Fresh Blowout for Fall

Guys, I love summer so so much, but I'll admit, the sun has done a NUMBER on my hair this year. When we went camping, I was in the sun ALL day, so when we got back, I was anxious to do some major hair repair.

Soon after we returned, I visited the Hair Cuttery in Mosaic and had my best experience there yet. Upon seeing my locks, my hairstylist recommended the Cibu Shine Blowout, which includes a shampoo, Redken Chemistry Treatment and blowdry.

Hands down - the best $28 I've ever spent. My hair felt SO soft and refreshed. I loved the Cibu Shine Oil that Hair Cuttery sent over for me prior to the appointment, so I brought it with me to my appointment. My hair is usually full of dry shampoo, so it was extremely nice for a change to have silky smooth locks.

Not to play favorites, but this has been my favorite service that Hair Cuttery offers. It's so important that we condition our hair often, especially once the temps cool down. Because, friends, that's when the frizzes start. 

After my blowout, I was feeling QUITE good, so I popped into a few of my favorite Mosaic shops to do a little #NYFW damage. I picked up this gorgeous lace cardigan from Take 5 Boutique, which it absolutely perfect for layering when it's still warm outside. 

I'd love to hear all about how you keep your hair healthy once the seasons change. Have you tried any of the new Cibu products yet? If so, which ones are your favorite? Share with me!

And don't forget - Mosaic Fashion Week starts today! Hope to see you there!

Wearing Lucky Brand jeans, Velvet by Graham and Spencer top from Refine Boutique, Take 5 Boutique cardigan, FOSSIL Q WANDER TOUCHSCREEN LIGHT BROWN LEATHER SMARTWATCH c/o, Cuero + Mor handbag, Urban Outfitters belt and sunglasses.

This post was done in partnership with Hair Cuttery, but all opinions are my own. Find the one nearest you here and be sure to share your Hair Cuttery style on social media using #MyHCLook!

Romantic Summer Hairstyle for Short Hair

With warmer temps comes the desire for all things new - new makeup, new clothing, and new hairstyles! While some people go for a drastic change in summer, I have found my hair happy place (thanks, Nadine!) and have shifted my focus to finding out new ways to style it!

But sometimes, I get into a hairstyle rut. So whenever this happens, I find myself popping into Hair Cuttery to have them play with my shorter locks. 

This time, I brought this gorgeous hair chain (yes, it’s a thing and no, I didn’t realize it until recently!) from Headbands of Hope. I talked a little about them in this post, and I love that they have both a beautiful mission and beautiful products. I topped off my look with this intricate, beaded necklace made my Conflicted Pixie, an adorable online boutique that’s local to DC! 

While this piece can be dressed up for a date night, wedding or other special occasion, I styled it with a simple maxi dress I bought from GAP last year. And remember how we talked about fashion math? Because my dress is more on the casual end, I had Hair Cuttery do a more romantic, half-up ‘do this time. To be honest, when I went in, I had no idea how I wanted them to style my hair. All I said was, “I want it to be romantic (per usual), and to use this hair accessory.” Then I let them do their magic.

I’m in love with how it turned out! For my next day at work, all I did was let out the bobby pins, throw on a little dry shampoo and ran my fingers through it. I love getting the most out of a blowout.

If you’re in need of some new hairstyle inspiration, be sure to check out the #MyCHLook feed on social media or visit the Hair Cuttery blog! When I want to try a new blowout style, I always look there first! Then when you visit, be sure to tag your pics with #MyHCLook too and you’ll be featured in their blog gallery! 

Be sure to check out my Before and After pics below. ALL THE ANGLES. ;)

Not sure where your nearest Hair Cuttery is located? No worries - they’ve made it easy here. Be sure to keep up with them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest for more hair inspiration.

On Julien: GAP dress (old), Conflicted Pixie necklace (on sale!) c/o, Headbands of Hope hair chain c/o, James Hock sandals (made in Greece!) c/o, Loeffler Randall clutch, LIPP lipstick in "Cause"

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This post was done in partnership with Hair Cuttery. All opinions are my own.

About Hair Cuttery:  Hair Cuttery is the largest family owned and operated chain of hair salons in the country, with almost 900 (865 to be exact!) company-owned locations on the East Coast, and in New England and the Midwest. A full-service, value-priced salon, Hair Cuttery offers a full complement of cuts and styling, coloring, waxing and texturizing services with no appointment necessary, as well as a full line of professional hair care products. Hair Cuttery is a division of Ratner Companies, based in Vienna, VA.

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3 Easy Ways to Give Back this Spring

When the seasons change, I begin to reflect and plan for the months ahead - where will we travel? What items do I need to add into my closet? In what ways can I make a difference in the lives of others? Although this blog is primarily fashion-focused, I know that fashion only makes up a small part of our lives. There’s beauty, travel, food, relationships, family, giving back…and I want to bring you more aspects that make up our daily lives here on It’s Julien.

Let’s start with giving back. Often, we think of giving back as volunteering weeks building schools in a third-world country. Although this is certainly a worthy cause (and something I did when I was younger), giving back is much easier than we used to think. Here are a few easy ways to incorporate giving back into your routine:

Shop ethically
I’ve tried to be much more socially conscious when shopping this year - have you ever seen “The True Cost?” Eye opening, my friends. So when it comes to shopping, I place more importance on transparency more than ever. I love To The Market (see my post about them here!) because their site features survivor made goods that are not only helping women who’ve escaped a dangerous life, but the products are really beautiful. I also love the transparency and fair treatment of other companies like Everlane, Cuyana and VETTA (whom I invested in during their kickstarter campaign!)

