Friday, February 12, 2016

A Day at Drybar



Recently I was given the opportunity to try out Drybar for free thanks to Freeform and Pretty Little Liars! I had been dying to visit the Drybar, but never got around to it so I am glad that I finally did! I had the pleasure of visiting the Lincoln Park location in Chicago and could not be more pleased with the service I received!




If you have never heard of Drybar, there are some basic things you should know. Unlike a typical full service salon, Drybar's whole business is "no cuts, no color, just blowouts". This means that Drybar only provides dry styling to the client's hair, which is known as a blowout. Blowouts are incredible because they can last days before you need to wash or restyle your hair. Since blowouts are just dry styling, they are considered more of a luxury than an everyday necessity. I can manage perfectly fine doing my own hair from day to day, however if I had a special event to attend I would most definitely pay the $40 for a perfectly coiffed style. A trip to Drybar is also a quick fix if you are having repeated bad hair days.



After checking in at the front desk my stylist came and greeted me and took me back to a chair where she would be doing my hair. She took my hair out of the pony tail I had it in and had me look at the menu. She asked me what hairstyles I liked (straight, beachy, curly...) and I told her that I liked a lot of volume and curls. She suggested that I do the "Cosmo" since I wanted curls. Below is a list of the styles that Drybar offers on their menu.





After picking my style I was lead into the prettiest room to get my hair freshly washed. Sticking your head in a sink at a salon can get somewhat uncomfortable, however Drybar really has it tailored so that you are comfortable the entire time. The chair you sit in while getting your wash is so cozy and my neck didn't even hurt while my hair was being washed. My stylist deep cleaned my hair, leaving it feeling so fresh. After the washing was over, my hair was twisted up on to the top of my head and wrapped in a towel to being the drying process. 
Now comes the best part, the blowout! I got to sit back and relax for about 40 minutes while my stylist styled my hair to perfection. Drybar offers you a beverage to sip on while you relax and there are also TVs on the wall so you can be entertained. For the "Cosmo" style, a blow dryer, curling iron, and volumizing products were used to create the look. My stylist blew my hair dry while clipping up sections to set the curls she made with the round brush. At the end, she went over everything with the curling iron and then used the "Southern Belle" volumizing product in my roots for some added lift.
My hair looked absolutely perfect when I left Drybar! I have fine hair that can be stingy when it comes to holding a curl, which is why I chose a style with tighter curls verses one with looser curls, because I knew my hair would eventually fall and end up looser. Since my hair is so long it s hard for me to get volume, so I also asked for extra volume. I can honestly say that the volume in my hair lasted all of the five days following my blowout, which left me incredibly impressed! As I stated before, curls in my hair tend to fall very quickly, but mine lasted two days before I went in with an iron of my own and touched up a few pieces that lost their shape. Typically I wash my hair every night, or every other night, but this blowout lasted me five whole days and not once did my hair look dirty or limp. 


Overall, I would definitely recommend Drybar to anyone. 10/10! I loved how my hair turned out and I absolutely loved the products they used in my hair. I will most definitely be picking up some of their products in the near future! You can check out the products at your local Sephora store.

                                                                               



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Monday, February 1, 2016

Hello February




Happy New Year and Happy February! As I am sure you noticed, I have not posted since December and I have honestly missed blogging so much. I took the month of January to work on some things in my life that needed to get done and I am now so happy to be back! 

I have decided that I will be posting three times a week and my goal is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as of right now. During my hiatus I brainstormed and made a list of posts ideas that I am ecstatic to get working on. I have decided that I will officially be integrating YouTube videos into some blog posts, so that means some makeup tutorials and haul videos are coming your way. 

If you look around my site, you may also notice that I have done some revamping. I have changed my banner, signature, and sidebar to a new look and color scheme. If you look above this post, I have also made tabs that you can click on to learn about me, about my blog, and how to contact me.

Since this post is rather boring, I thought I would include some pictures I have snapped recently!










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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

My Current Favorites


Hello everyone! There has been so many things that I have been absolutely loving recently, so I thought I'd just go ahead and share my current favorite items with you. I have everything from beauty products to jewelry that I have been obsessing over in the recent weeks!


I have been absolutely loving the way nude polish has been looking on my nails. I have been rotating between the three pictured above and not only are they beautiful colors, but their names so New York City inspired, which makes them even more likable in my opinion!




This gorgeous opal highlighter is perfect for adding a healthy glow to your skin that really ties your whole look together. I typically use a lot of highlighter in the summer months for a bronzy look, however dusting this across my cheek bones really makes my dull winter skin look alive again. The formula of this powder is so smooth and buttery, which I love. The best part about this product is that it can also double as a beautiful shimmery eye shadow.

