#ChopChop: I Got My Hair Cut!

So I've been feeling the need to do something drastic since 2015 began, and my top 3 options were either a tattoo, a piercing, or a haircut. This past Friday night I (probably wisely) opted for the latter and had a good many inches chopped off of my hair:

 As a reminder, here's pretty much what it looked like before the cut:

Here's the damage:

My stylist was Edda at the James Joseph Salon in Medford. This is the second time I've seen her, and she's really just the bee's knees - very knowledgeable, honest, and takes the time to do a great consultation. Hearing that I was wanting to make a real change, she recommended that I get lots of length removed and some layers put in, to add movement, remove damage, and frame my face.

She was also very excited to give me some curls with my blowout, which is why it looks so short in the first pic, above. A view from the side:

Here's a straightened version from the next day, so you can see it's not super duper short:

And I didn't realize until that picture was large on my computer screen that I look a bit grumpy in it. My bad. I felt fine, promise.

With at least 6 inches taken off in some places (and even more in the shorter layers), this was an utterly refreshing haircut. I'm happy to report that there was no remorse at any point while the chop was happening, which does tend to happen sometimes when a long-haired girl goes in for a big haircut. (Holler if you hear me on that one.) This style suits me for right now, and I am pleased with it - though I'm simultaneously certain that I'm going to let it grow out quite long again now. My hair tends to grow quickly - which is why a haircut was probably the wisest choice out of the tattoo-piercing-haircut debate.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to a) apologize for the high ratio of selfies in this blog post. That's uncharacteristic of me, and b) head out to watch the Patriots' playoff game with my friends. TEWDLES!

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Recent Acquisitions: Thrift Store, Forever21, LUSH, The Body Shop, and More

It's been awhile since I did a round up of some of the deece purches (um, that's decent purchases for anyone NITK) (that's "not in the know," for all of those who weren't in the know) that I've been making over the last couple of months, so UM let's do one of those, EH?

(That wasn't a genuine "eh," I confess. I was being facetious.)

Here we go!

Shoppers Drug Mart:

Maybelline Color Show Gilded Rose nail polish - $3.99 (for .23 fl oz)

I showed off pictures of this polish in last week's nail polish post, plus a description of its fabulousness. Go there to read more.

LUSH:

Big solid conditioner - $12.34 for 124g (in the US, it's $9.95/3.5oz) 

Alright, this stuff is a bit weird to use, but I can't argue with the fact that it leaves my hair feeling nice and soft. The idea of a solid conditioner was completely new to me, so I made sure to get a full run-down of how to use the damn thing from one of the friendly LUSH store employees. There are a couple different ways to use this: 1) Moisten the bar a bit under the warm shower water, then apply the product directly to your hair by running the bar down the length of your strands. Massage the conditioner into your hair well, then rinse. 2) Break off a small bit of the conditioner bar and rub it between your hands, then use your hands to coat your hair. I prefer the second method, because the first method results in the conditioner bar being covered in stray hairs, which is just not attractive.

I've been using this conditioner in conjunction with the Davines Mellow Shampoo I bought back in May as well as my Kevin Murphy hair oil (both products are spotlighted in this blog) and it leaves my hair feeling lovely for days.

Here's what the LUSH site says about the product:

Big conditioner livens up dull, limp and fine hair with a jolt of volume and shine. It carries with it the beautiful fragrance of the vanilla, jasmine and tonka absolute to perfume hair while the sea salt goes to work building body. Extra virgin coconut oil and toothed wracked seaweed infusion soften and condition hair without weighing it down, while a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh lime add even more shine.

Forever21:

Blue flannel snap-button up - $23.80

I'm a sucker for a good flannel button up! Especially with autumn approaching, this one was a must! Makes me wanna throw on some torn jeans and hop on a hayride.

Lacy mint bralette - $6.80

This is the cutest damn thing. It's a super soft and thin bralette with a goose-bump style fabric detail and a lacy trim. Perfect to wear as a pajama top on these hot summer nights. The one pictured is obviously pink, but mine is in a pastel mint.

