Life beyond Infinity…

I have a little story I would like to share with my dear readers. I find it both inspiring and uplifting and worthy of deep reflection. It is not often that I am presented with a real life situation in my business life that reminds of the importance of going one step beyond. I suppose in some ways, in today’s environment, we have accustomed ourselves to dealing with companies who have policies and procedures in place that simply do not take into consideration the individual’s needs, much less the impact of not making exceptions on a case by case basis. Perhaps I am more sensitive to this, as I am dealing with exactly that situation in my own life, which is causing me to lose countless hours of sleep, forcing me to think of creative solutions to a problem that could be avoided with a little concern and generosity of the human spirit. Something I feel has been lost in corporate policy (and society as a whole).

Last night around 6 pm (Friday May 14th), I received a call from my head of customer service. She was in a state of panic because one of our customers had an event at 12:00 the very next day and her tanning solution was stuck at the UPS terminal and not scheduled to be delivered until Monday.

She was beside herself with worry and called me to find out what could be done. Together we called the client to understand what had happened and figure out some way to get solution to her. First we tried to call some of our clients in her local vicinity. None of which were reachable. Our client reached out to all her friends in LA to see if they could pick up solution from our office and bring it to her to no avail.

We both spent the next four hours trying to arrange a courier, posted requests on facebook asking if anyone would like to do the trip and could not find anyone willing to help. Finally at 11:45 pm, when all options were exhausted, we called the airlines and booked her a morning flight that would get her into LA at 9:05 and fly her out of LA at 10:00 (getting her back to her city at 11:05).

This was going to take some quick maneuvering since she would have to jump off the plane, run out of the airport, grab the solution, check it in and get on her plane in time to leave at 10:00. At 1:15 am everything was scheduled. The plan was afoot; nothing but passion, determination, perseverance and a little help from the gods could make this happen.

At 9:15 I arrived at the airport and met the client outside at curbside check in. In less than a minute, we put the solution into her bag and she quickly checked in. The rest was in the hands of fate. At 10:02, I received a text from her saying the flight was delayed by 10 minutes, which allowed her enough time to get on the plane. All I could think about was had her flight this morning been delayed, there was no way she would have made it.

Now I am just waiting to hear from her, hoping her event goes well and is a big success!

This girl, who is 25 years old is a wonderful inspiration and makes me very proud to have her as one of my clients. This situation showed me tremendous dedication and perseverance and what I believe to be the most important elements in determining ones probability of success and fulfillment (both in life and in business). She saw the opportunity, seized the moment and committed herself to making it happen. She will make it happen.

It is now 10:59 am and I have to leave for a meeting scheduled for 11:30. I had to write about it because it touched me on so many levels and I feel like infinity has lapsed since I first received the call at 6:00 last night. I think this situation is exemplary to all of those who are in business. It is the “feel good factor” in going just that one step above and beyond where everyone wins. In my humble opinion, this is how life should be.

I am grateful to Alex Tarin, my head of customer service who had the foresight and light of the human spirit within her to understand the importance of making me aware of this situation. Had it not been for her, the outcome would have been quite different and our client would have missed a great opportunity to expand her business and deliver on her promise.

Clear and Bronze tanning Solution - What's the difference?

Many of our clients are surprised when they have a choice between clear and bronze sunless tanning solution and aren’t sure what the differences are and when to choose one over the other.

In the Infinity Sun line, both solutions comprise exactly the same ingredients; the highest quality DHA, Purified water, antioxidants, emollients & humectants that produce a beautiful and natural looking color. Both of them take time to fully develop (12 hours for full effect). The main difference is that the Bronze solution contains one additional component and that is a TEMPORARY cosmetic bronzer that gives the illusion of a tan, before the sunless tanner actually develops.

Bronze is what most clients will use when they want to see immediate color and do not want to wait for the sunless tanner to kick in. The color is rich & natural. 85% of the airbrush & spray booth population prefer this solution.

Clear is used when a client is concerned about some of the bronzer transferring to their clothing, towels or sheets. In this case they are not concerned with immediate results and are happy for it to develop gradually. An example may be a bride who is concerned about getting bronzer on her wedding dress or someone who works out at the gym at night, gets sprayed and plans to go to bed immediately after (and doesn’t need immediate color).

Both results look the same once the bronzer is washed off. Clear solution will last a little bit longer (2-3 days) because there is no barrier between the skin & sunless tanner (as with bronzer) so there is more direct contact with the skin.

Both are great and depending on whether you have an event or just want a bit of color, try both and see what’s best for you!

