Im BACK! In a BIG way!

Our three girls with Tarzan our beloved Mastiff
we lost this summer to old age :(

 Well hello there! Its been quite some time since my last blog post and must I say I really missed the regular routine of getting my thoughts out in more detail! I LOVE my Instagram account don't get me wrong. If I post my raw honest thoughts its there! Besides if we were truthful most of the followers on IG aren't looking to read a whole long "diary entry". So to catch you up to speed I am still competing and am in fact in the heat of my contest prep now. Its the last summer I have my youngest daughter at home and my husband is working on promoting at work and advancing his education. Along with all of that we also lost one of our family dogs and I am also working on finishing up my final exam and earn my CPT through ISSA. So needless to say it has been an extremely busy and crazy summer!

Doing my annual cleaning LOL

 So how on earth am I staying on track with exercising and nutrition?! Well thanks to my amazing coaches and their unique training and nutrition plans I am able to manage! Over the last few years of working with them I have gained some major knowledge that helped me stay on track even when I was in my off season! That for a fitness competitor is one of the hardest things to overcome! We either jump back in to prep mode to survive and just be told what to do or we through it all out the window completely and forget how we ever managed to stay healthy and curb cravings before we competed! So now I am very excited to share with all of you that my coaches have created 2 at home DVD programs for women and men looking to tighten, tone and shape their bodies while also learning to let your nutrition work to your advantage! In these programs they include meal plans with vegan options, a daily workout schedule ebooks and MORE!!

These were my first transformation photos about a 5/6 month
difference the before picture (pink panties) I weighed 105lb
after picture (blue bikini) I weighed 110lbs!
Just a reminder that the scale doesnt mean a lot!
I had started trading fat for muscle and wrote my OMGluteness plan
the way I went about this transformation! 

  I love and back these products and even used the first to help me through my off season!! I also offer my own personal 3 month OMGluteness eating and exercise guide for FREE if you purchase the program through my link! All you have to do is email me at wowfitness13@gmail.com with proof of purchase! :)

  I think as a mom my favorite part about these programs are that they doable at home or in the gym! For my busy schedule with three kids at all different stages it is a great option to have in my "get fit tool box" along with a few dumb bells, resistance bands and kettle bells you can get in some killer workouts without a pricey gym membership!

  So here goes! My link is IngridRomero.com/#fearless I will also be sharing discount codes that are offered as the company shares them! You can get that information more readily from my Instagram account @fear_less_fitness there you will also be able to follow my daily life workouts and mommy struggles! You know we all have them! :) The release date for this program is tomorrow July 15th get ready and GET THOSE PROGRAMS!!

  I hope this information did not overwhelm you or offend you! That is not at all what I am trying to do! It is simply my passion to share my story with women and men alike and especially mothers!! I want to give hope to anyone out there who might be looking to regain or maintain their health while raising a family and caring for a home and a husband! THIS is a great way to do that!!

This is my current transformation picture and most realistic before  I begin to cut more fat for my show
as you can see my glutes are MUCH higher more toned and I have diminished the appearance of my cellulite DRASTICALLY!!!
This has all been with the help of my coaches programs and nutritional guidance!
The black suit does ride up a little higher at the top that is because
my glutes at the top are super full! I have "built a shelf! LOL
The suit would not stay put when I tried to roll it over!!

Comparing Contest prep to pregnancy "Having our first baby"

   I often compare things in my life as a way to cope or understand so that I can navigate things more effectively! I strongly believe that awareness is the first step to any successful venture! For example alcoholics and drug addicts must first admit that they are in fact alcoholics or drug addicts before they can find help. In any situation you must first identify the problem before it can be fixed. It helps me along my path to also have understanding of what I am going through and be aware of the situations I may be facing in order to come out the other end successfully!

  The more preps I go through the more I am convinced they are almost identical to going through pregnancy!! So for all you ladies who have competed and yet to have kids you will have a much better understanding of pregnancy before you have children! Yay you!! lol So lets compare!

  Lets begin by comparing our first pregnancy with our first competition!! You first find out you are pregnant, or you finally decide on your first show date! Feelings of excitement almost overwhelm you! You begin to think of what the future holds, never have you experienced this, you simply know what you have been told by all your friends who have gone before you! There are then the mixed emotions that begin to set in, fear, self doubt, anxiousness to have everything ready way before its time for "baby"! You tell everyone you know! Some are excited for you, others are jealous and some only have negative things to say!

   Lets move into our "2nd trimester" your body is showing obvious change and signs of the things to come! Its the fun time! You are enjoying the perks of this time! You are really loving the change you see in your body. You continue preparing for "the big day" shopping, getting pampered, dreaming. Everyone is asking all sorts of questions, you welcome them and answer them all with joy in your voice!

   Then, 3rd trimester comes along, you are ready! You are beginning to get anxious, uncomfortable and tired. The questions begin to annoy you! Not that you blame the 10th person to ask you in one day "whats your due date again?" As all the excitement wheres off due to your cranky attitude you are becoming less interested in your "to do list" and you begin the feelings of just wanting the day to be here already!! You think to yourself, "can I really do this? What was I thinking? Is this really happening?"

    Finally!! Here we are!! The BIG DAY!! You are lit up with excitement! All the bad memories seem to have vanished! All you can think about is "that stage" you get ready hours early, the time cant come quick enough! Now, there you are "standing in line" you see the stage in front of you! Adrenaline rushes through you! In the blink of an eye, there you are on the other side "holding your baby" you can hardly remember the details it felt like so much was going on your mind couldn't really grasp what was happening! You are elated it is over and you have made it to the other side! Its official, you are now "a mom" no longer a newbie you now have your own experience to share! As the days follow you begin to reminisce think of the what ifs, could haves, should haves. Your thoughts wander to "what now? Whats next? Will I do this again?" the longer time passes the more you yearn to have that experience again you slowly forget all the bad days and all you can think about is "being on that stage again" having a goal, feeling like you have purpose! Some suffer from "post partum" and that is a whole other blog that I will definitely touch on another day! Some just get right back to life and some are unfazed by it all.

