It’s Friday!! Can I get a woohoooo!? This morning is a busy one for this girl, but it’s filled with fun things that make me happy: Teaching barbell strength and PiYo classes! Thankfully I have a little break between the classes to refuel and catch my breath, but I really do love the enthusiasm I seem to find in Friday morning classes at the gym. Everyone is a little happier on Fridays, right?
Speaking of things that make us happy, let’s dive right into your weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where we chat about what is making us smile every week. I’m especially excited about an Uptown cooking class date night Ryan and I have on the agenda for this weekend. The anticipation of good food and weekend fun is definitely making me smile today.
As always, please feel free to join in on the fun and share something you’re loving this week in the comment section below. I always love reading your Friday comments every week!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- This Hair Color
![Great Blonde Hair Color_thumb[5]](https://i2.wp.com/pbfingers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Great-Blonde-Hair-Color_thumb5.png "Great Blonde Hair Color_thumb[5]")
With each passing day my naturally blonde hair seems to get darker and darker and it’s bothering me more and more. I’m seriously considering lightening it for the first time ever and this is the color I absolutely adore. I wonder if I will ever get brave enough to actually do it. (FYI, for those curious, Lauren Conrad’s beautiful locks are pictured above. I took a screenshot of one of her Instagram photos because I’m creepy and definitely follow celebrities like it’s cool.) If you are a natural blonde and have experience lightening your hair and have any advice/words of wisdom for a newbie like me, please let me know! I don’t want to leave a salon swimming in a pool of regret…
![Suja Green Delight Smoothie Juice_thumb[1]](https://i2.wp.com/pbfingers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Suja-Green-Delight-Smoothie-Juice_thumb1.jpg "Suja Green Delight Smoothie Juice_thumb[1]")
I’ve been a fan of Suja juice for a while now and this week I cannot stop drinking their Green Delight smoothie. Oh my gosh, it’s so good! It’s sweet and refreshing and packed with superfoods like spirulina and chlorella. I swear I feel more energetic after downing one of these babies! It’s a great post-workout smoothie option for me since I can grab it on the way out the door and store it in the fridge at my gym. I’ve been pairing it with two hard-boiled eggs after teaching some of my 9 a.m. classes and loving it!
- This Sign
I would buy pizza from this place based on this sign alone. Lion King fo’ life!
- Noosa Coconut Yoghurt
This yogurt tastes like dessert in a cup!!! A few of you recommended Noosa to me when I blogged about my love for coconut-flavored anything in the past and I finally picked some up this week. I sprinkled some sunflower and pumpkin seeds on top for a little crunch and dug into the Aussie-style yogurt after I taught my 9 a.m. cycle class yesterday. It was so, so delicious! Great recommendation, guys!
- Andy Grammer “Honey I’m Good” (Music Video + Song)
I love everything about this music video! It’s the cutest! Ryan actually showed it to me last weekend and said he knew I’d love it right off the bat. He was right! Not only are the couples in the video adorable, the song is so darn catchy. Just try to watch it and not smile. (Warning: This song will get stuck in your head for all the days.)
- Lenny Boy Good Ol’ Ginger Kombucha
![Lenny Boy Kombucha_thumb[1]](https://i2.wp.com/pbfingers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Lenny-Boy-Kombucha_thumb1.jpg "Lenny Boy Kombucha_thumb[1]")
After sipping on this stuff at Luna’s Living Kitchen last Saturday, I was on a mission to find it at a local grocery store this week. It’s absolutely the best ginger kombucha I’ve had to date and I was so happy to find it at Earth Fare! Naturally I nabbed a few bottles and have enjoyed it as a treat when I want something fizzy and tasty!
![Loreal Sunless Tanner_thumb[1]](https://i2.wp.com/pbfingers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Loreal-Sunless-Tanner_thumb1.jpg "Loreal Sunless Tanner_thumb[1]")
It’s the middle of January and I can use all the help I can get to try to give my skin some color! This sunless tanner is my go-to and I’ve been using it on my face for years. It doesn’t build-a-tan so you can wash it off immediately if you put too much on, but I feel like a few tiny squirts of this stuff give my face a much-needed dose of color during the winter months. My mom, sister and I all use it regularly and swear by it!
- Giveaway Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the following giveaways!
Chocolate-Covered Katie Cookbook: Krissy S.
HIIT It!: Zoe S.
Both winners were emailed first thing this morning!
- Around the Web…
Hilarious Bachelor Recaps (AshleyJonesy.com — Hat tip to Colleen for sharing this one!)
Tabata Workout, 30 Minute Total Body Blast Workout, Arms + Abs Workout (Big thanks to FitSugar.com for sharing my workouts on their site!)
What 2,000 Calories Looks Like (NYTimes.com)
Best Fitness Quotes to Motivate You (FitBottomedGirls.com)
9 Bloggers Who Changed Their Lives One Post at a Time (Thank you to DailyBurn.com for including me! Very excited!)
Easy Restaurant Style Blender Salsa (AverieCooks.com – I need this in my life.)
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you’re loving this week?
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I have been listening to “Honey I’m Good” on repeat (and dancing around the house) thanks to you! Andy Grammer is the best 🙂
That Bachelor Recap post was hilarious!
I’m loving that today it is in the mid 40s and feels SO WARM (Midwest problems). Haha
My natural hair color is very similar to yours and a few years ago I decided to get highlights for the first time. Just remember after you get them that it does fade a little in a few days!! I remember crying because it was so light and different, but a few days later it looked a tad darker and I loved it! Haven’t stopped highlighting since 🙂
I’ve been listening to podcasts while cleaning my kitchen this morning and I’m loving two new ones: Invisibilia and Nerdette 🙂
You’re right, that video was super cute!
