Tag Archives: salon

New Cherry & Orange Nails

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New Cherry & Orange Nails

Hello!! I have had an incredible couple of days of pampering compliments of Elysian Nails. This past Friday, I enjoyed a pedicure appointment with Johnny’s mom and aunt and it was heavenly! I haven’t gotten a pedicure since last year and just like the last time, I left the salon wondering why the heck I don’t do that more often. Then, I remembered my talons which always take priority over toes! After getting my tootsies right, I was back at the salon a few days later for a fill featuring the sweetest Cherry and Orange combo. Check it out:

During my last fill, I was feeling an orange and pink combo. However, my tech showed me some brand new colors and I fell in love with the prettiest light pink and purple glitter polishes. I vowed to do the original colors I had in mind at my next appointment and it definitely made the daunting task of selecting nail polish a breeze! Granted, I couldn’t even remember the colors I was going to use but, hey, I knew it was orange and pink so anything in that realm would be close enough. I ended up with a shade called Cherry and another simply called Orange and we were in business! This is the perfect fruity and bright pairing to welcome warm weather with. Or, at least dream about because the weather has been crap lousy here. -_-

Once my colors were selected, it was time for my tech to work her magic and you know I hit her with the old “long time no see” considering it had only been four days! Hilarious, I know. 😀 As always, work her magic my nail tech did and, as always, she fixed them up just right. I never really notice any lifting or problem areas until the polish is off, like at this appointment for instance, and my tech repaired any uh-ohs with ease and speed. After two repairs, shaping, filing, and painting I was still in time for my next shift at work. I genuinely have no idea how she does it!

The weather might not be the best but my nails are fresh and gives me a dose of sunshine every time I look at them. I’ll take it until this rain, rain goes away!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? What colors should I get next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Hair, Who Dis?

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New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello! At the end of October, I was finally able to get my hair done for fall and I couldn’t wait. I was SO ready to kick my summer colors to the curb and welcome fall with some jewel toned locks. My stylist, Anna, and I were beyond excited to play with the color palette we established beforehand because Pulp Riot came out with some glorious new hues for their fall collection. While I was eager to see our vision come to life, I was most looking forward to getting my beloved navy blue back because I missed it terribly! Check it out:

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^^^ Lol at the blooper shot last picture but you can see all the colors really well! 😀

Pulp Riot Colors Used:

Red: This was a mixture of a new color called Vintage Vegas and Pyro

Melon: Another new color called Eloped

Navy Blue: Nightfall

It can take upwards of five or so hours to get my hair done depending on what colors we are using. In this case, it was a very speedy trip to the Shear Shop indeed. This new do only took about three and a half hours… So speedy-ish lol. The major drop in time had to do with the minimal amount of bleaching that needed to happen to eliminate the remnants of yellow, pink, and red from my summer hair. After the bleach sat for around twenty minutes and was washed, all Anna needed to do was paint the color on. And, despite the relative shortness of my appointment, Anna’s attention to detail never faltered. (As always, she’s the best!)

The first order of business was to paint my roots and its regrowth with the mixture of Vintage Vegas and Pyro. This is not only flattering but highly practical. My natural hair color is medium brown and my regrown roots never look as bad when it is paired next to the deeper red. The next thing Anna did was apply Eloped directly beneath the red on my shorter layers. Eloped is, perhaps, one of our new favorite Pulp Riot colors. We were so enamored by the melon hue and our only regret is that it wasn’t available during the summertime. Finally, Anna finished up the hair dye process by painting the rest of my hair with Nightfall and we let the color sit for fifty minutes.

The cool thing about Pulp Riot colors is that what you see when the dye is on is very true to what you are going to get once it’s washed off. Of course, there is some give or take variance but you’re never going to be completely shocked by the outcome. Anna and I had a very positive inkling as to the results thanks to this preview but there is nothing better than seeing the final product once it is washed, cut, and styled. The deep navy and red were so rich and a fresh spin was put on a fall palette with the pop of melon from Eloped. Before leaving, Anna told me her grand plans for my next appointment and I wish I was back in her chair already to try out some more new colors!

I am unbelievably happy with how my hair turned out and I intend on keeping it dark for the foreseeable future. The regrowth from my summer hair was no joke and so not cute!

