1.1 This Cookie and Similar Technologies Policy explains how A.R.E., trading as HandSkill Beauty ("HandSkill Beauty", "we", "us" or "our"), uses cookies, software development kits, local storage and comparable technologies on the website at www.handskillbeauty.com and in the HandSkill Beauty mobile applications for iOS and Android (together, the "Platform").
1.2 This Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle personal information generally, and with our Terms and Conditions. This Policy forms part of both.
1.3 Where this Policy refers to "cookies", the reference includes the equivalent technologies used in mobile applications, which do not use browser cookies but achieve comparable results using device storage and identifiers.
2.1 A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a website. It allows the website to recognise your device on a later visit, to keep you signed in, to remember your preferences, and to understand how the site is used.
2.2 A first-party cookie is set by the site you are visiting. A third-party cookie is set by another organisation whose service is embedded in the site. A session cookie is deleted when you close your browser. A persistent cookie remains on your device until it expires or you delete it.
2.3 Related technologies include local storage and session storage, which store larger volumes of data in the browser; pixels and web beacons, which are small transparent images used to detect whether a page or message has been opened; and software development kits, which are code libraries embedded in a mobile application that perform functions such as authentication, crash reporting and push notification delivery.
3.1 The HandSkill Beauty mobile applications do not use browser cookies. They use device storage and the software development kits provided by Firebase in order to authenticate you, maintain your session, cache content for performance, deliver push notifications and report crashes.
3.2 The identifiers used in the applications include an installation identifier generated by Firebase, a push notification token used to deliver notifications to your device, and a session token used to keep you signed in. These identifiers are used for the operation and security of the application and are not used for advertising.
3.3 We do not access the advertising identifier maintained by iOS or Android, and we do not present the App Tracking Transparency prompt, because we do not track you across applications or websites owned by other companies for advertising purposes.
3.4 You can clear application storage by clearing the application data through your device settings, or by uninstalling the application. Push notifications may be disabled in your device settings at any time.
| Category | Purpose | Can be turned off? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly Necessary | Sign-in, session authentication, booking flows, server routing, anti-abuse | No — essential to the service |
| Functional | Language & currency preference, display settings, last search, notice dismissals | Yes — service still works without them |
| Performance | Crash diagnostics and performance monitoring via Firebase | Yes where consent required |
| Advertising | Not used | N/A — not deployed |
4.1 These technologies are essential for the Platform to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They enable you to sign in, keep you authenticated as you move between pages, remember what is in a booking flow, route your requests to the correct server, and protect against fraudulent and automated activity. Without them, services you have asked for cannot be provided.
4.2 Strictly necessary technologies on the Platform include the Firebase Authentication session token, the security and session identifiers used by Firebase Hosting and Cloud Functions, the record of your cookie consent choice, and the anti-abuse and rate limiting measures applied to sign-in and booking requests.
4.3 These technologies remember choices you make so that the Platform behaves the way you expect. They store your language and currency preference, your display settings, your last search location and filters, and your dismissal of informational notices. If you decline them, the Platform will still work but you may need to reset your preferences on each visit.
4.4 These technologies help us understand how the Platform is used, which pages and features are popular, where users encounter errors, and how quickly pages load. We use crash and performance diagnostics provided by Firebase for this purpose. The information is used in aggregate to improve the Platform.
4.5 We do not use advertising cookies. We do not operate a retargeting or remarketing programme, do not embed advertising network tags, do not build advertising profiles, and do not disclose information collected through cookies to advertising networks or data brokers. If this changes, we will update this Policy and obtain consent before deploying any such technology.
5.1 Some technologies on the Platform are operated by third parties whose services we use.
5.2 We do not control the technologies set by third parties. You should consult the privacy and cookie notices of those organisations for details of their own practices.
6.1 Strictly necessary technologies are used on the basis that they are essential to provide a service you have requested, and, in jurisdictions that require consent for non-essential technologies, they are exempt from that requirement.
6.2 Functional and performance technologies that are not strictly necessary are used only with your consent where the law of your jurisdiction requires consent, in particular under the European Union Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications as implemented in Member States, the United Kingdom Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, and comparable requirements elsewhere.
6.3 Where consent is required, a consent banner is presented on your first visit to the website. Non-essential technologies are not deployed before you make a choice. The banner allows you to accept all, to reject all, and to manage categories individually, and rejecting is no harder than accepting. Your choice is recorded and honoured, and is refreshed periodically as required by the guidance of the relevant supervisory authorities.
6.4 You may change your choice at any time using the cookie preferences link available in the footer of the website and in the settings menu of the application.
6.5 Where the law of your jurisdiction does not require consent but requires disclosure and a right to opt out, this Policy constitutes that disclosure, and the controls described in Section 7 constitute the opt-out mechanism.
7.1 You may manage cookies through the cookie preferences control on the Platform, which is the most reliable method because it applies to the specific technologies we deploy.
7.2 You may also manage cookies through your browser. Most browsers allow you to view the cookies stored, delete them individually or as a whole, block cookies from particular sites, block third-party cookies, and clear all cookies when you close the browser. The relevant controls are found in the settings or preferences menu of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and other major browsers.
7.3 Blocking strictly necessary cookies will prevent parts of the Platform from working, including sign-in, booking and payment.
7.4 We honour the Global Privacy Control signal. Where your browser or extension transmits that signal, we treat it as a valid request to opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information and of targeted advertising, to the extent such activities occur, and we apply it to the browser from which it is received. We do not currently respond to the older Do Not Track header, for which no common industry standard has been agreed.
7.5 Clearing cookies will also clear your recorded cookie preference, and the consent banner will be presented again on your next visit.
8.1 Session cookies expire when you close your browser. Persistent cookies used by the Platform have lifetimes proportionate to their purpose, and none exceeds thirteen months without renewal of consent where consent is required. The record of your consent choice is retained for the period recommended by applicable guidance so that we can demonstrate compliance and so that we do not repeatedly present the banner.
8.2 Technical logs generated in connection with these technologies are retained in accordance with the retention periods set out in our Privacy Policy.
9.1 We may update this Policy to reflect changes in the technologies we use, in the Platform, or in applicable law. The version number and effective date at the head of this document identify the current version.
9.2 Where a change involves the deployment of a new category of non-essential technology, we will obtain fresh consent where consent is required before deploying it.
10.1 If you have any question about this Policy or about the technologies we use, please contact us.
10.2 The English language version of this Policy is the authoritative version. Any translation is provided for convenience only and, in the event of any inconsistency, the English version prevails.
A.R.E., trading as HandSkill Beauty
State of Michigan, United States of America
Website: www.handskillbeauty.com
Privacy and data protection: privacy@handskillbeauty.com
Version 1.0 · Effective 23 July 2026