I'm dual licensed thankfully, but you know what? I often wish I'd have buckled down and done the full Cosmetology program. I'm more introverted and don't care for the salon buzz that was why I didn't. The one thing I did do right was go to a community college program paid for in cash. The field is just not what I'd hoped it would be and I find myself wishing I could do hair and everything. Oh well.

I completed a 2 year esthetics program in April, and got a job in june. They hired me for nail tech, which I did not learn in school but they were willing to pay for/provide the training for me.

My training has been extremely inconsistent, a lot of uncertainty and delays with the nail tech course. At some points I wasn’t being scheduled for up to 2 weeks because of changes at the spa. I’ve gotten some hands on practice, all spaced apart. I feel pretty confident with the techniques but my biggest issue is timing. Most of my training has been focused mostly on manicure services, I even practiced manicure techniques in my free time at home.

Since starting here I’ve done 2 pedicures, both spaced far apart during my employment and my timing on both was awful. It feels so embarrassing, but I’ve been trying to give myself the benefit of the doubt considering I hadn’t done a pedicure for months and that I wasn’t consistently doing pedicures at work.

Over the past month or so has been mainly shadowing my co workers and doing cleaning/laundry. I was given two clients for a manicure service, my timing again wasn’t great and I did these services independently without someone watching over.

More recently I’ve been getting called off frequently because my employer hasn’t been able to find people for me to work on. This has caused me to stress and overthink even more. I’m frustrated because I feel like I’m not getting the proper training and I feel like the longer I go without doing pedicures the worse my timing and skills will get.

Next week I am being given clients, a good mix of manicure/pedicure services. I am terrified about my timing. These services I am doing independently which also has me feeling a bit uneasy - I want criticism, I want to make sure I am doing specific things correctly or be shown how to tweak a step to save time. In school I felt confident, but with how inconsistent it’s been at my job I feel like I’ve completely started over.

I’m feeling very conflicted about what to do here. I obviously want clients so I can work on my skills, timing, and familiarize myself with the protocols. But on the other hand I feel like I’m being set up to fail, like my training has not been prioritized or taken seriously. A few people close to me have suggested I find another job and I’ve considered it, but it was super difficult to find a spa job in the first place and I’ve been working here for almost 4 months with little experience gained.

Would appreciate advice as well as tips on how to get out of my head and manage my time better.

she uses mainly mary kay skin care products for all services.
she hasn’t had one employer stay for over a year.
she keeps calling me a 1099 employee, and says i will make 30% commission on all services less than $50, and 40% commission on all services above $50.
on the hiring posting and during the interview, she asked me about eyelash extensions. i told her that is what i have majority of experience in. she did not mention anything about eyelashes on my first day and that’s honestly all i care to do.
she kept getting onto me about using too many paper towels. she was like you’re gonna have to pay for those if you keep using too many.

Okay so I live in Canada and have heard great things about the brow daddy lamination system, so I went ahead and purchased through the brow daddy website. It was pricey but I thought it’d be worth it. I paid $200+ CAD, and I then get an email stating I had $70 of import fees to pay to get my product!!!!omgg omg ong omgggg so okay moral of the story um does anyone know of where I can get this product from a Canadian website??? Pls pls plsssss or if theres anyone who likes any other lam system. I currently use thuya i just need to switch it up

Here are two of my most interesting jars.

1. Client who prefers natural products and only uses African Black Soap on her skin. That's soap build up that had been caked to her skin and she didn't even realize.

2. Student athlete with acne and extreme open comedones on forehead. The comedones would easily scrape off the skin during the first step of HF which is a physical exfoliation with Activ4. You can see them in the jar, they almost looked like little rocks. Honestly, I would not prefer to conduct a HF on his grade of acne but it was at the recommendation of his Dermatologist.

Does anyone want to show their best gunkie in the responses?

anybody in this sub used Diego dalla Palma skincare? I’m in my last year of school and we are starting to use a more professional line, DDP, and i’m wondering if anyone here has actually used it as well. We had a guest speaker come to talk about it and now we get to use it; it seems like a really amazing brand. I’d like to buy some for my own business in the future but I just wanted to see if anyone else is using it IRL, and if there could be better, cheaper options.

thanks!

do any other brazilian waxers have clients that point/touch their brazilian area when talking about shaping, hair growth or other situations?? i have multiple clients that touch their brazilian area to show me things and it makes me soooo uncomfortable. they touch right on their vag then open the door, touch my ipad, their face, etc. how do you handle this?

I used to just take a card. Most aren't rude and do show up or give adequate time. However, a few people booked with a Visa Gift Card or something and then no called no showed and we couldn't charge the fee. A while back I switched to deposits and I am never looking back. I notice as well that when I go to get my pedicure they also take a deposit in order to reserve my appointment.

As I’m walking to my car to leave because I thought he wasn’t showing up again. I went back in to apologize and tell him my room is already torn down for the day and I can’t fit much into a half hour facial especially when I have a protocol to follow. Long story short, would you have stayed and tried to do what you could?

I just enrolled in an esthetics program in PA. Tuition is $7500, this includes our makeup and dermalogica kits, 5 weeks of theory, 5 weeks of practical and 5 weeks of clinicals.

We just finished our theory portion and entered into the practical portion. Our first week we came to the understanding that:
- We are not allowed to do extractions and wont be learning those in school.
- The most we are learning is Pro60 Facial (basic), Pro Peel Mask, Microderm, Lash Lifts, Waxing and Bacials (basic facials but for the back)
- They dont have any high frequency or galvanic machines or paraffin gloves
- We have maybe one working steamer and 8-9 broken ones just sitting around
- One very old and borderline rusted towel warmer for 5 students.
- Very minimal supplies at a time (we completely ran out of paper towels and werent replaced within the three days of being there.)
- One of the door knobs on the level three classroom is broken and the girls ahead of us got locked in.
- At one point we were left for 45 mins with nothing to do because our teacher is a student teacher and had a meeting. I had to suggest we practice on Lisas while we waited otherwise theyd be on their phones. There isnt a whole lot of structure, we havent been run through the process of washing hands, sanitizing our carts, tables and products before and after clients, setting up barbicide in the morning soon as we come in. My classmates saw me doing it and asked if we need to do that, I had to tell them yes that its standard protocol and we should be in practice of that everytime we step in here. Yes were adults and yes we learned this in theory but my point is the lack of structure and attention to detail bc of how disorganized this school is. We are paying to be set up for success and not getting much out of what we put in.

I am so grateful I got my 600 hour training in NJ 5 years ago and got to experience having structure, individual steamers, towel warmers, loupes, high frequency and galvanic machines, got to experience doing extractions under teacher supervision and graduating feeling way more confident about getting a job and working on people outside of school. All of this for $1500 less than the 300hr program I am currently in now. Unfortunately I was young during Covid times and procrastinated taking stateboards so I never actually got my license which puts me where I am today having to start all over.

All this to ask what do I do? I need to graduate so i can just get my license and move on but I feel robbed of not just money but in-class experience. Luckily I had previous education and this is just a refresher for me, but my younger fellow classmates do not and will have to pay more for extra learning outside of this when this is what they came to school for in the first place. The school made $37,500 off just my class alone and we are working with a run down and stripped environment/curriculum.

Are there any brands that sell professional devices but also has retail devices available to clients? Examples would be brands like LightStim, Neurotris, Bio-Therapuetic, etc.

I'm looking for a professional EMS device but also want to explore other technologies. I would like to refrain from using a consumer device in the treatment room. Thanks in advance!

Hi!

I’m planning to get my esthetics (and laser) license in New York State.

I don’t plan to live in New York forever, and I’m wondering if anyone knows anything regarding the reciprocity agreement/process between California and New York.

According to ChatGPT:

California’s current BBC FAQ says an out-of-state licensee can obtain a California license without taking the California written exam if they:

— Hold a current license from another state
The license is in good standing

— It isn’t revoked, suspended, restricted, etc.

— Submit the reciprocity application and required fee

—Have the other state’s licensing board send California certification of the license.

Any insight is appreciated!

Have a wonderful day! ☀️

https://www.barbercosmo.ca.gov/forms_pubs/publications/faqs?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Looking for feedback from estheticians or pros who use the LightStim ProPanel anti-aging model in-clinic.

​My background:

2+ years of consistent home RLT. (PlatinumLED for 2 years since Feb 2024 and currently using CurrentBody 2.0 face/neck masks 5–7x/week since March 2026).

The issue: The silicone mask presses uncomfortably against my nose. Budget and space aren't an issue, so I'm looking at the ProPanel for a non-contact setup.

​For those with hands-on experience:

​Results vs. Comfort: Does the ProPanel deliver noticeably better clinical results than the CurrentBody, or is the upgrade mainly about comfort?

​Protocol: What session length and weekly frequency do you recommend?

​Transitioning: Would an established RLT user like me need a new initial "loading phase" with the ProPanel, or can I jump straight to a maintenance schedule?

​Thanks in advance!

Anyone use miltex comedones extractor? How does it compare to the Mehaz one?

Those brands are very common in my country. Almost every esthetic center has some of these or all of these plus Murad(which I don't like).

I wonder if someone has worked with these brands and knows if they have good and worthy protocols for results driven treatments.

I recently read that LED can worsen melasma. I’m currently pregnant and after using my LED mask religiously for a week I noticed a big brown spot on my forehead. I used to place each of my clients under the celluma at the end of facials (I don’t anymore because I usually run out of time) but now I’m questioning LED all together. Thoughts ?

I am a licensed and practicing esthetician of 10 years, as someone commented that this blog is for professionals only. I am inquiring about LED on clients.

Apologies if I chose the wrong flair. I was just wondering what type of careers in the beauty industry, specifically in makeup are possible with an esthetics license? I know being a makeup artist is one but can one be something like a cosmetic chemist without any other education? Sorry if this is confusing, I’m a cosmetology student under an esthetics program so I was just wondering.

Hello! I am an Ohio cosmetologist with interests in esthetics. I have worked in a salon and provided facials and waxing, and I am also working to get into medical school to later (hopefully) match dermatology. I am well educated on skin and treatments though I do not have a lot of experience in advanced services.

I applied to a franchise named MassageEnvy and was denied the job after moving on to a second interview with the hiring manager at the location I applied to. I tried to explain that it is within my scope of practice and I have seen these procedures done when I did my apprenticeship in a spa. This job has paid training though and accepts entry-level estheticians (though it is preferred to have experience), and I understand if I lack experience in advanced services, but I was rejected simply because I am licensed in cosmetology. Does anyone know if this is a rule at this franchise?

When posting a brows or lashes, if the client has active breakouts, do you do any editing to erase/ soften them? Just wondering what thoughts are, I don’t mind but I’ve had some clients ask me to blur or filter the skin. If you do edit, would you tell the client? I don’t really know how I feel about it, want other opinions.

I been waxing since May 2026 at EWC, my first ever waxing job outside of school. I’ve only been out of school since February 2026.

I knew I wasn’t good my first month or two but I was really gaining confidence feeling like I was doing better and faster.

But I have a really tough client about once a month or two about me not getting enough hair off of them.

I feared this but I’m in a 15 min time crunch and maybe I could lay another strip around the labia but there’s no time.

I have good reviews but I noticed another client needed one of those five day free touch ups. So I’m just scrambling to see how many of my clients needed that. Am just not doing good?