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Failed Resolution? Read this!

Failed Resolution? Read this!

by | Feb 3, 2021 | Thoughts & Things

You are SO excited!  You’ve set your mind to it and you are going all in on achieving it this year! ?

You are more committed than you’ve ever been and you know that life will be so much easier when you do it.

Curious now? Wondering what ‘it’ is??

‘It’ is…….

  • Keeping a postive mindset
  • Mastering a new skill that will change the way you work
  • Starting a business that will give you more freedom
  • Opening yourself up to dating again
  • Loosing that quaratine 15 (Chapter 2) ?
  • Building that website you’ve been wanting forever
  • Learning to meditate
  • Never raising your voice to the kids (even when those little ears simply beg for the psycho Mom voice ? )

‘It’ is interchangeable.  Basically, ‘it’ is whatever you’ve resolved you need to do to improve your life in 2021.

You’ve spent all this time thinking how it will change your life as of January 1st. Improve things drastically, be so friggin’ amazing that you’ll experience all the feels you anticipated. ??

But then, it just doesn’t work out that way ?

Maybe something goes wrong, throwing a wrench into your well thought out, carefully crafted, no fail plan and your ‘don’t take no for an answer’ attitude just…doesn’t….work.

Relatable? We’ve all done it ?

Had our hopes wrapped up in something that would solve our problems, that in reality just falls flat when we start.  

It can be devestating. It can be frustrating. It can actually have you accepting that it’s never going to happen, and ironically, most of us reach that conclusion…….at approximately this time of year LOL

Here’s what you need to know…..

The decision to do something is the easy part.  The practise of making it happen is exactly that – a practise.

Let’s say ‘It’ is actively being grateful for what you already have. You’ve read about how it does amazing things for people, changes their perspective and as a result things just start to fall into place. Word on the street is being grateful makes you a happier person, has you finding better opportunities and higher levels of success and of course you want that!

So Jan 1st……it is on!! ?

That first day is such a rush.  The excitement of creating change does wonders for your mood.  You pay for the car behind you in the drive thru.  You wait to hold a door open for someone when you stop at the bank machine.  It’s sunny and gorgeous outside and it’s quite possibly the nicest day this winter!

Man…..have you done it or what?? Being grateful is amazeballs!! ??

You tuck yourself into bed that night and for the first time in so long you feel hopeful and excited for tomorrow.

You wake up for day 2 of your new life living the dream and you are feeling on fire! ?

No – literally – you are on fire, burning up in fact ?

BUT THAT’S OK!! You got this……you can be grateful even when you aren’t feeling your best.  Pushing through because its day 2 of your amazing new life.  You are grateful and that’s all you need!

Fast forward to day 5……and you are so damn tired.  It’s shitty and rainy outside on your way to work, some idiot just cut you off and when you finally get into the parking lot, you barely get shifted into park when you’ve got no other option but to grab your purse because you are going to be sick…..like NOW! ??

Still feeling grateful? Still feeling all the feels from making that amazing decision that will change your life?

You’re definitely feeling something, but it may be more along the lines of a teensy, tiny bit of rage ? *insert the curse word most frequently used in your car when you’re alone here*

Why can’t things just happen like you thought they would? You don’t feel better – you actually (and obviously according to the inside of your Kate Spade ?) feel worse.

So what went wrong? It’s actually far less complicated than you think!

A) You got the flu….. and B) Let’s throw it back to what I said before…..

The decision to do something is the EASY part. The practise of making it happen is exactly that, a PRACTISE!

For some reason we expect ourselves to make these monumental changes, start these big undertakings and emotionally expect the benefits NOW.

Hello failure.

Imagine an aquaintance tells you they are going to plan start speaking Chinese because it will greatly improve communication within their business.  Random I know, but just go with it ?

The next day you see this acquaintance again and they are devestated because they just can’t do it! They can’t speak Chinese ?

Well no shit, you think! ??  You have to learn it and practise it before you can expect to excel at it?!

Hmmm….so considering that….. how come you’re devestated that your new life living with gratitude is already a disaster? Don’t you have to learn and practise it before you can expect to excel at it?

Ooofff……direct hit ?? 

So get back up, dust yourself off and PRACTISE.  Everyday.  Especially on the days where you just don’t feel like ‘it’ will ever happen for you.

You CAN have ‘it’. Just start being kind to yourself and stop expecting instant results. The reward will be that much sweeter when you reach ‘it’ ?

