Tag Archives: beauty expert

My Twin Pregnancy Beauty Must Haves

July 6, 2018

As a 5’3 125lb woman, the moment I knew I was having twins I knew I had to get ahead of the inevitable stretch marks. Pregnancy is new territory for me and a huge learning curve however, I at least know when it comes to products that I’m going to be rubbing all over my body I want them to be more natural. For stretch mark prevention I am loving Basq Resilient Body Oil. The Lavender scent is calming after my evening shower and the oil easily absorbs into my skin. I focus this oil on my entire belly area and hips.

For all the other areas of my expanding body I love using Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter body lotion with Frankincense & Myrrh.

Luckily I wasn’t too nauseas in my first trimester but not all are so lucky. For those of you who find yourselves making out with your toilet seat on the regular, I highly recommend these lovely damage-free ribbion hair ties!

Not only are these hair ties great for gently holding your hair back damage free, they also work great for holding your shrinking pre-pregnancy pants up!

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Hormones determine a lot of different things during pregnancy. My hormones decided they wanted my hair to be dry, limp, and brittle. To combat this unfortunate circumstance I use my Davines Renewing serum mid strand to ends daily. This serum contains antioxidant-rich spinach extract and maqui berry to protect the youth of the hair and scalp.Some women develop “pregnancy mask” which is hyperpigmentation of the skin on your face due to the higher levels of estrogen. Knowing this was a possibility for me my esthetician recommended that I use Iluma intense lightening serum. I had already been using this for acne spots and was amazed by its performance so I was very relived to hear it was not only safe to use during pregnancy but it was also a great preventative measure.
Dry hair, dry skin, and dry lips I can’t seem to get enough water in my system! Burt’s Bees lip balm is my absolute favorite!

Dark spots are not just a result from hormone imbalances. Dark spots can appear when you’ve been exposed to the sun. I LOVE Image skincare’s oil free prevention SPF. It does not make your skin look white and it dries smooth to the touch. I wear this EVERYDAY.

Last but not least WATER is the most important beauty & wellness must have during pregnancy and just life! Drinking half your weight in ounces daily is ideal. Doing this keeps you, your baby/babies, and skin in the best condition possible. This is a no-brainer I must say.

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Fall Must Haves all under $50

October 28, 2017

The challenge of shopping on a budget is so much fun! My friends at Here Today equipped me with a $50 gift card to shop for Fall. Here Today stores have everything from clothing and home goods to beer, wine, and a frozen food section. One stop shopping is my weakness especially when there are insanely good sales! Check out this impressive list of Fall goodies all for under $50!

O F F I C E S U P P L I E S

Brown leather padfolio 3.99 compared to 9.99

2 Medium candles 1.99 each compared to 7.99 each

M A N T L E D E C O R

Frame 1.49 compared to 9.99

Pumpkin 1.99 compared to 3.99

F A L L F A S H I O N

Sweater T-Strap dress 1.49 compared to 36.00

Curved bar gold earrings 1.49 compared to 9.99

five pack crew socks 4.99 compared to 9.99

P E T S U P P L I E S

Olive loves her cozy Fall blanket! It’s the perfect size for covering her crate for nap time.

Blanket .49 compared to 19.99!!

D I N I N G D E C O R

There’s nothing quite like the glow of candles to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

Dining table Statement piece 3.99 compared to 33.99!!

K I T C H E N S U P P L I E S

This bakeware is perfect, unlike my attempt at Zucchini bread. Let’s just say I need a bit more practice in the baking department. haha!

Baking pan 4.99 Baking knife .99 Tea Towel 2.99

O U T D O O R D E C O R

Mums for my mum!

three 8in Mums in purple, orange, and yellow 3.99 each

Needless to say, I saved big time on this shopping adventure! I can’t wait to go back for my holiday shopping! Thank you so so much Here Today!

Is your Hair too Hot too Handle?

March 7, 2017

We all love the option of having the best of both worlds. From beachy waves to smooth sleek strands, any style is possible with the right hot tool. Hot tools make our hair look amazing but too much of anything can be bad. Right? Too much heat overtime can leave our hair dull, lifeless, and damaged. Yuck! Heat protectants are not an option they are a must. I mean unless you’re cool with jacked up hair. You’re not? That’s what I thought. Here are a few of my favorite products for guarding your hair from the heat demon…

Davines Melu Shield $36

Whether you’re blasting the blow dryer or smoothing strands with a flat iron, this nourishing spray defends against thermal damage and is perfect for all hair types. Enriched with lentil seeds and panthenol, it repairs strands, enhances shine, & adds much-needed moisture. Plus, the multi-benefit formula even cuts down blow drying time.

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Cutler Protectant Treatment $24

A weightless spray for all hair types that moisturizes while it adds a barrier of protection between heat and hair. This weightless styling spray contains heat-activated polymers that will detangle, protect and treat hair from styling and sun damage. The multi-active polymers, panthenol and avocado oil deliver manageability and shine.

