My favorite time of year just might be New Years! Wiping the slate clean, starting fresh, taking inventory, organizing data, are all things as a stylist I do for my job. Part of my process in looking forward is understanding where I am at, and what I might have learned from my mistakes. With all that said, Here is what I am most grateful for happening in 2016.

Reflections of 2016

• The Four Agreements– this book was a real game changer for me. I learned not to make assumptions or to take things personally. This self-management has allowed me to be more present, and to let go of the everyday insecurities. Oprah talks about finding the flow. The four agreements have helped me enter the flow – it’s a great place to be!

• New house- we took the plunge and invested in staying in Seattle longer than originally planned. After years of renting, having our own space to invest in has Seattle feeling like home.

• Hubs got a promotion- Yes! It is fun witness the patience, hard work and faith turn into fruition. His new job has created some adjustments in the family dynamic, mostly because my daughter and I have more alone time together than ever before. Very grateful for the time I get to influence her while she still seems to listen.
  

  What kind of wife would I be if I didn’t attempt to do a funny out take

• Baby Lucia– Grateful to watch my family grow and have another girl gang member. Nothing like cute little girls to brighten up my day.

I usually like to focus reflections on the positives that I experienced, but 2016 was also filled with work challenges, lost opportunities and kid drama. All of which were experiences filled with disappointments to grow from.

Looking ahead for Chapter 2017

• Turn my cell phone off – being less tethered to smartphone applications (games and social). I totally have an addiction to my cell-phone and games that I spend hours a month playing. I plan to use this time investing in paying more attention to people I care about me.

• Less is more. Loving “The Minimalists” movement “love people and use things” instead of “using people and loving things”. I will continue let go of clothing and things I no longer need. Being a stylist, it is very hard to let go of clothing especially when it can go into my kit.

When I make a goal I try to The focus is on doing the action, not on achieving X goal by a certain date. Best of Luck for you and your adventures in 2017

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Being a “stylist, personal shopper, blogger” you would think I would be all about telling you what to buy. Around the holidays it is hard not to get carried away with all the sales and cute holiday items – all of which have you going over your holiday budget. This holiday season don’t over extend yourself. The holidays should be about getting to see and spend time with your friends and family. Versus running around stressed and broke trying to ensure everyone has a gift they don’t need. Less is more. Below are my holiday gift ideas that I believe get used and enjoyed, not donated.

Kitchen Aid Artisan Mini- This model is 20% smaller and 25% lighter. Great for the city dweller. It made the list because it’s on my list! A wonderful gift for someone who likes to cook & bake in smaller batches. So many attachments, so many possibilities for future add-on gifts.

Angel Hair Necklace– Jewelry that can be worn everyday is my type of jewelry. I am a  big fan of Catbird, and own several pieces that I never take off. If you are looking for jewelry to make someone feel special – a bracelet, ring, earrings, or necklace – anything from Catbird will make your fashion forward friend smile.

YSL Volupte’ tint-in-oil -Pricey to say the least and worth every penny. This is a lip tint that both smells and feels delicious on your lips, leaving only a hint of color. I love it and can be purchased at Sephora {I like buying cosmetics at Sephora because they take returns with out hassling}

Amazon Echo– My husband is fixated with it. If your tech-ie doesn’t owe it, they want to.

Skin Care– This is something that everyone should do for themselves but most don’t. Taking care of your skin can be expensive. I have had companies send me free stuff and my skin really does show and feel the difference. My sister sell’s Rodan + Fields and I actually use it.  The gift of skincare is for the person who takes care of everybody else instead of themselves.

Polaroid + extra film– For the tween that loves snapchap. This is a Polaroid for the savvy, and its compatible with your smartphone. You can do many tricks like adding graphics to the photo.

Stendig Calendar– This giant calendar lives in my office. Makes a great white elephant gift and is so big it is impossible not to use. It is the type of gift that people will buy it for themselves year after year.

Away Travel– I am obsessed with my new carry-on! If you know someone that is particularly organized (like myself) or travels often, this luggage is going to make that person enjoy packing (because really who likes packing?). I am ga-ga over all the compartments. I have the bigger of the two carry-on options. Away travel comes in a different sizes and colors.

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The Bellevue Collection is made up of three parts: Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square, and Bellevue Place. Bellevue Square has a bunch of great stores including  Nordstrom, Free People, Intermix, Zara, Anthropologie , Uniqlo,…. see a full list here.   Bellevue Collection creates both a  fashion forecasting lookbook and magazine which I got to style for Fall 2016. We shot this is the middle of July when fall fashion hasn’t official arrived and everything was on summer markdown. I spent five full days in the mall pulling for this shoot.

BTS Bellevue Collection Photo Shoot

This is my girl Julie, trying on an over the knee boot and it consuming her whole thigh

BTS of shooting

There was lots of fun movement in this shoot

As a outfit was shot, and a picture was selected it would get printed out and added to the wall

After the merch was shot I got to head back to the mall and return everything I had borrowed which took about 8 hours. I didn’t take a picture but next time I will. What a sight to see. The Bellevue Collection hired a moving company to move all the merch. A highlight in my line of work. I am usually the one hauling clothes around. I even had an empty store in the mall as a resting stop to hold my gear. Thank You, Bellevue Collection!

photograper: Jeff Engelstad MUA: Lindsay Watkins  Set Design: Gavin Derek Stylist:Lauren Schugar (if your have any interest in looking at my portfolio)

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Ever heard of Aspen Sojourner magazine? Unless you have been to Aspen the answer will likely be no. Well neither did I until I was asked to style a shoot . Since I had never been to Aspen and it’s always fun to check out a new city I was pumped to see what the Aspen fashion scene had to offer. Aspen was pretty fun, the weather was great and the entire city was walkable! Lots of cute restaurants and friendly sales people for such high end shopping.

BTS Aspen Sojourner Magazine

Look from Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2016 Ready to Wear

Christian Dior Pre-Fall 2016 styled with Gucci blouse and heels

Unfortunately there were a couple of looks that were scrapped from this fashion story. This was for a mid-summer issue and I was struggling to make the most out of what I had. Fashion Photographer:Bernhard Donaubauer AD: Adriana Garcia MUA: Christine Morris Model: Maddie Cook I loved the patterned on patterned floral vibe of the layout.

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In a quest to become hyper organized I have become obsessed with the Perch magnetic storage pieces. Especially loving my Perch Magnetic Wall Storage in my bathroom. I superglued tiny magnets to my makeup and put them on my Perch wall! My hubs picked up the magnets at home dept, but you can also find them on Amazon.

Perch Magnetic’s also helped me clean my desk off! My office workspace is always… messy. Being able to move my mess to the magnetic wall has helped clear off my actual desk. I have a compartment for everything. Looking for the perfect mid-centry file cabinet… Poppin is the answer. I bought the orange one.

Perch Magnetic Wall Storage

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New work for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority! This national commercial was filmed over the span of two days. 9 talent, 36 wardrobe changes in one day, plus forty extra’s. Getting to style a What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas commercial was so fun for me. Mostly because it is the ultimate Iconic Vegas experience, and I got to be a part of help create it. Directed by Arturo Pereyra Key MUA: Song Lopez & Krystal Randall

Now the crew helped me get threw this one. The boys on set became my life-line and I will forever be grateful for Dane, Buck, and Matt who had me laughing, and smiling for the 30 hours we spent together. I think they felt sorry for me. I had two assistants one that lost my Amex, and the other that was breaking up with her boyfriend. We never had a home base and moved locations multiple times a day. In my stylist world, this was not an easy job for me. Below are some BTS photo’s of a what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas commercial!

This was a proposal I had to create for each scene in the shoot. We didn’t end up shooting in this location but wanted to give you an idea on how much pre-work styling involves

fittings

on-location

The talent that provided me lots of laughs

on-set

strolling in the streets of downtown Vegas

Me and my daughter trying on bubble shirts my girl Lindsay bought us! Just wanted you to get to see the merchandise I have to provide the wardrobe. It was a lot!

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Living in Seattle has made me become very eco-friendly. I live in a green house, compost and recycle. Which leads me to my latest green purchase Biobu dishes. These green dishes that work great as both indoors/outdoors. Made out of bamboo, this dinnerware works for both hot and cold food. Biobu Dishes are top-rack dishwasher safe, BPA, PVC, and Phthalates free. For the larger plates that don’t fit on my top rack, I put them on the bottom rack and haven’t noticed any wear and tear thus far. These dishes have a mid centry flare to them with a simple design and color palette of mustard yellow, teal, and orange combo’s. The colors are so fun when I open my kitchen cabinet.

I have three different sized plates : 7′ side plate, 9′ medium, 11′ dinner plate and three different sized bowls: pasta bowl (my favorite size), side bowl, and the small (mini) bowl.  I actually love the small bowls. I want to order a couple of trays to complete my set!

I like that the color pops threw the frosted glass

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Man you have to love Tyra Banks. That is one girl boss that doesn’t stop moving… always coming up with something different. I started watching American’s Next Top Model (1st season) with my 11 year old daughter last night… well until my man came down and informed me to turn it off. It is so crazy to me that Top Model has had over 20 season’s. Tyra is on her next business venture Tyra Beauty. Tyra Beauty is looking for a new face for the brand in Las Vegas!

Details: TYRA Beauty Model Search in Vegas

WHAT:
Join Tyra Banks as she brings her cosmetics line, TYRA Beauty to Las Vegas for the TYRA Beauty LIVE + Model Search 2016. Experience a new level of Tyra-cized entertainment that will inspire and motivate everyone to be their own boss. Plus, the babe-alicious, Nyle DiMarco will be joining TyTy for the big night!

TYRA Beauty LIVE + Model Search will also include TYRA Beauty’s first Model Search to look for the new faces of the 2017 TYRA Beauty campaign. In partnership with L.A. Models, an international modeling agency that helped launch Tyra’s career, they’re looking for BOOTYful faces of every height, shape, size and age from 18 to infinity!

WHO:
TYRA Beauty LIVE + Model Search hosted by Supermodel, Super Entrepreneur, and TYRA Beauty Super CEO, Tyra Banks

WHEN:
Monday, August 22, 2016
9:00am: Model Search (Entrants arrivals only)
5:00pm: No Host Cocktail Party (All attendee arrive)
6:00pm: Fierce Up: TYRA Beauty LIVE + Model Search hosted by Tyra Banks

WHERE:
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, Las Vegas
3355 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

PRICE:
$99.00 (transportation and lodging not included)

WEBSITE:
http://bit.ly/2a6mbjM

Now I haven’t tried any Tyra beauty products yet, but when I do I will be happy to give you the scoop!

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This is one trend that I am seeing in almost every store I go into in one form or another.  Patch’s, enamel pin’s, stickers… it’s all about decorating your denim! Brands are decorating everything from denim to tennis shoes. But you can also buy a pack of pins from Forever21 for less than $7. Below you can see the brands that are already doing it and where to buy.

Decorate Your Denim

This season’s new way of livening of denim is so fun to me. What I love most about this trend is the price point. Buying a couple of patches and/or pins to revamp your denim pieces with your personal touch. In full discloser my daughter spends hours on instagram and finds the coolest pins. The cutest pins come from Little Arrow Shop.

My daughter is obsessed!

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My girlfriend Tina crakes me up, she is a total skin care maniac. Literally she must spend an hour a day on cleansing her face. At lunch one day, I had mentioned she should write me a blog post, and she loved the idea .… here are Tina’s top 5 skin care tips.

In Tina’s dramatic words, “ Ever since the age of 25, I’ve feared aging. Instead of celebrating my birthday, I dreaded it because it meant I was getting old. I probably fear wrinkles and skin sagging more than I even fear death. I know it sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Up until then, I spent a good portion of my paychecks buying expensive make-up. I grew up with a mother who always emphasized the more you paid for cosmetics, the better the quality of it is. To this day, I still don’t know if the cosmetics sold at the fancy counters are better than what you find at a drugstore but the idea was already ingrained in me. One thing I learned through time though, is that it doesn’t matter how expensive your make up is or how much of it you wear if you don’t have great skin.”

I must confess that I used to be a basic three step skin care system sort of girl. Meaning I would use a cleanser, a toner, and then a moisturizer and then call it good. Not only that, for years I used the same products. Then the last 5 years, I learned to expand my horizons more; I read up on products and beauty regimens, and talked to more specialists that could educate me. Here are a few things I learned through time that I found helpful for taking care of my skin.

1. Your Clarisonic IS NOT an exfoliator. I used to think I didn’t need to exfoliate when I used my Clarisonic. After all, the Clarisonic feels like its an electric toothbrush for your face already and why would you want to put anything else abrasive on your face and overdo it? First of all, if the brush feels rough on your face, it’s probably not the right one for you. I recently discovered that the Radiance brush was the right fit for me because even the Sensitive brush was too abrasive feeling on the lowest vibration setting for me. Second of all, the Clarisonic brush is meant to remove dirt, make up, and oil off of your face. It doesn’t remove dead skin cells. That is what exfoliators are for and you should still exfoliate 2-3 times a week.
2. Pat your moisturizer on. When you rub your moisturizer on your face, it is causing friction. When you pat your moisturizer on, you are allowing the skin to absorb the moisturizer instead of just having it rubbed all over the surface.

3. Take care of your neck like it is your face. Your neck shows the signs of aging just like your face does, so don’t neglect it. Either use the same moisturizing routine or buy a specific moisturizer for your neck. Several skin care lines make specialized anti-wrinkle firming creams for your neck. Every brand these days makes a neck cream, choose you favorite. Estee Lauder, Clarins, Dr. Dennis Gross, Strivectic, 3 Lab, Philosophy, etc.

4. Hydrate before Retinol. If you are using a retinol product that is not in your moisturizer already, you should hydrate your face beforehand. If your face is dry and you put your retinol product on, it won’t absorb into your skin as well. Something I use that I know won’t interact with my retinol product is Josie Maran argan oil. You can use coconut oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, or a moisturizer that doesn’t have some sort of acid already in it. You can also use a serum that doesn’t have any products that might react with your retinol. If you are curious about interactions between your products, you could always ask your dermatologist or aesthetician. (Retinol is The term describes vitamin A derivatives that unclog pores, boost collagen to reduce fine lines, and speed cell turnover to even out discoloration and smooth the skin—sometimes in as little as four weeks. The first retinoid—tretinoin—was FDA approved (under the brand name Retin-A) almost 40 years ago as a prescription acne treatment. Dermatologists soon noticed that patients on Retin-A experienced not just clearer but softer, brighter, less-lined skin)

5. Refrigerate Your Products. You know how people have special refrigerators for their wine bottles? I have always thought that when I design my bathroom for my house one day, I would make sure there was a space for a very sleek small refrigerator I could put some of my products in. A lot of your skin care products, especially if they are more on the “all natural” side, should be kept in a dark cool place anyway. However, there are products I use that I like chilled because they feel better and work better when I apply them cold. For example, I use Clarins Eye Contour Gel in the morning to reduce eye puffiness. I have found using it cold helps to reduce the puffiness more because the cold gel helps to constrict your blood vessels. I also put my face sheet masks in the refrigerator and it becomes an awesome method to cool your self down on a hot summer day. Just make sure you’re not putting any products that might separate in the fridge though.

This leads me to my last tip …

6. Ice your face. I got married a couple of years ago and 2 weeks before my wedding I got a facial. Before I left, my esthetician told me to put ice in a bag or a towel and then apply it to different parts of my face for 5 minutes at a time. The cold constricts your blood vessels to reduce puffiness and redness. So the night before my wedding and the day of, I would rotate the ice on a different part of my face for 30 seconds-1 minute for about 5 minutes. For example, I would put it on one cheek for 30 seconds, then up to my forehead for a minute, etc and continue this for 5 minutes total. Then I would give my face a break for 5 minutes and then repeated the process a couple more times. It really did make my face less puffy and no redness at all. In addition, it helped me to stay pretty “cool” and collected before a stressful situation.

Hopefully some of these tips are helpful and new. If they are not new to you, congratulations, you know more about skin care than a great amount of people out there. More tips to come in the future. Remember, your skin is the biggest organ on your body. Make sure you take care of it. (Tina your awesome! Thanks for all your skin guru knowledge)

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