Summer Lovin': Hair edition

   
Christine Symonds might not be a name that you're particularly familiar with, but let me tell you, once she's had her talented fingers through your once blah and unmanageable locks, it's going to be a name that you'll never want to forget!
From the moment you sit in her chair at the uber stylish salon Byron and Tracey, you immediately feel like you've known her for years. You're ready to relax and put all of those old hair salon horror stories behind you and trust her to work her magic, which she always does! In between giving out hair tips to the readers of InStyle and taming the tresses of Hollywoods finest, I was lucky enough to get the biggest insight on what's hip and happening for this summers hottest hair. Here's what she had to say...


It's all about making the most of the surf and sun and minimizing your time at the salon or in front of the mirror.
I don't care what anyone says, beachy, sexy, long hair will always be in. Be it, wavy, undone and/or tousled, in my opinion these hair trends will always be the perfect summer accessory.



Color

This season we're seeing major roots and tipped out bleached ends, maybe a couple of face framing highlights, but the focus is mainly on the bleached out ends. The look is as if the sun had it's way with your hair and highlighted it naturally. Not like you've spent your entire weekend in the salon covered in aluminum foil!

For inspiration think Giselle, SJP, Molly Sims, Alexa Chung...



Balayage is the coloring technique used to achieve this look. Your colorist will paint on the bleach instead of using foils in order to create a more natural, sun kissed appearance.  The time and $ saved on regular touchups and expensive salon appointments will give you more time and $ to enjoy that summer sun. 


Accessories 
Think vintage scarfs, big flowers, vintage broaches, straw fedoras and large straw floppy hats. These are the perfect way to get you out the door in minimum time and make the most of those long days and late nights!



extra zest clip Anthropologie $18

J.Crew Vintage Silk Scarf $58
 
Gravitational Pull Sunhat $38


Texture
Brazilian blowouts are HUGE this season.  Practically all my clients have gotten or are getting them. The process of adding Keratin (a natural hair protein) to your locks literally changes the texture of your hair.



Products 
My top pics for summer are 

Bumble and bumble surf spray 

Klorane dry shampoo 

Pureology shampoo and conditioner (vegan and organic, so it's the purest thing you can put in your hair. A must for those girls who have just had their brazilian blowout) 

Kerastase Soleil line. A new UV protectant line which is perfect for sun exposure. (my favorite being the aqua seal)


Style
We've been seeing braids on everyone and their best friend for the past few seasons, however this seasons braid is a little more free form. Keep it uneven, a little messy and with lots of texture, think "bed head" braids. 


HOT TIP (stay tuned for photo DIY instructions): Instead of the traditional three pieces of hair, grab four and start incorporating them into each other. Once you get three quarters of the way down, secure with an elastic and pull out random pieces to make it look like you just rolled out of bed. Do this first thing in the morning and by night fall take it out, spray with surf spray and be your tresses will be ready for another balmy night filled with summer cocktails...

sweet morning

This morning my boyfriend was woken with a hot cup of coffee and the sweetest breakfast ever. My Doughy Lemon Maple Yogurt Cake with Blueberry Vanilla Syrup.


Life could be worse huh?

berry berry good

Tis the season for fresh summer produce. Berries, melons, all the things that make you feel light and breezy perfectly compliment the warmer days and longer nights.
This blueberry syrup can be used for a multitude of recipe's and the blueberries can be substituted for your favorite raspberries or any other berry you may fancy.


Blueberry Vanilla Syrup

Put three cups of freshly washed blueberries into a small saucepan.

Add a cup of water a cup of vanilla sugar and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Add half of a vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and bring to the boil.

Once it's boiling bring it down to a nice simmer. The blueberries will begin to burst and fill your house with warm berry jam aroma.

After about half an hour, the pectin in the lemon will begin to thicken the syrup.  Take it off the heat and allow to cool a little.

Remove vanilla pod and fill an old bottle with this deliciously fragrant jammy syrup. If you wish to have a smoother syrup, be sure to strain it before storing. Use it with the Doughy Lemon Maple Yogurt Cake or in a summer cocktail.  The uses are endless! Explore!

when life gives you lemons...

...there's a heck of a lot more to make than lemonade!


Our neighbor has the most amazing lemon tree. All year round the tree is laden with the most succulent juicy lemons. Although my favorite variety is the Meyer for its kinder bite, when it comes to cooking with some extra zing the good ol' traditional lemon makes for the biggest impact.
One of my favorite cakes is a simple yogurt cake that my mum would make. She'd take it straight out of the oven and while it was still piping hot, cover it in heavy dosing of cinnamon and sugar. We'd sit with our cup of tea and call it a day! This lemon yogurt cake with a blueberry syrup (that will just blow your mind) is an homage to that time in the kitchen with my mum. 


Doughy Lemon Maple Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt 

sift into a bowl

in a separate bowl whisk together

3 jumbo eggs

3/4 cup of sugar

1 cup of your favorite whole yogurt (I recommend fage greek yogurt)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 cup of good maple syrup

2 teaspoons of lemon zest

gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until thick and evenly combined

add 1/2 a cup of vegetable oil to mixture and carefully fold in until even.

place in greased loaf pan and put in the oven for around 50 minutes until center is doughy but cooked.

The next part in this process absolutely takes this simple cake to the next level..

Lemon Vanilla Glaze

Combine 1/3 of sugar and 1/3 cups of lemon juice into saucepan.

Add half a vanilla bean with seeds or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Once syrup mixture is brought to the boil and sugar is completely dissolved remove from heat.

Slowly strain hot syrup over warm cake and allow mixture to soak completely into loaf.

loaf will be shiny and inviting... I dare you to resist!

The best part is that it keeps getting better over the following days. The worst part is that it's yet to last more than an afternoon!

but I don't wanna....do I?

If you're like me, then you have pile upon pile of your favorite fashion, decor and design magazines stashed all over your house.  I just can't seem to part with these little jewels of inspiration and am yet to come up with a better alternative to storing them. My fear (however irrational it may seem) is that if I put them too far away I'll never see them and they'll be lost forever like a long forgotten treasure map (yes these magazines contain the location of my much desired treasures).  This is where the fabulousness of online magazines come in. No you don't get to turn the actual pages and smell the new paper smell, but as reluctant as I am, I think that's all part of welcoming a new era of reading - hello Kindle and iPad. The dilema of where to store these dream diaries is completely taken away and you can't deny the obvious environmental pluses that come with reduced paper consumption. 
Here's a list of some of the greatest digital design magazines that I've found out there.. Give them a go, they might just change your mind.

Lonny Magazine

Although there's not many issues (three to be exact) this little jewel was created by those genius' who put together the cult design mag, Domino magazine. R.I.P...sigh

Fryd + Design

My girlfriend who lives in Norway put me onto this Scandinavian take on life and design in Northern Europe... It's adorably neat and simple.

Neet Magazine

As a self professed "style bible for the digital age", this quarterly UK based online publication has some of the greatest vintage finds and DIY projects around.

Nesting Newbies

 

For those of us who are already missing the visceral accompaniments that come with a good ol' traditional read, this virtual mag has added some sound effects to make you feel as though you're actually turning the page...it's sweet, but they're not fooling anyone! Although I may be muting the flip sound on this site, they have me hooked on their delightful collection of recipes and demonstrative 'how to' video clips. 

Sweet Paul

On the heels of his wildly successful blog of the same title, Sweet Paul, prop and food stylist Paul Lowe has fulfilled one of his biggest dreams with his 'bon appetite' meets martha stewart culinary and craft magazine.  The food design is truly some of the best I've ever seen and the photography captures the taste and quirky style of this digital gem beautifully. If this magazine can't inspire you in one way or another, then I don't know what will! It's safe to say I'm crazy about the guy's style and thank goodness I have his blog to follow in between editions.

So go ahead! Download them, print out the pages you've fallen in love with, and dive head first into the digital age of reading.. I for one am taking it one step at a time. But let me tell you, this isn't a bad place to start...not at all!

spring brings new things

Spring time has me in the mood to create new things...that includes the much wanted redesign of my love nest. Check out some of the inspirations that I've fallen in love with..


Look at the wood on this stair case.

love the quilted sleigh bed

the right shade of grey and blue together are always calming


shelves, shelves and more shelves

love the grey beams

and different nooks for reading or entertaining .

Memorial day or broke...

Well yesterday was an absolute blast... What more do you need than some California sunshine, some KILLER margaritas, a grill and some of your best buddies to celebrate life?  
Unfortunately the latter part of the day ended with one of our friends breaking his nose on a surf board and me getting sunburnt to an absolute crisp... that's what you get for preaching those Australian slip, slop, slap sunsmarts. Somehow through all of that, we managed to take a moment to remember what this day was all about and give thanks to all of the soldiers out there who are doing what they're doing for life as we know it!