Do you like me hat?

I client of mine whom I met while we attended community college earlier this year, met with me this past weekend for a hair appointment, and she came bearing gifts! A while back she told me that as a hobby she likes to make these cute lil hats. I told her I would love a pink and black one whenever she got around to it. Well, she brought it in and I instantly fell in love with it.




I loved it so much, I put it on right away and wore it the rest of the day and even after I left Paul Mitchell, and even to the gas station ahahahaha, who says I cant be stylish while even pumping gas. hahahahah

My friend who makes these adorable hats, her name is Michelle and she came in to brighten up her hair. She wanted to go full blonde, but I recommended getting a full foil highlight to help brighten up her hair without fully lightening, which would be super damaging to her hair. Check out her transformation

BEFORE

AFTER
She loved it, as do I! Michelle is very spunky and loves halloween, in fact her and her fiance are getting married on Halloween! She invited me to go and the dress code is "anything goes" and the crazier the better! I am sooo exited. I get the pleasure of also doing her makeup and hair for her BIG DAY! I am jumping for joy for her and her family and friends and I feel honored that she is letting me be apart of it.

I just wanted to share this with you-my Surrendered Family.

And if you like my lil hat, Michelle is considering to make them and sell them for only $15! So, if youre interested, leave a comment and I can pass it along. She can also do whatever colors you like!

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

Three vampires walk into a bar.

The waitress comes up to them and asks them what they'll have. ?

The first vampire says, (Transylvanian accent inferred)
"I'll have a glass of O Positive."

The second vampire says, "I'll have a glass of AB Negative."

The third vampire says, "I'm the designated driver.
I'll just have a glass of plasma."

The waitress turns toward the bartender and yells,

"Gimme two bloods and one blood lite!"





Surrender to Your Inner Artist

ZOMBIE Fever

With Halloween around the corner, ghouls, ghosts, spirits, goblins, witches are all out and about but lately it just seems like ZOMBIES have been taking over!

Everywhere I look, its just ZOMBIE Fever!

You can find this at ETSY.com


My brother got me hooked on the show, THE WALKING DEAD- and if you havent seen this original series on AMC- you better check it out. I usually dont like cheesy zombie flicks or shows, but this one is pretty good I have to admit! In fact a new episode comes on tonight!

Courtesy of 12ptcourier.com
I found some other pretty cool stuff online too


I love this makeup!

This is a tattoo I came across online thought it was pretty good detail work! It looks awesome and lifelike

Then as I was looking up PAW PALETTES, (check out my blog about it here) and came across a company called INSTANT MONSTERS and thought it was pretty cool. It is a company that makes Hollywood quality prosthetics and makeup supplies. Check out their website if you are into makeup like that, there are even Instructional Videos on how to apply the prosthetics.

They also have a FACEBOOK so check it out and "LIKE" their page!

What do you think about ZOMBIES? Cool? Creepy? Awesome?

Here is one of my favorite songs lately by NATALIA KILLS called "Zombie" I hope you enjoy it!


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Friends will pull the trigger.
Friends don't let friends become a zombie

CHILD'S PLAY



I wanted to do a Halloween Tutorial this season, and instead of doing cutesy, sexy or silly looks, I wanted to do something scary from my childhood.  I am not scared anymore of the character but when I was younger, I sure as heck was scared of Chucky, and I had never even seen the actual movies. 



But now that I am an adult, I watched the movies years ago and just laughed my butt off at it. Gotta love cheesy 80's movies. hahahaha

I hope you enjoy this tutorial. It is my first halloween makeup tutorial and it is rather long, but I make up for that in BLOOPERS!

You can watch it here below, or SUBSCRIBE to my youtube at Foreveriris757



What is your favorite scary movie character from your childhood? or from now? I would love to hear from you!

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Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. ~From Scooby-Doo

Get Your PAWS on this!

It's Sunday morning, and while I am sippin on my morning coffee and sitting with my kids watching "Night At The Museum" and Sunday mornings are when I like to get caught up on reading blogs, watching Youtube videos, and researching trends or fun looks to get inspired by.

I came across this cool product and thought I would share it with my viewers :)



It's called the Paw Palette, and it was created by a makeup artist named Crystal Powder, who after searching for a wrist palette in the market got tired of searching and decided to make her own. 

Many makeup artist's use the back of their hand to apply product to the clients, and even though hands can be sanitized, it is better to use a palette that can be disinfected properly.


"Is made of an opaque white, nonporous board and is reuasable. Straps are currently made of high

quality, durable, braided elastic band and are adjustable to fit your hand or your wrist comfortably!

If you would like an extra long strap or special size, email customerservice@crystalpowder.com for all questions."

They cost only $14.99

You can order these at her website at http://crystalpowder.com/INK.aspx and check out more such as Portfolio Images and services. She is located in California, so if your in that area, check her out.

She also has a FACEBOOK where she has giveaways , so make sure to "like" her page

I wasnt paid or compensated to write about this, I just stumbled upon this and thought it was a cool palette and a must have for any Makeup artist on the job!

Tell me, what do you think? Would you get this for your makeup kit, or recommend it to another makeup artist?

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WARNING! Can your HAIR DYE Kill You

This was written by Kandee Johnson on her blog at www.kandeej.com

I wanted to repost this and share it with my readers as well. I am studying to be a cosmetologist as a hair stylist and makeup artist and I believe it is important for everyone to know this. This is another reason why certain types of BOX COLOR can be bad for you.

 

WARNING: Can your hair dye can kill you!?



Studies show that at least 75% of American women color (lighten or darken) their hair. Way more than the 7% that colored their hair in the 1950's. And it's not just women, last year men's at-home hair color sales reached over 113.5 million dollars! But what isn't being shown on any commercials for hair color is the fact that one of the main ingredients in 2/3 of hair color is hospitalizing and even killing people. The FDA does not approve it to touch your scalp...but it does and not many people know about it. AND YOU CAN HAVE A REACTION ON YOUR 1ST HAIR COLOR APPLICATION OR YOUR 37TH!
And no the patch test will not guarantee anything- they said you can have a reaction to the PPD even after you've used the same product safely for years.

(please share this, post it email this- with anyone and everyone to help warn everyone you know about this hidden danger that no one knows about)
Just last week, Tabatha McCourt, 17, began pulling at her shoulder-length locks, screaming and vomiting before collapsing in agony at a friend’s house. A short 20 minutes after applying hair color to her hair, Tabatha, who had died her hair many colors, died. The doctor reported is was a chemical called p-Phenylenediamine that had reportedly been suggested as a cause for the sudden reaction.
Please meet Miriade Kelly, a 29 year mom, who just wanted to cover her grey hair like normal. She suffered an immediate reaction from her, Garnier hair dye:

'There was yellow pus oozing from my scalp and it had the most horrific smell of burning flesh.
'I knew straightaway that was from the dye but at that point I didn't panic, I just took some anti-histamines and put some Sudocrem on my hairline, where it was starting to blister, before I went to sleep.'


'Both my eyes swelled up and the skin at the side of my earlobes was really swollen and itchy.
'The worst part was the awful pus that was still oozing from my head all the time.

'We went to A&E and I was seen pretty quickly, but at that point, because the reaction was still relatively slight, I was sent home with some anti-histamines and told to keep an eye on it.'

3 hours later she had to return, this time being hospitalized for 3 days.
One of the doctors asked her if she had ever heard of the chemical PPD.

An ingredient in many hair dyes, para-phenylenediamine (PPD) is a common allergen banned in many European countries.
People can become allergic to it at any time, even if they have been exposed to it before without problems.
For this reason, it was voted Allergen Of The Year in 2006 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.


WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR:
The bad ingredient responsible for many people who are suffering near death experiences from hair dye is: Phenylenediamine (PPD) its present in over 2/3 of chemical hair dyes, and is known to be toxic to the immune system, skin, nervous system, respiratory system, liver and kidneys. It is the most toxic chemical in hair dyes. It is a substance used in rubber chemicals, photo
developer, oil, gasoline, ink, textile dyes, dark cosmetics and hair dye. The European Union classifies it as a toxin and irritant that is dangerous in the environment. In Canada, its use in cosmetics is restricted and it was banned in France, Germany and Sweden.
PPD is a neurotoxin and is even used in anti-freeze.
PPD might also be called any of these names:
Paraphenylenediamine Para-aminoaniline (p-aminoaniline)
PPD PPDA
1,4-Benzenediamine Orsin™
1,4-Penylenediamine Ursol™ D
Rodol™ D Paradiaminobenzene

****this is not just for store bought boxed color, this is in certain salon brand hair color as well! (see info below about Hair Stylists and Cancer levels)

And it causes Cancer: Laboratory experiments have shown that PPD damages the DNA of human cells. Accumulated DNA damage leads to cancer.

DANGERS FOR HAIR STYLISTS:
Hair stylists who color hair at work do have higher cancer levels. Studies have shown that hair stylists have higher rates of skin allergies, asthma and breast cancer, so the risks for stylists are real.
• Hairstylists and barbers with just one year or more occupational exposure to permanent hair dyes were 50% more likely to have bladder cancer than those who did not. This increased to five times — 500% — more with 10 years of professional exposure.

HAIR COLOR AND CANCER:
The Scientific Committee for Cosmetic and Non-Food Products is fully aware of the dangers of PPD.

The National Cancer Institute also warned that PPD can increase various forms of cancer such as:

  • non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Breast Cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Bladder Cancer

The University of Southern California just completed a study linking hair dye to bladder cancer:
• Women who used permanent self-administered hair dye at least once a month for a year or longer were twice as likely as women who did not use permanent hair dye to develop bladder cancer.
• Those women who used permanent dye monthly for 15 years or more were more than three times as likely to develop bladder cancer as non-dye users.

IT MAY NOT KILL YOU BUT IT WILL MAKE YOUR HAIR THIN:
But did you know that certain ingredients are causing women and men to get thinner and thinner hair, and in some cases hair dye has even taken lives.

This is something that many big companies are not talking about, because this would put a major dent in their millions of dollars in sales.


And dark hair colors seem to be the most dangerous. Great, I've been dying my hair different colors for years! And I wonder why my hair is so thin!

So what's a girl or guy who wants to dye their hair or cover their gray to do?
No worries, we just have to make sure what we're using or where we're going uses hair color without PPD.

Do a little research before you head to the store to buy hair color or before you head to the salon to get your hair colored- and remember to look for the other names PPD is labeled as above.

There are natural alternatives too! I've never tried any, (my mom uses them all the time) but I think I'm going to start!
Here's a list of some of the safe, PPD free hair color or hair dye:

*Goldwell professional brand hair color is supposed to be free of PPD
*as well as Clairol Loving Care. (Oh good...because I've used Goldwell in the past!) I'm sure there's more but these are the only ones I know of right now.
MANIC PANIC- your fun, rainbow colored hair dye is free of PPD! YAY! Fun colors AND safe! Thanks Tish and Snooky (not of Jersey Shore fame)...for making this!

1. La Vita Nuova hair color - PPD, Ammonia and Paraben free

2. Tints of Nature - certified organic hair color

3. Palette by Nature - free of paraphenylene diamine (PPD), resorcinol, m-aminophenol, p-aminophenol, toluene- 2,5-diamine, azo-dyes, diazo-dyes, disperse dyes, ammonia, and parabens

4. Advanced Cosmetic Technologies - formulated with natural plant dyes and easily removed with vinegar or lemon juice.

5. Herbatint - all natural hair color free of all chemicals

you can also ask your local Whole Foods about their natural hair color or ask your hair colorist about the line that they work with... or you can also use Henna if you like too:

Henna is another alternative. Henna reacts on the outside of the hair shaft, where "normal" hair dye works by penetrating the inner part of the hair shaft. Henna Options- please check, Henna can cause different allergic reactions too. And do NOT use anything labeled "black henna", that is PPD as well.

1. Light Mountain- natural henna hair color

2. Sabba Botanical- henna hair dye

No one is talking about this enough, some doctors, Cancer Research Centers and universities and even Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG site have been trying to spread the word too. (I am pleading no comment on how the FDA approves things. ha ha ha) Please feel free to email this, post this, tweet this to help get the word out to help your friends and family be aware of this.

Not to freak everyone out, or make everyone think they can never color their hair...I just don't want to hear of another girl dying or having their flesh burned, or coming down with cancer from their hair color. Just do a little research before you go out to get a fresh dose of hair color!

Huge love and feeling horrible about not knowing about this and just slapping on all kinds of hair color on my hair for years now...I will be carefully be reading labels or buying the healthy hair color if I feel the need to color my hair! See, another reason why the Ombre hair style is/was great- it doesn't touch your scalp!

thinning hair for years now...kandee

Surrender to Your Inner Artist

VAIN Wedding

My learning leader, Sammi Jo- otherwise known as Samantha Vain, married her love on October 1st, 2011. I asked her permission before writing about it, and I finally remembered to ask her to make sure it was ok.

I really look up to her in many ways not only for inspiration, motivation but as an amazing person. She is younger than me, and I cant say she reminds me of a sister I never had, but I just feel like I look up to her and I value what she teaches me throughout my cosmetology career. In a way, I look up to her as a mentor.

Let me just say, Samantha Vain is no ordinary woman, she changes her look everyday and her makeup is amazing. So, when it came for her beach wedding, it was be ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY.

I managed to get a few pictures online and I wanted to share them with my readers in hopes that you get inspired by it as I have.





I was online looking up more info on her and came across this cute article about them, you can see it here.

Samantha Vain is not only an instructor at Paul Mitchell Academy, she is also a makeup artist, a photographer and a model. You can find her at MODEL MAHEM !!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing this beautiful Avant Grade Fall Beach Wedding!

Thank you for stopping by and please join Sweet Surrender for more on art, beauty, fashion and much more!

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Race for a Cure

This past weekend, our school, Rudy & Kelly Paul Mitchell Partner School participated in the Breast Cancer Race for a Cure Susan G Komen Foundation here in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

We all met up at 9am dressed in our school tshirts and joined many other supporters, survivors, family and friends to help support this Foundation.

I know a few survivors that have beat the breast cancer and fortunatly none of my close family or friends has lost their battle to breast cancer. I have, however had family members pass away from other types of cancers such as Lung Cancer and Brain Cancer. Losing someone you love to cancer is hard, because you feel so helpless. But I have learned is no matter what, you keep supporting and loving that person.

There was a survivor that got married on stage in front of the entire crowd to a man she fell madly in love with. All of us witnessed their marriage ceremony, and it was a beautiful one at that!! Her hair and makeup was done by students and staff from my school. It is awesome to be apart of that! We all cried and cheered for her and her new husband.

This was an amazing experience that I am proud to have been apart of it.

Here are some pictures, enjoy





That is a dolphin I managed to snap a quick picture of!!!

The Couple getting married!

This baby was sooo happy and kickin his legs out, it was so adorable!
This walk was for every man, woman and child affected by Breast Cancer.


There is a light in this world, a healing spirit
more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.
We sometime lose sight of this force
when there is suffering, and too much pain.
Then suddenly,
the spirit will emerge
through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call
and answer in extraordinary ways.Mother Teresa


Have you participated in helping to find a cure for any type of cancer? This was my first time doing this type of thing, and I will continue to do this every chance I get.

Surrender to Your Inner Artist

Family Tree

I served in the Us Army with a friend of mine and he requested that I draw up this tattoo design for him and his family. He described what he wanted as a tree with his first name in the trunk, his last name in the roots and the name of his wife and two children in the branches.



It took me a few weeks to finish, a big piece like this I had to do it in stages because I am so busy. But I finally finished it, so I thought I would show it to my fellow Surrendered family. I hope you enjoy it! And if you want something custom drawn up for your next tatto design, I would love to be the artist for you! Send an email to cecilia@sweetsurrenderart.com



As always, thanks for stopping by and hope that you join this blog for more art coming your way!



Surrender to Your Inner Artist

Another Thrift Store Haul

It has been a while since I last filmed a Thrift Store Haul, I think the last one was when I had to go get summer clothes.  I have been wanting to get more black clothes..I know I know, sounds boring, but we can only wear black at school and now that it is about to be Autumn and I needed more clothes.

I have been on the search in many stores such as Macy's, Charlotte Russe, Papaya, Forever21 and other stores looking for "boyfriend" blazers. I didnt want blazers that were tailored too tightly or too short, and I wanted pockets and lets just say I tried on alot and none would fit right.

