I recently tried to finagle a way to see more of my husband who works in the Entertainment Industry. He was working on a show that was filming an episode near our home, and I felt like I hadn't seen him awake in months. There was an open casting call for background actors for the show and episode he was working on, so I submitted a picture. I really didn't think I’d be called but thought it was worth the shot. They did call back, and asked me to work the day. But, the location had changed to somewhere far away. I still agreed to do it; I mean a 12 hour paid vacation from the kids, YEAH SIGN ME UP! At least, that is what I thought at the time. 

                I went in not telling anyone that I was married to someone in the Art Department. I was under the impression I’d get to do a lot of sitting around, I even brought Dances with Dragons to finish while sitting around for hours. I didn't get to sit around! I was constantly moving and changing clothes and doing something called a WIPE. Not like wipe your baby’s butt, but walking in front of the camera...I think that’s what it meant.

                I got to dress up as a nurse and run a gurney with a camera man and his 300 lb. camera up and down a dirty abandoned hospital hall, OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. All the while trying not to kick the lead actress who was running in front of me and holding a full saline bag straight up in the air. No workout was needed at the end of the day.

                I got to meet some interesting people; some people actually try to make a living at doing background work. I don’t know how, $100 a day isn't very much money and not many things are filmed here in the desert anymore. I also got to put a face to the names I've been hearing the husband talk about for years.

                When they set me free from doing background I put on my regular clothes and finally got to spend some time with my husband. Even though it involved heavy lifting and running around a creepy, dark, abandoned hospital after dark, it was well worth those 4 hours with him.

                Will I ever try to do background acting again? Not unless it’s a favor to someone I really like. It just wasn't my thing, I didn't get to sit around, I never even cracked my book open. It’s a lot of waiting and redoing the same thing over, and over, and over, and over again, and again.  I’m also pretty petrified of being on film; I refused to even be sort of facing the camera the whole day. The thing made me nervous. I was petrified I was going to be that one stupid background person to ruin the whole shot, the whole day. Luckily I didn't. But, it didn't make me stress out about it any less.

                I've been instructed not to disclose the company, show, or location of the shoot.  Until after it airs, so when it actually airs I can say which episode and blah, blah, blah…I’m pretty sure though. That my face is not in any of the shots, my manicure, elbows, arms, and hands more than likely are all that will be seen. It was an experience, but not something I will ever do again.

                If you think background work is something you would like to try you can Google your area for local casting agents. I personally wouldn't pay a company to help you get background work, but if you want to I guess you can. You can also check craigslist for background work. 

Lies I was told in Beauty School.

Some people know, and some people do not. But I once was a practicing Cosmetologist. Having been raised in the beauty industry it just seemed like something I should do, that I HAD to do! I wasn't the best, and I wasn't the worst. Which was a feat considering my education, which was overpriced and underwhelming? I was told a lot of things that made no sense to me in Beauty School (BS) (hahaha), but I figured things held a different meaning for me and I understood parts of the business that even my instructors wouldn't. Why? Because, my Grandmother had her own shop for almost 50 years, everything I know about color I learned from her before I was seven. So, color theory class was BORING. But, to get to the whole point of this post. The biggest lie I was ever told during BS was that you should choose your stylist based on their hair, or their families hair.  For some reason this made sense to me for a little bit. My Grandmother was amazing, and she always looked impeccable(I wouldn't learn until later that to look this way she woke up 2 hours before everyone else and coiffed her hair and beautified her face then dressed to the 9's before cooking breakfast)! She also did my hair and my mother's for years and years and to be honest my hair never looked better than when my Grandma was doing it.

But, the reality of everything hit me after about 9 months of doing hair. I switched shops and worked with a friend from BS. We were both building our clientele then and had PLENTY of time to make ourselves look AMAZEBALLS! Her boys and husband had the nicest hair that side of the Mississippi. Then life got real, we got clients, we switched shops. We had no time! So, what am I saying?

Do not choose your stylist based on his/her hair, unless you're going to base it off how "not perfect" their hair looks. A stylist spends her day on her feet; there is rarely a break between clients. In the off chance she manages to get any free time, she's going to spend it trying to choke down some food, or to have a bio break. Also, it's rare that a stylist cuts and colors her own hair, so you're probably looking at someone else's work.

Do not choose your stylist based on their families hair. Some do like to spend their off time making their people look good. Others don't want to spend their off time doing hair, sure we love it, but you have to take a break sometimes.

Pick your stylist based on their clientele's hair. Its 2013 the majority of stylists have a portfolio; don't be afraid to ask to look at it before you go sitting in someone's chair. Supposedly, your hair is your crowning glory, be careful with it (even if it does grow back), choose wisely. And if you find someone you love who does a good job. TIP THEM!!

A normal tip is about 20% of your service; if there was shampoo girl/boy tip them separately from your stylist.

I even tip on horrible service, but just enough for them to know they need to keep working on their skills usually about 10%.

And above all remember your stylist is:

A Beautician, Not a Magician.

Be reasonable in your expectations.

No way that crap is true!

