Five new reads

I love blogs. Duh. When I first discovered blogs, before even the thought of starting one myself, I remember most all of them having their own page for a blog roll. Remember that blog friends? It's sort of a thing of the past and I feel like I don't do enough sharing of new to me blogs that I've discovered. It's fun coming across a blog that speaks to you in a some sort of special way. It's either one that you connect with because of the material or sometimes you're drawn to it simply by how pretty it is! Lately, I've been clicking on the explore button on Bloglovin' and really loving what has been coming up. How do you come upon new to you blogs?

a couple cooks

This blog is beautiful and how can you not love a beautiful young couple who cook together. The photos on this blog on their own have me coming back for more. They're all about cooking healthy whole food recipes, which is right up my ally.

the private life of a girl

Sophie is inspirational and very creative. She focuses on helping creative people keep being creative. We all can relate to being in a rut every now and again and it's nice to have a place to turn to to help get back on the right track. Plus she's super cute. 

pink pot

 An awesome space full of photography, beauty and blog tips. I enjoy reading about what she has to say about blogging in general but she seems like a very well-rounded blogger. 

the band wife

I'm a follower of A Beautiful Mess and well as every other blogger out there in the world. I mean who isn't a following those amazing women. Gems I tell you! Laura is on the ABM team and it was fun when I ran into her blog via another blog. It was a pleasant surprise since I had no idea she had a personal blog. She's obviously a band wife and her blog is totally a reflection of ABM but with her own personal flare. I'm a new groupie. 

hair romance

You can only guess why this blog caught my eye. Hair and romance in the blog name. Hooked! A blog all about hair and hair inspiration. It's perfect for my hair stylist heart. I've been sharing more and more about hair on my little corner of the web and although I don't think I could ever strictly be only a hair blog it's fun to find other blogs out there that are. It's safe to say I'm having a love affair with this blog. Chalk full of hair tutorials, tips and tricks.  

hairspiration: tortoiseshell

So long ombre. Hello tortoiseshell. The newest hair trend seems to be similar to long-lived techniques like ombre and balayage yet more of a sophisticated approach. Of course, this Ecaille-style first

spotted in Paris, I mean, duh, starts with a richer slightly darker than your natural yet warm browns at your roots graduating down to light and much warmer tones. Think amber or honey like tortoiseshell. 

Honestly, I love it! I think it's safe to say that this style is what ombre has evolved into. It's all about the graduation of color with warm tones. Many celebrities are showing off this look with different variations of this specific style. That's what I love about it. You can have fun with the different tones of each rich color. Add some balayage pieces up towards the face to brighten things up with a bolder look or even add a few highlights throughout to get more of that blended feel to it. This style continues to be a low maintenance and it's easy to just go and start out a bit deeper and richer and then add more lightness once Spring rolls around. Or just go in to your stylist to simply add a gloss to enhance those rich colors when you are feel drab. 

What do you think about this new trend? 

buffalo cauliflower bites

I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge just waiting for something to happen with it. I've wanted to make these brilliant Buffalo Cauliflower Bites for a long time and since I had no particular plans for the this said cauliflower I took the opportunity. It was super quick and easy and had my husband wanting more. The tangy buffalo coated cauliflower hot to the touch dipped in the cool creamy blue cheese dressing is mind blowing. Perfect little side to any dinner or just a great appetizer while you wait for dinner to finish cooking. 

Ingredients: 

1 head cauliflower 

1 cup milk 

3/4 cup whole wheat flour 

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce 

Blue cheese or your choice of dipping sauce

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 450

Combine flour and milk to create batter. Add garlic powder. Cut up head of cauliflower into bite size pieces. Dip each cauliflower into batter. Shake off as much excess batter and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Flip them over midway. 

While they bake, melt unsalted butter in a wide sauce pan. Add Frank's Hot Sauce and stir. Remove cauliflower from oven and throw them in the sauce pan. Toss them in the sauce to coat. Place them back on the baking sheet and back in the oven for about 10 minutes until they turn golden. Flip them again to get the underside. 

Remove and serve while hot with Blue Cheese (you won't be mad!) or your choice dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Boston Cream Pie Cake

I love to be in the kitchen cooking and baking things from scratch but sometimes it's nice to make something delicious and not have to spend hours doing so. Whenever I make quick desserts like this Boston Cream Pie Cake I always have a tendency to feel a little guilty for not using a million ingredients. But honestly, when you have a to-do list a mile long but want to make a dessert to share with the family sometimes you just need to suck it up and go the quicker route. That's when I have to realize that it doesn't make it less tasty or make me less of a person. It's like a constant pep talk! 

