B&A

Gwen Stefani Does The Top Knot

If you haven't noticed by now, the top knot has made an appearance this spring as one of the go-to looks for a quick up do.

Now even the celebrities are rocking the top knot! Check out Gwen Stefani's messy knot.

Photo: just jared.

Community Garden

The more that I learn about our food and where it comes from, the more that I want to have control over what goes into my body.

There are a few things that concern me; the first is knowing that if we choose not to buy from local farmers, our food has to travel thousands of miles to eventually end up in our grocery stores, so we are loosing out on the peek ripeness in our fruits and veggies. The second thing I think is important is making sure that the soil has been left to rest so the nutrients have time to re-nurture, resulting in our food getting the max vitamin potential. I also feel it is important to make sure there are no harsh chemicals that would eventually make it into me or my family's body.

I have a client that has had a plot in a community garden for years and occasionally brings me fresh produce she has grown. You can sure taste the difference, it's always such a nice treat. She has always encouraged me to get a plot of my own, so I looked into gardens in my area and scored on a nice sunny plot around the corner from my house. It’s the perfect size but needs some TLC. 

I look forward to my new healthy hobby that will bring joy to my family a little color to my skin. It's going to be a work in progress, but we are all on board and the benefits will be worth it. I encourage you to maybe find a community garden near you and discover your green thumb as well.

The Urban Bend

There's definitely a new hair trend around San Diego. Even though the "beachy" wave is still popular and pretty, the new urban bend is a more loose curve of the hair that is a little more cityscape-hip. Simply blow dry, apply a super subtle curl, tousle, and hit the streets.

Photos from Hapers Bazaar

Thursday Morning Highlights

Enjoying an early start to the day with coffee, highlights, and good morning conversation.

Hair Trend: Retro Bouffants

Remember my last post about how to create volume? Looks like it might come in handy now that one of this year's hair trends is all about volume. Check out these pictures of the retro bouffant, straight off the runways! Photos from Elle.com

How To Tease Your Hair And Create Volume

An easy way to add life and volume to hair is simply to tease it. But before I give you a few tips on how to do it, I thought I'd share a little history on this style.

I went all the way back to the early 1900's and found it interesting to find that women used to wear Hair Frames, which consisted of adorning their head with heart and crown shaped cushions. Then they would top that with a wig. And I thought the “Bump It” was new for this day and age. . . I guess all fashion comes around full circle.

As I went through each era I clearly saw the evolution of shape, volume, and silhouette of a woman’s hairstyle. I recognized the trend of the Finger S wave that started out soft with little volume and close to the face in 1910 and gradually became more voluminous over time all the way up to the 1950’s. From 1960’s to the 1990’s big hair was in, but a little out of control in my opinion. You can definitely have too much of a good thing. What I can take from the time evolved trends is that you can do one of two things: flatter, or take away from, the symmetrical beauty God has given you. I say lets flatter your long, round, square, oval, or your heart shaped face.

Here are some tips on how to tease your hair:

1- Thoroughly wash and dry your hair, drying the roots while hanging upside down to encourage volume. If you tease your hair while it's wet you are increasing the chances of damage. S

2- Start with a section of hair about 1 inch wide. Separate the section, moving and clipping the rest out of the way.

3- Use one hand to hold the section straight up, and gently touch a brush or a fine tooth comb to the back of this section of hair. Begin lightly brushing downward towards the scalp while continuing to hold the hair up tightly. This is called teasing! Keep teasing until you feel the cushion that starts to form at the base. You may also want to spray the teased section with hairspray before letting down the section.

4- Carefully brush the un-teased section of this strand while using your fingers to make a loose "cage" around the teased part, hiding and holding the tangles in place without flattening them.

5- Repeat as necessary on other strands of hair.

6- Create a hair style with your newly teased hair. One of my favorite looks is a low ponytail with all that fun lift in the crown. After teasing, suspend hair into low or high pony and then create a cage once again and grab the crown of your head while you pull up.

7- Then to polish the look gently smooth the surface of the hairstyle using a shine serum. Be careful not to squash your newly created volume.

Don’t forget, practice makes perfect. You should give it a try.


Photos from Wikihow.