I think we've all done it in the wee hours of the morning. There we are diligently pinning away on Pinterest when we come across a pin that seems too good to be true. Recently, I saw a post about applying brown sugar water to your hair to straighten it without heat. My inner stylist called total bull crap, but part of me was like "OOO! That's awesome!". I clicked on the link and was taken to some site that had nothing to do with the pin. Spam (womp womp). But, me being me decided I wanted to try it anyway.

I have no link for a pin because I do not want to send you to any sort of spam sites. I googled brown sugar water for hair straightening and came up with a bunch of different Yahoo question pages. So, I took matter into my own hands. Here's what I did.

1. Microwave one cup of water for 2 minutes (I wanted it hot enough to disolve the brown sugar).

2. Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and stir, stir, stir (I used light brown sugar and honestly do not know if there is a difference between light and not light?)

3. Pour into spray bottle.

4. Let cool.

5. Apply to clean wet hair and let dry.

I took a before picture yesterday so I styled my hair in the same manner that I did yesterday..which means I put some jumbo velcro rollers on the ends after my hair had already dried and walked around the house for 20 minutes.

Here is a  visual of the result:

The left is yesterday without brown sugar water, and the right is today.

Did it work? I don't know my hair has a mild almost invisible wave to it that I can usually brush out. So, while I can not attest to it straightening curly hair I can tell you that my hair seems less frizzy (not sticky), and a lot fuller! I have super thin baby fine hair and am balding so I was very pleased with how full this made my hair appear!

Have a pin you think is total crap but our still curious about? Let me know, I'll try it out and share the results.
Same goes for products. 

Russell Organics Argan Oil Review

Disclaimer: While I received this product at no cost, this blog post is not sponsored by the good people at Russell Organics (RO) and the fact that there was no charge to me for the product will not affect my view either way. Now, that we have that out of the way let's get to it :) 

As I said in my previous blog post when I received Russell Organics Argan Oil in the mail I was not really familiar with it. I had heard of it, it seems to be the new “IT” product for everything cosmetic and beauty. It is touted to be amazing for your hair, skin, and nails it’s a triple threat, so I was excited to use it. Thankfully, RO was kind enough to include a USP sheet and advice to start out small.

Russell Organics Argan Oil is:
Toxin and cruelty free, cost effective, versatile, convenient, and best of all Vegan!
While I do eat meat again now, I have always only used Vegan and cruelty free beauty products so this makes me very happy!

After I tore into my package and read everything I was excited to use the Argan oil, maybe too excited. I did not at first heed the warning to start out slow with a few drops to see how much my hair, face and nails actually need. Once I got over my excitement I adjusted. My face only requires two drops which means  this 2 oz. bottle is going to last me forever! RO argan oil is scentless, which I love! C over at C Takes On turned me onto coconut oil and I love it but the smell gets to me sometimes.  So, the fact that RO argan oil is scentless really impresses me and makes me very happy. Along with being scentless it is really great for moisturizing my parched skin out here in the desert. I got this just in time for the start of the really dry season here in the desert. Which means dry chapped skin if you do not stay on top of it. I have been applying the argan oil not only to my face but also to my hands, arms, legs and my elbows! My elbows are prone to become really dry and gross and cracking no matter how much I exfoliate and moisturize. With the RO argan oil I haven’t had a problem.

I have also been using it on my lips; this was not a suggestion on anything I read, my lips were just really dry and my normal go to wasn’t working out for me. I would just put a few drops on my finger whenever I went by my beauty cabinet and rub it into my lips. The bottle says organic, it’s 100% argan oil,  no fillers and no additives so I wasn’t worried about ingesting anything I shouldn't and I’m alive with soft, subtle lips so it was worth it. I am thinking of actually getting a flavor oil and making a gloss, since it’s an oil it does live a light shine to your lips and I like it! I just like my gloss to has a flavor.

 Let’s get to the hair!  First, you need to know that even though I’m a second generation cosmetologist and I know all the right things to do to be nice to my hair and make it beautiful genetics and my own addition to the blower dryer have rendered me with thin, damaged hair. For the last few weeks I have put my beloved coconut oil away and have not used it in my hair. I have been shampooing and conditioning with Suave Sleek, because I know it’s not doing anything amazing to my hair and I can see the results of the argan oil. Since my hair is so thin it took me a couple of tries to figure out how much was just enough argan oil for my hair.  In the end, my short thin hair only requires 6 drops anything more and I get a “greasy” look. Take your time figuring out what is right and be patient because the results are well worth it. My hair is mostly damaged because I like a sleek smooth straight look, which I achieve through daily blowouts (bad). With the argan oil I’ve been able to take my own advice and not blow dry every day. I can let my hair air dry and actually go out in public! No heat, no problem.  My normally frizzy air dried hair looks like everyone else’s normal air dried hair. This makes my life as a Mom so much easier! 

Now for your nails, I do not think I could find a better cuticle treatment. I am a busy Mom, and very mean to my hands. I try to be kind and get a manicure once a week, but sometimes I just cannot make the time. My cuticles are very much neglected most of the time. I started applying one drop of RO argan oil to every nail bed every night. I have had less hangnails and have noticed that my hands are the softest they have ever been (even softer than when I coat them in coconut oil, seriously). My nails even seem stronger,  I can’t say if that is 100% the argan oil since I have been sporadically taking a vitamin for my hair. But, since I am taking the vitamin so sporadically I do think the argan oil has more to do with the sudden health of my nails than the vitamins.

