Salon Visits

Do you dress up a little to visit your stylist?

For my most recent appointment with my friend Myra, who is also my stylist, I wore jeans with a nice jacket and a layered tank top with animal print booties.

My logic has always been that if you dress nicely in attire that represents your style well, you will be more likely to get a cut that makes you happy. This holds true, especially if the stylist has just met you.

Hairstyles are the accessory we wear every day. Never underestimate the power of a good cut and a color that is complementary to your coloring.

I always arrive on time or even a few minutes early, considering my stylist and everyone else who has scheduled time with her for the day. Respect for my stylist and the other patrons includes dressing for the visit, showing up on time, leaving my cell phone in the car, and always speaking in a low voice. For many of us, this is one of the few times we get to relax and be pampered. I never want to interfere with a woman getting pampered!

The BCBGMAXAZRIA Bowie jacket is from Saks Off 5th, as is the draped crossover top and the French Connection animal print ankle boots. The ankle jeans are old from Chico's. The chain bag is old from Express.

Styling tip for the day. Wear a short jacket with a longer top to look more slender.

It's All About That Hair

This week, Joanne wrote to me about her powerful personal experience with a haircut that was wrong for her. She generously agreed to allow me to share her story with you.

"I left a lengthy comment on one of your blog posts about how important the right hairstyle is. Here is a rare decent picture of the pixie I had. I am stunned at the impact it has had on my life. I want to chime in about the importance of a good haircut that suits your face. I had a pixie cut and loved the feel of it during the summer. It was nice and cool. But it did not suit me, so I grew it out."

"I grew the pixie cut out to about the bottom of my collar. I had no energy. No life. Just felt blah all the time. I blamed my diet. I became very irritated with my hair and went to get it all whacked off again into a pixie. My hairstylist of several years suggested I go back to the angled bob as it is low maintenance and suits my face so much better."

"I cannot believe how much better I feel about myself and life. This all might seem shallow, but it is true! I feel good about myself. I want to get up in the morning. I want to dress up, I want to put makeup on, and most importantly, I want to be involved in life again. I had no idea that the proper hairstyle was so powerful!"

"I was starting to wonder if I was suffering from depression. I don't consider myself a vain person, but the right cut improved my sense of well-being more than I ever thought possible or logical." 

"I am 55 years old and do not color my hair. I do have plenty of grays; they just don't show in pictures yet."

Thank you so much, Joanne, for allowing me to share your experience here with my readers. I created this blog to show examples of the style that might inspire others who might need a change but are unsure how to make those changes.

Joanne's story is a perfect example of how style, texture, and form can affect our outlook on life and our self-image daily on so many levels.

New Hair!

Today I visited my friend Myra for a new hairstyle. She owns The Charlemont in Kingsport, TN. Charlemont is a great boutique, but there is also a salon with full services as well.

My hair is always unruly in summer, so Myra suggested a new modified bob style that could be blown out straight or in its natural state of waves.

My hair is still dark underneath, so we are going to do some blending lowlights next time.

This shot taken later in the day is what it will look like most of the time. Windblown and a bit messy is more me.

Into The Wind

Our temperatures have been very pleasant lately but oh, that wind.

When I saw this little frayed edge white denim jacket at Chico's, I just had to have it.

It will be a summer basic since it can be worn over almost anything when we are in over-air-conditioned spaces such as restaurants.

Some of you have asked for more pictures showing my hairstyle. This is the back after using Wen hair care products for only a couple of days.

This video shows you how my hair is cut.

Wear It Wednesday - Hair and Makeup

Many of you have asked for more suggestions for hairstyles and makeup tips, so I will share a few of my personal successes and failures in general. 

(Sometimes, a bad example is a great teacher!)

Let's review: Hair too short, and the bangs need to start further back. There is too much going on around my face. Smaller earrings and one less collar sticking up and no scarf would have been better, but the jacket is also too bulky and boxy. That dark smudge of eye shadow underneath makes me look harsh.

At 54, I felt as if I was dressing up as an older woman instead of embracing who I am and letting my personality show by wearing what I am comfortable in.