Hooded jacket: $41.80

This jacket is so me! It reminds me of something I would have owned in elementary school. It's lightweight, and isn't as doubly layered as it appears. The entire jacket isn't lined in the grey sweatshirt material - only what you see. There's a rope around the waist for cinching and snap buttons on the front, pockets and sleeves. So "fall in New England"!

Floral Sunglasses - $6.80

When my colorful turquoise sunglasses fell into the English Bay last month, I needed to run out to Forever21 for a replacement pair (... or two). These floral glasses have been on my face everyday since then!

Mint square sunglasses - $6.80

Big, mint, square and FABULOUUUUUSSSS! No seriously though, these bad bitches are actually maybe a touch too fabulous for me. They're pretty serious, size-wise!

Green and grey baseball style burnout tee - $9.80

Suuupuer comfy, this shirt has been a nice one to throw on for an evening walk or to run out for a quick errand. It'll obviously transition perfectly into fall as well.

The Body Shop:

Moringa Hand Cream - $10.00

I'd never been to The Body Shop before, but I heard from a couple of my local Vancouver blogging buddies that the Shop was having a pretty good sale, which made it seem like a fairly attractive time to check it out. I sniffed several of their hand creams before deciding to buy a small 1.0 oz tube of this handsomely floral smelling lotion. Made with cold-pressed seed oil from hand-picked moringa pods, this cream is lightweight and absorbs quickly. The scent is pretty potent though - and a little goes a long way.

Cocoa Butter Body Butter - $6.00

I've never really been a purchaser of body lotions or cocoa butter products, but the term "body butter" is pretty inviting, right? For $6, this seemed like a low-risk way to try out another product from The Body Shop, so after sifting through their bin of 1.69 oz body butters, the Cocoa Butter scent emerged triumphant. I've been using it sparingly on my shoulders, elbows and some stretch marks on my hips. Of course I'm not exactly expecting any magic to happen on those stretch marks, but the lotion most definitely leaves my skin feeling soft, without an overpowering smell.

Salvation Army:

You guys know I love a good trip to my local 4th Ave Salvation Army here in Vancouver. If you're in Vancouver and don't frequent this thrift shop, you CERTAINLY can't blame me. Ok, now bear with me here because several of these items are now no longer available for me to photograph because I've packed them away into boxes in preparation for an upcoming move. (I'll also explain that last sentence soon.) We'll start with the items I do have pictures of:

Thin brown belt - $3.99

Not too much to say about this should-have-already-owned-one closet basic. I needed one. Now I have one. And it fits perfectly.

Flower painting - $3.75

All photos were 25% off that day at my Salvay, so I took advantage of that sale and browsed through their awesome photos and paintings selection for a good long while. This painting is reminiscent of all the cherry blossoms that are all over Vancouver, which is why I liked it. I'll probably try to paint the frame white, because the salmon color isn't really working for me.

Tiny brown ceramic pot - $1.99

You can never have enough small ceramic pots, I always say.

Thrift shop purchases that I can't photograph because they are packed away:

• blue knit poncho/shawl (imagine this, except human-sized and only covering the chest/shoulder region)
• fuchsia, retro-looking sundress (which I might need to either alter in some way or re-thrift)
• book with healthy smoothie recipes
• random purple athletic t-shirt with sweat-wicking fabric (should be perfect for hikes)

Well I hope you've enjoyed this virtual trip down Shopping for Shit Lane. Any of these items make you wanna go spend some money on things you may or may not totally need?

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My Workouts of the Week, Braids and Bubble Baths

Dudes. My legs are SO sore. From a workout I did ON THURSDAY. Your girl is out of shape!

I took a bit of a hiatus from working out for most of the month of June. It's my tendency to not exercise whenever I'm home in Massachusetts, and this past trip was no exception. #Oops. After returning to Vancouver on June 23 and taking a couple of days to decompress from my "Oy!"-inducing travels, I hit the gym again.

