On Sunday night we decided to get in our car and travel west. After making a quick stop at Sonic for a few Route 44 Cherry Lime-Ades, we were off to find the perfect spot from which to view the partial solar eclipse. We ended up finding a little hill on the side of the road at the corner of 71 and SW Parkway. I made sure to bring bubbles and my camera...
It was an impressive sight and though Lydia was totally unaware of the celestial event taking place, I'm sure chasing bubbles on a hill with a belly fully of Cherry Lime-Ade made her night equally exciting. As I took pictures and watched my little girl, I kept thinking of Psalm 19:1 ~ "The heavensdeclare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth hishandywork." My husband's and my handywork chasing bubblesbeneath HIS handywork.... truly glorious.
A change in Season is a great reason to try a new hair style. These are some of my favorite Spring trends as features in InStyle.com. Hop on over to their site and use their Hollywood Makeover Tool to see how YOU would look with these haircuts! THEN... Come see me and get a makeover in real life! Happy Spring everybody!
To make my client's haircuts extra special, I offer scalp massages using an essential oil blend of their choice; offering a new selection each Season. This Spring, I have chosen two of my favorite florals and one citrus for my latest *Enjoy the Season blend. Gardenia is sensual, soothing, and sweet...Jasmine (what I wore on my wedding day) is romantic and intoxicating... while Grapefruit is fresh, clean, and even believed to be a male aphrodisiac! It's SPRING...let me pamper you and then...make like a bunny and get to hoppin! *all ingrediants: grapeseed oil, vitamin E, essential oils and distilled water.
One of my favorite beauty blogs, The Beauty Department, recently featured one of my favorite graphic designers, Bri Emery of DesignLoveFest. Bri is the creator of BlogShop, a sort of bootcamp for bloggers that helps them learn about and better utilize Photoshop, photography, and design in their blogs. Bri is a very talented and influential designer with a keen eye for fashion and style, but I'll be honest... her hair is a hot mess. It's a fried and over processed bleach blond that is WAY too long (in my opinion) and frizzy as all hell. From what I've gather from Twitter, Bri and Kristin Ess (co-founder of The Beauty Department and top hairstylist in LA) are very close friends...so I've always wondered WHY, for the love of hair, doesn't Kristin do SOMETHING to help her girl out?!?!
As you can see from the TBD post, Kristin finally got her hands on Bri's messy mane. I personally would liked to have seen a more dramatic change (cut and color), but Kristin wanted to maintain the personality that Bri's hair seems to give her...explaining that "it's her THING". That sentence is a clue that Bri wasn't down for a change. So, Kristen helped to improve the health, integrity, look and feel of Bri's hair by applying a gloss!
Hair glossing is one of THE BEST tools a hairstylist can use to transform dull, dry, and lifeless hair. It is a MUST for bleach blonds (see Bri), redheads (red is the fastest fading color - a gloss creates a "seal" and locks the color and helps it last longer), heat styling addicts (glossing adds a layer of protection from the damage caused by flat/curling iron styling), and those who are growing out their hair (fortifying hair by filling in weak spots in the shaft; prevents split ends and breakage). Even if you do not fall into one of these categories, hair glossing is still perfect for you because of one word: S-H-I-N-E! Who doesn't want super shiny hair?!?!
As we get older, shine is one of the first things to go. Be it years of styling, coloring, environmental factors, medications, vitamin deficiency, diet changes, dehydration, travel, etc... it all takes a toll on our hair. A good trim paired with a simple gloss can give you back the feel and appearance of shiny, youthful hair!
So what exactly is a gloss? It's basically a colorless semi-permanent color... providing the benefits of color (and yes, color does have benefits) without changing the actual color of the hair. Most people seem to believe that hair color is damaging. To the contrary, hair color (especially a semi- perm color) can fortify, strengthen, give body and volume, smooth, and condition the hair. The only color service that causes damage is lightening the hair with bleach. Think about it this way... lightening is TAKING AWAY (pulling color out of the hair shaft) while coloring is ADDING TO (putting color into and on top of the hair shaft). Permanent colors are designed to lift the hair and deposit color at the same time. They can be slightly damaging over time, but when colored hair is periodically treated to a gloss, future damage can be minimize or eliminated altogether.
