Salon Week: Curltopia Salon in Smyrna, GA

Hello Divas!

I hope your day was filled with hope and promise!

Remember this week is Salon Week on Luxetips and today I am featuring Curltopia Salon in Symrna, Ga. Smyrna is a very nice and hip suburb of Atlanta and Curltopia is doing their thing!

I first blogged about Curltopia when they hosted a Miss Jessie's Meet and Greet Event. I was truly impressed with the decor and the customer service. So when I was offered an opportunity to receive their Steam Hydration Treatment and Styling Service, I was super excited!

What I love about Curltopia is the decor! The salon is decorated in rich turquoise and black tones and is very spacious! Curltopia has a very comfortable "lounging at home" feeling and as soon as I entered I was instantly relaxed!

I had an appointment with the famous Taz. Taz is a legendary natural hair care stylist and does several of my friends hair! He specializes in locs and twists. Natural hair Divas swear by his services. Since I get my hair blow dried and pressed regularly, I was curious to see what he would do with my hair.

There is Taz in the background!


His assistant immediately offered me a cup of hot tea! Boy do I love good customer service! Considering it was raining that day, it was the perfect relaxing drink. She then washed my hair using Deva Curl Shampoo. Afterwards, she applied Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment and then placed me under a "Steam Machine" to receive a Steam Hydration Treatment. The treatment lasted about 20 minutes and once it was over and the product was rinsed out of my hair, my hair felt like pure silk. No kidding! My hair was so soft, moisturized and manageable, I could not believe it! In addition, my natural curl pattern was enhanced and I actually am considering wearing my hair in its naturally curly state! Fab!

I had to wait a long while for Taz because as I stated he is in high demand. But the employees at Curltopia made sure I was comfortable and offered more tea. Plus they also have free wi-fi! Once I was in his chair, he began to educate me on maintaining healthy natural hair and the steps I need to take to wear my natural curl pattern. He definitely knows his stuff! I learned so much during my visit. He also blow dried my hair wet and told me to make sure to use Ceramic flat irons to straighten my hair. He said it would minimize the breakage. He informed me that I needed a trim and gave me a slight trim on the ends of my hair. I was sad to see my hair go, but I know it was much needed.

Nice and Healthy Hair!

The price of a blow-out and press is between $45 and $60. Haircuts are $40, which I thought was very steep. However, If you get a press and hair cut, the cost is between $55 and $75, which is a pretty sweet deal! Locs and Twists range from $70 to $90. The hydration treatment is $25 and well worth EVERY PENNY! It is recommended that naturally curly hair Divas receive the treatment once a week.

After my styling service, I received many compliments on my hair. Although it is shorter, it is more healthy and super shiny. In addition, the Steam Hydration treatment had my hair so soft and silky all week! Divas this treatment is a must, must, must.

Curltopia is located at 3150 Highland Pkway, Suite 203, Smyrna, GA. The phone number is 770.434.5585. They also offer excellent coloring services, relaxers, and other styling services. Visit their website for more details!

Toodles!

Salon Week! Lux Salon in Grant Park

Hello Divas!

I hope everyone is having an awesome week!

This week I will feature several salons I have visited in the past month! I will give my honest opinion regarding the services, prices, and customer service.

Before I ventured to New York for Fashion Week, I was offered the opportunity to receive styling services from Lux Salon in Grant Park, Atlanta, GA. I had previously blogged about Lux Salon's "First Impressions of Style." They were offering $10 styling services for anyone who had a job interview. Since the salon is literally in my neighborhood and offers services for ALL hair types, I was eager to check it out.

First the decor is lovely. I immediately fell in love with the color scheme, furniture, and location. Also they offered free wi-fi so it was all good! In addition, the receptionist immediately offered me a glass of wine. Lovely!

Adrienne Mitchell, the stylist I was seeing that day was extremely busy. She had several clients ahead of me. Although I had to wait a bit, I figured this was a good sign that she was a good stylist and in demand. Plus the receptionist offered me more wine, so the wait was not that bad.

Adrienne specializes in Ethnic hair and used Sebastian products on my hair. She used Sebastian penetrating shampoo and conditioner. She said these products are great for detangling naturally kinky hair. She then blow dried my hair wet. She pointed out that blow drying the hair wet minimized breakage. The hair is more elastic and will give. If you blow dry the hair after it has dried, it is less elastic and will break. Who knew?? She then flat ironed my hair with FHI ceramic platform professional flat irons.

