Putting Myself Higher on the Self-Care Totem Pole

Since becoming a mom, the time for self-care has diminished quite a bit. I just simply don’t have the time like I did in high school and college to… maintain. As in, I used to shave my legs and wash AND curl my hair every. single. day. EVERY DAY! The thought of that now is insane. I’m lucky if I shave and do my hair once a week.

But when I DO get myself together, I feel so much better. And I somehow just get more done, too. It’s like I suddenly have the drive to accomplish. It’s an interesting thing, I tell ya!

I have been lucky enough to find a spot that allows me to get myself feeling good again without taking too much of the time I don’t have and today I want to share my secrets with you all who are local to the Spokane area!

Luxe. Salon and Spa is down the street from my house making it extremely easy to get to (and it’s an absolutely gorgeous salon! Go HERE to see what I am talking about), and because they offer just about everything one might want in terms of services in the beauty industry, they’ve really made it a one-stop-shop for those looking to save some time. Plus, my girl, Megan, can get me in and out of that chair in two hours, which with my long, thick hair was previously unheard of. And as a busy mom, I truly value this!

I was recently getting ready for a trip with my family to San Diego and felt like a little more beautifying on the front end would save me time and effort while on vacation. And, I had recently noticed on social media that the girls at Luxe had all taken a very cool hair coloring class specializing in a technique called “color melting,” which had me really excited to try out because the before-and-afters I saw were pretty dang amazing! And since the Luxe girls are always good about staying up-to-date on the latest trends and techniques, I was excited to see my own before and afters, too.

My before…

My hair was starting to turn brassy and just needed a good refresh.

A couple of hours in the chair getting the new treatment and….

After! Oh my goodness, I love it so much! Everything is just so much more even and blended. I prefer it when my highlights are very fine and there isn’t a definitive starting and stopping point, and this color melting technique achieves just that! 

And, as I have aged my hair has gotten darker at the root and since I love when my hair looks as naturally blonde as it can, I will most certainly be getting my hair done this way from now on. Color-melt technique for the WIN!

One of my best friends gets her lashes done regularly by one of the girls at Luxe, and while always intrigued, I had just never gone and done it myself. But, with our trip coming up I thought this to be the perfect time to try it out so that I didn’t have to worry about mascara while vacationing. So before heading to Luxe, I took a before…

Another before after just arriving…

And after! Mariah, my lash girl, did SUCH a good job and I couldn’t believe how quickly she did this! My lashes have never been this full and, well, perfect before and I have got to tell ya, it made me feel GOOD!

The whole process took about an hour and it ended up being so dang relaxing that I just about fell asleep on that table. I didn’t, though, because I ended up falling in love with Mariah and I am sure I talked her sweet ears off! You know when you just hit it off with someone and everything just works? Well, everything just worked. The lashes, the convo, the relaxing atmosphere, all of it.

Right after that we decided to do a quick brow tint, which comes with a little waxing beforehand to clean up any strays. The tint is applied and after about ten minutes, it’s done! And somehow it just makes me feel more put-together since I normally do nothing to my eyebrows whatsoever. And now, it looks like I do and I can go on back to my routine of doing nothing. Winning at life over here, guys!

And the very last thing I did in preparation for our trip to San Diego was to get a spray tan! I was a little weary about doing this initially because when I have gone to the spray tan machines in the past I have been left with orange ankles and hands, but at Luxe, someone personally sprays you with a clear mist that doesn’t leave you smelling weird and over time the color gradually appears. I was not expecting that at all! My favorite new friend, Mariah, was the one who sprayed me and it took less than ten minutes and I was done.

A little before of my pasty whites… brace yourselves…

Are your eyes okay? Were you blinded by the flash of white? 🙂

And after:

This was actually taken right after we got back from our trip as we didn’t have super warm weather while there, so I ended up in jeans for the majority of the time, but even after a week I still had a nice little glow without going under any weird lights or damaging my skin from the sun. And NO weird orange ankles!

So, with a little glow and a set of new lashes, I literally woke up and just WENT.

I cannot tell you how nice it was to wake up and only apply sunscreen and still look well put-together! This was a game-changer for me in how I now travel. I mean, every time! And the girls at Luxe were just so sweet and friendly while I was there that it felt like I was just spending time with my girlfriends.

Having everything available to me right there at Luxe made getting these special services so doable and something that has left me feeling really good. Those girls sure know what they are doing!

We are home now from our vacation and I am still rocking the lashes, brows, and a little bit of my tan and I just love being able to wake up and go! And I have got to say, I completely get it now, especially once summer hits. We recently got a hot tub and I can now go in it without the fear of mascara running down my face, and with pool days quickly approaching, I love the thought of lashes and a spray tan even more.

I tend to put myself last when it comes to self-care in my family, but when I feel good, I think I tend to be a better person all-around. I have realized that taking a little more time upfront to take care of myself saves me daily when I am deep in kid-stuff and that I should be okay with putting myself higher on self-care totem pole.

Check out Luxe. Salon and Spa’s website HERE for more info and to check out the many services offered, and go HERE and HERE to stay up-to-date on the latest info and to see their amazing before-and-afters!