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Mizani Therasmooth Smooth Guard $34

Lightweight, leave-in thermal protecting serum for natural hair. Buffers against heat styling damage and facilitates the use of heat tools by providing extra glide for easier manageability. The advance C3 Smoothing Complex with cationic polymers is designed to shield and polish while hair is being smoothed.

You’re beautiful hair deserves to live a long healthy life. Treat it and pamper it by investing in great products and tools. We get few chances when it comes to retaining the health of our hair. If you get to a point where you have trashed your hair, your only option is to cut it off and start over. No amount of Olaplex can work that type of miracle!

If you are a flat iron lover check out this amazing in depth study my friends at Reviews.com conducted. They tested 132 different flat irons and picked the top 3 so you don’t have to waste time searching!

Pretty awesome if you ask me!

Hot water is killing your haircolor!

March 28, 2016

Have you ever thought, “Hot water can’t be THAT bad for my hair.” Think again. As a Beauty Expert I decided to do a little science experiment that was featured on Great Day St. Louis this morning. Check out these results…

STEP ONE: All six wefts of hair were colored using Davines A New Colour with a level 6 golden copper.
STEP TWO: These wefts represent fresh haircolor however the left strand was rinsed using professional grade Davines NOU NOU shampoo and the right strand was Suave from Walgreens.

STEP THREE: These two strands were shampooed 5 times using extremely hot water. Left strand shampooed with NOU NOU and right strand Suave. This is the misunderstanding most people have. Most people think just using professional grade shampoo will maintain their color regardless of any other factors. The truth is professional grade shampoo will maintain the color and keep the hair healthy as long as you’re not abusing your hair with scolding hot water and hot tools. If your hair is trashed to begin with, professional products will help it feel a bit better but in all honesty the best thing for severely damaged hair that doesn’t hold color is a haircut. Bye Bye crap hair. Your hairstylist is dead serious about that “no magic wand” thing.
So does that mean you should go the cheap route since you’re not willing to sacrifice your lava shower? Hell no. All the more reason to use a high quality formula! Cheap brands will leave waxy residue and truly dry your hair out with prolonged use. The good stuff is in fact that, good. Professional shampoos not only contain gentle cleansers but also nourishing factors to make your hair healthy and bouncy. It’s like going in for a serious surgery and expecting over the counter drugs to help with the healing process. Haircolor is surgery on your hair and you will want “the good stuff”.

STEP FOUR: Now this is eye opening! These strands have been shampooed 5 times with NOU NOU (left) and Suave (right). Look at how little these faded in comparison to the hot water! The reason cool water is so much better is because cool water allows the hair’s cuticle to stay calm and in an almost closed state. Hot water and tools swell the cuticle allowing the dye molecules to slip out easily.

STEP FIVE: Watch my morning segment by clicking the link below to see how 400 degrees from your beloved flat iron strips the color right out of hair! It’s crazy! Keep your hot tools at 350 or below ladies and ALWAYS use protection. Heat protection that is 😉
http://www.kmov.com/clip/12319104/hair-confidential-fight-the-fade

Growing is Learning to juggle.

February 23, 2016

The past year has been quite a blur for me. I hired my first ever beauty assistant, bought a house, adopted a dog, started dating a great guy, took on a new role as a social media manager with Product Club in addition to teaching nationally, did some TV appearances as a Beauty Expert, all while running both my hair & makeup business and managing Thirteenth and Washington! Phew! I’m exhausted just typing all that!

With all that change there comes a learning curve. I call it “learning how to juggle”. I have had moments where I just wanted to quit everything but also moments of pure gratitude. For me doing hair behind the chair is just a very small piece to my big dream puzzle. I see so many people in all industries not just hair, literally going to “work” and then going “home”. That is honestly a nightmare.

I truly believe in order to live the life you want and have the experiences you want to have you must learn to juggle to keep it interesting. Do a lot of different things that challenge you and put you out of your comfort zone. It’s the only way to grow at a steady pace. Those folks going to work and going home have many plateaus and unfortunately for some their plateau is their whole life.

It’s important to take continuing education no matter what industry you are in. Davines has become one of my favorite brands to work with. They offer amazing classes that inspire as well as contest to push you to be your creative self. This past Fall I entered their Beauty Harvest contest because it looked fun! The idea was to create a look that incorporated the colors of Fall. So this was what I came up with…

“Pumpkin Spice meets the Pink Lady Apple”

ONE: This was SO much fun to do. It forced me to think of color in a different way. It made me better.

TWO: I freaking won 2nd place in a national contest! I literally did not expect to win anything! I was just excited to play around with some color and try something new. My grandpa always says, “You can’t win if you don’t play!” Those are words to live by.

If this past year taught me anything, it would be to keep on learning as much as my brain can handle! Which is a lot since my brain is huge. 😉