New Women's Network for West Michigan - Women Empowering Women

I've been doing lots of work on creating a new women's network for West Michigan. We have an upcoming event open to the public scheduled for May 20, 2009. For more details check back soon.

The network will be called 3 Degrees Connected™ and here is our logo. This organization will be designed with women in mind and offering assistance and network connections as well as interesting stories of the "Women behind the business".

If you want more information about this event, sign on to my website at http://www.genevagirlsdesigns.com and fill out the contact information form. I will add you to our list.

Who's on Facebook?

As a women-business owner, and actively involved in learning about the demographic information related to my business segment, I found the following article on social media trends very interesting. It speaks of the largest growing demographic of people using Facebook as a social media tool to be women of baby boom age (1946 to 1964). The actual statistic was women over the age of 55. It states the social needs of women as one of the leading factors to this increase and the need to stay connect to their adult child (possibly attending college) as another reason. The aesthetic nature of the site, providing the ability to post and tag pictures has also created an attraction for this age-group and gender. Don't worry about the title to the link below, there is nothing racy about the article.

http://www.demodirt.com:80/baby-boomers/grandma-posted-your-nudie-pics090415

Bangs or No Bangs - What is the Trend

After about nine grueling months of growing my bangs out, I've come to the conclusion that I have more days where I don't like my hair than days that I do. With this said, over the past nine months I've probably had more people comment on that they like what I'm doing to my hair (color and/or cut). So I've been left in a dilema, do I nix the progress that I've made and return to the bangs that I've known for the vast majority of my life or do I continue to grow out my bangs with the anticipation that with another inch or two I'll have so many more ways that I can wear my hair. So when in a quandry, I decided to do a little trend hunting on the internet before approaching my hairstylist with the wish to nip the progress I've made. Here is what I found . . .

The most important thing a stylist looks at when recommending bangs or no bangs is the shape of your face. When bangs are cut in, they serve an important role in framing your face. Bangs have the ability to make you look younger, heavier, more severe or softer.

Oval - pretty much anything goes with or without bangs

Rectangular - wispy, fringe, angled, piecey all work, but stay away from blunt cut

Round - generally you should stay away from bangs, however if they are light and wispy partial bangs over only a portion of the forehead they work.

Square - the same rules apply as the round shaped face.

Heart- bangs are best worn off center (wispy or fringed), but stay away from blunt cut.

Diamond - bangs are fine, but avoid blunt cut.

What about side swept bangs give the illusion that you're growing your bangs out (and possibly you are). Everywhere I look I seem to see this style. Light wispy bangs cut with a fringe and possibly an undercut , leaving the top layer longer will cause the ends to curve giving a softer appearance.

What if I cut my bangs and I wish I hadn't??? I also discovered a video showing how to deal with bangs when you don't want to deal with bangs . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brN2NMff8-E&feature=player_embedded

Brought to you by Geneva Girls Designs, LLC

www.genevagirlsdesigns.com

Multifunctional products for Multi-faceted women

How do you keep a schedule?

Technology abounds providing so many opportunities for keeping on top of one's schedule and/or maintaining a "To Do" list. As a former project manager, it was of vital importance that I keep track of activities through Project Plan software. Now in efforts to keep life simpler I have abandon using some of the tools of my past and now resort to a notebook with two simple columns. The left column is a list of items that must be done this week, and the right column is a list of activities by day that are scheduled. As things become schedule in the weeks ahead, I have created a page by week using the same column approach. I also use a white board, and a hanging calendar. Using three methods simultaneously usually means that I remember everything that I am suppose to do, but it is not the most efficient.

I would be interested in hearing from you on what method you currently use to keep track of your schedule whether electronic or manual. Tell me (1) what you like about the method you use, (2) how long it took you to become familiar with it and (3) is there anything about it you don't like.

Brought to you by Geneva Girls Designs, LLC
www.genevagirlsdesigns.com

Multifunctional Products for Multi-faceted women

Honoring Mom's

Here are two new product that are near and dear to my heart and it is being introduced about a month before Mother's Day for a very special reason, please read on . . .

Four years ago, April 10th, my husband and I waiting anxiously at the Consulate Building in Guangzhou eager to meet our new daughter. The only thing we knew at the time was her birthdate, finding location, her height, weight, size of her head, and the number of teeth she had at 9 months. Now over three months had passed and we knew we loved her more than life itself. It had been two weeks since her first birthday and the day had arrived that we had waited a lifetime for. The ability to hold her near our heart and utter a few words to her in English . . . precious baby, precious baby, precious baby.

