Category Archives: The Beauty Aisle

Color Theory: Hair by Kelly Cardenas Salon

Now that I’ve had my hair colored, I just can’t stop! Imagine the elation I felt to be contacted by the folks at Kelly Cardenas Salon to try out their newest location in Hillcrest. Tucked away on 5th Avenue, Kelly Cardenas Salon is quite the retreat. It’s a very clean, minimalist space with Kelly’s infamous dreads logo sprinkled throughout.

I was greeted by Roxy, who contacted me initially, and was immediately offered a beverage and a place to store my personal belongings before being guided to a room to change into a robe. The workspace is large with an industrial look, and is quite organized. The hair dryers drop from the ceiling, which really eliminates the feel of being tangled with other stylists. The “Color Bar” is where all of the pigmentation magic happens!

My favorite part of the salon was the room where the hair washing occurs, but I didn’t have an opportunity to take any pictures because there were clients being attended to at the time. It’s different from any other salon I’ve been to because usually the hair washing station is out in the open like the rest of the salon. At KCS, their hair washing station is enclosed in a separate room and darkened, with soothing music playing in the background. It takes that service to a higher and more zen level. It’s like going to your favorite massage parlor, but for your hair!

Salvador was my stylist for the day and he took such good care of me, asking me questions to ensure I get the color and cut I want, but gave me good guidance so that I understand what’s really best for me. He did such a wonderful job that I went back again to get my second color selection with him. I started with a subtle burgundy color for my first color change, then six weeks later I opted for a more vibrant purple.

From beginning to end, I felt completely taken care of, and didn’t have a worry in the world other than to enjoy the experience. Not only did I have a great cut and color, but I also felt more informed about how to best style my hair and how to keep the color lasting all the way up to my next appointment. Everyone was warm and kind, which made the atmosphere feel like I was with friends and family rather than just stylist and client, and the customer service was first class. I want to thank everyone at Kelly Cardenas Salon for one of the best salon experiences I have ever had!

From left to right: Ashley, Fernando, Roxy and Salvador.

(FTC Disclosure: I was offered a service free of charge as a courtesy, but not necessarily for the purposes of a review. Although I did receive a service free of charge, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.)

San Diego Style Bloggers: Recap of the Beauty Blogger Workshop at Bellus Academy

To quote the charismatic actor Matthew McConaughey: “Alright, alright, alright!” Here is my recap of the San Diego Style Bloggers at Bellus Academy in Poway. Along with yummy desserts, coffee and goodie bags, it was a fun day filled with learning all about wonderful beauty tips for hair, make-up and nails. I arrived a bit late, so I came in during the hair styling demonstration given by stylist Erik Thrane. He did an amazing updo style. While pinning up the model’s hair, he mentioned that a good way to keep one’s hair pinned up securely was to weave the hair into the bobby pin, then pin it up into the hair.

Stylist Erik Thrane: Follow him on Instagram at @erikthranecolorist

After the hair styling session came a wonderful makeup demonstration by artist Marina Estrella. She gave so many useful tips. For instance, she explained that for mature skin (like myself), avoid shimmer and don’t do full coverage. Instead, mix color with moisturizer to give a more satin look rather than matte. A tip I used pretty much right away was regarding applying lip color: put the majority of the lip color while your mouth is relaxed, then smile to place the rest of the color. My favorite tip of the day: “Blending is everything. Blending is the secret of life…” This is something I will carry with me forever!

Makeup artist Marina Estrella: Follow her on Instagram at @marinaaestrellamua

The last demonstration of the day was nail art by Ally Caraveo. The entire time she spoke, she painted the nails you will see in the middle picture below. She stated she draws her inspiration from street art, graffiti, and tattoos. Wherever she draws her inspiration, it results in something incredible! Then the Director Of Spa Nails, Trudy Reynolds (pictured with Director of Community Relations, Leilani Angel), gave us some information regarding shellac and what it means in relation to nail care. This truly was a lovely event presented by Be Social PR, and our hosts at Bellus Academy were perfect!

Nail artist Ally Caraveo: Follow her on Instagram at @allycaraveo

Leilani Angel and Trudy Reynolds of Bellus Academy

Top photo: A quick selfie with Nicholle of Topknots and Pearls and Tiffany of Glitz and Glam. Bottom photos: Another shot of my lovely shirt from Wardrobe Ritual and my vintage Céline clutch purse (outfit post here).

Oh, and I won the raffle! Day of relaxation, here I come!

