3 Quick and Easy Summer Hairstyles | Video

Hello loves,

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!  I'm back with another Monday video. That's 3 in a row - can you believe it? I'm actually sticking to a schedule!!! PRAISE!

For your viewing pleasure, here are 3 quick and easy hairstyles for summer. :D

See you on Thursday with another REGULARLY SCHEDULED (it feels so good to say that) blog post!

xx,

Traci J 

Summer Hair Refresh | Balayage

Hello loves! Since I've been home - I have been DYING to get into the salon. I really need to touch up and refresh my color and cut for summer. I stopped into my favorite salon, Raw Salon and Spa in Burlington, WI - to get more blonde put in at the ends of my hair and brought up more around my face. The result - AMAZING.

Check out the before and after shot!

I am so happy with the way it turned out! Are you updating your hair for summer? Let me know in the comments! If you are in the SE Wisconsin area - you have to check out Raw Salon and Spa - they are doing amazing things!


xx,
Traci J

My Hair was Saved by Lady Godiva

Hello loves,

I have to share with you the greatest, most hydrating shampoo I have ever used in my life.  Seriously - this stuff is so moisturizing it's not even funny. It has CHANGED. MY. LIFE.

For the past few weeks I've been working in Philly, and when I had the day off last week - I decided to venture downtown.  Guess what I found? A LUSH Spa! Naturally, I had to go inside.  After a few minutes of oogling all of the Valentine's products, I worked my way over to the solid shampoo section.

Since the people at LUSH are always so helpful, I asked the woman what shampoo was the most moisturizing.  When I travel, I'm dealing with so many different water conditions - most of which are not friendly to my bleached tresses - so I need to put a lot of moisture back into my hair.

She recommended the Godiva Solid Shampoo.

LUSH says, "Our vegan, 2-in-1 shampoo bar cleans and conditions your hair with moisturizing nut oils and shea butter. These butters and oils care for dry, processed locks and leave you with glossy, shiny, and softened tresses. Long used as a tonic for the hair and scalp, jasmine also perfumes your locks with an ultra-sexy fragrance with serious staying power. Named after a certain naked protestor, Godiva gets to work sending a message to your hair."

Now - I am not using this as a shampoo and conditioner - I use it to cleanse, and then proceed with my hair care routine as normal (condition, deep condition - every so often). I alternate this shampoo with Seanik - which is a lot more clarifying - and gets rid of any buildup. 

I have seen a CRAZY noticeable difference in the quality of my hair.

It is silky, no visible split ends, and it's super easy to comb through post shower. All things that I was struggling with before. I'm not kidding, Godiva by LUSH is a revolutionary product - especially for bleached or damaged hair.  

What are your holy grail haircare products? Let me know in the comments!

With love,

Traci J 

Introductions | Lovingly LuLu

Hello loves!

Today I want to introduce you to an amazing Etsy shop and an amazing woman.  Her name is Rebekah Westermann and she is the lady behind the magic at Lovingly LuLu.  She sells super cute headbands (see above) for both babies AND adults.

Be honest - who doesn't love a good headband?!

So - let's get to know Bekah.

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Hi all! My name is Rebekah Westermann. I am originally from Wisconsin, but I currently reside in Memphis, TN. I am a 24 year old wife, and stay-at-home mom. My husband, James and I met when we were in highschool, at a little custard shop where we both worked. We started dating YEARS later, and got married the day before our one year dating anniversary. About a month after we got married, we found out that I was pregnant with our (now 10 month old) son, Warren, who has brought so much JOY into our lives. Being a wife and mommy are two beautifully challenging “jobs”, but I am so blessed by and thankful for my best friend that I get to share in life with, and the sweet little person that has been entrusted into our care.

--

I had some questions for Rebekah - here's what she said:

What do you sell at your Etsy Shop?

‘Lovingly LuLu’ sells handmade headbands that are made by yours truly.

When did you start making headbands and why?

I actually made my very first headband January 2nd of this year.  

We found out a few days before Christmas that we are having a little girl in May (Yes, I am pregnant again.), and in a moment of  “I want to be crafty”, I decided to attempt making our little one a headband out of some scrap fabric I had leftover from some other project. Then I attempted another, and another, and another, and so on and so forth until I was pretty much a headband-making junkie. :) 

What inspired you to open a shop on Etsy?

