BLOWOUTS WITH DRYBAR

For my date night with my fiancé in New York City, I decided to make it a carefree day that included a trip to drybar for a wash and blowout. And I gotta admit, I am hooked. My hair is thick and long, and always takes hours to dry my tresses myself - something I rather have someone else do! Whether it's for a special evening or just because (like my trip to the Houston salon yesterday), you'll never catch me saying no to a trip to drybar.

Once you sit down, you're given a menu to choose your desired hairstyle - pick from different types of blowouts (The Manhattan, Dirty Martini, The Cosmo, and more!) or even an updo or braid. Head over to get the most relaxing wash a girl can dream of and less than 45 minutes later, you'll have a blowout that will turn heads. I opted for The Mai Tai for some loose, beachy waves.

Count me in for a monthly membership!

Have you tried drybar?

Jess

FAVORITO FRIDAY: OSCAR BLANDI PRONTO DRY SHAMPOO

It's very, very hard for me to find a dry shampoo that works. Usually I test one out, spend 15 minutes trying to get the white dust to fade, and end up washing my hair because it still feels and looks dirty. They always seem to just try and cover up my oil with fragrance, leaving behind a weird texture in my hair. But I'm so happy I gave Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo a chance when I found it in the Sephora check-out line!

So far, it's been the only product to make a difference in my oily hair. There is barely a fragrance and the powder quickly absorbs the oil in my hair, leaving no weird white spots behind. I'm really in love with it.

And shoutout to Jess from Bows and Sequins for sharing her secret to using dry shampoo on her Snapchat - putting it in your hair the night before so it has the night to absorb (and eliminates the need to rub it in). Genius!

Happy Friday!

x Jill

WEDDING INSPIRATION: HAIR

Remember the days of those horrible hair sprayed updos? And with those crystals?! Thankfully, those days are way over. Now it's all about letting your hair loose, soft waves, and even braids. I rarely put my hair up when I go out (excuse the top knot for when I'm just not feeling it), so doing an elaborate hairstyle is just not my thing. I, of course, headed to Pinterest for ideas to step up my wedding hair game. 

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How do you want to do your hair for you wedding?

Jes

URBAN OUTFITTERS BEAUTY

I've done some major shopping online this week (hellooo spring), and one of the things I'm most excited about is yesterday's arrival of my Urban Outfitters beauty products!

A photo posted by Jess & Jill (@jessandjill) on Mar 24, 2015 at 12:24pm PDT

I actually wrote this with a TonyMoly I'm Real mask sheet on (and hopefully didn't creep out my fiancé that much), to make the best use out of my 30 minutes! The seaweed version made my skin silky smooth. Not sure if there's any longterm skin-altering effects when used consistently, but it's great for an instant skin boost and for the night before a special day.

Along with my sheet masks, I also keep hearing about this cleansing conditioner craziness, so I decided to grab Grow Gorgeous Cleansing Conditioner in Brunette. It says it's a 12-in-1 conditioner (12?!) and has "prismatic technology", so it's got a lot to live up to! This will definitely be a post soon!

I didn't know that Urban Outfitters had so many beauty goodies, and I can't wait to try more. From known brands like Anastasia, Not Your Mother's, and bliss - to the lesser known and from overseas (like my Korean mask sheets), there's everything you can imagine. Here's what I'm currently adding to my cart!

Anastasia Contour Kit ($40.00)

Caolion Blackhead O2 Bubble Pore Pack ($26.00)

Fig + Yarrow Clay Mask ($16.00)

Aquarian Soul + Earth Oils Coconut Rose Milk Bath ($36.00)

A Beautiful Life Honey Do Shampoo ($16.00)

Uslu Airlines Nail Polish ($16.00)

Nudestix Matte Lip Gloss Pen ($24.00)

Have you gotten anything from Urban Outfitters's beauty section?

Jess

BRAID BONANZA

It's been another late night on Pinterest...

From the rainy weather in Houston to wedding details to hanging with my niece, braids have, oddly enough, been a part of my everyday life lately. My curls are my daily go-to look, but ever since I successfully did a French braid for the first time ever, I've been on this braid kick. I've got the messy fishtail braid down (messy is my hair's middle name), working on the braided crown, and getting mentally ready for the Dutch braid. See my favorite braided looks below. (Don't worry, I added some for both short and long hair!)

via The Wonder Forest

via The Beauty Department

via Barefoot Blonde

via Twist Me Pretty

via Cupcakes and Cashmere

via Barefoot Blonde

via Makeup Wearables

via Style Me Pretty

via Free People

via Pinterest

How do you like to do braids?

Jess

FAVORITO FRIDAY: HOT TOOLS CURLING IRON

Unless my hair is in a top knot, I never leave home without curling it. My hair is this weird combination of straight and wavy, with a little frizz here and there. The only way of controlling all that mayhem is by using the amazing Hot Tools Curling Iron. I couldn't live without it! 

