VAIN Blog

My suitcase was the punchline of almost every joke I heard on my trip to Spain. It’s true, I took my flat iron, a train case of makeup, 5 pairs of shoes; it’s true that every cab driver hated me. But in terms of beautification, this is what I would’ve had to work with had I not lugged around that giant bag:

What is that, you ask? That, dear VAIN friends, is the blow dryer in my 5 star hotel. It functioned on a level even below what the aesthetics suggest. For the $10 spent on an adapter at the airport, it was worth that + more to use my own trust dryer - purchased at VAIN Ballard, of course.

It is worth mentioning that by the end of the trip, in Granada, I abandoned all appliances in favor of Kevin Murphy’s Fresh Hair every other day, and letting my hair air dry after mid-day swims in the creek. But that’s at the opposite end of the spectrum - if I did want or need to look polished while we were in the larger cities, I would’ve been lost.

My best advice after 10 days lugging an 80 pound bag? Choose one pair of shoes, ditch the train case in favor of just mascara + lip gloss, remember you’ll probably only wear one pair of jeans and one dress anyhow; but don’t scrimp on the blow dryer + adapter.

xo,

Sarah Jo, VAIN’s on-the-go beauty correspondent

VAIN blogger, talented photographer, front desk superstar and runner-of-all-things-VAIN-Ballard Sarah Jurado’s last day as a VAIN full-timer is today (CUE WEEP TRACK). Tomorrow morning she’ll wake up with a fresh new focus on her photography career. Luckily for VAIN, we’ll still be hearing from Sarah here on our blog from time to time: look for more of her great pictures, VAIN True Life posts, and an upcoming hair + street style report from Spain while she’s out on tour with her husband. So while we’ll miss Sarah’s face and careful attention to our clients (if you’re reading this then she’s undoubtedly helped you schedule or reschedule a hair appointment at some point!), we’ll all be seeing her words and images here for a while still.

Here’s to the horizons ahead for Sarah.

-Rebecca Pellman
on behalf of VAIN

Follow Sarah Jurado’s photography + life adventures on her Web site, sarahjurado.com

Ok, so maybe it’s not quite as dramatic as the MTV series. But before I met VAIN, the thought of backcombing terrified me. And backcombing the FRONT of my bangs? Not even something that occurred to me.

Last weekend I went to Vegas with a group of uber stylish ladies - we’re talking Dior shoes, Bebe dresses, Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, the whole nine. They have great taste + amazing style. I can’t match their budget, but I gotta say that thanks to a trusty pink VAIN comb I held my own. I failed to schedule a bang trim before I left town, but rather than accepting my sideswept disaster, I loaded up on hairspray and went for a faux pompadour that made me feel like a million bucks.

Naturally my favorite photo from the day cuts off the top of my head.

You’ll just have to trust me on how awesome the bangs were. You can see my other budget-saving VAIN accents here though, with a pair of $8 sunglasses that have all the glamour of ones that run for 10x that amount. The dress was just a simple Old Navy thing that cost all of $20, but combined with an investment piece by Mayapple [the gorgeous feather/gold necklace seen above, similar pieces available at VAIN Ballard] it was a capital-O-Outfit.

Proof you can look and feel good on a budget. It is worth overcoming the anxiety about ratting one’s own hair to have a sophisticated look this summer.

xo,

Sarah Jo

Are you afraid of hairspray? Many of our stylists offer amazing updos + style appointments. Call our front desk to schedule with someone who can walk you through the fear and into fashion.