Tag Archives: beauty

Quick & Easy Makeup Routine

Only have a few minutes to put yourself together in the am? This quick beauty routine will help you feel polished and confident. Below is a complete list of everything I used in the video. Enjoy!

img_2275ILUMA Intense Brightening Serum $47

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Clinique All About Eyes Rich Cream $32.50

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Clinique Moisture Surge 72 hr Replenishing Hydrator 15ml $12.00

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Beauty Blender $20

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GloMinerals Satin Cream Foundation $48

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Dior Airflash Foundation $62

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RMS Beauty Lip 2 Cheek in “Beloved” $36

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E.L.F. Cosmetics Clear Brow gel $2.00

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Morphe Round Blender Brush $5.00

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NARS Bronzing Powder in “Laguna” $40

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Mallywood Smoky Mama Mascara $20

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Buxom Lip Color in “Mistress” $22

My Twin Pregnancy Beauty Must Haves

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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What seeds of change have you planted?

2017 is here and with each New Year year the pressure of becoming the greatest version of you weighs down on us all. Resolutions are not my thing. I’m just not into self inflicted pressure just because the date changes overnight. If you’re full steam ahead on your resolutions, great! I am happy for you. It’s just not for me.

I see the change of a year as a time to declutter my mind, home, and soul. A time to plant seeds of new thoughts and inspiration. Nothing in life that is truly wonderful happens overnight.

growing-plants.jpgHere are a few things I plan on working on in the New Year. Blooming gracefully…

Taking care of my mind and body

2016 flew by like a tornado ripping through a small town. Before I could blink each day was ending before I could eat a healthy meal or take a sip of water. So far I have started each day with a glass of lemon water and ended each night with at least 10 mins of gentle yoga.

Simplifying my surroundings

Any form of clutter has always had a negative affect on my productivity. This year I have started Spring Cleaning early. I have purged my closet and workspace of things that no longer speak to me making room for the things I love & space in my mind to create!

Create a vision board

My vision board is a blend of an actual board that I can hang inspiration on and my good ol Pinterest account. This past week I actually took time to look through the things I’ve been pinning and read the articles associated with the image. It’s always fun to delete the Pins that you actually accomplished too!

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Like I said earlier, change doesn’t happen overnight however the decision to be self aware and in the moment can. I choose to live each day for that day and enjoy the simple things in life. Doesn’t that sound way better than stressing over what I should have done by the end of 2017?

Happy New Year!

A Parisian Salon Experience Part ONE

As a beauty professional I have been lucky enough to travel all over the United States and some parts of Canada. If time allows, I try to book a service in the best salon I can find in that particular city. I feel it is important as a service provider to experience what my clients experience. Being the client equips me with a different perspective and allows me to provide the most memorable salon visit. I love serving my clients! They deserve my absolute best 100% of the time!

My most recent trip was to Paris. This was my first time overseas and I truly had no idea what to expect. I had about 6 weeks to learn French which resulted in Bonjour, Bonsoir, and Merci Beaucoup. Due to my lack of the spoken language I became mute when meeting my cab driver. I literally forgot English and just used hand gestures. I’m sure I gave him a good laugh. Despite my poor French all of the Parisians I met were extremely kind and helpful! Thank god!

With the help of my amazing travel agency, “Limitless Planet” I was booked for a blowout & meeting with the owner at “L’ Appartement De Christophe-Nicolas Biot Trandline” before arriving in France.

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The discovery of the salon occurred while scrolling through Instagram. Immediately I was drawn to the beauty of the salon’s architecture and vintage design. I could not wait to meet the person responsible for this inspiring space!

Upon my arrival I was greeted by a lovely woman by the name of Roxana. After taking my coat she guided me to a beautiful office where Christophe was working behind the scenes of his highly successful salon. It didn’t take long for Christophe to realize I only spoke English. I immediately felt terrible that I couldn’t communicate. Christophe was very polite about it and simply requested that Roxana be available to translate.

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Although an ocean and a language separate us, I was pleased to discover Christophe and I shared many of the same beliefs when it came to the beauty industry. The salon was designed as an art gallery home to hairstylists, colorists, estheticians,  massage therapists, dermatologists and even Tibetan masseurs. They cater to everyone from the average Parisian to celebrities. In such a beautiful space I wondered what the requirements would be to be a part of the Trandline team. His answer was simple and perfect in every way. To be a part of the Trandline team one must be a hard worker, this is someone who is not concerned with how early or how late they will be working. One must also bleed creativity and passion because without these traits the finished result would just be mediocre. So for all the emerging stylists out there reading this, never think you don’t have the “experience” to work in a salon as high end as this. It simply takes hardwork, passion, and ambition to make the cut. Everyone starts somewhere.

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After our conversation Roxana took me on a tour of the salon and spa. She even shared their private styling room where Kim Kardashian had her hair styled the day before. The private styling room also had a private entrance for those high profile clients. I think my favorite feature of the entire salon was the variety of shampoo bowls. One style rotated up to the styling chair while the others were attached to reclining massage chairs.

Before handing me off to Vanessa who would be shampooing me, Roxana went through a series of questions on an iPad that would help determine the right products for my shampoo experience. This form of consultation is done with each client before any hair service.

Now, about the shampoo experience…it was perfect. I melted into a reclining shampoo chair until I was literally laying down. Vanessa manipulated my scalp working away every last bit of tension I had. This is where things got even better. While my conditioner was on she applied a damp hot towel around my hairline and at the base of my neck. I felt so pampered!

For my blow out or shampoo and brushing as the French call it, I was seated in front of a gigantic floor length mirror next to a gorgeous window overlooking the city street below. The natural light flooding in made me relaxed and thankful to be there in that very moment. Moise was my stylist. He was sophisticated, confident, and tailored. He was patient with my lack of French phrases as well. Due to the language barrier I did what all girls do, pulled out my Pinterest hair board! When I shared the image with him I could tell he loved it and we were good to go. It was so nice to sit back and let someone else take care of me for once! Moise used a ceramic round brush to wave my hair and finished with a bit of hair spray to froth it up. It was exactly what I wanted!

Of course I didn’t leave empty handed! On my way out I had the chance to play with the Terry makeup line. I love makeup lines that are actually created by makeup artists. They just get it. I picked up a eye primer, concealer, and lip cream all infused with my favorite plumping ingredient, Hyaluronic Acid.

    Viola! The finished result of my first Parisian Hair Salon experience.
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If you’re ever in Paris this is a must experience salon! To learn more about Christophe-Nicolas Biot and his salon visit their

website http://www.lappartementdechristophenicolasbiot.com

or follow them on Instagram @cnbiot_trandline

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Good Enough, is Just Fine.

So many women sit in my chair in awe of my ability to style their hair. They say things like, “Can I take you home” or “Now if only I could do this myself!”. My response is always the same. You can absolutely recreate this blow dry if you simply have the time, products, and patience. 

Here’s the problem for most women. They just don’t. They don’t have the time because life is crazy. They don’t have the products because although their stylist will recommend exactly what they need, they buy a cheap knock off that is garbage elsewhere. Last but not least, patience. Ha! Who has that? 

Just stop. Stop criticizing yourself. Stop telling yourself you can’t take time or have patience for the most important person. You. 

This is the big secret. Are you ready? Good enough is just Fine. The least you can do is try. Try to recreate what you’ve learned from your stylist. Maybe not everyday but perhaps try once a week. Most people learn overtime. I know I didn’t learn how to do hair in one day, that’s for sure. 

Also, these days disheveled bed-head or maybe I just had sex hair is what people are after. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I promise no one judges you more than you do. So do yourself a favor and just try your best and after a few weeks you might find yourself bouncing around with a “good” blowout that you did all by yourself!