Hot Tools Professional Curling Iron ($25.95) - Amazon

My hairstylist taught me how to deal with my tresses using a curling iron and I haven't looked back since. It smooths my hair and makes it look consistent - something I didn't know was possible of doing myself. (Tip: Face the clamp toward the mirror and clamp onto hair in the middle of the root and tip. Curl inward toward your scalp and unclamp and pull out a bit, and curl toward your scalp again. Pull out to your tips and curl toward your scalp one last time. Hold for a couple seconds and let go.) 

I use a one inch curling iron and it's the perfect tool to give you that "oh, I just woke up like this" look. I can do my waves in less than 15 minutes every time. I don't know what I would do without it!

 

What is your favorite hair tool?

Jess

FAVORITO FRIDAY: GARNIER FRUCTIS PURE CLEAN SHAMPOO

One of my most annoying traits is my oily hair. I love that my hair is straight and easy maintenance, but it builds up oil easily, making it impossible to go more than 48 hours without looking like an oil slick. I've been told by stylists that my hair is too healthy and I need to "rough it up" to dry it out a bit (have you ever heard that one before?). So when I find a shampoo that helps this problem, and it can be bought at a drugstore, I'm compelled to share.

I recently picked up Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Shampoo on a whim and have noticed a significant difference in my hair. It helps take care of my oily scalp without leaving my hair feeling dry, and it also smells amazing. For those times when I don't want to use my expensive products, it's the perfect filler.

via Garnier.

What drugstore products do you love?

x Jill

FAVORITO FRIDAY: CLEAR SCALP & HAIR

Last night we got the chance to see The Voice Tour that was presented by CLEAR Scalp & Hair and along with our tickets, they gave us their Intense Hydration shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask.

....And it is amazing! It smells so good, we may or may not take random whiffs of the bottles. It makes your hair oh so smooth and you can get the whole set for less than $15! If you're trying to make your washes last longer and better, pick up this trio and you definitely won't regret it.

What haircare products do you love?

Jess & Jill

FAVORITO FRIDAY: DAVINES AND SALON BLONDE

Davines' 4th Annual Sustainable Beauty Week rolled around not too long ago, and we loved our experience at salon blonde for last year's event so much, we wouldn't dare to miss it! Davines continues to be our favorite hair products, that fits both Jess' curly, full hair and Jill's straight, oily tresses. This time around, we got our haircuts done courtesy of Jennica and Ashley, who both did amazing jobs (and we loved chatting with them). Salon blonde never disappoints with their quality and talents, and we can't wait to go back!

Have you been to salon blonde?

Jess & Jill

SAMPLE BIN (MURAD, LIVING PROOF, OLE HENRIKSEN, ILLAMASQUA, AND BOSCIA)

Time to dig into the sample bin again! One of the perks of shopping Sephora online is the overabundance of samples you can get. Beside the usual three free samples per purchase, I also entered in a coupon code to get three deluxe samples. 

Time to find out what beauty and skincare products I tried out and what I really thought of them!

1. Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser ($36.00 - $46.00), 2. Living Proof Restore Targeted Repair Cream ($28.00), 3. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum® Vitamin C Collagen Booster ($48.00 - $72.00), 4. Illamasqua Hydra Veil Rehydrating Gel ($40.00), 5. Boscia B.B. Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 27 PA++ ($18.00 - $38.00)

1. Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser - I actually didn't have any type of facial exfoliate before this and I have no idea how I've survived without it. My skin feels amazing! It has the perfect amount of beads to create this rough, but yet soft texture that makes your skin feel brand new. The only con is that it's not paraben-free. I'm really try to get rid of products with parabens and hope that I can find a comparable product or Murad alters their ingredient list a bit!

2. Living Proof Restore Targeted Repair Cream - Confession time. My hair gets knotty really easily, really quickly, so I have this horrible habit where I kinda have to rip my hair apart to get it out. Don't judge! I'm living with the consequences, as it leads to split ends and major frizziness at my ends. A good serum will fix the problem in a treatment or two, and this repair cream is definitely added to the list of products to cover up my mistakes. (Now to invent a life version!) With just one use, your hair will feel hydrated and smooth!

3. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum® Vitamin C Collagen Booster - It's orange, says Vitamin C all over it, but I was still surprised (in a good way) how... delicious this product smelled. This is definitely something I want to keep on using to truly test it out, but so far it's a lightweight serum, that while it has a sticky feel to it as it dries, it's absorbed quickly and throughly (and that sticky feeling goes away)! I've heard great things about Ole Henriksen products and look forward to see how this one works out!

4. Illamasqua Hydra Veil Rehydrating Gel - I'm still on the search for the perfect primer and the outcome is looking good with this one! This is the first gel product I've used, so while the consistency was a little unusual at first, it made my liquid foundation look smooth and not flaky (especially in my problem areas around my chin), thanks to this wonderful polar vortex!

