Studio RAW (Feat. outtakes from my next #OOTD, coming soon!)

December 08, 2015 by Bree Fesh in Beauty

If you are familiar with my blog or follow me on Instgram, you are aware my hair doesn't stay the same for very long and is hardly ever a natural color. This being said, I'm not going to lie, doing my hair myself was quite the task and very hard to maintain. That's why this past October (you know, when I decided to become a mermaid) I began letting my friend Chris, a stylist at Studio RAW, begin styling my hair. It is honestly the best decision I've ever made beauty wise, I mean how can you argue with theses results from my last appointment?!

However, enough about my fabulous dye job for now, and let's talk about how awesome the salon Studio RAW really is!

The Backstory

The owners of Studio RAW were originally Dan Burda, his partner Rohn Neugebaure and Dan's mum, Laraine. However, Dan's partner passed away two years ago and ever since it has just been Dan and his mum running the salon, since its grand reopening in 2013.

Though Studio RAW has been in business for 6 years, two of those years are as the revamped version of "Studio RAW 2.0" which is probably the one my Pittsburgh readers are familiar with today. The 2.0 version came about after a devastating fire that the company had back in 2012. To read more about it you can feel free to click here.

Studio RAW 2.0 is located in the same building that the original salon was, however it is much larger. When Dan and his mum Laraine remodeled they had bigger and better things in mind for their new salon. For instance originally their salon space was only 2,700 square feet, however since they now had the entire building to work with and had no other tenants, they expanded their salon to a luxurious 8,000 square foot one of a kind space. Honestly, I'm telling you, I've never seen anything like it! The other awesome thing about Studio RAW is not only do you get a kick-ass hair style out of the deal, but you also get complementary food (think finger foods and a peanut butter and jelly bar) as well as a well stocked, self serve bar, including spirits, wine, and beer!

Not to mention you can't help but love their sense of humor:

My Stylist

Lastly, of course I have to mention my friend and amazing stylist, Chris Angelo! Chris and I met back in 2012 when we were both in college, we had a digital printing class together and we were both high achieving, artistic, and each had a fascination with the darker things, such as making illustrations depicting the effects of abuse or mental disorders. Needless to say we hit it off right away after sharing a printer.

In 2013 Chris started working at Studio RAW as a front desk boy. Then in August of last year he began attending Empire Beauty School for hair styling. Naturally, of course he's moved into being a stylist at RAW. Chris comes by his talent naturally, due to the fact his grandfather was a barber and his cousin, Taylor, is also a stylist at Studio RAW. So I guess you can say a love of styling hair runs in the family!

Chris and his cousin Taylor outside of Studio RAW

The last thing I asked Chris in my brief (okay who am I kidding my hair takes 4 hours to style) time with him is what he loves most about styling hair and his response is as follows:

"I love being able to be creative and see it come to life right in front of me. Also through styling I've had the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people! I also just love making friends, family, and strangers feel good about themselves, that's the best part!" -Chris Angelo

In the Pittsburgh area and looking for a new salon?

Studio RAW is located at:

3185 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Their hours are:

Monday: 12:00PM-8:00PM

Tuesday: 9:00AM-9:00PM

Wednesday: 9:00AM-9:00PM

Thursday: 9:00AM-9:00PM

Friday: 7:00AM-7:00PM

Saturday: 7:00AM-7:00PM

Sunday: CLOSED

To book your appointment today call: (412) 367-2444

Have a Studio RAW experience you would like to share? Tell me all about it in the comments below!!

20 Tips to Keep Skin Glowing

May 04, 2015 by Bree Fesh in Beauty

Nowadays when it comes to having perfect skin, the struggle is real. Between all the crazy treatments and home remedies which ones actually work? Well I set out and turned to my beloved Pinterest and gathered all kinds of tips and tricks, and out of all the ones I tried these 20 are the ones that were kinda quirky, some were (hopefully) common sense, and ones that were just some good old money saving DYI beauty regiments-- but what really matters is they are the ones that really worked . So let's start the count down shall we?

20. Cut Down the Caffeine

Unfortunately caffeine can trigger acne so cutting back on your coffee intake (especially it with sugar or sweet creamers) will help with clearing up acne.

19. Wash Your Sheets Frequently

As if you don't already do that, I know. But be sure to wash your pillow cases at least twice a week because the oil from your hair sinks into it therefore making you sleep on oil all night long.

18. Always No Matter What, Wash Your Face Before Bed!

Because when you do, it clogs your pores leaving you more susceptible to pimples. Really tired? Keep make-up removing wipes on your night stand as a reminder.

17. Grapefruit is a Superfruit

Not only does it help burn fat and have other health properties, grapefruit is packed with antioxidants, so using skin care products containing grapefruit will make your skin feel revived and clean.

16. Applecider Vinegar

Applecider vinegar works as a toner to help clear your skin by balancing you pH level. Though in my opinion it tastes horrible, try drinking a tablespoon of it a day to cute acne from the inside out.

15. Green Tea: The best thing ever.

Green tea is not only an awesome morning drink, but it's also packed with antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties. Try and drink a cup a day to fight off bacteria that can harm your skin.

14. Know what you're doing with your hair before anything else.

During your morning beauty routine it's best to style your hair before doing your make-up, because if you are using any hot styling appliances the heat causes the make-up to melt and clog your pores, making your skin more susceptible to break outs.