Well, I actually already had my shop on Etsy before I even started making headbands. I originally opened ‘Lovingly LuLu’ this past July not only for something to do, but also to try and sell a vast array of things that I have made. It just didn’t work out for me then. Looking back I think that it was just too random to be successful. 

But when I started making headbands for our little one, people were really liking them. I had quite a few people tell me that I should start selling, so that is what I did. I transformed ‘Lovingly LuLu’ from a shop of random, to a shop of headbands.

Where did the name 'Lovingly LuLu' come from?

‘Lovingly LuLu’ is lovingly named after my mother, Luann. She passed away May 24th, 2008 from brain cancer. When I was trying to decide on a name for the shop, I knew I wanted to include her in some way. Eventually the name just came to me, and I thought (and still think) that it was (is) perfect.

Do you have any advice for others thinking of starting an Etsy shop?

Well, seeing as how I am still new at the whole Etsy shop owner thing, I don’t know that my advice counts for much. But, I guess I would just say if doing/creating something makes you happy, and the thought of sharing it with others gets you excited, go for it! If it works out for you, GREAT! If not, try not to sweat it.  You can’t succeed at something until you at least try. Failing doesn’t make YOU a failure, it just means there is something else out there that is better suited for you. :)

--

More of the headbands you can find at 'Lovingly LuLu'

How do you all like the "Introductions" idea? If you'd like to see more posts like this let me know in the comments!

Be sure to check out 'Lovingly LuLu' http://www.etsy.com/shop/LovinglyLuLu

Have a great Sunday!

With love,

Traci J

Hair Update | Ombre

Hello all!

I have had my ombre locks for over a year now - and I still love them.  Finally, I made it into the salon after complaining about needing a haircut for quite sometime....  My stylist over at Raw Salon and Spa (Jami) painted on some new light pieces - making the ombre start much higher up (which I was looking for). She then toned up the ends so everything looked refreshed and beautiful!

My poor sad hair before Jami worked her magic.

I love how high up the blonde starts in the back.  It is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

Raw Salon and Spa is a beautiful salon - and everyone is always so nice and accommodating.  I will include their twitter and facebook links below.

Here is a before and after shot - I didn't have any really nice pictures of my hair before - so you can't see the difference that much... But it's there!

Raw Salon Links
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/RAWSalonandSpa
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raw-Salon/70627392840

Are you still embracing the ombre trend - or are you over it? Let me know in the comments!

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

With love,

Traci J

First Impressions | Repairing Awapuhi Ginger Instant Recovery Mask by Organix

Welcome to my first ever First Impressions post!  This series is going to consist of my reviews of products I am using for the very first time.

First up is the Repairing Awapuhi Ginger Instant Recovery Mask by Organix.  I picked up this hair mask on sale at Ulta yesterday because my hair is so DRY.  I need a hair cut terribly - my bleached ends from my ombre are really a disaster, and my usual conditioners are just not doing the trick.

Packaging:
I like the packaging - it is a deep purple with little specs of glitter in it, so what's not to like?

Scent & Color:
The initial scent is bright and floral.  It is definitely a good scent - I was just hoping for a bit more of the actual ginger in it.  Also - does anyone even know what awapuhi smells like - I sure don't.
The color is a pretty pink - and that's about all I can say.

What it Does -according to Organix:
This exclusive formula repairs brittle, frizzy, unruly hair by penetrating each shaft with moisture while refreshing your scalp and removing build up.  The result is soft, touchable, bouncy, shiny hair from roots to ends."

Use:
...apply Organix treatment generously to wet hair, working through to ends. Wait 3-5 minutes (for extremely damaged hair, apply, and cover with shower cap and leave in for 20 minutes). Rinse hair thoroughly.

I bought this to leave in for 20 minutes - since my hair is bleached at the ends and mad at me for not getting a hair cut since August - GASP!

What I Did:

Here are my dry tresses prior to using the treatment.  Pretty frazzled and just not nice to touch or look at.  (The main issue here is that I really need a hair cut).

I hopped into the shower and did all my showery things.  To wash my hair I used the Damage and Color Repair Shampoo from Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy.  After shampooing I put about this much of the Organix mask through my hair:

Instantly it got rid of any tangles and knots that were in my hair.  The scent smelled even stronger and nicer as I worked it through my wet hair.  I stayed about 2 inches from my roots - even though it says it gets rid of build up... I don't trust that.

