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\")
Sun! Sun! Sun! I’m a firm believer that the more you are out in the sun the more of the blonde it will bring out in your hair! My hair is SO much lighter in the summertime because i’m outdoors more!
Sublime now comes with a pump top? YES!! Happy Friday, Julie!
My roommate’s sister uses the John Frieda line of blonde products. They are supposed to naturally lighten blonde hair without having to actually get it colored. I’ve been wanting to give it a try for a while now but haven’t got around to it. It might be worth a shot!
Congratulations on your mention in the blogger’s link!!
OH I am going to have to try the yogurt. I am always looking for a new flavor. Thanks. http://www.eatallovertheworld.com
If you like coconut you should try Siggi’s coconut flavor!! So good without being overpowering and I love that it has no artificial sweeteners 😀
Thick rich coconut yogurt is the best!!! My favourite treat! We have Coyo here and it’s just coconut milk, tapioca starch to thicken and probiotic cultures! So good!
That sign! I sang it in my head and it was awesome. Thank you for posting!
I have been getting my naturally blonde hair colored for years. The best bet is to get highlights and lowlights so it’s more natural. My lowlights are usually the color of my natural hair. This makes it blend better, looks natural, and you don’t have severe regrowth. Nobody wants dark roots!! My hair is getting darker every year too, it’s sad. I’m able to get my color to last about 3-4 months, longer in the summer thanks to the sun naturally lightening it. Good luck!
I love that haircolour I can only wish mine was close to that!
I love Lauren Conrad! I also follow celebrities on twitter and instagram #noshame
Something I’m loving this week is Ed Sheeran’s song, “Thinking Out Loud”. I love him.
Ever since my melanoma diagnosis, I’ve been using L’Oreal Sublime. It’s by FAR the best sunless tanner out there.
And, have you seen Andy’s old “Fine By Me” video? His songs/videos are ALL the best! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rplmd1afK5U
I’ve been lightening my naturally blonde hair for 12 years. I have done expensive salon highlights, single process, and at home. I am currently using L’Oreal Preference Blonde. I just leave it on for only 15-20 instead of 30 minutes and it makes my hair look really nice. I end up with highlights anyway because the bottom of my hair is much darker than the top. All this to say, go for it, girl! You’re lucky you’re a natural blonde because it is much easier to get a natural looking highlight or color.
i just finished growing my highlights out after cutting my hair off shorter. I would wait until the end of summer to try lightening your hair…the summer sun may just do it naturally and you won’t have to worry about the dryness of dyed blond hair!
I am a natural blonde and highlight my hair! I used to have super blonde, almost white hair and in the summer it usually takes care of lightening itself, but in the winter I feel incredibly washed out when my bright hair turns dull and ashy. I would use Yelp or word of mouth to identify a good stylist/colorist in your area. I would recommend you do a partial highlight before committing to a full head highlight to see how you like it! Another great thing about being blonde – the dark and light layers of blonde hair look so pretty together! I think you’ll find that you LOVE having your hair lightened up!!
My natural blonde hair has been getting darker over the years as well. Ive been getting sparse highlights for a couple of years and add in lowlights as needed to get it to blend naturally, like another girl mentioned above. Best piece of advise for your first color – start sparingly because you can always add more next time and keep in mind the highlights are really bright when you leave the salon, but they mellow out after a few washes (I was terrified of how bright it was the first time).
I was always blonde growing up until middle school when my hair started getting darker and blah. My Mom let me start dying it, we even did red (don’t do that on bleached hair!!!). My favorite method is to use the hair cap and have them pull pieces thru and bleach those. It looks natural although takes longer and can be uncomfortable on the scalp (although never bothered me). Since then I have died my hair blonde, caramel, brunette and dark purple/brown. I go dark, then a few months later add highlights, then blonde, then a light brunette, then back to darker. Each time it takes you a bit to recognize yourself but it’s kinda neat and you adjust. My hair is way easier to style and manage when dyed and it doesn’t need washing as often. Just get a leave in conditioner. AG Fast Food is my favorite if I don’t use that after an intense dye session then my hair turns straw like. Cutting your hair is also super fun, it grows back! It can be re-dyed! Go for it. Its not a tattoo or a piercing. Over your life it’s really a relatively small commitment.
I’ve recently relocated to Huntsville, Alabama for some training… and I am definitely LOVING IT! I left snowy, miserable Upstate New York and love the temperate weather down here! I’m excited to get out and explore this weekend!
