Week 29: NYFW Recap. Invites, Perfect Hair, Survival

Today I am going to tell you some of the Behind-the-Stage Fashion Weeks Secrets. How to get invited to NYFW, how to have perfect hair a few days in the row, and HOW to survive the lack of sleep during the fashion madness!

HOW TO GET FASHION WEEK INVITES?

When I just started blogging, I thought getting invited to fashion shows is extremely hard. And it is if you do nothing! Luckily, I had blogger friends who have been leading their blogs for years and who kindly shared some advices, and I made my own research to discover other useful steps you can take in order to get invited to New York Fashion Week shows.

1. Start at least one month in advance

I had to miss out on some great shows because I was travelling almost the whole January, and didn't communicate fast enough with representatives. Don't repeat this mistake and start emailing brands 1-2 month prior to Fashion Week.

2. Fashion GPS Radar App

Get the most useful app Fashion GPS Radar. It not only gives you a list of shows, emails of PR people, but after some time automatically adds show invitations to your schedule that you can accept (or ignore).

3. Email YOUR people

Like anything in the world, fashion world is about knowing the right people. Think of the brands you already collaborated with, shoot an email to one of your old friends who is working in Fashion PR, or simply ask your trusted blogging friends to share some contacts, or take you as their +1. Yes, sometimes they let you take +1. I sneaked my husband to all my shows :)

4. NYFW Schedule

Find websites with the NYFW schedule. Many of these schedules contain contact information. For example, I used Fashion Week Online to get some emails.

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How to look good during NYFW?

Depending on how busy your schedule is during Fashion Weeks, you might not be able to style or even wash your hair every day. Running from an event to showroom and then to runways shows, and doing it all over again back and forth, can be extremely exhausting!

Luckily, I have found a salon, Julien Farel, that creates KILLER blowouts and hairstyles that last perfectly for a few days in a row. I have partnered with Julien Farel before for Valentine's Day, and was so impressed that my hair, usually so flat and not that fresh only after 1-2 days, stayed absolutely flawless for 5(!) days. And honestly they still looked good after almost a week, and I just had to force myself to wash my hair because I felt it was too long.

That is why I chose Julien Farel salon to style my hair for NYFW. I highly recommend their stylist Aizhan.
Check out the salon: 540 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065. You will love it!

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And last, but not least is my energy secret. Of course, you have to drink a lot of water, and can consume tons of coffee, but I have found out that I feel better just drinking one Berocca vitamin mineral supplement from time to time. Usually I take one when I wake up super sleepy, and it gives me an instant energy boost! Plus it tastes like a lemonade :)

I hope you liked my little NYFW secrets, and they will prove to be useful to you in the future. Let me know if you have any special tips? I would like to hear!

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Week 16: I am BLONDE! Haircare tips and my blonde experience.

I promised I would write about my first dyeing experience and share some hair beauty secrets, and here is the awaited post! I also wrote about my favourite makeup and fashion finds in July in the Insta-Shop section.

As I mentioned in this post, my new blonde look is a masterpiece created by NYC based Turkish hairstylist @asilsmsk, who currently works at the Val El Salon and Spa. I was afraid my blonde ombre would look too yellow-ish or that a dye would damage my hair, but so far my hair is super soft and the colour is perfect. It is noteworthy that I showed Asil a few different photos of what I liked and he came up with something that suited my vision, while also complimenting my feautures. As a side note, this post IS NOT promoted in any way and I am just genuinely recommending Asil to any woman who finds herself in NYC. Since I did not work with any other stylists or have any other services done, I can't specifically recommend anything else at the salon.

I have always loved my long light brown hair and I was terrified to dye it or cut it short. During hot summers my hair would also get really beautiful natural highlights. Oftentimes it looked like I dyed my hair even though I did not, and people would ask me the name of my colour. However, in the last few months I have started to crave a new look, and I am happy I finally gave in.

In this post I will sharea few of my favourite hair products, both for coloured and "virgin" hair, so everyone can benefit from this article.

1. My miracle Coconut Oil and Manuka Honey mask. 

This mask is seriously my secret weapon. I am too lazy to apply the coconut oil /manuka honey mask often, but whenever I do, my hair feels incredibly soft, shiny, and healthy afterwards.

Here is the recipe:

1 Tablespoon of Raw Manuka Honey (I also love this shampoo with Manuka)

3 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil (I use cold pressed coconut oil and 3 tablespoons because my hair is quite long)

Slowly heat honey and coconut oil in a small pan and stir it before it forms into a mass. Do not raise the temperature as you melt your mask! It is important to keep the heat low at all times  in order to preserve the nutrition in the manuka. After it's all melted, wait a little bit for it to slightly cool down (but make sure it is still warm!) and apply to your wet or dry hair. Massage into your roots and make sure you apply the mask generously on your split ends as well. 