Thanks for listening,

Carrie xo

 

www.cihairstudio.ca

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty – There’s nothing ‘superficial’ about it!

Beauty – There’s nothing ‘superficial’ about it!

by | Jan 18, 2021 | Thoughts & Things

On a recent trip to the rabbit hole ?  of scrolling Facebook, I came across a post in response to a comment the original poster received on a previous post, where someone had called her ‘superficial’.

I found her rebuttal both interesting and very thought provoking.

She reasoned she wasn’t superficial because she didn’t waste her money on things like getting her hair ??‍♀️ and nails ?? done, as well as a few other personal services also deemed to live within the superficial category.

Hmmmmm………?

It’s taken me a good chunk of time to write about this simply due to the desire to suppress the verbal diarrhea rant that first occurred after reading it ?

Now, after some organization (and edits, lol) I want to share my thoughts, but first wanted to be sure I was defining superficial as it is meant to be, so I did a quick Google!

su-per-fi-cial Adjective: not having or showing any depth of character or understanding.  Similar words: surface, skin-deep

Ex. ‘Perhaps I was a superficial person’

And just to make sure I’m not choosing a convenient definition to support my cleaned up rant, there is also this definition: Existing or occurring at or on the surface.  Similar words: surface, exterior, external, outer.  Ex. The building suffered only superficial damage’. 

I get it.  Hair and nails are on the surface, visible on the exterior for all to see.

No argument there from me!

But how does a person having their hair and nails done equate to them ‘not having or showing any depth of character or understanding’ ?

Oh that’s right, IT DOESN’T!! ?

This is what I love (and hate) about Facebook.  So many thought provoking posts made everyday with opportunities to see things from another’s point of view.

I assure you I did not don my amour and keyboard warrior ??‍?  in the comments of the post.  She expressed her opinion and I respected it.  And then, I scrolled lol ??‍♀️

Here’s the point I’m trying to make:

It’s all about what getting your hair and/or nails done means to YOU. How it makes you FEEL?

I can bet it doesn’t make you feel superficial, does it? Lol

Women choosing to look after themselves in the way that makes them feel good is not superficial.  Don’t ever apologize for placing value on the way personal services make you feel.  That feeling you get? The confidence, the enjoyment, the contentment?

That’s self care.

And on no planet, including earth ?  does choosing hair or nails mean you lack depth of character or understanding.

Are hair and nails a necessity? Nope.

They are a luxury and as such, are an easy target for negativity from those who don’t choose to place value on, or draw positive feelings from having them done.

I don’t know about you but I’m a much happier person when I put myself on my priority list.  So much happier in fact that I don’t care if I’m criticized for what I choose as my self care.

You have to look yourself in the mirror everyday so do what makes you feel good ?

And I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that I felt damn good typing this out with nails so blinged out I couldn’t help but stop to admire them ??  ✨

DO YOU, AND NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR IT!

 Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

Fake it ’til you make it?

Fake it ’til you make it?

by | Dec 10, 2020 | Thoughts & Things

We’re throwin’ back for this one ?  Yup – this is me, circa 2007 doing my first ever photoshoot! You’ll get why I dug this little gem of a pic up soon, so please read on!  Carrie xo

 

Fake it ’til you make it!

I find no matter who I talk to there is either a view of ‘Yes! Absolutely!’ or, ‘No! You should never fake it!’ ??‍♀️

We all know that what appears on the outside is rarely the same as what’s going on, on the inside.

Social Media has compounded this incredibly.  Always showing the happy moments. Curating content for business and personal brands that show the blooming garden, but not the past planting of the seeds. Never the bump in the road but the victories in the end.

So are they faking it til they make it?

This may lead you to think that ‘faking it’ is always negative or done with deceptive intentions, and while I’m sure this may be the case for some, there is an entire other motivation to consider.

The motivation of growth ?

Growth can only happen when:

  1. You are open to it
  2. You know where you want to end up
  3. You commit to the process

‘Fake it ’til you make it’ actually changed my life.  Not joking!

Let me explain why this is actually a positive in my life and how utilizing it allowed me to have the growth that I desired.

I love being a Mom ?  I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Staying home with them when they were young was a priviledge, and I am aware a lot of people don’t have that option.  I balanced doing services for friends and family, working during naps ? , after they went down for the night, feeding in the middle of a haircut ?, you name it, I did it to try and balance things ?

The problem? I wanted more for my career. Waaaaay more.

I had dreams.  BIG dreams, but they seemed so far off.  So far in fact that they were just dreams. No timeline, no plan, just those ‘someday’ type of dreams ?

