Skip to the end for the synopsis

I mean, you need the practice. And you want to do it. And if good intentions ruled the world, you'd be in good shape.

Yet.

It is frustrating. You've been doing this for four weeks. ON MANNIQUINNS.

It's true that the haircuts were your idea. But the color jobs and highlights were not. It's true that you told them to be brutally honest because anything less wouldn't be at all helpful. But it is not true that you really wanted them to tell the truth. And when they were totally honest (albeit totally polite), it's true that you freaked out a little. The polarizing effects of hormones mixed with stress and sheer nervousness were really getting to you. However, it's also true that you don't really care whether they love their hair or not. It'll grow back...they know you're in school...they didn't pay you...and you really, truly, honestly think that they look great. They do too, now that they've lived with it a coupla days. It's just that their hair is, you know, the opposite of what they'd expected it to be.

Whatever bitches! That's the price of getting some young hip kid who's new on the scene to color your hair. I mean, you wouldn't let a freshman in college perform open heart surgery on you or your beloved now would you? No! I don't like doing color and I probably never will.

Which brings me to my next point. I do not like color. I do not like nails. I really really like cutting. I've never done styling (updos and such), so we'll se about that. But I LOVE, LOVE, the skin part. Esthetics. I don't even mind learning all the bones, muscles, nerves and veins in the face, neck, arms and back to do it. What I'm saying is that I hope this leads me to a great career. I can very much see myself doing it long long long-term. And see, I was sorta getting worried (not a lot, this is the beginning afterall) because right now in this field, coloring is where the money is. And I hate everything about doing it. You can make really good money cutting, but only if you get in with an awesome (generally a "concept") salon and train under the top guy or gal there for like2 or 3 years. And then of course, you have to stay in that viscinity if not that same salon forever, because that's where your clientele is. Even if you left and went to work at a new salon somewhere else where they had a high-end clientele, you'd be building your client roster for a few years before you'd have a comfortable financial situation going on.

Anyway, coloring is where the money is because you can automatically charge upwards of $100 (depending on the service), right out of the gate. And then, of course, keep going higher as you gain more experience. And colorists are in high demand right now. Color-only salons are popping up all over. It's just the in thing right now. Way back in the day, the people who were especially skilled with rollers and perms made a killing because woman wanted it done like mad. It's the same.

Unlike colorists, estheticians have slipped under the radar even though they too are very much in high demand. I think the reason for that is that the word-of mouth advertising (the most important kind beautification-wise) is different. When a woman sees someone with great highlights, she asks WHO did them. But when a woman raves about the facial or the massage she got, people ask her WHERE she went. See the difference?

So basically, people will someday pay me extra good money to do something I love doing. Isn't that fabulous!