   So there you have it! These are my observations and experiences. If you have ever had a child then you have an little more understanding of what competitors face through the journey of contest prep and if you are a competitor that has never had a child you now have a little more insight into the journey of pregnancy! CONGRATULATIONS! lol

  I have had 3 pregnancies ALL different experiences because each time I had a little more to go off of from the past! I was at different stages in life and I was a different me each time! I have been through prepping for 5 shows now all in my first year of competing so you can say I "had my babies back to back" lol Again, all different experiences as I had past experience and being at different stages of life and who I was each time!

  I will compare "2nd pregnancy/2nd prep" in my next blog! Stay tuned!!

I feel a Fringe coming on...

   Hey there everyone!! Well it has been chilly out side for a few days now and time change is tomorrow so I think we can officially say it is fall! With the change of weather more often then not you will be seeing changes with fashion, hair and make-up all sorts of trends change during this time of year! So I wanted to do a quick run through with you on what you could do to get in the spirit of fall!!

  First off do  quick check of your closet. Do you have at least one maybe two cute coats for those extra cold days? If not try Forever 21 I LOVE that place not only do they have fabulous finds but you cannot beat their prices! I just bought my go to Leather Bomber there for only $24.99!! If you can beat that Id love to hear where! But I am pretty sure you cant. Then maybe do inventory on your accessories, do you have scarves to not only keep you warm but to add flare to your closet? I have recently opened an etsy shop Ladybugsandlillies.etsy.com where you can find some cute fashionable ones and also search all of etsy its a great place to find wonderfully handmade items for great prices!

  Then you need to check your hair! Summer time was fun but I am guessing if you were anything like I was this summer you have a good 4 inches of dry brittle ends that could handle being cut off. Also this time of year with all the wind hair tends to get extra dry so you should be sure to add on a deep treatment with a combination of protein and moisture to your trim appointment. Then of course there is the fun stuff! COLOR!!! What are you going to do to transition into fall hues. Lets be honest you probably have some brighter shades left over from summer now is the time to tone it down warm it up and give your hair a break from all of those damaging highlights.  Don't get me wrong I love my blonde hair but if there is ever a good time to give your hair a break its now when darker shades are more except able. This way your hair gets the break it needs to rebuild and get ready for brighter, lighter tones again in the spring. Shorter cuts are fun this time of year too but if your not ready to "Meet Bob" you can always add a heavy side fringe (bang) and wear a longer layer. I love adding fringe to my clients who are looking for a change but are not willing to sacrifice length. Nothing makes a sophisticated pony tail more beautiful and fancy then a heavy side fringe!

  Last there is make-up. I do not know a lot about make-up other then what i learned in beauty school and the pages of Vogue. What I do know is that come fall I see a lot more or should I say less, shadow's and more of the eyeliner looks and they have so many possibilities for colors now days! My favorite place for make-up is MAC I like to go there because i find its like forever 21 not price wise of course but MAC makes sure to be constantly evolving and staying up on and selling the hot trends of the season. I have very tiny lips so I am not suitable for the red lips but my spin on that is wearing a dark pink gloss. The lack of heavy lip colors helps to not show of my small lips in fact the gloss reflects light which creates a more full look and with the darker pink shade and a cat tail eyeliner i am still pulling of the fall/winter look with ease. It has not been easy for me this year I was really enjoying the extra length of my hair and I really miss my highlights! But I am more then willing to except these changes if it means i get to curl up cozy in my sweats snug while I sip hot cocoa and snack on popcorn while cuddling my girls! I mean really seems to me I am getting the good end of the deal. Don't you think?

 What are you doing to transition in to fall? I'd wanna hear! Inspire me!!

                                                     LT

Inspiration in the world around you...

  First off can I just say "Baby its cold outside" :D aww finally. I love Fall for many reasons but I think one of the bigger reasons is the fact that it allows you to add on more accessory then you could throughout the rest of the year! I mean the possibilities are endless I have a collection of coats just screaming at me!! Poor little fella's, being that they have to put up with So Cal whether they probably suffer from Cabin fever, lol :) Ok so now that I am waaay off subject let me get to the point of the blog. Inspiration, where is it, how do you use it, and why we should appreciate it.

 To start there is inspiration over flowing in the world around us today. Or maybe its just the community that I live in? No, its everywhere, you just need to know where to look. Nature, is inspiring to me for one because well its God's art. Tree's for example that sprout from the ground are small masterpieces each one with a unique look growing in all directions and changing colors through out the year. Flowers, how amazing all the varieties of color. I mean if you really think about it, nature, is where most all great ideas started, which is what inspiration is, something that inspire's you with an idea, right. Well that's what it is for me. I get overwhelmed at times when looking around at all the creative things in this world, people, places, things, you can find it in a photo, or maybe, like me, you would be inspired by the way a friend wore their hair one day :). Its everywhere!! I get inspiration most of the time through other creative souls. There is something about when I watch someone else create that just gives me chills! I am amazed at what I see!! To think that it all started with a simple basic idea and then morphed itself into a painting or a picture maybe even a piece of clothing. What my friends do with nothing absolutely AMAZES me!

 So you know where to look now how to use it. I try to stick to my true self as much as possible. There are many times that I will see something and say "Well I can do that, or make that, I wont pay for it I will create it myself" but really that would be just a copy and then I am no longer creating. The idea is to allow something you see to get your wheels turning. Thinking to yourself "I really like that how can I make it my own?" How can I recreate this in "my own words". Yes there are times when copies are good and useful but when you are looking to create an original be sure to let your own personality shine! I love the idea that you can take, lets just say four people for the sake of the example, and stick them in separate rooms giving them all the same box of paint the same canvas and the same paint brushes. You will NEVER get two of the same thing! Is that not amazing? Truth is you could even say, with all the same tools in hand, go paint me a bowl of fruit (just an example ;) not one of them will have the same bowl of fruit as another. Even still its like the game of telephone, you know, where the line starts with one word you pass it along and it morphs until at the very end you get something that is usually nothing like what you started with! That is how inspiration works one person paints something takes it to their friend and says recreate this for me. Yes it might have similar features but in the end that person has added there own spice to it, and so on!

  I think inspiration is an amazing tool to utilize as an artist. I very much appreciate the differences between my art and the art of my friends. Whether it be hair, paint, yarn, the list as always goes on ;) no two minds think alike the beauty of that concept is that we are surrounded by a world of diversity always changing always evolving into new things. Nothing stays the same and in those moments of change there is growth. I LOVE to "collaborate" with fellow artists it is in those moments when great things happen!! We need to all learn to appreciate the differences between us we are all masterpieces created by THE Creator Himself! I don't know about you but I don't want to paint the same thing over and over. Embrace inspiration and allow it to get those rusty wheels in that precious little head of your's to start turning! Yes it might hurt at first, in fact you might even see a little smoke coming out of your ears but practice makes perfect and the more you use it the more easily it will come to you. I love you all, you ALL inspire me in ways you may never know! Thank you!

                                                                            With Love,

                                                                                  LT

A Monster of a do...

  Aww Halloween... pretty sure its my favorite holiday! No, not because I love pretending to be something I am not! Truth be told if I had the chance Id be on Broadway dancing, singing, acting, and hairstyling/make-up artisting ( yes I am aware that is not a real word, thank you spell check) my little heart out! I am so thankful I was able to carry out just one of those dreams! Dress up and fun is what I do best! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! So when I have the ability and freedom to do it with the world around me and not be stared at like a freak since I am NOT on Broadway I relish in the opportunity! This is why if you know me personally then you know I am usually wearing lots of make-up clip in extensions if I can and maybe a false eyelash or two ;) I LOVE to get dressed up. Then I sit here and wonder why my girls love clothes shoes and make up so much :D. Well this Halloween my whole family took part! For our churches trunk n treat we took our unusually large truck and dressed it up as a "Monster" truck (no worries he was a nice monster) it looked like Frankinstein I dressed up as "Bride" of Frankinstein my husband was a Werewolf and our three little ones were the "offspring" we had such a great time and received a bunch of compliments!! Then of course there was the hair!! Who doesn't know about the Bride of Frankinstein's SKY high hair!!? I was so excited with the outcome of my version that I wanted to share how I did it!

 So here goes... what you will need to start is, a set of 1inch mixed with 1/2 inch rollers (using two different sizes helps to create a more natural texture), then you will need a spray bottle filled with water to dampen your hair as you add each roller, a few clips to control the hair you are not working with at the moment and last a comb to section.

 The products you will need are as follows... A bottle of Strong Hold Hairspray I used Sebastian shaper plus and Bb Holding spray (this spray is equivalent to an old fashion Lacquer) a bottle of baby powder, and last but not least a bottle of temporary spray on Hair color ( I used a Black for my lightning bolt since I am blonde but feel free to chose whatever color your heart desires).

 Step one... Set Hair in Rollers alternating sizes this is going to give you the texture you need to create height. As you place each roller spritz each section lightly with you water bottle being careful to not soak your hair, if you do drying will take forever and really you do not need a lot to get the curl to set if you start with dry hair.

 Step Two... test a curl to make sure your hair is dry. If it is take down your set.

 Step Three... Starting at your fringe area (Bang's) taking one inch thick sections only as wide as your comb start to "back-comb" or "tease" your hair (another word for this I would consider a "bad" word would be "rat" :/ ) working your way from the front all the way to your back hairline until your entire head of hair is back combed.

 Step four... flip your head upside down and spray lightly with Hairspray then take your bottle of baby powder and sprinkle all over!! (This makes quite the mess so be sure to do it somewhere you don't mind all the powder) This not only creates the powdery white finish regardless of your hair color but also adds an unmatchable amount of texture!! Hairspray can't even hold what baby powder can!!

 Step Five... THIS IS THE FUN PART... Bring your head back to normal position and at the base of your hairline start a loose french roll making sure to ad a bobby pin every couple of inches to hold... work you french twist at an angle 45 degree ish allowing it to act as a "shelf" for the rest of your hair up top! Spray and placing curls as you see fit. working your roll all the way out to the lengths of your hair until you have no more hair to twist. I had fun allowing the texture to be free so I had a few things flying around here and there. I think it just added to the authenticity of the look. :) At the end of it all I spritz the whole look with the Bb holding spray and using the back end of my comb created a finger waved effect throughout the front to finish.

  I had such a great time recreating this classic look and would love to see what you all were for this years festivities. How did you tie in the hair to your costume? Lemme SEE!! Good luck trying this at home!! Have fun! <3

                        
                                                                          LT


 

Proper and Professional....

  There are a lot of terms thrown around in my industry some good some not so good and some well they are whatever. I'd like to share a few with you in hopes that your hair "lingo" can grow even by one proper term. :) Now do not take offense to anything I say! I am not saying that the words I use are better. Okay well maybe I am a little but I do not look down on someone who happens to use the words I do not like to use myself. I was trained by a Stylist who worked around Actors /Actresses big name people,so he had to step it up just a bit. No I did not assist him with these clients they were not his clients he worked at 2 salons part of the week he worked at the salon that I assisted him at the other part of the week he worked at "On Set" in Santa Monica. This salon did everything just as regular salons do but they specialize in extension and wig work for big movies. Two specific clients (yes Im going to be a name dropper because I think this was so cool!) were Drew Barrymore and Hugh Jackman!! Both got extension work done for movies they would be in at the time. So any way when I first started working for him I had booked a client for a "weave" when it came time for him to look ahead on the books he saw this and came to me... being the smart a#@ that he always liked to be he asked me "why did you book me a weave!!?? I do not do "weaves" I responded with what I do not know but at that moment I kind of realized there are "slang" terms and there are proper terms in our industry and really if I am trying to be as professional as possible I should be using as professional terms as I can... so here goes...

"Slang"                                     "Professional"

Weave                                       Highlights
Roots                                         regrowth
Roots                                         Base
Tint                                            Color
Cosmetologist                            Hairstylist ( I actually prefer just Stylist (; )
Chunks                                      Panels
Bangs                                        Fringe

 Its funny that last one even clients I've had for a long time still give me a crooked face look when I ask "So what do you want to do with your "fringe" today?" :) Love you guys! Im sure there are more but these are the ones I remember if you have any I'd love to hear!! :D As always thank you thank you!! For reading and remember I am not hating I love you all!! Just sharing!!

                                                    <3 LT
              

All Grown Up Dress Up...

  Well its been a month since Cindy's wedding so this blog is a little late but hey, when are my blogs ever on time? :) I had prepped for the wedding over a month before it happened. Making sure to get in contact with each girl about her ideas on what she was going for, try to get an idea of their hair types, refresh colors that needed refreshing.

It was the week before the wedding and like always my nerves were getting to me a little bit but that feeling was over powered by the excitement of the whole trip all together! I had booked an assistant because the amount of girls I'd be styling and made sure I was clear of all my expectations of her for the day of. My week prior was filled with last minute details putting together all the pictures the girls had sent me in a file to take with for visual reference, lining up a "schedule" ( looking back this is funny because weddings never run on a real schedule (;  ) packing my bags, making a list and checking it twice!

  It was wedding eve and I had plans to go to bed early so I was nice and refreshed but my husband had scheduled a stair climb in LA so instead I didn't get home till nearly 11pm and true to form I had to check my bags a third time because this is who I am! I also over pack in case you were wandering Hee Hee.

 Here it was Cindy's BIG DAY!! I didn't wake up right when the alarm went off but when I did get up oh man was I awake! Packed the car and I was off to grab my girl and head into San Diego. I stopped at Starbucks and grabbed us our get it going juice of course :) I was so proud of Devon my assistant she looked so cute and professional! I had a "mini" dress code for her and let me tell you she hit it!! There was no traffic since we had made sure to leave before it would hit. We actually made it to SD a bit early so I made another pit stop at the local grocery store for bananas and granola bars. I've been in this business long enough to know there are no breaks so make sure you have things that are good healthy snacks you can eat quick (like the time it takes a girl to check her hair in the mirror kind of quick) Plus I wanted to make sure Devon did not pass out on me hahahaha. Off to our first stop we went my lovely client Kristen's house! She was so sweet all ready for me bright and early! We had to brighten her color up before we set her with rollers and Cindy (the bride) had plans to sleep in so in order to not disturb her we went ahead and met Kristen at her house then carpooled to the hotel where our beautiful Bride was staying. You guys let me not bore you with the CRAZY details of the day!! What I can say is that every wedding I have ever done is a juggling show lots of energy laughs tears smiles and hugs!!! It always always makes me happy at the end to see all the beautiful ladies with smiling faces!! Its why I do what I do!! This is how it works you get to the hotel you set up and you GO GO GO GO until every girl is gorgeous! One might be setting while another is getting styled or dressed or with the make up artist. Oh which reminds me I have done a lot of weddings and most I have done with make up artist that I know but on occasion I get a wedding like this where I do not know the make up artist. I was a bit nervous about that, our industry can be real catty. OMG!! This girl was so cute!! All dress up and so sweet!! She talked with me, even asked if I was available for her to refer! So sweet!! I cannot say it enough! Which is how this whole wedding went!! That is rare!!! I can count on one FINGER the amount of wedding's where the entire experience was fun, low stress, and it was this one!! I walked away that day simply AMAZED!! I was so blessed to have met such amazing inspiring sweet women! They were all such good friends and they welcomed us all as though we were the same! I didn't feel like I was there to "service" them I felt like I was brought in to be  part of!! Even my client Kristen who had referred me to the wedding... she was Maid of Honor... people, she was on top of it!! We had a whole table covered in anything you could need or want all thanks to Kristen. Candy, Gum, breakfast muffins, fruit!! It was awesome!!

   So at the end of the day they were all off to the wedding we packed up and Devon said something like "Wow that was crazy!" :) (It was her first experience) and I respond with something like "yeah, but fun!" I have never ever in my 10 + years of Styling experienced something so beautiful! HONESTLY!! This is not to say I have not had great experiences at other wedding but really NO ONE was stressed everyone was smiles and it was just amazing! I guess Im actually having trouble finding all the words lol it was that good! A BIG BIG Thank you to Kristen for thinking of me and referring me to Cindy, a HUGE Thank you to Cindy for trusting me and allowing me to be part of her wonderful day and thank you to all the other girls who trusted me without even meeting me before hand!! It was an experience I will never forget and one I'd only be lucky to have again!!

                                                     With Love,

                                                            LT

Trial and error...

   So I had a trial updo with my lovely client Kristen for an upcoming wedding she will be in as the "Maid of Honer". She has naturally curly hair finer texture with an average to medium density. I have been working with Kristen's hair for around 7 years maybe a little longer she has a great natural curl that when cut properly lays beautifully and all she has to do is wash and wear! Every girls dream, right!? :D

  Well the look were going for with her updo was a bit Marilyn Monroe inspired with a modern twist and edge. So to pull out her curl a bit with out getting frizz I went back to the basics on her. I wet set with Bb thickening, Bb straight, Bb styling cream, and focused sealed ends throughout the length. In her fringe area I used a basic pivot set starting with an off base roller working my way up to an over directed to get a nice classic full wave in the front. I did the same on the sides and worked a brick lay pattern in the back. We used 1 inch and 1 and a half inch rollers. It took a bit longer to dry then expected but once it was all done drying I brushed through with a BoreBristle to soften the waves and then began to place my curls. I also added a couple of clip extension pieces to add more fullness and they were blonde (her hair is red) this was a fun little burst of color :) I refined the look with my (very scary) curling iron and a touch of the flat iron here and there. We will probably have one more go around the day we refresh her color mostly just for fun and to work out any more kinks. Over all we loved what happen with it all. We will be making a few adjustments the day of but we got in a good day of practice!

   I really cant stress enough how important trial updos are, not only to the stylist but to the client! I try to book off a whole day for them because it really is a trial and error kind of day! This is the time to play around with ideas, put it there see, how you feel, clip it here, see how you feel and so on! For the stylist its a good way to get a better feel for what tools and products you will need the day of your event. Not only that but its a good way to get a feel for how much time you will need to allow. These are all things you do not want to try and figure out the day of! Especially if it is a wedding you cant afford any mistakes this is someones very special day not to be taken lightly! Trial and error are a given let it happen before and not the day of! Thanks for reading!

                                                                       LT

My Barbie's have come to Life!!

   EEEK!! I am so excited! I havent blogged forever on the subject of hair so first off apologies are in order... Im sorry I left you hanging! I have however been working working working! Still taking on my clients and side jobs! I am very excited to share that I have a Wedding Party booked at the end of September. I had a meeting/consultation with the Bride about a month ago. She is so sweet, with such a unique look about her! The minute I saw her I was flooded with inspiration! To top it off she not only has a unique almost porcelain doll perfect face look she has a unique and exciting style! The best part? She is fun and free about her wedding! Im not so sure this one will go down in the books as traditional. In fact I am positive it wont! The consultation went so well we were all so excited! Even though I had to use my blonde extension in place of brown for the trial lmbo... which provided us some entertainment lol! Its funny because she is brunette ;) and before she left we booked the date!

  So tomorrow I have one of the Bridesmaids coming for color cut and trial updo aka time to play with my real live Barbie dolls! She happens to be one of my very long time clients who is the sweetest thing and referred the wedding to me! I have a very special place in my heart for her! Can I ad she drives from San Diego every six weeks to get her hair done by yours truly! I cant tell you how special this makes me feel! To have clients who know, love, enjoy, appreciate, and respect your work, well as a Hairstylist this is priceless! Its days like tomorrow that remind me why I started doing what I do! Im so corny but I am on the verge of happy tears as I write this blog because when I was a little girl maybe 7 or 8 Santa brought me a Salon Style Barbie doll head. I taught myself to french braid on it and that was it! I knew what I would be doing to make a living! Did I know how absolutely happy it would make me or how fulfilling it would be at the end of a long hard day? Nope not really but hey thats just icing on the cake! I am all grown up and my Barbies have too! I feel like that little girl all over again! Here's to a day of play! Stay posted if Kristen lets me I'll post some picture's!!

P.S. My Grandma (love her to pieces) told my Mom and that little girl... " Your feet will hurt, your back will hurt and you'll never have money in your pocket!" and in true "Liz" style I set out to prove her wrong... and that I did! Yes most days after work my "Dogs are Barkin" I have had to go to the chiropractor on more then one occasion for back issues but you know what?! I have money in my pocket and I couldn't be more happy! I was born for this and this is what I do!! Not too many people can say that! Love you all!

                                                                      LT

A Guide to finding a good Stylist

    All too often I hear horror stories of hair appointments gone bad. Starting with a new stylist can be a scary step yes it is JUST hair and yes it grows but a bad cut or color job can screw with your self esteem, turn a good day bad, make or brake your mood. Our hair is a way for us to express a little bit of who we are to the world. This is why I am going to "guide" you through a few things that can help you sift through the world of stylist. I have said it before I will say it again, a lot of people do hair, very few people do hair well. I cannot count on my hands and toes combined the number of friends I have that do hair or how often someone tells me oh my cousin does hair my aunt does hair my*blank* does hair! So many people do hair that it has to be hard to choose! Keep in mind this is a guide. What I am about to tell you is only my opinion and there are always some exceptions. But this is rare and the guide will help you. If you are already with a stylist you know and love please do not take this and say to her why dont you do this why do you do that. If its not broke dont fix it! In other words if she does what you like and you are happy dont worry about it! Your happy and that is what matters!

   So here goes first things first, EDUCATION!!!!! This one is HUGE! A sign of a good stylist is one who continues to step out in the world of education. I can say that 1 I have used very very little of what I learned in beauty school... beauty school gives you the basics but mostly teaches us to be safe and clean so that we are not spreading disease, lice, germs or worse causing chemical burns or allergic reactions! Yes our job can be dangerous in the wrong hands! and 2 most of what we learn technique wise in beauty school is useless in the real world. A good stylist will always be up on the hottest trends and be taking continued education as much as she can. I have been told more then once from different teachers "the day someone decides they know it all is the day they stop learning" so true, when you think you know all there is to know you close your mind off and are no longer open to new things. Things are always changing always evolving and a good stylist knows this and wants to take classes.

   Also a good stylist will say NO. I have had many a clients sit in my chair for example with black hair and say I want Gwenn Stefani blonde. Now this IS possible but it will not happen in one appointment in fact it probably will not happen even in 4 appointments and in the process you WILL have breakage your hair WILL be dry and for quite a while you will wonder what was I thinking!!!? I have also had clients who bring me a picture of Kim Khardasian or Britney Spears I have had to say this wont work for you! A good stylist should spend a lot of time explaining to you the ins and outs of what you are in for! What is good for your face shape, or even your life style, some cuts and colors are very high maintenance if I know my client is not a big "blow dry" kind of girl or has trouble getting her hair done every six weeks I will suggest something that will be close to what she is looking for but that also fits her life style and personality. Which brings me to my next point a good stylist knows her worth is confident in her abilities and will charge accordingly. If your stylist is well educated and confident her prices will be or should be a bit more then a "chop shop". When a client comes to me for a cut not only are they paying for my service they are paying for my knowledge and the peace of mind that they go to a stylist who will use that money to take classes and get better for their sake! If I am charging 6 dollars for a hair cut that took me an hour + to do first off I am making less then minimum wage but in turn after paying my business back and taking care of life expenses do you really think that 6 dollars will leave me with money in savings to continue with classes? NO. Might I add my shears cost $350 yes thats right and I keep them sharpened so you get a good precise cut! Sharpening alone cost anywhere from 20 to 60 dollars. I will post a whole other blog on why my scissors cost what they do but a good pair of shears will cost anywhere from 200 to upwards of 1500. Mind you I would NOT spend 1500 I think at that point its simply ridiculous! But non the less our tools (good tools) cost money and have upkeep that also has a cost. Sorry off that rant :P Any who ok so Well Educated past beauty school, fairly but not under priced, and knows when and how to say no.

     Oh here is a big one! I will finish with this! A good stylist will always admit a wrong! Things happen color can do things you did not expect a lot can go wrong even when you are well educated take your time do all the right steps!! I have had it happen where I totally miss a whole spot!! LOL I dont realize it until color is processed all washed out and Im ready to cut!! I could pretend its not there and hope the client does not notice or I can admit my mistake apologize and correct! I would much rather correct it then and there rather then send her home to notice call me all upset and bam now I have to book a whole new appt to fix it! More time for me and her out of our schedule! and at that point Im sure I will have lost a bit of trust.

   I really could keep going but I wont this should get you started and really if I had to pick only 1 good trait to go with it would be well educated! I hope this helps some of you if you are in search of a new stylist, if you are with someone you love I hope it helps you to appreciate them more and if you are a stylist yourself and maybe don't do these things or are lacking in an area I hope it will inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and grow a little bit more as a stylist! We owe it to our clients! Thanks for reading Leave a comment! Have anything to add I would LOVE to hear! Love your stylist I would love to hear or had a bad experience my ears are all yours!! ;)

Updated Pinwheel w/ Ribbon...

as I promised ;)

Leave some L O V E comment and follow :) Thanks 4 watching!

LT

How-to Bobby Pin Flower...

 I did this on my model for my last shoot thought it would be a great How-to hope you enjoy!

Have you ever done anything fun with bobby pins? Do you like this did you try it how easy was it? Leave a comment lemme know!! :)

 LT

More images...

Here is more of me having fun with the showing of bobby pins I simply placed them one by one on a pivot until it created this little flower.

 Mary Poppins esc my model is a Nanny by profession so we had fun with this one!! 

Inspired by Beyonce's music video and for the life of me I cant think of the song it was sorry but I LOVED her extra long braid! 

How cute and clean this image is! The braid was made from a track of none human hair ( like barbie hair so it cant be curled or heated up) but its cheap and good for looks like this I wrapped it around a ponytail of my clients real hair then split it in three and placed a braid! Hope you like :) Leave a comment!! 

LT

PICTURES!!!

 Well I am so excited to share these images with you all. When I decided it was time to "Go back to work"... in translation start this blog, Youtube videos, website, and start taking clients again I automatically thought I really need some new images! Especially since I could not find a professional picture taken of me that I was not pregnant in! LOL. So here they are the start of my new image for all my professional promotion tools and the start of my portfolio. You might recognize some of the clothes they are part of my personal wardrobe ;) and my make up artist couldn't make it (see previous post for reason). But at the end of the day I think I am off to a good start I am thankful for what came of the day and I look forward to seeing everything being put to use!! Tell me what you think I cant wait!!

First look I added in some light and dark blonde extensions through out the bottom of my models hair to create more fullness and a few inches of length. An aqua headband for a fun spin on a center split and of course we could all handle a little more peace in our lives ;) 

 Second look was inspired by what is going on with all of the spring 11' fashion shows bright colors are in. If I can add I am not really excited about this but when I found these barrettes at Sally's I thought what a great way to stay up on the trends without going overboard. I simply pulled back and placed a barrette every couple inches then criss crossed it in the back to connect.

 I LOVE this image my model even without makeup is so gorgeous and this was her first time modeling :) I think she did a fantastic job and we had a blast! This picture makes her look like a pro ;)

 This Faux Bob was inspired by Bumble and Bumble stylists. I rolled her length up and pinned to her base (scalp) pulling out layers to overlap and create a more realistic effect. She was a trooper but wont be cutting it for real anytime soon.