Supernaturally Change Me

Before I start the process of putting up all of my catch-up posts on fashion shows and events I’ve attended in the last few weeks (up to and including Fashion Week San Diego), I wanted to post my experience with getting my hair colored (especially since all of my new pictures will include my new hair). I met Norman from the wonderfully named salon, Hair Drezzers on Fire, earlier this year at the Indulge event at Fashion Valley, where I also met up with my blogger buddy, Jennifer of Malcriada (post here). She had a quickie blow-out at the event, and eventually went in and had a few salon sessions with Norman. With Jen singing his praises and informing me of the color classes, I decided to have a go and see Norman for my own session. Believe it or not, this was my very first time having my hair colored, but I’ve always wanted to do it since I was a teen. I decided I would go to an extreme: I wanted my hair to be blue. Yes, you read that right, BLUE. My final color choice was inspired by a couple of pictures from Instagram, which was to have more of a blend of blue and purple. I also wanted the “dip dye/ombre” color technique, where I didn’t want all of the color to go to my roots, for easier maintenance.

I documented the process (below) in pictures, which was such a lovely experience. THIS is the hair I’ve always wanted! I am so happy with how it turned out and would do this again in a heartbeat. Thank you Norman from Hair Drezzers on Fire for my fantastic cut and color, and thank you Jennifer for letting me know about the sessions. I’ve received nothing but compliments from everywhere about the color, and have even been compared to Wyldstyle from The Lego Movie (I love her). Cheers!

The obligatory “before” shot!

The bleaching process.

Norman, drying out my temporarily blonde-tipped hair!

I’m blue (with my new Keiko sunglasses from BonLook in Roxy Noir)!

(Post title is a line from “Hairdresser on Fire” by Morrissey…of course!)

Follow Up on Allurent's 90 Second Beauty

From my previous post about Alurent (here), I reviewed their product, the Alurent Anti-Aging + Instant Erasure Serum, over the course of 2-3 weeks, just to see if I could see any improvement in my skin over time, especially since I’m now 44 and have really started to notice fine lines, wrinkles and sagging around my face. Once I applied Alurent and allowed the product around 2-3 minutes to sit on my skin, the effect was immediate and even better underneath my make-up.

(1. Before and 2. After)

I used the product directly underneath my eyes where I felt there was the most “sag”. I then used it at the corners of my eyes, on my forehead, and at the corners of my mouth where I felt there were more wrinkles. When used underneath my regular makeup routine, I found my skin to be more taught and refreshed. The result is a more youthful, yet natural look, which only improved with use over time these last few weeks.

If you would like to try the Alurent Anti-Aging + Instant Erasure Serum yourself, Alurent has provided a shopping code for the readers of Any Second Now, to discount the Alurent Anti-Aging + Instant Erasure Serum down from $79.95 to just $50! To purchase, visit this link: Alurent Anti-Aging + Instant Erasure Serum and add it to your shopping cart. Enter SHOP50 at check out for the discounted price.

I hope those of you who try Alurent’s Anti-Aging + Instant Erasure Serum love it as much as I do, and come back and let me know in the comments below!

FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

90 Second Beauty: Alurent Anti-Aging+ Instant Erasure Serum Review

I was recently asked to review a beauty product called Alurent Anti-Aging + Instant Erasure Serum, created to reduce and tighten fine lines and wrinkles, which many women my age tend to worry about. I just started to use the product, and I bravely took a before picture to show some of my skin imperfections prior to using the product. I’ll report back in two weeks to show any differences that I feel and see, along with a discount for Any Second Now readers who would also like to purchase the product. Come back in two weeks to see the results!

FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Dried Flowers Nail Art

The folks at Born Pretty have sent me another lovely batch of fun nail products to play with, which my niece is just chomping at the bit to try as well. More and more lately, I’ve been experimenting with nail art, so I chose to review the Ubique Dried Flower Nail Art Design because I wanted something a little different to try, and it came with 12 different colors of flowers for only $4.86!

With the base color of “Pepperminty” by Ciaté London, I chose a turquoise colored flower to pair with it to make the color pop. Rather than use a whole spray of flowers on one nail, I cut up the flowers at the stem and placed them on the nail each ring finger. I then covered it with a clear coat. I really liked the effect, and now I want to experiment with more color and flower combinations in the near future.

I’ll definitely post pictures of the other nail products once I try them (the bottle of Sweet Color Nail Polish in Purple Glitter and the Artistic Music Note Nail Art Water Decals as seen in the above photo). Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram because I pretty much post my nail artistry as soon as the finished product is fully completed and “photo ready”. Have a wonderful weekend!

FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

I've Got Happy Feet Because of Freeman Beauty!

When my husband and son made a quick trip to Las Vegas to visit family this past weekend, I decided to fill my alone time with a home “spa day.” I used a couple of products from Freeman Beauty’s “Bare Foot” line that I purchased at Walmart with a coupon I received from Influenster through their VoxBox (details on their site). I’ve been a part of Influenster for over a year now, and have received some amazing products to review, and these products from Freeman Beauty are no exception.

