The Cirque Blog

Skin care is crucial throughout the year, but it becomes particularly important during the summer season.  Here are five key reasons why skin care is essential during summer and what you can do to make it happen:

1. Sun Protection: Sun exposure is more intense during the summer months, and protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is vital. Excessive sun exposure can lead to sunburn, premature aging, wrinkles, sunspots, and an increased risk of skin cancer. Applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, wearing protective clothing, and seeking shade during peak sun hours can help safeguard your skin.
2. Hydration: Summer heat and increased outdoor activities can cause dehydration, which affects your skin’s health and appearance. Proper hydration helps maintain the skin’s moisture balance, improves elasticity, and promotes a radiant complexion. Remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day and use hydrating skincare products to keep your skin nourished and moisturized.
3. Oil Control: Heat and humidity in summer can lead to increased oil production, clogged pores, and breakouts. Implementing a regular skincare routine that includes gentle cleansing, exfoliation, and oil-free or lightweight moisturizers can help manage excess oil and keep your skin clear.
4. Protection Against Environmental Factors: In addition to sun exposure, summer brings other environmental factors that can impact your skin. Air pollution, chlorine in swimming pools, and saltwater at the beach can all affect the skin’s health and contribute to dryness, irritation, and inflammation. Cleansing thoroughly after exposure and using antioxidant-rich products can help combat the damaging effects of these environmental factors.
5. Anti-Aging Measures: Protecting your skin from the sun’s harmful rays is one of the most effective ways to prevent premature aging. UV radiation contributes to the breakdown of collagen and elastin, leading to wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin. By prioritizing sun protection, you can maintain a more youthful and vibrant complexion.While skincare is especially important in the summer, remember, everyone’s skin is unique, and it’s important to choose skincare products and routines that suit your specific needs.  This is why it is also important to have an esthetician (from Cirque 😁) and dermatologist in your corner to help you keep your skin healthy!

-The Cirque Team

Memorial Day is traditionally, the unofficial start of Summer.  Get your studio ready with some summer promotions for your clients.  Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:  

1. Summer Makeover Packages: Create special makeover packages that are specifically tailored for the summer season. Offer a combination of services such as a haircut, highlights or balayage, a refreshing facial, and a manicure or pedicure. Package them together at a discounted price compared to individual services. Market these packages as a way for clients to refresh their look for the summer and get ready for vacations, events, or simply to embrace the season with a new style.
2. Sun-Kissed Hair Color Special: Highlight the vibrant and sun-kissed hair color trends of summer. Offer a discounted rate or a special package for balayage, ombre, or other hair coloring techniques that create a natural, beachy look. Emphasize the idea of achieving effortlessly beautiful hair that mirrors the glow of the summer sun. Share before-and-after pictures on social media to showcase the transformation.
3. Pamper and Protect Your Skin: Summer can be harsh on the skin, so promote services and products that focus on skincare and sun protection. Offer a facial treatment specifically designed to hydrate and rejuvenate sun-exposed skin. Bundle it with a discounted sunscreen product or a travel-size sun protection kit. 

Remember to promote these summer promotions through your social media channels, email newsletters, and in-studio signage.  Engage with your clients by encouraging them to share their summer looks and experiences using your services to help build engagement and create a buzz around your studio this summer!

-The Cirque Team

Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday!  We hope all the moms have a great weekend.  In the salon suite world, this is a great time to offer promotions for all your female clients.  We have put together some fun Mother’s Day ideas below that are good for this weekend and beyond. 

1. 1. Gift Card Promotion: Offer a special discount on gift cards purchased for Mother’s Day. For example, buy a $100 gift card and receive a $20 bonus gift card for free. This is a great way to encourage customers to purchase a gift for their moms and to promote future visits to the salon.
   2. Free Hair Treatment: Offer a free hair treatment (such as a deep conditioning or scalp massage) with any service. This is a great way to show moms some extra love and help them relax.
   3. Mother-Daughter Makeover Package: Offer a special package for moms and daughters to come in for a day of pampering together. This could include haircuts, styling, makeup, and a mini-photoshoot to capture the memories.
   4. Mother’s Day Gift Basket: Create a special Mother’s Day gift basket with salon products and tools. This is a great option for customers who want to give their moms a thoughtful and practical gift that they can use at home.
   5. Social Media Giveaway: Host a social media giveaway for Mother’s Day, where customers can enter to win a free service or product. This is a great way to generate buzz and engagement on social media, and to attract new customers to the salon.      

Remember to promote your Mother’s Day and all promotions on your marketing channels, including your website, social media, email newsletter, and in-salon signage.  Have a Happy Mother’s Day!

-The Cirque Team

Whether you have gotten your taxes done already, filed an extension or are a last minute person still trying to get it all done, tax day is almost upon us.   For the occasion, we put together a list of basic tips below.  Looking to get the most out of your taxes, then heed the last tip, consult a professional!  

• Keep accurate records: Keep track of all your income and expenses, including receipts for supplies, rent, equipment, and wages. This will help you claim deductions and avoid any potential audits.
• Deduct business expenses: Take advantage of tax deductions for business expenses, such as rent, utilities, advertising, and supplies. Keep in mind that you can also deduct any employee wages, benefits, and payroll taxes.
• Track your inventory: If you sell products, make sure to track your inventory and report any unsold products as business expenses.
• Consider depreciation: If you purchase expensive equipment, consider depreciating it over time to help offset your income.
• Use a separate bank account: Keep your personal and business finances separate by using a separate bank account. This will help you track your income and expenses more easily.
• Consult with a tax professional: Consider consulting with a tax professional.   They can help you identify potential deductions and ensure you’re in compliance with all tax laws.

Happy Filing!  

-The Cirque Team

It’s March and in the Lowcountry that means two things, it’s pollen time and wedding season!!  The rest of this month we will be taking a look at some iconic Charleston wedding venues on our social media on Wedding Wednesdays!  Before we get specifically into the Charleston wedding scene, we thought it would be fun to look at some trends and statistics from across the nation.

Nationally, the lingering effect of the pandemic on the wedding industry, in that there were actually more weddings in 2022 since 1984 with 2.5 million weddings across America.  With the increase in number of weddings, there has also been an increase in the cost of weddings.  The average cost of a wedding was up $2,000 from 2021 and rang in at $30,000!  South Carolina came in just above the national average at $32,000 per wedding.  Looking to spend a little less?  Utah came in as the least expensive state to have a ceremony coming in at average cost of $16,000.  

Traveling to Utah to save, brings up the idea of the destination wedding!  In 2022, 20% of weddings were destination based endeavors.  The average attendance at a destination wedding was 50 guests compared to 131 guests for a traditional wedding event.  90% of couples cite climate as the top reason for choosing a destination wedding.  This makes sense as the average temperature for Charleston in March is a delightful 67 degrees.  

We hope to show off a little bit of this beautiful weather combined with idyllic locations to say “I do”  during the next four weeks of Wedding Wednesdays on our social.  We also look forward to seeing and featuring some of our studio owners wedding work over this time as well.  Here’s to a happy wedding season to all the lucky couples tying the knot in the coming weeks!

-The Cirque Team

*Thanks to The Knot, Pearl Source, and Ampere and Travel for the statistics.

Today, we continue to share the love in conjunction with Black History month and share the story of Madame CJ Walker.  She was a pioneer in hair care products for African Americans and is thought to be the first black woman millionaire.  Below we take a deeper look at her story and the impact she had on America with an excerpt from the History Channel. 

Walker was inspired to create haircare products for Black women after a scalp disorder caused her to lose much of her own hair. Walker’s method, known as the “Walker system,” involved scalp preparation, lotions and iron combs. Her initial products like Wonderful Hair Grower, Glossine and Vegetable Shampoo began to gain a loyal following as she sold directly to Black women, using a personal approach that won her loyal customers.  