This was FUN inspired by one of my all time fav girls Gwenny Gwenn ;) a mohawk like up-do with exposed bobby pins. The bobby pins were inspired by Amber the teacher of an up-do class I took while working at Carlton Hair International. I think showing bobby pins is fun, edgy and against the grain ;) 

Another image with the Faux Bob I think this girl is so pretty and she pulled off no makeup so well! Those eyes Lips n teeth! Hispanic and Dutch make a good mix!! :D

and here I am doing my thing... I get a very serious look on my face while I work even though inside I am squealing like a pig excited!! When we were shooting the previous pictures I was standing behind the photographer jumping up and down "Oh I love it" "OOO OO that one is fun!" hee hee I love what I do! I love that its not work! and things like this remind me of all that!! Thanks to Lydsey (My Model) Matt Weybright (The Photographer Mattweybright.com) and Janie (His wife) they had just moved the day before! I was so thankful she let him work :) and a very very BIG THANKS to all of you who read watch and follow it is because of you that I have an excuse to book moments like this! As always thanks for reading and looking! Leave a comment tell me what you think!! 

LT

3_Mini Up-Dos

 This video has been I think my funnest yet! I filmed 3 things I do with my hair for DIY up dos. My Favorite is the side braid....

Thanks for watching!!

LT :)

A Series of Unfortunate Events

 As I promised via twitter this post will be all about the adventure of Photo shoot day!! Well adventure makes it sound like it was all fun and games not so much. In fact it was more like a series of miss fortunate events. Lucky for me once shooting started things flowed as smooth as honey! Mind you lack of assistant and Make-up Artist made for a crazy busy LT.  You know looking back on it all as I drove to the studio I thought to myself "this is my life, crazy always seems to sneak its way in, why am I acting surprised?" Truth be told I handled the situation like the pro that I am, its a rare instance that any "event" be it a casual wedding, extravagant photo shoot, or maybe a beauty pageant, that absolutely nothing goes wrong! If you have been in this business even for a short while you know this. I have witnessed on plenty occasions brides freaking out that things are running late. I might have seen ONE wedding that ran on time!

 I am going to start by taking you back a week before the shoot was scheduled. I had an idea of what I wanted the pictures to look like, in studio me doing hair photo lights here and there white or grey backdrop, simple, nothing crazy. I wanted to find a barstool black leather maybe for my model to perch on. This would be my biggest prop. One day while checking the mail I came across a Lamps plus ad and randomly decided to skim through it! Right there in front of my face was the perfect barstool and score it was even on sale! So the next day I went with my husband in tow (to do the heavy lifting of course ;) and we went to our local Lamps Plus. Well they were out! The nearest store with one in stock? Nevada! LOL oh let me go jump back in the car we will shoot right over tell them to hold it!! LOL. The store clerk was actually very nice and said he would arrange for the next truck to bring it out they could have it here that friday! Perfect so I was really excited this was the one thing I was not sure where or if I could find, so it worked out or so I thought! That friday I received a call, my barstool was in. I went down and picked it up as soon as I could. Why I did not check for defects before I left is beyond me. I was so excited I probably just wasn't thinking. Well when I brought it home I took the plastic off and there was a HUGE slice (obviously made by a box cutter) right on the backside of my barstool :( this was going to be a problem since it was the nearest and last barstool within the state. I called the store and they would be more then happy to exchange it but would not be getting another shipment of them until April. This didn't help me since my shoot was last week. That was unfortunate event number 1.

   The night before the shoot I was running around my house like a chicken with my head cut off. Putting together my models wardrobe, making extensions of all lengths and colors, picking out jewelry, and making sure I had all my tools in order and clean. I thought I had it all under control. The shoot was scheduled for 10 a.m. the next morning. I was up until 12:30 making extensions and when I finally went to bed I was still not finished! I woke up at 8 a.m. the next morning a little late since my alarm went off at 6 a.m. So needless to say I was running a bit behind. Lucky for me I have an amazing husband! While I was putting on my make-up and getting myself ready he was packing my car. My plan was to be at the studio by 9:45 to start set up. Umm, I left my house at 9:45!!! Unfortunate event number 2!

    This last event is going to floor you! I bet you couldn't have seen this one coming if you thought the craziest thing ever. So as I am walking out the door I took a quick glance at my phone... I had a missed call from my Make-up artist. I figured it was her giving me an eta. So I called her right back to touch base. She then goes on to tell me that her car is wrecked. She was on the freeway on her way to the shoot and a motorcyclist crossed over double yellows right in front of her!!! She hardly had time to slam on the brakes! My poor friend! I felt so bad, like it was my fault! Of course I know it wasn't but hello she would not have been driving if it weren't to get to my shoot! Now she handled it like the pro that she is!! She was like " Liz, I have to make a report and drop off my car get a rental but I am still going to try my best to make it!!" WHAT!?? See, this girl knows! Things happen the show must go on! LOL Oh let me say everyone involved was ok motorcyclist walked away with out a scratch! My poor friend is probably a bit traumatized she never made it to the shoot and we plan on scheduling a new one since we are both working on revamping our work portfolios. After I left the shoot I called her and she had everything under control... I love this girl she really is a pro! But of course this left me with a make-up less model. Thank goodness for beautiful girls and photoshop! ;) Unfortunate event number 3!!