As an encouragement to give it a try, I will be offering a HAIR GLOSS (a $25 value) for ONLY $5 when you book a Salon Haircut, Color Service, or Cut and Color Combo during the month of February! Just select the "Monthly Special - Hair Gloss" when you book your appointment! Space is limited, so book yours today!
The beginnings of most things are beautiful...usually accompanied by a renewed sense of purpose, hope, energy, excitement, and positivity. Beginnings are, in a way, what we all live for. A chance to experience something new and different that has yet to be tarnished or corrupted by the mundane. An opportunity to "get back on track" and change the trajectory of the course we have previously been traveling.
I'm not a huge fan of making "resolutions" for the new year ahead, but rather I am one who looks at January 1st as an opportunity to realign myself with the desires of my heart. A time to readjust my focus back towards the things, people, and places that bring me the greatest joy. It is also my birth month which makes January a good time for reflection and change.
Some of the goals I have set for myself this year are probably pretty similar to those of most people. I want to exercise more, eat healthier, spend more time with my family, grow my business, etc. While others are a bit more personal to me: study my bible daily, share the gospel with anyone who will listen, rid myself of this nagging rebellion and negativity, spend more time being creative (blog, photography, art, writing), and to be generous with my love and compassion.
I turn 35 this year and I intend on having it be a year of balance. I want to mature in the areas where I need to be more of an adult (responsible, driven, dedicated) while embracing my youth in the areas where I need to become more like a child (playful, simple, joyful).
"Your going to kill me! I trimmed my own bangs..." is something I hear from my clients on a weekly basis. As with most Stylists, I find it much easier to just teach my clients the proper way to trim their own bangs verses figuring out where to put all the bodies. But seriously, if your hairstyle includes bangs, you will inevitably find yourself needing to give yourself a trim at some point in time. After this tutorial, I hope to start hearing a lot more "You're going to be so proud of me! I trimmed my own bangs!" And I promise you, I will indeed be proud.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
>>> a pair of hair cutting sheers (you can buy at Sally's, CVS, Target, etc. ) >>> a fine toothed comb >>> wall mirror *********************************************************
1. Start with DRY hair styled in it's usual fashion. Separate your bangs from the rest of your hair and either clip it back, or pull it into a ponytail.
2. Know how much length and what kind of shape you are going for BEFORE you begin. You can cut bangs into three different shapes... I call them "happy", "sad", or "indifferent". Happy is in the shape of a smiley face - the longest point being in the middle with the sides getting shorter. Sad is in the shape of a frowny face - the shortest point being in the middle with the sides getting longer. Indifferent is a straight line with no variation in length. With that being said, it is always easier to just follow the existing shape of your bangs... if you want to change this, I highly recommend scheduling a bang trim with a professional.
3.Once you've made these decisions, comb your bangs straight down. You will be using the comb as a guide... not your fingers. Start at the center and cut outward (until you reach the middle of your eyebrows) in small, short increments. At this point you will either cut the sides shorter (happy), longer (sad) or indifferent (straight). Don't cut with your sheers horizontal. Point cutting (into the hair vertically) at a 45 degree angle (hand down and sheers pointing up) will allow for a less blunt and more forgiving finish.
4.TAKE YOUR TIME and check your progress in the mirror after each small section. Comb through your bangs often to ensure that each section smoothly connects to the next. Once you are satisfied, take down the rest of your hair to see how it looks. Trim any remaining stragglers if necessary.
5. Dust of your face with a dry towel to remove the trimmed hair.
6. Repeat after me: "I CAN do this!" and take your freshly trimmed bangs out on the town!
Being a stylist at Halloween HAS GOT to be one of the most enjoyable parts of my job. Getting to style my clients and friends for parties and events is something I look forward to all year! I wanted to share with you my two favorites from today! First up was my friend Wes Haynes. He is a talentedmusician here in Austin, and he hired me to help him become Kenny Powers for a party and a show he will be playing over the weekend. That's right folks... I got to give him a mullet!!! I think it turned out awfully good.
