by William McAllister | Feb 18, 2016 | nails
This Generation’s Beauty Breakthrough
It’s no secret that style is king along the sandy shores of South Beach. From Lincoln Road to Miami’s bustling Design District, the women of South Florida never fail to maintain a polished appearance from fingers to toes. For the busy moms and boss babes that run this town – we get it! – hectic schedules simply aren’t agreeable with consistently polished pointers…until now.
Arguably one of the most exciting beauty innovations of the last few years, gel polishes like Gelish! and durable nail polishes like Vinylux offer a low-maintenance solution for those unable to carve out time for a weekly mani/pedi. These high-tech hues offer shiny, glossy, chip-resistant pigment, guaranteed to stay put for at least two weeks.
So, how do these high-tech hues work? After cleaning, shaping and prepping nails with base coat, McAllister’s highly-trained nail technicians go to work applying several coats of brilliantly-colored, gel-like varnish from our broad selection of Vinylux and Gelish polishes. After each layer is painted on, nails are flashed with a small Ultra Violet (UV) lamp for several seconds to cure the polish. The nail technician ends by applying a clear top coat to seal and protect the nails.
The Benefits of Durable Nail Polishes
Gel polishes boast benefits that standard nail polishes (even chip-resistant and fast-drying formulas) simply do not. As if you need additional convincing, here’s a few of our favorite features:
Reduced Drying Time
A scenario we all know too well: You’ve carved out “me time” for a lunch-hour mani/pedi, but a mid-lacquer work call, babysitting SOS, etc. leaves you rushing for the door – wet nails in tow. Enter gel polish, the fast-drying solution to end the days of what we less than fondly refer to as the “half-dry and dip.” Thanks to powerful UV technology, gel manicures and pedicures dry as you go. Nails are treated to a 30-second UV zap between each layer to instantly harden lacquer and prep for the following coat. Upon the nail technicians last swipe of top coat, guests are able to get up and go directly from their service. No more 15-minute drying sessions post-polish!
Improved Staying Power
As much as we love to see our client’s smiling faces back in our Miami Beach salon on a weekly basis, we recognize that busy schedules make this a difficult reality. Professional gel manicures and pedicures provide flawless, glossy coverage for a minimum of 14 days, with most applications lasting upwards of three weeks.
Bye Bye Breakage
Whether you’re a mom chasing around toddlers, a student toting books to class or a business woman constantly pounding away on a keyboard, there’s no escaping the fact that nails take a fairly brutal beating on a regular basis. Constant trauma to nail beds makes it hard (if not impossible) to grow digits out to your desired length. Fret no more, busy bees. Gel varnish offers fingers a lasting breakage barrier, allowing nails to grow naturally throughout the duration of polish life. A bi-weekly gel manicure is a guaranteed way to achieve the elegant, natural nails you’ve been lusting after.
Have we piqued your interest? Here’s a few of our recent gel nail polishes done by some of Miami’s best nail technicians….OURS!
[instawp hashtag=”m1301gelish” count=”15″ header=”false” columns=”5″]
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Feb 9, 2016 | hair
Valentine’s Day is arguably the most romantic day of the year. Whether heading to Lincoln Road for a hot date, spending a cozy night in, or hitting South Beach with girlfriends, a light and loose romantic hairstyle fits the bill for any V-Day occasion. From free-falling locks to more structured styles, “I woke up like this” seems to be the overarching hair trend for 2016.
In the midst of Awards Season, there’s no better place to turn our heads for beauty inspiration than the red carpet. Here’s a few of our favorite celebrity styles to inspire your Valentine’s Day ”˜do:
1. The Half-Up/Half-Down
Our Style Star: Amy Schumer, 2016 Golden Globe Awards
Give your man a front row view of those pretty peepers with a half up/half down ”˜do a la Amy Schumer. The comedian scored big in the beauty department at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards with a perfectly-coiffed style, reading retro with a touch of modern texture.
- What to ask for: Replicate Amy’s lust-worthy look with piece barrel curls, gathered above the ears, and twisted and secured at the back of the crown. Volume and height on top add sophistication and glamour to an otherwise timeless style.
- Pair it with: With hair pulled away from the face, it’s the perfect time to put your eyes on display. Opt for an elegant cat eye accented by a shimmering silver pop of color on the inner corners to make eyes appear bigger and brighter.
