If you’re in my age group and a female then there are high chances that you were into the Sweet Valley High books.  I just found out that Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body) is going to be making a Sweet Valley High movie! This is exciting news but also has potential of being a total fail. It’s tough trying to adapt something that played a major part in a teenage girl’s life. I started off with Sweet Valley Kids, moved onto Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High and even Sweet Valley University, so I basically grew up with them.

One of the best things from these books was the cover art, my all-time favourite is “All Night Long”, how amazing is that dude with his mustache? I’m pretty sure his name was Scott and he was a University bad boy that Jessica was pursuing until she ends up getting into trouble at a frat party, I think he tries to pressure her into sex and then there’s a fire. I can’t really remember. All I know is on the cover, Scott looks 40 and really creepy.

Then in the mid 90s, Sweet Valley High became a TV series. I own it on DVD. You know when something’s so bad that it’s awesome? That’s what this is. I can’t say the same thing about bad TV Series today, well…maybe Jersey Shore is an exception.

I’m curious as to who they will be casting for the different roles, if they will be known actors or unknown. Is it going to be in today’s decade, or will it be set in the 80s? (How awesome would that be?) I just hope it’s not a Gossip Girl style movie, please don’t disappoint me Diablo!!

Who else is excited for this?

Beautiful, thick, healthy, shiny hair is what all us girls strive to attain, but let’s face it, with all that colouring and damage that most of us do, it can almost seem like an impossible task. This is one area I try to pay special attention to, after trying multiple hair products out there, I’ve narrowed my list down to the following:

Redo Freshen-Up Mist For Hair & Skin by Jonathan
One of the best things you can do for your hair is wash it as infrequently as possible. I know that sounds gross but washing your hair everyday strips your head of its natural oils causing your hair to become dry & brittle. Every second day is ultimate (second-day hair always looks the best anyway) and if you can handle less, even better, that’s what those cute hats are for or in my books, this little gem of a product. If I’m in a hurry or running late without time to wash my hair this is life-saving. Made from cucumber & rose water it refreshes slightly dirty, oily hair and it neutralizes odors and leaves your hair smelling clean. It is a completely natural product and it also conditions and add shine. I just spray on my hair & blowdry.

Potion 9 Lite by Sebastien Professional (Lightweight, Wearable Treatment-Styler)
I believe everyone should use an after-conditioner, especially on colour treated hair. This not only conditions and nourishes hair it works as a styling aid too. It adds shine, volume and body. I spray it on immediately after towel-drying and hand tousle my hair while blowdrying or on some days I will air-dry and let the product enhance my natural waves.

Wave Creating Spray by Frederic Fekkai
I am a strong advocate of Frederic Fekkai products. They are simply amazing and he never ceases to let me down with every new product that I try. This is my ultimate staple. I sometimes carry this in my bag. Self-explanatory, it creates waves in your hair. You can spray it on damp or dry hair. I usually spray it on immediately after I am done drying my hair, and I will also spray it on during the day when my hair is feeling a little flat and dull. It adds texture, volume and magically adds waves. This product is so light and it smells absolutely wonderful.

Salon Color by Frederic Fekkai
I normally get my hair professionally coloured but sometimes money’s tight and I’ve got to slum it. I have dyed my hair outta the box a few times and noticed that my hair became a dry mess of a rat’s nest. I then swore that I’d never torture my poor hair like that again until I found out that Frederic Fekkai made at-home hair colour. I trust him and his products and after reading a whole bunch of raving reviews online I decided to try it. It’s not as simple as your squeeze bottle type of hair dye, this kit actually comes with a bowl & brush, it’s a little bit of a challenge, I eventually just ended up dumping a whole bunch on and massaging it in with my hands. The colour came out great, it’s been 2 weeks now and it has not faded at all and still feels wonderfully soft. If you’re a box-dye kinda girl, I suggest you give this product a try!

No 10 Universal Polishing Coat by Davines (Finishing Paste/Extra Firm Hold & High Shine)
A non-greasy paste that helps style and define your hair. It adds shine and is very lightweight and non-sticky unlike most pastes. I only use a very little of this, rub it between the palm of my hands and mainly use it to control my bangs, flyaways and ends of my hair.

