Blonde in the District

This past Saturday I attended Diner en Blanc in DC for the second year. Diner en Blanc was started in Paris in the late 80s and is essentially a fancy picnic where everything you wear and bring is white, and you cart all of your supplies with you (table, chairs, food, decor, etc). Diner en Blanc is know for its over the top reputation and is one of the best events for people watching in all of DC, as people go all out with their personal style and looks. Given this fact, I kn

Well, I finally did it. After years upon years of toying with dying my hair a pastel color, I finally built up the guts to do it. It wasn't all me though, my friends at Illusions of Georgetown played a huge roll in this and I couldn't be more thankful. Today I'm sharing all the behind the scenes and details of my temporary lavender blonde that we created, specially for my Vegas trip & wedding vow renewal at the beginning of the month. I have been talking about coloring my hai

Last week I turned 34 and celebrated with the most amazing bubble gum photoshoot I've ever done with Arielle Lewis. This week, I'm sharing more photos and the details behind the shoot- specifically all the glam, thanks to my loves at Illusions of Georgetown! I'm going to jump right in, so here it goes..... The Background: I had been working with Illusions and Arielle Lewis on a shoot, inspired by the Met Gala. For whatever reason nothing was working out. Every location I appr

Today marks the beginning of my 34th year. For my birthday this year, I decided celebrate more on the low-key side. I went out with friends this weekend and celebrated yesterday with family for a Father's Day/early birthday gathering. As I've gotten older, having huge blow out parties just aren't as desirable. That said, I do think its important to celebrate you birthday somehow, as your birthday is a celebration of life! Instead of the blow-out party this year, I decided to

Hair care is a big deal for me. As someone who spends hours and hours in the salon to get the perfect blonde at Illusions of Georgetown, the upkeep is something that is important to me, and a must-do. I have always used hair products, but it wasn't until I started going to Illusions that I really understood the importance and necessity of using products specifically for your type or color of hair. One thing I can count on, is always have great products that help with the colo

If you saw my March post on Illusions, you'll know that my favorite hair salon turned 25 this month! Yes, 25!!! 25 years in business is a huge accomplishment and I am so happy for the success of my Illusions family, and specifically salon owner, and a woman I deeply respect, Irma Wheeler! Last month I recapped Irma's story on how she started Illusions and it is definitely goals. Photos from the Illusions 25th Anniversary shoot. Hair and makeup by Illusions team. Photos by Ari

Everyone, mark your calendar for April 15! You are invited to a party in celebration of the iconic Illusions of Shirlington Salon 25th anniversary! You read that right- Illusions of Shirlington will turn 25 in April! AND, while we're talking about birthdays, the Georgetown location turns 3, TODAY! Pop the champs and don your party hats, because todays post is a celebration for Illusions. In my last post about Illusions for the month of February, I dropped the news that I am t

It is with much excitement that I’m writing today’s post. February marks a special relationship for myself and my favorite salon, Illusions of Georgetown. After a year of working with Illusions on various hair and event collabs, I am now the official Brand Ambassador!!! If you remember from my Hair Journey post, Illusions was the salon who fixed my hair disaster last January when my old colorist inadvertently dyed my hair brown. It was a full on hot mess. It took my hair mont

For the like thousandth time, I will say it again- my favorite thing about blogging is the people it has introduced me to. Blogging has introduced me to some amazing, creative people who have inspired me and pushed me creatively. Today's post is dedicated to a creative collaboration with DC area photographer, Stephen Creative Lab aka @ayostephens on Instagram. Stephen and I collaborated on a vintage inspired creative shoot. I appreciated that when we were planning the shoot,

Since it is the giving season, I decided it'd be a great time to team up with some of my favorite brands to give back to all of you BITD supporters with some holiday giveaways. I'm currently running two giveaways that are live on my Instagram page and I want to share the details here, in case you'd like to enter but aren't a daily Instagram user! Here are the deets of the BITD giveaways and steps on how to enter! GOOD LUCK!!! Giveaway #1- Holiday Hair Giveaway Sponsors: Illus

