The Before Picture….The Photo No One Wants To Take!

posted by Megan Graham on 02/21/13

SInce announcing my tone up competition this week, I’ve noticed a trend….and I have to say I didn’t see it coming. Over and over I have had people write me, or approach me to tell me that they “really want to do the competition, but don’t want to show a before picture”. This has been an across the board, far reaching sentiment (and trust me, I understand!). I was hesitant to post before and afters of my glutes, there is just something that hold me back from wanting to share the old pictures. It got me thinking………if you don’t want to share a picture of how you look now, how are you feeling every single day going out in the world with a body that is clearly making you feel less than great? A picture is one thing, but walking around in a body that you don’t want to take a picture of is tough, trust me…..I have been there too. Before pictures are scary because they make us take a look at how we really look, and where we honestly are. Everyone needs leverage to reach their goals, and I think looking at a picture that clearly shows how you look, and what you need to work on is a good thing! It motivates you to take a look, and create change and action in your life to change the situation. Don’t be afraid to take a look, because you have to see the road in front of you before you can start the journey! It’s not just about looking good, it’s about being good!

You’re better off not washing your hair than cleansing with inferior products.

posted by Megan Graham on 08/27/12

 

 

You’re better off not washing your hair than cleansing with inferior products.  Sometimes in the salon when I talk about products, I get the sense that people think they aren’t as important as they truly are. are.  When I color someone’s hair,  taking the time to make sure it’s shiny, natural, and blended and my client tells me that they are using cut rate cleansers, it breaks my heart.  There is a big difference between products, and to me using the cheap stuff is the equivalent washing a shiny, new ferrari with comet. It’s not the right product for the job and it can actually do harm.   The right products protect and preserve color, and prevent breakage.  The wrong products coat your hair, yet simultaneously dry it out, and fade color.  My two favorite product lines , and yes, we sell them , are Minardi Luxury Color Care and Kerastase.   Minardi products take  parched, dried out and fragile hair and infuse incredible softness and lustre by using only top quality ingredients that mimic the lipids naturally present in hair.  Instead of simply coating, they nourish and heal.   Healthy hair equals a gorgeous color result.

 

P.S. You don’t have to throw away your old shampoo, you can use it to clean your makeup brushes.

How to have the most flawless face possible. Makeup 101.

posted by Megan Graham on 08/20/12

Recently, I sat down with Alisha Michelle of Twisted Elegance  salon, for a makeup lesson. Some of the best things that I took away from that day are:

1. Good lighting is a must, if you do your makeup without the right kind of light, there is no way that you will have a flawless application. I prefer to use natural light when possible.

2. Prep your skin by taking care of it every day. I’ve started using a skin care line called Environ and it saves me time during my makeup application, because my skin already looks better without makeup.

3. Alisha stressed the importance of wearing an SPF every day, especially when using a product like Environ which exposes fresher, and more delicate layers of skin. At night, you may want to drop the SPF to avoid looking ghoulish if a photo is taken of you using a flash.

4. After applying foundation, softly buff it out with a fresh brush to avoid any spots of heavy foundation buildup. This gves you the look of airbrushed makeup and perfect skin.

5. Use a high quality concealer. I like the Cle de Peau Beaute concealer or (available at Neiman’s). It has a rich, creamy texture which lasts all day and can easily be blended. Alisha suggested concealing in a slightly brighter tone to add some lift and brightness under the eyes.

6. Use an eye primer like Stay don’t Stray. It instantly evens out the color of your eyelid, and allow your makeup to stay put from morning till night.

7. When choosing colors Alisha stayed with natural, blended choices. Browns and neutrals for the shadows, peachy coral for blush, and a soft coral for lipstick/gloss. The whole point is to enhance what you have….you want people to look at you, not your makeup. Too much can be heavy and distracting.

8. When applying mascara Alisha had me look down as I applied, to ensure that I would really get into the base of my lashes to make my lashes look at long as possible.

9. After finishing the makeup application, Alisha encouraged me to take a step back, to see if I looked balanced and even. Sometimes when you are leaning into the mirror it’s easy to lose perspective!

It’s not just about looking good, it’s about being good.

posted by Megan Graham on 07/29/12

One of the things that I hold close to my heart about growing up in New hampshire is that the people from my home town were kind. When a neighbor drives past me on the street as I walk my dog, they take the time to wave. Even though there wasn’t a great deal to do in my town, people still seemed to get together for barbecues, and sometimes an ice cream social at the town church. It was an old fashioned, sweet town. Nothing kills appreciating outer beauty for me faster than a person who is ugly and angry on the inside. Sometimes it’s hard in a fast paced city to take the time to smile, and be kind……but being good on the inside, is a sure fire way to be more beautiful on the outside. You really can’t be one without the other.

Everything you need to know about hair extensions

posted by Megan Graham on 03/25/12

How long will I have to wait for my hair extensions?

After your extension consultation, a deposit will be taken, and the Hairdreams strands will be ordered based on the length and thickness of your current style, and the length and thickness of your desired style. We can order and receive the hair within one to two days.

How Do Hairdreams attach??

