My Blonde Secret.

So I figured that I would let you in on a little secret weapon of mine. I get asked ALL of the time how I keep my blondes looking so blonde, and how I keep my blondes looking so healthy. As any of you fellow blondes will know that having healthy, silky, shiny blonde hair is not an easy task. Bleaching the hair can be very damaging and takes a lot of extra care to make it beautiful. So today I am letting you in on my secret which a lot of people call, "purple shampoo". 

This is my secret weapon to keeping my blonde hair from turning brassy and orange; which can easily happen in between touch ups. 

You can also use this if you have just had your hair lightened by your stylist but maybe it wasn't toned correctly, (although, if this happens you may just need to come see me. ;) ) but if it does happen, you can pull out this bad boy and tone it right up on your own. On the color wheel purple is the opposite of yellow/orange so it is going to help pull those out; to really clean up your blonde strands. 

Also note that you also do not have to be completely blonde to use these products. You can use them if you have a few highlights, ombre, or even some bayalage going on. Anywhere that has been lightened and is need of some attention you can use this. It will not affect dark hair so don't worry about shampooing your whole head even if you have just a few highlights.

These are the two purple shampoos that I personally use. First is the Clairol 'Shimmer Lights'. You can get this at any Sally's for around $8.00. The second shampoo is Matrix 'So Silver', and you will need to get this from a matrix salon, or it is available online at Ulta.com and it runs around $20 for a 33oz bottle. (and no you cannot find  REAL Matrix products at Walmart, Walgreens, etc. Those are imitations. Please do not use them, but that is a post for a whole different day.)

With these shampoos if you want to just brighten up your blondes you will just shampoo as normal, and leave it on for 2-3 minutes. If you are wanting to get some toning accomplished you will leave it on for around 5 minutes. Just watch for your hair, because if you leave it on too long the hair may can rinse out with a purple-ish tint. If that does happen, do not worry, the tint will wash out within one to two additional washes with regular shampoo. So just follow the instructions and you wont have any problems.

The only down fall I have ever had using these products is that it tends to be a tad drying to the hair, so just make sure you use a really good conditioner or even add in a deep condition whenever you use it! 

Honestly I love my purple shampoo, and pretty much can't live without it. I personally use it once a week or whenever I feel like my blondes need a little loving. 

So there you have it. My secret is out! :) I hope you enjoyed this post and were able to learn a little something. 

Let me know what you guys think, if you have tried it, or any questions!

xoxo beauties! 

Lorac Pro Palette

First off I just have to apologize for taking so long to post about this! I hate to just say that I have been so crazy busy and haven't had the time, but I have to say that because it's the truth! Anyway, I hope you guys are still out there, and wanting to learn more about makeup, and I am sorry for being such a slacker! 

Okay now moving on. :) If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will have seen that I have posted quite a few of makeup looks using the Lorac Pro Palette, and you will also know my deep love for this palette. This thing is just  amazing! 

 I had someone ask me, "what is a palette?" A makeup palette is basically just a combination of eye shadows combined into one 'palette'. This makes it extremely easy to work with, because you aren't having to buy a bunch of single shadows to get different looks. You also aren't having to open and store a ton of single eye shadows, which can easily end up in a big giant mess and taking up a lot of storage space.

The reason I love this palette is because it is EXTREMELY versatile. I feel like everyone should have this in their makeup bag. It can easily go from a simple beautiful daytime look, or a deep, sultry evening look. The colors are extremely pigmented. They are super creamy and soft, really easy to blend, long lasting and my favorite part is that you hardly have fallout, (if ever) onto your face. 

The top row of shadows are all a matte shadow, and the bottom shadows all are a more shimmery/glitter shadow. Which is perfect because when you are combining colors you never want your eye shadows to be ALL sparkle or too matte for one single look. This way you can easily combine the two. 