My first workout on 6/26 was my attempt at waking up my whole body and all of its many muscle groups. That's why I did leg, arm and core exercises that day. Here's what else I've been up to since my return to the gym at the end of June:

6/26 (full body)

5 mins elliptical

12 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

12 squats, 12.5 lbs each shoulder

30 weighted v-sit twists, holding 12.5 lbs

15 deltoid flys, 5 lbs each hand

60 calf raises, 12.5 lbs each hand

30 Russian get ups, 5 lbs each hand

12 close grip chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

12 deadlifts, 12.5 lbs each hand

30 leg raise + reverse crunch

15 deltoid raises, 5 lbs each hand

60 bridges

30 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 5 lbs

6/28 (core) 

5 mins elliptical, .53 miles

40 weighted v-sit twists, holding 15 lbs

40 leg raise + reverse crunch

40 alternating weighted side bends, 15 lbs each hand

40 Brazilian crunches

40 Russian get ups, holding 5 lbs

40 cobras

40 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 5 lbs

40 plank knee to elbow

7/1 (upper body and core)

3:10 jumping jacks

2x:  12 overhead press, 10 lbs each hand 

2x:  12 deltoid raises, 5 lbs each hand

2x:  12 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

2x:  24 alternating chest flys with 8 lb medicine ball

2x:  12 bent over rows, 20 lbs

2x:  12 deltoid flys, 5 lbs each hand

2x:  12 close grip chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs

2x:  12 upright row + tricep extension, 5 lbs each hand

2x:  12 lat pulldowns, 50 lbs

40 weighted v-sit twists, holding 12.5 lbs

40 leg raise + reverse crunch

40 Russian get ups, holding 5 lbs

40 cobras

40 crunches on exercise ball, holding 12.5 lbs

40 Brazilian crunches

7/2 (cardio)

15 mins elliptical (1.45 miles)

15 mins biking (3.5 miles)

7/3 (this is the lower body workout that I'm still sore from)

5 mins elliptical, .5 miles, 60 calories

40 alternating forward lunges, 10 lbs each hand

60 bridges

1:00 jumping jacks

20 sumo squats, holding 20 lbs

40 diamond clamshells each leg

1:00 jumping jacks

40 calf raises, 20 lbs each hand

40 crab bridges + alternating arm reach

1:00 jumping jacks

15 deadlifts, 20 lbs each hand

40 side lunges each leg + plyometric push off

1:00 jumping jacks

15 squats, holding 15 lbs

15 squats, holding 20 lbs
15 squats, holding 25 lbs

7/5 (upper body)

30 alternating shoulder raises on exercise ball, 5 lbs each hand

15 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

20 deltoid raises, 5 lbs each hand

15 bent over rows each arm, holding 20 lbs

15 tricep extensions on exercise ball, 5 lbs each hand

10 overhead press, 12.5 lbs each hand

15 deltoid flys, 5 lbs each hand
15 close grip chest press, 12.5 lbs each hand

Sidebar - here's a fun way that I did my hair before going out for errands and the gym last week:

It's a French braid down the center on top, which I secured into a ponytail at the crown. Then I braided the ponytail in a regular braid. I like how it looks like one long, continuous braid from front to end.

Did anyone else in the Pacific Northwest/Vancouver area catch the Seattle fireworks display on TV (or in person) on Friday night? I thought it was incredible! Last year the fog made their fireworks an absolute disaster, but this year was perfect. I especially enjoyed some of the bright/neon blue ones - those ones seemed particularly new-age.

Other things that happened this weekend:

• Threw the football around on the Kits Beach lawn with David
• Rented The Lego Movie - wasn't disappointed
• Enjoyed a solo late breakfast at Sophie's Cosmic Cafe
• Got a haircut (just a trim)
• Went for a 7-mile walk around False Creek in Vancouver
• Ate gourmet hotdogs, coleslaw and potato salad at home on the evening of 4th of July (bringing the America into our Canadian kitchen)
• Brought 3 bags of stuff to Salvation Army
• Indulged in Lemon Bismarck and Strawberry Rhubarb donuts from Lucky's Doughtnuts on 4th Ave
• Also indulged in an oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie from Whole Foods
• ... Also indulged in some Half Baked Ben & Jerry's ice cream

Is it still considered "indulging" if I do it all the time? Things to ponder. I also got into thisssss delightful situation last night:

It's the Christmas Eve bubble bar from Lush's last Christmas line. WHO CARES if it took me 6 months to use it?? It was just what my sore leg muscles needed.

I hope you all had a great holiday! What was your favorite part of the weekend?
Did you watch fireworks at home or on TV?
Anyone else super sore from a recent workout? (If so, get it, girl!) (If not... go get it, girl!)

