IIT #11: How to Trim Your Bangs Like a Pro

Is it wrong to ask your expert friends to solve questions for your clients when really the questions are for you? I’m going to say, “no.”

As a personal stylist for women, I’m all about helping each woman understand how to dress her body in clothes that make her feel like her authentic self. I am not, however, a master at trimming my own bangs. That’s why I asked my very own hairstylist, Lindsay Brabank of Spruce Salon and Spa, to help the Poplin community solve two of the biggest hair challenges in quarantine: 1. How do I cut my own bangs and 2. What do I do about my roots? She has generously offered up advice for both. So, this post has been split into two.

Before we dive into her post, you should know that Lindsay has been the genius behind my hair color and cuts for the past few years. Every product she uses is chemical free and she has a wealth of information, having been a hairstylist for over 17 years. She also gives back to the community generously including hosting a successful fundraiser to help provide food and water to folks crossing the border. In short, she’s amazing and I hope that you find her info helpful AND that you support her as a small businesswoman hit by the pandemic.

Here we go!

Now, it’s all about trimming those bangs! Here’s the most straightforward, helpful video ever.

How to Trim Your Bangs Like a Pro with Lindsay Brabank of Spruce Salon and Spa

IIT #10: Roots Bringing Down You Down? Not Anymore.

Who knew that this crisis would bring about so many existential questions? There are some big ones that instantly come to mind about equity and classism, as an example. Let’s call those “A list” crises. Just like there are B, C and D list celebrities, there are D list crises. We adore our D list celebrities and they matter to us — think Jerry on Cheer (by the way, this will make you feel very good.)

In the same way, we’ve got “D list” quarantine crises. Some of the most prominent involve how to look and feel good everyday without regular visits to the hairstylist. That can be hard to do when your grey is growing out or your roots are four inches long. Whether or not to go natural is a big decision for women. Are you someone who wants to embrace the grey and find beauty in the natural or do you find it depressing? We’re all strongly in one camp or the other.

Personally, my roots are dark brown and fortunately, they work as they grow out. But, if all of my hair was brown, I would feel that a large part of my identity was lost. After all, can you imagine me without red hair? I didn’t think so.

With that in mind I asked my hairstylist, Lindsay Brabank, to help the Poplin community solve two of the biggest hair challenges in quarantine: 1. How do I cut my own bangs and 2. What do I do about my roots? She has generously offered up advice for both. So, this post will be split into two.

Before we dive into her post, you should know that Lindsay has been the genius behind my hair color and cuts for the past few years. Every product she uses is chemical free and she has a wealth of information, having been a hairstylist for over 17 years. She also gives back to the community generously including hosting a successful fundraiser to help provide food and water to folks crossing the border. In short, she’s amazing and I hope that you find her info helpful AND that you support her as a small businesswoman hit hard by the pandemic.

Here we go!

A Professional’s Guide to Hiding Your Roots from Lindsay Brabank, Spruce Salon and Spa

In It Together #9: Want Something New? It Just Might Be Hiding In Your Jewelry Box

Today is our 8 week anniversary of captivity. Sure, it’s dark. But, I’ve decided we’ll celebrate eight weeks of togetherness with a party for three including my first baking project of the pandemic and some good quality television. Let’s face it, there are some major ups and downs while in quarantine. Sometimes you’re productive. Sometimes you are panicked. Sometimes you are energized and sometimes you are exhausted. Hence, the In It Together Series. My clients and readers have told me about the ups and downs of their quarantine experiences. This series is intended to offer inspiration, guidance and support during this unprecedented time.

As a personal stylist for women, my posts are generally focused on transformation- with style as your vehicle. Right now, I think my community is served best by bringing together my small business community and my client community through this series. I hope you agree.

Today, I’ve asked one of my client favorites to offer up her guidance on rediscovering your jewelry. Adrienne Krieger is the powerhouse behind Everling Jewelry. You can see me gush about her and her business here. In short, she’s all about beauty, sustainability, resourcefulness and expressing yourself. I think you’ll find that reorganizing your jewelry is another way to both exert some control over a chaotic world and to rediscover beautiful pieces that you can wear right now. Enjoy!

Everling Jewelry Owner, Adrienne Krieger,

on Bringing New Life to Your Jewelry Collection

In it Together #8: How to Embrace Your Inner European

Man, everyday life in quarantine is filled with an array of unexpected daily challenges that seem small, but add up quickly. The In It Together Series will make your day to day easier thanks to expert advice from female business owners in Seattle. As a personal stylist for women in Seattle, I’m fortunate to be a part of a community of bright, generous, resourceful women who have the power to improve our situations. Today’s post is from an old friend of mine and the force behind Bold Spirit Travel, Regina Winkle- Bryan. She’s been all over the word and now focuses her energy empowering women through travel. I loved this post so much that I’m posting it earlier than I’d planned. It’s just that good. I hope it inspires you the way it did me.