This cake was super simple to make and called for things like cake mix and instant vanilla pudding. Boy was I right about it not tasting less! It's like biting into those famous Boston Cream donuts what we all know and love. Not to mention the chocolate ganache brings all those ordinary ingredients together combining and leaving a lavish dessert to enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 box of yellow cake mix + ingredients that are listed on the box

1 cup of cold milk

1 package instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cup Cool Whip 

2 (1 oz) squares of unsweetened bakers chocolate, chopped course

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons milk 

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions: 

Start out with mixing together the yellow cake mix, following the directions on the box. Split the batter into two equal parts and bake in two 8" round pans. Bake for recommended time. 

Meanwhile, mix together cold milk and instant vanilla pudding. Whisk together for about two minutes until it thickens. Add Cool Whip and set into fridge to help set the custard. 

In a sauce pan heat milk and butter for chocolate ganache on low heat. Once the butter has melted add chopped chocolate and constantly stir to enable chocolate to melt and prevent it from burning. Once chocolate has melted, slowly pour powdered sugar while whisking it into the ganache. As you start to add all the powdered sugar it will thicken. Transfer ganache to another bowl to let it cool while you construct the cake. 

Lay first round cake layer onto dish. Pour custard into the middle of layer and spread with a spatula. Use it all! Just pour that mound of custard on the cake! Do it! Gently put the next round layer on top of the custard. Simply pour the chocolate ganache on the very top and let it spread organically. It will drop off the sides and ooze over board but that's what makes it beautiful. 

Enjoy!

who i am

+ I'm proud to announce that I have landed an internship with Zero Zero Hair on Capital Hill. I've been swooning over this salon for quite some time and after pursuing it with some persistence, it finally came true. I'm assisting a really talented human being for a couple months as well as learning and soaking up all that everyone at the salon emanates. The stylists within the salon are so diverse ranging in different ages, styles and personalities with both men & women. I'm so excited to grow as a stylist but what I'm most excited about is being on Capital Hill. So fun!

+ We're getting so close to buying our first home! I can taste it. It takes so very sweet. It's been one big headache with dealing with loans but I think we are getting very close. Next step is house hunting and finding our dream home. No pressure. Really though, I can't wait to have a place to call our own, where we can have nice things and make it our place. A place to invite friends over and so that I can cook for other people. One more milestone can be checked off of our list.

+ I recently signed up to be a volunteer at Sebastian school. This month I'm running the Science Club. I was pleasantly surprised when the school told me 22 kids signed up for my club. At first I was super excited and then a little panicky. 22 kids all by myself! Phew. But I did just fine for my first time and the kids loved the Lava Lamps we made. I had the kids ooooooing and aahhhhing and even heard a little girl say to her friends, this is so much cooler than baking club I did last year! I'm happy that I get to spend some time doing things with Sebastian and his peers.

+ I'm growing my hair out. I swear. It's happening and the struggle is real. I'm having a hard time with this awkward stage that I'm currently in. The pact that I've made with myself is still holding strong. My goal is to reach a bob length and then once I'm there I hope to have the strength to keep growing it. I would love to have hair past my shoulders. I know, I know I've got quite some time until that all comes true but a girl can dream!

+ Feeling really thankful for the people in my life. People who are constantly lifting me up and encouraging me. People who believe in my dreams and all things that I want in life. I am truly fortunate for these people and wouldn't be who I am in this moment if it weren't for them! Thank you. I will always cultivate the habit of being grateful.

+ Starting to live more in the moment and be more mindful that I can do anything but just not everything.

+ Oh & just be silly sometimes...

Spotlight: Sam Villa

I've been swooning over all things Sam Villa lately. Not only does Sam Villa have amazing products but Sam Villa himself seems like such a rad dude! Since being home I have been taking full advantage of the world wide web and been doing lots of online education. There are so many inspirational things that you can find (duh!) on blogs & YouTube. I have pretty much seen all the YouTube videos that Sam Villa has put out and love the way he explains and shows different looks and techniques. Don't get me wrong, it's great for me because I'm learning but there are great tips anyone can use even if you aren't a stylist.

The products Sam Villa puts out have gotten great reviews and although I'm not a current owner of any I created a list of the few products that I've been drooling over the past month. I can't wait to add them to my collection of tools!

1// Cutest comb set alive.

2// Pretty obsessed over this Texturizing Iron. It puts a pretty little crimp in your hair. It's simple yet allows to add some character to the hair. I'm hoping to add this to aid in lovely up-do styles and wedding hair!

3// The Sam Villa Comb. Their heat resistant up to 450° but most of all I love that the end features a neat party pick that allows you to part hair with ease. Must have! 

4// You can never go wrong with a good Thermal Styling Brush. You always need those to achieve those amazing blowouts. It makes a difference and I just love that they are a combination of nylon and boar bristles. Can't wait to get my hands on them!

5// This will most likely be my next big purchase. The Ionic Blowdryer. I've been on the hunt for the right dryer for me. I'm picky! The biggest quality in the blow dryer that I need is the weight of it. My wrist aren't the greatest and it's important that I not kill them with any heavy equipment. The next important thing for me is the airflow and the noise. I need it to be powerful yet quiet. And from what I hear this dryer is all those in one. Perfect!

Anyone of you own anything Sam Villa? I hope to in the near future but in the mean time check out Sam Villa's YouTube channel. Stylist or not there's some great stuff to see!

hairspiration: the bob vs. the lob

What is a bob? What is a lob? One of the reasons I started blogging more about hair, other than the fact that I love hair and it's what I will be doing for the rest of my life, is the importance for us ladies to understand what it all means. Many of us have no clue how to describe or tell our hairstylists what we want. We go in and tell them sort of what we want trying to fumble and find the right words and then when it comes time to leave the salon we aren't happy. Most of the time it's because the communication fell somewhere. Of course, I believe it's the hairstylist job to figure it all out no matter what it takes but that's a whole other topic!

The bob is huge right now! I totally think it's going to be the hair trend of 2015. You see so many celebrities taking the plunge. You see them posting photos of themselves with their freshly cut hair with the hashtag #shorthairdontcare. It's far from a pixie cut but to anyone who has had hair down to their back that's what it feels like. Chopping off your locks can be a big deal. 

The things you should consider when thinking about getting a bob are pretty simple. The bob is always above the shoulders. You can have a bob as short as above your chin to right at the chin and then between your jaw and the tops of your shoulders. Nearly everyone can wear a bob. The only time I would be hesitant is when someone who has very wide shoulders or a very short neck sits in my chair. Then I would likely try to go for longer lengths. Otherwise, it's two thumbs up!

 For most of us, especially ladies who have long hair, it can be a security blanket. That's why so many are very insecure about being open about cutting more than an inch of their hair. The bob is certainly not a secretly blanket. Your shoulders, neck and chin are possibly exposed. So if you are okay with that then it would work in your favor. Also, if you have a baby fine hair this cut would be so very beneficial for you! There are so many women who have super fine long hair and are so self-conscience about that thin hair when the quickest solution out there is to cut it all off into a bob! It will make your hair look and feel fuller. 

What would I tell my stylist if I wanted a bob? I want a textured/blunt/softened blunt bob that falls when dry between my shoulders and my chin. Bring photos! We live in the "age of pinterest." I think bringing in photos of what you have in mind is the best thing you can ever do. Bring in multiple photos. Maybe you like the length in one photo but you like the texture in another photo. Your hairstylist will be able to pick out each thing you like for each photo and combine it to create your dream bob. 

What is a lob? The lob is a "long bob".  So typically a lob is past your shoulders to around your collar-bone. It's great if you can't quite go as short at a bob...yet! There are tons of people who start out with a lob and then gradually go to a bob. Very smart and honestly, if I know someone who is thinking the bob and see how attached they are to their hair I would absolutely recommend going to a lob first to see how they would like it before taking off length to create a bob. 

What would I tell my stylist if I wanted a lob? I want a textured lob with the longest length in the front to sit at my collar-bone when dry and it be a slightly shorter in the back. If I would of brought the photo of Lauren Conrad (photo above) in with me this is how I would of described her haircut. 

The lob is great with any sort of textured hair, whether you have straight, wavy or very curly hair. You can wear a lob. The only exception would be is if you have ridiculously thick or thin hair. I'm talking about EXTREME. If you like the look of a lob and the length that you keep it, fantastic! The lob can be a little bit of maintenance only because it will start to grow past the point of a long bob and will just be...long. So you might find yourself going in for haircuts a little more often to maintain that look. 

So did I convince you to make an appointment at your salon and take care of business? I hope now your understanding of what makes a bob-a bob and a lob-a lob. Here's an idea! Go get a bob and then just let it grow and before your very eyes you'll magically have a lob. HA, pretty smart right? 

Oh and I have to spotlight my sister-in-law, Nicole who lives in Philadelphia. She texted me last week, of course on the day of her hair appointment, asking me what she should do with her hair. With her hair already being at a lob's length maybe a little longer I sent her photos of Emma Stone with her chic looking bob she wore at the Golden Globe Awards. Alas, she loved the idea and went for it. This is what Little Mermaid would look like if she went trendy!