What is your favorite fall color? Which brand of hair dye do you use? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Manis With Mom

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Manis With Mom

Hello!! There are three places that I find shelter from the storm: Elysian Nails, the Shear Shop, and TJMaxx. They are my happy places and I recommend my two favorite salons to literally everyone in my local area – including my mom! After a delightful outing at Elysian Nails for pedicures for my mom’s birthday, she told me she had a hankering for a manicure a few weeks later. That could be very easily arranged and I set her up with my go to girl for a gel mani as a belated Mother’s Day gift. It was a wonderful time and had me even more eager for my fill appointment a few days later!

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I used to frequent a couple nail salons before falling in love with Elysian Nails. Don’t get me wrong, every tech I have been to at other salons are very good. There’s just something about Elysian that hits different, though. The salon is gorgeous and feels so high end, the prices are phenomenal, and I have never had a bad appointment there. That is why I recommend it so highly – because I know everyone who goes is going to have the ultimate pampering experience. My mom definitely did and we were both so impressed with the results.

I have never had an actual manicure at Elysian because of my beloved acrylics. Of course, I had some idea of the process, but it was so much more than both my mom and I expected. My tech is an absolute expert at shaping nails, real or fake. By the time she was done trimming my mom’s cuticles and nails, they were unrecognizable from when she started. They had way more length and looked stronger and healthier too. After snipping and clipping, a lovely light rose gel polish was applied. But wait, there was more! Once the polish was set, a hand massage and hot towel was next to wrap up the appointment. It was the perfect touch to complete the pampering and I loved being able to spoil my mom!

My mom’s nails turned out spectacular and I could tell she enjoyed every minute of her appointment. I can’t wait to go back to the salon together for more mother/daughter pampering in our happy place!

What did you do for Mother’s Day? Do you prefer regular or gel polish? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Light Blue & Tangerine Nails

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New Light Blue & Tangerine Nails

Hello!!! This past week, my talons were in desperate need of a fill. They were grown out and one was lifting badly, which was perfectly awful. Unfortunately, my normal salon was closed for their holiday break when the lifting incident occurred so I enlisted the help of my tech for a salon she recommends. Then, she said exactly what I hoped she would: She would come to my apartment and do them for me! What. An. ANGEL. There was nothing better than getting my nails done in my own home and I seriously felt like a celebrity – it was amazing!! Check out my new and improved claws:

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My tech, admittedly, didn’t have as expansive as a nail polish selection as the salon but when she sent me my choices the light blue and tangerine orange instantly stuck out to me. I love bright blue and orange together and it makes me think of a day at the beach. However, the softer hues of these polishes make it feel appropriate to start thinking spring with and it’s a nice change of pace from the typical darker shades for winter.

I have never had any type of salon service done at my home that wasn’t something I was capable of doing by myself. It was seriously one of the best experiences to be able to relax, girl talk, and hang out without being surrounded by other salon goers. If you have the opportunity for your nails, hair, etc. to be done at your place, then I can’t recommend it enough. I always feel pampered after a trip to the salon but this took it to a whole new level. Plus, it made my apartment smell like a nail salon and it was, honestly, freaking awesome lol.

An afternoon at my apartment salon was just what I needed and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The constant applying of nail glue to my lifted nail was getting so annoying. My nails look amazing and I am so thankful to my tech for working her magic!

Do you have a good relationship with your nail tech or hair stylist? Have you ever had a salon treatment at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Wedding Makeup

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Wedding Makeup

Hi!! I have never gotten my makeup done professionally before so that was a huge treat for my wedding. I went to Carol Martin Salon and my makeup artist knocked it out of the park for both my test run and wedding MOTD. Take a look at some never before seen pics from my test run, wedding makeup, and after party celebrations and let’s discuss further:

While I enjoy wearing makeup, I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily “good” at applying it and pretty much wear the same look every day. My sister loves to razz on me for it but if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it lol! Because I’m not very familiar with makeup, I left a lot of my wedding MOTD up to my makeup artist with a few vague instructions of “champagne eyes” and “Bratz doll lips”. The end result was exactly what I had pictured in my head but didn’t quite know how to vocalize and I left Carol Martin Salon on my test run and wedding day feeling like a billion bucks.

