The Double Identity hair cut

Fall is officially here! This is my absolute favorite season. Its time to dress in layers, eat pumpkin everything, put away the flip-flops and pull out the boots.

For me it's also the time of the SalonCentric Denver Fall Show, a conference for licensed beauty professionals to see the latest and newest in their field.

This weekend at the show, I picked up a ton of great new styling products to fill my retail shelves as well as discovered many new tips, tricks, techniques, trends and ideas in hair cutting and coloring. I am excited to get back behind my styling chair and try them out! 

These shows are always so motivating, its fun to see what's new in shapes and colors for the season.

 My favorite trend haircut was called "The Double Identity" cut by Redken artist Sam Villa. It can be cut in many different lengths from short bob/jaw line to long/couple inches past the shoulders. The crown area has amazing volume and the ends lay flat Sam also showed some great styling tips to pass on that make any cut look great when you are doing your hair home.

 This month I would like to invite anyone who would like to get the The Double Identity hair cut a very special price ($20!! until 10/20).  I know that's a very a big discount, so I have to insist it can only be on this particular cut.  I know it takes a bit of bravery on your part to allow me do a cut that is such a fresh trend and so specific but I really want to cut this sassy look, I'm really excited to share this cool and trendy look on a few of you!!

And for the rest of you who may not be quite so daring... 

Come in and get a Redken Color Gloss service to make your hair rich a glossy for fall. 

A color gloss can enrich natural color, refresh faded hair color or tone highlighted hair. Demi-permanent (that means it gradually fades out) hair color will not lighten hair. It adds exceptional color, shine and condition to natural or color-treated hair without altering the natural pigment. Normally $45 - mention this blog and get it for $35 until 10/20.

“If you’re not a professional makeup artist, it can be difficult to line those eyes, but then again liquid liner tends to stay on longer and smudge-free. So what I do is, I line my eyes first with a pencil liner because it’s easier to make that straight line with it. Then I go back on the line with the liquid liner. It’s kind of like coloring! The result? Your eye liner will stay on, smudge-free, and well-lined.”
-Ysolt Usigan, beauty and style contributor at Huffington Post

Beauty quote

Natural beauty takes at least two hours in front of a mirror.

PAMELA ANDERSON, Esquire, Jan. 2005

Transition from Dyed to Natural Gray Hair Color Read more: How to Transition from Dyed to Natural Gray Hair Color

Gray hair can be beautiful. It doesn't have to label you as a frump, or behind the times. In fact, GREY is the NEW BLACK! 

There is absolutly nothing wrong with coloring your grey hair... Hair color is fun, it can be changed with the seasons, gives shine and body and yes- it often makes you look younger. I found my first grey hair at the age of 20 and 21 years later, I am somewere between 50% to 75% grey -depending on what area of my head you may be looking at. I'm not ready to embrace the grey and go natural (still aimimg to look like Marie and I have dreams of being a flaming redhead, a sassy blonde and then perhaps when I hit 60... I'll go a'natural) but I have several clients who are ready to take the plunge now!

 I can help you plan your transition to gray hair.

Gray hair tends to be coarser and can turn yellow with too much heat. If you're ready for an abrupt change, simply grow out the dyed hair with regular trims. If your hair has been permanently colored, a short haircut will be the quickest.

The darker your hair color is, the trickier the process becomes. 

 Dark hair might do well with color in a shade lighter than the natural hair color, then going lighter as more gray grows in, using bleach and color in alternating foils for high- and lowlights. 

If you're interested in fun changes, you can go for a series of successively lighter colors, experimenting with shades until you get to a light, cool blonde, then you can grow that out.

To be more subtle, use lighter colors to make a gradual transition. Do not try to duplicate your natural color -- skin changes as you age, and the resulting color will seem too dark. As your hair goes gray, however, it will go through changes, and you'll need to keep your natural coloring in mind, along with the new needs of your hair.

We can blend your new growth with “lowlights”. Lowlighting is just the opposite of high lighting. Depositing streaks of hair color using a permanent hair color to blend grey hair until the old hair color has been cut out. Your grey hair will start to come in naturally but without a line of demarcation.

