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!! ;)