If you follow me on instagram you may have seen my insta-stories while I was at Gary Manuel last week getting my hair done! If you don’t know what balayage is, here’s the definition: a technique for highlighting the hair in which the dye is painted
on in such a way as to create a graduated, natural-looking effect.
Before I got this done I spent a lot of time googling “Asian Balayage” because I wanted to make sure that I liked the look and to have a specific look in mind to let them know what I was looking for. I always recommend doing that when you are doing any sort of treatment/change to your hair just so you know what you like before you actually go in and get it done. I really liked it because it gives it such a pretty ombre and a natural “sunkissed” look. The best part about balayage is that unlike highlights, when it grows out, it’s barely noticeable since you aren’t dying the top part of your hair. When it grows out, it just looks very natural. My previous balayage was fine but it had been about 6 months so I was ready for some more color.
Derik, my stylist, was amazing. He really took the time to figure out what I wanted and made it happen exactly as how I asked. And not only that he was just so nice and friendly. You know how sometimes when you go to a stylist you’ve never worked with before and you can either awkwardly talk about the weather or it’s just silence? It wasn’t like that at all. He was just so warm and friendly, I had such a great time the whole time I was there. His intern was working on my hair as well and she was just so sweet. I really appreciate it as I’ve been to so many of these “fancy” salons and haven’t had the best experiences with the people working there but when you are spending so much time there it’s really important to enjoy the atmosphere while you are there!
Anyway, back to the hair. So, I wanted to go a bit lighter than my previous balayage and we talked about if I wanted a more warm or more cool look to the color. I didn’t end up getting a cut, which I should have seeing as the ends of my hair are kind of dead but I will be back for that on another day. The not so great part about balayage is that it takes awhile, I was at the salon for a little over 3 hours. But I’m not complaining, it was so worth it! They only use Aveda products at the salon and what I love is that Aveda color is 96% naturally derived, so it’s not just a bunch of chemicals that will damage your hair. I’m such a fan of Aveda products and all of my favorite hair products that I currently use are Aveda.
When I sat down in the chair and we were going over what I wanted I told Derik that when I left the house I joked with my husband that I’d be back with pink hair. Derik took one look at me and said “Want to do it?” I didn’t plan for it but I’ve always really wanted colorful hair and never had the nerve to do it so I said yes and he made a plan for it! He kept it in the back underneath my hair so it’s hidden but I have to tell you that I really, really love it. I love seeing the peek of it and now I often wear my hair half up just so you can see it more. It’s so much fun and my daughter is in love with it, she always asks to see mommy’s pink hair.
Here’s a few snaps from the day that I got my hair done. I love their space, the light was amazing and it was just a very good vibe. Everyone was so friendly and seems like everyone has a fun time in
there!
Look at all the Aveda products! They have everything! And if you know Aveda, you know that everything smells so good so the moment you step in the salon it just smells amazing! I totally forgot to ask what products they used on my hair but I have quite a few of their products at home and I’m currently loving their Smooth Infusion (so great as a prep for styling your hair), the Split End Repair (much needed!) and the Shampure Dry Shampoo.
They even have a photobooth in the salon! Derik and I had to take a pic together. How fun right? I took like 5 more in there just for fun. LOL! Don’t tell a fashion blogger that there’s a photobooth and not expect us to take a ton of photos 🙂
I went to the downtown Seattle location but they also have one in South Lake Union which is a gorgeous space as well.
And can we just talk about these floors? So pretty!
My outfit details: JACKETSWEATER (similar) JEANSBOOTS
Here is how it looks curled. Since I usually wear my hair curled I wanted a look that would be pretty both curled and straight and I love them both. The end of my hair is very blonde but it’s a very warm caramel blonde and I love that you can see all the different shades when my hair is curled.
I am so happy with my hair and love that I did this. I usually am quite boring with my hair so this just feels so fun and exciting to me! By the way, I used the instyler to curl my hair. I mentioned it in my Gifts I’m Giving video but just had to tell you that I’m really loving it. Normally I use a clipless curling iron which I love the look of but man of man it takes me so long to curl my hair and not only that my arm starts to hurt! The instyler takes all the work out of it and I get these pretty waves.
I loved my entire experience with Gary Manuel and really appreciate the team at Aveda for setting this up for me. I highly recommend them for all your hair needs. You can find their store info here and if you want a balayage, make sure to ask for Derik!
I’d have to say that going to the drugstore is a favorite past time. It sounds so silly but sometimes when I just need to get out of the house, I run to the drugstore and pick up some necessities but also peruse the makeup aisles. I find myself at Bartell’s at least once a week and so when they approached me about partnering with them about a health and beauty post, I was totally onboard! I buy almost all of my drugstore makeup from Bartell’s as they have the best selection and always great sales. They asked me to see what I could get for $50 and since I shop there so often I already knew that I would be getting some good stuff! Here’s what I got all for under $50!
It’s everything you need for day or night! I’ve been all about these individual false lashes. They are the best when you want just a hint of glam with your everyday makeup. I got almost all of these products on sale which is why I love shopping at Bartell’s! I can always find great deals on makeup.
I’m completely obsessed with this L’Oreal palette. Such an awesome palette for a drugstore price!
This is just part of their cosmetic wall! How could I not love this place?
I had to tell you guys about the FAB event they are having starting this Sunday 4/26 until 5/9. It’s a health and beauty event where you can schedule a free makeup consultation and you will get a free goodie bag filled with samples of health and beauty products.
Check out the schedule here for the participating stores and to schedule your makeup consultation. Also, to celebrate their 125th anniversary, they are giving away THREE chances to win a $125 gift card during the day at EACH of the ten demo stores AND you can enter to win the Grand Prize, a Spa Vacation for 2 (more info here)
They created a coupon just for us bloggers to share with you guys too! Take advantage of it because you can use it on top of the already discounted prices that they have in store. Hope you guys can make it! I’m excited to schedule my consultation!
Thank you Bartell Drugs for sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine.
First, a very fun event that I’d like to invite you guys too! You know how much I love Madewell and when they asked me to host a shopping party with them, I was thrilled! I would love to meet my local readers so I hope you can make it! We are going to have some yummy refreshments and I’ll even be styling some Madewell outfits with our yet to be released t+j Designs spring collection! And I’m super excited because they are offering a special discount just for that night. I’ll definitely be shopping too! 🙂
I think at least a few times a month I get emails from readers who are coming to Seattle for recommendations on where to eat. You’d think I’d have put together a post by now for my favorite places but I haven’t. Seattle has so many good restaurants so depending on when someone asks, I always end up recommending different restaurants! BTW, I love that I get so many requests, it’s so great to have people come visit this city that I love so much!
A good brunch in Seattle is not hard to find, we have so amazing places but if you want a place that is not super crowded on the weekends and mainly filled with locals, Citizen is our place to go. It’s tiny, the service is iffy, parking is a biatch around that area, but the coffee, the food and the relaxed, chill atmosphere is why we love it.
They have delicious crepes and I’m always torn to get either a crepe or this delightful breakfast sandwich and almost always, this sandwich wins. It’s AMAZING. The homemade flaky savory biscuit, the perfectly cooked egg, the crispy bacon, spinach, creme fraiche…. oooh I’m hungry just thinking about it. And those side potatoes are so delightfully tasty that even though the sandwich makes you SO full, you can’t help but eat up the potatoes too.
I don’t do a lot of restaurant posts because the last thing that I want to do is to carry my very large and heavy camera to my relaxing brunch but I just had to share Citizen with you all. To be honest, it was nice capturing pictures of a place that we love to go to. Who knows, maybe my camera will start to come to more places with me! 🙂
