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Pink House Love

I’d been following Tegan and Lindsay and their blog/instagram Treasure and Travels for years now and I’ve always loved their aesthetic and the different products they promoted. When they joined their Aunt to help with Pink House I knew I wanted to reach out to try and work with them and test their products out. The company was started by two sisters, Tracy and Karen, with the aim of bringing all natural products to women everywhere and when Tegan and Lindsay’s mom, Karen, passed after a battle with cancer they stepped in to help their Aunt Tracy with running the company. Their story and desire to bring natural products that are made with love and actually are amazing drew me in. As an artist and a beauty product junky I was drawn to their glow sticks and dry shampoo’s and they graciously sent out samples for us to try out on our European trip this past May and June. All the products were used and loved by all four of us ladies and I used all the glow stick shades to create a JLo glow on our bride Kim in Positano Italy as well as our engagement session client Kailey in Nice France. I loved how the glow sticks meshed with foundation and didn’t melt away after a long, humid and hot day shooting. I used the Copper shade as a bronzer/contour shade and then alternated between the Rose and Rose Gold shades for blush and lip color and then the shade Ice was the perfect highlight to layer under the powder highlight I brought to last all day. The dry shampoo comes in two shades Blondie and Hot Chocolate which worked out so perfect since half of the people were blondes and the other half were brunettes so we got to use both shades. The powder absorbed any and all grease and made our hair feel so fresh and clean even after having sweaty hair from walking up hundreds of stairs in Positano. Knowing their products have no harsh chemicals in them and lasted so well on so many skin types and skin tones I couldn’t recommend their products enough! We are going to be stocking their products very soon and in the meantime check out their online store here. ** the first two behind the scenes photos were shot by Nicole Ashley!

In the month of May the weather has started to heat up and we are also currently in Italy for an elopement we were hired for so we decided to share some of our favorite products to help beat the sun and heat! Supergoop Setting Mist SPF 50 – This setting mist is a life safer for anyone trying to reapply sunscreen throughout the day but is also wearing a full face of makeup. It has an SPF 50 rating and protects against UV rays while also keeping your face matte in the summer heat. The rosemary mint scent is also super refreshing when you are really hot. If you live in Canada you can pick it up at Anthropologie in their beauty section or if you live in the US you can get it at Sephora. – Review by Janna Davines Su Hair Milk– This hair product is what I always recommend to people going on a hot holiday! It’s a light weight leave-in treatment that protects hair color and also helps to keep your hair hydration during sun exposure. On a recent trip to Palm Springs Janna’s beautiful pastel pink locks were getting so sun bleached until she started using this product! Pastel is hard to maintain on a regular basis and when you add chlorine and sun bleaching you have nearly no hope of maintaining the perfect pastel or blonde until now! Thanks to the anti UV-A and UV-B filters your hair is protected and left feeling soft shiny and weightless. I also recommend wearing a hat to protect your hair even further and prevent any scalp/hair parting sun burns. – Review by Stef MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation – When I first tried this foundation I hated it but to be fair I tried it during the winter when my skin was much more dehydrated. Then when one of my friends who was getting married raved about this foundation I knew I had to give it another chance. I tested this foundation on my oily skin in the summer months and was blown away how it didn’t budge at all on my skin and was true to the waterproof claims. I have even jumped in a pool and my makeup stayed perfect because of this foundation. The best part about this foundation is that MAC just expanded this color range so there should be a shade for…

We recently attended an amazing event hosted by Kit and Ace featuring four different professionals in creative fields who have businesses that have them traveling a lot for work and that got us thinking of what our travel tips would be! For Behind the Blush, 2017 is the year of travel as we go across the globe to places like Montreal, Italy, Nice, Croatia, London, Banff, Jasper, Emerald Lake, Whitehorse, Vegas and Palm Springs! So we thought we would talk about some of the tips and tricks we we live by when traveling for work! When we are traveling for a clients wedding or any kind of hair and makeup booking we always have to check our bags. We have so many products that we bring along with us including liquids that make a carry on only nearly impossible. Any of our more fragile items of our kits like powders we bring in our carry on to ensure they end up at our destination without any damage. The amazing duo of Fieldwork Co. created the perfect carry on kit bag as it can convert from a messenger bag to a backpack and they customized the size to fit a small makeup kit bag. We couldn’t recommend them enough to create a bag or accessory for you! Pro Makeup Kit Packing Tips If you haven’t met your client yet have them send a photo of themselves as well as any inspiration photos of what kind of look they want. From there you can ask them what their skin type is and if they have any skin concerns and that should help you decide what to pack. If it is for a destination wedding with only one or two clients you can also ask your client to bring their own personal favorite foundation and concealer. I still bring a few foundation and concealer options that I can mix in case if I find maybe they got tanned while they’re on vacation. Primers: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and the Cane + Austin Prime and Protect Mattifying Primer with Broad Spectrum SPF 50. Foundations: MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation in shades NW20 and NC35 (the shade that I am and then a darker more yellow toned one to mix with it). The MAC foundation was also featured in our May favorites post here. Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N20 and G60 to mix in with…