Beachy Perfume (similar)

Although it may currently be freezing here in Chicago, this beachy fragrance warms up my gloomy winter days. A beach scent is typically one I'd wear in the summer, however I picked this up on sale at Anthropologie recently and I have loved wearing a warm, sun kissed perfume even if there is snow on the ground. I have been on the hunt for a nice beach scent and happened to fall in love with this one after stumbling upon it in the clearance room in Anthropologie. Their website says it is no longer available, however just last week my local Anthro still had it on sale. In case you want it but can't find it, I linked a very similar option that is most likely what I will be purchasing when this runs out. 

Body Scrub (on sale!)

I received this as part of a Christmas gift from my Godmother and it is perfect because I was in dire need of a good body scrub. I use this every night in the shower on my arms and legs to get rid of dry skin and it works amazingly. Not only does it work wonders, but it also has such a pleasant smell that I love going to bed smelling like. I also got the body cream in the same scent which is the perfect item to use to put moisture back into my dry skin.



I have an incredibly easy day to day hair routine and one of the only products that I use is a hairspray at the roots of my hair to create a little lift and volume. I had been using various sprays from the drugstore to do this job, until I tired this. I got my hair cut two weeks ago and my wonderful stylist gave me this to try out. The formula is weightless and completely free of stickiness. It adds so much lift and volume to my hair and it also leaves an incredible scent in my hair that I am able to smell throughout the day.
 
                 Earrings (currently on sale!)//Necklace             

It is no secret that I am absolutely in love with Kendra Scott jewelry and this dainty duo is no exception. I have had the necklace since August and wear it non stop, so I was excited when I received the earrings as a Christmas gift from my Godmother. Both are in the iridescent druzy. They are dainty while still adding the prefect amount of sparkle to my look!




I have been wanting an essential oil diffuser for nearly a year now and for Christmas I finally got one! All you do is add water and a couple of drops of essential oil and the diffuser creates vapors that fill your whole space with a soothing scent. My diffuser also lights up and changes colors, which I love falling asleep to. Mine came in a set with the diffuser itself and then the two oils that are pictured above, so I linked similar items to the ones I have so you can get one too! I use the lavender to relax and the peppermint when I am in my room during the day when I want some energy. I am so looking forward to going to Whole Foods and picking up some additional oils.



What have you been loving?





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Monday, December 28, 2015

16 Things in 2016

As the new year approaches, I always like to make a list for myself of things that I want to try, accomplish, or experience in the year to come and this year I thought I'd share my list with all of you! Making lists is one of my favorite things to do. By making lists I always feel more organized and more driven to accomplish the things on my list. Plus, it is so fun to look back on what your hopes and goals were and see what you can check off that list.

*the illustrations above are by Evelyn Henson.




What's on your list for the new year?





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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my lovely readers who celebrate! May you have a beautiful holiday filled with love, faith, family, and lots of cheer. I just wanted to take a moment a reflect on the bigger picture of Christmas. I know that often times it is so easy to mindlessly get caught up in the stress of shopping and materialistic items during the holiday season...we all do this at some point. However, it is important to remember that while materialistic items are fun to give and receive, they are really not important at all when you look at the big picture. This year I really struggled to come up with a list of things I wanted as gifts when my mom had asked me. The reason being? My life is so full of love, happiness, and blessings that I didn't even have any room in my life to think of things that I wanted or that were "missing" because my life is already rich in so many different ways. What I truly want for Christmas is for my life to continue to be as fulfilled and as happy as it already is, Each night when I go to sleep I thank God for providing me with food, shelter, warmth, safety, and an incredible support system behind me. While it is perfectly okay to enjoy and get excited about material objects, don't forget to count your blessings and remember the truly valuable things in your own life this year.








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Chicago at Christmastime

One of my very favorite things about being from Chicago is all that there is to do and to explore. My mom and I have a tradition of visiting infamous Walnut Room at Macy's on State Street (formerly Marshall Fields) for a holiday breakfast or lunch by the giant tree and some shopping. For desert we go across the street to Magnolia Bakery )my absolute favorite bakery) for banana pudding (it is sinful). This year we did it again and I thought that I would share my day with my readers through photos I took of the beautiful day that I was able to spend with my mom. If you live in the Chicagoland area or ever visit during Christmastime, I highly recommend visiting Macy's on State to really get you into the holiday spirit.














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