To Gel or Not to Gel: Are Gel Manicures Safe?

You're probably wearing one right now.  If you're like us fellow Fashionistas who love to look good, save money AND time, then the gel manicure has most likely become your go to style tool over the past few years.  Why?  It lasts longer, saves you more money over time, looks better, and you no longer have to deal with nics, smudges, or ruined nails as you dig for your keys at the bottom of your bag on the way out.  It's dried and ready almost instantly thanks to the UV lighting lamp used to complete the process.  But...could those same UV lighting lamps that give us our coveted high lacquer luxe color also be giving us something else??

The UV lamps used for gel manicures are the same kind of light that causes sun damage to our skin. "UV lamps of any wattage are like the sun on steroids. You get boosted UVA/UVB exposure in such a short amount of time,” says Dr. Ava Shamban, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the UCLA-Geffen School of Medicine.

Studies show that on average it would take only about 11 visits over two years to reach the levels of exposure that would cause sun damage, and some stronger lamps could take as few as eight. To limit risk, it is recommended that using sunscreens or UVA protective gloves when getting a gel manicure can decrease the risk factors of cancer from the lamps. Most doctors agree that you don’t have to give up your gel manicures as long as you are aware of the risk and take appropriate precautions; some even recommend only getting gel manicures about four times a year to limit the overall risk. The bottom line is that as a consumer, you need to know the risks involved and decide for yourself what will be best for you.

For more information, please see credited articles here and here.

Fashion Show Recap: FROM NY to LA with Ashley Michaelsen

Model turned designer Ashley Michaelsen with her bevy of Bombshell (petite) models at her "NY to LA" fashion show on 2/21/14.

Sweet, sassy, and captivatingly alluring; that’s the look that LA area fashioners were treated to at the recent Ashley Michaelsen Collection fashion show on Friday, February 21st at TenTen’s award winning rooftop venue in downtown L.A. The sought after model turned designer, with her uber feminine, sexy, and sweet California Girl looks, has not only capitalized on her signature image - but also turned that image into delectable ready-to-wear fashion eye candy for both the runway and the streets.

The AM collection features fun and flirty jeweled toned dresses with A-line silhouettes, mid-thigh hemlines, and cuts that flatter feminine curves.  Michaelsen chose a bevy of petite models with “Bridget Bardot-esque” bombshell looks similar to her own to showcase her latest collection that has something flattering for almost every body type. Hair and make-up were provided by Britney Moya and her team at Rock Me Up Cosmetics, as they know exactly how to create those bombshell looks.

The fashion show, which was put on by TenTen Wilshire as part of their “Fashion Fridays”, gathered insiders from both the fashion and entertainment world eager to preview Ashley’s line in conjunction with the launch of her new online boutique which offers her current designs as well as additional beauty must haves, a fashion, beauty, and empowerment blog, and news and event footage of the model/designer and her collection.

When asked about her latest fashion show titled "From NY to LA", Ashley Michaelsen states: "I am from NY originally and that's where I started the Ashley Michaelsen brand.  I had always done fashion shows in NYC but could never dream of doing one in LA.  NYC is one of the biggest fashion capitals in the world but I was always dying to expand on the west coast." Ashley Michaelsen and her AM Collection are in full force on both coasts and can be seen in select boutiques as well as purchased on her online boutique www.AshleyMichaelsen.com.

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Model turned Designer Ashley Michaelsen Headlines “Fashion Friday” at 1010 Wilshire in Los Angeles with her “New York to LA” Collection Fashion Show

Actress, model, and now designer, Ashley Michaelsen will headline her first west coast fashion show on Friday, February 21, 2014 at the award winning hip and trendy live/work space 1010 Wilshire in downtown Los Angeles.  

Los Angeles, Ca, February 17, 2014 --

Ashley Michaelsen is a force to be reckoned with.  With a successful international modeling and acting career under her belt, Michaelsen is now launching her signature women’s contemporary dress line and online boutique.  The Ashley Michaelsen Collection will also be taking over the “Fashion Friday” runway at the award winning rooftop space of 1010 Wilshire, one of downtown LA’s most sought after residential, business, and event space locations.  This will be Michaelsen’s premier westcoast fashion show and will feature some of the top designs from her previous “Bicoastal” collection, as well as a preview of her latest Ashley Michaelsen Signature Collection, which will be available for special purchase after the fashion show.

Being a petite sized model herself, at just 5’5, Ashley Michaelsen designs dresses that are flattering to the proportions of a petite sized hour glass figure.  The “NY to LA” fashion show will feature all petite height models 5’5 and under, in an effort to shine the spotlight on models that more closely mirror the heights of the majority of American women versus the typical 5’9 and taller models that typically walk the runway.  Hair and make-up for the AM Collection models will be provided by LA’s own Brittney Moya and her glam squad at Rock Me Up Cosmetics, also an up and coming make-up line taking the fashion and beauty world by storm. 

The Ashley Michaelsen “NY to LA” fashion show takes place Friday, February 21^st, 2014 at 7pm at 1010 Wilshire and is open to fashion industry professionals, press, media, and buyers only. To rsvp, please contact amshow@savvygirlpr.com with contact and credentials information by February 20^th. For more information on Ashley Michaelsen and her work, please visit www.ashleymichaelsen.com.  For press/media/buyer information for The Ashley Michaelsen Collection, please contact amdesigns@savvygirlpr.com.

