hair here! hair there! hair! hair! everywhere!

i know you're all DYING to know what i've been up to...

(you've been losing sleep over it, haven't you?)

and the answer is yes, i am still crazy busy

hustlin' as a hairstylist. 

it's been great. here's an update. 

being a JPMS national educator is keeping me hopping. 

the past few months, i've been to: 

new york (twice!)

south carolina

kansas

and louisiana!

but my favorite is still the in-salon classes

i teach in and around the los angeles area. 

it's fun to play with the salons in my own backyard.

i'm still working with the lovely and talented lucie doughty.

she's incredible. i am lucky.

i'm teaching the texture and color classes at

paul mitchell the school - sherman oaks. 

working with the future professionals is so fun and 

funny and amazing. 

last texture week, we were learning about perms so 

i made everyone dress in their 1980s finest.

working at the school keeps me young...and ridiculous.

my work is being published more and more

which is SO exciting. 

editorial work is my favorite because you 

get to collaborate with people that are 

incredibly passionate and talented. 

woot!

aaaaaaand last but not least, 

i'm behind the chair at a little salon

 in santa monica. jade design studio. 

come visit me!

it's crazy busy, 

(sometimes just plain ole crazy)

but i'm happier than i've ever been. 

and so thankful. 

LAdventures: taco madness.

have i told you lately how much i love LA?

love. it. so much. 

this city has brought me to life.

prior to living here, you never (as in NEV-ER) 

would've caught me anywhere near a food truck. 

like...NEVER.

i've had what i believe they call a change or heart. 

a change of stomach?

my roommate, tiffany, is participating in taco madness

(which is basically the food equivalent of march madness...bracket and all)

with some friends and they've been hitting up taco trucks all over the city. 

i jumped in for a ride along.

here were our stops and my recommendations:

mariscos jaliscos.

the most incredible shrimp taco

to ever touch your lips.

this taco was as delicious as the picture is unflattering. 

seriously. get yerself to boyle heights. UHmazing.

next up was tacos punta cabras in santa monica. 

these fellas have only been open a few months but they've

made a name for themselves right quick. 

worth a visit. get the shrimp taco. you won't regret it.

it wouldn't be a proper taco post if i didn't mention

the lovely little spot that converted me to 
a life of taco truck chasing. 

tacos leo. al pastor. do it.

m'girl, renee, just emailed me LA weekly's list of 

top 10 taco trucks in los angeles. 

it is on.

obsessed: first day of spring edition.

i woke up this morning and felt...different. 

in a good way. in a hopeful way.

in a spring is here! sort of way.

2013 has been mighty fine to me so far. 

my new year's resolution was to seek greater balance in my life and so far, so good.

work is going GREAT.

physically, i'm healthier (and thinner!) than i've been in years. 

i feel connected to my spiritual self. 

my friends are fantastic. 

there may even be a new man in my life (eeeiiii!).

i'm hopeful and happy.

it feels good.

how's 2013 treating you?

locked out of heaven.

so i was watching the victoria's secret fashion show

(stop judging me)

and saw what may be one of the most delightful

performances bruno mars has given EVER.

i've loved his latest song for awhile

but after seeing him perform it at the show, 

i'm OBSESSED. 

have you ever seen such a stylish, swag-tastic entourage?!

3 minutes and 20 seconds in, i died.

well done, bruno. well done. 

rihanna performed as well and seriously handled business.

you know li'l miss is good when you've got victoria's secret

models working the runway 

and you still can't take your eyes off of her.  

but seriously, bruno mars.

happy halloween!

halloween is a time to step outside of yourself and become something you'd otherwise never be.

like most years, i declared emphatically that i had neither the time nor the energy to put together a costume this year. up until the very last minute, that is, when the lure of transformation was simply too much to resist.

transform myself from dynamic and friendly into monotone and antisocial a la daria morgendorffer? don't mind if i do.

totally worth it! silly me thought i was alone (save for a few ultra cool friends) in my affinity for daria. boy, was i wrong! love that after all these years, she still has a cult following. probably helped that i had my trusty friend, jane (aka the ever delightful andria lopez), in tow to round out the look. duos are always more fun, no?

did you dress up?

why you need a mentor.

in the past year, i relocated to los angeles, had work featured in several publications (including a cover!), began teaching at paul mitchell the school, travelled all over the united states doing hair and was hired as a national educator for john paul mitchell systems. what a difference a year makes!

none of it would've been possible without the constant guidance and education of my mentor, lucie doughty. i am forever indebted to her for the things i've learned from her in the time i've been assisting her.

and now, in an effort to pay it forward, here are a couple things i've learned about why you NEED a mentor whether navigating a new career path or the ins and outs of this crazy adventure we call life:

1. THEY'VE HAVE BEEN THERE.

so many of the challenges and decisions i've had to face in the past year were things my mentor also experienced somewhere along her career path. her insight helped provide a clarity that would've otherwise been completely absent from my decision making process. let's face it, carving out a place for yourself in the world is tough. mentors can be instrumental in working us through those rough patches, with words of advice or simply words of encouragement.

2. THEY MAXIMIZE OUR EFFORTS.

i am very fortunate to have a mentor that has truly mastered the fundamentals of hairstyling. recently, i was assisting on a shoot and she redirected my curling iron setting technique. after her coaching, i attempted to follow her guidance. it was awkward and i felt like it was the first time i'd ever set hair. i pretty much failed miserably, BUT i learned something new about a hairstyling fundamental that could've taken me ages to figure out on my own. mentors are there to teach us how to work smarter, not harder. this is valuable whether we are relearning a very fundamental skill or attempting to navigate the road to success (whatever that looks like for you) as efficiently as possible.

3. THEY KEEP US FOCUSED.

ideally, a mentor is someone that is doing what you ultimately want to do. this means, mentors have an incredible understanding of what the goals and focuses need to be in order for us to get there. early on in my time assisting, lucie asked me about my goals and what i wanted for myself regarding my career. over the months, any time my focus gets shaky and i spread myself too thin, she encourages me to revisit my goals and refocus accordingly. i'm proud to report that under her tutelage, i've now become quite adept at catching myself before i veer too far off the path.

there are MANY other benefits to having a mentor. for one, being around someone that is better than you, raises your standards by default. you're only as good as the people you hang around. if you want to be the best, you need to rub elbows with the best. all in all, much of the success i have experienced has been a direct result of hanging with the best. and i only hope to get better with time.

who are YOUR mentors? what value have you found in having a mentor?

curlfriends.

a king among men.

grateful to have such a strong, kind, beautiful example

of what a real man is in my life.

his confidence in and love for me makes me a better woman

everyday.

happy father's day, popsicle!

LAdventures: birthday (lawn)bowling.

lawn bowling. 

who knew? 

miss tiffany had a birthday

and we planned a most excellent celebration, 

which involved the lawn bowling club of los angeles. 

we rallied the peeps, dressed all in white and turned

holmby park on it's head!

the sport itself is pretty fun but the real 

treat is the lawn bowling enthusiasts

that are more than willing to share a few pointers

on their beloved past time.

the lawn bowling club offers free lessons every 

saturday morning. check it out.

we continued the celebration at soul burger in inglewood

(which deserves a post of it's own), let it suffice to say: 

DELURSH! just...go. eat. fall in love. 

and the LAdventures continue...

duets.

kelly clarkson.
john legend.
ROBIN THICKE?!!

yes, please.

duets on abc. i'm obsessed.
did you watch last night?

women need men.

my friend sent me this article.

such an interesting commentary on the current disconnect 

between men and women. 

there are some real gems in this piece

(some of which verge on the scandalous side - sorry mom!). 

"The [men] characters were uncompromising and focused when it came to their female lovers. Yet with infinite power at their fingertips the only thing that made them weak were the women they loved and lusted over."

what woman DOESN'T want to make her man weak? 

to be loved and lusted over?

it gets better...

"The lesson here is that some women (a lot of women), on a certain level, want to relinquish control. But they won’t cede that control to just anybody. They want someone strong enough to handle the privilege of their submission. The mistake men make is trying to illustrate this strength in ways that have nothing to do with the woman or what she wants."

and the writer's parting words.

"Take her number (and USE it) .Take her out. Take her word. Take her temperature. Take her picture. Take her seriously. Take her home… Then just take her."

so much deliciousness. 

there's so much i could say about this article, 

but instead i'll just say: AMEN!

your thoughts?