Next up was my husband Brendan who is playing a show tonight with his bandMuchos Backflips! at The Hole in the Wall. With the show being so close to Halloween, the members agreed to dress up like some sort of character (TV, movie, cartoon, or a public figure). After a little brainstorming, Brendan and I came up with the idea for him to be ColonelSanders! We both acquired the various accoutrements over that last few days and tonight we pulled it all together! We even brought our daughter Lydia into the fun by dressing her up like a baby chick for a few pictures (left)! Our friend Erica Brokaw got the other shot of B tonight at KFC before the gig (right). I think it's pretty brilliant.
Have fun! Get creative! And don't get sick on all that candy! xoxo
As a hairstylist, one of the most gratifying aspects of my job is getting to experience the healing power of touch and connection. My profession is unique in that, within minutes of meeting someone for the first time, I am allowed (and expected) to enter that person's personal space; touching them in ways usually only reserved for their closest family members and friends. I get to run my hands through people's hair, massage their scalp and neck and often touch their face. I never forget what an act of trust and submission this is on the part of the person sitting in my chair. I recognize that it is a privileged and always try to approach each person with respect and tenderness... very aware that how I handle them will influence not only the outcome of the service I'm about to perform, but will also alter their energy (for better or worse).
One of the tools that I use to influence my approach, and to insure that the manner in which I am handling them is healing and beneficial, is by offering a scalp massage using an essential oil blend before each haircut. I became very interested in aromatherapy when I first began my career 9 years ago in an Aveda concept salon that required all of it's stylists to perform a scalp massages on their clients. Now an independent Stylist, I have chosen to carry forth this tradition into my own practice after witnessing the immeasurable benefits.
And now that it is my choice, one of the things I do a bit differently then I did when working at the Aveda salon is limit the clients selection to three essential oil blends, rather than offering them an overwhelming choice of single oils. I have found that that the fewer choices a person has to make once they have sat down in my chair, the more relaxed they tend to feel.
Two of the blends "Wake Up" (a blend of stimulating oils) and "Be Calm" (a blend of calming oils) are always the same to encourage a sense of stability and comfort; blended with the intention of influencing the clients mood and energy. While the third "Enjoy the Season" is variable offering to encourage a connection with the present; blended specifically to represent (and celebrate) the characteristics of the current time of year.
I have been reluctant to introduce my newest "Enjoy the Season" because, to put it simply, it just hasn't really felt like Fall here in Texas. Alas, there has finally been a shift in the air and temperature (at least when the sun goes down) and today I finally got inspired to create my latest seasonal blend! This blog is to share with you how I make my blends and will hopefully encourage you to do the same!
First I choose which 4 essential oils I want to use (sometimes I use less but never more than 4). Traditionally the essential oils that are used in my fall blends are warming, spicy, resinous or woody aromas. This year I have chosen amber, cinnamon, vanilla, and patchouli.
Next I gathered my other ingrediants: distilled water, a carrier oil (grapeseed), and vitamin E.
I keep my oil blends in a cobalt blue glass bottles (always store your blends in a dark glass bottle to avoid deterioration and protect the aromatic and therapeutic properties of your essential oils) and make a custom labels for each one. Once I have made my label and attached it to the bottle, I make sure to put a piece of clear tape over it to keep it protected.
Before blending my oils, I first fill the bottle half way with the distilled water. Next, I add two droppers full of the carrier oil and one dropper full of Vitamin E. The Vitamin E is not an essential to the blend, but because I use it for scalp massages, I like to add it for the extra benefits it gives to the scalp (helps sooth dry skin and irritation). Adding rubbing alcohol or Vodka (2 teaspoons) is also an optional and can help to properly combine both oil and water. I only do this if I am making a blend to be used as a room, linen or body spray. When blending an oil for scalp massages, I don't necessarily want the oils to blend with the water because the oils remain more separated and give me a bit of "slip" for the massage.