What I also love is that this palette also doesn't have an age range with it. And when I say age range I mean it works for all ages. It can work for anyone from their early adulthood to their more mature years. I recommend this for all of my clients. Especially when they want something that's decently priced, that is long lasting and versatile. You can buy this palette online or in stores at any Ulta or Sephora. (If you want it online just add a .com to either of those places.) The palette is priced at $42. If you order it online at Ulta you get a free gift with your purchase. When ordering online from Sephora they also gives free samples, so either way you are golden. Let me also just remind you, if you see the price of $42 and think,  sheesh that's a lot to spend for some eyshadows, but it really isn't at all when you think about it. You are getting 16 ULTRA pigmented and beautiful shades all for $42....? Sounds like a steal if you ask me. I am sure you all can do the math on that one!

Now, I really don't want to sound like this is a sales pitch because it isn't. I gain nothing from you purchasing this or not purchasing this. I just love sharing a good deal when I find one and I LOOVE this! 

Does anyone out there already have this? If so, tell me what you think! And of course if you have ANY questions please let me know! I would love to answer any that you may have! 

Nyx Butter Gloss

I got these three NYX butter gloss in my recent nyx haul and this was the first time trying them and let me just tell you that I am in LOVE with them.

Overall Rating: 5/5

 These get such a good rating from me because they are ultra moisturizing, glossy, they smell delicious,and the color pay off is pretty great too. I did notice that with the first two lighter shades I had to apply a few coats to get the color I expected from the bottle, but I didn't mind that too much. With the darker shade I got, it only took one or two coats to get to the true color, so I was impressed.

 They also work well to add on too of another lipstick color to change it up a bit, and I liked that a lot. 

Now back to the moisturizing, which is HUGE for me, anytime of the year, but especially winter. These bad boys made my lips SOOO soft -- far after the gloss had been removed, so I am thrilled! 

And at only $5 a piece, you can afford to get as many colors as you'd like! 

Completely obsessed. 

The colors here are 

1st Maple Blondie, 2nd  Eclair and 3rd Strawberry Parfait.

Gold Smokey Eye

Here is the tutorial for the makeup look I posted on Instagram and Facebook earlier today. If you have any questions in regards to any of it, feel free to let me know! I love feedback! :)

I started with Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer. I just got this the other day, so this was the first look I have used it with, but so far so good. I will do a product review on this product another day.

 If you don't have some kind of eyeshadow primer, I would highly suggest looking into getting some. There are some really great products out there. If you are on a budget, I would try the e.l.f.  eyeshadow primer. it works decent enough, or  I also love to use, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 'Milk', and I believe this is only around five dollars. 

With this look I used only these four colors from the Lorac Pro Palette. I love this palette. It's super versatile and it allows you to create A LOT of looks from one palette. Its definitely worth investing in. The shadows are super creamy and really pigmented! 

Starting with #1, which is the color 'Nude' you will focus most of this color on the inner corner of the eye (tear duct area) and under the brow for a highlight. 

Next take #2, which is 'Gold' and apply to the base of the eyelid.

#3, which is 'Garnet' you will apply this to the crease area, and blend blend blend. 

#4, take the color 'Espresso' and apply it to the outer corner of the eye and blend inward, blending into the other two colors. 

I then took MAC Fluidline Gel and lined above and below the lashes. Then take an angled bush and using the color 'Gold' again blend the liner with the shadow for the gold smokey look under the bottom lashes. 

I used these Ardell Demi Wispies, with a little bit of mascara on my natural lashes to blend them together. 

Blush I used: Too Faced, Papa Don't Peach 

Bronzer: Too Faced Chocolate Soliel. Which is my favorite and you will see me use it all the time.

Lastly Lips: I used Nyx Lipstick in 'Power' which comes off as a really pretty lilac-y purple. I really love Nyx lipsticks, they are super soft, smooth, and moisturizing.

 And to finish my looks off I have been using and LOVING this NYX Illuminator in 'Narcissistic'.  It gives a really pretty dewey, glowing highlight. I add this to the to the side of my cheek bones, bridge of my nose, and above the cupids bow. 

And there you have it!  Let me know what you think about this look! 

xoxo,

shannon

5 Minute-5 Product Face

Being a super busy mom of two crazy boys, I know what its like some days to have NO time to get all glammed up, but that doesn't mean we don't want or shouldn't look presentable, does it? I know we have all been there! Even if you aren't a mom, I know at some point your iPhone alarm somehow didn't go off and you slept in too long, or you have gotten that phone call that you need to be somewhere asap, but you look like you've been living in a cave for the last year. (Or maybe that last part is just me, I don't know), but the point is.... I get it! 

