When I was in the third grade, I began licking my lips a lot. I’m not sure why. It was suddenly as if I noticed that my lips were dry. Plus, I would lick not only my lips but the area right around the outside of my lips. Well after doing that for a few days, the skin around my mouth began to become tight, dry and uncomfortable. Of course that made me lick it even more. I was eight, I had no idea what I was doing.

A few days later, I began to notice that I was developing a sore around the edges of my mouth. I was horrified. Not only was it not attractive, it was highly uncomfortable. My mom noticed and gave me some lip balm (I believe it was vaseline) and I began to apply that when my lips got dry rather than licking and soon the sore went away. However, I was from that point officially hooked on lip balm. I had to have it with me at all times because I was afraid that I would lick my lips again and end up with a sore on my mouth. It was very traumatizing for eight-year-old me who was just becoming aware of my looks.

So, now that I’ve shared my lip balm story with you, here is a link to this nifty AOL Shopping article about keeping your lips looking good. I hope you see a tip or two that improves your pucker!

Beauty Commandment: Pretty Lips

So, I decided to do a series where we go back to the basics. I will give you tips and insight on how to figure out the basics so you can feel better about stepping out there and stepping your fab game up. If you have other questions that you’d like answered, please send a message in the comments. I will get you the answer and do a blog post on it.

Stay fabulous!

* Ask your stylist what products they are using on your hair just in case you are not able to make your appointment or your stylist is booked up. This way your hair is staying in a consistent balance of moisture and conditioner.

* Also remember that your stylist’s assistant is essential to the healthiness of your hair. Develop a working relationship with him/her just in case you need them in the event that your stylist isn’t able to complete your visit. Keep in mind that the assistant is actually the one that is cleansing and conditioning your hair!

* Be sure to ask as many questions as you can think of to educate yourself on your hair. Gain a clear understanding of your hair structure and of future goals and desires with styling. Asking questions keeps you in the know about new products as well as new looks. Keep it fresh ladies!

The deepest secret that we as stylists have is that we LOVE it when our clients ask questions. With the proper education on your hair, you can achieve almost any look and over come any condition within your hair structure. I offer a brief consultation before ALL of my services, whether it’s a weekly client or a new client. This keeps me in the know about home maintenance and also your overall goals.

If you want more information about Mandrill Hardge or will be in the Atlanta area and want to have him style your hair (Side note from Clueless Fashionista: *Which is highly recommended, by the way. I’ve seen his work and it’s mahvelous!), visit his website at www.mandrillhardge.com.

* In order to maintain those straight tresses, be sure to keep hair brushed back into a loose ponytail that is positioned in the middle of the head.

* Go by your local Sally’s Beauty Supply and ask for the terry cloth head wrap for spas. Wearing this during your treadmill time or jogs will help to keep the scalp from becoming too wet and messing up your press or your style.

* For those that are swimming regularly, there is a shampoo and conditioner formulated to remove the chlorine from your hair and keep hair in healthy condition. You may also pick this up at your local Sally’s Beauty Supply.

* The most important advice for this time of year is to make sure that you are seeing your licensed hair care specialist on a regular basis. Regular means bi-weekly if not weekly.

These are tips and product suggestions that I make for my clientele and the results are outstanding.

To schedule an appointment with Mandrill Hardge, visit his website www.mandrillhardge.com

Pedicures become much more common place in the warmer months and so is wearing more color. The other day I took my first spring trip to the nail salon to enjoy a mani/pedi. When I was in the front choosing my colors, I decided to go with a neutral color for my hands and a bright green for my feet. In that time I was deciding what color I wanted on my toes, I figured that my nail polish would be a great place to add that pop of color to every outfit that I wear.

So I decided to share my sentiment with you. If you want to add some color to your wardrobe, a great way to do it is with your nail polish. Be daring and bold with your nail color the next time you head in for a mani/pedi or a pedicure!

A friend of mine who has a great youtube channel and blog for ladies with curly hair, particularly African American women, is doing a giveaway of a Misikko ceramic iron.  Ceramic irons are great ways to straighten curly hair of all types.  Below is her video about the giveaway as well as a link to her blog post with the instructions on how to enter (move fast, the deadline is Thursday, April 8 at 11:59pm EST).

Visit her blog here for entry rules and details. http://curlscoilsandkinks.com

And in case you’re not familiar with the Misikko brand of ceramic irons, here’s a short video that Lexi did showing how it worked in her hair.

I just entered the contest so you should definitely go check it out and Good luck!

• Now is the optimum time to acheive that long desired Blonde Bombshell shade. Have your stylist try out any shade ranging from 5 to 9 and throw in a few highlights as well. This will guarantee an extra pep in your step this spring and summer.
• For those ladies that aren’t quite comfortable going that outrageous, look within the Chestnut and Chocolate shades to compliment your skin tone as well as attitude. Nothing says “Im in charge” like a lady with rich Chocolate and bouncy hair. Owww!!
• A new trend this season is daring Red tones. Whether you opt for red mixes, highlights or an all over shade, you are sure to turn heads and stop traffic. Red tones can be used to achieve an array of attitude changes from sexy to playful.
• And of course, who could ever leave out the sexiness of Black. There is unmistakeably something about a confident lady that wears black hair like she wears silk. Your hair can be short, medium, long, straight, curly or spiked. Add black and you’ve just added the wow factor!

If you haven’t visited the nail salon for your post winter mani/pedi, now is the time to put it in your schedule.  When you are de-winterizing those hands and feet, you should consider delving into the latest spring nail trend.

Nude nails were popular down the runways for Spring Fashion Week this past February.  This is a great trend that you can take right off the runway with ease.  The Beauty Bean featured a great article about the nude nail trend along with some color suggestions. Enjoy!

http://thebeautybean.com/site/beautify/spring-trend-alert-nude-nails-it/

I’ve noticed some common things that I see women do and I feel like it needs to be addressed head on.  When it comes to looking well coiffed and put together, there are certain things that we all should be mindful of in terms of fashion and beauty basics.

I decided to introduce this new feature as a way to address those issues and some suggestions on how they can be handled.  I do realize that not everyone has regular access to a stylist, manicurist, hair stylist, etc.  I don’t myself so lots of my advice with address both perspectives, those who do go to professionals and those who don’t.

Stay tuned and if you see things you’d like to see addressed, let me know and I will put it into the rotation.

• Have your professional stylist perform that much needed deep conditioning treatment or what I prefer to use, a Protein Treatment. This will aid in replenishing moisture and nutrients lost during the harsh winter months.

• Now is the prime time to get that hair trim that is essential to the growth and strong structure of the hair. Trims should be done every 6 to 8 weeks to maintain steady growth.

• Adding a semi-permanent color to your hair care service will aid in style as well as shine. Also consider a clear color application as well.

• You may want to consider going with a more silky hair style for at the first 6 weeks of the Spring season. This will help to stimulate the scalp as you wrap the hair at night. Also it relaxes the hair shaft and closes down the cuticle that may have been opened while hair was being curled throughout the winter month.

Mandrill Hardge is a fabulous hair stylist who specializes in bringing out the beauty in hair.  If you’d like to learn more about him or if you’re in the Atlanta area and want to schedule an appointment, visit his website at http://mandrillhardge.com