I’m the kind of woman that schedules a (long overdue) hair appointment on the one day of the week with no other appointments, and yet still does her makeup the morning of that appointment. I have no where else to be today until that 4pm appointment. Today’s schedule includes online trainings, article writing, and icing my hand (which I’ve either sprained or maybe fractured – not to worry, I can hold a camera!).

Why? Why invest the time in makeup when no one will see me but my hairstylist? It’s all about self-care. Maybe a little about self-esteem, too.

You see, I’ve not once gone to a hair salon that knows how to properly light their mirrors. In fact, most of them have downright ugly lighting that sallows my skin, upgrades my under-eye circles to deep bags, and somehow at the same time volumizes not my hair but any skin imperfection. So I sit in that chair for two hours, facing a mirror that only shows the haggard version of me.

[columnize]

Despite my pretty decent level of confidence on how I look on a regular basis, I often leave a hair salon feeling down about myself. I should be rocking a fresh new color and cut when instead, I’m obsession about Mount Vesuvius erupting on my chin. Instead of that sparkle in the eye I always see in clients as they leave my studio with hair and makeup boosting their confidence, I feel like shielding my face from passersby. That’s just wrong. Spending time getting your hair done, your nails, whatever – that’s a part of self care and should leave one feeling buoyant!

So I do my makeup. I make sure to look at myself in MY mirror before I leave the house so I know what I really look like. And when I look in the salon mirror, I spend the time looking at my perfect eyebrows. Since I put on a hint of blush, my skin doesn’t look so sallow.[/columnize]

There’s a reason I include hair and makeup in all of my services. And that reason should be abundantly obvious by this article: I want you to feel like the best version of YOU! And I like to pamper my clients a bit. I like you feeling like a celebrity for the day. I don’t want you to feel rushed to go from the makeup artist to the studio and onward. You’re taking the time to invest in yourself with a quality personal branding photoshoot – I’m upping the ante and making sure your investment is also self-care time for you.

You can see my own photos all over this site. And you can see the today-version of me (do me a solid and don’t look at my roots, mmmkay?) I like how I look in both. I’m also trying really hard not to laugh in this photo because I feel like a cross between a girl power mockup and wonder woman with my wrist brace. But at least I know that today I tried. I put forth the effort in being the best version of me, even if makeup took me twice the time it normally would. It’s just another way to invest in myself.

On a side note, the guest bathroom in the studio has fabulous lighting. In fact, the first guest to test it out walked out declaring, “I love your bathroom lighting! It’s so flattering!”