I have been highlighting my hair for years because my blonde turned mousy a long time ago. If you start highlighting it be prepared to do it forever. One, you’ll love it (promise) but two, you’ll have to go every 10-12 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows. The “lazy girl ombre” is an option but it’s not going to be trendy forever.
I have the mentality that “it’s just hair” but I realize not everyone has that. I have to spend THREE hours in the hair chair every 10 weeks because I have thick locks that grow fast.
Just think of this way…eventually you’ll get grays and you’ll have to highlight anyways. Get a jump start! 😉 hahaha
Here’s another music video for you to love today 🙂
http://thedailywh.at/2015/01/music-video-day-watch-maroon-5-crash-real-weddings-sugar/
I have naturally blonde hair and it gets darker in the winter. I use John Frieda blonde shampoo, conditioner and occasionally the lightening spray. It looks natural (not like Sun In back in the day 😉 )and gives the look of highlights without having to dye it.
Hi Julie!
A balayage is a great way to lighten your hair and have it look completely natural! With this treatment, your roots look much more natural as your hair grows.
Good luck!
thank you!! definitely looking into balayage!
OBSESSED w/ balayage. I started dying my hair in college after it became a mousy brown (platinum blonde as a toddler)- and no one who knew me before realized I wasn’t a natural blonde because I had the right skin tone/eyebrow color- you will be fine. I went dark last year and decided I wanted to start lightening up my hair again and my hair stylist convinced me to let her do balayage. Be prepared to spend $$ though- highlights in general aren’t worth it unless you are going to a quality salon (they will also be much less harsh on your hair than any at home solution).
OMG! noosa has a coconut flavor?!?! I need that in my life right now!!!
I think highlights would look great on you…I would personally go to a nice salon and see some experienced with hair colouring. Balayage is a nice technique because it creates more dimension then just a head of foils!
I’ve been getting my dark blonde hair highlighted for years, and the biggest thing I’ve learned is to find a stylist that knows how to work with different shades of blonde. There’s warm blondes and cool blondes, and I think it’s super important to know which one works best for your skin tone. I would ask a blonde friend you know in you area that could recommend a good stylist that they go to get their hair highlighted. Other than that, I think you just need to go for it! It’s always a little scary to do something different, but I think some highlights in your hair would be so pretty!
I am LOVING that hair color – and the pizza sign!
And the fact that the sun has finally decided to show itself in GA – just in time for the weekend 😉
Mmm, that yogurt sounds delish! I’m thinking about getting some bangs at my next haircut! I had cut my hair short and now it’s blah as I’m letting it grow out… sometimes you have to change things up. 🙂
I am a natural blonde and I LOVE John’s Frieda’s natural lightening spray: http://www.johnfrieda.ca/en-CA/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Sheer-Blonde/Go-Blonder-Controlled-Lightening-Spray
I guess it could be considered like a sun-in… but basically you spray it on your hair and then use your blow dryer and like magic it’s lighter. I use it maybe once a month in the summer (because my hair and the sun love each other), and 2-3 times a month in the winter (because winter), and it keeps my locks light and bright, but they still feel healthy. I have two blonde friends who are big fans of it as well now.
Oh man I just started raving about Noosa yoghurt this week and it was on my Five Things Friday list today too! My flavor though is honey since I am not a fan of coconut. It tastes like cheesecake and I actually just ate a whole container while reading and commenting on posts! Soooo good!
cheesecake yogurt!? i’m SO IN.
Thank you so much for sharing that song and video!! I’m not one of those people that shares things on facebook, but it’s so cute that my immediate thought I NEED TO SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE I KNOW! thank you thank you as always for doing these posts, they’re so fun and I always get something out of them!
aw, so happy you liked it, kate!! i thought it was too adorable not to share! 🙂
I’m a natural blonde who lightens and I’d suggest starting with a balayage ombre. Traditional foil highlights that hit very close to the scalp are much more high maintenance and are much more obvious to spot as faux color. Painted on color that doesn’t hit too close to the scalp is both lower maintenance and much more natural looking! Look for a good, experienced colorist because it can be a bit tricky.
Happy Friday 🙂
I loved The Lion King when it first came out – I knew all the songs by heart. When it was released in 3D a couple years ago I even went to the theater to see it.
