Blogger Kiara Schwartz revamps her look and gets ready for the beach and summer nights out.
Some may say that summer lasts all year in California! Not having grown up here and now knowing the weather patterns, I can safely say that is actually wrong. Seasons in California are created by your own personal interpretation of a summer and winter appearance. I have decided to continue my tradition of keeping up a summer and winter wardrobe and look the same way I did when I was in Canada and Switzerland where there are actual seasonal changes.
The double digit months make me want to go for darker hair and this winter I went from dark purple and transitioned to dark brown. My wardrobe takes on heavier fabrics, layers of sweaters, jackets and beanies, along with an assortment of booties and oxfords. I cannot escape the need to pursue a real fall fashion wardrobe. I do have to admit some days I may break a little sweat due to wearing a wool Townsen sweater and a beanie on a perfectly sunny day in December. I guess the changes in wardrobe due to the seasons is a nostalgic nod to the places I grew up, where without a down filled Monclair jacket, there was no way you would make it through January.
However, as we head into what the calendar says is summer, the days get longer and the longing for a little bit of a tan and an update to my look that perfectly matches the rays of sunshine and colorful sounds of summer is here.
Come Memorial Day, I suddenly get a longing to have my hair reflect that of a pro surfer girl. That can only mean one thing in California: let’s get some ombre highlights going on. Somehow this trend has hung around for long enough for me to be on my second round of beach bleach! My trips to Salon Benjamin in Hollywood have become very frequent since I found someone I 100% trust with all things color. Deanna Beavers is nothing short of amazing when it comes to any color shade requests I come up with. While getting my tin foils on, I asked her a couple questions in regards to the ombre trend. Her response was that any rumors of ombre being “over” are not true; it changed the way people interpret hair color and it is less maintenance than coloring from the roots. The new updated ombre look is the subtle, more natural-looking one. Less is more! I like that, so that’s what we went for and I am obsessed with how it turned out.
Now, how do we take care of the newly bleached tresses? Bleaching, sunshine, pools and ocean water are not a great mix. To save your ombre from getting too dry, Deanna recommends oils to hydrate and her go-to product is Fluoro5 Elixer (available at Salon Benjamin). If you must cannonball into a pool filled with chlorine, the golden tip to keep your shine and blonde ends hydrated is to wet your hair with cold water, apply a bit of conditioner, like the all-natural Natural Tech Miracle Conditioner, and tie it into your favorite top knot. Perfect remedies to save your beach ombre hair this summer!
Along with great color comes great styling and my girl Carla can do a mean cut and perfect blowout. Styling trends for summer are easy: embrace the natural state of your hair, work some amazing product in there and air dry! If your hair is frizzy, like mine, her suggestion to tame your mane is L’Oreal’s Liss Ultime smoothing treatment. All you do is twirl your wet hair with this product and air dry! If that doesn’t get those frizzy fly-aways, another insider tip is to defuse it blowing from top straight down, like those fancy heat lamps at the salon. Voila! Perfect summer locks.
Matching my wardrobe to my summer excitement is easy: pack away those sweaters that are made of wool. All velvet disappears as well, since that fabric just does not go with the word easy breezy. When I walk into my closet come summer, all I want to see this year is floral printed and flowy dresses, bright colored dresses, options of all-white outfits, a pop of neon, some lace, cut-off jeans and a never-ending selection of basic tees.
Next up in this summer revamp: the Shoe Closet! Nothing makes me more happy than a good pair of shoes. I seem to remember a time in my life where I told my dad the only thing in my wardrobe I don’t care about is shoes— weird how that changed. As much as booties are a necessity for the wintery months, they are the only elements that hang around for summer outfits as well. The “dark” days of winter reflect heavily in my shoe collection for those months of the year. Necessities that never go out of style include black booties, brown lace-ups, gold details for a bit of a girly feel to all the combat happening in the collection.
Out with the dark tones, in with the bright colors of summer. Adding to booties this sunny season are these metallic heels by