5. Boscia B.B. Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 27 PA++ - BB creams are my go-to product for the summer. It moisturizes, has sun protection, and offers a light coverage. The texture almost has a mousse-like feel to it, which would be great for the summer, and has this magical self-adjusting shade  process that worked even on my very pale skin. Only downfall (to be very picky) is that it has a bit of a shimmer to it, and I tend to avoid products with that.

What's your latest beauty and hair product purchase?

Jess

FAVORITO FRIDAY: SUAVE PROFESSIONALS NATURAL INFUSION

The newest collection from Suave Professionals launched this month and we are loving it. The salon-inspired Natural Infusion products contain no parabens or dyes and ranges from under $3 to $6 - this hair care range is good for you and your pocket.

The Suave Professionals Natural Infusion Moisturizing and All Day Body ranges.

Suave Professionals sent us a few products to test on our locks for our individual, and very different, hair needs.

For Jess's thick, coarse, and frizzy hair, she used the Natural Infusion Macadamia Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner and Natural Infusion Macadamia Moisturizing Light Oil Spray. This collection will give you 10x more moisture, leading to that soft and smooth look we're all dying for in this cold and dry weather! With this three-piece set, frizz didn't stand a chance, and it left Jess's hair lightweight for days. (No seriously, she still hasn't had to wash her hair.)

To give Jill a little bit of oomph, she used the Natural Infusion Seaweed All Day Body Shampoo and Conditioner and Natural Infusion Seaweed All Day Body Leave-In Foam. With this collection, you'll get a soft and weightless bounce to your step hair for 24 hours! This collection is the perfect combo when to prep your hair for styling. Jill loved how it lifted her roots and is the perfect base for her straight hair when she wants to curl it!

Both collections had a very organic and nature-inspired fragrance that had us counting down the days until summer! And with that effectiveness, price, and no harmful ingredients, it's a range that you'll want to use year-round.

Have you checked out Suave lately?

Jess & Jill

Suave sent products for Jess & Jill to try. Opinions are of their own.

FAVORITO FRIDAY: VERB HAIRCARE

The last thing we want to do when it's cold, windy, and snowing, is style our hair. That's where Verb comes in! They're a cruelty-free line that offers affordable (everything is $14!) professional haircare that is vegan and free of parabens. Verb sent us a couple products to try and we're kinda obsessed with everything about them from the packaging to the fact that they work so well. Get ready for some easy styling in this not-so-fun season!

Verb Dry Shampoo ($14.00)
Verb Ghost Oil ($14.00)

The Dry Shampoo scared us a little at first, since we've all tried dry shampoos that leave your hair grey.  But after applying to our scalp in sections and then massaging it into your hair, volume seems to magically appear, leaving tresses oil-free with no dusty residue. You can skip washing your hair the next day and maybe, just maybe, the day after that. We promise not to tell.

We also love the Ghost Oil. Just apply a few pumps, and it instantly repairs and leaves no sign of frizz or damage behind. If you're lucky enough to not need such a product, you'll still want to get it for the amazing shine it gives your already healthy hair. This is a must-have every day kinda thing!

What are some of your favorite hair products?

Jess & Jill

GOLDPLAITED

Step inside goldplaited - a finishing salon with both the blowout bar and makeup lounge. It's nestled in between Lincoln Park and Lakeview, and is the perfect spot for all your hair and beauty needs. Whether you need a retro cat eye or smokey eyes, a perfect blowout or a fun drystyle, the ladies at goldplaited have you covered!

The salon has hints of gold throughout, obviously, but their urban chic decor is what sets this place apart from the rest. You can find everything from gold furniture to cups and walls to framed gold-themed sayings. (I want to make "gold blooded" a part of my gallery wall!)

Their services include makeup applications starting at $45, blowouts (shampoo, condition, blowdry, hot tools) starting at $38, and drystyles start at $30. They do everything from braids to buns! You can check out all their add-ons here. Products used and sold are from goldplaited (everything of theirs is under $30!), Moroccan Oil, Kevin Murphy, and Verso. 

Check out the adorable salon below and how my hair and makeup c/o goldplaited came out! In love already? Go ahead, book an appointment now.

Inside goldplaited.

Hair stations!

All the tools you need!

goldplaited foundations!

Get your blowout started right!

Still can't get over these!

If you and the girls need a night of pampering, step into goldplaited's perfect room for private party needs.

Lynnea created this braid and crazy bun full of curls that is so me. Kristy gave me the smokey eye I could never managed to do myself and love the bold eyebrows she did! I feel like I photoshopped my photo below, but nope, all Kristy!

Lynnea working her magic.

Huge thanks to Lynnea (hair) and Kristy (makeup)!

Hair by Lynnea!

True that!

Have you been to goldplaited yet?

Jess