1010 Wilshire is a collection of luxury condo and work space units in downtown LA offering a new lifestyle solution for professionals wanting to live, work, and play in style and sophistication.  For more information on 1010 Wilshire, please visit www.1010wilshire.com

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Exhibitors Connection sponsors Free event for OC Event Industry Professionals

Are you a special event industry professional?  Do you plan, coordinate, or produce events such as corporate meetings/functions, weddings, trade shows, boutiques/bazaars, trunk shows, festivals, etc.?

If so, please join leaders of the special event industry at an event being produced just for you! This
FREE event for the Events Professional will allow you an afternoon full of personal and professional enrichment, career focus, branding tools, and the chance to broaden your industry network with the opportunity to meet other event producers, planners, and the business resource professionals that are available to assist you in taking your career to the next level!!

This event offers several key workshops to enrich your career path such as
“5 Ways to Utilize Linkedin More Effectively”, “How To Walk, Talk, and Act Like a Business”, “How To Be Social at an Event”, and “Don’t Prioritize Your Schedule, Schedule Your Priorities.” All of these fantastic workshops are vital topics to the success of any business professional, let alone the event industry professional.

Being held at the Business Expo Center, Orange County’s premier venue for corporate and special events, trade shows, and conferences, this event will also offer you a complimentary business headshot photo so that you can walk away with the one of the most important professional tools needed for the efficient branding of yourself and your company; all for
FREE!

So please join us on Tuesday, Jan. 21st , 2014 from 3-7PM for the “Let Us Introduce Ourselves Event” for special event industry professionals sponsored by Exhibitors Connection and The Business Expo Center located at 1960 S. Anaheim Way, Anaheim, Ca 92805. Enjoy FREE food & drinks, complimentary mini spa treatments, a free golf clinic, live entertainment, free professional photos, and prizes for industry professionals.

For more information about this event, please email
tiffany@exhibitorsconnection.com

Calling All Event Pros! Free Professional enrichment event

Initials, Inc. Monogrammed Fashion Accessories offers Business in a Bag!

Love Fashionable Bags, Totes, and Accessories? Don't just buy them... learn how you can build a business with them too!

In a time where direct sales companies seem to be the driving force of many American careers, home based businesses, and the alternative to a more secure foray into self employment, Initials, Inc. is making a mark all its own.

The direct sales company, which is listed as the #1 work at home direct sales company to work for by Woman’s Day Magazine, offers personalized monogrammed fashion accessory products for women along with a career opportunity full of perks and benefits. 

What started out in 2005 as a personal journey for two sisters who sought to share with each other the common dream of being able to raise and take care of their families while still being able to contribute to it with a rewarding, flexible career that they loved, has turned into a multi-million dollar, nationwide, life altering company for families across America.  Sisters Britney Vickery and Ivy Hall created a company that could offer fashionable women a way to personalize their style with custom monogrammed handbags, totes, wallets, and other accessories at an affordable price. The company, which saw a growth of 599% in revenue from 2009 to 2012, now seeks to focus on nationwide expansion and product development by debuting a higher-end collection for Fall & Winter 2013-2014, and expanding into new markets on the West Coast with its Business Opportunity launch event in Orange County on Thursday, October 24th, 2013 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at The Waterfront Hilton Hotel in Huntington Beach and in Los Angeles at the Ultimate Women’s Expo on October 26 thru 27th. For more information or to register to attend the Initials, Inc. Business Opportunity Launch event, contact p.sheehan@initials-inc.com.

Botox at Epione Med Spa will save your face and Money!

Fine lines and weathered skin got you looking toxic?  Do you need a beauty "pick me up" after being too much of a sun goddess this summer.  Guess what?  We can help!  We've got connections and we are passing them on to you!  For a limited time, you can turn back the hands of time, for just $100. :-)

Celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Simon Ourian, M.D., is a leading authority in the field of aesthetic medicine and the founder/Medical Director of Epione Beverly Hills.  Epione specializes in cutting edge, non invasive laser treatments and minimally invasive injectable cosmetic procedures tailored to the specific needs and goals of each patient.  A  highly skilled aesthetic artist, Dr. Ourian  takes a vested interest in every procedure to ensure the utmost care and satisfaction are received by each patient. 

A true favorite among Hollywood elite, Dr. Ourian is the secret behind some of the most beautiful faces in the world.  At Epione Beverly Hills, Dr. Simon Ourian and his staff offer every patient the utmost in comfort, privacy, and the highest level of personal attention and care.   From the moment you step through the doors of the luxurious Beverly Hills Office, you immediately receive top notch attention and VIP service.  Epione's staff goes above and beyond to make every patient feel as if they are one of the many A-listers that frequent the office of one of America's top cosmetic enhancement physicians.

The luxurious offices of Epione Med Spa of Beverly Hills

For a limited time only, Dr. Simon Ourian is offering Savvy Girl PR subscribers a 50% off discount for Botox treatment. That's only $100 for botox to the forehead, frown line, under eye, neck cord, nose, upper lip, lower lip, or chin (each considered 2 areas and regularly $200).  All other treatments will receive a $100 discount when you mention code: "SAVVY".  This is an amazing deal that should not be passed up!