Gilles Marini Spray Tans with Infinity Sun

Gilles Marini elevated the word hunk to a totally new level when he appeared in Sex and the City as Samantha’s hot next door neighbor. Of all the men I have spray tanned to date; he is by far the most captivating. This man is the essence of perfection in every way. He is my definition of Infinitely Sumptuous!

Paris Hilton now has her very own Infinity Sun Spa Lite!

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/hwood_party_girl/b176155_paris_hiltons_tanorexic_fantasies.html



For all that people say about Paris Hilton, I think she is a class act. She knows what she wants and knows exactly how to work it! I wish everyone could have seen her face when she saw the Infinity Sun Pink Spa Lite for the very first time… She just lit up. Knowing that she could have anything in the world and wanted this machine is just so satisfying.

Looking back during the design phase of this machine, had she come to me then and asked me to design something specifically for her, I would not have done anything different. She is the ultimate Sunless Passionista and with her Infinity Sun spray tan, she is hotter than ever!!

Maximizing a Sunless Tan

Around this time of year, the most frequently asked question I get from beauty editors is “what do our readers need to know to maximize their sunless tans?” Often I will provide a list of things to do before and after and find that some things make it into the article but often times, many important things are omitted.

Because I would like everyone to be a Sunless Tanning Passionista and get the best results possible, especially through the season where little summer dresses call for bronze perfection, I will disclose my little pocket list.

I like to break it down to the two key areas, those are PREPARATION and AFTERCARE.

Preparation:
How:

1) Cleanse the skin with a non oil based skin cleanser – Oil and heavy moisturizers will prevent the activation of the sunless tanner and the color will not develop fully.

2) Exfoliate – Do not use an abrasive exfoliant (like a loofah, salt or sugar scrub) because that will create little scratches on the surface of the skin. Think of it like using sandpaper on a wall before painting. It is best to stick to exfoliants that dissolve dead skin cells and leave the surface smooth and even. Check out http://www.shop.infinitysun.com for the pineapple enzyme exfoliant. It smells great and creates a flawless canvass for picture perfect sunless tans.

3) Ph Balance – If you have dry areas on your body, rub a little aloe on your body before bronzing it up. This will make the absorption rate even so you will not have darker patches. If you go to a salon, tell them to Normalize you first!

4) Remove unwanted hair (you can wax, shave or laser same day, just make sure there is no oil or moisturizer on your skin before you Sunless Tan).

When: The Day of your Sunless Application.

Aftercare:

1) Wait until the following day before you shower, swim or sweat. This will enable you to achieve full activation and will keep the color vibrant, even and flawless much longer.

2) Drink plenty of water and green tea. By keeping your skin hydrated from the inside, you will keep the skin cells on the body longer. You will add REAL Health to your healthy looking faux glow!

3) Use a skin Extender – By keeping the little skin cells plumped up with moisture, you will prevent dehydration from setting in and will slow down your body’s natural shedding of skin cells. This will keep the color on the body longer.

4) Touch up – When areas such as the face, hands or feet begin to fade, there is no need to do an all over body application. Spray a little sunless tanning aerosol on those areas.

Check out the Infinity Sun Extenders and Glow on the Go Sunless tanning aerosol at http://www.shop.infinitysun.com

On a side note, before you get ready to do your next full body application; remember to remove the remnants of your previous application. The worse thing to do is layer sunless over sunless. The best way is to soak in a tub with sea salt and essential oils (and it is wonderfully relaxing!). Sluff off the color as gently as possible. Wait a couple of days then do your non abrasive exfoliant and voila! You will be ready to start again!

Richard Branson with Infinity Sun

Since I was a young and impressionable tech geek and budding entrepreneur, I have always wanted to meet Richard Branson (even before he was knighted). I think I have spent years fashioning in my mind how I would meet and work with this incredible being, who by the way my dog Snoopy kind of resembles. Sorry Sir Richard, but in my mind it really is the highest praise! A couple of months ago, my client Jeff Bozz, co-founder of Sunset Tan texted me with news that Richard Branson was spraying and being sprayed by Infinity Sun. I was so incredibly excited! I thought I wanted to meet him but the idea that he would be physically touching and playing with a brand that "I" created was just beyond! This sort of reminded me about my core belief system that if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. I am partly there!

Infinity Sun's new product line

I am so excited about launching our new enhancement product line. It is full of antioxidants, botanicals and other luxurious feeling ingredients. The feedback we have received so far from our customers involved in the soft launch has been so encouraging!