(picture from www.gossipextra.com)

2011 was a fabulous year.  My professional skin care company, Repêchage, took me to Poland, England, Trinidad and Italy (to name a few) with the launch of our new skin brightening collection, Biolight. 30 years and counting, I am still as happy as ever being able to provide innovative and effective skin care products to the USA and abroad. 2011 also brought a new addition to my family, my daughter Shiri gave birth to a new baby boy, Asher Jacob, this November. He is absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to give him his first seaweed facial!

Here is Shiri at age 3.

Although 2011 was a great year, I am excited to see what lays ahead. As many people tend to do at this time of year, I am reflecting on my life in order to see where there is room for improvement. This year I have decided to focus on myself and my relationships.

My Resolutions for 2012

1.)     Spend more time with my husband.

My husband David is the love of my life and my number one fan. We work in the same office but I still can’t get enough of him! I hope that in 2012, I will have more time to spend quality time with him going to dinner, walking through Central Park and seeing more shows on Broadway.

2.)     Take more vacations.

All work and no play! This year I am going to take more time off (I hope this will help with Resolution #1) and see some sites! Although my job takes me to all corners of the world, I am often speaking or presenting and don’t always have time to take it all in. In 2012, I want to take it all in!!

3.)     Pay attention to my friends and family’s emotional needs.

It is important to be aware of the feeling of those who you love. I am going to make a conscious effort this year to be more sensitive to my loved ones.  It is important to do unto others are you would have them do unto you Love and be loved!

In your personal life and in business, it is always important to have goals and a concise plan on how you plan on achieving them.  This is a New Year and it can mean a new start if you want it to! Your success in is in your hands.

What are your resolutions for 2012?

(My dinner table)

This is a little sample of the menu we have planned for this year:

Pumpkin Soup

Freshly baked Rosemary Bread

Turkey Stuffed with Quinoa Pilaf

Brussels sprouts

Green Beans

Sweet Potatoes Gratin

Cranberry Sauce, sweet and spicy

Ratatouille

At the dinner table at my home, we have a tradition of going around the table and having friends and family declare what they are thankful for this year. This year, I am thankful for my beautiful family and friends and my new grandson, Asher Jacob. He will be celebrating his first Thanksgiving at the age of 3 weeks. I am also thankful for my other beautiful grandchildren, Gus 7 and Audrey 4, my husband David who has been an angel in my life, and my two beautiful daughters Shiri and Iris.  I am incredibly blessed to have such a dedicated and loving family who has always supported me through thick and thin. I have always done my best to be a loving wife, mother and friend, and I know that no matter what we are faced with, my family will persevere. I am also thankful for my skin care business and my many friends, who without, my life would not be as rich.

(My granddaughter Audrey)

I think that it is so important to take a day to reflect on all of things we are so blessed to have. I am also thankful to God for his kind care and protection of the people of this country, and for the civil and religious liberties with which we are blessed.

(David with the Turkey)

When I think of the dark history of Poland in 1968, it makes me realize what an incredible country the USA is. My family and I were forced to leave Poland and we became refugees, homeless and stateless based purely on our religious heritage. Knowing that my family was able to overcome religious prejudice, and succeed in the USA where religious and civil freedoms reign, makes the view of the Thanksgiving parade that much sweeter.

But then it is back to work! Success must be earned! Friday I will be on a plane to Italy where I will be speaking at the Global Beauty Forum 2011 – 61 National CIDESCO Congress.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends!

God Bless America.

I flew out to Miami just before The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa Miami and Brenda and I took a drive over to The Banyan Resort, Key West and just like that, some much needed me-time was in full effect.

In just a few short days, we hit the town, went swimming with dolphins and went snorkeling—it took a slight nudge on Brenda’s part to finally get me into the turbulent waters…but in addition to seeing all the glorious sea life below, I even encountered a 5 foot shark up close, which was a real adrenaline rush!

Kick back, relax and take a dip with dolphins!

Up Close & Personal with a beautiful dolphin!

It was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries after an extremely busy show season. It’s very easy to forget to take time for yourself even when you are lucky enough to work your dream job. Afterwards, it was off to an amazing show with Les Nouvelles Esthetiques!