After working the product through my hair - I wrapped it up in a towel.  I washed my face and did a bit of pampering while I waited for 20 minutes.

Double mask Sunday! Hair and face!

After the 20 minutes were up - I jumped back in the shower and rinsed it out.  I was a little nervous because I still had a few tangles and the ends felt a bit dry to me. 

Here's what everything looked like before I combed through it.  Like I said - I was feeling a bit nervous - but remained optimistic. I then sprayed with a detangler, combed through, and wrapped it up in a clean towel to get some of the moisture out.

Since I was running out to do some errands - I had to result to blow drying my  hair (which I try to stay away from).  I do this upside down - and apparently while making that weird face - to get more volume.  I of course used a heat protectant and some coconut oil as well.

As I was drying my hair - I started to get excited.  While running my fingers through my hair everything felt soft and smooth - way smoother than my hair has felt IN MONTHS.

The Results:

This hair treatment ROCKS.  All of my hesitation while rinsing it out was for nothing, because my hair looks and feels very very VERY moisturized.  My favorite part is that yes, it feels moisturized, but it didn't leave ANY greasy residue in my hair - which can sometimes be the case. (Also - now it is about 4 hours since I dried my hair - and I have been out in the wind - still very few snarls in my hair).

I only paid $5.09 for this at Ulta - so it was definitely worth the price.  I plan to add this onto my hair routine once a week or once every other week.

Final Thoughts:

This product did what I thought it would - nothing more, nothing less.  I would have liked to be a bit more "wow'ed" but I did only pay $5 for it.  

The only other complaint I have is that I wish it smelled more like ginger - I love ginger - but it does smell good.  

If you have dry locks and are looking for something to make them look and feel healthier - I would absolutely recommend this product.

Rating:

4/5

What moisturizing hair treatments do you use? Tell me in the comments!

Happy Sunday!

With love,

Traci J

Products I've Used Up

Now that 2014 is upon us, it seems as though I've been getting to the end of quite a few of my products.  So, I decided to share a few of them with you - some good and some bad.  Enjoy!

1. St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Scrub 

I added this salicylic acid scrub to my skincare routine this summer and I fell in love with it.  First off, it smells AMAZING and it has the right amount of exfoliating power that I can use it at least every other day.  I have oily, acne prone skin that dries out easily - and this stuff helped keep my complexion matte, reduced redness and blemishes, and did not dry out my skin.  This is a product that I definitely am going to repurchase.

2. Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo for Dry/Prone to Breakage Hair

My hunt for the perfect dry shampoo continues.  I didn't hate this dry shampoo but it definitely isn't "the one."  The formula is a bit wet - and hard to work through the hair.  It left lots of white residue and only made my hair feel slightly cleaner.  I definitely like this dry shampoo from Psst... better. I will not be repurchasing this product.

3. Knotty to Nice Conditioner and Detangler by Not Your Mother's

I first heard about this leave in conditioner and detangler spray in this video by Missglamorazzi.  Since I have naturally tangle prone hair and was in between hair cuts I decided to give it a try.  It was LIFE CHANGING.  I love this stuff.  It makes combing my hair out so much easier - and it smells super nice.  I'm feeling rather lost without my detangler - so I plan on repurchasing this ASAP.

4. Perricone MD Face Finishing Moisturizer

For December, my mom gave me the QVC Beauty Advent Calendar, and a sample size of this moisturizer was included in it.  I fell IN LOVE with it.  I am so so so sad that it is gone.  Not only did it not make my skin feel greasy, but it didn't make me break out either.  While I am quite impressed with this product - I'm not sure I can handle the hefty full sized price tag.

5. Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Intensely Smooth Leave - In Conditioning Cream

I've been using this leave in conditioner for quite some time now and am fairly pleased with it.  My ombre hair requires quite a bit of maintenance and moisture - and I don't really feel like this product gives that to me.  It does it's job - but I personally need something a bit more hydrating.  I may repurchase it in the future - but it is not on my immediate repurchase list.

What have you used up recently?  Anything worth repurchasing, or putting on your "never again" list?  Let me know in the comments!

Happy Sunday!

With love,

Traci J

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