beauty

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Hi! Happy Monday! Calling everyone who color treats their hair…

BECAUSE we need talk about how to maintain that gorgeous color from the second you leave the salon until your next visit.

We can throw this back to my history of brassy hair…from the time I was 13 and that fun journey went on and off until I finally GOT IT. If you’re a blonde, the struggle can be real. But even if you’re not and you’re trying to maintain darker hair, I have tips for you. There really is nothing worse than spending a lot of money on color only to have it turn orange quickly after.

So BELOW are all the details you need to know:

1.) Go to a colorist who specializes in color – and if you can get even more specific, that’s great. Like finding a colorist who specializes in blonding, or balayage, you get it. So many brassy moments can be thoroughly avoided by going to the right colorist. If you are in the Bay Are in California, I highly recommend Noelle at ash salon. She has taken me from fucked up blonde to dimensional blonde to dark brown, back to blonde again, platinum, and now BRONDE. She’s the best.

2.) WAIT at least 24 hours to wash your hair after you’ve had it colored. Professionals will tell you to wait 72 hours and from experience, this is even better. Why? It takes up to three days for the cuticle layer to fully close, which traps the color molecule, allowing for longer lasting hair color. {via}

3.) When you do wash your hair, use a high quality shampoo and conditioner. My tried and true products are from Oribe and I’ve been using the line for 10 years. Not only are the ingredients high quality, the products are all salon-grade.

My picks are:

GOLD LUST REPAIR AND RESTORE SHAMPOO

Okay…if you’re looking for the most luxurious shampoo experience, this is your shampoo! What I love is that it reinforces the inner strength of each strand and I can FEEL it.

CONDITONER FOR BRILLIANCE AND SHINE

This fortifying polishing treatment magnifies shine and unteases tangles without making hair dull in any way. 

4.) Just as face masks are crucial for your skincare routine, the same goes for color treated hair. I use Oribe’s Moisture Masque every other day (I wash my hair every day) which may seem excessive but my hair is very dry and the color doesn’t help. It’s like giving your hair a huge drink of water and once you rinse it out, your hair will feel so soft. This mask is loaded with nutritious ingredients for your hair and mine soaks it up. Hot tip: if you want to feel extra boujee, create a little spa night at home and apply the mask, put your hair up and wrap a towel around your hair, apply a face mask, light a candle, turn on your salt rock night light and drink a little red wine.

5.) Use a purple or blue shampoo if you have blonde or brunette, or anything in between the two hair color. If you look at a color wheel, you’ll notice that orange and yellow are complimentary to blue and purple. Everyone talks about purple shampoo, and yes, it can work wonders to cancel out brass but I actually like blue shampoo even more. Maybe because blue’s complimentary color is orange? It just does it for me. There are two products that I have to recommend to you:

FANOLA NO ORANGE SHAMPOO: You’ve probably heard of the no yellow shampoo, but this one is to kick orange tones and red tones. It’s incredible AND it’s cruelty free. I’ve been using this shampoo about twice a week on my Bronde hair.

IGK MIXED FEELINGS LEAVE-IN BRUNETTE TONING DROPS: I use these drops to my Oribe shampoo when my hair needs a little bit more toner – like when I feel that I just want that extra, extra boost of anti-brass. These drops instantly tone out orange and red brass, increase luster, and prevent the look of color fading in brunette hair.

Off to my own little spa night!

xx, Lynn

Beauty

It’s tanning SZN! But you know we don’t like tanning beds. And that’s where a good fake tan comes in. Personally I like to have a glow year-round, but it’s something I do even more during the summer months.

There are a few tricks that you must know before getting that good faux glow though. Because we’ve all seen some bad fake tans, right? Like Oompa Loompa orange skin, extra dark palms, patchy-ness + more.

Let me say that I have experienced ALL of the above. And that is why I’m writing here today about the tips and tricks to practice to get your best, even, natural AND non-toxic glow.

Let’s get right into it:

PREP

  1. At least 8 hours before you use a tanning lotion or mousse, shave everything you need to shave. This is to avoid having your hair follicles show up darker than the rest of your skin when you apply the self-tanner. They need time to close back up after you’ve cut the hair down.
  2. After shaving, exfoliate your entire body with a dry brush or with a shower scrub. I LOVE this one from Nécessaire.
  3. Do not apply fragrance, deodorant, or lotion (yet) to your body.

Quick break from the steps to talk about the tanning mousse that I recently started using and absolutely LOVE. Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tinted Tan Mousse. I’ve been going through the process of replacing toxic beauty products with non-toxic alternatives which I recently did with my tanning products – not naming names here but when I typed in the self-tanner that I was using before into Think Dirty (you need this app if you want to make sure your bath, body, and cosmetic products are clean) – it came up as VERY DIRTY as in TOXIC. Think Dirty offers up a list of clean alternatives and that is how I found Vita Liberata. This mousse is streak free, lasts for 2 weeks on me, and it does not smell.

So, once you’re ready to start the tanning process:

  1. Stand on a towel to protect your floor and the bottom of your feet
  2. Take off all jewelry
  3. Apply a barrier cream (lotion) on areas where your skin is thicker, like your knees, ankles, elbows, etc.
  4. Start at the tops of your feet and work your way up your body using a tanning glove. I love this one and I wash it often.
  5. When tanning your hands, form a bear/claw-scare pose with your hands to apply the self tanner so that it doesn’t miss your knuckles. I’ve walked around with tan hands with white knuckles before and it ain’t cute.