We can’t believe its already our fourth anniversary! We couldn’t be more proud of everything that we’ve accomplished since our start in May 2013. We are also so happy to be celebrating our fourth anniversary with the addition of Caitlyn and Diane to our team! None of our success would have been possible without the amazing support from our clients and consistent love from Edmonton professionals! To celebrate our 4th year in business as Behind the Blush we are doing an AMAZING giveaway!! One lucky person will receive $400 of hair and makeup products catered to your hair type and skin type. To enter the draw just follow these four steps: LIKE us on Facebook FOLLOW us on Instagram SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel TAG friends on the instagram post to increase your chances to win! Best of luck to you all! **winner will be drawn and contacted on May 19 at 12 pm MST. Contest open to Canadian residents only. We will then contact the winner to find out their hair and makeup needs to build a customized prize worth $400.

April has seemed to fly by so fast!! This time for our April favorites we are featuring the best/only highlight you need to own by Dior, stunning cream eyeshadows from Milk Makeup that are finally available in Canada and a red tinted Davines conditioner to turn your blonde the prettiest pink or to help maintain your red hair! Florals by FaBLOOMosity. Dior Nude Air Luminizer Powder – Dior created the perfect highlighter and it has a shade range to suit every skin tone! I personally use Nude Glow and I find it gives the perfect shimmer that looks like glowing skin without any visible shimmer or glitter. It lasts all day on my oily skin which is a feat in of itself. I find it has a better glow and lasts longer than the famed Becca Champagne Pop – sacrilegious I know!! It is on the pricey side but the powder would last you almost a year at least! -Review by Janna Davines Alchemic Conditioner Red – My love for the Davines Alchemic Red Conditioner runs deep. I love being able to amp up a beautiful blonde to a fun pink and keep my amazing red clients a perfect shade! I also used it on some of our child models from a styled shoot coming out soon! It’s simply a red pigmented conditioner that is safe for both adults and children. If you have a little girl whose blonde is so light that it turns white when in the sun- your little girl could use conditioner to have fun pink hair for a week! Blonde locks that you want to have some fun with? This is the perfect take home product! The Alchemic line has many colors to choose from including red, chocolate, copper, tobacco, silver and golden! The Davines Alchemic Red conditioner is available for purchase at our studio, and also our online store (if you live in Edmonton use the code “Edmonton” to do a free pickup of any online purchase)! -Review by Stef MILK Makeup Eye Pigment – Finally the brand MILK is available at Sephora in Canada and I can sing their praises!! I bought some of their products when I was in USA and loved them but didn’t feel right review something a fellow Canadian could not purchase. These little tubes hold the most long wearing beautiful cream eye shadows. I have the colors After Party…

These days lying out in the sun for hours on end to achieve the perfect tan can be dangerous with harmful UV rays and skin cancer scares. We are both certified airbrush spray tan artist and can help you achieve that perfect glow for your wedding, grad, special event or even fitness competition without any sun damage. We offer several shades of tan to suit any skin tone from pale to competition tan. We offer the service in Stefanie’s home salon or we can also travel to you with our portable spray tan booth. To book in visit us here for our pricing and contact info! Photos by Nicole Ashley