Share-a-Haircut
Speaking of helping survivors, I’m so excited that Hair Cuttery is launching their spring Share-a-Haircut campaign! On May 2-3, for every haircut purchased, they donate a free haircut to a community member in need. This year at 900 salons across the country, they’re donating haircuts to victim’s of domestic violence through the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), a non-profit that serves to stand with victims of domestic abuse and their allies. Not only does this help those women, men and children get pampered, but it also allows them to save money on a service that’s not always affordable for them, aiding in their financial empowerment.

This is the 17th year Hair Cuttery is doing the program and have already given away over 1.34 MILLION haircut certificates to those in need. For their last campaign, they gave away 85,000 in February alone. So if you’re planning on getting a cut or trim at Hair Cuttery anytime soon, keep May 2 and 3 in mind! Find your nearest location here.

Do something special for someone
Giving back doesn’t have to mean formally volunteering X amount of hours to a certain organization - I like to think of it as making the world a better place, one step at a time. I love this idea because it allows us to think outside ourselves and place the focus on others (which in turn, makes us happier people!) A few ideas on how to do something nice for someone:

• Pay for someone’s meal in the drive through
• Pick up donuts for your coworkers one morning
• Offer to help an elderly person carry their groceries to their car
• Hold the elevator for someone (I’m all too quick to press the close button upon entering!)
• Compliment someone on their work (a blog post, a work assignment, a waitress serving you, your local barista)
• Drop off a snack for the homeless person you pass on your way to work

What other ways do you like to give back? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

This post was done in partnership with Hair Cuttery. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep It's Julien up and running! 

Romantic Night In

Hi guys - more Valentine’s day goodness here. This time, I’m taking you inside our home for another fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Yesterday, I shared a few fun ways to celebrate the day of L-O-V-E, so today’s post is sort of a prequel to dinner…what better way to end a day of love than with the food group that everyone loves - CHOCOLATE AND CHAMPAGNE! (If this is not a food group please don’t burst my bubble over here k thanks!) ;)

But Julien, a prequel to dinner? YES. I’ll use any reason or excuse I can to eat chocolate and drink champs, LET’S BE REAL. This could also totes be dessert, but I made a promise to myself when I was a kid…I decided that when I’m an adult, if I want to eat dessert before dinner, I totes can. Adulting can be hard and stressful, but it’s times like this that make it all worth it!

To set the mood before dinner, I picked up some fresh flowers, chocolate and champagne while I was out getting my hair done at Hair Cuttery. It’s so convenient that they’re literally a 4 minute drive from my house. I had very little time (as someone who typically waits until the last minute to do anything), so I popped in for a quick style (only $20!) When you're running a million miles an hour, it's always so nice to have someone else do your hair!

Next I changed into this darling dress from Just Female. I tried it on through Lyon + Post (my favorite way to shop) and paired it with a simple pair of Everlane loafers the hubby got me for Christmas. And per usual, couldn’t help but add a little Sophie Blake into the mix. ;)

So tell me! How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?!

Wearing Just Female dress, Everlane loafers, Sophie Blake earrings and bracelet.
Painting by Heather Kehney
This post was done in partnership with Hair Cuttery. Hair styled by Megan at Hair Cuttery in Purcellville.

Giving Back with Hair Cuttery

With this past month being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it really got me thinking about doing my part. Doing my part to give back, to help others out with the skills I have and to make giving back a priority.

When we were younger, it was easy. In college, they required that we volunteer 10 hours a week for a cause we believed in. I spent those hours washing dishes a local homeless shelter, mentoring a girl in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, walking dogs at the local animal shelter, helping with warm clothing drives in the winter, and going on a few mission trips (see examples of these in a few hilarious throwback photos I’ve included!) Giving back felt good.

This was during one of our trips to feed the homeless when I was in high school

A shot I took while we were on a mission trip in Fiji my Sophomore year

Mission Trip to the Bahamas

When we were in 8th grade, my friend and I planned a mission trip for our class to the Bahamas! I got braids because of course I did.

Another shot from our 8th grade mission trip from my old black and white film camera (remember when terry cloth jumpers were SO IN?!)

In Fiji playing "Awana Talkie Talkie" (a very duck-duck-goose game) during one of our breaks from building a church there

A cute bunch of kids we brought food for in Fiji

Now that it’s not in the required curriculum of life, I must say it’s a bit more difficult to give back. Luckily there are companies out there who are making it easier.

Hair Cuttery is gearing up for their Share-a-Haircut program next week. Since ’99, they’ve donated well over a million haircuts to those in need. On February 1 and 2, when you get a haircut, they donate one to a homeless person in our community through partnering with local shelters and community organizations! In the past, Hair Cuttery has supported lots of incredible causes like the American Cancer Society, Girls on the Run, The American Red Cross and The National Network to End Domestic Violence. With a focus on aiding the area’s homeless, this struck close to my heart.

You see, giving back to the homeless community has a special place in my heart. When I was younger, once a month our church would make bagged lunches and we’d deliver them to homeless in D.C. Doing this as a young person completely changed my perspective on others. Many of these people were veterans and people who'd lost their job in a rough economy. And especially in these colder months, life for them is no cake walk, friends. I want to do my part to make a difference and I love that Hair Cuttery does too. You can find out more about their Share-a-Haircut program here!

This post was done in partnership with Hair Cuttery. Find your nearest location here. All opinions expressed are my own.