Hey hey hey!

It’s a good thing I hardly have anything to do and hardly need any sleep. That way I have plenty of time to blog about important matters.

I got my free Sephora iPhone case yesterday.  Since free in my book never equates good quality, my expectations were low.  I mean think about it, when was the last time you got something free that wasn’t total crap?

That theory went right out the window, when I got hit right in the eyeball with the uber cool Sephora iPhone case. Well HELLOOOO.

The giddiness that comes with receiving a box from Sephora makes my toes tingle.

About to get slapped in the eyeball… Watch out, may happen to you…

The case is made out of stiff rubber. Feels almost identical to my iFrogz case that I like so much. Kind of velvety to the touch.

For some reason I was expecting glossy from Sephora. The matte colors surprised me, in a good way.  I also thought the stripes would be all across the back. Had it all wrong. It’s super cool!

Please excuse the filth on my screen as I reach for a cleaning wipe. Gheez.

So now behold, my clean iPhone stylin’ in its new case.

Free and worthy. The small things in life. Have a wonderful day!

I walked in and saw Lauren. Wait, let me rephrase that… I walked in and saw Lauren, a gorgeous redhead with such mesmerizing eyes, I couldn’t stop staring. Her sisters and both mothers weren’t too shabby either. Great group of women, 2 wonderful families. Perfect start to the New Year.

Lauren had a photo of what she wanted.  She immediately said loving braids and mentioned the words “off to the side chignon”.  Ooooo… I knew we’d get along.  For her makeup we went all glam. Strong smokey eyes with faux lashes paired with red lips.

I can hear you think already… Smokey eyes AND red lips???… YES!!! Who ever said we can’t have both????  They complement each other beautifully. Especially if you’re Lauren.

We’ll  have to wait for studiojulie.com to see Lauren’s makeup.  Determined to get a least one decent shot of her hair (I got 2 yippie!)  I run out of time clicking away. For the record I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to photography. I’d like to. Maybe in my next life.

I started the braid on the right side (pretty high up) curving around the head. I secured the end…

After creating a multi-section off to side bun, I incorporated and pined then end of the braid. Orchids and Baby’s Breath make such a pretty combo. I would have never thought of that.

Have a great day no mater where you are. I’m pulling a 2 week straight without a day off. Good problem to have. Now get to work. Ha!

Thought I’d share some before and after pictures of Caya’s hair after doing a Keratin treatment today.

This treatment is incredible for anyone with frizzy, color damaged, unruly hair, and anyone wanting straight hair.

You go on Caya with your bad self. LOVE! Thank you for letting me post these photos.

So you decide you want your hair colored without spending money at the salon. Off you go and purchase what looks like the perfect shade. After reading the direction, you get started thinking how hard can this be? After all my stylist only spends a few minutes chatting with me before disappearing in back. Then returns with a bowl of color, applies it in a mater of minutes and it’s done!

Not so fast. You’re about to embark on a hair journey from hell.

Let me begin by saying that many things are taken into consideration as I am talking to you to establish what would be best for your hair. The formula I custom make for each client, is determined by the porosity, color, previous chemicals, undertones … the list goes on.

So how can a box of “light beige blond” work on anyone willing to spend a few bucks?

It simply can’t.

I know many of you as well as a few of my haircuts clients lucky enough to achieve OK results while doing it at home… And then there’s the not so lucky one…

I recently received a call from a friend asking me to get her in ASAP… Apparently she attempted to hilight her hair to a pale blond and ended up with a delightful shade of Creamsicle. NO bueno.

So basically, you’re taking a leap of faith when doing home coloring. So many things can go wrong you hear me? SO MANY!!!

Now, the cost of having a stylist fix your hair after turning it orange or blue is, in most instance, high. This is when the $7.99 box of color gets real expensive. Color correction typically starts at a couple hundred dollars, and really, it could go much higher depending on the amount of time it will take to turn your light orange hair into something pretty. Savings a few bucks huh? And did I mention the amount a God awfull stress you just put yourself through?

Please think long and hard before attempting hair color chemistry at home. This could be a very costly venture on both your hair and wallet.

My client had a great thought… “Next time I’ll get a bottle of wine instead of a box of color.” Something to think about next you’re heading to the store feeling ambitious. Hahaha!

Uh oh. Uh OH. I *loveeeee* it. I *wanttttt* it… I am the only chick around dying for the FREE Sephora iPhone case? … I know you’re all curious to find out how.

1. Download the Sephora 2 Go App.
2. Go ahead and place your order. Real arm twister.
3. Check out. In the promo code box enter: mobile4 (iPhone 4 user) or mobile3 (iPhone 3 or 3Gs user).
4. OR show the app on your phone to any Sephora employee and bingo the case is all yours.

SWEET & EASY! And then here’s all the things you can do when you have nothing else better to do.

SHOP: Browse and buy straight from your iPhone.
VIEW PAST PURCHASES: Look up specific shade names, sizes or formulations.
WATCH VIDEOS: Checkout expert tutorials and product videos.
READ REVIEWS: Access more than 1 million ratings and reviews written by other Sephora shoppers.
SEE TODAY’S OBSESSION: Find out which products Sephora staffers swear by.

So what do you think? Go or no go?

Is everybody ready to delve into the exciting world of dirty hair and dry shampoo??? I know. I need everyone to calm down now.  This is the sort of thing that could cause a mob scene at Sephora.

This kind of reminds me when I discovered my T3. I could hardly wait to get in the shower every morning and wash my hair.  Just for the pleasure to dry it. That’s how thrilled I get when I find something that makes dealing with my mane easier.

There is no going au naturel for your friend over here. EVER.  Unless of course I don’t mind being mistaken for Beethoven. NO exaggeration either.  I’ve bumped into acquaintances on the street while on my day off sporting the wash and wear look and got some interesting comments. Wow… new hairstyle huh? I almost didn’t recognize you… Eeek.

Thanks to my wavy hair that will look like a mop if not handled with a lot of care, I’ve sternly resigned myself to blow drying and flat ironing everyday it. It’s my least favorite part of my getting ready routine, especially if I’m overdue for a haircut.  I would love to be able to wash my hair every other day, workout or not, still look decent and not smell. Wish granted, Thank you Rene Furterer Naturia ($12).

Naturia is a dry shampoo containing kaolin clay, silica, rice, cornstarch powders and essential oils of peppermint, caraway, and basil. All here to collect sebum and other oil generated by your scalp. I know you love the visual.

Spray the product at your roots. Wait for 2 minutes. Brush off. Or do like I do, use your blow drier to realese excess. Proceed to styling as usual.  It sorts of stinks when you first spray it on, but somehow the scent evaporates quickly leaving no noticeable stench behind. This dry shampoo has completely changed my beauty routine. Taking a bow.

BTW, do you use dry shampoo and if so which one?

Studio Marie-Pierre Rating: A

Don’t know about you but we had an incredible 1.1.11.  Filled with so many wonderful brides and their family my head is still spinning. If today is any indication, 2011 is going to be Rockin’.

I meant to post photos of my brides as I took them last week but run out of time.  So here’s a compilations.

Karen came to the studio to get hair done for her Christmas Eve wedding.

She wanted to wear her hair all up and said she wasn’t afraid of volume. I was in heaven!

Her hairpiece, a clip made out of bleached out peacock feathers, was stunning and the perfect complement to her retro look.

The lovely Jessica came in for her hair/makeup trial preview. Her chosen was so perfect for her thick beautiful hair.

Apparently we were on a peacock roll. LOVE.

So lovely to meet Liz a few days later, after seeing her on Facebook. Flowers in a low knotted chignon. Timeless and gorgeous.

And here’s Caroline’s with whom I had so much spray tan tanning a couple of days before her wedding. I was really looking forward to seeing her again on her big day.

Congratulations to all of you!

Yes, the rumors are true… In a little more than 10 hours, we’ll close the book on 2010 forever.  A brand-spankin’ new year is about to unveil. Welcome 2011!

I’m a little sad to leave 2010 behind. It’s been a fantastic year here at Studio Marie-Pierre.  I feel so blessed with all our success, and I really cannot thank you enough all, my dearest readers and friends, my brides, local clients, fellow vendors and wonderful team  for all of your continuous support.

I look forward to the year ahead of us and have high hopes for an even better year — Wishing you all a PHENOMENAL 2011. Cheers!

PS. The snowflakes will be leaving the blog tomorrow.

Recently I introduced you to the Silk’n SensEpil at home hair laser device that promises professional-grade results…over time. This is treatment 3 of an 8 treatment review and testing period.

Last week ladies I reported some noticeable improvement in diverse parts of my bod. I was excited to see what would happen after round 2…  Well, are you ready???  I am thrilled to announce my toes are completely hair free! The sucker on my chin hasn’t grown back either. And just so you know I’m starring in a 5X magnifying mirror! My frazzled bikini line and underarms are looking way more civilized. Between the hair that seems to be completely gone and the hair with a much slower regrowth, I only had to shave twice last week. Yay for me.

I methodically zapped again last night, hardly feeling anything at all. I had the power cranked to medium/high. I totally dig the zapping process… ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! There’s something very satisfying about doing your own hair removal.

So far I am extremely pleased with the outcome of my SensEpil and imagine it’s only going to get better.
With a price tag of $499 the SensEpil isn’t cheap and may not be the right purchase for everyone. For me this is turning out to be a God sent. The days of being permanently smooth are around the corner.

What do you do for hair removal?