Brenda (left) and me (right) with classic beauty Marilyn Monroe!

Our display at this show was revamped to invite clients into our space, making our products more accessible to all! We were very glad to be able to offer such a hands-on interactive shopping experience to show goers. We also offered signature services at the Repêchage Facial Bar.  While I spent a portion of the day on Sunday giving a presentation on Thalassotherapy to a great audience of industry professionals, the Repêchage team was hard at work introducing many new people to the amazing benefits of our EcoCert seaweed based products! The balanced mix of relaxation and hard work made for a truly wonderful Florida trip!

On stage for my presentation “Delve into the Science of the Sea & Your Skin: The Power of Thalassotherapy” at The International Congress of Esthetics & Spa

So don’t forget to carve out some R&R this spring – even if just for a day or two.  And I hope to see you all in NYC in July for our newest skincare launch event at Tribeca Rooftop!

Cheers!

With Todd Beckman, CEO of FaceLuXe. Photo courtesy of FaceLuXe.

C-H-I-C! Photo courtesy of Madelyn Alexander & Leon Alexander of Eurisko.

The show was non-stop as I ran between the ABS FaceLuXe Booth and Repêchage Booth on the Face & Body side. In addition, I taught advanced education classes at the show! On Saturday, I presented an in depth look at factors influencing aging, with a demonstration of the Vita Cura 5 Phase Firming Facial, and on Monday I presented a spa business class: “Show & Tell and You Will Sell.” At this class, I was able to give knowledgeable beauty pros my insider tips on generating greater revenue. Additionally, Monday morning I was proud to be a part of the first Beauty Changes Lives segment hosted by Ted Gibson at America’s Beauty Show. It was inspirational. Ted has set out on a mission to show the world that the beauty industry is more than just an image of a high school dropout. I was honored to be part of this very successful group of beauty school graduates and to inspire over 500 future professionals.

ABS also hosted a High Tea with Lois Christie, President of Intercoiffure North America and owner of Christie & Co. Salon ۰ Spa, and I. It was a nice reprieve to the hustle and bustle of the show floor. We were able to reach out and change the lives of salon and spa owners looking to stay ahead of the industry and generate greater revenue by providing what the consumer is looking for—quick, results-oriented treatments and customized service!

Early Monday morning, Chicago woke up to Shiri Sarfati, Executive Vice President of Repêchage, who was featured on the Channel 9 News as reporter Ana Belaval wore the fourth layer mineral mask of the Repêchage Four Layer Facial and learned the wonderful benefits of the heated mask and the full facial treatment. She also received amazing hand and foot treatments featuring Repêchage Pomegranate CranApple All Over Body Scrub (so natural she even licked it off her hand!) and new Kanshi Mango Hand & Body Scrub.

There is so much more to come! If you are in the Secaucus, NJ area, I invite you to join me March 21-23 for a three day Master Class for hands on workshops and more! If you are in the Miami, FL area, catch us at The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa April 3-4, booth 706 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The gorgeous staff at the Repêchage booth

The Repêchage booth, front and center at the International Beauty Show!

I was very fortunate to teach with some extremely intelligent and powerful women throughout my three days of education. CIDESCO diplomat Dianne Miles joined me on Sunday and Monday for classes on Facial Massage techniques from around the world and Skin Analysis Consultation, Diagnosis and Facial Treatment Protocol Utilizing Electrical Equipment and on Tuesday, Dr. Karen Burke joined to co-teach a class on Aging – Factors Influencing Visible Aging of the Skin and Professional Solutions. All five of the classes I taught were huge successes. We had sold out classes and I was even able to be of assistance with a lovely woman who lost her ticket and was so upset that she was almost going to miss the class! It was a great pleasure to be able to let her in to join the class and turn her bad day around.

With Dianne Miles, CIDESCO diplomat

With NY dermatologist, Dr. Karen Burke

The Repêchage Facial Bar was amazing! Our three estheticians, Lauren Streeter, Repêchage Corporate Educator, Lisa Dominguez, owner of Oasys Day Spa, a Repêchage Spa de Beauté in Wood-Ridge, NJ, and Lourdes Espaillat, a certified Repêchage educator, provided an assortment of signature treatments, leaving show goers with radiant, healthy and hydrated skin!