March means most of us are desperate for any signs of spring! This time around our favorites are spring focused with products to take your hair and makeup game into warmer months and prep you for the upcoming summer! As always let us know if you have any products you’d like us to review! Marc Jacobs Air Blush Soft Glow Duo – I have the color in Flesh & Fantasy and have found it to be the most perfect nude peach color that flatters so many skin tones. I’ve used this on myself as well as dozens of clients and it has looked amazing on so many skin tones. I love that it blends flawlessly as well as builds up the color slowly so you don’t have to be scared you are putting on too much blush. It also gives you the most beautiful glow on the cheeks that doesn’t look like glitter or frost. This blush is a must have in my books for spring as you can pair it with any eyeshadow look or lip color as it is in the nude family. If you are going to buy one blush this season be sure to check out this one! (Review by Janna) Davines This is a Sea Salt Spray – There is something so beautiful about voluminous beachy waves, and a sea salt spray can give that to you no matter the climate! “This is a sea salt spray” is perfect for all hair types and works on both wet or dry hair! You only need a small amount of product on normal hair types. Just let your hair air dry after spraying the product in and you will love that beachy texture your hair is left with! A must have for any holiday in the sun, or everyday tousled volume. (Review by Stefanie) The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% Serum – So an acid serum sounds scary but in this case it really isn’t! This serum is for dry and dehydrated skin to help lock in moisture after the dry winter months. I use this serum as the first product after I wash my face and I have found it to help reduce any dry patches as well as it helps to plump up your skin before you put makeup on. The best part about this product that it’s $6.80. You read that right. It costs less than…

At the beginning of April I traveled with a handful of stylists from Edmonton to attend a “Modern Classics” hair cutting class taught by Kathy Simon at the Mekka Hair Academy in the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec! I was really excited for my first visit to Montreal and at the same time I was nervous as it had been a while since my last cutting class. I left the class with new skills and feeling creatively inspired and refreshed. I left after learning 9 amazing modern classic haircuts, and perfected pattern placement and sectioning techniques- allowing consistency in my hair cutting techniques. I plan on adding in some subtle changes to my hair cutting style to enhance the hair cuts of my clients. There is talk about bringing the hair cutting guru Kathy Simon here to Edmonton in 2018 so any hair stylists keep an eye out for that. If you want to book in for a fresh new hair cut for the spring and summer click here to view my pricing and for info on how to book in! “Art without knowledge is nothing”-Jean Mongot

We got back into filming some Youtube tutorials and thought the first one we would launch was our Boho Updo for Long Hair tutorial! With Janna as the model, Stefanie created a beautiful updo showing how you can pin up long hair. She also added in some floral details provided by FaBLOOMosity and we filmed the tutorial against an amazing backdrop provided by Neat Rentals! The music for our video was created for the use of Behind the Blush by Riot City Sound and produced by Kevin McMillan Audio.

There are so many opinions out there about hair extensions that vary from them being a hair life saver to someone never even considering getting them. In my business Hotheads Hair Extensions have aided so many women through awkward length grow out, adding fullness in limp or thin areas, and the most known reason- adding length and volume throughout your whole head. All of these reasons for extensions are good in my book! Why do I LOVE the Hotheads Hair Extensions brand? Low maintenance – Once every 7-12 weeks you schedule an appointment with your stylist. Typically the appointment will take less than an hour and a half with a shampoo and blowout included. Your stylist simply removed the extensions, applies new adhesive, and then reapplies the Hotheads Hair Extensions. Cost effective – Starting rates to put in hot heads at my salon studio is $50.00/bag while other salons in the city seem to charge double. Awkward hair stage – The perfect aid to an awkward grow out. So many women either deal with post baby hair loss, growing out a short cut, or even hormonal hair changes. Adding in some extensions will assist you in that awkward stage. You will use less heat styling tools and protect the integrity of your hair with a non-invasive adhesive. These extensions allow you to let your hair grow grow grow!! Add volume – I have a number of clients (including Janna and I….shhh) who use the Ultimate hotheads on the side’s/front’s of our heads. The ultimate extension packs come in a pack with 10 extensions, giving you 5 pieces on each side. I apply them just above the ear or under any fringe area and voila! you hair looks healthier, thicker, longer and more Disney Princess than you would ever dream! Length – You really can have mermaid hair! We all go through fazes in our lives when, you know what? We want long ass Kim Kardashian locks. You can take all the multi vitamins, or fish oils you want… but it takes FOREVER! Really- everyone just needs a time in their life when they have mermaid hair that looks, feels and acts like real long hair. Easiest way to achieve it? Extensions my friends. Extensions. Check out the before and after below of one of my clients! She was growing out bangs and wanted to get past the “mullet” front so I used…