Adrienne mentioned that she is an advocate for strong healthy hair. She recommends regular trims and minimal heat to maintain a healthy head of hair. She also recommends Nioxin recharging complex vitamins to grow healthy hair. Adrienne swears by these vitamins! She said she has noticed amazing hair growth with her clients after only two weeks of taking the vitamins. Uuummmm why am I so getting these vitamins! LOL! You can purchase a 30 or 90 count bottle of these vitamins at Lux Salon. They are in high demand and always stocked!

Adrienne charges on average $65 for a blow out and press and $45 for a cut and trim. I must admit the cut and trim is a bit steep for me. My stylist only charges $20, but I was very pleased with my hair. As a matter of fact, I left the next day for NY Fashion Week and my hair pretty much looked like this the entire time I was there. Fab!

Lux Salon is located at 452 A Cherokee Ave, Atlanta, GA 30312 in Historic Grant Park. However, October 1 they are moving to their new location only a few blocks away at The JANE"(next to Six Feet Under on Memorial Drive),318 Cherokee Avenue Suite 108, Atlanta, Ga 3031,(404)222.0244.

Come back tomorrow to read my review of Curltopia Salon! They have an insane intense hair treatment that I have to share!

Toodles!

Q & A Thursdays!

Hello Divas!

I hope you are living life to the fullest!

Considering I get many emails from my beautiful readers seeking advice on fashion and beauty, I have decided to have a Q&A post every other Thursday. I hope you will find these posts helpful and if you have any advice or recommendations to share please do! Also if you have any questions, you can email me at latoicha007@gmail.com or leave a question in the comment section.

Today's question is from So Not a Fashionista.

Dear Luxe Fashionista,

Help! I could really use a fashion 411. I have been pregnant and/or nursing for three years and finally decided to rid my closet of my maternity clothes. Yippee! However, the unfortunate side is that my body is completely different than it was a few years ago, so my pre-baby clothes don't fit my post baby/nursing body. Not only that, but I don't think my clothes were particularly fashionable--safe choices (sweater sets and dark suits) for sure, but nothing exciting. So, can you give me some tips on staples to update my wardrobe?

Yours Truly,
So Not a Fashionista

Dear So Not a Fashionista:

I have been there myself. As a matter of fact, Luxetips was created because I too felt un-pretty and drab after having my son. I was constantly wearing jeans, a big t-shirt, and a ponytail. I felt I needed to get back to living the luxe life!

Here are my suggestions:

1. Spanx. Buy Spanx to hold it all in until you have the time or energy to work out. I wear Spanx all the time because my body will never be the same post children! LOL!

2. Wrap Dresses. They are simple, stylish and classic. I have several. You can dress them up or down with heels, flats, sandles or accessories. Plus they are designed to compliment any figure.

3. Shift Dresses. Shift dresses are great too! Since they don't hug the body, no one can really see those areas you want to avoid. A great trend for fall is to wear a cute shift dress with colored tights and high heels or open toe booties...I saw this look all day in New York and it was too fly!


4. Great pair of Jeans. Sylish jeans are always good. You can wear a tunic over the jeans. The tunic is loose enough to hide problem areas while also being stylish.

5. Shop at at TJMAXX, Marshalls or Target to find this items for less.

Toodles!

Christian Siriano and Victoria Secret Beauty

Hello Divas!

I hope you had a wonderful Wednesday! Only two more days and then we all can just relax!

Today's post will conclude my New York Fashion Week coverage. One of the "hottest" shows around was the Christian Siriano show. As you Divas know, Christian Siriano was an instant hit on Project Runway and since he won the grand prize he has become a major celebrity and fashion designer. I tell you backstage and the line to get into his show was insane! Plus he did not disappoint. The clothes were GORGEOUS!!

I had the opportunity to interview Polly Osmond, the Lead Make-up Artist for Victoria Secret Beauty. Polly said her inspiration came from Siriano's collection which derived from his love of the beach and water. Polly also stated her inspiration came from the Almafi Coast which is Christian's favorite beach in the world! Nice!

To create the look for the show, Polly used Christian Siriano for Victoria Secret Beauty products! Yes, Christian has created a make-up line for Victoria Secret! She used Black Mascara, White eye pencil, bronzer and a highlighter for shading and pale lip gloss. I was particularly fascinated with the lip gloss. The color is called Embrace and it is a pale champagne color.

Here is the look

Polly working her magic

Here are the clothes!




Toodles!

Lacoste: American Classic!

Hello Divas!

I hope you had a super Monday. It is flooding like crazy in Atlanta! This is something I have never seen before. Wowza!

Well in the next couple of posts I will wrap up my coverage of Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week. What an amazing experience! Another show I was able to sit and view was the Lacoste show. Now I don't necessarily think of Lacoste as high fashion, but the Spring 2010 collection proved me wrong. Seriously it was one of the best shows I saw during Fashion Week. The clothes were American classic yet still beautiful and stylish. The Spring 2010 Collection featured beautiful sportswear, swimsuits, and rompers. Love! Here are some pics. There are not the best pics, no front row seats here. LOL!

Twins! They were too adorable!

Loving the romper with the hoodie!

Urban Cool.

Lacoste used lots of head wraps in the show....is this a new trend for Spring 2010?

I am loving the yellow. My favorite second favorite brown model, Chanel Iman, (Arlenis is my first), was in the show. I tried to get a frontal pic. I only caught her from the back!


Toodles!

Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week: Miguel Antoinne Show: Metro Fab!

Hello Divas!

I hope your weekend has been fun and relaxing! Mine was good...besides the constant rain, I really enjoyed spending time with the luxe kids.

While at New York Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to attend the Miguel Antoinne Show. Miguel Antoinne is an up and coming American menswear line that is cutting edge and what I call "Metro Fab". The textures of the clothes are outstanding and the tailoring is impeccable. It is simply beautiful. Miguel's inspiration for his Spring/Summer 2010 Collection was the beauty of thunder and lightning. This is the one show I was able to get a front row seat and I am so glad I did. I could really see the details in the clothing close-up. And oh..Derek Luke and Janelle Monáe apparently are fans. They were so there and fab! Enjoy the pics!

Michelle Smith of Milly Discusses Her Signature Bag for Clinque

Hello Divas!

I hope all is well and fabulous in your world!

As I previously blogged, I met Michelle Smith, designer and creator of Milly during New York Fashion Week. Milly is one of my favorite designers. Her clothes are comfortable, luxe, and so pretty! Her resort wear and swimsuits are outstanding! Clinique commissioned Michelle to create a cosmetics bag and Michelle did not disappoint. The bag is absolutely gorgeous! The design contains Milly's signature pink color and a flirty pattern. This cosmetics bag is available exclusively at Bloomingdale's and is yours with a purchase of $25 of more at the Clinique counter. In addition, the bag contains all of Milly's favorite Clinique products including Rosy Blush for cheeks and Blushing Nude lips. The colors definitely match the bag! HOT! I asked Milly a few questions about her inspiration for the Cosmetics bag:

Luxetips: Ms. Smith what was your inspiration when creating the Milly One of A Kind Clinique Make-up bag?

Ms. Smith: The Clinique warm watermelon color pink lipstick and Milly's signature pink was my inspiration.

Luxetips: I am in love with this bag it is so creative and fun! What is your secret to success?

Ms. Smith: Work really really hard. Do not take short cuts and don't take no for an answer!

And Divas Michelle looked fantastic! She just had a baby and did not have one inch of fat on her body. Amazing!

Toodles!

Stila for Beauty.com at Julie Haus

Hello Divas!

I hope your Friday is fantabulous!

During Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to interview Stila Lead Make-up Artist, Sarah Lucero. She created the look for the Julie Haus show and the look was all about purples and lilacs. Sarah said her inspiration for the look was all about "teenage mania." The woman who wears this look is feminine, street smart, and organic. I think I like this woman! Sarah used navys, plums, and grays to create a soft look with a little bit of edge.

Sarah used the following Stila products:

Face: Stila Oil Free Foundation and Perfecting Concealer

Eyes: Pigalle Eyeshadow, Montmarte Eyeshadow Quad, and Bauquet as a base color. Plus Black/Brown Clumpy Mascara.

Cheeks: Powder only.

Lips: Stila Perfecting Concealer with Lip Balm

Here is the look! I love the eye color!

Here is Sarah. She should actually be on the catwalk herself!

Divas soft purples are all the rage for Spring 2010!

An Interview with Michelle Smith of Milly and more fashion show pics to come!

Toodles!

Vivienne Tam Goes "Twiggy"

Hello Divas!

I am back in the ATL, but I still have lots to report from Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week.

One of the hottest looks was the make-up from the Vivienne Tam Show. The look was very reminiscent of the 1960s! Think Twiggy all the way! Gina Brooke, Artistic Director for Shu Uemura and world renowned creative makeup genius, drew inspiration from nature, feathers, and freedom! I hate to gush, but Gina is a baaaaadd Diva! She created the lashes for the show! Did you know that she also created custom diamond lashes for Madonna's Confessions Tour? The lashes for the Vivienne Tam Show are called Farfarling and she applied them to the top and bottom lashes. She then applied a little bit of blush and lipstick and that is it! There is really no need for anything else because the lashes are the stars of the show! Check them out!

Here is Gina putting the finishes touches on a model.


I am telling you Divas, those lashes were absolutely Amazing! Gina has true talent!

Stay tuned for more posts on my experience at New York Fashion Week!

MAC Cosmetics Backstage at Georges Chakra and Alice + Olivia

Hello Divas!

Due to computer issues, this post is a day late but the "Beach Chic" look created by MAC Make-up Artist, Gregory Arlt, was well worth the wait.

Artlt wanted to create a look that was "straight from the beach to the red carpet." As a result, he created beautiful glowing bronze Goddesses to compliment Georges Chakra's gorgeous gowns. He used warm tones like golds, peaches, and bronzes.

The MAC products used were:

Cheeks: Sun Basque Blush

Face: Motif eyeshadow as a highlighter underneath the eye.

Lips- Love Nectar, which Arlt called the "American Express of Lip Glosses..Never Leave Home Without It!"

Eyes- All That Glitters on lids and Dip Down Chocolate Brown Eyeliner to line the eyes.

The result is simply gorgeous! This was one of my absolute favorite looks for Spring 2010.


MAC also did the make-up for the HOT design house Alice + Olivia. The look created by Lead MAC Make-up Artist, Nadine Luke, was inspired by the movie Pretty in Pink! Pretty in Pink is one of my favorite movies of all time! The look was Rock & Roll with a soft edge. Nadine used soft washes of color including lilacs, pinks, and mauves.

The MAC Products used were:

Face - Mineralized Foundation and So Sweet So Easy on Cheeks

Eyes- Rosy Outlook, Turkey, and Jessie in the inner corner of the eye

Lips - Angel lipstick and English Accents and Underage Lip Glosses.

The look is soft and pretty! Love!

I also had the opportunity to speak with the Lead Fekkai hair stylist, Andre Rodman. The hairstyle he created was classic Alice + Oliva...funky and fun! He created a "Rocker Sheek" look that included waves waves waves! He created this look curling the hair with a double barreled curling iron in a figure eight pattern. He used Fekkai Coiff Strong Hold Volume Mousse before curling and finished with Fekkai Coiff Magnifique Ultra-Light Finishing Creme. The look is soft but sexy!

Beautiful Alice & Olivia multi-pink colored dress!


Toodles!

THISDAY ARISE AFRICAN COLLECITVE AND JUAN CARLOS OBANDO FASHION SHOWS: MAC COSMETICS

Hello Divas!

Remember no matter what you are going through, you can always turn it around!

So far Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week has been simply fantastic! MAC Cosmetics is definitely setting the tone for Spring make-up. The face for spring includes healthy looking skin with natural warm colors.

At the Thisday Arise African Collective Show, the lead MAC Makeup Artist, Fatima, created a simple but classic look. Her inspiration for the look was the fiery orange red color used in the Jewel Collection. Specifically she used a strong red lip with sheer lightweight foundation, black smudged gel eyeliner, and no mascara. Here is the look:

The MAC Products used were:

Lips - Mix of Pure lip Pigment and Park Side lipstick

Face- Face and Body Foundation

Eyes- Fluid Gel Eyeliner. No Mascara just curled lashes.

At the Juan Carlos Obando Show MAC Lead Make-up Artist, Fulvia Fanolfi created a look that was reminiscent of "Old Westerns", which was Obando's inspiration when he created the Spring 2010 Collection. Fulvia used colors that included the colors of the desert. As a result, she used browns, bronzes, and taupes to create a dusky look.

The MAC Products used were:

Face - A blend of MAC NC45 and NC55 on the cheeks, Bronzer, and the color Taupe for countouring.

Eyes - Brown Breeze eyeshadow was used on the eyes.

Lips - Brown Breeze eyeshadow was used on the lips as well.

Here is the look:



As Fulvia stated, "the look is very monochromatic and cinematographic as if the model had been exposed to the sun for a month."

Stay tuned for more Spring Beauty Trends!

PREEN MAC COSMETICS AND CHARLOTTE RONSON

Hello Divas!

I hope you are having an awesome day! It is rainy and coooold in NYC! But that does not stop Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week!

Today I had the opportunity to cover make-up and hair for the Preen Fashion Show. Preen is a British label that was launched in 1996. The clothes are edgy, punk rockish, and futuristic. Keeping this in mind, the lead MAC Make-up Artist, James Kaliardos, created a look that was slightly futuristic with a masculine/feminine vibe. As Mr. Kaliardos stated, "the girls look masculine but are still super beautiful and feminine. The look was very light but futuristic. The MAC artist started with healthy looking skin.

Mr. Kaliardos

He then applied the following:

MAC Moisture Care Concealer. This product was applied only where needed. Full coverage foundation was not used.
MAC Pro Cheek Color in Sculpt was used to contour the cheeks and on the eye lids.
Lashes were curled only without Mascara.
MAC Pro Pigment in Platinum was used in the inner corner of the eye.
MAC lip conditioner was used on the lips.
MAC White Eye Pencil, Fascination, was used in the center of the lips as a highlighter.

Here is the look: simplistic, light, and futuristic.


The hair was done by Bumble and Bumble stylists. The look was boyish/girlie, which was a more short cut styled with Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. The stylists used a hair dryer and their hands to style this look. There is also a slight pouff in the front for a sleek but manageable look.

I also went to the Charlotte Ronson show. Charlotte Ronson is a young hip line that is all the rage with young starlets! Nikki Hilton and Keri Hilson are huge fans! They were in the front row! The clothes were very rock and roll yet feminine and ultra modern. Here are a few pics!

My favorite outfit. Black sleek swimsuit with a hood! Hot!




Here is a video of the show submitted by makeup artist extraordinaire, Victoria Stiles.


Okay Divas. I am running off to the next show. More New York Fashion Week Hotness to come!

Toodles!

Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week Day One

Hello Divas!

I hope life is grand! Remember life is what you make it, so make it beautiful!

I am in New York for Mercedez-Benz New York Fashion Week, Spring 2010 Collections! Last year I set a goal to attend and I am here! I will be reporting on beauty trends for Spring 2010 and will also throw in some fashion trends. It has been an exciting and fun filled day.

Yesterday morning, I attended the Total Beauty Summit hosted by Loreal Paris. The Summit was held at the Loreal Paris corporate headquarters and we received an amazing presentation on hair color from celebrity Loreal colorist, Patty Slattery. She stated that you can achieve your desired color at home or in a salon if it is applied correctly..."Its all about application." The Loreal technical color team gave us a class on how to properly apply color. Here is the mannequin I worked on:

Loreal Paris then treated us to a fabulous lunch. I dined with some of my favorite beauty bloggers. Here is Kia of Yummy411 and Nikkia of Silverlips.

I had to leave the summit a little early to attend the Ports 1961 show. Ports 1961 is a new line that is all the rage. The pieces are modern, fluid, creative and gorgeous! The new line, Fluere Spring 2010, "draws inspiration from the elements of nature." The colors in the collection included peaches, mauves, reds, grays and yellows. There was a gorgeous yellow and gray jumpsuit that I simply adored! I also loved that the pieces were very simplistic and realistic. Any woman could wear the pieces. Here are a couple of pics. They are not great because I was in the absolute last row! LOL! Hey you have to start somewhere.

I then attended a few Fashion's Night Out events. Fashion's Night Out was like a big fashion shopping party. Hundreds of retailers kept their doors open until 11pm and encouraged people to shop with music, food, cocktails and special discounts. My first stop was the Milly/Clinique event. Michelle Smith, designer of Milly created a signature bag for Clinique using her signature pink. HOT! I did interview Michelle and I will post the interview later. Check out the Milly bag in the pic:

I then attended two Lancome events...of course. LOL! Lancome hosted a blogger bash at their SOHO Bloomingdales Counter. I met the new it girl, model Arlenis. Simply gorgeous. She is tall beautiful and her skin is like chocolate silk. Plus she is the absolute sweetest person ever. So personable. Lancome did a fantastic job picking Arlenis as one of their "faces" of the brand. She represents Lancome well! Here is a pic!

Lancome intern Ilene. She is so sweet!

I also met my girl, DE of Beautylogicblog. Remember she turned me on to coconut oil. It was like we were old friends! Love her.

My next stop was backstage at the Julie Haus show. Stila's lead make-up artist, Sarah Lucero, created a gorgeous look for the show. The focus was on the eyes and she used purples, plums, and navys on the eyes with lots of Mascara. The rest of the face is a matte neutral. I was given the opportunity to interview her and can't wait to share her inspiration for the look. Stay tuned.

I then went to another Lancome event at their boutique store on 69th and Columbus Circle. The highlight of my evening was meeting Keri, VP of Public Relations at Lancome. She is VP and still writes the Lancome Blog! She is personable, sweet, and super nice to the blogging community. It was so nice to finally meet her in person. Here we are:

My first day was fun and jam packed with beauty and fashion. I will regularly post updates as Fashion Week continues!

Toodles!