2. Perfectly-Tousled Tresses
Our Style Star: Kiernan Shipka, 2016 SAG Awards
What man doesn’t love running his fingers through long, silky-smooth strands? Actress Kiernan Shipka slayed at the 2016 SAG Awards with tousled waves, which were equal parts beachy and bombshell.
- What to ask for: Take a page out of Kiernan’s book this Valentine’s Day and ask your stylist for loose, deconstructed waves using a large barrel curling iron. Leave the last two inches of hair uncurled for a look that reads less pinup, more beach babe.
- Pair it with: Nothing compliments this understated style like a bold brow. To achieve the look, use a brow comb to brush hair upward, following the direction of growth. Use short, quick strokes with a brow pencil to fill in sparse areas.
3. Old-Fashioned Chignon
Our Style Star: Eva Longoria, 2016 Golden Globe Awards
An elegant yet touchable updo is the epitome of a romantic Valentine’s Day ”˜do. A go-to for the ever-fabulous Latina fashion icon, Eva Longoria sported a low-riding chignon for the 2016 Golden Globe Awards. The celeb’s center part and piecey bangs offered a modern interpretation of a more traditional style, perfect for either a wild night in South Beach or an intimate candlelight dinner.
- What to ask for: “Chignon” is essentially a fancy term for a bun. Ask for the style fastened loosely at the nape of the neck with plenty of twists and tendrils to up the romance factor.
- Pair it with: With hair secured behind the head, an updo offers the perfect opportunity to add a fun pop of color to the face with a punchy, vibrant lip. Candy apple red is the color of the season.
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Sep 11, 2015 | News
Beauty isn’t Literal
For those of you that haven’t checked out our Instagram recently, you are missing out on something really special. Each day, we are now featuring 5 different client experiences at McAllister Spa. The next image posted might be a “before-and-after” of a client’s hair color correction using Goldwell & Olaplex by one of our popular hair stylists. …Or it may be an incredible Gelish! gel polish manicure and pedicure by one of our talented nail technicians.
Tomorrow’s first image may be of a beautiful blowout by one of our up-and-coming New Talent stylists in our blowdry bar concept – the StyleLab – using Kevin.Murphy’s new Killer.Curls product. …Or the post may feature the latest eyebrows threaded to perfection by one of Miami’s best eyebrow and eyelash experts.
So many of our regular clients are surprised at the wide variety of high-quality spa and salon services offered at McAllister Spa. And so many of you may visit for one service or another, but may be missing out on your new favorite hair stylist, esthetician or nail technician. And by liking us on Instagram, you’ll begin to see the incredible work of some of Miami’s best beauty professionals. Who knows…maybe you’ll realize with all the high-quality services we provide, there’s no reason to go anywhere else for all your beauty needs.
So head on over to Instagram when you have a moment and show your support for your favorite McAllister Spa team members by following us now @mcallisterspa. Liberal use of the “Like” heart is definitely encouraged and comments are always appreciated!
As an added incentive, we may even start using one of those 5 posts every now and again to create an exclusive offer for our Instagram followers. Who knows…that first exclusive offer may have even posted right now…as you are reading this email perhaps? =)
Because A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words
We also rethought our online menu recently and suddenly had the epiphany that clients shouldn’t be forced to merely trust the words printed on our website, which just describe in WORDS the beauty services we provide and the looks we create. Beauty is, after all, a visual experience.
Out of that thought came a new feature that we are pretty proud of, and after months and months of work, we are excited to introduce a visual service menu. From now on, when you are contemplating a new haircut, highlights, hair extensions or a different kind of nail service like Minx, traditional sculpted gel nails or Vinylux polish, first stop in and check out our latest work for many of the services offered at McAllister Spa.
From these shared experiences, you will not only SEE our recent work, you may fall in love with the work of one of our team members and find the beauty professional you have been searching for since forever.
…Just another way McAllister is redefining the beauty experience!
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Aug 20, 2015 | News
Beautiful, bold eyelashes are an essential part of captivating eyes. A recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research found that three out of four women consider their own eyelashes “inadequate.” To boost confidence and plump up those peepers without piling on layers of mascara from a tube, many women are eyeing extensions – of the lash variety that is.
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More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Aug 9, 2015 | hair
Everyone know that summertime is the perfect opportunity to lighten locks, but the beachy blonde trend of years past is taking a backseat this summer to give “bronde” a moment in the spotlight. Trending on celebs like Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez, Cara Delevingne and the latest convert Ashley Tisdale, bronde is a universally flattering, bespoke color, blending honey blonde and brunette shades.
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More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
