2013 Review

Wow, 2013 was an exciting year for me and I need to start off by telling you dreams do come true and good stuff happens to those that wait!

We started  the year off with the studio getting a makeover! We gave her a fresh coat of paint, some inspirational words of wisdom nicely placed around the studio and new mirrors to help showcase YOUR beauty.

Ruthie's Eyes is always putting our best face forward by getting more involved in the community. This year we attended many community events including Haverford High School's Cheerleading Competition  and  vendor night at Chatham Park Elementary. We had so much fun meeting people and introducing them to what we do and where we are! 

In 2013 we had a blast working with all of our beautiful brides! It's always a great experience to be involved with someone's most important morning!  Ruthie's Eyes wants to send out another congrats and wish you all a life time of happiness!

 

 

 

To all the Brides-to-be we met along the way at bridal shows, we can't wait to work with you. 

 

I turned the BIG 30 in 2013 and feel so blessed to have been surrounded by family and friends who threw me a Surprise Party! Here is to the next 30 years.....

 

 

Another highlight of 2013 -  Xtreme Lash launched their faux mink lash extensions! They are easier to design the perfect look and they are faster to apply.  My lash clients have been flaunting them for their friends and have had great feed back! I have been doing lashes since 2006 - but 2013 has been the best "lash" year yet.

In case you haven't heard - I am no longer a one man show! I now have Colleen and her endless talents on staff.  Colleen has pushed me to the next level, helping get Ruthie's Eyes out there to the world and I have to thank her for that! Bringing her on is one of my favorite 2013 highlights! 

 

 

Colleen and I work with some of the areas best hair dressers, one being Mrs. Christy McCaffrey. We want to say Congratulations to her and her husband Ryan for the birth of their first son Shane Patrick - born in September of this year!

The last thing I want to tell you about is something Colleen and I are really looking foward to sharing with you.

We attended a class in the middle of 2013 to boost our education about waxing, the ins and outs and how important it is for the client to be educated also! We participated in an educational seminar at the Congress of Esthetics and it gave us new insights on the subject of waxing: eyebrows, underarms and especially Brazilians.

 

Colleen and I hosted our first Brazilian event (complimentary Brazilians) at the studio in 2013. We will continue to host them through 2014 to educate you and make Ruthie's Eyes the place you go for all your waxing needs. 

Again we must thank everyone for making 2013 a happy, successful year! We are very excited for all that 2014 has to offer! 

 

 

Check out the newly redesigned Website!

Happy Holidays

This time of year is always a period of reflection for us and we can't help but notice all the love and support we have. We are SO VERY thankful for every one in our lives who make us better each and every day. 

We truly appreciate our customers. They make coming to work everyday a pleasant adventure.

We wish each and every one of our friends, family and clients a very happy holidays. We hope everyone gets a chance to relax a little and enjoy their surroundings this season! 

Peace, Love and Joy from our families to yours. 

Holiday travels

Good morning everyone!

I know a lot of you  are traveling this season. I wanted to remind you to have fun, relax and enjoy your surrounding. Embrace your family and friends!

 

Traveling can be fun but sometimes we are far from home and need to run out to the store for last minute gifts or even sent to the store for the last ingredient as your helping in the kitchen! I wanted to tell you about this cool app I have been using since the iPhone came into my life, its called Aroundme.

It's amazing and easy to use. All you have to do is download it and it will give you categories that you may need: coffee shops, grocery stores, gas stations, drug stores, and retail stores. It is so convenient because now you don't waste a whole lot of time wondering around looking for where you need to be! 

 

Anyway, thanks for being a part of my world. Have a wonderful Christmas and a positive New Year. Remember to embrace your family and friends. 

 

Happy Travels to all. 

Still shopping?

Or maybe you haven't started yet...I am always looking for unique gifts, and I love them even more when they are supportive of a small business.  This can be hard to do when you live less than a mile from not one, but two Target stores and have (10!) nieces and nephews to buy for.

However, online shops make this very easy to accomplish, and my favorite one by far is Brickyard Buffalo.  This website is filled with different sales from tons of different small businesses, including many moms who work right out of their homes making handmade items like baby leggings, jewelry, scarves, etc.  Check out their website if your looking for unique last-minute (cheap!) gifts, and feel free to share any places you like to get your own unique items!
www.brickyardbuffalo.com

-Colleen

Brickyard Buffalo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday Lists

The lists go on and on. We try and try to make things simple for ourselves around this time of year with a list. I know I do or my brain would be like a scrambled egg. 

A list of what you need at the grocery store.

A list for who you need to buy gifts for.

A list of the stores you need to go to .

A list of events your invited to.

How do you avoid the stress ? Create lists. 

Try to follow the lists, I know, easier said then done with a 2 year old.

But most of all, I try to just go with the flow to avoid stressing my self out and to avoid stressing the children out. The food shopping will get done when I know the store is not busy and the meals will be favorites but they will be simple.

When it comes to going to the stores to buy gifts, the key is going without children. It would impossible to get anything done that way. These days, my favorite part of shopping is doing it all online. This year I started using Ebates and now I am obsessed.

If you also shop online, sign up! You won't regret it! I am earning cash back on all of my purchases, its silly not to use this site!  

Ebates

So anyway, back to my lists....

I will make sure the gifts are bought for the family first and then buy the teacher's gift, the dance teacher's gift, the babysitter's gift, and the handful of wonderful best friends I have! 

My main goal is to remain stress free this time of year! 

There are so many things to do with our families and friends. We never want to turn down an invitation: Family parties, Pollyanna parties, girls night out, etc. I know I try and do everything, coordinating sitters weeks in advance. But I have learned one thing over the years and that's to not spread myself to thin. Even thought we want to do it all, there is not enough time in the day. 

My bottom line is don't forget what this time of year is all about! Enjoy your family and friends. Enjoy your meals and experiences!
 
Enjoy your time, enjoy yourself! 

Here are a few cute lists I thought you might enjoy. 

 

Stir Crazy Snow Days

I don’t know about all of you but we have been trapped in our house for three days now due to the snow.  I was able to get out back to play yesterday with my 2 year old for a half hour while the baby napped, but all we had time for was one little snow man. So what to do with the rest of your day when your snowed in with little ones?  I’m trying to get creative before I resort to hours of Pixar movies.   

Here are some of the things we’ve been doing:

1.    Scavenger hunts:  This is an easy way to make the most of the mess of toys in my basement.  Grab some paper and markers, draw numerous items you can spot throughout the room, and let your toddler do the rest.  They get to look for each item and then check it off when they find it.  Piece of cake.

2.  Make Wrapping Paper:  I have a giant roll of brown paper from Home Depot lying around the house.  To save some money, I decided this would be our Christmas wrapping paper this year, and it also doubles as a great art project for kids.  Roll out the paper, get out the red and green paint, and let your kids do the rest.  The family always appreciates a nice homemade item, and this is just the wrapping paper!

3.  Baking, baking, baking;  This is my go-to if we have nothing left to do.  Let your kids make a mess, there’s plenty of time to clean up later.  And between letting them measure the ingredients, add them to the batter, mixing, scooping, and decorating later, it definitely takes up a good piece of time!

Aside from that I hope you all get to stay safe and warm today and enjoy the beautiful scenery outside!

Please share your snow day ideas with us :) 

-Colleen 

We PROUDLY present...

Hello! Let me introduce myself, if we haven't already met. My name is Colleen and I am the newest addition to Ruthie's Eyes.  I have been working with Ruthie for the past two years but this past summer I made the decision (along with Ruthie) to join Ruthie's Eyes exclusively. It has been a great decision so far and I am so excited to grow along side Ruthie's Eyes.

How did I get to where I am today? It was a long road with lots of twists and turns, but it all happened for a reason.  I graduated college with a degree in pharmaceutical sciences in 2008 and found myself looking for any position that degree would find me. I ended up working for two different pharmaceutical companies over those years, involved mostly  in quality control. Basically, a Monday through Friday 9-5, dressed in full lab attire, in a lab all day type of job.  I quickly realized that wasn't for me!  At the time though, it seemed to be my only option, so I stuck with it. 

My husband and I were married in 2010 and soon after found out we were expecting. This was a very exciting time for us, but I began immediately thinking about where I would be working after he was born. I couldn't see myself leaving the baby to go to a job I wasn't happy at every day.  I thought, there has to be a better career for me, a place I can look forward to going everyday. After lots of discussion and planning, I decided to get my esthetician license. I had a background in cosmetics from college, I enjoyed working with people one on one, and I love all things skin care. 

Turns out, it was a perfect match. It allowed me to have a flexible schedule and be home with my son as much as I could.   I quickly found a job working alongside a dermatologist and I learned more there about the skin than any of my previous educations.  I also had another baby boy soon after and found myself being so thankful for the career move that I made that previous year.  While working at the dermatologist office, I also started working with Ruthie. I had so many questions for her regarding her career and her business. Soon after, She taught me all about makeup, and the many types of makeup applications. I started doing wedding applications when she needed me and I loved it. 

Helping brides look their best on the most important day of their lives is so much fun!  Wedding mornings are such an important and fun memory from your wedding day and I love being a part of them.

Joining Ruthie's Eyes full time has been a wonderful decision and I can't wait to see where this road takes me. Hope to see you in the studio soon!

My guys - Finn and Kai

Welcome! Let me introduce myself...

My name is Ruth Falkenstein and I was born and raised in Delaware County. I went to Catholic school all my life and was very comfortable growing up in a small community! I attended Archbishop Carroll Highschool, it seemed so far, all the way out in Radnor! It was very exciting to me, being able to expand my out look on life and meet new friends from surrounding communities ! When I graduated in 2002, I didn't have a direction, I signed up for college because that's what I was supposed to do. Right? 

Well right away, I didn't feel comfortable and decided it wasn't for me. In my head, I always felt like an artist but not clear on how to express it. I went to my parents for advice and my mom told me about my cousin and how she really loved skin care school. My mom suggested maybe I give it a try. The course was not long and there was very little stress involved. 

That next Monday, my Dad and I went to Venus Beauty Academy and signed up. The next

six months I learned so much about skin care and make up! My teacher, Mama Di, always talked about the "chosen ones" that were successful after they left school, but, never in a million years, did I think I would be one. I graduated from Venus and started at my very first job in the business, just two days later. Cuz N Company introduced me to the importance of skin care in the world of a Bride to Be.  I worked with brides leading up to their wedding day, working on their skin and any of their waxing needs. My favorite part was working with the bride the morning of her wedding! I worked at Cuz N Company for a year and half before the birth of my oldest daughter, Ruthie!

After being home with Ruthie for some time, I wanted a fresh start. I found a beautiful start up company called Facelogic in the Edgemont area that had a wonderful concept. Facelogic was a skin care membership program that allowed clients to come in on a monthly basis at low cost! I was there just about two years when I realized I wanted something more.

I wanted to work with brides more often and be apart of their most important morning. 

I started freelancing make up and would travel to brides and do make up on location for the entire bridal party including Mothers of the Bride and Groom. While doing freelance make up, my clients expressed wanting more services on location! So I started traveling to them doing air brush tanning, head to toe waxing, Xtreme eyelash extensions, facials, microdermabrasion, and peels. This was fun for me because I was getting to see my clients in their own element. I would bring my equipment to their homes, set up, perform my services, pack up and be on my way! 

This sparked the fire inside of me! I decided to open Ruthie's Eyes when I found out I was pregnant with my second baby girl! I could no longer carry my equipment,  so I made the decision to open Ruthie's Eyes. We opened the doors, August 3rd 2011! 

Not to sound cliche, but to be honest, I had a dream and I made it happen. I would not be where I am today, without the loving support system of family and friends and clients for which I truly am blessed. My philosophy is that everyone is unique and beautiful.  No two people are identical. My goal, as your make up artist/esthetician, is to take your own uniqueness and not alter, but enhance your true beauty to help you see it "Through Ruthie's Eyes".....

Me and my girls, Ruthie and Gwen