This is how we do the Polar Vortex

When the ladies of Lauren Ashley studios and Millennium Moments Studio asked us if we were interested in participating in a boudoir shoot in January, of course my answer was YES!! Coincidentally, this turned out to be the Monday morning right after a weekend long snow storm and newly frigid temperatures, but you wouldn't know it by looking at these HOT photos!

Seeing how amazing and beautiful these turned out, has me considering a shoot like this for myself- just because.

Scroll on to see just a handful of our favorites!

Check out the rest of the talented crew responsible for bringing this project together;

Models (in order of appearance):

Viviana V

Anna Victoria

Chloe Capture

Photography: Lauren Ashley Studios

Photography; Millennium Moments Studio

Hotel: Viceroy Chicago

Stationery: Stationery for Lovers

Lingerie: Shop Alexandra Jo

Lingerie: Adore me

Robes: Flutter dress

Footwear: House of Elliot Boudoir

Keratin Q and A

Keratin treatments are one of my favorite services to provide in salon (seeing and feeling the results is quite gratifying) and they also happen to be surrounded with a lot of misconceptions! My goal here is to answer some of the common questions and leave you feeling informed- and with a better idea if a Keratin treatment may be right for you!

Q. Do I need a keratin treatment/would I like one?

A. If you have naturally wavy to curly hair and would like your hair to be less frizzy and faster to style with better styling results, you will probably love a Keratin treatment! The lovely lady pictured here would be a great candidate for a keratin treatment.

Q. Does a Keratin treatment make my hair straight?

A. No, a Keratin treatment will loosen your curl/wave pattern a bit. Where you will notice the big difference is in reduction of frizz (whether worn natural or blown out), and also drastically reduced styling time. For example, I know someone with thick hair that takes an hour and 10 minutes to blow dry and smooth with a flat iron. With a keratin treatment, we can blowout her hair in 45minutes and there's no need for a flat iron. That's a difference of 25 minutes each time.

Q. How do Keratin treatments work?

A. Simply put, Keratin protein is deposited into the hair shaft and sealed in with heat. Compared to a relaxer which breaks down the structure of the hair to change the curl pattern, the Keratin treatment works more like a super deep conditioning treatment.

Q. How long does the treatment last?

A. Unlike a relaxer, Keratin treatments gradually fade away over time. 3-5 months for the full Natural Keratin Smoothing Treatment, and 6-8 weeks for the Keratin Express Blowout. This means that you don't have to deal with a harsh grow-out line. Also, if you choose to not continue treatments, you will not be doomed to an awkward phase.

I am always happy to answer your specific questions regarding Keratin treatments! Feel free to message me directly if you think of something I haven't covered here.

Ann

Ann's Top Wedding Planning Tips

As I am writing this, we have just completed the 2020 season when most weddings were pushed back a year, and we are now in the busy wedding planning season of early '21. This advice is based upon our current strange times and my best predictions for the coming year.

1. Choose your date thoughtfully. You may think this goes without saying, what I am talking about of is choosing when you want to get married based upon your priorities. If your main concern is simply making it official, and you're rather flexible in your plans (or even open to an elopement), you might be comfortable setting a date in the near future. If you have your heart set on your 200 person guest list at a specific indoor venue and no plans of compromising, I'd recommend looking much further into the future (like 2022) to avoid the possibility of having to reschedule.

2. Once you're committed to your date, commit to all of your vendors. This year is still weird, ladies! In the past, it would be normal to book a lot of your smaller vendors in the final 6 months before the wedding. Today, with so many postponements, a lot of in demand vendors already have much of 2021 booked up due to postponements. You don't want to miss out!

3. Know your vendors' covid/rescheduling policies. While postponing (especially multiple times) is likely to come with some added fees, it's important to know that your vendors are offering you some flexibility and that you have in writing exactly what this will look like.

4. Don't let face masks be an after thought! We've been wearing them for almost a year now, so it's safe to say that it's no longer realistic to think that they are just going to go away over night. I've seen a lot of beautiful bridal and bridal party masks often made from the same fabric as the wedding gown. Some alterations specialists are making them from the fabric that is left over when hems need to be shortened. You may even want to consider themed reusable masks for all of your guests. Also, I highly recommend (especially for bridal parties) to keep a handful of tissues in your clutch! We all know what a mess it can be when you put a face mask over your makeup, especially if you wear a bold lip color and need to remove and put your mask back on a handful of times. If you place a fresh tissue inside your mask each time you put it on, you can avoid leaving makeup in your mask and also getting lipstick on your face!

Happy Wedding Planning!