I am very excited to return to the salon for our October reception and I even feel inspired to purchase new makeup for myself so I can experiment more. I don’t think I ever realized just how fun makeup can be until having an expert beat my face and I definitely feel a trip to Sephora happening in my future!

Do you have a must have makeup? What is your preferred way of learning new makeup techniques? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Wedding To Us!

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Happy Wedding To Us!

Hello!!! My wedding weekend was absolutely amazing and I am so thankful to my family and friends for making it so special. Something that I really enjoyed were my trips to the Shear Shop the day before and of my wedding to get my hair looking right by my wonderful stylist, Anna. It was SO nice to spend an entire afternoon hanging out with her while she redid my color and to have her work her magic for my wedding day.

Anna has been doing my hair for nineteen years and is such a dear friend to me. In fact, as soon as I leave the salon I am already itching to go back! She is truly a master of her craft and I wouldn’t want anyone but her doing my hair for my big day. Being in Anna’s company was the most beautiful gift of all but I am completely in love with her wedding gift to me and Johnny. Check it out:

^^^ How cool is that?!

Johnny and I are your basic mid twenties and thirty something emo couple and Anna’s gift speaks to us on a spiritual level. We live for all black everything, the dark, and slightly macabre so our skeleton trinket box was perfect for us. She really does know me so well! I plan on putting the hair charms that she used for my wedding do in it first and foremost. ❤

Tune in tomorrow for more on my wedding!!

Do you have a trinket box? What do you keep in it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Sparkling Cherry Cola Nails

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New Sparkling Cherry Cola Nails

Hello! Because of a busy work schedule, it took me longer than usual to get into Elysian Nails for my monthly fill and let me tell you – I needed it! My nails were so grown out and I broke one of them at work and it was unbearable to me to have a stumpy nail for over a week. Thankfully, my go to girl, Gabby, always gets my nails looking right and I am in love with my new claws. Check it out:

I have been getting my nails done for years and Gabby is, hands down, the best nail tech I have ever been to. She works so quickly but in that time she creates masterpieces and her attention to detail is astounding. I was really impressed this time around because she didn’t even have to remove my nail that broke which is what I have always experienced before. She shaped a good as new talon out of the broken remnants of my pointer finger and free shaped the acrylic to lengthen the nail. This was so awesome to me because I absolutely hate getting acrylics removed and this was a pain free and crazy quick alternative.

As per ushe, my nails turned out flawlessly and I am completely obsessed with my color combination this time around. I really wasn’t sure what I wanted for this fill as I have been more focused on what my nails for my wedding will be like – especially because I’ll be getting them done at my next appointment! I normally have a pretty good idea of the colors I would like to have before I go to the salon so I approached the polish wall hoping that a shade would jump out at me. And that’s exactly what happened!

The first bottle of polish that I saw was the sparkling raspberry red and I fell in love with it instantly. The hue made me think of a freshly opened can of Diet Coke (My fave!) even though the cans are silver! I decided a cherry cola theme was the way to go and settled on a pinky mauve shade which worked perfectly because of its brown undertones. The end result was even better than what I had in mind and I can definitely picture myself getting this combination again.

Saying I look forward to my monthly fills is the understatement of the century and I left the salon feeling like a million bucks and then some. I simply cannot wait for my appointment for my wedding nails to get here and know that I will be in the best hands at Elysian Nails! ❤

What do you call pop in your neck of the woods? What were your nails for your wedding like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Wedding Makeup Sneak Peek

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Wedding Makeup Sneak Peek

Hi!! Ever since Johnny and I announced our engagement, we have been not only flooded with well wishes but So. Many. Questions. about what we are going to be wearing! We are so thankful for everyone’s kindness and support and are tickled by how invested people are in our wardrobe choices. Our outfits are top secret so expect a grand reveal the day of our nuptials but I can give you all a little sneak peek of my makeup for the big day! Check it out:

This past Friday, I went with my sister, Kristen, to Carol Martin salon to get a test application for my wedding makeup. I was really excited to have Kristen with me because she is a makeup queen and I knew that she would help me better vocalize what I was wanting. It was also so nice to have her opinion and reassurance because the test run was the most makeup I have ever worn in my life!

I chose my friend, Katie, to be my makeup artist and I felt confident that she would be able to deliver the look I was going for. I wanted a bold, two toned lip because I love the Bratz doll makeup trend with fresh, dewy skin and champagne eyeshadow. Katie took my ideas and ran with them and my completed MOTD was even better than what I was imagining.

