Ahhh… not the screaming AHHH! but the just took your first sip of Diet Coke after a hangover ahhhh…
After 11 hours in heels, I’m in sweats with my hair on the top of my head. I’m accompanied by a cup of tea and fantastic piano as I type up bridal contracts and respond to e-mails.
Nothing glamorous about my night, but it’s undoubtably the best Thursday night I’ve had since Sammy was in town.
How do you unwind?
XO
AJ
“Clip in ponytail” doesn’t exactly have a classy ring to it… but for a reason unknown to me, I’ve always wanted to try it. Now that I have, I say it’s a win. My hair is already (pretty) long, but this works on almost any length. If you can get your hair into a ponytail, even if it’s two inches long, you can absolutely rock this look.
I purchased the HAIRDO Wrap Around Pony, (in Golden Wheat), and LOOK, it works, and WELL. The steps are actually extremely simple, but I’ve amped up the look by adding a top section to wrap around the pony to not only better blend color, but look even more sophisticated.
1. Section off a top portion of your hair, and clip it out of the way
2. Gather the remaining hair into a normal ponytail
3. Align and pin, (most come with built in pins), the extension piece to the top of the ponytail
4. Wrap the seam around your natural ponytail, securing the velcro for a snug fit
5. Now wrap the “extra” piece around the base of the new ponytail, and pin
6. Unclip your first top section and lightly backcomb for volume if desired
7. Add the top section to the ponytail by wrapping it around the base, and pinning
8. Own it!
If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll make sure to help! Have fun :)
XO
AJ
A rebranding has been in the works for a few months now, and I’m ALMOST ready to relaunch Your Stylist AJ and come back even stronger with so much more to share!
BUT! I couldn’t wait any longer to share my new logo. I’ve been quietly admiring it for weeks and though my new site isn’t live yet, I had to give you this sneak peek.
What do you think!?
XO
AJ
Everyone loves a fresh start. Since we were children we’ve been wired to look forward to newness. Fall meant back to school, and we got excited over blank notebooks and gel pens. As adults we shift our attention to the New Year, create resolutions, wipe the slate clean, and start over.
Any chance I get to “start over”, I take. Ridding the old is something that just feels FRESH. Like when the breakup is officially behind you, and you have this amazing chance to reinvent yourself to be a better person and stronger woman. Or move across the country to a new city, or have a career change.
Over the past week of me being MIA from the blog, I moved, (and have been internet-less). Packed up my life and moved a whopping three blocks, but to a beauty of an apartment almost three times the size of my old studio space. It. Feels. SO. New.
I’ve been purging anything I don’t need, making space for new things, or just letting space be… space. I’ve donated loads of my belongings, and tossed a whole bunch too. We tend to hold on to more than we need, or use, and to make space for space’s sake is something I think we can all work on.
If your closet, dresser, hair product drawer, whateverrrr is clustering up your life and routine, get RID of it. Donate and throw things away to make room for freedom. Getting and maintaining that organization is absolutely the best feeling and will carry over in other aspects of our lives.
Hop to it!
AJ
It’s EASY to donate! Here are some Chicago rockstars that will PICK UP donations from your home!
www.charitypickupservice.com
877-337-3873
Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance
312-655-7510
Salvation Army
888-574-2587
Happy Sunday Monday! For most of you, it’s Monday, but for many, (all you hairdressers out there), it’s your Sunday!
This is my first day off in many a many a moons. From the outside, it seems I travel tons and have the lightest work load. Fair enough. What’s really going on though is an overflowing inbox and 12 sticky note to-do lists following me around.
Today, I’m packing up my life, and preparing to move this week. It’s a whimsical kind of Sunday for me this Monday morning. A day of deep breathing, a comfy sweater and slow moving productivity, made possible by the following tunes…
gregory alan. BIG BLACK CAR
daughter. HOME
the swell season. IN THESE ARMS
rosi golan. HAZY
the civil wars. POISON & WINE
cats and dogs. THE HEAD AND THE HEART
So whether today is the beginning of your week, or you’re coasting on the cusp, may you find your mind in peaceful Sunday slowness.
XO
AJ
There’s a home video my parent’s possess of me opening a pair of Dr. Martens on my 12th birthday. It’s embarassing and awesome to watch my jaw drop and voice raise an octave as I compare their beauty to that of Duane Engleman- my then “future husband”.
Women have an undeniable magnetic pull to shoes, diamonds, walk in cloests and boy bands. After a long week of travel, work and cancelled flights, I’m feeling like the strongest magnet EVER.
This week, I’m ordering these boots, and MOVING! Which will score me an extra closet, and storage unit! I’ve been pinning sparkly things, and listening to the Bieber acoustic album. I know…
So no matter what the week brought you, self medicate with the foolproof quick fixes that work for you. :)
AJ
There’s something about the word change that ignites me all over. The way it begins and ends with this strength against your tongue as you say it. Cchhaannggee.
Change is a neat thing, because we all have our own relationship with it. Some people love change- encourage it! Others fear change- get nervous about it.
Personally, I think change is healthy and empowering. (So much that I have it tattooed on my body.) For me it brings newness, which I associate with feeling fresh and rebooted!
This time of year everyone feels a little blah. The holidays are long gone, but Spring is nowhere to be found, in the midwest our skin+hair=DRY. We’re searching all depths for some sort of pick-me-up.
Maybe that’s why all my clients are eager to chop their locks. Whatever the reason, for the first time in my 7 years doing this, it seems like EVERYONE is looking to go short. Typically, I’m ultra conservative with length, and ask a zillion questions before proceeding… “How long have you been thinking about this?” “Did you guys just break up?” etc… but lately, everyone who wants this refreshment has brought in a printed photo or pulled up their Pinterest, eager to invite the newness. In that case, say no more… lets do it!
If you’re looking for a fresh start, I say go for it! What’s really stopping you? Just let go, it’s liberating!
Your Stylist,
AJ
(sorry sis! couldn’t resist using these photos!)
What’s up out there all YSAJ readers? Sammy coming at you here from Spring Training down in Florida. Another successful off-season is now behind me and looking forward to an eventful season. That being said, with all the excitement of being back in my element, I have to leave behind the girl who has been the one constant thing on this crazy ride.
Valentines Day is different for AJ and I. We are rarely together for it. So I’d like to take the time to ask all the men out there to give your ladies a big hug, embrace them and let them know how much they mean to you. Enjoy getting to be TOGETHER, (gift wouldn’t kill ya either). A little thought goes a long way I’ve found. Your gifts to don’t need to be extravagant but things such as: Massage, manicure/pedicure, make her favorite dinner with some candles…you’ll have her in the palm of your hand!
So another V-day apart. AJ you know you’re my sweetheart but I have to ask you again….will you be mine?
CAMO COLLECTOR
For many, leopard print might as well be a neutral. Not this girl. Camo is my jam. I’ve seriously loved it my entire life, so now that it’s HOT for SS13, I’m stoked!
Love what’s above? Shop to it!
hair ties - tank - TOMS - backpack - skinnies
XO
AJ
Just be nice.
One of the most interesting parts of having a blog for me, is finding that hard line within the fog of sharing personal and professional information. I started this blog originally to connect with my current clients outside of the salon, give them industry related information and connect on a personal level. In the past year and a half of having this website, much has evolved, but I am still trying to identify how much of my personal life is sharable before it just becomes annoying to others. I’ve claimed to be a beauty and lifestyle blog, and for me, the two are directly connected.
Just when I decide to pull back, and create only beauty and fashion related content, I get emails or facebook messages asking lifestyle related questions. Again, this is such an interesting spot for me, my intentions were never to showcase my personal life, but I wear my heart on my sleeve and my passions are always present, so trying to downplay that is foreign in itself.
In the past six months especially, I’ve had many cosmetology students and fellow beauty professionals contact me privately through this website. I’ve had childhood friends I’ve lost touch with reach out to simply say they read or love the blog. Many other women in long distance relationships connect with me to vent and just seek hope that it’s worth it… or possible. SO many people ask for MORE personal content.
So I’m in a funky spot today, day one without my partner in crime. And I sobadlywant to sit here at my quiet desk and chat about fashion week or the Grammy’s, but my personal resolution for the blog is to not force content, and speak passionately. And today, all I’m feeling, is like a total sloth.
If you’re new around here and recently tuned in… I get to live with Sammy for four months out of the year, and we’re apart for eight. Today is day one of the new eight month cycle. (You should have seen me at the airport this morning…) Our fourth season away, and it only gets harder. It’s a strange thing, because people know about us, but no one really knows us.
So with all that rambling, I actually do have a point: BE NICE. Everyone is struggling with something. For me, right now, it’s regaining balance and feeling an emptiness. JUST BE NICE, it could make all the difference in someone’s day.
You have the power every single day to be a daymaker, why would you want to be anything else?
