Time for a Change...

Today's shop has been sponsored by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! 
#RethinkYourColour #CollectiveBias

Happy Monday friends! I’ve spent my entire weekend indoors, secluded from the world as I planned out my April shenanigans. You know – the post-breakup sort. A lot of traveling internationally as well as domestically to places I’ve never thought of venturing to (Nashville this weekend!). The other half of my shenanigans involves doing something drastic… to my hair.

After a lot of back and forth, I decided to pamper myself and my virgin hair to something I always wanted to do but never been ballsy enough to do – go lighter. Yea, it’s drastic and will probably cost an arm and leg but I have my reasons and research.

On the hair change being drastic… well, after a breakup (which are never glamorous) I wanted to look inwards at myself and do the things I’ve always wanted to do in all aspects of my life such as: traveling, running a marathon, living on my own, changing my hair & more. As they say, it’s time to do me and learn more about myself while in the process.

And in a weird way, switching up my hair feels like announcing my arrival in the dating world. Weird, right? Or do you do the same thing haha.

With this breakup comes a new apartment (goodbye savings account) but I still want to go lighter. This is where the research I was talking about comes into play.  Heading into a salon for a double process can cost upwards of $300+. Trust me, I looked everywhere but couldn’t find a salon that could promise me brassy-free curls without going over budget.

Not being a fan of that price-point I went to my local Walmart and cruised their color wall of at-home coloring sets. None of the colors seemed to fit what I was looking for and again the idea of turning into a brassy Sally scared me. PLUS, I have a lot of hair. Doing an at-home coloring project would be a fail before I even started.

Instead, I decided to go with something a little more seamless that would work with the color I already have. Enter John Frieda Visibly Brighter® Line which lightens your brunette locks without having to step foot into a salon.

Alright, so the new line is made of the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette® Visibly Brighter™ Subtle Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner – together this duo gradually brightens your hair for those sun-kissed locks. Not only that, but used daily (or when you wash) these two keep brightening and illuminating your brunette tones. The other portion of the line is the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette® Visibly Brighter™ In-Shower Treatment which instantly lightens up your locks one entire shade lighter and in your hair’s natural spectrum too (no need to worry about looking brassy with this). Like I mentioned, I basically have virgin hair with my last dye job being over 15 years ago so I feel better knowing this line is safe for natural, highlighted, and color-treated hair.

Altogether, I spent under $40 on the line, which feels so much better than fainting in a salon after viewing their bill. The perils of having thick curly hair.

I’m going to go all in with this line and in two weeks I’ll report back. Hope y’all don’t mind but I felt like it easier to show the transition on blown out locks as opposed to my frizzy-when-it’s-time-to-shoot hair.

Also, how much fun would it be if we did it all together? You can scoop up the line at your local Walmart or online at Walmart.com! The new line is located in the hair care & styling aisle. Your Walmart might have it set up differently than mine but I found these guys right next to all the John Frieda styling products.

Are you going brighter or darker with your hair this season or for summer? Tell me about in the comments!

Photos by Lydia Hudgens.

Must Try: Dry Salt Therapy

Ever have one of those days where everything and anything goes completely wrong. Well, that's me 8 times out of 10 basically every day. Sometimes the stress really starts to pile on, adding weight to my lower back - pretty sure that's not healthy.

I've mentioned my ongoing struggle with anxiety before and found holistic relief in a few ways: exercise (via Classpass + running), facials (take advantage of those Gilt & Groupon deals), and massages (the Soothe app makes this super easy - get $30 off with code HYBUE). My mom, an avid aromatherapy enthusiast, made me curious about what else is out there. And, you guys, there's a lot out there for us to explore.

One new-to-me approach is Dry Salt Therapy which I got learn more about at Breathe Easy, New York City's only Dry Salt Therapy Center. They graciously offered me a session to experience it firsthand and I happily obliged. One cold day I walked over to their location, conveniently located near Grand Central for all you commuters. Inside I was greeted by the front desk and directed to the lockers where I could change into something a little more comfortable or simply store my things. FYI, it's totally ok to come in your street clothes if you're not partaking in their Salty Yoga class.