The process of lowlighting hair may take a bit longer. It will take a few months to accomplish, but you'll look great throughout the entire transition...but as I mentioned if you want results sooner, going with a short haircut would be a good idea. It will make the process much smoother and quicker.

We can also try semi-permanent color=

When it's time for you to color your hair again, just go one shade lighter and use the temporary color.  With each shampooing, it will gently fade little by little until the natural grey grows in gracefully. 

Bigger Blowouts

“Light,” “gorgeous,” and “rich” were just some of the words stylists used to describe this season’s voluminous, bouncy blowouts. It’s a return to elegance that doesn’t require much in the way of high-tech tools either. Simply apply a generous amount of mousse, set hair in pin curls, then release and tousle.

Read more: Spring 2012 Hair Trends– Best Hair Trends for Spring 2012 - Harper's BAZAAR 

quick tip- gum in hair

One thing that every kid seems to deal with at least once in their life is getting gum stuck in their hair. If your child is so unlucky, don’t rush to pile on the peanut butter or to the barber/stylist. Just put some ice in a plastic bag and hold it on the gum until it hardens. Then simply break it apart with something hard slowly or quickly. 

Soft lips LIP SCRUB!

I love using homemade beauty recipes,and this one works beautifully... moisturizing, tasty, and easy!!

LUSCIOUS AND DELICIOUS LIP SCRUB!

Ingredients

1/2 Teaspoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Honey
3 Teaspoon Sugar
Splash of Lemon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, then massage onto lips. This works best when you actually scoop up the sugar and rub that part. Feel free to apply the juice of the scrub on your lips and let sit for a couple of minutes! All of the ingredients are super moisturizing for lips, especially the honey!

I BELIEVE...

...just some of my observations and what I have learned about life...

When you shake someone's hand you should always look them square in the eye and smile.

 A good belly laugh always makes you love the person you are sharing it with even more.

Regretting something is another form of not accepting reality. What you can do about it now? It’s gone. It doesn’t exist anymore. Focus on what you can change now in the present moment, not yesterday or tomorrow. Live now.

 The song that was your favorite at 14 needs to be on your playlist every now and then.

 Learning as much as you can about what interests you makes you an interesting person to be around.

 Never underestimate the value of a great haircut.

 When you invite someone to dinner you should pick up the check.

 Sitting alone at a restaurant is perfectly Okay. If you don't enjoy your own company, how can you expect others to?

 You should make sure there are lots of photos taken of you smiling... someday someone will appreciate them when you are gone.

  Wearing pants that are too tight will actually make you look fatter.

  "Sexy" isn't about how much skin you show, it's how you carry yourself,  treat others and the amount of confidence you have.

 Men come and go but the jewelry stays.

 Never leave the house looking like you just rolled out of bed.

 You don't have to know or be great at everything, just figure out what you excel at and be the best you can at that.

  When someone is mean to you, most of the time it is not your fault, it's because they are working on their own issues and you happen to be their target at the moment.

You can't change anyone but yourself.

When a man hears a pair of high-heels walk by they always turn to look.

Scare yourself a little bit every day. It will expand your inner map.

Question everything. Thinking for yourself, getting all the facts and forming your own opinion makes the world rich and wonderful.

 Happiness starts with the way you see things and your reaction to the world around you.

Jealousy is an opportunity to find out what you really want.

 Beauty fades but grace will last a lifetime.

 Everyone has a story and wants to be listened to. A good conversation starts with finding someone's story.

 You are the author of your life story. 

Create your life story and make it an amazing journey that you will enjoy telling.

You deserve to be heard, just be sure you speaking with truth, kindness and  positive thoughts.

 A person speaking with kindness and love always say the right thing whether we want to hear it or not.

Hope is the feeling that what you want can be had or that things will turn out for the best. Without hope life would be miserable. 

Taking care of your skin, teeth and muscles will pay off in your later years.

Go for what you can do today and leave yesterday behind for good. It’s not here anymore. And tomorrow doesn’t even exist yet, so why bother. All you have is today. Don’t waste it.

 Doing what you love doesn't feel like work.


Focus on what makes you happy and make a plan to bring more of that into your life.

Once trust is lost it can never fully be brought back. It's OK to forgive but don't forget when someone shows you poor character.

 Everything you do, say and feel comes from a thought you had first. 

Life is easier when you are thinking positively.

