Since the salon got flooded in December I now work mainly from my home based salon, but I also offer a mobile service. Generally I am out and about  at least 1 day a week. I love putting on my sunnies and turning up the music, while consistently checking my sat nav ( I have the worst sense of direction ever). I get to work in some amazing houses. Its fab. However, in the early days adjusting from having everything sitting ready in a salon, to being mobile, was a huge shock to the system. I would appear at client’s homes carrying boxes, reusable shopping bags, and carrying my glitter and Shellac collection in a fruit and veg box- I kid you not. It was not a good look. In fact, it was a disaster. Thank goodness my lovely clients stuck by me through the adjustment stage and let me improve on my somewhat rusty skills of being a mobile therapist. I had to find a solution, and find it fast.

After a lot of research and asking other beauty professionals I decided to order my mobile storage kit off Roo Beauty. I started off with their Beauty Bundle, which includes polish storage and the Roo Glamour Bag. I love it. It has compartments for everything, and I feel it keeps my Ink and CND Led lamps snug and secure.

My Roo Glamour beauty bag: it has lots of pockets and clever storage compartments. It is light and easy to carry.

It wasn’t long before I added to my collection, I needed more room, so I purchased the Roo Beauty Cube. It holds 75 polishes over  3 different individual zip compartments that are removable. Before a mobile appointment I  quiz clients on what colours they would like and I pick a selection to suit their taste. For example if a client tells me they would like ‘bright and sparkly’ , I would pick a selection of pinks, reds, citrus colours and then a few wild cards, so say some nudes and marine colours, just incase. This saves me having to bring my full collection from the salon. The compartments allow me to separate polishes by colour or brand.

The cube is small and light.

Clever storage compartments can be removed individually.

The cube holds 75 polishes

For those that know me, you know I have an addiction. A glitter addiction. I can’t help it. I have 2 glitter collections. In the salon I have a whole rack of Lecente glitters and pigments on a rack. In fact, come to think of it I need another Lecente rack as recently I decided I needed Lecente’s Mortar  glitter in my life. There has also been a  sneak peek of new summer glitters and strands released that I cannot wait to get my hands on. For my mobile work I bought the Ink Kinky Glitter Complete Collection, because I felt it had a bit of everything, and the smaller, flatter pots would be easier to store. So this gives me 2 collections. One I keep in the salon and one I keep in my mobile kit.

I store all my glitters and nail art products in a Bitzee Bag. It keeps them neat and allows clients to ‘flip’ through, and thanks to the clear zip pockets it acts as a glitter catalogue. Perfect.

My liquids are all stored upright in  a Roo Vanity Case, which stops them leaking. In the event something was to burst or leak, the solidness of the box should keep any spillage inside and stop me damaging my car upholstery (although nothing can save my car from my terrible parking).

The small vanity case is light but has the depth the allow me to keep my liquid bottles upright.

It looks cute and matches the rest of my kit.

A handy tip for towels is to keep 2 reusable bags. I use one to store clean towels, and one for used towels. This way when out and about I’m not getting the nice fresh towels mixed up with any that may be covered in nail dust and glitter.

Last but not least my waxing kit. I use Phd Safewax, which is a pretty neat and compact unit anyway. I keep it stored in the Mamba beauty Storage case. I use the pull out compartments for tweezers, thread, disposables and my tinting kit. I tend to preheat the wax before I leave the house to save time at mobile waxing appointments, but in the event the wax is needed in the middle of the day, it only take 20 minutes to heat.  I take the case into the clients house first, plug in the heater and set up my waxing station, and then unload the beauty bed and anything else I need. By the time I do this, the wax is ready to use.

This box has the depth to allow me to store my PhD wax unit upright inside it. The compartments hold my tint kit and disposables .

This box is surprisingly light, even with my wax kit in it, and is very sturdy.

It looks a lot, but I know exactly where everything is. I love that with the Roo Beauty stuff you can co-ordinate everything, it looks so pretty. My next purchase is going to be a storage solution for my ever expanding make up kit. If you have any suggestions, or pictures of what you do with your make up kit, then please do share. Leave your comments below.

I now have double of most of my kit apart from my LED lamps  & huge collection of polishes and Shellac colours. I find this way it makes my mobile work easier to prepare for. When I get home all I have to do is chuck the used towels in the washing machine, wash and sanitize my tools and replace anything I am running low on.

All packed and ready to go for a day’s work doing nails and waxing.

One of the hazards of going mobile is forgetting to eat. A packed lunch is essential. If you ever see my car parked up some -place random, it will be me eating my lunch. I’m terrible for stuffing really (un)healthy snacks into my gob at around 3pm when I get my sugar crash. Favourite’s include these Drumstick squidgy sweets and any kind of chocolate. To be fair, eating while at work is one of my hobbies. One of the only times I get an undisturbed meal while actually sitting down. At home I usually eat while standing up whilst putting clothes into the machine, or even whilst I’m making it. Some days it just lies on the table abandoned, congealed and cold, as child no.3 has decided he wants to try and climb out his high chair and kamikaze his way to the floor or stick his fingers down his throat and gag all over the place. Anyway I digress, my point is: to all you mobile therapists out there, please do take your time to eat. Drink plenty too, if a clients offers you a drink-say yes!!! (unless its vodka, in which case you grudgingly have to say no, lol) .

my wee lunch all packed and ready.

Healthy snacks for the 3pm sugar crash is essential

This week at work  I have been doing a lot of orange, coral and ombre two tone nails. Below is a small selection of nails I have done this week, if you click on the picture it will give you information on the products I used. These were all on natural nails.

Ink London i-9 and carribean queen again with Bonnie mermaid pigment, and swarovski ab crystal detail. I also had to sculpt 1 broken nail on this set, can you spot which one??

CND Shellac in Tropix and Hot Pop Pink blended together and topped with Ink London’s ‘Bonnie’ mermaid pigment.

CND Shellac in cream puff, with Lecente Snakebite fade and Swarovski Crystal Pixie accents in Cute Moods. Topped off with Ink London’s ‘Bonnie’ mermaid pigment.

CND Shellac Tropix & Spark’s Fly.

This week I added to my make up collection due to the up and coming wedding season and I purchased : Urban Decay Smoky palette, and their original Naked palette. Urban Decay eye shadows are super pigmented ,and suit most skin tones. I also bought Mac’s Prep + Prime Skin Primer as I had run out.

The original Naked palette comes in a gorgeous velvet mirrored box, with a soft double ended brush for applying and blending the eyeshadows. This palette has a giid mix of shades to suit all skin shades. Perfect for a natural day or evening look.

Smoky eyes: every girls make up staple, this palette is perfect for creating a smoked out look in golds, silver, bronze or grey. I’m in love with it.

If your a mobile therapist and have any tips to share please comment below.

Until next time, sparkle on,

Jo x

mummy moments this week: child no.3 trying to annihilate a baby chick by grabbing it by the wing. Trying to teach a 1 year old how to be gentle is like trying to keep a bull in a china shop. Poor wee thing will be traumatised #mummyproblems

Child no.2 running in to tell me to be quick there was a hedgehog in the garden. I went out to discover she had been trying to feed it mushed up bits of sausage leftover from breakfast. The poor wee thing had curled up into a ball in protest at being fed Malcolm Allan sausage for its brekkie. I managed to distract her long enough for it to go back under the hedge by bribing her (I painted her toenails). Funnily enough the sausage was also gone when I went to check later, I don’t know which of the 2 actually ate it. #hedgehogatkinsdiet

The eldest putting the toddler in a washing basket and pushing him round the kitchen. Who needs expensive days out when you have a basket eh?#brothersisterbonding