In the three short days, we had great press meetings, introduced and re-introduced hundreds of new people and existing clients to Repêchage and provided skincare education. Catch us this coming weekend in Chicago at America’s Beauty Show and Face and Body Midwest and join the first Beauty Changes Lives segment with yours truly.

1. Take a walk! One of the most important components of any daily routine must be exercise. While buzz worthy health foods may change on a monthly basis, the need for heart healthy exercise is constant. Stop dreading exercise and stop making excuses! Make a simple change: Wake up a half hour earlier and walk around your neighborhood. An early morning walk gets your heart pumping and increases your metabolism throughout the day.

2. Avoid takeout foods. It is no secret (find the worst fast food menu options) that the quickest foods are most certainly not the healthiest—one meal can rack in more calories, fat and sodium than recommended daily. Take a pledge to incorporate at least one fresh vegetable into your daily routine. Choose to snack on fresh veggies with hummus or opt to cook a full veggie meal like My Lentil Soup: In a large pot, heat 4 TBSP of Olive Oil, saute 1 large onion (chopped) and 2 cloves of garlic (chopped) until golden; add 2 stalks of celery (chopped) and 1 carrot (chopped) and saute for an additional 5-6 minutes; add one bag of lentils (wash first) and cover with 8 cups of water; bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste, then simmer until lentils are soft;  add one can roasted tomatoes and cook another 20 minutes; and serve! Making a simple change like this can help healthy eating become second nature to you.

No time to prep a whole veggie meal? Try starting your day with my simple juice recipe: 1 whole cucumber, 1 green apple, 2 TBSP honey, 1 bunch parsley and juice from 1 lemon. This Vitamin C and Folic Acid-rich hydrating and energizing juice is a simple start to a healthier day.

3. Drink H20. Another unhealthy habit to kick: soft drinks. Studies have linked drinking one soda per day (YES-this includes DIET!) lends to increased risk of heart disease. So substitute water for soda.

4. Take a bath! Everyone needs to unwind after the daily stresses of life. Americans are the most overstressed people in the world! Taking that 15 minutes (or 10 if you really can’t commit) nightly for yourself can work wonders. For starters, it will help you sleep better. The quality of your sleep is just as important as getting the recommended 6-8 hours nightly. Lack of sleep is associated with high blood pressure and cholesterol, both signs of heart disease. (Top 10 Health Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep) Even more, it will give you time to shut out the rest of the world and get that much needed “me” time.

In addition to eating right and exercising, surrounding yourself with friends, family and loved ones is the best way to keep your heart healthy and happy. Share with us: What is your best tip for staying healthy?

For more information, visit the American Heart Association at GoRedForWomen.org.

So, let’s flashback to 1977:

• Average US income $13,572
• World population was just over 4 billion
• I was the Dancing Queen at Studio 54
• Farrah Fawcett was kicking butt prime time in Charlie’s Angels
• I opened my first Day Spa in Manhattan!

It’s a different world for those starting businesses now, socially, economically and in the beauty industry! Since then, we have seen the world population reach approximately 8 billion, average US incomes are close to triple and you can find a facial on any block in Manhattan. The Day Spa industry has certainly evolved! People now spend billions of dollars annually on beauty services and products and in light of keeping my hopes and dreams high, I will continue to strive for greatness in 2011! There is a lot to come personally and professionally this year! I am excited to say that Repêchage will continue to innovate and lead the industry, providing new products based on cutting edge skincare technology and advancements.

Here is a great kickoff for those of you starting a skincare business in 2011: Encouraging facts courtesy of About.com’s Exploration of  ‘Beauty My Way’ users this year!

• Over 80% are spending more or the same this year on skin, hair, male grooming, teeth whitening and cosmetic products.
• 47% say price is not a factor if the beauty products meet their needs or solve a problem
• 55% consider recommendations from experts very important
• 72% of consumers prefer well established skin care brands over generic
• 44% are willing to pay more for a recognized beauty brand or product recommended by experts and users

And those are some figures you can take to the bank!