It’s not Friday anymore but I’m loving the new Monster’s Inc mug I bought from Downtown Disney last night. I love huge mugs so I can fill them with coffee or tea
Just watched Andy Grammers video based on your suggestion -I liked the song anyway-the video is adorable
I’ve had my eye on Noosa the past couple times I’ve been to the store but never bought any! I think I need to next time I’m out!
I really like that Bronzer too! I normally wear it in the beginning of the summer to cover up my pale skin until I get tan again! haha
Hello Julie,
My hair color is a bit darker than yours because my hair is very very thick, but something great that highlights it in a very good way is to put a few drops of oxygenated water in your shampoo. THe blowdryer will activate it once you get out of the shower. Another cool thing are lightening sprays that do wonders. On the bonus side, you get to build the blond your want so you can start with a very subtle change!
I think that highlights done in a salon are always obvious so this can be a good alternative!
(http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=lightening+spray&oe=UTF-8&gfe_rd=cr&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=fr&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0)
I have had naturally blonde hair my entire life! When I was a kid it was almost white, but as I’ve gotten older it has darkened and I have gotten highlights a couple of times. I was terrified of ruining my hair so I made sure I found a nice salon that had really good reviews. I think it’s worth the extra money to ensure they don’t mess up your hair! I just get a few highlights to lighten it up, like the summer does, and not look fake.
Hi!! The self tanner- what a perfect time to see you post something about it. I am going on a cruise in about a little over 2 weeks and I am from Chicago- so I am pastey white!! Would that stuff be good to use daily all over your body? Or is there a lotion you prefer to get a kind of base before I go?
I’m also a natural blonde and my hair was getting darker and darker (almost dark brown!!!). I started getting blonde highlights a few years ago and it’s just what I need to get the perfect balance. I tried all over color once or twice and it looked way too fake for me, but I’ve found a stylist in Charlotte who does my all over highlights and she picked the perfect color. I love it! So bottom line: highlights, not all over color!!!
I didn’t realize you have never colored your hair. It is so pretty! Lucky! I have highlighted my hair for a long time and I think that the key is to tell the stylist you want them to look natural. I have had thicker ones that are not evenly distributed and they have looks pretty bad. I think that a lot of thinner ones from the top back looks very natural. I also like mine to be pretty white. If not, they can look a little yellow/washed out.
Ooooooo….. I like that self tanner idea! And definitely sent that picture of rafiki to my sister, hilarious!!
Ohmigosh! That Andy Grammer video was too cute! <3
I’ve had a couple of friends who have experienced darkening in their hair and a couple have tried a product called “Sun-In.” Some of them loved the product while others went ahead and ended up just dying their hair. I would definitely give it a try or ask your stylist! Oh and that sign is absolutely hilarious! haha I read it in the voice from The Lion King! ha!
Natural blonde here whose hair decided to turn dishwater blonde a few years ago when I hit 30. I suggest going to a salon that has good recs. and not skimping on money, but the great thing is if they do it right you will only need it [highlights, agree with above commenter don’t do all-over color, your base tone is gorgeous] done about twice a year and it will fade out naturally. I’d also heard [as you mentioned in one of your previous posts] that once you put color in your hair, it would not lighten the same in the sun, but my stylist said that was a myth and I found her to be correct. The only other thing I’ve learned is that you really want to use a good moisturizing color shampoo/conditioner because putting any amount of peroxide in your hair will make it more prone to tangles, even if you’ve never had that issue. And lastly, the great thing about color is that it’s not like getting a bad haircut, if you don’t love it, it only takes a few months to grow out/fix [unless you go to a rookie stylist and they destroy your hair, hence my above rec of using a good salon!] I say go for it, you’ve been thinking about it for ages!
I am a natural blonde too, and just like you, it seems to get darker and darker. This started earlier for me so I’ve been lightening my hair for years now. I’ve done it a few different ways so here’s what I would have liked someone to tell me:
My hair has always been light enough where the typical one-bleach-out-fits-all highlights look good on me, but they really wreck the health of the hair. And to be honest, any salon that does this is probably not that great.
What you want is a hairdresser that will show you samples of color so you can choose how light you want to go. Not only will the color choice look far more natural but your hair will stay healthy (and roots will hardly show!). If you trust her/him, take their recommendation seriously, but if you really feel it’s too light/dark go with your gut. They know what will look good on you, but you know better what you’ll be happy with. If you’re a first timer, you might want to be conservative with your color choice. You can always go lighter next time.
With that in mind, this color will wash out (where bleaching obviously won’t), so don’t expect it to last for a long time and definitely use color saving shampoo! Because of this I go a little lighter than I want to at the salon (a color that still looks good of course but the fade is slower and so it stays looking good until the next visit). As a first timer you might not want to do this right away, but I just wanted to let you know because I was a little disappointed when the perfect color I got faded too fast.
Some stylists think lowlights and highlights are the way to go – I disagree. Maybe it does work for some people, but in my experience with lowlights, they just make my hair look less natural and when roots grow in it just looks awkward. But this is personal preference.
Anyway, that was just my experience! Also, it is totally worth doing. I grew up with naturally bleach blonde hair that gradually grew darker into a more dirty dishwater color in my twenties. I just didn’t feel like myself. Highlights really do make a difference some how in how I feel. And if you don’t go too light the maintenance really isn’t much. I think you’ll love it once you start! Also keeping in mind you’ll probably tweak the color as time goes by to reach the perfect color for you.
I feel like my naturally blonde hair is getting darker every day, too. It REALLY depresses me because people always ask what color I use, and I feel pretty awesome telling them it’s completely natural. I don’t want to be a brunette 🙁
Thank you so much for linking to my blog! You’re the best! Day is made.
of course!! <3