What the hair cut should look like...

Nope, that's not me.
But, that's the picture that I took in today for the Ulta hair experience. It was good. I'll post a new photo of what my hair looks like asap!

Why I did not post the picture today is because I've got "salon hair'. It's great. Though, my opinion is the true test of a cut and color is what happens when you get home to your house, with your tools and wash then style your hair. So we shall see.

Hope you had an amazing day, if you haven't tried the new line of Redken EQ shades, I recommend them for a gentle color refreshing and gloss...without the damage.






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The BEFORE hair...tomorrow, the after... why is finding a good hairstylist so hard?

Okay, that's me in the kitchen. Hot sauce and whip creme in hand. For those who have been with Makeup University for awhile, you know that I used to have the most gorgeous ( * if I may be so bold as to say!) long, blonde, tri-color weaved hair. It was amazing, healthy, full and I loved it.

Then, my life took a turn. I tried a new stylist because my old one moved. Hmm, she did good the first time, but cut a wee bit too much off. It was summer, so I could tolerate the infraction.

Next, she got the color wrong, over charged me and didn't really cut off enough to notice that my hair was cut.

So, I got a referral to a different stylist. She botched it up really, really bad and the color was so awful and bled through that parts of my hair were grey green. I am NOT exaggerating.

Okay, I have no choice but to go to a different stylist. She was high on meth and forgot a few things, mixed the lift with the wrong level and disaster occurred again.

I would like to remind you that it's not like I was going to the beauty school.( although out of pure frustration I did once and it was, again, awful)

Each salon I went to was some "name" salon, touting that they did the "local celebrity" and A list clientele. Is there such a thing in Arizona?

The long short of it is, that my beautiful hair was hacked a ' la Leatherface into a short brownish black bowl similiar to Mowgli in the Disney movie The Jungle Book.

Now, it was also burned from the bad mixing of hair chemicals. Sure, I should just use henna, hug a tree and grow out my armpits, though before I do, since my trip to L.A. has been post poned to September and I HAVE to get something done with my longer Mowgli mop,

I, again, will venture out into the local salon. This time, I'm going on a blind date with a gal at a local chain.

Yep, I figured if my hair is going to be ruined, it can at least be cheap.

Ce la vie, it's only hair, it will eventually grow out. Right?

Share you hair stories with me, I need the laugh!

Tomorrow or Friday I'll get a new shot of the different hair...

Bridal Makeup DIY Style: How To Take Control of Your Wedding Day Beauty for brides who would rather spend the money on cake!

Belli baby skin care for you and the little one!

Hello Mommas!

I love a great botanical non-petrochemical anti-petroleum product especially one for babies!

Starting today, Belli Skin Care is doing a prize giveaway a day! To enter, visit the home page for them at www.belliskincare.com to get all the details on how you can get some.

It seems everyone is shopping Belli these days, such as Rebecca Romijn and her husband, Jerry O’Connell. The expecting couple stocked up on the full collection of Belli products for both Rebecca and the soon-to-be baby.

Belli's motto is "Embrace life, enhance beauty" and offers everything from stretch mark serums to eye brightening creams. With celebrity endorsements on the rise, Belli has become the new hot product for moms-to-be!

As a product, it has a light fragrance from the botanicals, it rinses clean, doesn't irritate baby eyes and I love the lotion for it's soft scent and easy spreadability that moisturizes. It's been amazing for hydrating my son's skin after all the pool sessions we have had this summer
Here's a little info about Belli...

"Belli (www.belliskincare.com) Founded by Jason Rubin MD and Annette Rubin in 2002, Belli offers a total wellness approach by offering products that feature the pampering benefits of aromatherapy and massage therapy with the heightened screening of a medical company. Belli products are sold at national retailers including Pottery Barn Kids, Mother Works, baby/maternity boutiques, fine spas, and a growing number of physician offices. The entire line can be found on bellicosmetics.com, along with helpful educational articles that teach women about the skin care concerns of pregnancy, motherhood, and infancy.
Bridal Makeup DIY Style: How To Take Control of Your Wedding Day Beauty for brides who would rather spend the money on cake!

Eyebrows frame the face, so what's your frame look like?

Hello and Happy Monday! It's back to school, the kids are off to their new lives in a new grade and you are in a position to learn something new for yourself.

The eyebrow is so important to your daily makeup routine and if you haven't been shaping and coloring them, now is the time to start.

Grooming comes first, such as having them professional shaped by threading, tweezing or waxing.

The threading is the most amazing, accurate and least painful way to have your brows tamed and shaped.

Tweezing is my favorite and can be over done. If you do over do it, then get some Talika Lipocil to grow them back. It really does work!

Waxing, I personally won't go near, but I hear that it's worth the pain, burning, redness and bumps because of the super clean line that it creates. This should really be done by a professional who specializes in waxing.

The brow needs to be filled in and shaped with a brow wax or powder. Wax comes in a couple of great brands such as Ben Nye for the stage, Lorac or Arbonne for the everyday wearer.

I prefer to do my daily brow shaping with a slant tip brush ( I'm currently using Adesign) and a Sue Devitt matte brown eyeshadow.

The technique is to load the brush, tap off the extra, then start in the middle of the eyebrow where the arch is, and work towards your hairline in short, crisp hair creating strokes.

Now go to the eyebrow closest to the nose, and work your way in the same hair creating stroke of short, crisp movements of the brush and draw from the nose area to the center of the arch where you first started.

Step back, assess your work, and run the brush over the entire brow to smooth it down. If you want to set the brow and powder with a clear mascara, that's an option for you.

I don't recommend a brow pencil because the oil based pencil when drawn onto your eyebrow hair which has an oil based follicle, means they rub off and then you look like your bald or have forgotten to put them on.

It takes a few tries to master the shaping and drawing on of your eyebrows though it's worth the effort because of how it frames your eyes, enhances your overall appearance and confidence.

So why not start today! If you need a kit or a set of stencils, try Anastasia, it can be found at Sephora and Ulta.


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Weekend beauty on the go, go, go!

Thank God it's Friday! Woo hoo! Are you ready for the weekend!

I am. I am also on the go, go, go! If you don't travel alot, then this may not pertain to you. But, for those of us with toddlers, busy lives, work that is constantly moving, there has got to be a way to sane and keep yourself organized.

Here's a makeup artist secret to portable beauty:
1. 2 tubes of mascara: 1 for your purse, and one for your vanity
2. Stain/gloss combo such as Kimiko which was featured last week. The stain can be used to color lips and cheeks, then slick on the gloss.
3. A compact powder foundation with a retractable brush for application. Why the extra tool? Because the dirty little sponge pad hidden in the belly of the compact is nasty. Unless you put a fresh one in their daily, or wash it, you and I both know it's a hot bed of germs that are continually wiped, over and over your face then stuffed into the warm cubby below the product like a petri dish culture. Just waiting to grow some fungus and wait for a chance to slide past your eyes, nose and mouth. Gross.

Use a retractable brush, for heavey coverage, stipple a brush load on, for a light coverage, just swirl it on.

I keep a dual ended jumbo crayon in my purse makeup bag: one side to highlight brow bone, top of cheek bone and the corner of the eye at the nose, then the other darker side is for lining and contouring.

That, is my personal purse makeup bag contents along with a few choices in lip gloss. If I am at work, ( where I have my professional kit but I don't mix it with my personal stuff due to hygiene issues!) at my son's school, going to a pool party, or leaving for location, my personal bag is ready for anything. There is also: a mini eyedrop, toothbrush and paste, and a comb with some hair pins. Literally, ready for anything.

To finish the secret: what is in the bag stays in the bag. No taking it out and mixing it up. By keeping it stocked all the time, there is never a rush or a worry about forgetting something.

It's the same way I keep my professional kit. I always reset it immediately after a gig so it is always ready to go.

Now, the toddler bag is a whole other story...
Enjoy your weekend and I hope you have a chance to practice beauty on the go!

Bridal Makeup DIY Style: How To Take Control of Your Wedding Day Beauty for brides who would rather spend the money on cake!