I first soaked my feet in Epsom Salt to sooth them from my work week. I then used the peppermint + plum foot scrub to continue the soothing process. I used a pumice stone to really get in and smooth out the rough areas, and the lovely scent of the peppermint and plum permeated the air as I massaged the scrub in. Once I rinsed and dried my feet off, I used the new Spa Professional Moisturizing Massage Cream to help keep my feet soft. All in all, a lovely little treatment I can give to myself on a daily basis. Thank you Influenster for another great opportunity to try these fantastic products from Freeman Beauty!

New Wave Nail Art

Last week was nail week on the blog, and it is spilling into this week with a review of a couple of items I received from Born Pretty. The first product I tried were awesome nail stickers in a simple black and white pattern (found here). The second item was something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time: nail decoration, which I found in a wheel of multiple acrylic black shapes (here).

First, I applied the nail stickers according to the instructions, which was really easy and took me about 30 minutes to apply. Then I added a top coat for longer wear. Because my nails are short, I added the acrylic shapes onto the areas of the nail where there was more white space. The result is something completely “New Wave” looking, straight out of the 80’s. I’m sure I had a shirt in a similar pattern at some point in my teen years!

My niece, Mei-Lin, joined in on the fun by creating a cute little “Hello Kitty” looking character on each thumb, to which I added a bow and eyes and she added the little smile. She then wanted a heart shape on one of the nails on each hand. Simple yet adorable, no?

Total cost for my nails: $6.18! Additionally, the acrylic nail decoration comes with 12 different shapes and about 25 (or more) pieces per shape, which will allow me to keep creating new and fun nail designs. For the price and value, I’ll definitely be going back to Born Pretty for my nail decorating needs!

For Any Second Now readers who want to try out these products and many others, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase at Born Pretty with the code CGG10 at check out!

FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Nail Week Continues: Nail Cones Review!

I’m excited to continue “Nail Week” here on Any Second Now with one of two product reviews. First up is a product called Nail Cones. The concept is simple: polish your nails, not your skin! Created by yet another mother and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Cindy Christman wanted to get away from the “Q-Tip” clean up process (you know, where you dip the swab in nail polish remover and hope to the beauty gods you don’t damage your manicure any further). To combat this issue, Cindy came up with a sticker to surround the nail, where the nail polish would end up on the sticker and not your finger, resulting in a salon quality finish.

I followed the instructions as written on the package, and even watched the You Tube video to make sure I was doing it correctly (I started off with just three for purposes of this review). The stickers are actually very easy to use and does provide a way to get a nice edge (really do tuck the sticker tightly under the tip of the nail for the best result). Not bad for my first attempt, and I’m sure I’ll get better with more practice. For the price point of $5.99 for 60 stickers, it’s a great way to get a clean finish to your home manicure!

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Nail Week: Tips for a Longer-Lasting Mani & Pedi From Bellus Academy

This is week is “Nail Week” on Any Second Now where I’ll be reviewing a few new nail products and colors (all pictured above). To kick it off, here are some great tips for longer-lasting care for your nails from Bellus Academy’s Director of Spa Nails, Trudy Reynolds. I’ve definitely used a few of these tips myself, including using oil on my nails and cuticles and wearing gloves when washing dishes!

Hello Chip Free Nail Polish: Tips for a Longer-Lasting Mani and Pedi

Women have all been there. They get a mani and pedi and the next week it has somehow chipped! That means back to the nail salon to have nails redone. Bellus Academy Director of Spa Nails, Trudy Reynolds, is here to help. She gives her at-home daily care tips to help preserve your next mani and pedi. Hello chip free nail polish!

For a longer lasting manicure and pedicure Trudy recommends:

·         Apply SolarOil with Cuticle Away. This product is applied to fingers; follow up with a good moisturizer for the rest of the hands and arms. The SolarOil acts like a shampoo and conditioner for nails and should be used daily, especially before bed.

·         Wear gloves to wash dishes! Washing dishes can take a toll on a manicure. Be sure to wear rubber gloves to protect polish the next time you do the dishes.

·         Reapply Top Coat. Reapplying a top coat after the manicure helps preserve the polish life. If wearing CND Vinylux polish, we recommend the purchase of a CND Vinylux Top Coat.

·         Use FootLogix Products for Pedicure. Consult your nail technician for the appropriate product that is specific to your needs. Follow the manufacturer’s directions and use daily for a longer lasting pedicure.

Bellus Academy has three campuses located in San Diego County alongwith a fourthin Manhattan, Kansas. They continue to elevate the beauty and spa industry through breakthrough education in Cosmetology, Esthetics, Make-up Artistry, Spa Nail Technician and Massage Therapy and innovative business practices. To learn more about Bellus Academy, please visit www.bellusacademy.edu.

(FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.)

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