And then one day, I had a huge wake up moment about those dreams.

It was 2005 ish, a day like any other, balancing the Mom life and work life. For whatever reason (thank you universe ? ), something just clicked.

Dressed in jogging pants and a t-shirt, I greeted my client at the front door of my house and we walked down to my hair room in the basement. I slid my clogs on while my client was taking a seat, and realized there was a giant spit up stain on my joggers.

It’s Mom life, I get it, but after I finished that client and walked him out the door, I realized that if I wanted those dreams I thought about all the time, I HAD to start showing up every single day as the person I wanted to become ? ? ? ?

And so I did.

I started living the ‘fake it ’til I make it’ life ??

I changed the way I dressed. Why? Because my dream me didn’t show up everyday in jogging pants with spit up on them, however comfortable they may be.

I changed my work environment. I created the best professional version of where dream me would work, in the room I currently had available.

I educated myself in the way that dream me would do everyday.

I connected with people, like dream me would confidently do, and found mentors already doing the things that I wanted to do. I soaked up every bit of knowledge from them that I could.

I faked the shit out of my life.

And guess what happened?

I got more referrals.  Clients started responding to me differently.  The confidence I showed on the outside was being built brick by brick on the inside.

I started living the way I would if I had already attained my goals.

And guess what happened then?

I attained them!

Fake it ’til you make it doesn’t have to be dishonest.  I never lied to people, I was always honest in my skillset and what I was capable of.  I just lived my life as the person I wanted to become.  I made choices the way ‘she’ would make them.  I dressed, acted, reacted and accepted responsibility for my life like ‘she’ would.

It was the best (and one of the most difficult) things I ever did, which leads us to today.

I’m still doing it. Every.Single.Day ?

It’s not immediate. It’s not a quick fix.  It takes time and effort and determination, but in the end (and even in the process) it is SO rewarding.

That picture of me I said we’d wind back to? That was me, two years after I decided my future self did not show up in jogging pants with spit up on them.

That was me, doing the things I had dreamed of doing before (like a photoshoot), and already working to put even bigger dreams in motion, because that’s exactly what ‘she’ would do.

Just try it.  You never know what can happen! But if you decide to try, do yourself a favour and COMMIT.  Even on the hard days.  Even on the days you don’t think you are making progress.  Just keep on doing it.

Be the person you want to become and most importantly, enjoy the ride that gets you there.

You can be anything you want to be ?

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

 

 

 

Are you a good candidate for Fashion Colours?

Are you a good candidate for Fashion Colours?

by | Dec 8, 2020 | Just for Salon Clients!

We all love the pictures of Fashion hair colour!! Just to clarify from the start – Vivid/Fashion terms are interchangeable when talking about this type of colour ?

Whatever you want to call it, it’s safe to say whether you would wear it or not, it draws your attention! All the colours of the rainbow (and more!), bright, bold and beautiful.

While wearing them isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (just ask Danielle when I tried it once ?  ? ), if you love them and have always wanted to unleash your inner unicorn?  here are some questions to ask yourself before taking the leap.

Don’t get me wrong, if you want to do it, DO IT! These questions are just some food for thought if you are sitting on the fence of indecision!

1. Do you wash your hair everyday?

If you feel you need to wash your hair daily your colour will fade significantly faster than someone washing their hair biweekly.  Fashion colours are semi permanent dyes which means every time you wash, you can wave good bye to a bit more of your colour as it goes down the drain.

Some manufacturers claim a lifetime of 25-42 washes for their colours.  My experience is that claim is pretty generous.

Truth Bomb ?  The more you shampoo the faster it fades, and by fades I mean disappears.  If you want the colour, you have to love washing your hair far less frequently.

2.  Do you invest in professional products?

This is not a sales pitch, just facts. (If you don’t believe me check out my other blog about Magic Products LOL) ?

One wash with the wrong shampoo using a harsh cleansing ingredient and/or a high ph, means kissing the colour goodbye. Literally.  The type of semi-permanent colour used can make a difference as can whether it was applied on dry or wet hair, how long it was processed, and how it was rinsed out, etc, etc.

BUT – none of the factors I just listed matters as much when it comes to the longevity of your colour as what products you use to take care of it. It is #1.

Truth Bomb ?  Use what your Stylist recommends to you.  They do so knowing it will help keep your new colour as long as possible because they’ve tested it.  Seriously!

3.  Are you willing to make a substantial financial investment in salon services?

Few clients understand the process necessary to get the bright, beautiful colours plastered all over social media – and that’s OK! 

It’s not your job to know, its our job to explain it to you…….so here we are! ?

Fashion Colours cost more to create because they require a multi service process.

The hair must be lightened to a very light blonde before the Fashion colour can be as bright as what you see on Insta ?

If we applied the same fashion colour onto brunette hair and pre-lightened blonde hair, the results will cement the necessity for prelightening in your mind. Maybe that can be an entire blog of its own…….?

Anyway, the brunette hair will appear practically no different at all while the blonde hair will give an incredibly vibrant colour result. It’s simply the nature of this type of dye.  Without lightening you will not be walking away with anything remotely like a fashion colour. 

Truth Bomb ?  The darker your hair is the more pre-lighteneing work that needs to be done. This means you will need to invest in multiple services before walking away with your desired colour.  Trust me – if we could simplify this process we 100% would!

4.  Is your desire for Fashion Colours a whim or a well thought out desperation for wearing this type of colour?

Whims are awesome. They inject a variety into life and keep it exciting! They come to us as quckly as they leave us and are almot always created by our basic human need for variety.

Well thought out desperation on the other hand, means we know we’re in it for the long haul.  We’ll do what’s necessary to get the best result.  

Truth Bomb ?  Whims should be indulged in with tape or clip in Fashion extensions.  Quick, instant, and you can be back to your normal as quickly as it takes to remove them. Well thought out despertion on the other hand……it’s seriously time to book an appointment ??‍♀️

My goal is never to deter you from getting a service done but to make sure you have all the info to make an educated choice.  

And the choice is always yours ?

No great haircolour ever came to be by a Stylist convincing a client to get it.  

The desire for the Unicorn Life ?  starts inside you!

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca 

 

 

There are no Magic Products

There are no Magic Products

by | Sep 28, 2020 | Just for Salon Clients!

That’s right – I just said it! ?

Me.  A salon owner.  A Hairstylist.  A seller of all kinds of hair products.

And in spite of all of those reasons to say ‘This product will solve all your problems!’ I can’t do it.  I can’t do it because it would be a lie, and we all know how I feel about being honest and transparent with clients ?

In fact, this blog has actually been inspired by a real life conversation between Team members over lunch, because they won’t say it either! Lol

Don’t get me wrong.  There are products on our shelves that I LOVE.  Products that I’ve never had as great a result with.  Products that do exactly what they say they will do and give clients amazing results.  Products that I confidently recommend to clients because I know with 100% certainty that it will help with their haircare and/or styling routine.

Products are a way for you (and us!) to help get you closer to the hair you want to have.

❌  They are not magic.

❌  They aren’t one size fits all.

❌  There is no magic product line (seriously though – if there was you wouldn’t see six million and one different lines out there!).

❌  They don’t work overnight.

❌  They don’t change your hair texture.

❌  They do not defy the laws of gravity until you choose to wash your hair next.

Ever gotten a product recommendation from a friend who raves about how this product instantly changed their hair and you just have to try it?  So you spend your money on this holy grail of a product and are SO disappointed because it literally does nothing for your hair?

We hear about it all the time.  ALL. THE. TIME. ?

I completely understand though.  We all want things that make our lives easier.  We want whatever will work best to get us the look we want to create. Depending on the struggle you experience with your hair, you may have a strong bit of evidence under you bathroom sink to prove your continuing quest. ?

Here’s what I want you to know:

✅  Products can help you.

✅  Products can prevent heat styling damage.

✅   Products can improve the look and feel of your hair.

✅  Products can make styling your hair easier.

✅  Products can temporarily enhance or combat your natural texture.

The above benefits will not be provided by a single bottle and its super important to remember that what works for your hair will be entirely different from what works for someone else.

These reasons are why we carry different product ranges, and are continually testing new products before we add them to the shelves to be sold.  It is a continual process to seek out the best for you.

The truth is we need product to do your hair in order to give you the result you want.

We aren’t selling a product because of a kickback or a commission.  We’re recommending it based on the fact that it was necessary for us to use to get you the results you wanted, and we know for you to replicate those results at home, you are going to need it too.

It’s honeslty that simple.

Our goal is to build a longterm relationship with you and help you acheive the results you really want.

So I’ll say it again for the people in the back……

‘There are no magic products to solve your hair problems.  BUT – there are incredibley beneficial products that when used properly and in combination with one another can really help you get closer to your hair goals.”

We know this because we need them for you too ?

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

 

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