I am completely obsessed with my fashion doll lipstick, glamorous false lashes, and sparkling champagne eyes. I felt like a million bucks and then some the day of my test run and was so sad when I had to take it all off that night. I cannot wait for Katie to be a part of my big day and am simply blown away by her talent. I definitely plan on going back to her when Johnny and I host a reception later this year. 🙂

My makeup test run was so special to me because my sister came with. Johnny and I are having a small and quick ceremony so we literally have nothing to plan for. Be that as it may, I still wanted my mom and sister to be with me on the odds and ends errands and am so happy to have had this time with Kristen and getting my dress measurements taken with my mom. The makeup test run makes my upcoming wedding seem even more real and I cannot wait for the big day! ❤

What was your wedding makeup like? Did any of your loved ones help with your wedding preparations? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Hair, Who Dis?

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New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello!! I have been hinting at a big change to my hair for a while now and I finally was able to see my stylist after over three months of going without. I don’t even want to talk about how bad my roots were but I do want to talk about how freaking amazing my Strawberry Shortcake inspired hair turned out! Thanks to Pulp Riot’s red in Fireball and pink in Blush, all of my candy dreams have come true and I am in absolute love. Check it out:

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Don’t get me wrong, I was feeling myself with my Pulp Riot red and yellow hair but this bubblegum pink with the fiery red just hits different. I feel like a fairy princess/cartoon character/super model all in one and, let me tell you, there is nothing better! Between the bleaching process to get the yellow out and my roots lightened as well as having to redye some yellow patches where the dye didn’t stick, I was at the salon for close to six hours and it was worth every single minute and then some.

I used to pride myself on my red boxed color but after several months of having Pulp Riot dyed hair, I refuse to use anything different. The cool thing about Pulp Riot color, other than the fact that it smells like Sweet Tarts, is that the dye is the exact same color out of the bottle that it ends up as on your hair. As soon as my stylist began applying the blush and red, I already had a solid idea of what my results would be and I just couldn’t wait for the color to sit!

I have envied bright, candy colored hair for years and I am so thrilled with how my take on it turned out. My hair is exactly how I pictured it and I can’t thank my brilliant stylist enough for executing it to perfection. We already have the color to replace the pink this summer picked out but I will definitely be enjoying my Strawberry Shortcake hair to the fullest until then. Make sure you keep it posted for new hair selfies coming soon! ❤

What is your dream hair color? How do you rock candy colors on your hair or clothing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Blue Grey & Glitter Periwinkle Nails

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New Blue Grey & Glitter Periwinkle Nails

Hello! If you have been following Lil Red’s saga at the nail salon, then you will know that the past three times around, I had a nail tech that caused me a lot of grief. During my last appointment, my real nail got cut into and it hurt like the dickens. After that, I said enough is enough and requested someone new for my next appointment.

I am so glad that I did because 1) My experience this fill around was fabulous and 2) Getting my nails done is really the only “outing” that I do other than grocery shopping because I work with so many high risk clients and families. When I get my nails done, I want to fully enjoy my time at the salon because, otherwise, I don’t go out. And, believe you me, enjoying yourself is hard when the tender skin around your nails is being cut multiple times per visit.

I am proud that I stuck up for myself because, usually, I am a very go with the flow kind of gal and only complain when it’s absolutely necessary in a salon situation. This fill has been the first time in three months that I truly felt pampered and I am obsessed with the results. Check it out:

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Despite it being shockingly warm for November in Ohio, I wanted to do a winter wonderland inspired palette. While driving to the salon, I decided I wanted to do a light, sparkly purple along with a shade of grey. I fell in love with the shimmery periwinkle I picked out and, even though I’ve never seen Frozen, it made me think of Elsa!

Once the purple was decided, I found a stormy ocean blue grey to toughen it up. My nails turned out exactly how I wanted them to and the shape that my new tech improved on looked divine after he cut them down and sharpened them up. The best part, though? No cuts, no ouches, and absolutely NO discomfort the entire time. I am one hundred and fifty percent satisfied and I already am looking forward to my next appointment. 🙂 ❤

Have you ever had a similar situation to my previous woes in a salon? How did you handle it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah