A Fresh Start with Click Salon and Monkee’s of Mountain Brook

Last year (wow, can you believe I’m saying that?!) I had a cinderella moment.  Actually, I felt a more like Pretty Woman, you know.  Except without the whole hooker thing… LOL.  Do you remember that line from She’s All That, circa 1999??  I die, haha!  And, I digress…

Anywho!  The experience was magical.  First I went to Click Salon in Pepper Place (Birmingham, AL).  It’s tucked away in the back part of the Pepper Place complex, although I supposed one could argue it is actually the front of the shopping center.

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I had an appointment with Lindsey and she was FANTASTIC.  I needed color and a trim, so she got right on it.  Oh yeah, and btw, they serve wine!!  So, I had a glass, obvi. 😉

 

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Next up, was shopping at Monkee’s of Mountain Brook.  I had never been in the store before, so I was excited to peruse their inventory.  I have to say, I was impressed with the mix of middle-to-high priced inventory. Everything from $20 fur poms to $400 Tom Ford sunnies.  Perfect for the woman who likes to mix it up!  I tried on a variety of items in the store and walked away with an amazing sheared rabbit fur vest from 525 Luxe.  I’m in love with it.  I left coveting the black dress with tulle shoulders, but may have to pick it up another time. 😉  Check out some of the fab items Monkee’s carries, below.

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I had an amazing time and so can you!! If you are looking for a fresh start in 2016, perhaps these two places can provide just what you need.  Click Salon can give your mane the treatment it deserves, and then you can hop over to Monkee’s for a makeover!  Melissa Cunningham-Campbell is the owner of Monkee’s, but also an excellent fashion advisor if you are looking for some guidance.  A side-note about the store:  They occasionally carry vintage Chanel, so if you are in the market, make sure to let Melissa know!  She will take care of you!

Finally, I wish you an amazing first day of 2016!!  So much awaits us all this year.  Cheers to an amazing year!!!

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!

**Most images in this post were provided courtesy of Stephanie J Gilbert of Small Talk Social.

DIY Hair Color

Okay, so I have never colored my hair at home, BY MYSELF.  I was scurred to say the least.  For some time now, grays have begun to take over my head.  A once lush, landscape of dark brown hair, has now begun to turn into a sea of wild grays, slowly overtaking the dark colored strands.  SIGH.  So, hair color it is.

But.  Hair coloring entails going to the salon, at least a 2-hour endeavor, and money.  This also, apparently, needs to happen every 4-6 weeks.  My hair grows relatively quickly, so my range is more like 3-4 weeks rather than 4-6 weeks.  Anywho.  A friend of mine mentioned that she uses Garnier hair color, so at $7 for the box, I figured, why not try it!

Well, leave it to me to try it the night before a big trip and at 10pm no less.  So there was no chance I was going to have a plan B,  entailing going to the salon to have them fix whatever horrors resulted from me trying to color my own hair.  I had a box that had been sitting around for months, and off to the bathroom I went.

Garnier, http://chicinacademia.com

My hair is not naturally black in color, so I figured I would try the darkest brown color.  In all honesty, I think it is still too dark for my hair, so I MAY try the next lighter shade.  We shall see. But, darkest brown it is for now.  It’s not TERRIBLE though.  Here’s a pic I took the next day at a Blow Dry Bar salon. [ That is sparkling water and fruit, btw.  Not booze, lol.]

hair, http://chicinacademia.com

I don’t know you if you can tell, but unlike natural hair color – as in one’s biological hair color – store bought hair dye makes your hair color completely uniform.  Unless of course you employ a special technique to add color variation.  But hello – I already explained that I barely knew how to apply this DIY hair color, so there was no way I was going to even attempt to do anything fancier.

hair color, http://chicinacademia.com

So, uniformly colored dark hair I have!  I don’t think it looks terrible, though, again, think I will try something a bit lighter next time.  My grays, btw, were completely hidden after the one application of hair color.  The instructions specifically say that you need to leave the hair color in an additional 5 minutes in order to achieve complete coloring.  It is entirely likely that a gaggle of grays in the back of my head remain alive and gray, since I did this myself and didn’t take the time to look in a mirror before I washed out the dye. LOL.  But, it is what it is!

In conclusion, I definitely recommend this brand of hair color should you decide to color your own hair at home – and no, this is not a sponsored post, haha.  The price point is amazing, I didn’t react unpleasantly to it (e.g. it does not seem to be too harsh a dye for my scalp/skin), and my hair remains pretty soft after dying it!  I do recommend you read the instruction booklet in full, AND definitely use the gloves provided.  Also remember to wear an old t-shirt or some other garment that you won’t mind getting dye on.  OH!  And, wear something that buttons open should you decide to wash it out in the shower and not in the sink.  Otherwise,  you risk getting hair dye on your top when it comes off over your head.  No bueno. (It happened to me.)

That is all, friends!  Let me know if you have any other tips or techniques you would like to share with me!  I’m also open to any ideas for other brands of hair dyes!

Shop Garnier Hair Color here.

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!