I’m a natural blond and only recently have started to touch it up. My advice is not to color your hair but to highlight it — you could even start with partial highlights versus full head. Then you will know how you feel about the color. This will also mean you won’t have that whole “roots” growing in problem and won’t have to color as often
I’m a blonde going through the same thing! When I was little, I used to be bleach blonde. But the older I get, the darker my hair gets! My advice for a first time hair color is to try a process called balyage. It’s so much better than foil highlights because the hair stylists literally paint it into sections of your hair and it looks much more natural and grows out more naturally too without extremely visible roots. Try it out! 🙂
Depends on what I am using the recipe for… Parties and dinners, or for baking that I am going to share with many I will go on Epicurious, but for everyday stuff Google. I also have an overload of books, magazines, and family recipes that are go to staples.
I’m a natural dark blonde, but I used to be a white white blonde when I was younger. When I first wanted to lighten my hair, I used a drugstore dye and it turned my hair STRAW YELLOW with slightly BLUE bits near my face! Ahh!!! That was when I was 20…I’m 34 now. Times have changed!!
I found a stylist by asking a girlfriend (who had similar hair that I do) who her stylist was. Best beauty thing I ever did, lol. (Well, except for eating lots of veg and drinking water!!) I have gone to the same stylist now for about 8 years and she never lets me down!
Anyway, I now go every three months for highlights in summer and highlights/lowlights in winter. It’s natural-looking and the root growth isn’t really noticeable because the highlights fade a bit. Which is ok. It just gives some…uh..dimension? to my hair. Oh, and volume! Yess! I pay $200 per visit (tip included) for the cut and highlights. This is worth it to me!
For reference, my hair is pin straight, medium-long, and on the medium side as far as thickness goes, but I have lots of hairs. Um…yeah.!
Also, I now use the Marc Anthony shampoo that you recommended ages ago. Love it, so thank you again for that!
Congrats on the DailyBurn list! You certainly deserve it – I’ve been a faithful reader of yours for many years!
thank you!! <3 <3
That sign is amazing! xoxo, ganeeban
Regarding the hair color, go for it! I recently added a touch of red to my hair. I was so nervous. Although I don’t absolutely love it, I do not regret trying something different. It was so much fun to see a new side of myself.
That is a very pretty shade of blonde! If I was a natural blonde, I’d aim for that color, too, but my light brown hair is too dark for it and I don’t dye my hair often enough to keep it up. Go for it! It’ll be especially good for the spring/summer.
I am just loving the fact that I am feeling better! I was sick for three days so it definitely affected my last week of training for my race.
i have been loving cashew butter this week – I’m obsessed!
I am also a dark blonde and I also agree that the best way to find the right stylist is to find another blonde with highlights that you love and ask her where she goes! I had a wonderful hair stylist in Orlando. I am still shopping around in Jacksonville, my hair stylist now gets my hair right about half the time, eh. It makes a huge difference having the right person.
The other thing is if you do it, it’s ok if you don’t like it right away. Highlights had to grow on me and I eventually really loved them.
Good luck!
I’m going to be the huge Debbie downer that someone else was to me one time and go ahead and say that Noosa tastes like dessert because it is dessert–23 g of sugar per serving! Like anything, best in moderation.. 🙂
oh i know… definitely not a “breakfast staple” but it was delicious as a treat!
Hi Julie! I have been a reader of yours for years and I love your blog. I’m a natural blonde and was reluctant to highlight my hair at first. I’ll agree with all the other girls- balayage is the way to go and worth the extra money. It’s probably how Lauren Conrad got her highlights! I can get away with having mine done 2-3 times per year max because it grows out so subtly. Good luck 🙂
this sounds so, so promising!! thank you!
Balayage is the way to go! I was a color newbie and finally decided to lighten my naturally blonde hair after it kept getting darker and darker. It looks so much more natural and it lasts a lot longer because you don’t have to worry about roots!
I’d buy ANYTHING from a place with this sign at the door. : D
I just repeated that song opening by Rafiki roughly 16 times to myself …. haha I’m trying to imagine HOW whoever did, came up with that. I want to be their friend.
That Lion King sign is AMAZING! I would definitely buy pizza from there 🙂
I used to be a natural blonde and my locks darkened quite a bit as I got older too. I usually ask my stylist for a very very natural highlight (like sun tints) and ask that it blend with my natural color. This way when it grows out, you can’t tell as much so you don’t have to do it that often. It also prevents you from going too light since it’s hard to recover from that.
I think I might have some input on the hair color! I am a blonde and my hair has been slowly turning to a dark blonde over the past few years. I didn’t want anything too drastic so I started using Sun-In. I know some people say this product can hurt their hair, which I’m sure it can, but I use it lightly and have been fine with it for years! When my hair is wet after a shower, I make a few parts through my hair and spray it on top, then run the blowdryer along those areas. I think used carefully on natural blondes it can give great results!