Throughout 2011, check for tips regularly as I will take this year to guide those of you starting a business. Stay tuned for much to come, including the best way to choose your professional product lines, tips and strategies to optimize your retail sales, staff motivation, customer service, utilizing social media marketing (an amazing resource for new businesses, since it is free!) and much more! If you are starting a business, please share information with us in the comments section and let us know what information and posts you will be looking for throughout 2011 and we will be sure to respond with blog posts catered to your questions and needs! A great resource guide to carry with you each step of the way, is my book Success at Your Fingertips: How to Succeed in the Skin Care Business.

In 2011, I urge you all to follow your dreams as I have done. It may not be easy every step of the way, but perseverance plus perspiration will truly lead your dreams to manifest into reality!  Wishing you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Photo Courtesy of Bar Harbor Times  Soup

My husband and I visited 3 countries – Korea, Thailand and Singapore – meeting with our fantastic partners in those countries that work hard in making the Repechage brand a success. It was a pleasure to see that my distributor’s son in Korea is following in his parents footsteps and learning the business. He is young and intelligent and I look forward to the future success of Repechage with the next generation in place.

In Thailand I was invited to speak at The Plaza Athenee in Bangkok on “The Science of Seaweed and Beautifying Skincare.” I presented to 70 doctors on the science of seaweed and its benefits in skincare. It was very well-received and was followed by tons of media interviews and a photo shoot with OK! Magazine! We were absolutely stopping traffic!!

This year we relaunched Repechage in Singapore through a fantastic chain of 4 spas called Renaza Wellness Lifestyle Lab and we are looking forward to growing with them throughout Singapore, China and Hong Kong!! Repechage treatments have been making big news in Singapore and our 4 Layer Facial is a huge hit with the media.

I return to the states positive and excited for the fantastic partners we have and for the continued growth of Repechage in Asia. I look back on all that I have accomplished the last 30 years and I am very blessed to have a global brand that is embraced around the world. I look forward to getting back to NY and ringing in the New Year with my friends and family and toasting a fantastic year ahead.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!

For the holidays, we dressed our newly renovated headquarters in holiday theme as guests, greeted with flutes of Champagne splashed with pomegranate juice, were surrounded by chic silver and blue holiday décor. If you’ve been following my blog, you will know by now that one of my favorite parts of prepping for any event is getting the space decorated in the spirit.

The event kicked off with guest speaker Julie Mahoney of Oasis Day Spa in Weymouth, MA, who shared her experiences as an esthetician owning her own skincare center; from finding the perfect location to making tough choices like firing a lead esthetician. Our second guest speaker Richard Calcasola of Maximus Spa/Salons of Long Island shared the challenges and successes he has found in running a full service salon and spa. He shared his challenges in opening a Soho salon in the wake of September 11^th, as well as the success of his newly opened salon in Long Island that incorporates FACEbAR to offer Repêchage express services in the salon environment. Finally, I was lucky to present an in depth look at the benefits of sea water and sea plant technology for the first time, though I couldn’t resist delving briefly into helpful business tips for 2011.

Before guests left, Shiri presented a sneak peak at the Repêchage Sea Spa Lifestyle Collection, our collection launching in the first quarter of 2011. Guests were the first to preview the new Sea Spa Collection and left the event toting new and fabulous “Gift-to-Go” items, Sea Spa Foot Cream and Sea Spa Body Cream, in eco-friendly reusable Repêchage bags.

I would like to thank everyone who came! It was an amazing event and we were so lucky to have you with us. Here’s looking to next year!

The next day, I was honored to sit on the SpaExec Panel in Phoenix, AZ, to discuss Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Reaching Today’s Consumers with the manufacturers and resorts & spas in attendance. I was able to speak about how spas can work with their vendors to create a demand for their services and retail products. In a highly competitive time for marketing with new outlets being created and updated daily, I think it was extremely important to cover this topic and help spas better understand and utilize new marketing platforms and media to attract a new generation of consumers.

As I return back to New York, I am glad to have shared so much in the state of Arizona and am looking forward to all that is to come with these two amazing organizations!

Below is a picture that was taken last week in Arizona with Martha Hoffman, President of the United Aesthetics Organization.