Tag Archives: hairstyle

Like They Do It In The Factory

As a blogger, we are dared to try new things and new experiences because of the nature of what we do. I have discovered new restaurants, new shops and boutiques, we well as new hair salons through this blogging experience. I discovered Kelly Cardenas Salon because they contacted me to try out their new location in Hillcrest. After they consolidated locations and when my main stylist, Salvador, moved to Las Vegas, I decided to try out a new place through a recent contact in the blogging world. Aaron Lacy is a stylist at theFactory, located in Downtown San Diego. I swear it was Kismet when I walked in and Music For the Masses was playing in its entirety!

Immediately, I loved the industrial-style space of theFactory. It’s very clean, modern and stylish. Once I got settled into the chair, Aaron explained what he had planned for my haircut that day: a simple and sleek bob cut, my favorite hairstyle. Aaron suggested we take my hair back to basics, and took great care to even out any odd layers. Without a doubt, this cut was one of the most precise bobs I’ve ever had. It’s been about a month since I’ve gotten my hair cut, and it’s growing out beautifully!

Thank you Aaron for the amazing cut and the fantastic pictures!

theFactory is located at 1025 F Street, San Diego, CA 92101. Contact them at (619) 255-6338 to schedule an appointment and please be sure to ask for Aaron!

Outfit: Unknown brand jacket from Wysh Boutique; Mossimo sweater from Target; Free People jeans; Jeffrey Campbell shoes; “Mason” necklace c/o Kendra Scott; rings by Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux; Leather jacket pin by Bananna Bones (from Gypsy Warrior), “Space Punk” pin by Major Crimes Division & “It Wasn’t Just A Phase” pin by Punky Moms UK; “Ceremony” Matte Lip Veil by Cryptic Cosmetics

(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.)

(All photos of me were taken by Aaron Lacy. Post title: Lyrics from “Lie To Me” by Depeche Mode.)

Kelly Cardenas San Diego Celebrates 1 Year!

Happy 1 year anniversary to the Kelly Cardenas Salon in Hillcrest! Can you believe I’ve been going there for a little over a year (posts here and here)? I practically celebrated with them throughout the day by first getting my hair styled and colored earlier in the morning (by Salvador of course), then going their anniversary party that night.

Congratulations to everyone at Kelly Cardenas, and cheers to many more years to come!

My haircut and color from earlier that day. Back to purple!

(Wearing “Keiko” Bon Look prescription sunglasses; Forever 21 dress; Zara long bomber jacket; La Vidriola Cassette necklace)

With my hubby at the anniversary party

With the stylist who works all of his magic on my hair, Salvador!

I got to pose with Kelly himself!

The Kelly Cardenas staff, from all of their locations: San Diego, Carlsbad, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Chicago

My outfit for the evening: Lucy Paris jacket (bought second hand at Lost & Found for $20!); Forever 21 shirt; SOHO Apparel leggings; BCBGeneration shoes; Kate Spade bracelet and clutch; La Vidriola Cassette earrings; Lookmatic glasses

(Pictures 1, 3, 4 and 5 courtesy of the Kelly Cardenas Instagram and Facebook pages)

The Loft Hair Design & Skin Care Grand Opening

At the beginning of June, I had a whirlwind night of TWO events in one evening! The first was the “Night of Beauty” grand opening of The Loft Hair Design & Skin Care in Carlsbad (first posted about here). This award winning salon was located in Escondido, but relocated and reopened in a 3,700 square foot space in the La Costa Town Square shopping center. The salon is large, spacious and beautifully decorated. They offer a very large variety of services including a full hair care salon, skin & body care, massage therapy, spa packages, facial treatments, peels and microdermabrasions.

The night was fun and extremely interactive, with experiences spread throughout the salon. From what I saw, there was a DJ, Braid & Brow Bars, Sensory Experiences (head, neck & shoulder massage or hot hand towel treatment), a massage chair, a “Tattoo” Station (decorative), wet bar, food, coffee and even shopping! It was also nice to know that 10% of the product sales and all of the raffle ticket sales benefitted Dress for Success San Diego. I’ve included lots of photos from the evening, and I was glad to get pictures of the beautiful salon prior to the public showing because it got crowded very quickly! Congratulations to Heather & Shawna on the grand re-opening of The Loft Hair Design & Skin Care at their new location in Carlsbad, cheers!

