Balayage vs Ombré!!

I often get asked by clients what the difference is between balayage and ombré, or if you can have both!

~ Balayage is a French technique of hair painting. You literally paint on the highlights to achieve a more blended and natural effect. 

~Ombres are basically any colors that fade from darker to lighter. 

So to answer some questions yes you can have both which is what I call a balayage ombré. To have a more blended ombré with no harsh lines I prefer to balayage(paint) the highlights on. The top picture is a picture of balayage highlights I did on my client so that she could have a more low maintenance blonde. The second picture is a balayage ombré. Notice the highlights are a little lower creating the dark to light effect. In both of these pictures I used my client's natural base color which is great if you want very low maintenance color that looks beautiful for months and months..

Favorite hair color looks!!

These are pics of some of my favorite looks I've done!! Haircolor will never turn out exactly the same on every person which is what I love about it!!  I love balayage highlights!! 

Favorite drug store makeup!!

Sometimes drug store makeup is just as good as the more high-end makeup lines you just have to know what to buy! These are a few makeup products that I personally love (:

-Milani blush in Luminoso- It's the perfect peachy pink tone and gives a beautiful luminous glow.
-Loreal lumi foundation- This foundation is very dewy and natural but still gives beautiful coverage.
-Maybelline age rewind concealer- This is my favorite drugstore concealer and acts as a great highlighter if you get it a shade or toe lighter than your skin tone.
-NYC liquid liner- Awesome liquid liner with a narrow brush that makes it easy to apply.
-Loreal pressed eyeshadow- My favorite pigment is "Eternal Sunshine. The pigment is really rich and it's also a great base for another eyeshadow pigment.
-Real techniques makeup brushes- Ulta carries these brushes and I love how soft they are! They are also just as good as some of my Mac or Sigma brushes. 

Shea Moisture deep moisture masque review!

After using my deep conditioning masque I posted about yesterday I have to say I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be. I felt like I needed to use a lot of product. I left it on for about 5 min. and after rinsing it I didn't feel like my hair felt soft or conditioned at all.. As impressive as the ingredients are It didn't seem to do much. I might give it one more shot and leave it on overnight hopefully that will work!.. My favorite conditioning masks are still the Macadamia natural oil deep conditioner and Lanza healing conditioner masque. 

Exciting new find at CVS!!

So I was strollin through CVS today to buy some masacara and I stumbled upon the hair isle! I'm a sucker for trying out new products so I came across this conditioning mask and I was shocked when I read the ingredients..They're all natural paraben-free, sulfate-free etc. The list of ingredients were among coconut oil, sea kelp, argan oil, shea butter and avocado oil! I couldn't believe all the amazing stuff  this product has in it!! I'm so excited to wash my hair tonight and try this out! I'll post tomorrow my thoughts on it.. It's important to use good hair products to maintain you hair color and overall health of your hair. Sulfates are salts that dry out your hair. They make the shampoo lather which makes your hair feel cleaner but it's really stripping out the color and natural oils. Sulfate is found in detergent and dish soap. It's definitely IMPORTANT to use sulfate-free hair products.

Wedding updo!!

Braided updo for this bride! Updos are a good option for a bride who wants to show off more of her dress and doesn't want to worry about her hair flattening through out the night! I love braids in updos!! 

Kim kardashian's blonde hair!!

  So many clients want that perfect blonde from dark brown or black hair in one session. While it's completely understandable you usually have to do it in more than one appt. so you can maintain the health of your hair and achieve that perfect tone that you want. Most people don't want their hair too brassy which is what happens when the blonde doesn't get light enough still living in the orange stage. Bleach can only process to a certain point until it dries out. The most optimum stage of blonde is yellow to pale yellow and even lighter if possible. All good things take time and even Kim K. had to take multiple appts. to achieve her perfect blonde.

-The first pic shows a beautiful light brown tone with her darker base. I personally loved this tone on her. I don't know If this was her first appt. going blonde it could have been her 2nd or 3rd.
-The second picture she appears to have lightened her base. Her ends don't seem a lot lighter but that is probably because their is less contrast from her base color to her end color. Her tone was still very brassy but on its way to being blonde.
-In the third pic she has a beautiful beige blonde with an ashy base color that looks perfect with her skin tone. 

Before and after color corrections!

Corrected these ombres by blending them upwards with some hair painting/ balayage. It's important when you're doing an ombré to break it up with balayage and make sure you have no harsh lines.

Long bobs! So hot right now!

I have to say these short cuts are so cute I'm a little tempted myself! Celebrities who normally have beautiful long locks are chopping them into these edgy modern long bobs and looking equally as beautiful! It's a great step for women's who want change but don't want to lose too much of their length that they won't be able to do anything with their hair. As adorable as this cut is I think I will wait until after my wedding before making any rash decisions. But for now these pics are great inspiration for the future! 

Highlighters! Highlights! And more highlighters!!

I have to say one of my favorite makeup products to buy are highlighters!! The palette on the left is all my favorite Mac highlighters. Their names are Soft and Gentle, Love Joy, Porcelain Pink, Warm Soul, Lightscapade, and Petticoat.  The palette in the right is by Hourglass and it's called Ambient. There is just something about highlighters that give that beautiful glow. I especially like to use them when I know I'll be taking pictures. You have to be careful when using shimmer on the face because you don't want it all over but only in certain areas so that when the light hits it it gives off a beautiful iridescence and glow. I like to use highlighters on the inner corners of my eye, my brow one, cupids bow above my lips and on my cheek bones. 

Favorite eyeshadow palettes at the moment!

-Lorac Pro palette- (top left) This has to be one of my favorite palettes by far!! It has the perfect selection of matte eyeshadows and the perfect selection of shimmer shadows. This palette is all you need when going on a trip and trying to pack "light". Lorac definitely got it right with this one! 
-Stila "In the know" palette- (top right) I love matte eyeshadow palettes because they are hard to come by! This palette has the perfect array of matte eyeshadows and the pigmentation is awesome!
-Tarte Amazonian clay eye shadow palette- (bottom left) the pigmentation of tarte eyeshadows is really nice and I love the color selections of this palette. Some colors I wouldn't normally go for but they look beautiful on.
-Stila "In the Light" palette- (bottom right) This palette was something I reached for daily for a long time. The matte browns are beautiful and the shimmer champagne color "kitten" is one of my all time favorite eyeshadows! 

Unite hair products!

Maintaining your hair color and health of your hair is so important and will help you achieve better results with your color. I love Unite hair products! My favorite from this line would have to be the 7 seconds detangler, U-luxury Argan oil and the U-luxury shampoo and conditioner. These products are a must for my hair!!

I find so many clients are afraid of warm tones because they instantly think of brassy and orange.. Warm tones can be really beautiful and I think they will become more and more popular this year. Sometimes instead of fighting what you have it's best to embrace it. These pics are a perfect example of beautiful warm balayage highlights ❤️💛🍁

Traditional highlights on this beautiful blonde! Sometimes it's necessary to do standard highlights if your client doesn't want a rooty look at all.

2014 has been such a memorable year for makeup!!! Makeup was my first passion and I feel so lucky that it's part of my career too. From weddings to Halloween makeup to teaching makeup classes I love it all! Can't wait for what 2015 has in store!!

I'm all about balayage highlights on brunettes!! It livens up their natural color while keeping it low maintenance and natural.. Traditional highlights can be very pretty but are more upkeep due to the line of demarcation when they grow out. These colors are perfect for fall and winter

Balayage ombré for this beauty! This was her second session and it was done on her virgin hair. Virgin hair lightens the best since there is no artificial color the lightener has to try and lift out. It normally lightens very evenly too.. If you have dark or colored hair and want to be blonde it's best to do it in steps to maintain the integrity of your hair. Color will always turn out better if you don't rush it or try to force anything. Patience is key!!

Full balayage highlights using her natural base color.. This particular client waits 4-6 months to get her hair done and it's still looks gorgeous!

Gotta love balayage highlights!

I'm so happy to be a hairstylist in this day and age! The new techniques of hair color are so much fun and give us the creativity to do what we want and create beautiful hair color! Balayage is a technique that I've fallen in love with because it's so blended and beautiful yet still very low maintenance. Who doesn't want to go months with out doing their hair and still have it looking perfectly diffused and sun-kissed when they go back to the salon for a touch up!! I truly believe balayage highlights have changed the industry for the better.