DIY: 3.1 phillip lim studded sweatshirt

spotted this 3.1 phillip lim studded sweatshirt awhile ago, 
and it's been sitting on my desktop ever since. 
i'm OBSESSED.


at $350, this top is way out of my budget
but i'm pretty sure i can make this. 


anyone got a bedazzler i can borrow? 

life update, instagram style.

life over the past month or so has been crazy. 

lots of work. good thing. spread too thin. not so good.

just...crazy. here's what i've been up to:

in an effort to regain a sense of control, 

i decided to refocus and create a dream board.

i'm leaning heavily on the law of attraction. 

for now, i'm focusing on love, my career, getting heathy

and just developing balance in my crazy, work-heavy life

(which isn't a bad thing, i love what i do...just sayin)

the week i created my dream board, i got booked for a shoot

with zooey magazine. we shot up and coming actress, abigail klein.

she was so lovely and the final images are GORG!

can't wait to share them with you.

even though i moved to LA and driving to OC is such a nightmare, 
i'm still singing in OCMCO. it's such an uplifting and worthwhile
hobby, i can't let it go. plus, it keeps me singing, which i love. 
we had our spring concert: from beethoven to broadway. 
my darling friends brought me flowers and chocolate. 
they're the best. 

i'm still assisting the fabulous and talented lucie doughty. 
that woman's work never ceases to amaze me. 
we road tripped to palm springs to shoot trina turk's holiday look book. 
salt flats. crazy wind. hot hot hot weather. 
it was SO great. 

while shooting, base camp was the 29 palms inn. 
it was so rustic and delightful. i loved it so much. 
who wants to go back with me? birthday trip?

i bought these sunglasses the other day. inspired by this girl. 
i'm obsessed. so fresh!

since a substantial part of my dream board is dedicated to getting healthy, 
i've started to eat way more veggies. it's been an adventure for sure. 
i feel great (!) and i've lost around 20 lbs so far. yay!

rocked these pleated, polka dot pants. 
super 80s. super awesome. 

shot paul mitchell's holiday looks with lucie. 
this model, jade, is PERFECTION. it's ridiculous. 
lucie really is a master hairstylist. 
i'm lucky to have her as a mentor.

i made this delicious cauliflower crust pizza the other day. 
no carbs, people. pretty amazing, right? 
all things considered, it was pretty tasty.


how's life going for you? whatcha been up to?

a queen among women.

...beautiful on the inside and out
...so incredibly selfless
...loving
...kind
...a fantastic example of womanhood.


grateful to be able to call her mother. 
a stronger, more loving individual, i have yet to meet. 


happy mother's day, mama.

dream dream dream.

dream board #2 is up and running. 
{check out #1 here}


"The number one reason people don't get what they want is that they don't know what they want." - T. Harv Eker


creating this dream board was incredibly...
cathartic? 
restorative?
stimulating?
yes. all of those things. it felt good to refocus.


i haven't created timelines for myself,
but even just having a clear picture (literally) of what i want, 
seems to be making all the difference. 


so. at the end of this dream board cycle, 
i will have the following: 


a wonderful man in my life
a healthy, sexy body like rihanna
a house in order
a fulfilling, lucrative career
an overall positive sense of self


dream big, people. 


have you ever made a dream board?

romantical.

have you seen this google chrome commercial? 

it melted my heart and brought a tear to my eye. 

(not an exaggeration. i LITERALLY teared up.)

so tender.

happiest place on earth.

miss andria and i road tripped on down to disneyland
for a meetup with my angel and the larkins. 

and we all lived in a manner of happiness. 

highlights included dole whip AND captain eo. 
i was a first timer for the delight that was captain eo...
all these years, i didn't know what it was to live. 
'cause seriously people, you haven't lived until you've seen it. 

UH-mazing. 

i wanna live at disneyland.

metamorphosis.

hair used to look like this:

then i came across (and obsessed over) this:

thought about it for a hot minute

and did this (thanks andria!):

et voila!

currently look like this:

since then,

i've discovered this:

where do we go from here?

happy easter.

i believe + i am grateful.

go HERE for more info on easter

and why it's the greatest event in human history.

happy easter.

vintage beauties.

had an opportunity to work with my favorite power couple,

au + mau mauricio of bottega studios.

maria + pollyanna from industry models rocked it out

in vintage swimwear styled by brandon sapin.

beeeautiful.