This product is versatile and has earned a spot in my beauty cabinet. 

Here is where to find this product.
It comes in two sizes, so if you don’t want to commit to a 2 oz. bottle try it out with their 1 oz. bottle first.
Russel Organics Argan Oil 1 Ounce
Russell Organics Argan Oil 2 Ounces

Before and After Pictures

On the right I have Sephora Nail Stickers on, but you can see my cuticles look so much better! 

The before and after of my face aren't really telling, but I think the hair speaks for itself. Again, that is without the use of a blow dryer or any other styling tools. I just applied the Argan Oil, combed my hair and let it air dry. 

Tips:
When applying argan oil as a smoothing agent after styling use a couple of drops in the palm of your hand, rub palms together and then apply first to the underside of the back of your hair, and then to the ends and lastly at the roots to prevent flyways. This will prevent you from overdoing it and creating a greasy look.

Apply a few drops to the pads of your fingers and massage into scalp before you go to bed every night. A healthy scalp promotes healthy hair, scalp stimulation is great for a healthy scalp :) 

Apply the argan oil to your nails and surrounding cuticle before applying polish, go over the nail bed with a q-tip before applying polish. This way once your nails are dry you just wipe away the oil and mess ups. The bonus here is your conditioning your cuticles while protecting them from a messy polish application. 

Have cracked heels? Add a few drops of argan oil to your favorite thick cream moisturizer and apply to heels before bed and wear thick socks to bed. Wake up in the morning to baby soft feet.

Clinique's Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

I had meant to review Clinique’s Even Better foundation, but after a horrible break out I decided it would not be fair to review this product. I have somewhat sensitive skin, and am never really sure what is going to set it off. In this instance it was Clinique’s foundation, amazingly the Clinique’s  Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector did not cause a break out. So, I will sing to you its praises. I have no real before and after pictures to show you because everyone claims to not see my melasma (a darkening of the skin on the face). My melasma is just above my lip and on my upper left cheek, and terribly embarrassing for me I feel like I have a mustache when I don’t. But,  apparently it is invisible to the rest of the world, or everyone I meet is too kind to agree they see it.

I used the Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Remover for 4 weeks, because the package said this would allow me to see optimal results. I did! I was so excited as I watched my face brigten and my melasma fade, it’s still visible but much less noticeable without makeup. It has a hefty price tag though at nearly $49 a bottle it can take a chunk out of your wallet. I am grateful for gift cards; because I am not sure I would drop that amount of money on it for myself. 

A Day of Before and Afters

Let's start off with my pantry, I pretty much HATE my pantry. No matter how many times I "organize" it, it will always end up looking just like this!

BEFORE

It took me about 8 hours to "organize" it today. That was only because I spent most of the day coloring mine and my husband's hair while doing homework and STILL dealing with a crap load of pain from my surgery.

ANYHOO here is the AFTER

It still looks like a cluttered mess. One day I will conquer it!

My hair is ever changing. I grew up in a salon and was a stylist myself for a few years. So, it's "in my blood" I guess you could say. When I met my husband I had black hair so after the last baby he asked me if I would color my hair black again, SURE what the hell! Well guess what? I have gray hair and the desert sun is making my natural medium blond hair grow in much lighter so I was having to retouch pretty much every week to keep from looking like a skunk. I decided I needed a change my husband requested Vampire Red from Manic Panic, for some reason I agreed. So, today I started by bleaching my hair, I was pretty amazed that most of the black came out with one application of Manic Panic Amplified Bleach 40V. But then I got scared, I didn't want to go crazy red! I'm currently not comfortable with my weight and I didn't want to draw any extra attention to myself. Nope, BRIGHT red just wasn't going to do. I sent Jere to Sally's with a list of colors and the result while very "normal" is something I really like! I think we'll keep it!

BEFORE (with make up on)

DURING: L-R Just bleach, Tried to tone it with violet based color, Got real and mixed some Ash with the Violet POW!


My son and I dorking around with my new iPhone. 

My husband mid crazy hair coloring rampage decided he didn't want the Manic Panic Vampire to be left to a life in my hair supply pantry, so we bleached his hair and wala!
This picture melts my heart, I love seeing my "boys'' together. 

Name Monsters

I had forgotten all about these fun little creatures until I started playing Picasso with my son on the Kindle Fire.It has a mirror option., which is how we accomplished this Lady Dylan Monster/Alien/Thing.

But you can do it old school with a pencil and some paper. 

Fold your paper in half and with a heavy hand write the child's name in cursive on the fold, it's OK to spill over to the other side, as you see we did with the y and part of the N in Dylan.

Then you close the paper up so the pencil is facing the clean side of the paper. 

Next you can either rub really hard with the side of your pencil, or let your child color with a very heavy hand on the side with the name on it.

Open it up and you will see a light version of your original heavy handed name., trace over both with a sharpie and let your child decorate it with eyeballs and what not.