Many people suggest that you keep the mask on for half an hour, but I usually tie my hair up, cover it with a plastic bag (don't laugh! :)), wear an old scarf on top (any beanie hat you are not afraid to ruin works as well) and wait at least 3 hours before I wash it out. Make sure you wash your hair thoroughly as it will naturally be very oily. It feels super gross while you have this mask on, but afterwards you will enjoy the results.

Don't do it when your boyfriend/husband is around. I usually wait until I am home alone. ;)

2. It's getting hot in here.

Never forget to protect your hair from your blowdryer and irons. I haven't found my one holy grail heat protection product, but currently I am protecting my hair with:

TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray
 

JOHN FRIEDA Frizz Ease serum that I apply only on wet hair.

3. Jose Eber Curling Iron

I get asked all the time about how I curl my hair. My hair is naturally straight, so when I was a teenager I used rollers overnight to wake up to perfect curls. I think that saved my hair from a lot of damage since irons can really destroy your hair. But a few years ago I found a Jose Eber curling iron in Selfridges (London, UK) and I cannot live without it now!

I believe the Jose Eber iron is one of the safest and fastest at curling on the market. It usually takes me no more than 10 minutes to style my hair. My mum and auntie also use Jose Eber straighteners and they are amazing. I cannot wait to get a straightener for myself too as it makes hair look sleeker and shinier.

4. Favourite Hairbrush

I am a loyal user of Tangle Teezer. Nothing compares to this wonderful hairbrush! 

5. What do I wash my hair with?

I like Bumble and Bumble hair products even though they are relatively pricey. However, after I dyed my hair I switched to an Australian brand Evo (this and this one in particular).

6. Volume up!

My hair often lacks volume, therefore I consider myself somewhat of an expert in volumizing products. I used the Got2B powder that everyone raves about for a couple of years, but now I have switched to the John Frieda spray and a volumizing dry shampoo by Sexy Hair. I feel the Got2B powder works really well, but I had a problem distributing it evenly over my hair and felt like sometimes it gave me a white-ish “covered with flour" look.

Dry shampoo works so much better for me and gives my hair a really impressive boost in volume. :) I have this limited Marilyn Monroe edition, but I think there is no difference in the formula if you buy a regular volumizing dry shampoo by Sexy Hair. 

You can see in this photo that my hair had natural ombre highlights. It was beautiful, but I am still happy with my new look! Changes are always fun.

Last summer my hair was super long! 

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you want more product recommendations! I am happy to help and will always answer your requests and questions on our Facebook Page.

Week 16: I am BLONDE! 'Cupcake in the Forest' Look.

For those who follow me on social media (Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook), it is no surprise that I am nearly blonde now. I have been wanting to change my hair colour for almost a year, but I never had the courage to do it. Luckily, I found the Instagram account of a NYC based Turkish hairstylist Asil, who regularly posts before and after shots of his work, and I knew I had to get an appointment with him.

In the next post I will write more about my FIRST ever hair dyeing experience and share my favourite haircare products, but for now I want to show you my pink look that my husband urged me to call a "Forest Cupcake.” He took the photographs, so I had to agree. :)

To be honest, I really wanted to dedicate this week to Barbie and pastiche her cute pink outfits which would go perfectly with my new blonde locks. But I am currently in Winter Park, Colorado and its beautiful forests and mountains do not go well with a Barbie theme. So I had to tone down my love for the famous doll, and limit myself to just one pink piece in my entire outfit - an absolutely beautiful peplum top from SHEIN. It is on insane SALE right now (it was $66 and now it's only $13). I have linked outfit details and similar items at the end of the post.

Shop my outfit:

Top - Shein, Sunglasses - Dior, Platinum Ring - David Yurman, Jeans - Topshop, Heels - Christian Louboutin

Week 9: Floral. Blue Floral Dress

This blue floral dress by Walter Baker is a perfect example of a floral print that is "girly and pretty," but also bold, sexy and surprisingly daring. The print is very bright and eye-catching, but what I love the most about this dress is the high slits and lace-up front (no bra days!).

I kept the styling subdued with minimal makeup and a simple hairstyle with two tiny braids in the back.The look was not too overwhelming, and it was rather comfortable for a long walk in NYC with friends.

Dress - Walter Baker Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell

Week 7: Breakfast at Tiffany's. Audrey Hepburn's Pink Look

Today I am sharing another pastiche of Audrey Hepburn's look in Breakfast at Tiffany's. You can see my first look inspired by the film here.

What do you think about this all-pink look? What other film inspired outfits would you like to see?

Photography: Lisa Pillmore

SHOP MY LOOK: