15 minutes!

Step 1: Style Dry Hair Only: Don’t waste your time or arm strength on trying to blow out sopping wet hair. We work smarter and not harder by rough drying your hair to 70-90% dry before we even consider using a round brush. Use a highly absorbent towel and squeeze as much moisture out of your hair.

Step 2: Use a Primer Product that Cuts Time: Whether you shower right before you get ready, or wash your locks the day before, use one of these primers and cut your dry time by 30%. Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Serum is the epitome of a little goes a long way. A pea-size amount applied from the ends of your hair up to a couple of inches away from your scalp will smooth, condition and seal strands, leaving hair silky, shiny and frizz-free in any weather. Awapuhi Wild Ginger MirrorSmooth High Gloss Primer primes the surface cuticle of the hair for a smooth, shiny, polished look and controls unruly texture. KeraReflec blend with Abyssinian oil and thermal protectors restores moisture, adds shine and helps shield hair. Apply a small amount to clean, damp hair and style as desired. Using one of these products, even if you airdry your hair, will get it ready for the 15-Minute Finish! Then, add a styling foam, like Awapuhi Wild Ginger Hydrocream Whip Styling Cream. It hydrates and smooths thirsty hair while delivering a long-lasting, crunch-free hold with an elegant silky finish. The Awapuhi extract and light conditioners balance moisture all while creating healthy and gorgeous-looking volume. The product is paraben free and color safe. 

Step 3: THE Curling Iron:  Even if you have day-old hair, the use of the right hot tool can make it look like you just stepped out of the salon. My go-to is the 1-1/2" HOT TOOLS Professional Extra-Long Barrel Curling Iron.

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Here’s how to pull off the look: Gather a section from the recession points in the front of your head (the corners of your forehead) around to the top section of the back of your head and clip that up. Then, placing your thumbs behind each ear and reaching back along the protruding bone of the back of your head (the occipital bone), gather that hair and clip it up. Heat the Curling Iron, whose width mirrors most round brushes, to a temperature between 350-450 (for finer/overprocessed/highlighted/lighter hair, use a lower temperature, coarser/darker/healthier hair, use the highest temperature).

​Take a 1-2” vertical section from the bottom third of your hair, spray with Paul Mitchell’s Hot Off the Press to  and, keeping the “tongue” of the curling iron facing forward, open and close the iron as close to the root, and as close to the hinge of the iron, begin turning away from your face, whilst tapping the handle, allowing the hair to wrap around the entire shaft. Once all the strand is wrapped on the iron, count to ten and then slide the hair off the iron. Allow each ringlet to cool and set without moving or toucing it. Repeat with each section until the entire head is curled. Once that happens, run your fingers through your hair, or use a wide-tooth comb. Flip your hair to where you usually part your hair and then you end up with a bouncy, polished look.
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Get Winter Ready with Yaffa Beauty by Rica

12/3/2018

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​With the cold weather hitting us hard, our hair and skin suffer. Don’t give in to the damage and let us keep your locks bouncy, healthy and bright!

This simplest way to refresh your hair is to get a haircut. We offer haircuts for men, women and children of all ages. At Yaffa Beauty, we recommend that clients with longer hair, even when you want to grow your hair out, haircuts once a season. If you don’t cut off dry ends, they behave like runs in a stocking - once they start, they will continue to run up the hairshaft! A haircut with a wash house experience (shampoo & scalp massage) and blow out is $60. In a hurry? Try our $40 shampoo, cut and rough dry!
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Swapping your wardrobe from warm summer to winter isnt reserved for your clothing! Consider coloring your hair for winter! Feeling dreary and missing sunshine? Perhaps some blonde highlights will keep your hairstyle from hibernating! Feeling the spirit of the season? Cranberries, reds and other rich tones can help you from feeling washed out.

Conditioning treatments are a must in this weather. We provide any number of treatments, including Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Scalp & Hair treatments that condition and exfoliate your scalp & hair, Paul Mitchell Keratriplex & Hydratriplex treatments, which strengthen and condition, or strengthen, condition and hydrate, as well as Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lavender Mint Clay Mask treatments, which infuse the hair with moisture, and more! Each conditioning treatment includes a wash house experience and a blow out.

To that end, throughout the month of December, we are offering your choice of a FREE haircut or Paul Mitchell ColorCraft Conditioning treatment, which can enhance or temporarily change, your haircolor while making it silky and soft, with any regularly-priced hair color service $90 or more*!

We are also happy to let you stay snuggled up in bed with our Concierge Services. For a modest travel fee, we pack up our salon essentials for haircuts, styling and makeup services, and come to you! Call or email us for details.


*Cannot be combined with other offers.Valid only with appointments held in the month of December.

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More bang for your buck: Paul Mitchell Liter Duo Sale

1/8/2018

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I strive to make sure that my clients get the best take home products to maintain their hair for the best price I can offer. Well, it's that time of the year again - Paul Mitchell is having a Liter Duo Sale. 

I will be keeping stock of duos in-salon for as long as I can, however, if you want to make sure to take advantage of this wonderful sale, please feel free to use my exclusive link to purchase directly from my supplier. This is not a third-party, but you will be receiving legitimate product from the same source I use.

Most of these products will also qualify for my refill program, so if you run out, call or text me, and I'll let you know how much more you'll save by refilling at the salon.

​Happy shopping and happy new year!
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Baby, It's Cold Outside! Hydrate and Strengthen your Hair During Winter

12/13/2017

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The likelihood of your hair looking like the folks above are slim to none, but the damage caused from the bitter cold winds is no joking matter! Even the healthiest of hair takes a beating during winter, and this past week, it's bitter.

Whether your hair is damaged from over-processing, naturally thirsty and dry or somewhere in between, Awapuhi Wild Ginger® offers a targeted professional treatment with dramatic, instant results. In 30-45 minutes, you will love how your hair looks and feels (and smells!).

82% softer, more manageable hair*
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*Compared to untreated hair. Product was tested by an established, independent third-party laboratory.
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Paul Mitchell's HydraTriplex™ Treatment features triple action hair technology to hydrate, bind and seal the hair with moisturizing ingredients. Included are proven hair-restoring ingredients such as amino acids, vegetable proteins and nourishing oils to make dry, frizzy hair softer and more easily manageable. This advanced technology achieves hair that is luxurious, polished and silky-smooth. We can revive your hair with a single shot of HydraTriplex Treatment. It works on three levels to instantly nourish and soften parched strands, as well as improve hair manageability. The cream formula penetrates the hair to hydrate, bind and seal for a long-lasting, silky smooth feel.

If it's strength you need, we can transform broken, brittle strands into pillars of strength while protecting hair from future damage. This liquid formula of isolated proteins is virtually identical to the keratin found in human hair. A single ampoule of KeraTriplex® Treatment rebuilds fragile locks, helps prevent color fade and improves shine, while Keratin Intensive Treatment® restores their super-soft texture.

Call 203-842-8388 today to schedule your treatment against the cold and help your hair survive the cold!
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Winterize your skin and hair before it's too late

11/13/2017

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This year, the strange weather will effect everything - from your skin to your hair! Want to make sure your skin doesn't dry up and your hair doesn't get brittle?

Glazing

If you need your color done, be sure to get a glaze. This will not only help maintain the color, but give your hair added protection. A glaze is a nominal add on to any permanent color service, or, you can get a Specialty Glaze in between your highlight or permanent color refreshes.
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Not only does this cost quite a bit less than a full single-process color or highlight service, but it will nourish your hair, give it more shine, and let you sneak in a few more weeks before you need to retouch! Think of it like getting a top coat for your manicure - it seals in the color, protects it, and keeps your hair healthy.

Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!

I don't care if you have skin like an oil slick or as dry as the Sahara on your face, you need to exfoliate in winter. Whether it's with something as basic as a daily cleaser with exfoliant, like Mary Kay's TimeWise 3-in-1 Cleanser, or going deeper 1-3 times a week with Mary Kay's Microdermabrasion, you need to slough off all that dead, dry skin, expose the fresh, supple skin, and treat it before it dies off too quickly!

The same goes for your hands! Don't forget to take care of your mitts before you put on the mitts. Satin Hands does the trick. This three-step process will pre-condition your hands, then exfoliate and cleanse, and finally moisturize and protect your hands from chapping, cracking and from feeling unpleasant.

Don't forget those lips!
Lips get chapped in the winter. This is no surprise. But, get ready to have your mind blown. You know that Chapstick you live on in winter? The one you slather on all the time? Ever wonder why you have to keep slapping that stuff on all the time, yet your lips still chap? Easy. You're coating dead skin with stuff that just coats your lips, it doesn't treat the dryness. Guess what you need to do? Exfoliate. (Sound familiar?) The BEST option for this is Mary Kay's Satin Lips set. The masque will deep condition and exfoliate the dead lip skin cells, and the balm will moisturize and protect the fresh, supple skin.

Moisturize & Strengthen


This is a great time of year to come in to get a conditioning treatment. The dry air your hair is subjected to due to the lack of humidity outside, the cold, and the dry air generated by heating systems blasting through interiors will suck the life out of your hair, leaving it brittle and weak. Consider coming in for a conditioning treatment! Depending on your hair's specific needs - from repairing breakage to adding moisture - there are several options available to you. In addition, you get a fabulous scalp massage and some quiet relaxation.

Cutting & Maintenance

Broken ends are like a run in a stocking. If you don't address them while they are small and just starting, they will shoot up and ruin everything. Even if you are growing out your hair, coming in for a trim is essential in dry, winter weather. It allows me to cut off those dead ends, make your hair look alive again, and you don't have to lose a lot of length! Remember, your hair grows about 1/2" per month, so even if I cut 1/4" of an inch, you're still ahead of the game!

Color Change

Sometimes, the colors we rocked during the summer just don't suit winter. Why? Well, the light in the sky is different, not to mention the fact that it gets dark so much earlier! You may find that the haircolor that looked radiant in the summer sun, and with your seasonal tan, just washes you out now, or certainly doesn't do anything to compliment your winter skin tones. Consider coming in for a consultation and service to take a look at some options that may suite you for the winter months, but still look fabulous for all those holiday parties and events!
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REFER A FRIEND AND SAVE... AND COMPETE TO WIN A FREE SERVICE!

11/9/2017

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Here's how it works! Everytime you refer someone, you AND your friend get a discount. So if you refer one person, you and that person will get 10% off of your service (provided your referral books and holds their appointment). If you refer two people, the second person and you will get 20% off! If you refer 3 or more people, you and your friends will get 25% off!

Now, that's a pretty good deal. (And very generous, if I say so myself.)

BUT... it gets BETTER this November!

The person who refers the MOST new clients who book and hold appointments* in November will get their choice of a FREE SERVICE PLUS a FREE makeup application in December! You will get to choose from one of the following:
  • Haircut, blowout and curls/smoothing iron service
  • Single color process
  • Root touchup
  • Partial highlights

All you have to do is get your friends to book and hold appointments in November and make sure that they mention your name when I ask them how they heard about Yaffa Beauty by Rica! That's it!

So, feel free to send a text message to your friends, call them, post to Facebook - whatever you want to do! Tell your friends to text or call 203-842-8388 to book their appointments!

* Referrals must book regularly priced services. Referral discounts will apply. Referrals that purchase and/or use a Groupon do not count towards this promotion.

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Photo Shoot with KLH Photography: Including a break down of what we did and what products/tools we used

9/27/2017

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Yaffa Beauty by Rica had the pleasure of doing hair and makeup for this promotional video for the incredible Kasey at her new studio for KLH Photography in Bridgeport, CT.

We gave Erica Larson, the model, loose and easy beach waves using a Paul Mitchell Neuro™ Unclipped 1.25" Cone and Paul Mitchell Hot Off the Press to protect her long, lovely locks. We secured the waves with Paul Mitchell Super Clean Light Spray once they cooled down and we ran fingers through the waves.

For Erica's makeup, we used Mary Kay Foundation Primer with SPF 15 and Mary Kay CC Cream with SPF 15 in Light to Medium. To conceal (nominal) imperfections, we used Mary Kay's Concealer. On her eyes, we used a variety of shades, including but not limited to, Stone Mineral Powder Eye Shadow, Crystalline Mineral Powder Eye Shadow and more. To make sure Erica's eyeliner held up during the shoot, we used Mary Kay Gel Eyeliner, which is waterproof and holds up under anything.

Erica's tone needed some pink to give her that refreshed look for the natural beauty shots, so we relied on Mary Kay's Cheek Colors in Strawberry Cream with a touch of Bold Berry. We finished off Erica's look with Mary Kay's Gel Semi-Matte Lipsticks, combining Mauve Moment and Bashful You.

​Once we were done with the more natural, beachy look, we transformed Erica for an evening look to match her black, velvet va-va-voom dress. To achieve this, we use Paul Mitchell Neuro™ Unclipped 1.25" Cone and Paul Mitchell Hot Off the Press to create bigger, more defined curls. We locked down the curls with Paul Mitchell Super Clean Light Spray. To amp up her look, we then tookMary Kay's Coal Mineral Eye Shadow and redefined the cut crease and around the eyes. Her cheeks got a night-time makeover with some  Mary Kay's Cheek Color in Bold Berry. To bring her daytime look to completion into night, we then blended in some Mary Kay Gel Semi-Matte Midnight Red into the color we created earlier. 
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Summer do a number on your hair? Here are some essentials to bring life back to your locks!

9/15/2017

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When we think of "Summer" or "Beachy" hair, we think of some sea breezy, slightly rough hair, like the gorgeous girl on the right. Natural, carefree, a little messy. And that may be how it looked in July, going into August. But unless your stylist gave you a once over before the school year...
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The reality is that most of us end summer with our hair looking like this - super dry, scraggly, uneven - and feeling like straw. It's stiff, the ends won't do anything, and it just feels terrible between the fingertips. Your usual shampoo and conditioner doesn't do anything.

And forget about trying to style it. A blow out collapses, and any attempts make it look like you're an extra from The Goldberg's on ABC.

So, unless you are ok with wearing your Halloween Costume from now through October 31, you probably want a fix for post-summer hair blues.

That's where I step in.
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Read More
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Falling Into Fall with Sarah's Fire-Inspired hair

9/8/2017

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Not to sound like a yenta, but when I say that I've known Sarah since she was >>>this<<< big is no understatement - I sang at her baby-naming. Now, a college graduate with an artistic flair, and recovering from the typical college-student playing with haircolor experiments, we decided to give her a professional Unicorn overhaul.
We went from this:
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To this:
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And we finally landed here - with a stunning photo shoot in Pound Ridge, NY.
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An exciting project: Gender Reveal Haircut and Color with Ariana

9/5/2017

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A little over a month ago, I met Arianna at The Block at The Waypointe's Wine Around the Block event. She came in and introduced me to her mom and immediately booked a haircut appointment. After a couple of haircuts, this lovely mother-to-be decided to book an appointment for a fun color, and we realized it would make a fantastic gender reveal for her upcoming baby shower! Take a look at the results!
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    Rica

    Salon owner. Unicorn. Baller.

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  • Home
  • About
    • Events & Media >
      • Show Us Your Pride 2021
    • Contact
    • Reviews
    • Referral Program
    • Salon Policies
  • Blog
  • Products & Shop
    • In Store
    • Paul Mitchell Products >
      • Amazon Storefront for Products & Tools
      • Rare Marula - Bond Building and Conditioning
      • NEON - Anti Bullying Product Line for Teens
    • Mary Kay Cosmetics
    • Official Merchandise
    • Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories
  • Gallery
    • Blondes
    • Color: Natural, Highlights, Balayage, Ecaille
    • My Unicorns
    • Weddings, Updos and Special Styling
    • Makeup
    • Face Painting & Other Services
  • BeautyThroughCancer©
    • Services for Cancer Survivors