This past Sunday was the half marathon for Jeans 4 Justice, an organization that supports rape victims.  The name "Jeans 4 Justice" was inspired by a 1999 case in Italian High Court in which a rape conviction was overturned because the victim was wearing jeans. The court concluded, “It is common knowledge…that jeans cannot even be partly removed without the effective help of the person wearing them…and it is impossible if the victim is struggling with all her might.” The founder of J4J was distraught by the idea that jeans, such an integral staple to a woman’s wardrobe, could lead to this unjust ruling. This case has motivated many to act and use jeans as an awareness tool to take a stand against this case and other rape myths such as ‘she was asking for it because she was wearing revealing clothing’.

Before the marathon, participants met for a lunch provided by NaturaLook at the Cosmopolitan in Old Town.  We were excited to be able to help this strong group of women in their training for the marathon and their continued support of sexually abused women.

To open up the year with great vibes, our first donation was made for the benefit of the charitable organization “Mainly Mozart.” Mainly Mozart reaches out to more than 40,000 children annually in San Diego through their educational outreach programs, which include in-school assemblies, free community concerts and a free student ticket program.

We would like to commend Mainly Mozart for their charitable efforts, and as a token of our appreciation we have donated our services to be auctioned off at their Annual Fundraising Soiree taking place on January 22, 2012 at the Westgate Hotel.

This past Friday NaturaLook held a hands-on advanced troubleshooting workshop.  Master trainer Jeanee Lusby covered topics like boosting and refreshing old designs, color correction and extreme eyeliner designs.  We had 8 established permanent makeup artists attend the event at our office in La Jolla, CA.  Hands-on training can sometimes be tricky because the antendees are taking turns working on models and, in our case, are moving back and forth between two procedure rooms practicing different techniques.  Luckily, we all felt the workshop was success!  Everything ran smoothly, our wonderful models were very patient and every artist that wanted to was able to practice what they'd learned in the fundamental training. 

Master trainer Jeanee Lusby shares her knowledge with fellow permanent makeup artists.

Jeanee beginning the eyeliner procedure while the attendees observe.

Thank you to everyone who attended!  It was a great day with a great group of people!  If you'd like to receive information about upcoming workshops with Jeanee please send us an email or check our news and events page for updates.

Pictured above from L to R:  Josh Ross, Josh Lamb, Dave Parley, Jason Ross, Ryan Maynard, Jeanee Lusby, Gary Koblis, Sean Huston and Royce Bettencourt

We had such a great time at the Body Art Expo this past weekend!  Attendees ran the gamut, from freaky to fabulous and scary to hairy!  The best part of the show was mixing and mingling with some amazing artists. 

We’d like to give a shout out to our new friends at Sailors Grave Tattoo Gallery!  This talented group of guys occupied the booth behind us.  They were really interested in what permanent cosmetics is all about; asking Jeanee about the business and taking our machine, the Nouveau Contour Intelligent, for a test drive!  The girls from NaturaLook watched with fascination as one of the artists from Sailors Grave, Gary Koblis, picked up our hand piece and started free-handing some intricate lettering on his coworker’s arm.  So how did they like using the latest in digital technology?  According to Gary, “It was like writing with a pen!”  We’d like to invite the Sailors Grave crew to stop by our office anytime!

If you’re looking for a place to go for body artwork, check out Sailors Grave Tattoo Gallery, located in Hillcrest at 3958 4^th Avenue, San Diego CA 92103.  These boys are very professional, courteous and incredibly talented!  For more information you can check out their website, sailorsgravesd.com.

Abounding with BBQs, beaches and bathing suits, San Diego is the ideal Labor Day vacation destination. Spend your holiday week participating in fun-in-the-sun activities for the whole family such as boating on San Diego’s Mission Bay, catching a Padres baseball game, visiting one of San Diego’s premier attractions or just relaxing in the sand. Getting around to all the activities on your itinerary is easy with the special Labor Day schedule of San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System. http://www.sandiego.org/listing/Visitors/1680

Once the holiday is over, summer shines on in San Diego so be sure to check out some of the unique events below:

Outdoor Adventures

Labor Day Weekend Pedal & Paddle (9/4 – 9/7) Treat your family to a fun filled day in the sun a Pedal & Paddle Bike and Kayak Tour. 

Labor Day Weekend BBQ Cruise (9/7) Celebrate Labor Day with some fun in the sun on San Diego Bay on Hornblower’s Labor Day BBQ Cruise!

