everything's better chicago style.

i was lucky enough to head to chicago for

a paul mitchell color training recently. i LOVE that city.

it has the history of a new york or boston, but the kindness of the midwest.

i hung out with these 4 ladies for 3 days straight. 

they are smart and beautiful and funny and amazing. 

i'm obsessed. 

i made some new friends. we went to dunkin donuts. 

bad food choice, but it was good bonding time. 

give me royal donut croissant ANYDAY!

i got to hang with this gorgeous lady. 

seriously, she is my soul friend.

a life without renee miller is a life half lived.

she moved to chicago a few months ago,

so i made her be my tour guide. 

she took me to the most OUTRAGEOUS brunch spot 

in wicker park, the bongo room. white chocolate pretzel pancakes. ridiculous.

we be bopped around wicker park and popped into american apparel. 

while there, one of the girls approached us and said we both

had great style, they were hiring and invited us to an open call.

we played it super cool until she left, at which point

we had meltdowns of most dorky proportions. 

just goes to show, at the heart of every cool kid, is the dorkiest of dorks. 

being told by an american apparel employee that you're stylish

is...well, kinda cool. not that i ever doubted, but it's nice to be validated.

this is one of my favorite areas of wicker park. 

i posted this pic on instagram and my peeps for SURE

came in strong with the praise. my friends sure know how to

make a gal feel special. 

my favorite part of this pic are my wool mittens.

tres chic, no? 

renee took me to frank lloyd wright's studio in oak park, just outside the city. 

on the same street as his studio, there are a handful of homes that he was commissioned to redesign in his signature style. they are pretty amazing. clearly, this one is renee's fave. 

seeing it elicits toyota-like jubilance within her. such jubilance cannot be contained.

nor should it be. 

this one was my fave. it's a bit of a split personality house. 

it was originally built in the late 1800s, but the top half of the house 

burned down in a terrible fire. frank lloyd wright redesigned and had it 

rebuilt, but kept the bottom part of the house as is. 

the result is a half gothic, half victorian home. i kinda love it. 

it's unique and beautiful and just a little bit off. just my style. 

did you know the american bar association offices are in downtown chicago? 

renee made sure to take a minute to...pay her respects. 

 

did i mention that i basically ate my way through chicago?
yep, it's pretty much the only way to do it. delicious delicious delicious.

firecakes is this incredible little doughnut shop. 

maple glazed pineapple and bacon donut. to quote renee: 

"tastes like christmas!"

you'll notice that little white pastry box tucked under renee's arm. 

filled with donuts. when i say i ate my way through chicago, i wasn't lying. 

those donuts stayed with us from firecakes' doors all the way to wicker park. 

after awhile, we stopped calling them donuts, and started referring to them as friends. 

firecakes. not to be missed. 

chicago food was delish. chicago weather...not so much. 

the wind. the rain. the wind. 

it was almost more than my thin LA skin could handle. 

but i not only made it work, i took a selfie to document my ability to brave the elements.

look, stop judging me, you gotta celebrate the little victories in life. 

like managing to stay warm in 30 degree weather. 

and of course, no trip to chicago would be complete without one meal involving a chicago style hot dog. portillo's made it happen. don't ever try to offer me a hot dog that doesn't have a whole dill pickle on it. no sliced tomatoes? no pickled pepper? a bun with no poppyseeds? 

i will slap that hot dog outta your hands faster than you can say...

well, just know, i'm not havin' it! oh and don't even get me started about portillo's chocolate cake shake. 

you heard me. CHOCOLATE CAKE. in a shake. it's the most amazing thing ever. 

chi-city, you did me good. 

can't wait to go back!

tabatha teams up.

tune into bravo tv tomorrow, march 6 at 10pm.

i'll be making my reality tv debut!

tabatha coffey teamed up with winn claybaugh

and paul mitchell the school

to set a flailing beauty school straight

on her show tabatha takes over.

i had the opportunity to speak about the

impact having trained, qualified, passionate

educators can have on students.

working with tabatha was a dream and

i'm so grateful to have been asked to participate!

be sure to tune in!

caper 2011!

last week, i hit vegas for a three day frenzy celebrating

the paul mitchell family and the art of hairstyling. caper 2011.

honestly, i'm still recovering. not joking. i've got the

vegas cough to prove it.

i spent a lot of time watching the masters on stage.

angus mitchell, stephanie kocielski, ladonna dryer.

cutting, coloring and styling like you wouldn't believe.

i had the opportunity to work backstage assisting with

the model prep. it was hard work but very exciting and

i learned so much!

yeah, i hung out with the likes of these

lovely ladies - stephanie kocielski and lucie doughty.

don't even worry about it.

this is my new friend ladonna. i'm obsessed.

the feeling's mututal. after i graduate, we're

gonna take over the world together. just wait.

caper wasn't all work. i hung with my peeps a bit.

we dressed in white and ate teeny tiny desserts.

we stood around and looked super cute.

bryce made supermodel faces. it's what he does.

but mostly, we just ooh'd and ahh'd over the

amazingness that was robert cromeans. serious.

caper was RAD. someday i'm gonna be ON that stage.

just you wait and see.

macy's fashion show.

got a chance to work a macy's fashion show

fashion shows are my fave!

my dream is to work NY FASHION WEEK.

for now, back to reality.

working fashion shows, you never

know what kinda hair you're gonna get.

you've gotta make it work in whatever time

(usually too little) you have.

this little darling had a LOT of hair

and they wanted a fun party updo.

because her hair was SO heavy,

i cheated a big and pulled most of it

into a french braid along the nape.

i gathered the remaining hair in a ponytail

and curled the ends.

this girl had a LOT of crazy curly hair.

it was a little unmanageable but luckily

the requested an edgy look.

i braided up one side to get it under control

and then tucked and pinned the wildness

into this mohawk shape. kinda fun.

this gal was one of my faves.

she swore up and down that her hair

just didn't hold curl. i love a challenge.

i used worked up + super clean hairsprays

to help keep the curls in place. success!

all in all, the show was a lot of fun.

working fashion shows is definitely something

i would consider doing post-graduation.

photo shoot.

here are a couple proofs from

last month's photo shoot. my faves, actually.

it was my first shoot, so there were definitely

some discoveries

(re: exposed undergarments, too much cleave, etc.)

but, all in all, i'm pleased.

i loooove how her highlights photographed!

and the texture (curls) is gorgeous!

isn't chelsea adorable?!

who wants to model for me next?

i'm thinking something blonde and beachy.

summer (hair) love - GIVEAWAY!

sunshine and beach days are fun and all,

but can wreck MAJOR havoc on your hair.

paul mitchell color protect locking spray is just the thing

to help keep those locks lookin' as hot as your bikini bod!

the locking spray protects from harsh uva rays and moisturizes hair,

keeping it from getting dry and brittle in the summer months.

here's the best part: it can be YOURS

along with the color protect shampoo and conditioner

('cause i'm generous like that).

here's what you have to do:

to enter the giveaway, leave a comment below telling (1) your summer plans

and/or (2) your favorite thing about summer.

but wait, there's more!

blog about this giveaway on YOUR blog and leave a comment

below with the link and you'll be entered AGAIN to win.

so good, right?!

giveaway closes sunday, june 27. winner will be announced monday, june 28.

shear genius.

i had my first photo shoot last week.

the day before, i decided to do a practice run.

i wasn't feeling suuuuper inspired but liked the idea of

a curly/textured look for my model.

chelsea was sweet to suffer through as my model.

wet perms are NOT for the faint of heart.

in fact, i wasn't even sure it was going to work.

darling ashley stepped in to do the little baby hairs in the back

i didn't have the skills to roll. she saved me.

homegirl works FAST!

after all the rods were in, 'twas time for the dryer.

at this point, i had no idea how it was going to turn out.

i just hoped that SOMETHING good would come of it.

an hour later, we pulled out the rods.

it was SOMETHIN' all right. the good part was debatable.

i sat and stared at that 'fro forever.

then it hit me! a more current version

of a punk rock classic! who doesn't love a mohawk?!

the photo shoot went well and the proofs are GORGEOUS!

i'll post 'em as soon as i get clearance from

the photographer. get excited!

dream dream dream.

one of the great things about school is it totally

fuels my need to be creative and crafty-like.

exhibit a. the dream board.

the assignment was to put together a collage

of dreams, goals and the like.

inspired by little green notebook's office boards,

i got to work on the foundation of said dream board.

the content was a little more difficult to come by.

it'd been awhile since i really thought about my dreams.

but here's what i came up with.

learn to play the guitar.

i've always wanted to get good. just never made time.

the dream board is changing all that.

be a celebrity stylist.

pmts is the first step. if you know any

celebrities that need to be styled, send 'em my way!

travel europe.

i've NEVER been...can you believe that?!

after i graduate, that's the first stop!

marry a prince.

hey, it's a DREAM board, okay?

it could happen.

graduate from pmts on time.

yeah, it's a lot less common than you would think.

but i wanna get my hair education and get to work.

that means no skipping, vacations, etc.

it's nose to the grindstone until april 2011.

become a famous blogger.

people do it all the time, right?

step one: be famous in your own mind.

step two: blog.

check check.

sew a quilt.

as i type, there are three unfinished

quilts in my closet. shame shame.

learn how to surf.

took lessons in maui.

a little more practice and this dream

will be a reality!

always be nice (no matter what).

yeah. not as easy as it sounds.

what would go on YOUR dream board?

little fish, big pond.

busy but boring.

that's my life these days.

school is going well.

i'm on the floor taking clients now.

i also make house calls. call or email me if you're interested.

dusty introduced me to guppy house.

uhhhh, delicious. go there.

this is my darling dusty.

if he looks awkward in this photo it's because

he's trying to keep his handful of jello from shooting

out his nose, mouth or other embarrassing place.

some peeps would grab a spoon.

not dusty. he's a gem like that.