Reno's Keeping America Beautiful!

Happy Fourth of July Week!! WTHeck happened to April, May and June? I'm i the only one in a time warp here?! So this is not only the most blistering, hot week of the year so far, but it is a happenin' week here in the Biggest Little City! So many beautiful things to do this week! Here is a list of my favorites.

1. I LOVE this first one... Scheels is offering a flag exchange from now till the 3th of July! Just to make sure that we are all flying beautiful new flags for the 4th the American Legion will be collecting tattered and torn flags (to be disposed of properly) and giving you a new one for only $10! Available to the first 100 customers! Check it out!
2. Artown is in full swing as of today! This is one of my favorite events of the year! We get to enjoy every venue imaginable almost every day of the month for this awesome event. As with most hairdressers, I would be little more than a starving artist if it wasn't for my current occupation. Here is a link on how to get the app! You will have every event at your fingertips on your phone everyday! Happy Artown hunting! haha
3. Hump day is about to become a little less lame. Reno's newest food truck event is sure to help your mid week blues be a little easier to bear. The event takes place at the McKinley Arts and Cultural Center, next to the beautiful Truckee River. Every Wed from 5-8. 
4. I am super excited about Genoa's Americana Celebration. This small town girl loves the nostalgic feel of that quaint small town and all the old fashion, family celebration that goes along with it. The event is sure to be a huge hit. Get there early for best parking.
5. And if you are having a stay close to home celebration here is a great place to start looking for some ideas that are fun and creative to get your celebration off on the right foot! You have plenty of time to get the supplies needed for the celebration of the year right here! 

Those are my top picks for how to keep it beautiful this week and weekend here in the Biggest Little City. There are so many others that I didn't mention you should drop by Visit Reno Tahoe dot com to see a complete list of all the fun things going on this week.  Please stay safe and make sure you have some representation of red white and blue on your nails, in your hair or on your eyelids! 

Happy American celebrations!

See you next week! 

Michon :)

Beautiful Bikini Bare!

Tis the season to bare more than you dare. Especially if you are not prepared in advance for that pool party or the last minute run up to Tahoe to get much needed lake time in! The season here is so pitifully short. Let's not waste time covering up or worrying about not being groomed properly for that itty bitty swim suit. Hair removal used to be a pretty basic order, but now days we have options. Lots of them.

• Shaving is always going to the be standby for most of us. It is easy and accesible at all times. The downside to shaving is razor bumps and ingrown hair that can be painful. Here are my favorite tips for getting the best results. 1- Exfoliate to get rid of dead skin and bacteria. 2- Use a new razor with a moisture strip on either side of it. 3- Shave in the direction of the growth. 4- Dab a little Neosporin to moisturize and protect. These tips should help to cut down razor rash.  
• Waxing is a great, although painful way to accomplish our goal. Waxing is done with use of a sticky or hard wax that is heated up and then applied to the skin and then strips of cloth are applied to the wax. the wax is then removed with quick motion in the direction of the growth of the hair. Downside of this procedure in my opinion is that you have to let the hair grow 1/8 to 1/4 long so that the wax has something to grip. 
• Sugaring is very much the same thing as waxing except that it works better for those of us with sensitive skin. The sugar is just barely warm which keeps the safety factor up since there is no chance of being burned by wax that is too hot. Clean up is easy in that it comes off with water. The procedure is considered less painful by many since the sugar doesn't stick to the skin the way wax does. 
• Depilatories are seen by many as a viable option but I have to disagree. Most creams have a very unpleasant aroma.  The chemicals that you are allowing to penetrate your body at a very sensitive area are concerning. The course hair down there is not easy to dissolve and some could remain leaving you with uneven results. And there is the chance that some of the chemical could migrate to an even more sensitive area and really send you howling. Enough said on this one! 
• Laser hair removal is the Mercedes Benz of  hair removal. It is pricey but it is also permanent. The laser works best on people with light skin and dark hair. But everyone should go for a free consultation at least and look into it. When you compare it to the price of waxing and pain of ingrown hairs it is at least worth looking into. Don't go cheap! Lasers can leave scars if not being preformed by a skilled technician. So my recommendation would be no Groupons! :)

This covers most of the hair removal techniques out there. If you are interested in eyebrows or facial hair removal all the above apply and there is one other option available to you. That is called threading. I do not do threading but it looks like a fascinating technique. I can't imagine how it could possibly be any less painful that waxing but it is fun to watch! 

Hope you are all enjoying your beach time! Live it up while you can! Only 22 weeks till Christmas! 

Haha, thought you would like that! ;)

See you next week. 

Michon :) 

Gardening Hands Helps

Tis the season to be gardening! The gardening season here in Reno is short, so I know you are all madly digging in right now! Digging in the dirt and keeping up with the weeding can be very hard on your hands. Dirt and mud are a vacuum for moisture, and the deadheading can leave your nails stained and nasty looking. However, I know that you die hard gardeners are not about to let those little inconveniences slow you down.  Here are a couple of tips to help keep your hands from telling the world what a Green Thumb you are.

1. Put a heavy moisturizer on under your gloves. Use one that is more of an ointment than just a hand lotion. Even petroleum jelly is better than nothing. My favorite moisturizer is the Mango Mend that I spoke about in this post. By providing your hands with this protective barrier, you will greatly decrease the drying effect that dirt will have on your skin and cuticles. 
2. Keep your tools with you. Use a little bucket like you would if you were going to the beach and fill it with the necessary tools to do the job. A small shovel, a pair of utility scissor and a pick or a screwdriver is usually enough to keep you from doing something that may end up with a broken nail. Your nails are especially fragile when they are already moist.
3. Be careful when digging. This goes along with number 2 but it bears repeating. Don't get tempted to just start digging away with your hands instead of using your handy little shovel. It only takes one puncture from running into something unexpectedly to end up with an infection that could take weeks to recover from. 
4. Paint your nails. This sounds ridiculous but if you think about it, a couple of extra layers of lacquer over your nails is going to strengthen them. Less chipping and splitting is always the better solution when you are talking about the health of your nail bed.  Go ahead, it is a good excuse to primp. 
5. I saved the best for last. I have found a miracle cure for dull, yellowing, dirty nails. It is called Bar Keepers Friend. It is a scouring scrub that is designed for cleaning your stainless steel but it also happens to be an amazing nail whitener! I use it at my manicure station at the salon to get my clients nails as white as possible! Simply make a paste and dig your nails into it and allow the paste to stay under your nail for at least 5 minutes. 

That is all I have for this week. Please leave me a comment if you have a trick that works for you while you are gardening to keep those hands in decent shape. I would love to hear them! 

Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

See you next week 

Michon :)