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My Haircut + Anti-Breakage Hair Tips

As I've mentioned already, I finally got a haircut last week after not having had one since last summer. My hair was hella long, which is my favorite way to have my hair... but it of course had plenty of split ends. Breaking hair is also a big problem for me, so I was also interested in chatting with my hair stylist about that to see if he'd have any recommendations for how to improve the problem.

Here's how my hair was looking when I went in to see James at Acacia Hair Boutique in Downtown Vancouver last Thursday:

Now, just to give full disclosure - yes, my hair looks like absolute shit above BUT a) it was partially wet in that photo and had just been taken out of a haphazard braid, b) it hadn't been shampooed since the Monday prior, c) I had just power-walked 2 miles in the rain to get to the salon. So try not to judge me too much based on the completely ratchet look I've got going on in that Before pic.

Originally my plan was to ask for some long layers - I brought in this picture of Kristin Cavallari as a reference:



I've been getting layers cut into my hair for years but have never been especially thrilled with how they've turned out.  I always kind of felt like they weren't very noticeable, whereas you really can't miss the layers in the picture of K. Cav above! Maybe my hair wasn't right for layers?

James didn't think so - with my breakage problems, he recommended keeping the hair all one length if I wanted to keep it long. He also recommended a few other things to help the breaking:

• I already use the Davines Mellow Anti-Breakage Lustrous Conditioner 1-2x/week, but don't currently use the Davines shampoo to go along with it. James recommended that I switch to using the complementary Davines shampoo, in order to get the full benefits of the conditioner I was already using. Note - they don't sell Davines products at Acacia, so it's not like he was telling me that in order to sell me an expensive shampoo!
• Normally I let my hair air-dry every single day - honestly, I can't remember the last time I blow-dried it. You'd think that would be a good thing for my hair - no heat products, right? But in actuality, since wet hair is naturally more prone to damage/breaking, the longer that it remained wet each day, the longer it was left "vulnerable"! So he recommended that I start making a point to blow dry my hair each day, making sure to use a heat protectant spray first. He said if I did this for a month, I'd probably notice an improvement.
• Finally, James suggests using an oil to help protect and nourish my poor, poor fragile strands. He'd used on my hair a Kevin Murphy oil treatment product called Young Again, which - I can't even stress enough - left my hair feeling incredible at the end of the appointment. I couldn't stop touching my hair, and when I asked James if that was due to the shampoo he'd used on me or due to another product, he said it was this oil! By the way, he also dished that you can make your own treatment at home using coconut oil. You can find lots of tutorials about that online!

So here's how much better my hair looked when James was finished with it:

He said it was incredibly satisfying for him to chop my hair - hair stylists must really get a buzz off of taking a woman's hair from bootleg to beautiful.

I couldn't resist buying a $40 bottle of the Kevin Murphy Young Again oil treatment before leaving Acacia. I learned after purchasing the Davines conditioner back in the fall that it's totally worth it to spend some money up front and invest in your hair with nice products every once in awhile. The $33 conditioner seemed expensive in October... but here we are on March 31 and I'm still making my way through it. Makes a $33 conditioner seem a little less frightening, right? I'm assuming the same will be true of this $40 oil treatment - it's going to last me awhile.

What are some of your favorite hair care tips?

Do you currently use any oil products for your hair?

Any other tips for me on how to improve the strength of my hair? I'm all ears!!

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Pastel Nails: Sky Blue & Yellow Polka Dots

Deja vuuuuuuu! Like last week, my nails today were inspired by a picture posted by Design Love Fest - this time of the Vivetta collection for A/W 2014.

Easter is in the air (and on the TV commercials, and on the store shelves, and in my mailbox on all those annoying drugstore flyers), and so are pastels! When I saw this beautiful pastel blue fabric with the cheerful pastel yellow polka dots, I knew it needed to be on my nails. The particularly savvy blog reader may have even noticed me pin this image onto my Nail Polish Pinterest board last week!

.  pic via vogue via designlovefest  .