“We’ve loved being in Escondido, but we’re excited for our growth into this blossoming area of Carlsbad,” said Shawna Cruise, founder of The Loft Hair Design & Skin Care. “Guests will find that our team has remained the same and still offers the amazing care we’ve always prided ourselves on – just now in a new, larger space that we can’t wait to reveal.”

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Co-owner Heather Wilder and founder Shawna Cruise

DJ Engage

Braid Bar; Sensory Experience; Brow Bar

My decorative tattoo for the night!

Delicious bites by Bushfire Grill & yummy mini-cupcakes by SusieCakes

A bar featuring Stone Brewing Co. & St. Petersburg Vodka

Cold Brew and hot coffee by one of my favorite coffee companies, Mostra Coffee!

Models wearing clothing from Boho Boutique

My VIP gift bag goodies! Thank you Colette of Contour PR + Social and The Loft Hair Design & Skin Care for inviting me!

A “Night of Beauty” Celebration on June 4, Hosted by The Loft Hair Design & Skin Care!

Next Thursday, The Loft Hair Design & Skin Care will be unveiling a new location at La Costa Town Square and hosting a “Night of Beauty” for their grand opening (please see all of the details and flier below).

I’ll be there, so come celebrate and say hi!

“To celebrate the salon’s opening, The Loft is inviting the public to a “Night of Beauty,” a Grand Opening bash on Thursday, June 4 between 6 and 9 p.m. The first 50 to arrive will receive swag bags stuffed with premium products and lifestyle gear, while all in attendance can enjoy complimentary cocktails and appetizers, raffle prizes, a live DJ and models, and beauty stations including a how-to selfie station, stress relieving treatments, Medi-Spa demonstrations, tutorials on summer’s hottest hair and makeup trends and more. Ten percent of product sales and all raffle ticket sales will benefit Dress for Success San Diego.”

There's Another Color Waiting On Me

I’m finally catching up on some past events I attended this year. In this post, I decided to include my most recent hair color treatments, since both involve the Kelly Cardenas Salon in Hillcrest. I got the fuchsia/purple color during the weekend of their grand opening celebration back in February. I took my hubby with me, and we had a great time. Kelly has great employees, and you can tell they all love working for him. The second color treatment I got this past weekend, and decided to go blue again. My stylist, Salvador, did an amazing job with creating depth, richness and texture in both the color and the cut of each style. I guess I’m never going back to just one color for a long time!

All pictures above were taken by me at the Kelly Cardenas Grand Opening party. The last picture courtesy of the Kelly Cardenas Salon Instagram account from this past weekend.

(Title of this post is a lyric from “Queen of California” by John Mayer.)

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.

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!

The Bellus Academy Experience

We provide the Cosmetology, Esthetics, Nails and Massage industries with graduates who are a credit to their college, their employer and their profession. When we built our Academy, the goal was to design a college that provides the necessary space and professional atmosphere today’s students are looking for.

– From the Bellus Academy Poway Site

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of getting a cut and style, courtesy of Bellus Academy in Poway. It was such a great experience because I truly got to see how a full fledged working beauty academy operates. After posting about Bellus Academy, meeting current students, graduates, instructors and attending their events, it was nice to finally actually enter one of their campuses, which looks just like a working high-end salon. My stylist for the evening was April, and the only difference between a salon and the Academy was the occasional guidance of her instructors throughout the evening. I felt so confident in April’s abilities and skills, because she explained how much training is given prior to any encounter with an actual live customer. Additionally, I could see the attention given to each student by their instructor, regardless of the style of cut they were performing (I went from growing out my longer locks to a more Great Gatsby/pageboy inspired cut). I am so pleased with the way my hair turned out, because I can straighten it to give it a more modern flow, but I can also style it for a very retro look. Thank you Christina of Alternative Strategies for setting up my appointment, and thank you to April and her instructors at Bellus Academy Poway for a lovely experience!

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Hair Coloring Tips for a New Do From Bellus Academy's Lindsey Washbourne

I don’t know about you all, but I’m starting to get that itch for a new look by doing something new for my hair. If you’re in the same boat as me, here are some tips I was given from Lindsey Washbourne of Bellus Academy to get you started for Spring!

Have you become bored of your look, but are too afraid of coloring your hair? With spring just around the corner, maybe it’s the perfect time to take the plunge with hair color, whether it’s just a few natural highlights or bright blue streaks. Lindsey Washbourne, Inspiration Manager at Bellus Academy and Brand Educator and Master Colorist for Wella Professional hair care, gives salon:

·         Relax, breathe and trust your Stylist. The best thing you can do when it comes to your hair color is to relax, breathe and trust your stylist. It’s great to come in with an idea or general direction of where you might want to go with your color, but it’s important to know that stylists aren’t just trained in putting the color on your head. A true “colorist” steps back and sees the whole picture – your skin tone, eye color, personal image, maintenance and commitment level.

·         Ask questions and allow your colorist to educate you. Your stylist’s main priority is to make you look 10 years younger – so why would you want them to use the same techniques they did 10 years ago? Be open to change and get excited for the future!

Which leads to…

·         Ask your Stylist about Latest Trends. Always ask your stylist if they’ve learned anything new lately, and what the hottest trends in color are. You might be surprised on how quickly things evolve and change.

·         Technology is changing. Trends are evolving. Beautiful hair color is no longer about having enough foils in your hair to pick up radio signals. In fact, most colorists are starting to push the foils further and further away. Hair painting has been a slow revolution, but is now a way of salon life. Color.id by Wella Professionals (launching in May) allows colorists to place color next to color without bleeding and without foils. Resulting in a more creative, more pleasant coloring experience.

Ask your stylist if they will be using Color.id in May! For more information on Bellus Academy, please visit http://www.bellusacademy.edu/.

(FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.)

Weekend in Pictures: Bellus Academy Presents Come2gether

Last Saturday, I was invited to attend an exciting and inspirational charity event presented by Bellus Academy (where I met up with quite a few San Diego Style Bloggers). Come2gether was held at the Moniker Warehouse in Downtown San Diego and benefitted Beauty Changes Lives, “a non-profit initiative designed to raise awareness of how careers in the hair, beauty and wellness industry transform lives both personally and professionally.” It started off with the media portion, where bloggers, photographers and journalists could interview, photograph and visit with the artists who would be presenting that evening. Bellus Academy president, Lynelle Lynch, and Cosmetology Educator, Manny SanMartin, chatted with us briefly about their career paths and the importance of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation. The keynote speaker was Stacey Broughton, a former Senior Art Director for the Vidal Sassoon Academy. Special guests that night included Mike Varela, Nina Kovner, D.J. Muldoon, Douglas McCoy, Nicole Brown, Omar Antonio, Carrera Bailey and Diego Raviglione. The main portion of this fun event included dynamic visual styling presentations set to music. Thank you Christina of Alternative Strategies for inviting me to this fantastic event!

Early in the evening for the media portion, just before the main event.

Lynelle Lynch and Manny SanMartin took time to chat with us about the importance of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation.

The Moniker Warehouse beginning to fill up for the main event.

Lynelle Lynch sharing the message of Beauty Changes Lives to a captive audience.

Artistry in action!

Artistic Director and Wella Top Stylist, Diego Raviglione, working his magic (in a Joy Division shirt!)

SD Style Bloggers: Bianca V. of The In-Between Girls; Ashley of Array of Style; Heidi of A Fashion Statement; Lindsay of Elle Web Style

Lindsay, Ashley, Heidi and I, with Bellus Academy’s Terrell Mitchell, who won Project Runway’s Photo Challenge (he gave tips for winter hair care here). And YES, I finally got my Bodhi Safety Pin clutch in Electric Purple (original “Wanted” post here).