Hey guys! Ashley here and we are going to jump right into the thing everyone is talking about this time of the year...resolution! I know, I know can I be anymore cliche? Probably! One of my resolutions is for the salon and is to start posting blogs once a week. Now that is wayyyy to much to ask of my lovely mother of 4, not sure how she ever even has time to use the ladies room, let-a-lone write a blog each week Anna!! She will be guest starring when she comes up for hair, I mean air! We will also be having a few other new bloggers helping out. So until then I will be doing my best to get you informative, entertaining content that I hope you will enjoy. Please feel free to comment if there is a specific topic you would like to hear about! We love hearing from you and enjoy the participation. Until next week beauties, head north
Ashley

This Is What’s Nup! - (In honor of Ashley)

Hello! This blog did not make the September first deadline – many apologies my beauties! Ashley and I have been burning the candle at both ends through the end of August here - I don’t even think we have had a five word conversation! I got back from vacation (and honestly needed a vacation from that!), nose - dived into the school year plus working; all the while Ashley is busy running a business And buying a house…And getting married…this Saturday! No Big Deal, right?!? I’m so glad she is taking some time off and honored that she has entrusted me to hold down the fabulous fort that is True North (-: Even though I have not known Ashley that long she is a truly phenomenal stylist, business woman and person! She is exactly the type of woman that I described in my first blog (so go back and read that if you haven’t already!) Ashley gave me a great opportunity to work with her but not only that, she let me start this blog and is someone that believes in me, believes in supporting women and that only equals her success. In turn, I love that her business is thriving and the people of Grand Rapids have welcomed her with open arms! I am rooting for her both personally and professionally, so this one is for you Ms. Promersberger (and that’s probably the last time I’ll be able to use your last name – ha!) We just did our first wedding party at True North last Saturday, it was an awesome day filled with great hair styles (toot, toot, tooting our horn), laughs and excitement, and mimosas (-; – the perfect warm up to Ashley’s big day! My product picks for any wedding/formal day are: Aveda’s Volumizing Tonic – it is a Great setting spray before the curling iron, smells like white grapes and will make your curls last all day. The Control Force hair spray sets your updo/style all day from saying ‘I do’ to doing the funky chicken on the dance floor! The Brilliant Spray-On Shine adds a little sparkle and shine to your magical day when every piece is shellacked and pinned – this is the icing! And if I could pick one make - up product it would have to be Aveda’s Lip Shine in golden prism; after you put on your favorite shade of lipstick use this over it. Your lips will look like something out of a fairy tale and re-re-ready for your groom to kiss his bride (-: Have a Marvelous Day Ashley this September 6th!! I’ll be thinking about you, and I wish you and Ryan All the love & happiness in the world – CHEERS!!!  Everyone else: Stay Beautiful! (-: OX

 

~ Vacation: All I Ever Wanted... ~ Hi Beautiful (:

We have had a BUSY last two weeks at True North! From Tall Timber Days to tourists passing through and sadly with summer winding down, the appointments for school and the impending fall season have kept us on our toes! That is why I am So ready for a little R&R that starts early tomorrow morning - I'm loading up the kids and the kitchen sink to head up to Marcell, MN on Gorgeous Turtle Lake! I'm excited to spend some much needed time with my husband and our four babes; and to, hopefully, get a little Sun + vitamin D!! I've been missing out with working this summer :/ Oh, and I plan on Eating really good food too - livin' life on the edge for a week, Woo-hooo!!! As for beauty, especially when you are out in the sun, you really should protect your hair with a sunscreen or leave in conditioner a la Aveda's Hair Veil - it will protect your hair from getting scorched, the salt or minerals in the water, chlorine (if you'll be in a pool) and your color!! During the day and (this should be a no brainer): sun screen of at least spf 30 with broad spectrum and a Hat!! Nothing makes you age faster than the sun and with the rise of skin cancer you seriously need to protect yourself (even in MN!!) Other essentials to bring along, especially if you're going all out rustic with no running water (and for that I applaud you but don't want to be you): dry shampoo - (our faves are Redken and Tigi), I love plain old baby powder - you can use it as deodorant too (; . A tinted moisturizer, Aveda has the best one I have ever used that makes your skin movie star dewy looking with an spf of 15 - Love! Make up remover wipes (even if you don't wear makeup you can wash your face with these especially essential if you don't have running water :P), coconut oil because it is Super good for your skin and has a spf of 7! After you apply your 50+ sunscreen slather the oil on top, you could put some in your hair too for extra moisture and on your lips -( need to protect those too!!), lots of hair ties, which we have at True North called 'knotties' that do not leave an indentation in your style! After that the rest is up to you - bring a tooth brush (or don't), bring a hair brush (or don't), bring a razor or...scare people on the beach but who really cares?! It's your vacation!! When it's all over, put a really rich conditioner on your hair for at least 10 minutes - and wouldn't you know, Aveda has one too (; After Sun Hair Masque with morikue protein and coconut oil - it smells Amazing and makes your hair feel like it can go through anything even another MN winter (maybe)! This blog is a little short and sweet because I have to go get some groceries soon, clean my house, pack, and lose my mind in the process (; So even if you already went on your summer vacation or are staying right in GR - enjoy these last summer days and cherish the time with your loved ones because God gives us what we need not what we want sometimes - I always Wanted to live somewhere warm, somewhere exciting, somewhere else but ended up staying here and... it's perfect and what I ultimately Needed (:  