I grabbed two pastel polishes for this look - a not-yet-used light blue polish with pearlescent glitter from Forever21 called Sky Blue, and the dreaded Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow polish I picked up last spring. For some #blurgh reason, Sky Blue photographs somewhat greener/yellower than it really is. In real life it is a soft blue color, I promise. In fact, even Mellow Yellow looks like a bright yellow in these photos... it's definitely a soft, pastel yellow. Dammit. I need better lighting.

The glitter in Sky Blue is sparse, but it looks pretty in the bottle. This bottle of polish reminds me of Cinderella.

Pastels are notoriously streaky on their first coat (and sometimes even their second, third, and fourth coats), so I did one thin-to-medium first coat of Sky Blue on all my nails and let it dry really well before applying a second coat.

Then I just dotted on the Mellow Yellow with my dotting tool. 

When dotting with a pastel nail polish color, I recommend using only about 1-2 drops of polish at a time on your scrap paper, and only trying to do one nail per "puddle." That means you'll need about 1-2 fresh drops of polish for each nail that you dot. You may even need two puddles per nail, if your nails are long enough! Pastels are just so goopy and dry quickly - and the last thing you want is tacky polish when trying to make perfect polka dots on your nails.

I got a haircut last night, as you may have seen if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter. The cut itself is actually just totally straight - one length. It's not what I planned on doing originally, but it was based on the great consultation I had with my hair stylist, James, at the beginning of my appointment. Ultimately he cut off about 4"-5" and my hair a) is still pretty freaking long, and b) feels AMAZING. I'd gone so long without a haircut that it's crazy to remember how refreshing it really is!

Do you guys have anything good going on this weekend?
How long do you go between haircuts usually?
What are you rocking on your nails today?

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Getting Gussied Up: Wedding Hair & Makeup

On the morning of the August 3 wedding of my good friend Jenna, I joined the other bridesmaids and the beautiful bride-to-be at Salon Bellisimo in Newburyport, MA to get our hurrr and makeup did.

We showed up with a few carfuls of women and were greeted enthusiastically by the team of stylists and makeup artists who were there to make us all look super fly. Basically everyone in the room was enthusiastic that morning, so there was a lot of estrogen and good vibes flowing.

And champagne - there was champagne flowing too!

Yes, to kick off our session of "ladies gettin' lovely" at the salon, there was a table of champagne/prosecco and OJ/cranberry juice for mimosas, fruit, and a box of assorted bagels with cream cheese. It was really a lovely spread:

Jenna's mother Elaine even brought us a platter of some fantastic homemade mini-quiches that she had whipped up for us that morning!

The stylists promptly got to work cycling all of us through their hair and makeup chairs.

.  jenna getting some falsies!  .

Jenna let us figure out for ourselves what we wanted to have done with our hair and told us to do whatever we felt comfortable with. I wear my hair in a simple side braid about 90% of the time - it's an easy peasy hairstyle and I'm not one to use a hair dryer or straightener very often. I thought it would be nice for the wedding if I went with a "fancier" version of my normal braid, so I asked for a fishtail braid. Here were the two inspiration pictures that I brought with me:

My stylist, Stephanie, claimed to be a little uncertain about how to do a fishtail... but she totally knew what she was doing. She did a fantastic job, too, and even gave me an awesome bump in the back for some v-v-volume. #BumpIt

.  bout to get that bump, bitchessssss  .

Jenna had some fun extensions added to her hair, which were then curled into big fabulous curls. 

The stylists at Salon Bellisimo masterfully maneuvered all us women through the lines of hair stylists and makeup artists, weaving us in and out of each other seamlessly. By the end of it, we all looked really freaking fabulous. I barely wear any makeup usually (beyond mascara/lip balm), so getting my face professionally done with airbrush makeup was pretty fun.

Here we all are right before we left the salon - Lauren (holding the veil in the middle) is also a professional makeup artist so she did her own makeup after we left the salon. Abigail (second from the left) was also doing her own makeup later that day.

.  this photo was taken by (and belongs to) the salon owner, lorna  .
.  me, abigail, theresa, lauren, jenna, sarah, kara  .

#NailsDoneHairDoneEverythingBig

Salon Bellisimo
113 Merrimac St
Newburyport, MA
978.463.0004 // http://www.salonbellisimo.net/

One more wedding post coming soon - this one about the actual wedding!

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