Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Another Amazing Christmas.


I hope everyone had a special Christmas this year. I can't believe it's over with already!

This year we had a small Christmas Eve/Christmas but it worked out beautifully. Christmas Eve we had at our house and we had a delicious sit down dinner with just Sean and I and both of our parents! It was so much fun! Christmas my whole entire family (about 15 of us) went to the movies and saw the movie "Young Adult" it was funny yet depressing at the same time. After the movies Sean and I headed over to Sean's sisters house for another delicious dinner.

As far as my Christmas Wish List goes, I got nothing on there that I had asked for, but I got spoiled and surprised this year!


Sean got me a Tiffany & Co. Necklace

He also got me a Michael Kors purse and some new Snowboarding gloves. I was very surprised. He has really good taste. :)

I also got
         -"Flora" by Gucci perfume. Which smells awesome! It's a citrus smell.
         - Juicy Couture Daisy Earrings
         - Juicy Couture Silver Charm Bracelet Starter
         - Lots of pretty jewelry
         - Pajamas and Socks

  It was overall a great Christmas weekend! Now I'm excited for New Years Eve! I am going to a Black and White Midnight Masquerade with open bar and Champagne toast at midnight.

This is my dress that I bought from Forever 21 and it was only $27 bucks! Can't go wrong with that price for a sexy LBD! Along with my dress I did my nails a little early but here's how they turned out.

I used 2 coats of YOUR ROYAL SHINE-NESS by O.P.I
and 1 coat of COME IN FROM THE COAL'D  by Nicole by O.P.I


Happy New Year everyone!







Monday, December 19, 2011

Dear Santa

Christmas is in only 6 days!!!

I just love the Holidays, the food, the family, the friends, the memories are all the reason I love this time of year.

Dear Santa,

I have been a very good girl this year! I have just a short list this year and would be happy if I just received ONE of these things on my list.

A new watch since I shattered mine in Las Vegas..

This oh so very nice camera so I can always remember my favorite memories, and my other Nikon is broken :(

Black High Heel Boots

Cocktail Rings

Burlesque Glitter Polish


Merry Christmas!!!!
Love always,
Katie




Wednesday, December 14, 2011

My Favorite Styling Tools!


Styling tools are key to your signature hair style! These are some of my favorite tools I use on my hair and in the salon. It's really important to quality tools on your hair.


There are multiple things you want to look for in styling tools. The key thing you want to look for is, is it ceramic or titanium? 
 A ceramic iron is great for fine to medium hair it protects the hair from all the heat that is going on. It makes the hair shiny and smooth!
Titanium is a metal it is great for medium to course curly hair. The only time you want to use titanium on your hair is if your hair is unruly and hard to get smooth and shiny. It infuses the hair with moisture and really closes the hair shaft resulting in an extra smooth look.


This is the blow dryer I use at home. It is light weight and has multiple heat settings.

A lot of people ask why would I want 3 different heat settings on a blow dryer? The answer is those 3 different settings do 3 different things.
Hot- The hotter it is the more open your hair shaft is going to be. In order to have soft shiny hair is to have the hair shaft completely closed. In that sense you only want to use this hot heat if you want to take out some of the moisture in the hair when your hair is still very wet. If your hair is very textured and you have a lot of curl you might want to consider using this setting for most of your styling time in order to get the curl out, just remember to use a good heat protector.
Medium- This is the temperature you want to style your hair with. It's hot enough to dry the hair but cool enough to be closing the hair shaft. By using this heat setting is going to keep your hair in better condition than by using the hot setting.
Cool- The cool temperature is a great thing to have on your dryer because its purpose is to really seal down the hair shaft. You want to use this at the end of your drying time. Give your style a cool shot to give your hair extra shine, it also will make your style not fall flat and to make it last longer.

This is my all time favorite flat iron! It's the Paul Mitchell Ion Pro. It is a ceramic iron that has 2 silicone strips on one side of the plates. The strips really grip the hair and smooths it, putting every hair in place. The plates are flexible so if you wanted to use this to curl your hair you can! This is an awesome 100% ceramic iron and you're paying the price for it in this iron. Some cheap irons that you get at the drug store can be dangerous. Most of them are made out of aluminum which does not contain any protection in the hair and also grabs the hair causing frizz and breakage. Even some cheap irons say they are ceramic but don't be fooled as it may only contain 1% to 10% ceramic and the rest is aluminum.

In my opinion the Hot Tools brand has the best irons on the market. They are durable, reliable, and long lasting. It has a cool tip and a swivel cord. The cool tip has a slot to put your finger in so you can have more control in holding the iron while it is hot. The swivel cord keeps the cord long lasting it stays still while the iron is twirling. Hot Tools comes in 2 different plates one Ceramic and the other Titanium. The gold plate is ceramic and the silver plate is titanium. I use the 1 inch ceramic for big curls and I use the 1 1/4 inch for movement and beach waves.


Thermal Protectors
Some days I use all 3 of these styling tools. In order to keep my hair healthy I use a thermal protector. It lays on the hair allowing the heat to penetrate the hair while the heat activated protector is conditioning your hair. My favorite protector is Trilliant Spray by Sebastian. It has 2 parts to it. The first layer is an oil and the second layer is a conditioning treatment with glitter in it. You shake it up to mix the 2 and spray it in sections of your hair. It makes your hair shine like nothing else and makes it soft like nothing else. The glitter is what makes it fun to use what girl doesn't like glitter?

I hope this was useful for you all!!




Thursday, December 8, 2011

Awkward Ugly Sweater Party

Tis the season of UGLY SWEATERS!!!!

I went to my local Goodwill store and picked out the ugliest sweater I could find. I was a bit bummed to find out the the stuff at the Goodwill was not so ugly.....except for this white sweater with feathers on the collar and sleeves. I saw the potential and made it even more hideous!

Enjoy the laughs!

Meoww! LOL


The Photo Wall

"The Winner"



Me and some of my salon girls!

We had a blast laughing at each other. I actually had a fun time making this hideous sweater as well LOL! Have you ever been to an Ugly Sweater Party?

Have a great weekend! I know I will be since we're headed up to Tahoe for the weekend :)


Sunday, December 4, 2011

Holiday Hair and Product of the Week

It's official! December is here which means it's time for family gatherings, company parties, and fun get togethers!
We had our "Girls Night Out" party at the salon tonight and it was a blast just hangin out and having fun!


Yup, there's me in the blue/green sweater! Like my hairstyle? It is super easy to recreate this look... I call it my "romantic do"

In order to get this look you need:

-1 inch curling iron
- light/medium hold hairspray
-Brilliance Cream (product of the month see below)
-serum or oil
- comb
-about 4-6 bobby pins

Step 1: prep your hair with using 1 pump of serum apply to evenly on your hair
 Lightly spray your hair with a few shots of hair spray to give it some texture so the curl will hold

Step 2: Curl your hair away from face

Step 3: Slide all of your hair with your fingers to the side you choose while lifting the hair on your nape slightly

Step 4:Take the bobby pins and insert it vertically right in the center of your neck/hairline, when it feels secure take another bobby pin and criss cross them. Keep doing this until it feels secure.. I usually use about 4 bobby pins
(Tip: Don't worry about if you can see the pins or not the rest of your hair will fall over and cover it)

Step 5:ow you have all of your hair pinned to the side. On the side that your hair is pushed to take a small section from the front and bring it slightly mid ear area and pin it! Then just finish with some hair spray and Brilliance Cream!

(I really wish I could have more of a picture tutorial but it's pretty hard taking pictures of the back of your head lol just ask me if you have any confusion or questions)


*PRODUCT OF THE MONTH*

Bamboo- Brilliance Cream

I love this product for multiple reasons because it is easy to use and you get great results from it. It's a finishing cream that you use after your flat iron or curl your hair that makes your hair soft,shiny and smooth! Take a pea sized amount of this on your hands rub it around and run your hands over any fly aways! Bye-Bye fly aways! It's such a light weight product you won't want to miss out on!