         Stay Beautiful! OX

  So...yeah, I'm just a little excited I get to merge my passion of writing and ALL things fashion into one with True North's new blog! Whoever is taking the time to read this; I would like to say WELCOME! And feel free to comment (but be nice as this is my very first go (-: And I want to thank Ashley for giving me this Amazing opportunity!! This blog is meant as a 'compass' to beauty since we are a salon, but also to lift up and support women, as well as our community! Hopefully this 'compass' will lead you to us @ True North (-; !! This is going to sound cliché but it is ringing true for me as I am entering into the valley of my thirties - Every woman wants to look and feel her best at any age, not only on the outside but on the inside as well and with that being said our body, our face, the way we function all starts within. I am a big believer in nourishing yourself first with the necessities: good wholesome food, sleep, exercise, fresh air, and water - pretty much the basis for every living thing! Think about it; if you don't have these, ‘you ain't gonna look too purdy’.  )-: This is my first and foremost beauty regimen! It can feel like a Major burden at times because well, let’s face it – life gets in the way and sometimes there are more important things to focus on! My burden of beauty is getting ready in the morning! I hate having to wash my face, then correct all the flaws I see with my concealer, then the powder, then the eyebrow pencil, mascara, etc. All the while Dora the Explorer plays in the background and my three year old gets into a lovely shade of fire engine red lipstick that is on everything except her lips!!! It’s enough to make me tear my hair out, yet I do it Every. Single. Day! There should be an easier way, right?? Well I haven’t found it yet but there are a couple things to make it easier, less monotonous and less of a Burden! Even if you have a ton of kids like me (-; or have a hectic work schedule or are just plain stressed - you do these four things first, all the other beauty advice is just added enhancements like jewelry - lol.  A little about me (and a little off the subject) I graduated from Aveda in 2000 valedictorian...that's not true but I did go there and finish (-; Loved it! On coming back to GR for the sweet summer, I met the man of my dreams! So blah, blah, blah - eleven years and four kids later + working at True North and now, writing a blog for you lovely people I definitely need reminders to take care of the beauty within! Like life kicking me in the butt every now and then especially when I refuse to slow down and take care of ME. Let me tell you, when I get sick the whole system shuts down :-( Women tend to do this to themselves (especially mothers – ‘Holla if you hear me, can I get a witness?!’ –  said my good friend Britney Spears, once  (-;) As women we have MANY, MANY jobs and whoever coined the phrase 'A woman's work is never done' was not a liar! We are the engine that drives everything - whether we like it or not sometimes. With that being said, as women it wouldn’t hurt to be kind also; especially to one another! I had a male instructor from school tell our mostly female class that women made up 90% of the beauty industry and men still made MORE money! His reason? Because we tear each other down and can’t be bothered to celebrate one another’s accomplishments! So the evidence shows that beauty comes from other women as well, we can accomplish a lot more united in support than alone and miserable! This flows into my second beauty regimen: Instead of comparing – compliment. Instead of gossiping – pray. Instead of criticizing – build up. Instead of a judging glance – smile. Here’s the thing: Someone is always going to be better in one area but you will excel in another physically and internally– so I say let’s be kind to each other!  I think that transcends through anything and doesn’t being nice to someone or doing something for another give you a feeling of beauty? As I close my first blog, take a half hour Today to sip on some water or calming tea Or nibble on a brownie with a layer of cookie dough because life’s too short and I digress…you will reap the benefits on the inside and (sooner rather than later) start seeing the results on the outside as well – that’s where true beauty lies…Within.

Until next time ~ Be kind (-; Stay well nourished. Stay hydrated. Stay rested. Stay fit…See Beautiful!

PS Tell me what your burden of beauty is??