Does it All by Bumble & Bumble (Hairspray)
Hairspray is hairspray? Wrong! It seems every other hairspray I’ve ever used is sticky and leaves your hair hard as a rock. Not this one! It’s light, it holds, it’s not sticky, it smells good, it adds and keeps the volume I want. It also responds to heat, so works especially well with blowdryers, straighteners and curling irons.

Brilliant Glossing Sheer Shine Mist by Frederic Fekkai
It’s a feather-light mist made from olive oil. This is the final step to my hair routine, I spritz it on around my crown for an incredible shine. Make sure you hold this at about 12″ away and spray to make sure it goes on evenly, then get amazed at how your hair sparkles. I’m not even kidding.

Wide Tooth Comb by Sephora
I suggest every girl own one of these. I use it in the shower right after applying conditioner to my hair to get rid of any knots or tangles. I also reuse it once I get out of the shower on my wet hair, doesn’t pull or rip hair out like a regular brush does.

Soy Milk Shampoo & Conditioner by Sexy Hair
I’ll admit I was apprehensive at first on buying this product just based on the brand name alone. Sexy hair, I don’t know, I just find it extremely cheesy and I picture Jessica Simpson or something. I decided to buy it anyway because it smelled soooo good and I’m pretty sure that is a major deciding factor when it comes to purchasing shampoos & conditioners. Anyway I was really surprised at how good these products were. Made from soy milk, it also contains avocado oil, vitamin B, jojoba oil, chamomile extract and wheat protein. It is extremely moisturizing and strengthens my hair. They even have a chocolate and pumpkin versions of these but this one is still my favourite.

Protein Rx Reparative Treatment Mask by Frederic Fekkai
It is very important to use a mask on your hair at least once a week especially if your hair is colour-treated. This mask is ideal for broken and brittle hair, it strengthens and prevents any future breakage. It leaves your hair stronger and more manageable. Use it instead of your usual conditioner and leave it on for approx 3min although the longer the better. I don’t know what I’d do without it!

Curl Conscious Creme by Bumble & Bumble
I’m not sure if BB still make this product, I have been trying to find it on their website and I no longer see it, or maybe they might have changed the packaging. I hope they still make it because I love it. I sometimes alternate between the Potion 9 Lite spray and this stuff. This creme is especially designed to enhances curls, well I don’t have natural curls but it puts them in there, or in my case waves. I work this creme into wet hair with my fingers from root to ends, twisting and twirling as I go along, and then blowdry my hair like usual.

As you can notice there’s a theme here, I like to wear my hair wavy and loose, I am not a big fan of stick straight hair. I love the natural and healthy look of hair that has a lot of volume and bounces when you move.

What kind of products do you use in your hair and are they working for you? If not, what do you wish you could achieve with your products?

This is something I worked on awhile ago for my Visual Communications class, here’s the process on how I came up with the final product.

Challenge: To capture the style and sound of the musical group and communicate it visually through the album cover.

Goal: First I observed their competition and took notes of their similarities. Then compared their differences and tried to communicate that visually to set them apart and make them really stand out. I focused on their lyrics and what they were trying to portray. I also used their fashion sense as an influence for my design. The ultimate goal was to create something that really stands out, something that was fresh, colourful and hip.

Moodboards: One of the most important parts in starting a project is setting the mood/tone. By selecting images, colours, prints, one should be able to understand the style you are going for. For this project I came up with 3 separate moodboards. For my final product I ended up using elements from the first two.

Concept Sketches: Quick sketches are the best way to come up with ideas and concepts. I ended up going with my 3rd concept.

Images/Design: With a clear vision in my mind I was then able to properly art direct the photography for the album.

Photos taken by Morgan Hirtle.

Final Product: And the final outcome!

Sorry for the lack of updates! It’s been a very hectic few weeks for me. Year end sales meetings at work, finals at school and we’re moving! I’m extremely excited to be moving, we’re moving into a bigger, brighter place and it’s only is a few blocks away from our current location which is good because I love our neighbourhood.   I can’t wait to decorate and hit up the antique stores & thrift stores.  It’ll be the first time that we can actually have a dining table in our kitchen and there are a few other things on my list that I know I’ll be wanting/needing but here are some images that are heavily inspiring me for my new home:

All images courtesy of Design*Sponge

I don’t know if I’ll be able to paint the walls in my new place but I’m feeling a lot of eggshell blues, oranges & reds as accents. I love prints and textiles to liven up a room. Once I start decorating my place, expect lots of pictures!

What does your house look like or what do you wish it looked like?