13. Vaseline

Contrary to popular belief, Vaseline does not does not prevent wrinkles if you put it on your face at night. However if you out a thin layer over damp skin before bed, the moisture will be sealed in your skin and it will be much smoother in the morning.

12. Wash you're face before and after heavy physical activity.

When you work out, beaure to was your face before and after you exercise. This is because leaving make up on your face while exercising means it will mix with your sweat and clog your pores. So starting and ending with clean skin is the best solution

11. DIY Tip

If you're a do it yourself beauty queen, use the milk in your fridge and add a cup of it to your bath for silky smooth skin.

10. Sister Mary Merlot

Wine, in moderation, is proven to help shield your skin cells from harmful UV rays and another bonus is it helps enhance muscle tone, so drink up!

9. Turn down the heat

Steam and hot water will open pores while cold water and air will help close them. Never apply your make-up directly after a hot shower because when your pores are open they'll instantly absorb more make-up, resulting in the clogging of your pores. To avoid this wait at least 15 minutes after a shower to apply your make-up.

8. All Natural

Try going without make-up one or two days a week to give your skin a breather.

7. Try a mask

Using a face mask about once a week can help tighten pores and leave skin smooth and fresh, just don't over do it (like everyday).

6. Aspirin

Crush up aspirin and mix it into a small amount of water to form a paste, put it on your face and le it dry as a mask and rinse it off. By doing this you're drying acne at the source healing it more quickly

5. Cool it on the mixed drinks

Lowering your alcohol consumption in general will also help clear your skin, but cutting out mixed drinks altogether is even more beneficial because with all the sweet juices and alcohol together you might as well just be drinking pure sugar.

4. Warm showers not hot

If you're taking a hot shower try not to linger, the heat can dry out your skin leaving it flaky and dehydrated.

3. Try a nice soak

A rose water bath is both balancing and soothing for all skin types. It evens out redness and calms any irritation that could be happening.

2. Back it up and pull it back

Sitting close to your laptop and letting your hair fall in your face can cause breakouts, so sit back from your screen and put your hair in a ponytail while working.

1. H2O

Hydration is the key to clear skin. Dehydration causes breakouts because your skin over compensates and produces more oil than necessary which in turn clogs your pores leading to pimples. I recommend drinking 3 litres of water a day.

Amika: Spoil Your Hair!

April 18, 2015 by Bree Fesh in Beauty

I'm not going to lie, before trying this hair routine I was quite skeptical for a few reasons one being I had never heard of these products or brands and considering I am very fussy about my hair I was concerned that they could possibly be too intense and damage my hair, second I adore my pink and purple locks, but they do take quite the upkeep to keep the color from bleeding and fading as well as keeping my hair looking shiny and healthy. Lastly, I received them as a thank-you package for one of the photo shoots I did for Dick's Sporting Goods, so naturally I pondered "What could Field & Stream possibly know about hair care?"

But as it turns out stranger things have happened and I was pleasantly surprised. I mean this Amika stuff is a miracle cure for dry and damaged hair, this routine truly makes you're hair feel like you stepped out of the salon every time you step out of the shower. Yeah, its that good.

Amika Spoil My Hair Kit

Firstly I want to say if you would just like to sample this product instead of spending big bucks on 16 ounce bottles of it, I recommend getting the Amika Spoil My Hair Kit (pictured above) just because by doing so, you'll save yourself about $53.00. And though these bottles maybe little, they really give you your money's worth is used correctly.

Whats In The Box?

3.38 fl oz of Balancing Shampoo
- This contains Sea Buckthorn Berry with Argon Oil. What this does unlike other shampoos in my opinion, lathers very nicely and left my hair feeling silky and smooth without even conditioning it! I would be fibbing if I said I ever experienced this before due to the fact my hair takes loads of abuse due to the color treatments and the styling.
3.38 fl oz of a Nourishing Hair Mask (same ingredients)
- How's it work? Like all conditioners you apply a hearty amount to it and massage it into your scalp and hair, but for the full effect leave it sit in your hair for 5 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. For me this step made my hair feel soft and hardly damaged at all.
3.38 fl oz of Leave In Cream
- As the name implies, this is a leave in cream that you apply to damp hair and leave it. I personally do this step right when I get out of the shower and let it sink in while my hair towel dries. Honestly at first I didn't feel or see the difference this step made other than it smells absolutely amazing, but then after drying my hair, I realized this cream really brings on the shine!
1.01 fl oz of Amika Oil Treatment
- This is just basically the icing on the cake my friends, you simply just apply this step to slightly damp or dry hair just for that extra silk and shine.

Now you're probably wondering why these products work so well. I'd say because of the main ingredient, Sea Buckthorn Berry:

Just a little visual for those of who are curious as to what the hell it is, because I know I was! — *Just a little visual for those of who are curious as to what the hell it is, because I know I was!*

The reason the oil from this plant hydrates, smooths, and repairs your hair so well is because it is a super fruit! So with all those antioxidants and health properties, I'll slather my hair with it forever because it really does make my hair feel that amazing and extremely healthy.

Last but not least, another nice thing about this product is it hardly fades colored hair (As you know I do love rockin' my Ramona Flowers-esque hair style, loud colors included!) so it was nice that after three weeks of washing, my pink-purple ombre as hardly faded at all and feels phenomenal to boot!