Look Ma, I'm Famous

So I've written before about how my friend Christina hooked me up with Pantene Pro-V for an impromptu haircut. I thought I was going in for a free haircut with a student maybe and maybe there was going to be a before and after photo thing. Nope. Instead, I got an amazing haircut from Jamie Leonard at Brambila Salon and even got to give a few soundbites which made me sound far more together than I actually am. And I got to hang out with the hilarious beauty vlogger Sonia Castaneda. My friend Jacy came with me for the long haul (all nine hours), but it was super-fun to be a part of the whole process and see what goes on behind the scenes. (hint: enough makeup to do a Jackson Pollack reproduction.)

I hate seeing myself on camera. I find my voice, especially all the likes and uhs, extremely irritating. Also like ew. But I love my hair and the Pantene team was amazing. Thanks Pantene, Christina and Jacy!

My Two Minute Acting Gig + A Grapefruit Cocktail

So my friend Christina gets really irritated with my hair situations. She hates that I meet her with my hair down and within minutes of arriving at our destination, its up in my messy, not-quite-a-top-knot, wonky-ass bun. So do most of my other friends.

My annoyance with my hair is quite cyclical. I generally keep it long, then hack it off every two years for locks of love. In the meantime, I can't stand my growing hair until it hits right at my bra line. At which point, I may start wearing it down, but only for minutes at a time.

Anyway, Christina messaged me on Friday asking if I wanted to take part in a Patene marketing campaign to go with the new branding they are launching next year. A free haircut and products? Sold. So I dragged Jacy along thinking I might do a before and after photo thing after my trim.

Um no. This was a full blown makeover. I got my makeup done (totally buying all of the Smashbox products), and then met Jamie, the lovely Brambila hairstylist who made my hair so much more tolerable and pretty and wonderful. I got blunt bangs, layers and color - "sunkissed highlights," which I am pretty much in love with. I am totally going back to Jamie since she was so detail oriented and took her time, despite the filming schedule we were on.

Also I was interviewed before, after and during the whole "transformation."

Anyway, the video will be online in a a couple of weeks, but until then some before, during and after shots :)

Also, Jacy (who is the most amazing and patient person ever) and I managed to sneak away to Misfit for a Happy Hour grapefruit sparkling wine cocktail (Bijou) and a lavender honey cocktail (Bee's Knees- my fave).

All in all, a pretty wonderful day. I have to say though that the whole pampering thing is not as glamorous as it seems. I had to be cheerful and engaging and cute all day long. I slept for nine hours last night straight.

Now for some normalcy,  I am currently in the kitchen baking a mixed berry pie. Recipe to follow!

xx

24 Days...

... Till I go home and what an eventful 24 days it will be. Some plans:

This weekend:

1. Leiley's Birthday and Fancy Dress

2. Haircut (This is a big deal for me, lol)

3. Cailin comes to visit and Dinners for 12 Strangers!

Next weekend:

4. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros with Cailin and Elisa!

5. Lexi and Steve come to visit :-)

Weekend of March 17:

6. Brian, Katie and Sara arrive on Saturday and my birthday week begins!

Here is our itinerary...

Saturday:

Everyone ARRIVES!

dinner at the best THAI food place in London

traditional ENGLISH PUB - the harlequin

*both conveniently located near my place

Sunday:

early morning unfortunately but its because...

we are going to PORTOBELLO MARKET!

followed by an afternoon in HYDE PARK and lunch at the cafe on the river

Indian dinner in Southhall at Brillant

Monday:

South Bank tour walk - parliament, london eye, big ben

*maybe the tate (I can leave you guys there when I go to class OR the British Museum OR napping)

I have class from 3-6 :-(

CAMDEN for dinner! (trendy, punky, cool)

Tuesday = MY BIRTHDAY!

(our day of luxury and coolness)

late brunch at the BREAKFAST CLUB

then shopping on REGENT ST. plus LIBERTY

I have class from 4-6...

but then we are doing a FANCY DINNER (TBA) and DRINKS

Wednesday:

Trafalgar Sq + National Gallery + Portrait Gallery

Lunch in a CRYPT

I have class in the afternoon --

but maybe dinner in Covent Garden?

Thursday:

Sloane Sq/Bond St aka where we will live when we're rich

brunch at the BOTANIST

window-shopping

The Victoria and Albert Museum (yay jewels)

HIGH TEA at a fashion house

CLUBBING in LONDON (also for my birthday and you can meet all mis amigos)

Friday:

lunch at BOROUGH MARKET (best fish and chips in London)

pack up (I also have to put my stuff in storage)

lazy evening of wine, movies, and English junk food

Oh yeah, and somewhere in there, I have to do work, papers, practice exams and my annotated bibliography for my dissertation is due. NBD.

{Hair} Definitely Blunt Bangs

source

Headbands - I want some

beautiful accessories from Ban.do

I miss my hair

So I always get a bit nervous going to the hairdresser, especially since I was eight and the hairdresser chopped off my waist-length locks and gave me a bowl cut. A BOWL CUT. People started mixing up Jason and I. And they just stopped like two days ago. Just kidding. Anyway, I had long hair throughout college. Until I went to Aveda and chaos ensued.

I have healthy hair. I know that. I don't dye it. I don't blow dry it. Essentially, it's untouched, virgin hair. And maybe just a little frizzy sometimes.

So I go to Aveda and this new girl says she needs to take a couple of inches off. I have like 5 billion inches of hair, so I said fine. She says five, I say three. But then this old dragon woman comes by and says there needs to be more than 3 taken off. So I said "okay, just take off whatever to make it healthy."

I thought she was going to take off five.

She took off 10. TEN FREAKING INCHES. TEN INCHES. THAT'S LIKE A FOOT, WHICH IS LIKE ALL MY HAIR.

so since then, I have felt like a shorn sheep. Yes, I know, my hair falls below my shoulders. I'm definitely not a shorn sheep. But it feels like that. I miss my hair.

And I know my hair didn't look like this when it was long, but I saw this photo today and teared up a little.



source: Style Me Pretty