Search Honestly Jamie
It’s not every day that I find a way to combine three of my favorite things (low calorie cocktails, getting my hair done and working out ) so when Refine Mixers asked me to be the blogger host for their event with Blo Blow Dry Bar at Equinox West Hollywood, I was giddy with joy. We sipped on Honey Tangerine Margaritas and Kiwi Cosmopolitans (only 100 calories each!) as guests enjoyed Blo’s braid bar and Equinox’s mini massages. Check out Guest of a Guest for more photos from the event.
I’m so excited to be the blogger host for this amazing this Thursday (tomorrow!) for Refine Mixers and Blo Blow Dry Bar at Equinox West Hollywood. If you’re in LA, feel free to RSVP to the email address above and make sure to stop over and say hi 🙂
The other day one of my co-workers brought her two adorable kids into work and as they ran by I said to my cube neighbors “do those kids have highlights?!” Guys, the little girl had dirty blonde hair with, what looked like, platinum highlights (that, naturally, I was totally jealous over). The boy had chocolate brown hair with a slightly lighter shade of brown running through his roots. I mean, it kind of struck a chord and made me think back to my own childhood hair and say “wait, did I have natural highlights back in the day?”
My natural hair color is brown – with my dark brown eyebrows, it’s a shocker, I know! LOL. I started dying my hair blonde when I was a freshman in college and never ever looked back but seriously, if my hair still grew in at the level of amazingness that it did when I was four…well, I might’ve stayed a brunette.
What do you guys think?
By the way, I have to mention the fact that even in middle school when everyone was doing Sun-In, I NEVER used it! But alas, it’s still the most hilarious packaging that I’ve ever seen.
photos: me, age 4; Sun-In bottle
I get so jealous when I see pics like THIS…and oh sure, they obviously use extensions, but even with extensions, my hair will never look like that and it infuriates me. I’ve pretty much got down the fine-hair girl hairstyle down (e.g. loose waves or curls with lots of volume on top!) but when I saw this photo of Charlize Theron, I thought there might be some hope that I could pull off a chic low pony.
It’s pretty easy to do, just make sure you curl your hair BEFORE you pull it back, unless you want to look like you’re about to enter a pagaent.
My favorite go-to curling products for fine hair:
Frederic Fekkai Coiff Defense Pre-Style Thermal/UV Protectant: It’s important to prep and protect your hair from all of the heat tools that we (I, mainly) use on my hair. I put a little of this in my damp hair and comb it through before blowdrying.
Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion: I’ve been using this stuff for years. YEARS, guys. You just need a tiny amount of the powder (about a quarter size), rub between the palms of your hands, flip your head over and kind of shake it into your scalp. It’s sticky so it won’t fall out (being that your head is flipped over) and it gives a-mazing volume that actually stays.
Hot Tools 1 Inch Curling Iron: It’s funny cause I distinctly remember my first flat iron being Hot Tools brand…and it kinda sucked. But any stylist will tell you that this is the BEST curling iron and, as a bonus, it’s pretty inexpensive.
Goody Ouchless Mini Elastics in Clear: These won’t work for someone who has thick hair so, lucky for us, they’re perfect for this fine hair pony exclusive. They’re great cause they’re clear and can easily be hidden with a single strand of hair wrapped around it.
If you’ve read The Hunger Games, then you know exactly how vivid the hair styles and colors are that are described in the book. Taking that into account, Lions Gate Entertainment turned to Joico stylists Linda Flowers and Cherry Petenbrink to re-create the hair color concept for the entire film. Flowers and Petenbrink devised an artistic interpretation for the unique, futuristic setting of the film, while staying true to the expectations of the legions of fans eager to see the movie.
Q: What was your biggest “hair color hallenge” during the filming of The Hunger Games?
A: The biggest hair color challenge was rinsing. Most of the color was prepped prior to filming Capitol scenes, but there were occasions when the sinks in the ladies (bath) room had to be used. Also formulating and achieving a huge variety of different shades and hues to keep all of Capitol color interesting.
Q: Besides the actual novel, what was your biggest inspiration when cboosing hair colors and styles?
A: Lucky for me, I’ve been creating amazing trend-driven hair color for trade shows, runway and editorial images through my affiliation with Joico for years. I was able to utilize this knowledge and experience for inspiration.
Q: Did any of the stars give you creative input? If so, who and what? Which Joico products did you use on them?
A: Honestly, the direction was given by our department head, Linda Flowers, and could only be achieved with Joico Vero K-Pak Color Intensity. I also relieve on Vero K-Pak Chrome to achieve the beautiful brunette (shade) seen on Jennifer Lawrence. It’s demi-permanent so it can be refreshed with a more dilted formula…there are also reconstructive properties in the K-Pak color, so hair remains strong, healthy and shiny.
You know how much I adore Drybar (hello like a million posts here) and now they’re opening yet another California location – Manhattan Beach! I’m so not a West sider (the WeHo location is my home spot) but the new location, opening March 16th, is definitely a good thing for you beach dwellers.
Even more fun news (so Quarter Life Crisis):
If you’re a USC or UCLA alumni, you can get a FREE blow out on the designated days below. Just call 1.877.379.2279 and mention that you’re an alum and they’ll hook you up. You’re welcome.
USC alums – March 26th, 4-7 PM
UCLA alums- March 27th, 4-7 PM
I never thought that I’d ever say “29 is the new 22,” and especially not in a good way. For the first time since I turned 22, I had a bit of a quarter life crisis freak out about getting older and yeah, you might consider it a bit of a meltdown. Thankfully my BFF since 4th grade (and, ironically the friend that talked me off the ledge on my 22nd birthday), managed to calm me down with her words of wisdom. Essentially, she reminded me that 29 is, in fact, not old and I have to learn to accept my life for what it is and not what I thought it would be as a teenager.
With that said, I am so insanely lucky to have found such amazing friends in Los Angeles…sometimes I honestly have to take a minute to soak it all in, which I did at my birthday sushi dinner last Friday night where sixteen of my closest friends celebrated my 29th birthday with me. It felt good to be surrounded by all of the positive people in my LA life, and, I had brand new George Papanikolas highlights to boot! As anyone knows, fresh highlights can really give your self esteem the super boost that it needs when you’re in the middle of a quarter(ish) life crisis and George knows exactly how to get the blonde that I covet (hello, he does Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicole Richie).
I can’t say enough about George (you might remember my post from last January) where I raved about George’s balayage skills and, of course, Joico– one of my favorite hair brands. Right now I’m obsessed with the Joico Smooth Cure line and especially the Smooth Cure Thermal Styling Protectant. The line reduces frizz by 79% (yeah, that’s a lot) and even though I don’t really worry too much about frizz/humid hair here in LA, I do worry about protecting my hair from heat styling tools, and the Thermal Protectant spray is a-mazing for that.