Hairdreams hair arrives in tiny clusters of very shiny, healthy hair, with a micro polymer bonding at the top of the cluster of hair. To apply the extensions the bonding is warmed, which makes it very soft, and at this point it is pressed around your own natural hair close to the root. The entire process is very gentle, and can be used to achieve more volume, more length, or both.

How Long will it take to apply my hair extensions?

The extensions will take between thirty minutes, to two hours to apply. A volumizing treatment may take only 45 minutes, while a full head of extensions for length could take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. The average extension takes me less than an hour.

How Much Do Hair Dreams Extensions Cost?

I can’t give an answer without first seeing your ideal hairstyle, and your current hair, but a volumizing treatment starts at approximately five hundred dollars and a lengthening extension would be in the starting range of twelve hundred dollars.

Do Hair Extensions Look Natural? Are They Visible?

Hairdreams Hair Extensions look so natural that people who don’t know that you are wearing them will not be aware that they are not your own hair. The Hairdreams strands will be matched perfectly to your own hair’s thickness and color. The consultation is the perfect time to determine if your ideal look can be achieved with hair extensions. In order for lengthening extensions to look natural for instance, your own hair must be a certain length. In most cases more than one color will be used to create a natural, dimensional look.

Will I be able to feel the Hair Dreams extensions?

The bondings are so small, and are pressed flat, so when you are wearing them, you will barely be able to tell that they are in your hair.

How will my extensions be removed? Will it damage my own hair?

We use the Hairdreams Removal Solution to take out your extensions. The solution is sprayed directly onto your extension bonding which softens it, and allows it to slide out with ease. The solution is very gentle and will in no way damage your own hair.

How Long can I wear my Extensions before I have to remove them?

The length of time that you can wear your extensions is based on the way that you care for the extensions, as well as how quickly your own natural hair grows. Most people are able to wear their extensions for approximately 4 to 6 months.

Are my Hair Extensions going to be hard to take care of?

You need to take care of your Hairdreams Hair as anyone should take care of their own long hair. Gentle brushing and detangling, and the use of good quality hair products is essential if you want your extensions to look beautiful and healthy. Sleeping with your hair in a loose braid will protect your hair from tangling and matting.

Will I be able to style and color my hair as usual?

You will be able to style your hair as usual using a blow dryer, curling iron, or flat iron. That said, I would try to minimize use of a flat iron to once per week extensions or no extensions….they really tend to take a toll on the hair. Having extensions doesn’t mean that you can’t change your hair, but all services including cutting and coloring should be performed by the salon that applied your extensions because special care must be taken to preserve the integrity of the bonds.

Will my natural hair be damaged by the extensions?

Hair Dreams Extensions are so gentle and feather light that there will be no damage to your own natural hair. The bonds are so tiny that they will not pull, or stress your own hair as some extensions do. Regular visits to the stylist who applied your extensions for a tidy up cut will ensure that your extensions do not become matted. During this visit the stylist will trim the tiny hairs that are in between your extension bonds, and are actually your own hair which is unable to shed as it is trapped within an extension bond.

How to care for hair extensions

posted by Megan Graham on 03/15/12

Whenever people talk to me about hair extensions they always look at me with a slightly concerned expression and say: ” are they a lot of work to take care of?”. I personally don’t think that they take much work, but here is what I recommend to anyone who wears hair extensions:

1. Use the right brush, a special extension brush makes a huge difference, it glides over the extension bonds with ease instead of snagging them, and potentially pulling them out.

2. Keep conditioner, and any products meant to make your hair sleek and shiny off of the bonds. This is a good idea whether you have extension binds or not. If you have extensions, it encourages them to slide out, and if you don’t, your hair could look greasy and weighed down. Yuck.

3. Sleep with your hair in a loose braid or ponytail. This will help to keep it from matting, and also will avoid putting too much pressure on the delicate bonds while tossing and turning.

4. Condition your extensions well. They need an extra infusion of moisture as they aren’t actually growing.

Extensions don’t require much extra care, but you do want to be gentle with them, just as you should be with your own natural hair. A little care goes a long way.

Red carpet beauty

posted by Megan Graham on 02/15/12

It’s award season ladies, and fashion/ beauty tips are all the buzz. We figured we should get in on all the talk and shed our own light on to some of the looks we are loving­­­ at the moment and why we think they work.
Before we all start admiring these fabulous looks, it’s evident that not everyone can have a team of professionals glamming us up on the regular, and for those of us who don’t have a red carpet event coming up this weekend, we think it’s just as important that all of us give ourselves the time that we deserve, and make ourselves ‘red carpet’ ready for our own lives. After all, we all play the lead role in our own destiny.
Take a gander at the following celebrities that we think have it figured out, and how we think we can help you apply these glamified get-ups to your everyday lives.