Now it's time to add the essential oils! When creating a new blend, I start out small (you can always add more) with a total number of either 10-20 drops for the oil I want to dominate and 5-10 drops of the oils I want to be more subtle. I want the amber (not "technically" an essential oil, but the aroma is considered a base note) and cinnamon (a middle note) to be the most up front with the patchouli (a base note) and the vanilla (a base note) being in the background. Learn all about "notes" here.
I make sure to keep track of how many drops of each oil I use. Once I like the way the blend is smelling, I fill the bottle with more distilled water and then add more oil (doubling the amount of each). My final blend containes 40 drops of Amber, 30 drops of cinnamon, 20 drops of vanilla and 15 drops of patchouli. I then put the top on and give it a good shake. I allow the blend to sit for a day before using because the constituents (natural chemicals) contained within the oils will get cozy with each other and the aroma will become more "true", usually rounding out a bit.
And there you have it! I hope this was helpful and that you have enjoyed learning a simple way to "Enjoy the Season".
Once I became an independent stylist I relished in my new found freedom to choose what I used on my clients hair and to this day I don't retail, endorse, or exclusively use any particular line of hair product. With that being said, here are the top four products that I most frequently use on my clientele:
1. Agadir Argan Oil Spray Treatment - I use this on EVERY client regardless of hair type or texture. After I am done with a haircut, I spray it on the entire head from root to end. It acts as a mini smoothing and moisture treatment leaving the hair silky soft and super shiny without looking oily. And it smells SO yummy... I believe the main scent is Arabian Sandalwood. Agadir also makes a concentrated oil version of this treatment (not in spray form) which I personally use everyday. I'm addicted to the stuff.
2.It's a 10 Miracle Styling Serum - Best styling serum on the market, period. Actually, the whole "It's a 10" line is pretty much... well, a miracle. Their mask in particular has literally taken some of my clients with extensive damage from the brink of disrepair back into the land of health, happy hair. Serums add shine, protection, and make the hair smoother by leaving a light silicone coating on the outer layer of the hair. My favorite way to use the serum is to "cocktail" (mix it) with #3.
3.Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Paste - It took me years to find a paste that I liked. I wanted one that wasn't to waxy or to airy...something that blended into the hair but also gave it definition. And that is EXACTLY what this product does. I use it on all of my short to mid-length clients to achieve the a textured, pieced-out look. Number one trick: use it on damp hair BEFORE you blow dry. This helps to better distribute the product and keeps it from getting built up of too clumpy. Use just a tiny bit more (mixed with one pump of #2) to perfect the look once your hair is dry. This is a matte paste so adding a pump of the serum brakes down the paste and gives your hair more shine.
4.Big Sexy Hair Spray and Play Hairspray - Every client I have ever told about this hairspray has continually thanked me for turning them onto such awesome product. It truly lives up to it's name. It offers great hold (spray) but still allows you to run your hand through it (play) and have movement without disturbing the aver all shape of the style. On short styles, I spray it on BEFORE I use #2 and #3. It is a foundational "dry" product that helps to exaggerate the hair texture so that the "wet" products like the paste and serum have something to grab onto...giving texture to the hair without making it go flat. On longer hair it is the perfect finishing spray.
So there you have it... My top 4 hair styling products! Most of these can be purchased at Ulta or numerous places online. Remember, hair styling is allot more fun when you use products that work!
As most of you know, it's been a very hot and dry summer here in Texas. Today around noon Lydia had just finished her snack when the clouds opened up and it began to rain! I quickly scooped her up and took her outside to enjoy this rare and beautiful event.
I may be a creative person but I'm actually not that "crafty". I tend to have great ideas and just jump right in without much planning. In some mediums, this lack of planning does little to effect the quality of the outcome. In others... I'm learning that planning is everything. Crafting, home repairs, sewing, or construction in general all require plans, the proper supplies/tools, and research/knowledge as to what the hell you are doing. Otherwise, you end up with what I call "half-ass crafts".
So we have this fantastic Mid-Century Arco lamp with a gold color acrylic dome shade that Brendan acquired from a friend. In it's original state, it fit into a wooden floor piece that cradled the lamp and allowed it to suspended without touching the ground. We never had the floor piece and have taken to using a hook in the ceiling and securing it to the wall. It was in amazing condition until the day we moved into our current apartment when we dropped and broke the shade. It cracked in a couple of different places, but with a little glue we were back in business. About two years later, I was cleaning and knocked it loose; breaking the shade yet again. The existing cracks emerged and became noticeably worse while also adding a few more. It was beyond repair, so we took down the lamp.