After leaving the locker rooms I entered this heavenly light pink room which I later learned were blocks of Himalayan Salt. In fact, the entire room, top to bottom, is covered in Himalayan Salt. I then went over to a chair, took a few deep breaths, and felt myself slowly de-stressing from the day's events.

If you're wondering, what exactly are the benefits of salt therapy - don't worry, I got the full scoop. By spending, at least, half an hour in one of Breathe Easy's rooms you'll inhale micro-particles of pure Himalayan salt which in turn will help you breathe better (say goodbye to snoring), alleviate symptoms of major respiratory illness (such as asthma), allergies, as well as help you relax.

images via Breathe Easy

After one session, I felt so at peace and am definitely going to include Breathe Easy as a must-do when needing a moment to myself. (Fun fact: because of the micro-particles of salt floating in the air my lips did taste a little salty, similar to eating a bag of potato chips). If you're in NYC, definitely check them out if you're ever feeling stressed, dealing with allergies, or asthma. They have an awesome intro package ($50 for 5 sessions) and have four locations in New York.

Wellness Center Hours & Tidbits:
1 Park Avenue (in their lower level)
Hours: M-F 9a-9p, Sa-Su 9a-6p

www.breathesaltrooms.com

Monogrammed Moments

If you’re wondering, yes I am still living the nomadic life and trekking my things from Brooklyn to Queens to Manhattan to Brooklyn again. It’s just one vicious commuter cycle. No worries, though, this is my last month living out of my suitcase before semi-settling into a new apartment.

With all this shuffling around, I’ve lost a lot of my favorites (tear) and find myself in Target rebuying “lost” skincare essentials. My little Vaseline Lip Tins are one of the victims, often getting left behind on bookshelves in different boroughs. Not necessarily a bad thing since each home is now fully stocked with my favorite balm and in all the different varieties: Original, Rosy Lips (love this one!), Cocoa and Aloe Vera.

After re-buying another Vaseline Lip Tin (thankfully they’re super affordable at under four dollars a pop), I had a Marie Kondo moment. Instead of losing all my faves why not create a space for that fave to live in. Then I heard about GiGi New York Lip Tin Holder – it’s like they read my mind.

Now here’s my case for the for the monogrammed GiGi New York Lip Tin Holder: ever reach into your tote looking for something, freak out because you think you lost it, and then realize after emptying your bag on the dirty sidewalk that it’s been in your bag all day long. Guilty.

No joke, the Lip Tin Holder has kept that mini-panic attack at bay throughout the shuffle of multi-borough living and when commuting with my GiGi New York Teddie Tote.  Everything is within easy reach. While we’re at it, make sure to check out their other accessories that can help keep things contained.

Not to mention that the gorgeous leather Teddie Tote is big enough to carry everything and has lots of pockets & compartments to keep everything tidy. (And the pop of red brightens up the gloomiest of days.) You’ll for sure be seeing this styled on the blog again but first let me tell you about this amazing Vaseline & GiGi New York partnership to create personalized pieces for us – just in time for spring.

Until March 19th with every personalized GiGi New York purchase of $100+, you will receive a FREE customized Vaseline Lip Therapy Tin and monogrammed leather Lip Therapy Tin holder. You can also purchase the Lip Therapy Tin holder separately and still get it monogrammed at no charge (this also includes a FREE customized Vaseline Lip Therapy Tin.

Visit GiGiNewYork.com for more details.
If you’re interested, take advantage while supplies last.

Sunglasses: Rented via Ditto (use THESTYLEBORO to get your first month free)  Coat: H&M (similar)  Bow Tie: Asos  Shirt: Equipment  Pants: DL 1961  Loafers: Zara (similar)  Tote: c/o GiGi New York  Lip Therapy Tin Holder: c/o GiGi New York  Lip Balm: Vaseline  Lipstick: Lolita 2 via Kat Von D

If you need a little bit of more motivation, I’ve mentioned before how amazing Vaseline’s new Lip Tins are for us liquid lipstick loving gals here, but they’re also great as a skin salve. Anywhere I find dry rough skin, I use the Original or Aloe Vera and massage into my skin for a smooth, hydrated feeling.

Today's post was created in collaboration with GiGi New York x Vaseline. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

Photos by Victor Cerejo.

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