As her success grew, she started eventually started a beauty school and production facility.  She went on to employ a fleet of saleswomen to sell the products whom she called “beauty culturalists.” At the height of production, the Madame C.J. Walker Company employed over three thousand people.

Walker’s reputation as an entrepreneur was matched only by her reputation for philanthropy. She established clubs for her employees, encouraging them to give back to their communities and rewarding them with bonuses when they did.  At a time when jobs for Black women were fairly limited, she promoted female talent, even stipulating in her company’s charter that only a woman could serve as president. 

She also donated generously to educational causes and Black charities, funding scholarships for women at Tuskegee Institute and donating to the NAACP, the Black YMCA, and dozens of other organizations.  She is remembered as a pioneering Black female entrepreneur who inspired many with her financial independence, business acumen and philanthropy. 

We can only hope that this spirit lives on in people today.

-The Cirque Team

Did January fly past you and you are still thinking about redecorating your studio?  Well, with February here, you can combine a spring clean with a little redesign.  If you are struggling with where to start and looking for ideas, then today’s post is for you!  We are going to highlight a couple basics of Feng Shui and what that could mean for your studio.

You may have heard of Feng Shui before but what does it really mean?  The words themselves translate to wind and water and it is known as the Chinese art of arranging buildings, objects, and space in an environment to achieve harmony and balance.  While there are several major elements to Feng Shui, we will touch on a few things that you can use for a studio rework.

The first idea is to declutter your workspace as a cluttered area can negatively affect your performance. Only keep out items on your station that you use daily.  Place your other objects somewhere other than the top of your station like in a drawer or cabinet.  While this might seem like a simple concept, it is a vital element to Feng Shui. 

Another thing to consider doing is having some live plants in your room.  According to the Feng Shui principles, the natural green color of plants encourages business and personal growth.  Some good plants for a setting like your studio could be the lucky bamboo plant, a jade plant, or a peace lily.  Regardless of design concepts, having a plant(s) in your studio is a nice touch. 

The last concept that we will touch on with the studio is the position of your styling chair.  This one could be a little trickier, because with Feng Shui, the idea is to position your chair where you can see as much as the room as possible.  Again, this one is a little tougher because most studio owners that are stylists tend to position their styling chair in the middle of the room.  This may be an idea to consider if you are doing a full room makeover versus a little refresh.  

While these are a couple basics that you could use in your studio, there is a lot more to Feng Shui like the Bagua Map, the five elements and your Chi.  If you are looking to do a deeper dive on any of these ideas, there is a lot of information out there to digest.  Though, we hope the basics that we covered give you a good starting point to your spring clean or redesign! 

-The Cirque Team

We talked about setting smart goals in our last post and wanted to follow that up today with discussing the actual action steps to achieve to goals.   Having goals is great but with no daily or weekly plans in place it can be tougher to make those goals a reality.  

Let’s take a look at our smart goal from last week’s post, which was to book five new clients by April 30th, 2023.  This gives roughly a three month or 12 week time frame to achieve this goal.  Next, break that down into weekly and monthly segments, to determine what you are going to do during those time windows to generate leads that will turn into new clients.  

From here, decide what type of actions that you want to take to achieve the goal.  There are plenty of avenues of actions, some of which we cover below.  If you think of other things to do that is great as well, just make sure to do them on a consistent basis!  

First up, if you have a social media account(s), post once a week with a client picture where you mention in the text that you are taking new clients.  Once a month, put up a post of:  I’m taking new clients where that is the sole focus in the picture and the text. 

Beyond, social media, there are still ways to make your goal of 5 new clients a reality.  

Think of your ten best current clients, when they come in for their appointment over the next three months, tell them that you are accepting new clients if they know anyone who needs a stylist/nail tech/massage therapist.  Another simple method is to have a small sign at your check out station/area stating:  that you are taking new referral clients so please keep me in mind with your friends and family.  This way you can remind people on a daily basis when they are checking out that you are taking new clients.  Besides at check out, if you use a text reminder appointment system then you can attach a note to the appointment reminder or if possible send out a separate message that you are taking new clients.  

We hope it is evident that there are various ways to gain new clients and achieve this sample goal.  Additionally, if you have a plan of action that breaks things down into daily, weekly or monthly increments it can help you stay on track and achieve whatever goal you set.  We hope that you have a great 2023 and all your goals become reality! 

-The Cirque Team

As January gets into full swing, have you got a grasp on what 2023 is going to like for you?  It can be easy to let time get away from you and in May, you are in the same place as you are now.  In this post, we will discuss a time honored tradition that can help you make sure that doesn’t happen to you in 2023, Goal Setting!!

Goal setting is a good way to move your business forward in the new year.  A well known method for goal setting, is the SMART goal system.  This acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound.  Using these elements will give you a better opportunity to achieve your goals.  We put two goals below to help illustrate the difference.  

Goal:  I want to get more new clients

SMART Goal:  I want to schedule 5 new clients for color treatments by May 30th, 2023.  

Hopefully, the differences are fairly evident.  The first goal is very broad, generic and possibly never ending!  With this goal if you got one new client in all of 2023 then technically you would be a success in meeting your goal.  

The second goal follows the SMART acronym.  It starts by being very specific, it states what type of clients that you want to have and it is measurable in that it gives the number of clients that you want to achieve.  Next up, it is attainable as it is reasonable to think that you could schedule five new clients in the next four months.  This goal is relevant to your business as it will put new people in your chair.   Lastly, it is time bound with a specific date that you are trying to get new clients scheduled on your calendar. 

Whether you are trying to fill up your schedule with new clients or cut back the number of hours that you are working a week, these things will be easier to accomplish with a goal.  While a basic goal can work, you are more likely to get better results with a SMART goal.  Following those steps of having something be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound will get you started on your way to success.

With Christmas almost here, we thought we would take a look at some Christmas traditions and how and where they started.  We hope this interesting tidbits will give you something to discuss as this holiday season draws to a close.  

Hopefully, you have a Christmas Tree up in your home or studio.  Have you ever wondered how this tradition started? 

Decorated trees date back to Germany in the Middle Ages, with German and other European settlers popularizing Christmas trees in America by the early 19th century. A New York woodsman named Mark Carr is credited with opening the first U.S. Christmas tree lot in 1851.

A more modern tradition is the Elf on a shelf.  Love it or loathe it, since 2005, moms and dads have been hiding a toy elf each night from Thanksgiving to Christmas. More than 13 million elves have been “adopted” since 2005 when Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell, published their book Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. 

For a lot of people, the holiday season includes a date at the ballet with the Nut Cracker or watching a Charlie Brown Christmas but when did they first appear? 

The Nutcracker, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by Marius Petipa, premiered Dec. 18, 1892, in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was performed for the first time outside of Russia in 1934 in England, and made its way to the United States in 1944 when it was performed by the San Francisco Ballet. 

Decades later, it may be hard to imagine that the beloved TV special, Charlie Brown’s Christmas, was first rejected by CBS executives. But when it finally aired on December 9, 1965, almost half of all U.S. TV sets were tuned to the broadcast.

Last up, we have every kid’s favorite, candy!  And with the Christmas season, this means Candy Canes!  But where did Candy Canes get their start?   

Whether devoured as a treat or hung on the tree as decoration, candy canes are the No. 1-selling non-chocolate candy during December, and date back to 1670 Germany. The red and white peppermint sticks arrived stateside in 1847, when a German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster, Ohio placed them on a tree. By the 1950s, an automated candy cane-making machine was invented, cementing their mass appeal.

We hope that these fun tidbits are things that you can use with clients, friends or family.  We hope that you have a great rest of the week as we lead up to Christmas!  

-The Cirque Team

*Thanks and credit to the History Channel for the answers to our questions.