If you’ve heard about washing your hands right after your tanning sesh, don’t do it. You’ll end up with white hands and a tan body. LOL. Wait at least an hour if you can.

POST

  1. If you start getting too tan, just shower. That will stop the tan from developing any further.
  2. I try not to shave afterwards for as long as possible. No exfoliation either. Not even a loofah! You want that tan to last.

That’s it! Let me know if a video on this process might be helpful?

Here’s to the perfect golden glow!

xo, Lynn

 The Body Dry Brush Medium • Dr. Barbara Sturm • $35 

 Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Self Tan Mousse - Medium • Vita Liberata • $54 

 The Body Exfoliator • Nécessaire • $30
Beauty, Real Talk, Wellness

Confession: I never understood the obsession with Princess Kate. So shoot me. I’ll leave it at that, but I have been reading about Princess Meghan. About what, you ask? Her beauty and wellness routine.

If her routine is good enough for a princess, it must be amazing, right? She has this glow and she just SPARKLES – very fitting for a princess! So I had to know what she’s doing and what she’s using on her skin and what her wellness routine is.

SO, here are specifics on what Meghan Markle’s uses and does to keep herself looking sparkly:

♡ INFRARED SAUNA: Meghan uses an infrared sauna once a week to sweat out toxins. The benefits include glowing skin, stress relief, and weight loss. I have personally been wanting to try one for the longest time – have you guys tried?

♡ LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE FACIALS. Meghan has attributes her sculpted cheekbones and jawline to the hands of London-based facialist, Nichola Joss, known for her transformative pressure-point lymphatic drainage facial massages. These treatments offer an instant de-puff from manually draining the lymphatic system and reducing excess fluids around the eyes. They also improve blood circulation, giving the skin an instant radiance.

Meghan says: “I do facial exercises from one of my favorite aestheticians who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out. I swear it works, as silly as you may feel. On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jaw line are waaaay more sculpted. There’s a reason this kind of massage is in high demand around awards season when every actress wants to look A-plus.”

So much yes. If you haven’t tried facial massage yet, you must try it — it’s FREE if you do it yourself. LMK if you’d like a tutorial? It’s something I do every single morning.

♡ ACUPUNCTURE + CUPPING. Meghan is a long-time fan of the ancient Chinese practices of both acupuncture and cupping. These traditional holistic treatments are known for deep healing and stress reduction.

♡ DR. BRONNER’S BODY WASH IN LAVENDER. “I love the smell and it lasts for such a long time. ” And it’s true. I picked up this body wash after researching the best vegan and cruelty-free body washes and this was at the top of the list. It smells so good, and it’s affordable.

♡ ADD SHIMMER TO INNER CORNERS OF THE EYES: “I learned to add the smallest touch of shimmer to the inner corner of the eye after they’re lined. A touch of shimmer powder adds a brightness and sparkle. Even if I have no makeup on, I am likely to apply concealer and a bit of shimmer to the corners of my eye.” If you watched my video on how to make your eyes look bigger and whiter, you saw my absolute FAVORITE shimmer for this purpose: NYX Platinum.

Lastly, on her favorite “grooming look” on a man: “Oh I love a scruffy face. Gets me every time.”

Me too, Meghan, me too. LOVE a beard.

So many good beauty tips and tricks, right? Meghan is ON IT when it comes to beauty and wellness, and I’ll continue to follow along to see what she’s doing.

See ya tomorrow, xx Lynn

Beauty, How-To

We’ve all seen extensions that LOOK like extensions. You know, extra glossy, plastic looking hair or the mushroom head look. Not ideal.

First things first: invest in high quality, real, human hair. I have tried several different brands of hair extensions, and The Hair Shop’s hair is the absolute best. It is extremely high quality, and I also love that they have such a wide variety of colors and color applications. For example – they have solid colors, highlights, ombré, balayage, and more. 

I am wearing a mix of two different colors,  610 and P640.

The 610 color is available in the 22″ 6 piece and 7 piece sets. HERE is the link. P640 is available in other sets – I ordered the Skinny Clip In’s to add more volume and dimension.

Next, have your extensions cut by a professional. Do not take matters into your own hands (literally). Trust me from experience! 

I had these cut at a salon to blend seamlessly with my natural hair. They were 22 inch long extensions, and they are now about 20-21 inches. Ask your stylist to cut your extensions very conservatively as far as length goes, because you can always go shorter later.

After having my extensions cut, I removed and labeled each piece with an explanation of where it is to be clipped in next time. Example: Above ear right. I store each piece in a bag along with the sticky note label, so that I know exactly where to clip them in each time. This way, your face framing layers won’t be stuck to the back of your head.

+ If you have thin hair, tease it at the root so that your extensions have something to grab onto. This will keep them very secure. 

+ I do not clip my extensions in any higher than about an inch above ear level, and I recommend this for most, as you don’t want any wefts showing when you move, dance, bend over etc. 

+ Style your hair AFTER clipping the extensions in. You can see that my natural hair is not yet blended with the extensions in the photo above. If you’re curling your extensions, make sure to combine your natural hair with the extensions each time you wrap it through the iron to create a seamless look.

+ This face shows how I feel about those shorter pieces of natural hair that love to peek out from underneath, making the extensions look fake. Yes, there’s a solution for that…

+ Grab a clear hair elastic, gather all of your natural hair below the first set of clip-ins, tie it in a ponytail, and then pin it up with a bobby pin.

I know this sounds exhausting, but it’s really not. Let me know if you have any extensions tips and tricks. I’m always learning new, inventive ways to wear them.

xo, Lynn

SHOP

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