Tag Archives: Travel

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.

art

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.

img_7840

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.

station

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.
img_8017

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

salon-des

 

Travel with Bliss

     As a national haircolor educator, I fly a lot. This means pure torture for my skin. Between the stale airplane air and random food I end up eating, my skin becomes very dull and sad.  

     During my last trip to Dallas I wandered into the Bliss beauty store in the St. Louis airport. I love stopping in there to just touch the extremely soft clothing made from bamboo and smell everything. Maybe that’s weird but hey, that’s just who I am. This time I spotted a sample facial box. I was really in the mood to pamper myself since my skin was feeling so blah.

    The full size moisturizer that came with the kit was worth the cost of the kit so that got me super excited. If you notice the cleanser and mask they are both labeled “Triple oxygen instant energizing”. This is no joke. When I put these products on my skin it felt like a flood of intense hydration that actually absorbed deep down where I needed it most. The mask was really cool! It felt like I had pop rocks candy on my face (in a good way). The mask goes on clear then turns into a foam. Once I cleansed my skin and finished with the mask I applied the moisturizer. This is THE BEST moisturizer I have ever experienced! The eye pads were equally amazing. You just have to try it all for yourself!

   
  Now this is not a sponsored post. No one gave me anything for free. I truly think this was an amazing kit and especially for those of you who travel as much as I do!

My NOLA loves!

I enjoyed four wonderful days in the beautiful New Orleans during St. Patty’s day weekend…and I’m still alive to tell the tale! Here is a recap of my trip and all of the amazing places I experienced. NOLA isn’t just about the party…

THE HOTEL: MAGNOLIA MANSION

This place is a hidden gem! Right around the corner from the American Horror story “Coven” house, Magnolia Mansion will blow you away. It has insanely high ceilings, claw foot tubs, four post beds, and decor that will make you feel like royalty!

You absolutely must have Shea moisture bubble bath, Davines Nou Nou shampoo & conditioner travel packs, and Burt’s Bee’s cleansing cloths when bathing in this gorgeous tub!

THE PARTY SCENE: MAGAZINE STREET

Just a few blocks parallel from out hotel we stumbled upon a crazy St Patty’s day parade. Now typically when you think of NOLA parades you think of  beads galore. During St. Patty’s it’s beads plus cabbages, carrots, and even uncooked Ramen noodles! I literally was attacked by two uncooked packs of Ramen and it was hilarious.

EAT!!: From carousel spinning bars and awesome artwork, the ambiance of each restaurant was too cool!    

      
EXPLORE: EAGLERIDER SCOOTERS

The best way to see the city of New Orleans is definitely by scooter! Nina and I zipped around on these bad boys for two days. Reserve your scooter fun here!

   
 

I will def be back to New Orleans! The people, music, and historic culture are all so beautiful and inspiring!

HOW TO: Add a pop of color to your Spring Makeup routine

 Spring is here! It is now the time to alter your color palette and add a fresh vibe to your look. This morning on Great Day St Louis, “Beauty and the Brain” blogger Kristen Linares presented two different ways to add a little bit of color to your normal makeup routine. Here’s how…

11216296_10203360549129060_2076351543_n

(from left to right) Nina is wearing a plum lip and cheek stain & Amber is wearing lavender shadow with nude lips

STEP ONE: Always prep the skin!

Blissoma’s Refine mask is always a great way to start the day. Although you should leave the mask on for 15mins even just 5 minutes will do wonders for exfoliating the skin and help you start your day off fresh and glowing. Caudalie’s Vinoperfect is great for all skin types. This all natural product contains SPF 15 that is tinted leaving your complexion flawless and protected. 

HOW TO: Travel the world and meet cool people.

So many times I hear “Wow! You get to do work on so many cool projects! I wish I could be like you!” Here’s my BIG secret. You can! The only way I have been able to travel and develop relationships with other successful people has been on my own dime and “Just Do It!” attitude. I will admit there are times when I want to throw up a little when I see the money I’ve spent however, it is money well invested. When you come up with a clear plan and purpose for any trip it is always so worth it!

My most recent trip has been New York Fashion Week for the Spring 2015 collections. I was invited by fellow blogger Lindsay Pattan, Marketing manager for ALIVE magazine, to travel with a group of local fashion bloggers. This made our stay at The Gem Hotel affordable. Not the most comfortable when you consider the amount of luggage fashion/ beauty bloggers travel with and how tiny NY bathrooms really are but the goal isn’t to hang out in the room.

Since my passion is beauty, lifestyle, and wellness attending all the fashion shows wasn’t high priority. Instead I wanted to live day to day life in Manhattan during fashion week and create content for this lovely little blog of mine. I scheduled meetings, interviews, and experiences with some of my favorite beauty professionals so get ready for a series of NYFW related posts!

To begin this series of posts let’s start with HOW TO plan for success…

STEP ONE: REACH OUT TO YOUR CONTACTS

Reach out to people you know that are involved in interesting day to day activities that you’re passionate about.

IMG_0164

Jorge Blanco & Joseph DiMaggio (Davines North America) were kind enough to make time to chat with me about all things Davines!

STEP TWO: RESPECT THEIR TIME AND SHOW YOUR PASSION

IMG_0156

Nathan Rosenkranz (lead stylist for Deola & Clan, Alterna Haircare) I asked Nate if I could tag along backstage and interview him for my blog and instead he offered me a spot on his styling team for the show! It was a blast!

STEP THREE: SPREAD THE WORD AND GIVE THANKS.

IMG_0072

I don’t like to kill trees with silly Thank You notes but showing gratitude is important. I’ve found these awesome note cards at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, MO. The card itself can be planted and it later blossoms into flowers! How cool is that?! That’s definitely one way to leave a lasting impression and be kind to mother nature of course 🙂

Stay tuned for more posts about my NYC trip!