Messy Side Updo Tutorial

If you know me, there's no doubt that I have no problem striking up convo with a stranger or being extremely outgoing. Heck! I talk to fresh faces on a 45 minute rotation at the salon every day.

So why in the world has it taken me two years to make a video hair tutorial?

BECAUSE IT'S TERRIFYING.

Now that I've crossed making my first vid off my career bucket list, I'm psyched to deliver a million more. I'm JUST getting started. I learned so much through this process: film during natural light- duh, don't say "like", slowww down and practice prior. But I can only get better from here, so get excited.

I hope you learned a new fun and super simple style to incorporate in your hair routine. Let me know know what you think!

What tutorials would you like to see next?

XO AJ

Bookshelf to Bar

For years I admired the tall storage piece that displayed jewelry in our boutique. I was annoying about it, and was vocal that I wanted it to be mine someday. When I got my first big girl apartment, my mom agreed to give it to me!

In my last three apartments I used it as a bookshelf. It was cute, served it's purpose, I think at one point I was storing vases on top and taxes in the drawers...

When we moved into our new apartment this year, I really REALLY wanted a bar cart. You know the ones. Gold. Wheels. Fancy.

There just wasn't an appropriate spot for a bar cart, mostly because my bookshelf fit perfectly in the nook where a bar cart would potentially live. SO. We made our bookshelf into a bar. Priorities.

What do you think? Wanna come over for a drink?

XO AJ

Martha to the Rescue

 

I'm the first to admit, I am by no means a Do It Yourself-er. I'm pretty self sufficient, and am willing to try and fail at lots of things, but let me just say this is no tutorial.

That being said, WHAT AN UPGRADE!?

This mirror was one of the first really nice things I ever owned, it's moved with me so many times, and my style has definitely changed since I got it.

The contrast it delivered above the fireplace was so harsh, and the brown/red tones were too rustic for our clean aesthetic. I was so excited when I had my gold aha moment. Gold upgrades everything, and goes with the rest of our apartment!

I thought I'd simply buy a can of gold spray paint. Um no. The city of Chicago doesn't allow the sale of spray paint, so my local Home Depot suggested I buy the brush on Rustoleum equivalent. I brushed it on, and all I got was a 100% sheer high gloss lacquer. Annoyed, I went back to Home Depot, and they said they had NO other gold that would work on metal. They suggested I go to Michael's and buy acrylic paint. Like I said, I'm not a DIYer, and this isn't a tutorial of the "right" way to do things, so...

I bought Martha Stewart Precious Metals gold paint intended for WALLS. As in, never to be painted on metal. I've never been one to follow the rules, and I'm so so happy with the result!

What do you think?

XO AJ

Makeup Makeover

I love a good crush! 

Just getting home from work, I’ve been stuck between going for a run, or running to Molly’s Cupcakes. I settled on blogging and today want to talk about finding a solution for my most frustrating moment… broken makeup.

We’ve all been there, whether you pull your makeup bag out of a suitcase after two flights and a cab, or you drop your compact in the sink, or magically it’s now a loose dusty mess imbedded in your bathroom rug.

Tossing our shattered $30 hues is extremely frustrating, so instead I’ve started collecting them all in a jar. Everytime one breaks, I crush it into a fine dust, and add it to the jar. If they don’t all match, it’s totally okay, think of it as creating your own custom blend!

XO AJ