A fabulous pair of shoes will make you walk taller.


Think about how you would like your children to speak to you when you are 90 and talk to them that way when they are young.


Buy Good bras, they pay for themselves.


If you gossip about one person everyone will assume you talk about them as well.  Every person's story is theirs to tell... not yours.


When you find a great friend, treat them well.


Follow A Coincidence
There really aren’t any coincidences. Everything has a purpose. If you witness something which may seem like a coincidence, then you’re very lucky, you just got a sign. Follow it with trust, it will lead you well.

Make yourself feel pretty. Go ahead and paint your toenails and try a smoky eye. Being a girl is fun!


Trust your inner voice more than any outside voice, it's your higher self speaking to you... when it tell you something feels bad, it is true.


Invest in a good set of pearls and a quality/classic little black dress that will last for years.


Forgive yourself, sometimes you do stupid things...you are human.

Feeling especially creative!

At Kismet, the styling station was perfectly good and nice looking but it wasn't my style and it didn't fit my new decor.

I felt a little guilty replacing this very functional piece of furniture.
 The station went to a good home, a salon in Windsor CO and the new owner was thrilled to have it.

My plan was to replace it with something no other salon has, something antique and beautiful. I already had my eye on a buffet at the antique store down the street, Serendipity. 

The store owner gave me a great deal too! So into the back of my SUV and down the street it went.

My plan was to paint it... a big job, I know. 

 A few people saw it in it's place before I started working on it's transformation. One person even suggested I live with the mahogany for a while... maybe it would grow on me....

...I don't let things grow on me, that's why I'm single (grin).

 I like making things unique and better ...and most of all I LOVE change.

It was time to start sanding.

 ... I really don't enjoy sanding.

 Once the sanding was done it was time to apply the primer. I had the fella at Home Depot tint it about one shade lighter that the paint color I would be applying.

The trick to painting furniture is to do thin coats of paint and primer, otherwise it will look "gloppy". 

I did about three coats this thin.

I forgot to take a pic of it all painted because I was way to excited for the next step....

I wanted to glaze the piece to make the carving detail "POP".

Here are two videos taken on my phone of applying the glaze and wiping it off. I hope you can watch them.

So here is the finished product.

I love it!
...ok one before & after...

Simplify, getting rid of the baggage.

Spent New Year's Day purging and cleaning while Hoarders played in the background so I could pause every now and then shake my head at the TV and say "geesh" for that feeling of superiority needed to complete the task.

I wasn't able to accomplish it all in one day, in fact I'm procrastinating at this very moment by sitting at my computer instead of tackling my closet.  The procrastination was not all in vain, I came across a book that I promptly ordered.

That lead me to a website...

The Website

 I'm inspired! I'm working my way from top (my bedroom) to bottom (my basement).

I have always had a problem with keeping stuff, mementos, things I might regret letting go of. 

When I was packing my belongings preparing for my divorce I knew my "replacement" would be moving in as fast as her gold-digging, homewrecking self possibly could. Every item I prepared to put a in a box I asked myself, "Is this worth taking?". The answer was always "Yes, I don't want her to have it and if I don't take it now I won't have the chance to come back and get it"... Sad, I know! 

This is not meant to be a "poor me" post. It's a post about less is more and the idea that if you want to bring new things into your life you must make space for them to enter.

 I have recently came to the realization that this stuff is not improving my life but weighing me down, it has negative energy attached to it that will not allow me to move on.  Every time I look at my basement I feel heavy and overwhelmed. So, every weekend for the next few months are dedicated to boxing things up, donating, consigning and throwing away the mementos from the house Turin Drive. 

This is my main goal in 2012... to let go, live more simply.

Why simplify your life, your closet, your junk drawer, your desk? Because when you have less, you appreciate more! SIMPLIFY today... it's just stuff!

 Beginning 2012 with the intention  of beginning fresh. Looking forward instead of back, a heart full of hope & love rather than bitterness & hate, my head will be thinking about my dreams, not caring about what was taken from me. Someone reminded me recently that enjoying the happiness of my own life and not focusing on the anger toward another is the best way to reach my goals. Living a full and happy life is the best revenge. Friends- hold be to this... If you see my dignity slipping remind me of who I am.