So, I went to the local CHKD that I love to go to that is next door to Jerry's Artorama.  I found 4 or 5 blazers and a couple pairs of pants. See my video below!



I love going to Thrift stores mainly because I like finding things that are unique and different, not to mention it doesnt break my pockets!!!

Do you like to go thrifting? What do you look for when you go? I would love to hear your shopping adventures!



I am working on a few halloween tutorials so stay tuned!

Subscribe to my youtube here

And dont forget to join my blog!


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HOW Do I Look?

For those of us that are apart of the Kandee Family, you shouldve been glued to the Style Channel for the premier of How Do I Look America's Worst Dressed Woman. I am about a quarter of the way through watching it and I love it!!!


I am soooooo happy and proud of Kandee Johnson for getting this far and making it to a Network Show! She has come from being a simple mommy blog to doing youtube makeup tutorials. I just LOVE her!

I have always liked this show and the host of it, but I didnt pay as much attention to it I have to admit, but watching this show has definetly got me tuned in! I am in love with Jeannie's style and I didnt know that the blue in her hair is her signature look. And you know if you are a regular viewer of Sweet Surrender's then you know I LOVE color!!!!





I am just loving it! Well, I am gonna go so I can finish watching the rest of the show! What is your favorite part so far?

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All Dressed Up

dressed up in a suit- this blazer I got from the thrift store for $4 and its Banana Republic!
This week went by fast, like every week it seems.I cant believe it is already the 3rd week of October. More and more people are graduating from school and it has me wondering what I will do after I graduate.

This week I have been inspired by so much, my brain is just overflowing with ideas and plans and things that I want to do. I feel like I am in my "element".

I have been hanging out with family, my kids and my friends and trying to meet new people and really try to network. I have been doing hair as well on a few friends which has been really fun especially when they say I can do whatever I want to their hair. Here is my friend Maribel whose hair I cut last week.



A few nights ago, hubby and I went out with a few friends to celebrate more birthdays. We rode a limo up to a place called The Mansion. It was nice to spend some time with friends and dance some weight and stress off!



One of the best flarers in the 757- JW

I do not like to go out very often but every once in a while I like to cut loose!

What do you guys like to do to relax or cut loose?



Surrender to Your Inner Artist

Quote of the day:

Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.

 Angela Monet quotes

Nocturnal

Its just past midnight, and I am not tired, not even a yawn creeping up. I just finished up some shading of a tattoo for a friend that I need to only add a few finishing touches. I got caught up on my Project Runway and all my blogs I follow.

Since I have been back into my groove of art and drawing, and I am juggling all these different things, trying to do everything, I am starting to realize that I am more Nocturnal than most people.

NERD ALERT: WHAT IS NOCTURNAL?????

Adj.1.nocturnal - belonging to or active during the night; "nocturnal animals are active at night"; "nocturnal plants have flowers that open at night and close by day"
biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms
diurnal - of or belonging to or active during the day; "diurnal animals are active during the day"; "diurnal flowers are open during the day and closed at night"; "diurnal and nocturnal offices"
2.nocturnal - of or relating to or occurring in the night; "nocturnal darkness"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
 
I can be a morning person if I want to be, but I work and function better at night. Its like I am still sleepy in the mornings, I am waking up around the afternoons, (so it is like my mornings) by the evening, that is my "afternoon" and around 10 to 11pm, I am in full creative force.
 
Photo courtesy of Google.com
There are many animals that are nocturnal like bats and owls, sugar babies, some cats, but what many people do not know is that there are also nonturnal flowers. Yea, you heard me, FLOWERS. There are many flowers of the CACTI family that only bloom at night and have the most unique scents.
 
 
What intrigues me about animals and flowers, is that even though they are surrounded by darkness, they still thrive and continue to grow and be active.
 
This gives me some inspiration as to possibly a story board for an upcoming photo opportunity. hmmmmmmm, see how can I go to sleep when everyday I find something beautiful and inspirational I feel like I just want to go into a drawing/design frenzy!!! AHHHHHHHHH!
 
I have to force myself to go to bed only because I have to go to school of course and then save my energy to spend time with the kiddos too.
 
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you stop by again!

The man who has seen the rising moon break out of the clouds at midnight has been present like an archangel at the creation of light and of the world
Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes

Surrender to Your Inner Artist