Sofia Vergara in Marchesa & Thale Blanc at the 2012 SAG Awards. Why this works? Well, why doesn’t it? She is always one celeb we can count on to show up-dress up- and blow us away, time after time. Now like we mentioned, not all of us can throw on a Marchesa and head out the door, but break this down, and what you DO have, is a very attainable, very achievable look. Dressing for your figure is key- and everyone can learn a lot from Sofia in this area, as she never, ever wears something that doesn’t show off her Va-Va-Voom shape. We all can work what we have and own it! Don’t be afraid to wear a bright bold color the next time you’re getting dolled up. Whether it appears in a blousy chiffon top, or a great pair of jeggings, rocking a beautiful jewel tone will set you apart in any atmosphere. Also, take note of the hair and the make-up. It doesn’t get simpler. A soft up-do, allows for other assets to shine, while accentuating bone structure. This look screams, “Siren” and we love her for that!
Emma Stone in Alexander McQueen at the 2012 SAG Awards. Now this is one young lady, we all should be keeping an eye on. Not one to shy away from bold looks, she was spot on in choosing this demure yet whimsical dress, showing us yet again, that black doesn’t always have to be boring. We are totally in love with how she is embracing her porcelain skin. We can all adapt this into our lives by making our skin, be our best feature. Wash, exfoliate, moisturize and protect against the sun. Keep up this regiment and let your natural self shine through.

Reese Witherspoon in Zac Posen at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards. Does it get more “Hollywood” then this quintessential “Girl Next Door?” We think not. Everything about this look is working. The Legally Blonde starlet lets her locks flow, with an effortlessly sexy tousled look. A mix between beach hair and bed head and we are absolutely loving it. Everyone with the right length hair can take this look from the office to after work cocktails with a little help from a large barrel curling iron. And can we please talk about the dress? This year, fitted, flattering and simple seems to be the “it” trend and we couldn’t be happier. Pair your best dress with a pop a color, let your hair down, and make this look your own. Remember, great hair is the best accessory to any ensemble.
Tune into the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2012 for more glamorous looks, and check back for our recap of what we loved, laughed at, and what we could have done without. Till then…..

Golden Globe trends 2012

posted by Megan Graham on 01/08/12

I think I get more excited to see how the celebrities will look, what they’ll be wearing….than who will win what. Here are some of the looks you’ll see for the Golden Globes

Full, glamorous blowouts with a bit of a boho wave. Glamourous, and natural at the same time.

Gorgeous embellishments through the use of delicate accessories to finish off a romantic updo. Chanel used beautiful pearl accented hairpins to anchor their looks.

Braids and twist that look ever so slightly undone, as if a woman pinned up her own hair. Not as polished and perfect as you might expect, more of an easy, confident sexy look.

3 Secrets to growing out your hair faster and healthier

posted by Megan Graham on 12/26/11

1.) The wrong hair color products can cause even people whose hair “grows fast” to wonder why that hair just doesn’t get past their shoulders anymore. Bad hair color causes hair to look thinner, be frizzy and worst of all causes the damage that leads to hair breaking off. Lots of people think all that hair on the hairbrush and in the shower drain is just normal hair falling out… and only when they start to realize their head of hair appears thinner do they begin to notice a lot more baby hairs than normal. Breakage + normal hair loss and regrowth = hair disaster.
Megan Graham has been relentlessly studying and documenting the effects of hair color on all different types of hair for over 10 years and has selected only the best products that not only cause less damage than the colors that many other salons use, but hair appears thicker, shinier and fresher while hair is growing out.

Book an appointment with Megan Graham today for the best hair color there is applied with an artistic eye to beautify the growing out process!

2.) You’ve probably heard from many stylists that getting your hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks makes your hair grow faster. That’s not actually true. Think about it, why would cutting the ends of hair affect the rate the hair is developing from the root? The reality is that individual hairs fall out each day and in fact, each new hair can not only start growing at different times but each individual hair can grow at different rates and even sections of hair can grow differently. The reason you DO need to get that hair trimmed while trying to grow it out is to avoid the scraggly look of uneven individual hairs. In fact the “awkward” phases of growing your hair out are caused by either a base haircut that isn’t layered correctly, or the avoidance of trims. This holds true for baby fine, thin hair all the way to extra thick, coarse hair.

Book an appointment with Jana Rago today to give you a style that will grow out flawlessly and avoid the awkward stages with proper trims

3.) Unfortunately with age, hair does tend to grow less quickly than before and sometimes women don’t want to wait 3-5 years (!) to grow out their hair. The Megan Graham beauty salon can apply hair extensions with minimal damage to one’s own hair. Like magic, the growing out process is eliminated and your hair will look natural, full, shiny and gorgeous after just one visit.

Just like hair color, there are different types of hair extensions! Beware the main vendor out there that most salons use and charge a fortune for because while they say that the bonds cause no damage, the bonds are very large and then incoming hair growth will tangle around those bonds. You’ll hear snapping of hair when the bonds are removed. Megan Graham Beauty offers only the very best hair extensions and you can easily request a few to thicken your hair or put on a fabulous long and lustrous mane and enjoy a different look immediately.

Book an appointment at Megan Graham Beauty today to see the difference that high quality hair extensions can make!

Tonight at INTERMIX

posted by Megan Graham on 12/08/11

 

Join us this evening for a night of style, fashion and beauty at one of Boston’s hottest boutiques!