Music Monday-90s & 00s Nostalgia Mix

August 10, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / 1 Comment

1) Nada Surf – “Blizzard of 77” Link

2) Silverchair – “Tomorrow” Link

3) Elliott Smith – “Miss Misery” Link

4) Nirvana – “Heart Shaped Box” Link

5) Veruca Salt – “Volcano Girls” Link

6) Sunny Day Real Estate – “In Circles” Link

7) Cursive – “Martyr” Link

8) Billy Bragg – “To Have and to Have Not” Link

9) Soul Coughing – “True Dreams of Witchita” Link

10) Beck – “The New Pollution” Link

11) Bloodhound Gang – “The Bad Touch” Link

12) Smashing Pumpkins – “Tonight, Tonight” Link

13) Beastie Boys – “Intergalactic” Link

14) Radiohead – “Idioteque” Link

15) Bjork – “Army of Me” Link

Street Style Saturday – Gothic Goddess

August 8, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

Boots: Caspian Lace-Up Boots from Urban Outfitters. $230

Ring: Black Talon Ring from Leviticus Jewelry

Dress: Wednesday Adams dress from Rebel Circus

Lip: NYX Matte Cream Lip in Copenhagen. $6

Foodie Friday – Orlando Food Trucks

August 7, 2015August 8, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

Tasty Tuesdays in Orlando’s Milk District was hot and muggy but the cold beers helped cool us down as we tried something from every truck! I was in heaven. They were crossing items off their menu as the night went on. I love the food truck culture and the blood, sweat and tears that goes into it. Please head to the Milk District on a Tuesday to support their food truck’s dreams.

Top 5 Tuesday – To Get Your Infant Swimming

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

Katie Girten is a Safe Start instructor at the YMCA. Here are her tips for why you should get your infant swimming now.

1. Drowning is silent. The movie scene of someone screaming and thrashing about is not a reality, silence is all that you get.

2. Florida loses more children between the ages of 0-14 to drowning than any other state.
This is because we are surrounded by water; rivers, lakes, pools, oceans.

3. Each year enough children to fill 3 or 4 preschool rooms drown & DO NOT live to see
their 5th birthday. Of all of these children 63% are of ages 4 years and UNDER.

4. A child will lose consciousness approximately 2 minutes after submersion.
IRREVERSIBLE brain damage occurs after 46 minutes.

5. The Safe Start program is available at local YMCA’s across Central Florida. Most
recently added to the Suntree and Cocoa areas. Safe Start teaches survival in swimwear and in street clothes because accidents can happen at any time. Safe Start IS the most comprehensive survival program in the country. Having financial issues? Scholarship is available. Our motto is “Not one more child drowns in Central Florida.” Don’t think for a second that this can’t apply to you!!! Need more convincing??? I will let my coworker Justina give you a few more reasons through the following link: Kids Water Safety with Justina

Safe Start with Katie Girten

Music Monday – The Cook Trio

August 3, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

The Cook Trio played a gypsy jazz style at Paddy Cassidy’s in Cocoa Beach on Saturday. I feel like I am in a prohibition style venue and should be sipping on an old fashioned when they play. They are incredibly talented and I love the little introductions before each song.

Hot Pink was at Dog and Bone British Pub in Cocoa, Florida on Saturday. Hot Pink played a lot of fun covers and put on a vibrant show. James, the vocals, almost makes me think he gets possessed by the musicians he covers. He really gets into it!

Street Style Saturday – Urban Queen

August 1, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

Jacket: Vegan Leather Jacket from Urban Outfitters for $109. Get your favorite locat tattoo Artist or buddy who can do street art to paint up your jacket with acrylic paint or fabric pens.

Lip: Unicorn Lipstick Series in blue over at Lime Crime is a fun urban pop of color. $18

Shoe: Pin Yin from Irregular Choice is $200 but a seriously fun and bold fashion statement. $200

Pants: Charlotte Russe has an assortment of bottoms from pencil skirts to skinny jeans. I love the skinny jeans with a bold heel and fun jacket. These pop and make me think urban and are a great price. I would pair it with a plain top.

Beautiful Thursday: What it REALLY takes to have Rainbow Colored Hair

July 30, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

A soft pale pink, minty green, fushia, slashes of turquoise, and now, a swirl of blue and violet…
Damage?
How can something so beautiful be so damaging?
In order for some of these colors to show up, particularily the cooler shades, your hair must be lightened to the palest blonde (or darn close to it!).
I have medium to dark brown hair that is very stubborn.
Needless to say, it takes a lot of time and money to get my hair to a pale blonde.
After my natural haircolor has been lifted, the fashion colors are applied.
This is a double process. In some circumstances, triple! That equates to a lot of time at the salon and quite a bit of money spent…in the hundreds.
After all that time and money spent to get your hair to that perfect shade you want to be sure you have a plan for your aftercare.