We entered this journey twelve months before, filing mountains of documents to prove that we were the people who would honor the arrival of this child and raise her with as much devotion as we felt for her. We nervously waited in a room with nine other families that we had only met three days before, but knew that these were friendships that would last a lifetime. I nervously prepared a warm bottle of formula and my hands shook with each scoop of formula and rice cereal mixture. One third bottle cold water, two-thirds bottle warm water and stir. How could such a simple task be so overwhelming. I blinked away the tears as my husband laughed at the emotions we were both trying to conceal.


Our daughter at twelve months had lived her entire life at the Social Welfare Institute. We traveled from Beijing to Guangzhou only hours before and checked in to the White Swan. Our daughter traveled by bus two hours to Guangzhou, her very first adventure away from the home and the 72 caretakers she had grown to know. We could hear the babies crying in the other room, another room had been set up with about the same number of families awaiting their children who we may only causually meet the next six days we walk the streets becoming acquainted with our newest family member.


And then in alphabetical order each family was asked to come to the door and wait to see their precious child emerge. One, two, three, four, our turn . . . heart pounding like it had never known love like this before. Thank you, thank you . . . oh precious baby, sweet baby, perfect baby . . .at that moment our life would never be the same.

In honor of our daughter's birth-mother, who we will never know, and in honor of the agency who helped us down this path, a special tote bag or pillow to honor both your child's birth mother (Chinese Characters) and Mother's taking the journey of adoption. Thank you Chinese mother for your bravery to make the decision that you have made, your daughter is healthy, she is happy, and she is loved half way around the world. Bless you and "Happy Mother's Day".

Brought to you by Geneva Girls Designs, creating
innovative multi-functional products for multi-faceted women.

If you have someone in your life who has been touched by adoption and would like a custom-made bag, please visit us at rwgeneva.etsy.com to place an order or send us an email through our website at www.genevagirlsdesigns.com. Please leave comments, we would love to know your story.

We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our second daughter by early 2010, please pray for all the orphans in the world waiting for their forever families.

A Hair Brush is a Hair Brush (NOT!)

Did you know that there are many types of hair brushes on the market and each hair brush has a purpose for which it was designed.

If you're in the hairstyling industry, this is old school. This article is not intended to endorse any particular brand of styling brush, it is merely to inform the common everyday women/consumer who may want more information on this topic.

PADDLE HAIR BRUSH:
Paddle brushes are flat and wide. They help in brushing long hair and for styling them. Brushing your hair with paddle brush also gives you a slight scalp massage. These brushes are used to style layers, as they do not add volume to layers.

CUSHION STYLE:
This type of brush is best suited for medium-length hair, which is generally smooth and straight. This brush gives you a massage effect. Styles, which are made out of this brush, are box shaped bob, the classic graduated cut and a disconnected outline.

SCULPTING BRUSHES:
This kind of brush is best suited for backcombing and it adds volume to short and textured styles. Such brushes are generally used for short cuts, round layers and textured outlines.

THERMAL ROUND BRUSH:
Thermal round brushes are available in different sizes such as jumbo sized, large medium and small. Small round brush acts as a roller to get curls on your hair when used with the heat of a blow dryer. Large round brush smoothen your hair. The length of your hair decides which type of brush to be used so that it can give a different style to your hair.

THERMAL FLAT BRUSH:
This brush acts like a flat iron, which smoothness and straightens your hair without any kind of bend.

Never use brush on wet hair. It is advisable to use wide-toothed comb. When ever you backcomb your hair start combing your hair in small section.

Information supplied in this post come from http://www.womanjunction.com/ and are not the expressed opinions of Geneva Girls Designs, LLC. For more information about hairstyling tools please visit us again to see what's new.

Brought to you by: Geneva Girls Designs, LLC
www.genevagirlsdesigns.com

No More Burnt Ears from Styling Tools?

When styling someone's hair other than your own, are you nervous about causing burns? I know that when I'm styling my daughter's hair, I use extra caution around her neck and ears. Geneva Girls Designs has created a heat-resistant collar that can be worn around the neck to prevent accidental burns caused when the iron gets too close to sensative skin.

We also happened across this ingenious invention called "Cool Ears". This product protects from blisters and burns in the cartilage area of the ear. They come in two sizes small (for children) and large (for adults). A link to their website is included below:
http://www.cool-ears.com/?110000

Brought to you by: Geneva Girls Designs, LLC
www.genevagirlsdesigns.com

Can A Curling Iron Burn Down Your House?

If you ever wondered about whether a curling iron could burn down your house . . . you might think twice after reading the forensic file link below. In the following article found on the Electric Forensic website, it is reported that most curling irons range in temperatures between 300° and 450° Fahrenheit. With higher temperature devices, you may be risking more than a burn mark on your counter top. One curling iron studied (the Belson & Gold 'n Hot) reached a temperature of nearly 600° F.

Do you know how hot your styling tools get when they are set on maximum heat? Do you know whether your styling tools have been tested to ensure that they actually heat to the settings indicated on your product data sheet or even if they were, could they malfunction?

To be on the safe side, always lay a heat-protective pad beneath your styling tool, if not to avoid burning your house down, but to eliminate the potential of creating permanent burn marks on your counter tops.

Not all styling tools are created equal, some styling tools have automatic shut-offs when not moved from a resting position in x-amount of time. Even with this feature, are you certain you would trust a shut-off switch? By using the Style 'n Wrap"™ beneath your styling tool, you are given a reminder that your styling tools can cause damage. As a result of this reminder, you may be more inclined to unplug your styling tools and put them away when you're finished curling or straigthen your hair.

Be safe, not sorry.


http://www.electrical-forensics.com/CurlingIrons/CurlingIrons.html

Here another story:

Curling Iron May have caused St. Agatha fire (07-10-08)
$275,000 damage
http://news.therecord.com/News/article/380818

Curling Iron causes fire at South Toledo aparments (11-21-08)
$15,000 damage
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081121/NEWS16/811210329/-1/NEWS

Curling Iron to blame for Blaze (04-24-06)http://www.gallupindependent.com/2006/apr/042206crime.html

Schenectady Crew say Curling Iron May have caused Tuesdays Fire (01-16-08)

http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=7687812

Brought to you by: Geneva Girls Designs, LLC
www.genevagirlsdesigns.com

Chosing the Right Curling Iron for You

Not all posts in this blog will be written by me, when I come across an article that could be useful to those who visit my blog, I will glad insert a link and give credit where credit is due. This article by Kristy Klien, a professional hairstylist and writer for My Hair Styling Tools. At the bottom of the article you will find the direct link to the source of this article.

How To Choose The Best Curling Iron
By Kristy Klien

Curling irons come in all shapes and sizes, and they all provide different types of curls on different types of hair. There are many factors that should be taken into consideration when purchasing a curling iron, such as the different settings as well as the type of curl it will provide.

TEMPERATURE SETTINGS:

The first factor that should be considered when looking to buy the best curling iron is temperature settings, since most quality curling irons come with several different temperature settings. Having different temperature settings on a curling iron is important, since higher temperatures are needed for thick or large amounts of hair, but can damage thin hair. By being able to choose from a number of different temperature settings, one can make sure to use the best setting for their hair type, and be able to curl their hair without damaging it.

WHAT TYPE OF CURL:

The next step is deciding the type of curl you are looking for, since different curling irons will provide a different type of curl. The best way to determine what type of curl the curling iron will provide is by looking at the size of the barrel, since the barrel is the part of the curling iron that the hair is wrapped around. Barrel sizes can vary from a fraction of an inch to several inches, and different sized barrels will provide different sized curls. Different sized curling irons work better on certain hair types, especially since certain hair types are better at holding curls. Thin or flat hair usually works best with a smaller curling iron, since more hair is able to come in contact with the hot curling iron. It also provides more curls, so even if it falls out a little bit; it is still obvious the hair has been styles. Thicker hair that holds styles easily can benefit from using a larger barrel curling iron, since they can hold the larger curl much easier than those with thinner hair.

PLATING:

Curling irons also come in many different materials, such as ceramic, brush style, or even metal coated. They all work differently for different hair styles, and the material of the curling iron is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing the best curling iron for your hair type.

• Ceramic curling irons are the most popular type on the market, and actually work by sealing off the hair cuticle to make the hair appear shiny. They work best on dry or damaged hair since they help to seal in the moisture, unlike other curling irons that can actually leave the hair looking dry.
• Brush style curling irons are the easiest the use, since they contain brush bristles all around the curling iron. They are used just like a brush, and work great at flipping out the ends of hair to provide some body. They work best on thin hair or individuals with not a lot of hair, since thick or large amounts of hair can become tangled within the brush.
• Metal curling irons with steam work great on hair that doesn’t hold a curl very easy, since they use steam to shape the hair into the desired curl. Although the metal barrel can take away some of the moisture from the hair, it is replaced by the steam to prevent the hair from being damaged. They work best on thin hair, since they make it possible to hold a curl even when the hair is not strong enough to hold it on its own.

There are many factors that need to be considered when shopping for the best curling iron, since different types of curling irons work better on different types of hair. By choosing the best barrel size, a curling iron with different temperature settings, and the best material for your curling iron, finding the best curling iron for your hair type can be fairly easy.

http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/curling_irons.htm

Brought to you by: Geneva Girls Designs, LLC
www.genevagirlsdesigns.com