Trying to find a replacement shade has proven to be very difficult and would cost us a small fortune. SO, I decided I was going to make "fixing up" the broken lamp shade my project yesterday.
I started by re-gluing all of the cracks. To hide the newly glued cracks, I was going to decoupage it with some nice paper but decided to go with fabric instead (bad idea number #1- fabric on a round surface). I went to the fabric store and bought a couple to feet of some fabric I thought would look good in our living room. I then went on a hunt for Mod Podge (if I was "crafty", I would already own this). Three stores later, I settled on a spray adhesive (bad idea number #2 - don't settle on your tools/get what you need.) I thought when I got home I would create some sort of pattern to follow, but Iwas hot and tired and just decided to wing it (bad idea number #3- self explanatory).
Brendan came into the living room to find me trying to wrestle the fabric around the lamp shade quietly singing "I'm not crafty, I'm not your type...I'm not crafty, I'm not what you like"; a play on the Beastie Boys song but with a tone of pathetic self deprecation. He lovingly listened to me whine about how much I suck at things like this and got on the floor to offer me some help. The two of us managed to get the fabric on and glued. The end result:
Not BAD, but it certainly isn't anything I would say I am proud of. I hope to do a better job in the future, but for now I will let this serve as a constant reminder that I could be "crafty" if I wanted to be. I just need to have a PLAN, the proper tools/supplies, and enough "know how" to accomplish my goal.
And unless you want to see glue globs, frayed fabric edges, fuzz, thread, and some random stands of my hair, I don't recommend looking on the inside.
Cheers to all you bloggin ladies who do it right the first time. As for me, I will just focus on writing "full-ass" blogs about my"half-ass" crafts. :)
I've had three clients in my almost 9 years of being a hairstylist who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Ashley Doran was the first and Stephanie Odom is the most recent.
Both of these women have been coming to me for many years. Around the same time Ashley was knee deep in chemo, Stephanie had come to me and professed the desire to grow her hair as long as possible so that she could donate it. Her aunt had recently been diagnosed as well and she was inspired by this idea. Fast forward to June 2nd, 2011 when I get an email from Stephanie about how she wasn't going to be able to make our next appointment (a fun color change that we were both very excited about) having received the news of her diagnosis. Instead, we would be finally making that donation.
It was three summers ago that I made a house call and shaved Ashley's head in her back yard.
Today, I cut off all of Stephanie's lovely hair into a cute little do while making quite a sizable donation to Locks of Love.
Both women had double mastectomies and chose chemotherapy. And both also decided to take the "preemptive stike" approach to their impending hair loss...
Ashley chose to go completely bald while Stephanie wanted to try a funky short cut before beginning chemo.
One of the neatest parts about today is how they both happened to schedule back to back appointments; Stephanie at 1pm and Ashley at 3pm.
SO, I had Ashley come in a bit early to met and talk with Stephanie. It was a delightful conversation that only two women who have known breast cancer can have...honest, candid, funny, and inspiring.
Two amazingly strong women... Ashley is now cancer free while Stephanie is just beginning her journey. You can read more about Stephanie and her story by visiting her blog! I am thankful to know them both, to call them friends, and celebrate their lives and beauty on this day!
Since beauty it is one of the main topics I will be blogging about, I wanted to establish what exactly I believe about beauty so that I can write about it with honesty and clarity. One of my favorite things to do are studies on words that I use all the time, but if pressed would find it difficult to give an accurate definition. When I speak, I want to choose words that express my intentions with exactness. Word studies help me better understand the language I use and help me to become more effective in communicating my ideas and intentions.
I usually look up a word on Google first. This lets me know what people, at this exact moment in time, believe this word to mean. The definition of Beauty as defined by wikipedia is: a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction.
Now that I know what the world says of this word, I want to know what God says.
The next place i go is to my Blue Letter Bible App...
THEN I get out my King James Bible and I ask...
What does God think of this word? What does he find beautiful? What brings Him pleasure or satisfaction?
These are the verses that seemed to speak to answering these questions...
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
He hath made EVERY THING beautiful. Did you catch that? Hath is the third person singular present tense of have. To have something is to be in possession of it. So, According to God's word, all things are beautiful in his time! God's time has no bound and what will be done has already been done in the infinite realm of God. We might not perceive it as beautiful now, but all things are made beautiful by God; the beauty of it be reveled in His time. So cool.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Amen! If you look at the context, what God is actually finding beautiful in this verse is the preaching of the gospel of peace! I can always KNOW I am in God's will, loving Him, and bringing honor to my position as ambassador when I am sharing with someone my peace, how the Gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ saved me...and now I also know it to God, it is a thing of beauty.
Sharing the Gospel IS beautiful! How that while the world was dead in sin, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for that sin. He was buried, raised and it is through believing on Him that we can stand justified, reconciled, and redeemed before God in Christ! To those that are His, these are the most beautiful words they will ever hear and have the honor to tell someone else.
Moving on... In Ezekiel 28:12 Satan is described as:"the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty."
Ezekiel 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Satan, who was perfect in beauty allowed the brightness of his beauty to corrupt his wisdom... and so he became a fool; exalting himself above the God who created Him. Beauty, when it does not shine forth from a thankful heart that reflects the light of it's source, can corrupt the wisdom of a man and darken his heart leaving him a fool with his vanity.
Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Beauty IS vain when (like Satan's beauty) it is empty, darkened by corruption and focused on exalting self. When I am proud, rather than grateful or when I am puffed up with a high opinion of myself or my accomplishments, then I am conceited and my beauty is vain. It is only when my beauty is something for which I am thankful that it can be made FULL by being used to reflect light onto the truth of God. If, in pride, I begin to admire my own beauty, the brightness no longer reflects that light onto God, like Satan, it's brightness will blind me and corrupt my wisdom making it (in the big scheme of things) worthless, having no substance, value or importance. There is a beauty that is found in the corruptible but the beauty found in the incorruptible is the beauty of God himself!
Often with the word 'beauty' we use other words like - true, inner, or real. This suggests that beauty needs a qualifier to say..."HEY, there is something to me that is beyond your perceptions!" I think the reason we need and use these qualifiers is because we know that there is physical beauty and a beauty without form that is experienced rather than seen; a higher kind of beauty. Beauty that is found in truth.
When I told Brendan what I was blogging about last night he said that He always used to tell people and stills believes that it is our life's mission to perpetuate beauty. "Just be honest so that you provoke others to honesty. When you see beauty that is around you and give it more strength by recognizing it as the truth. It then can move forward." I loved how he immediately associated beauty and truth. Satan is beautiful, but he has no true beauty because he is "the father of lies" and has "no truth in him" (John 8:44). He looks good, but only on the outside. What comes to mind is a scene for the movie I'm Gonna Get You Sucka where Jake Slade is about to have relations with a "beautiful" women. Take a look at this scene that perfectly illustrates that what we perceive as beauty can be (under the surface) dark, empty, ugly and a lie. Very funny but adult in nature.
God's beauty is a beauty made whole through truth! The world's beauty is a empty beauty that is only able to appeal to the flesh. The beauty of God is complete...inside and out; a more excellent beauty that can appeal to the soul!
I work with my hands and mold the physical or an image of the physical for a living. The "beauty" industry is, just like every other industry, a battlefield. But I do not wrestle or fight my battles in the physical (trying to force the world to not be worldly), but rather I fright within the realm of the spiritual... using the bible and prayer (see Ephesians 6:12-20).
All my work has the potential to be either in vain or in truth. It is my intention a stylist (and a blogger) to bring God honor and glory with the work of my hands; letting His truth guide me in better revealing the beauty that he has placed in everyone. An ambassador for God's beauty...
All I can do is stay grounded in Christ, choose the more excellent way, and pray that the vain beauty of my work (and it's concentration on the physical) is made whole with Godly truth...for it is the only way to make it valuable.
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