    So to say the least this was a crazy day full of surprises but I think all persons involved handled it like the pros that we are! We have some really great shots, we had a good time chit chatting with each other, my model was a blast to work with and did a great job she was my own personal real life Barbie Doll a little girls dream come true! Did her hair, picked her outfits and told her how to pose for the camera (with the photographers help of course ;) and at the end of it all... I had the time of my life! I will be using the photos to launch my website! So stay posted. As always Thanks for reading!

                                                                  Love,

                                                                    LT :)

5 Things You Might Not Know About me...

ONE... This is HUGE and quite honestly if you know me at all Im not sure this would fall under what you "might not know" but I am on FIRE for God!! The first and foremost love of my life is the Trinity Father Son Holy Spirit of course they are all the same in different forms but yes I am on a walk learning on a constant basis how God wants me to live out my life. I try to keep it as simple as possible I LOVE everyone as much as my human heart makes possible and I strive to improve who I am how I act what I do every minute of every day! I could do NONE of this without help from the Trinity.

TWO... The second love of my life my family JT and the girls are a huge part of me I know that God blessed me with them for lots of reasons they are a symbol of His love for me a constant reminder of why I need to care about and love myself! Which is very hard for me to do!

THREE... I have horses, dogs and a goat! I LOVE animals. Many people are pretty shocked when they learn this fact because if you meet me outside of my element ( element being my home ;) ) I dont think I come off as an animal lover. But yes I believe these are another blessing from God if I am having a bad day my thoughts are all jumbled up I need to clear my head a sure fire way for me to get the job done is to put on my "muckers" dirty clothes and go down the hill to my horses. I cannot explain what the connection is I can just say that it is definitely there. My horse is older and quite cranky at times, she is a girl so I give her a break I know how it is to have hormones overflowing from you body!! But man I look in her eyes and love on her and there is a mutual feeling of love and respect for each other its beautiful!

FOUR... I am pretty sure I am half crazy! :D LOL No really I am constantly going going going in my head I am very sensitive to things people say and do and I often talk to myself about these things! Most of the time having to talk myself out of the negative things I come up with about others. Which is another reason why God is so amazing to me!! Its great to have him to chat with throughout the day! I am not quite sure where I would be without him!

FIVE... This one is fun!! I shock most when I tell this story! You know that ice breaker where you tell two things about yourself, one that is true and one that is false? I always say these two things... I was born in Alaska OR I have never met my real dad. So everyone without fail assumes I have never met my real dad which is kind of sad if you think about it because not knowing your real dad is more common then it should be :( So yes I do know my real dad. The truth about me is that I was born in Alaska. Call me corny but I love this little fact about me! Alaska is an absolutely beautiful state and I couldnt be more proud to say YES that is where I am from!! :)

  So thats it... Im sure there is way more you might not know about me but I am really liking this whole 5 things theme kick I am on. Hope you enjoyed! Tell me about you! Anything that seems to shock people when they find it out! Cant wait to hear!! and as always Thank You so much for taking the time to read my blog!

                                                              LT

5 Things I NEVER leave the house without!

 ONE... Sunglasses! I have at least 6 pairs. I love sunglasses the right pair can be the greatest finish to the perfect outfit! They can say I am not in the mood to chat today! Or I LOVE fashion ( you know the ones!! the big fly eyes!!) B-)

TWO... Earrings!! I wouldn't even begin to count how many pairs of earrings I have! LOL I can say this much though I own a four drawer jewelry box, a 9 drawer jewelry box, I hang at least ten pairs on the towel rack in my bathroom, and i also have one of those medium size clear drawer organizers you get at target full of jewelry!

THREE... Perfume! I think our sent can be our signature. My Favorite Chanel Chance (thanks to my best friend) who smells completely different in it then I do but I love it just the same! In case you were wondering she smells the best in it ;)

FOUR... Chapstick! I always have at least TWO on my person on at all times! Don't believe me? Next time you see me just ask! I am a freak about dry lips! I could live without lipgloss but chapstick? oh no!!
P.S. Thats right I said I could live without lipgloss please don't pass out! LOL

and FIVE... My Phone! I could leave my whole purse at home but bring my phone... this hasn't always been the case though ;) I have been know to go MIA a few times! But since starting my blogs and second twitter I like to stay connected as much as possible!

OMG! I have to add a SIX... yes I am aware of the title but this is a BIG one!! COFFEE!! Always my morning drive is accompanied by my travel mug full of coffee! I use to smoke... I know REALLY bad for you! Thank God I quit before kids but its still this thing that I have to have something to keep busy while driving and if I've already had my fill of coffee then I will take a bottle of water!

    So I have shared five (well actually six) ;) things that I don't leave home without... how about you? Do we have anything in common? Do you think any of mine are weird? What do you have that could be considered weird? Leave it all in the comments section cant wait to hear! B-)

                                                          LT

Beautifully Braided!

  I and most other Hairstylists cant stress enough how bad it is to wash your hair everyday. So I am going to be doing a series of different how-to styles that you can use to push your washing back that extra day! I can do a 4 day rotation myself but I am a blonde and us blondes tend to be extra dry! If you have tried time and again without fail to go an extra day and cant seem to figure out how to live with your oily mess I hope to inspire you to not give up! This is the first quick how to style video I have done I did this on my third style day and then the fourth day I repeated this look but instead of half down I wrapped the bottom half up into a messy side bun! 

If you have any further questions I would be more then happy to help!

Thanks for watching!

LT :)

A Vlog on the importance of product!

 I do realize I am a bit serious in this video :) hahaha! I am working on getting more comfortable in front of the camera. I am also trying out different spots in my house to see which is best background and lighting so  please hang in there with me :/ I am working on improvements ;) but none the less I do believe this video blog does have some great info! So I hope you watch and enjoy!