Wispy bangs that are too short and brows that were not filled make me look older than my 55 years. I should have left off the earrings.

There isn't anything from that look that is working. This navy jacket worn with jeans and the sleeves pushed up might work but not in this dowdy get-up.

My hair is way too short above. I am wearing too many knit items. At this age (56 here), I need more structured clothing and softer makeup, and longer, less neat hair.

I am more true to myself with long full bangs and softer, more blended makeup. The black trench coat from Express and simple black heels work with everything, including these Chico's boyfriend jeans.

I'm four years older than the first picture, but I am now a lot more confident and comfortable in my skin.

Now for the makeup tips.

• I never put brown on my face... contour powders or bronzers just make my skin look dirty. A bit of rose blush high on the cheekbone is enough.
• A dark lip color on me is too harsh. A color close to my own lip color to give a bit of color and rich moisture is much better. 
• No lines, shadows, or even mascara on the lower lash line. I wear liquid eyeliner, but I put it under and into the upper lash line only, then follow with a smudge of a dark shadow on the top of the lash line and progressively get lighter as my shadow reaches the brows. Blending is the most important part!
• Another eye shadow trick: My eyes are fairly close together, and as we age, the area at the inner corners becomes darker, so I wear a lighter color on the inner third of my eyelid, a little darker color on the center third, and the darkest color of all at the outer third of my eyelid.
• I don't wear a foundation, but I sometimes wear a tinted moisturizer with a high SPF sun protection.
• Remove all makeup and sleep with clean skin. I put on moisturizers only when I wake up in the morning. Otherwise, I will have breakouts.

I get a facial about once a month. I drink lots of water and eat mostly fresh organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, beans, and an occasional glass of wine. I try to get seven (more like five) hours of sleep every night. Those are my skincare tips.

New Hair Style

My hairstyle gets changed about every six months so yesterday I asked Allison to give me a shorter tousled style that does not need to be blown out straight.

I look a bit rumpled because these photos were taken at the end of a busy day.

I am still getting accustomed to styling my hair differently, but this is much easier!

I wore this Chico's blue tunic and white jeans to have lunch with my sister today. The shoes and sunglasses are from T.J.Max.

Wear It Wednesday ... Hair

After many not so great hairstyle choices, I now have a keeper.

This cut is softly layered around my face with long bangs. I normally tuck most of the sides behind my ears.

I stopped coloring my hair when I turned fifty. I have never missed all those coloring appointments at more than $100 a pop, and I really hated the look of visible roots after such a short period of time. The softness of the natural silver-gray complements my own softer coloring much more than ever applied to my hair.

I use the Jhirmak Silver Plus shampoo at least once a week to keep it from turning dull and yellowish. On a couple of days, I skip the shampoo and just use conditioner. (These photos were taken on one of those days.) My hair and skin are much drier than when I was younger. I have tried a "zillion" shampoos and conditioners at all price points, but Suave is the only one I have found that my scalp doesn't react negatively to.

My hair is wavy by nature, but I blow dry it using a round brush to smooth it into the style you see above. The silver brush is used when not drying my hair, but I rarely think about it for the rest of the day. I don't even carry a brush in my bag.

The red arrow is pointing to the mystery button on many hair dryers. I didn't know until a few years ago what it was for. Turn down the heat to warm and hold the button down to blow cool air to close the cuticles of your hair. It also removes all the heat held in your hair so that you aren't perspiring while putting on your makeup.

Here's the rest of the look for Wear It Wednesday!

The cascading vest is from Covered Perfectly. The white tee and black Capris are from Chico's last year. The black platform sandals are from Kohl's a few years ago.

The Haircut

I visited Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for a few days last week. (It was eighty-two degrees!) While there, I had time to do something I have been needing to do for a couple of weeks. 

Before

Before

As you can see from the before pictures above, I was way past due for a haircut. I have been so busy lately, that I could not take the time to visit my regular stylist at home. 

Erica Warren is a stylist at The Hair Designers in the Village at Wexford on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. She was so kind to work me into her busy schedule on Saturday. She did a great job! My hair has never looked so healthy.

After

After

Erica is a magician with her styling brush and blow dryer!