The 5 day countdown to Christmas is on. If you’re anything like me, you still have some shopping to do. Each year I always tell myself I’m going to finish my shopping early, yet each year I find myself scrambling. This week I’m planning to finish up all my shopping so I don’t have to go to the mall frantically on Christmas Eve like I’ve done so many times before. What can I say, I work well under pressure, lol. Today I’m continuing with the BITD gift guides featuring gifts fo

Do blondes really have more fun? Maybe. Having been a brunette in my childhood and into my teen years, I didn't know the difference until I started to dabble in highlights in high school. Once I started highlights, my hair progressively got lighter and lighter, until many years later I finally bit the bullet to go platinum and I never looked back. That is, until my hair was accidentally dyed brown this past winter (follow my hair journey here). It was that moment I realized t

As you read from last Friday's FAB Friday post, I am a huge fan of The Embassy Row Hotel here in Washington DC. I participated in a video with the hotel back in May, promoting the hotel and tourism to DC. After my best friend, Erin, saw the video, she was so eager to come to DC and see the hotel for herself, that she booked a trip to come visit for a much needed girls weekend. Erin has been my best friend for over 25 years and although we grew up together in Richmond, we have

Finding a good foundation has always been hard for me. For years I went without foundation, but as I've gotten older, my skin isn't as perfect as it once was. I have oily skin, enlarged pores, and redness, which has all gotten worse with age. I didn't have redness until I hit my 30's, and I try to hide and diminish my enlarged pores by at home masks and treatments, and am always looking for makeup that can mask these skin issues. Face makeup- Jane Iredale. Photo by Arielle Le

Alright. I've given you all the backstory of my "hair journey," so now its time to get into the thick of it and share with you some of my fave newly discovered hair products. Thanks to Illusions of Georgetown, I have been introduced to some awesome products that I had never used before. These products have become part of my haircare ritual, and today I'm sharing them with you. Its amazing how much you learn about hair by spending lots of time in a salon. Since I have been spe

I've been milling over this post for quite some time. Its taking me awhile to truly open up about what I'm calling my 'hair journey' that I've been dealing with since January. My entire blog namesake is based on my hair. It is my brand, and who I have become. In January, I had a terrible hair incident that threatened my entire brand, and resulted in a obstacle filled hair journey. My partner in this hair journey, has been Illusions of Georgetown and Shirlington, who has held

I can't say this enough- I LOVE ELOQUII. Seriously. I will sing it from the rooftops for all to hear- and I'm not even a singer. While I only recently became an avid ELOQUII customer, I am officially hooked on this brand. So, today's FAB Friday is my love note to ELOQUII, plus I'm throwing in some details of the Fashion for Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation event I'm hosting with ELOQUII on April 6. You can see my other ELOQUII posts here and here. After knowing the brand (can

One thing I am always passionate about is #womensupportingwomen. I think it is important to support each other because its already a tough enough world out there, and having the backing and support from your women peers not only betters yourself, but opens opportunity for new friendships, collaborations, and general feel good vibes. Photo credit: Illusions of Georgetown In blogging, I have met a network of amazing women who range from bloggers to business owners, and the netw

September is a huge month for fashion lovers. September marks Fashion Weeks around the world and Vogue (essentially the Holy Grail to us fashion addicts) releases their best and biggest issue all year filled with serious fashion inspiration. For the Bubbles & Bloggers event this month, I knew I wanted to plan something different from the normal brunches, more focused on a party for own September issue. I was thinking up ideas, but all my ideas halted when I had a discussion

FAB(ulous) Friday is finally here, fashion friends! I don't know about you, but its been one busy week for me and I am so looking forward to the weekend! Although the week was busy, I enjoyed my social time with friends, DC Restaurant Week, and best of all- the fabulous Illusions of Georgetown Salon! I met Illusions of Georgetown on Instagram a few months ago, and after shared likes and comments, the social media manager and makeup pro, Yvette, and I finally touched base and