Labor Day Weekend Sidewalk Sale at Carlsbad Premium Outlets (9/4 – 9/7) Attention all shoppers! Check out the Labor Day Weekend Sidewalk Sale at Carlsbad Premium Outlets. 

Labor Day Weekend Celebration Cruises (9/4 – 9/7) Celebrate on the Bay! Join Hornblower for fun-in-the-sun cruises all weekend long.

Sail Catalina-Labor Day Weekend on the Californian (9/4 – 9/7) Set sail to the beautiful waters surrounding Catalina Island aboard the schooner Californian over Labor Day weekend.

Recent forays just a few miles off the county’s shoreline have generated numerous sightings of the biggest creatures in the seas fluking and foraging near the surface.

Twenty feeding blue whales were spotted migrating off the coast of San Diego. Gray whales which are much more common, can occasionally be seen swimming into San Diego Bay and can be readily seen migrating along the local shoreline for several months each year. Blue whales are roughly twice as long as the grays and can be spotted six to ten miles off the coast filter feeding for krill, a shrimp-like animal that’s critical for supporting top predators in the food web.

The largest blue whale reported in the North Pacific was about 88 feet, with a blow reaching over 30 feet high, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. It said adult blues in the Antarctic can reach 108 feet and can weigh more than 330,000 pounds.

Blues are found in oceans worldwide. Their populations were slashed by commercial whaling worldwide in the 20th century. In the North Pacific, the "pre-exploitation" population is estimated at 4,900 blue whales and the current estimate is at least 3,300, the fisheries service said. For information about blue whale tours offered by the Natural History Museum, visit: http://www.sdnhm.org/education/whales/#bluewhale

Check out the website for any addition information
 

http://www.solanabeachchamber.com/chamber/fiestadelsol/index.htm
 

The party Saturday night was far out! Thank you to the musical entertainment, The Mar Dels, who kept it groovy with the best tunes from the 60’s and 70’s. The dance floor didn’t get a moment’s rest. It was a blast!

Congratulations to all members who received their certification through the SPCP….well done! We applaud you for taking the time to invest in yourself, and invest in your career by becoming certified. We hope our review course was helpful in preparing you for the exam. As always, we welcome any questions, comments or suggestions.

Additional thanks to all who attended our “Stay an Extra Day” Bonus Workshop. We were absolutely thrilled with the attendance, but more so with the wealth of information that our guest speakers presented. Thank you very, very much to Jeanine McTasney, Jill Hoyer, and Donna Moody-Martin…your contributions to the workshop were amazing, and the very reason it was so successful.

Lastly, thank you very much to the SPCP for a memorable convention. We’ll see you next year in New Mexico!
 

If you’re not an SPCP member, go to http://www.spcp.org and read about this amazing and valuable society for permanent makeup artists. So many people have benefited from the multitude of SPCP programs that focus on technician success and education. SPCP members are considered the best the industry offers and it is often the first place a prospective client looks to choose their technician because of the unique credentialing programs and status afforded to them that sets them apart from nonparticipating technicians in their locality.

This March, at the Spring Convention is the perfect time to get acquainted with the SPCP founders and other members from across the country. The event will take place at the beautiful Paradise Point Resort on Mission Bay. The festivities kick off on Saturday, March 19th and run through Tuesday, March 22nd.

An exam will be held on Saturday, March 19th for those technicians who are interested in becoming certified SPCP members. Jeanee Lusby will be teaching an SPCP Prep Course for those wanting to better prepare themselves for this exam, and this will be held on Thursday, March 17th. Please contact the SPCP for exam registration, and contact the NaturaLook staff for prep course registration.

On Tuesday, March 22nd Jeanee is also hosting the Stay an Extra Day Bonus Workshop. Join four talented artists for a powerful day of training, education and information exchange. Technicians of all skills levels will find this event very beneficial. View complete details here: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/News-from-NaturaLook.html?soid=1102424220870&aid=hiN_dpVeWJM

Please call the office to register for CPCP Prep Course, and Stay an Extra Day Workshop, or if you have any questions: (858) 459-2201 or (866) 550-LOOK.

Jeanee and staff will have a booth in the exhibitor hall featuring NaturaLook’s Premier Permanent Cosmetics Training Center. Please stop by and say “hello,” and let us demonstrate how to use the amazing sloped needles. Mention this blog for an exclusive invite to our private cocktail mixer. We hope to see you there!