1) Washing your hair should be limited to twice a week and with cool water. The more you wash it, the quicker it will fade.
2) Invest in a quality color-safe sulfate free shampoo. This is not hype. A cheap shampoo is typically harsh and will take that costly color right out.
3) Conditioners and masks are a must! Underneath that rainbow is “bleach blonde” hair. It’s thirsty!

4) Fashion colors fade faster. Period. You will need to freshen up the colors monthly unless you enjoy the faded colors. Also, a root touch up will be needed if you did all over color.
5) be prepared to put an old towel or pillowcase on your pillow. It may get stained.

With all that being said, I will continue to experiment with vibrant colors and invest in A LOT of hair masks.

Wanderlust Wednesday – Chicago

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

Day 1: Up bright and early to head to the Orlando International Airport on about 2 hours of sleep. Being a raging insomniac and a morning person is no joke! Anyway, I do my usual headphones and sunglasses to portray the “I don’t feel like chatting” vibe. It is all I do all day, everyday. Traveling is so peaceful to me because of the music in my ears and speeding through the airport hallways blurs the rest of the world. Zoning out of the airplane window let’s my mind wander, like dancing in a large field with an endless horizon, whereas at home it feels more like a whirlwind of unorganized thoughts. I dream when I am up in the air and feel like a bird that was just released from it’s cage.
I fell in love with this cat sculpture at my layover in Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Day 2: Thank the gods for coffee and gatorade! I am at the Pivot Point outside of Chicago. We learned about everything from history and chemistry to culture and just learning about each other. Everything was very intimate as well as informative.

Mandatory dinner at Prairie Moon in Evanston, Illinois. My brain is very full! Goodnight!

We met the publisher of Modern Salon! So much amazing information to soak in!

Day 3:

So busy! Class is from 8:30am-6:00pm then mandatory karaoke at Trader Todd’s from 8:00pm-12am.

Day 4: Peter Coppola went to the Supreme Court in 1972 to fight for lifting the ban of men’s cuts in beauty salons. The next day, the term “unisex” was coined. What I love about this company is that we all come from different backgrounds and different cultures, ethnicities, genders, and we all have out own brand of crazy. The product line is not the reason we are here. It is genuine and unisex and simple. The products are amazing. They make our jobs in this industry more sufficient and effective.

The name, the brand, is a culture. We want to inspire the industry with simplicity, safety and versatility. We are all equals. We are here to galvanize the beauty industry with something real and to unite our industry with inspiration, education and support. Humility is the secret to success. Mastery takes a lifetime.

At the end of all of this, I found that I have found a family and others that I can relate to. It felt more like a spiritual journey for all of us. We all caught the feels. I cannot wait to see what happens next and where this journey will take me.

Music Monday – Chicago

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

I am in Chicago for a few days and stumbled across some music!

Jacuzzi Boys are not from Chicago but from Miami, Florida and recently moved to LA. I ran into them at the Wicker Park Fest in Chicago. Wicker Park is a neighborhood on the west side of Chicago. I went to see Blonde Redhead but ended up on the wrong side of the fest, sandwiched in and forced to enjoy Charles Bradley and the Extraordinaire’s instead, which was a blues funk baby of Otis Redding and James Brown. Super fun! He is Gainesville, Florida.

I wish I was not sandwiched in a sea of sweaty Chicago locals and could have gotten some good shots but I am also here for training and this was my only moment to sneak away! So enjoy these fine tunes and listen to something new!

Blonde Redhead
Jacuzzi Boys – Double Vision
Charles Bradley – Why Is It So Hard?

Street Style Saturday – The Devil Loves Details

July 25, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

Misti and I have a love for good personal style. Though each person is unique in their approach, you know you’re witnessing something special when you see it. The coordination of colors, the fit, the careful attention to details…it all equates to a person who knows who they are.

The shredded jeans and the cropped tank are on trend, yes, but the details are what makes it enviable. Layering on the long vest, cuffing the jeans and then adding some heart shaped glasses change the dynamics of the ensemble.
We decided to go to a popular and accessible website, Forever 21, to see if we can closely replicate the look for you.

The first look totaled at $72.70. Great mix and match pieces but together they are dynamic.

The Jeans:

Mid Rise- Destroyed Straight Leg Ankle Jeans $29.90

The Cropped Tank Top

Sweater Knit Cami $14.90

The Vest

Longline Pointelle Knit Vest $27.90

The graphic pattern on the second look had me completely fascinated. Her combination of the micro checkered crop top and striped pants has a classic but modern feel. I was totally disappointed that I couldn’t find the right patterns to match this look but we felt the shapes we’re pretty close and the light blue striped shirt added the patterned detail that made this look so fresh. For $45.70, not only do you get the top and the capris, but you get some great aviators….and who doesn’t like a good pair of aviators?