That's why on the days when I have no time to get ready, or the days where I just don't feel like spending a lot of time, these are the five products I use to get ready in five minutes. (Assuming you've already showered, of course.)  But yes you read that right, only FIVE minutes, and I'm not kidding. I timed myself, so I could be sure I wasn't lying to you all. ;) 

So basically all you have to do is slap on these products and you are ready to walk out the door. 

1st: Garnier BB Cream. This stuff is a DREAM. I am telling you. I pretty much can't live without it, especially when I am doing a five minute face. As I am sure most of you know, BB stands for 'Beauty Balm'. It acts like a moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, (which you now know is a MUST, right?) concealer and foundation. It really is all of these amazing functions wrapped up into one nice, neat little bottle. Great right?

2nd: NYX Powder Blush: This is a DEFINITE must when you use the BB cream because the cream works so well in blurring out imperfections, that you NEED to add a little dimension. So I add some blush to the apples of my cheeks to add some life back into my face. The color I used on my face was, 'Summer Peach'. 

3rd. This is E.L.F.'s  Eyebrow Kit, and I actually really love this, especially for it being something like two or three bucks. Now, I have to do some kind of filling in of my eyebrows no matter what or else I just feel like a freak of nature. This product is not only great, but multi-functional because I ended up using the powder on the right as a little bit of eyeshadow so my eyes didn't look so dull, as well as a bit of bronzer on my cheeks. I also used the gel part as an eyeliner for my eyelids, AND filled in my eyebrows with it! BAM! Quadruple threat right there!

4th: Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara. Now you don't have to use this particular mascara, I just used it because I love the stuff. This mascara really is like injecting your eyelashes with falsies. Its amazing, but any mascara will do for the 5 minute face.

5th: Lastly but definitely not least, NYX Butter Lip Balm. This stuff is AMAZING. This lip balm is super moisturizing and has the perfect hint of color added to it. The lip balm comes in 8 different shades, all of which are beautiful but the color I used is 'Macaron'. 

So there you have it! The worlds easiest and fastest makeup look EVER! What do you think? Would this work for you when you are in a rush, or just as an easy makeup look? Let me know! 

xoxo

Shannon

Follow me on Instagram for my {almost} Daily Makeup Looks

2 Products That Will {REALLY} Help Your THIN hair.

 I met with a Sales Distributor for Sebastian a few months ago and when he told me about the product "Thickefy Foam" he went on and on about how amazing it was, and told me that it makes one strand of hair feel like three strands.

 Now let me tell you that if you don't already know me, I am the BIGGEST skeptic of pretty much everything, but especially big promises like that. I knew immediately who I needed to try it on one of the people I love the most, and one of the people who without TONS of products has the flattest, baby fine hair I know-- my MOM! Bless her heart. :) She has always had to use a lot of product to get any kind of volume in her hair, but when we tried this on her it was seriously like magic! 

It added so much volume and life to her hair. I was amazed. I used this in conjunction with this product, Redken Thickening Lotion. 

The Combo of the two products are what sealed the deal for us. If you decide to use them together, PLEASE be careful with your portion control. Like I always say, start small. You can always add more but you cannot subtract. You don't want your hair to feel weighed down with product. BUT the glorious thing about both of these products, but ESPECIALLY the Sebastian production is that it feels COMPLETELY weightless. And I truly mean that when I say it. 

As a stylist that is my biggest qualm when it comes to using product in my hair and my clients. I HATE HATE HATE when product makes the hair feel weighed down, sticky and or filmy, and I am happy to say that these don't. 

When you use these products you will pump about a nickel to quarter sized amount into your hands (depending on hair length) and work throughout your damp hair. Blow dry with a round brush, putting a lot of focus on the base of the hair near the scalp. And when you are finished you WILL be amazed. I went on and on about my moms hair. I kept pulling it back putting all of it in my hands and couldn't believe how much hair it felt like she had. Needless to say she has been pleased as well.

Here is the before and after picture of my mom. Bless her heart for letting me post this! Love her.

Let me know if you beauties have tried either of these products, and if you haven't yet, if you do in the future! I love comments and feedback so let me know! I hope this helps some of you out there with flat hair. I know it surely helped my mom feel beautiful! 

xoxo

Shannon

Before/After

Hey Beauties.

Its super late right now, and I should be in bed, but I just wanted to post a quick 'before and after' of a sweet friend. (who has now moved far far away. {tear}) Kind of like ALL of the law student friends I have made here. Anyway, I wish I would've snapped more photos because I literally had my camera and got one "before" and one "after" picture, so here you have it! We went for a natural, but full coverage look for her flawless face. I only like to cover freckles if they are requested by the client, because like I have said before I love to let peoples natural beauty shine through, and natural beauty =  freckles, but if the client wants them covered then I am happy to make her happy! 

I just love makeup! Isn't it amazing how much more open you make make the eye appear with some mascara and eyeliner! Ahhmazing, right?! 

And I have to apologize, I don't have all of the makeup details for this look, since we did this makeover clear last year in like September or something.

Did you hear about Bill McElligott?

Did you know that approximately 80-85% of the symptoms of aging is caused by the damaging effects of the sun? When I first learned this I was shocked! I thought that it was obviously genetic and then maybe a little bit of the sun, but I had NO idea it was that much! I want to share with you a story that was on CNN. Some of you may have seen or heard about this, but it's the perfect example of the effects of UVA and UVB rays. 

Now look closely at this mans face. As you can see on the right (his right) he has what looks like normal aging going on, but on the left, you can tell that he has A LOT more wrinkles going on, a lot more sagging in his skin, etc. This man was a truck driver for 28 years, and the left side of his face was constantly exposed to the window, which does not filter out the UVA rays for all your commuters out there, and he admits he never wore sunscreen. In the article it says that he never thought anything about it until his grandchildren would ask him why the sides of his face looked so different. It was then he decided to see a doctor. 

"This man's face is possibly the most compelling argument for wearing sunscreen. Every day, all day, and lots of it.

Truck driver Bill McElligott, 69, has unilateral dermatoheliosis, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. Essentially, ultraviolet A (UVA) rays transmitted through the window of his delivery truck have severely damaged the skin on the left side of his face during the 28 years he has spent driving on the job.

As a result, the left side of McElligott's face looks roughly 20 years older than the right, the Toronto Star reports. The difference between the two sides of his face is so pronounced, even medical experts were shocked."

source found here

This to me is undeniable. People, please wear sunscreen an stay out of the tanning beds! Luckily, these days, most moisturizers and even foundations will have some kind of sunscreen in them, but some may not, so when you are out purchasing new products  please read the labels! Make sure you are being protected.

 Here are a few tips on how to keep your face looking fresh, and how to age as gracefully as possible. 

{Because we don't want to end up having to get plastic surgery and looking like the new species that is going on in Beverly Hills, now do we? } 

Like this 

Source: Google Images

Tip 1: Avoid deliberate exposure to the sun, and when you are exposed get sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB rays, with a SPF of at least 15. And just so you know the suns UV exposure is at its peak between 10am and 3pm, so cover up!  

Tip 2: Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes BEFORE sun exposure. Not 30 minutes after being out in the sun. At that point the skin is more likely to be inflamed and irritated by the chemical in the sunscreen when its applied after being exposed. 

Tip 3: DO NOT SMOKE. It's a simple as that. Just don't do it. I think we have all heard that run down of why smoking is bad for you, so I dont need to get into it. 

Tip 4: Try to de-stress when possible. Stress can cause biochemical changes that can lead to tissue damage (aging).

Tip 5: Eat healthy and drink a lot of water! If you aren't eating healthy your body is being deprived of the proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals that are necessary to maintain healthy skin. 

Lastly try and follow a good skin care routine. Wash your face daily, and gently exfoliate to remove any dead skin cells and all of the nasty pollutants that your face comes in contact with on a daily basis. 

I hope this has inspired any of you who perhaps may not wear sunscreen to please do so! Do it for your skin! :) 

Until next time beauties. xoxo