Natural Make Up

I am so happy to see the days of the thick, caked on make up looks are on their way out. You know the looks you’ve been seeing on Instagram? The layers of foundation, the contouring, the sparkles on the eyes is overkill. Who really has time for this mess?  To make matters worse, you see someone’s pic on social media and meet them in person and they don’t even look like the same person.

The new look is that of a fresh look.  The skin is glowing, without the obvious look of highlighter and contour that’s out of control.  The eye make up is subtle with more of a natural eyeliner. The brows are nicely groomed and not heavily covered up with powder.

I love this change in looks. You get to see the person with real skin and they can’t hide behind all the make up. This new look is fresh, modern and…. real!

 

*The above pic is from Pintrest.

Natural Beaded Row Hair Extentions

Natural Beaded Row Hair Extensions are the creation of stylist, Danielle K. White, @DKWStyling based out of Laguna Beach, CA.  After years of struggling to find a hair extension solution for her fine hair, she decided to create her own. She has spent years perfecting her method and has come up with a fantastic system that not only adds length but adds incredible volume.

Natural Beaded Row (NBR)  is very unique system that includes beads and a string. The beads are used to help hold the string, which in turn holds the tracks of hair. Usually, between 4-7 tracks of hair are used on each row and a client can have up to 2.5 rows in the hair.  The stylist then customizes the amount of hair based on each client’s needs.  The finer your hair, the least amount of hair is used. Also, the thicker your hair is, the more hair you can use. The stylist can also come up with amazing color combinations, since they are the one choosing the tracks.

NBR is great because it gives you more volume than other extention methods. Because the stylist can customize the amount of tracks, you have control of how much volume you get.  Tape ins are a very popular method, but in my opinion, NBR is better because the hair is on a track and not on 2-4 inch pieces so that is how you achieve the fuller look. The stylist can add more rows and that will add more volume too.

Once in, the NBR extentions need to be redone every 6-8 weeks.  They don’t recommend you go any longer because as like any other systems, it can damage your hair. You take care of your hair just like you reguarly would.

NBR is a very popular on the West Coast of the United States.  Habit Salon, @habitsalon, uses this method in their salon and they are very popular on social media.  Chrissy Rasmussen, owner of Habit, made a YouTube video showing how to apply NBR.

 

Check out our hair extensions at AmandaMajor.Com

*The above image was taken off DKWStyling Instagram page.

 

White, Bright and Ready for Summer

Who doesn’t love a good blond hair color? The perfect blond is very hard to find and once you do, don’t let your colorist go.  This summer is nothing but the blond and when I say blond, it’s a white blond. In my opinion, this trend looks best done with babylights. What’s babylights you ask? Babylights are very fine highlights that mimic kids natural hair color. I usually like to follow up my babylights with a shadow root.  A shadow root blends your natural root color into the babylights color to give it a more natural look and it will grow out better.  Usually when these techniques are done together, you can go longer between salon appointments.  The above images that I took from Pinterest, demonstrate this look.

You’ll want to remember that anytime you go white or platinum blond, you’ll have to take extra special care of your hair.  I recommend using Olaplex and/or protein, I highly recommend Terax Life Drops. You would use Olaplex #3 once a week (you can see my previous post about my thoughts on Olaplex) and use protein every time you wash your hair.  I also recommend using a purple color based shampoo. Right now, I really like the one from Pravana. The purple based shampoo will help keep your hair a white color because it will have a tendency to want to go brassy due to the sun and your water you use to wash your hair. Finally, you might need a toner in between color appointments. A toner you get from your licensed stylist will have stronger pigments in it than a purple shampoo.  I don’t recommend buying a toner and doing this process at home.  Even though it looks like your stylist is “just throwing colors together” it really is more complicated than that.

White blond is a beautiful color but as you have figured out by now, it is hard to maintain.  As always, please refer to your licensed stylist to guide you to your perfect white blond color for the summer.

Olaplex VS Protein Treatment

What does Olaplex do and is it the same thing as a protein treatment?  This was the first question I tried to figure out once Olaplex was launched.  Right before the launch of Olaplex and after it was on the market, there was little information out there about it.  It was just named the “miracle product” and I was told that I must buy.

First of all, Olaplex is not a protein treatment.  Olaplex is a rebonding treatment that works from the inside out.  It penetrates the disulphide bonds in the cortex of the hair that get damaged during chemical services or over use of hot tools.  The cortex is responsible for hair’s strength, color, and texture.  Once these bonds are damaged, dry, damaged hair and split ends occur.

Olaplex is super easy to use. The Olaplex treatment can be added to your color at the salon,  added as a additional treatment to your normal hair service, used as a cutting lotion or you can take home Olaplex #3 and use it at home.

Protein treatments work in a different way.  They temporary repair and strengthen damaged hair by filling in the small gaps and holes in the cuticle but they can also penetrate the cortex.  While protein treatments can work wonders for damaged hair, it can also weaken hair if used too much.  One of my favorites is Terax Life Drops.

With all being said, you can use Olaplex  with protein treatments for damaged hair.  Use a good moisturizer because protein treatments can harden and it will make your hair feel really dry.  Always consult a hair professional for the best advice for your hair needs.

Khloe Kardashian’s Hair Color

EVERYONE asks for Khloe Kardashian’s color…EVERYONE!  So I jumped at the chance to train with her colorist, the uber talented, Tracey Cunningham. Of course, I asked her to spill her secrets about Khloe’s color.  For one, the process took 2 years to achieve the look pictured. (Patience ladies, it takes a lot a patience and someone who knows what they’re doing!)  It also is very important how the foils are placed.  Tracey has a very particular way she does her foils and her way makes a huge difference! Finally, she uses no less than 6 toners and finishes up with a shadow root.

I was happy to experiment on my client who’s picture is on the right btw.  I did everything Tracey’s way except the toners.  My client was at different tones lifted than Khloe’s formula. I was able to adjust the formula to suit my client but ended up with the exact same color!  That being said, you can’t just throw a formula that your friend has and expect the same result.  IT DOES NOT HAPPEN! Everyone is different so keep that in mind when you’re trying to achieve the same color as someone else.

Babylights with Tracey Cunningham

 

A few years ago, I had the honor of being trained by the queen of color, Tracey Cunningham. She does EVERYONE in Hollywood including Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Tiegan, Emma Stone, Jennifer Garner, Lily Aldridge and many more. My training with her literally changed the way I do color! No more stripes, not that I did that anyways, but blended natural color and more importantly, using different color techniques to get a natural looking color.  I use these techniques on most of my clients and their hair color gets better with time and they can go a while without getting touched up. It’s amazing and everyone loves the results!