We do many things well in the United States, but relaxation is not one of them. Short vacays, working weekends, crammed social calendars, and never-ending to-do lists are commonplace. Now, forced to stay home and social-distance, you may not be run-ragged by long commutes and packed workdays, but new stressors have sprung up to replace them.

I lived in Barcelona for a decade next to the warm sands of the Mediterranean Sea. I was often scolded by my Spanish family for working too much and not knowing when to disconnect. It took a while, but I realized that they were right. When it comes to enjoying life, Europeans—especially Southern Europeans—know what they are doing. They’ve been perfecting the lifestyle for millennia.

In this season of uncertainty and anxiety, let’s look to the Spaniards for some schooling on how to calm the hell down.

Your Beginner’s Guide to Relaxing Like a Spaniard

In It Together #7: Easy Tips to Cook A Great Meal When You Don't Have All the Desired Ingredients

Man, everyday life in quarantine is filled with an array of unexpected daily challenges that seem small, but add up quickly. The In It Together Series will make your day to day easier thanks to expert advice from female business owners in Seattle. As a personal stylist for women in Seattle, I’m fortunate to be a part of a community of bright, generous, resourceful women who have the power to improve our situations. Today’s post is from the Chef Owner of Miri’s Golden Gardens, Miri Plowman. This is sure to be a post you bookmark and come back to repeatedly. Enjoy!

First, I want to acknowledge that everyone is approaching this time in the kitchen differently. I think some find it a time to dive into cooking projects that maybe otherwise they would never dare to take on, others are looking at their kitchen with dread and overwhelm and for some, cooking is business as usual, just more of it.

For me personally, running a business and a restaurant means that my partner and I end up eating at odd hours, and not very consistently. I have enjoyed this time for reinstating important habits that have fallen to the wayside-like eating three square meals a day all at reasonable hours and mostly at the table. I’ve been really enjoying having a big delicious lunch followed by a smaller, more leftover-y or salad-y dinner.

All this to say, if I could offer one suggestion in this weird time, listen to what your body wants and needs! Try to relish in the slow down and savor mealtime if you can!

The other thing that typically dominates my home cooking style lately is to make do with the ingredients I have. The other day I was looking to make Prad Pri King. A Thai dish with red curry paste, green beans and a protein- typically pork or beef. I had maybe half the ingredients and zero interest in braving the grocery store. 😱

In lieu of the red curry paste I blended some chili pepper flakes, shallot (an onion would have also been fine), a squeeze of 1/2 a lime and some fish sauce. I added some chicken broth for some extra umami. It wasn’t perfect, but it also wasn’t bad. Learning to make do with the ingredients you have means wasting less and also saves time and energy. Over time, you will find that doing this will help you to be more creative in the kitchen. Recipes will only get you so far! I want to be clear this is far more helpful for cooking than it is for baking!

In It Together #5: How to Reinvent Your Space Right Now

The next several weeks are devoted to making your days better. We’ll be solving problems, decreasing anxiety, making you look and feel better. It’s all happening here. And, it’s all happening thanks to the genius of local small businesses in the Poplin community. Welcome to another installment of, “In it Together.”

As I’ve mentioned in the blog, we’ve been doing some major repurposing over here. We turned our garage into my husband’s “loft like” office by cannibalizing lots of swanky furniture from around the house and building some tables with old doors and sawhorses. We reorganized our son’s room including repainting and putting up a mural on the wall. And, of course, we’ve been building planter boxes and more out front. The point is, we live for this stuff and now is the best time to do it. Not only does it make our space more appealing during Quarantine, but it also is a great way to be creative, productive and achieve flow. I heard from readers that this sort of thing doesn’t necessarily come naturally to everyone. So, I reached out to my longtime friend, Poplin client and genius Interior Architect and Designer, Amy May. Enjoy!

P.S. Next up, I’ll be guiding you through getting dressed everyday in Quarantine. See you Friday!

Reinventing Your Space With Amy May, Founder of May Designs

In It Together #4: How to Work From Home in the Time of Pandemic

The next several weeks are devoted to making your days better. We’ll be solving problems, decreasing anxiety, making you look and feel better. It’s all happening here. And, it’s all happening thanks to the genius of local small businesses in the Poplin community. Welcome to another installment of, “In it Together.”

Happy Monday, Dear Reader. Whether you just wrapped up spring break for the kids, are kicking it off today or are in a land where spring break for the kids is meaningless to you, the In It Together Series is here to give you some momentum every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I’m elated to offer tips from my good friend, Poplin client, Executive Coach and founder of the Essential Group, Kore Koubourlis. She’s an insightful resource who primarily works remotely with her clients and offers online trainings. In a word, this is her wheelhouse. Dive in and let me know what you think.

And when you wrap up your reading, go outside (if you can) and listen to this. See you Wednesday!

-Mellicia

We need strategies to take care of ourselves and our mindset; especially so during times of rapid change and uncertainty. In case you are interested, here is my personal top ten list (well, it's a list of 12 actually). These are things I am including in my life right now to stay sane amidst all this "family togetherness time". I hope you find it useful.

12 Strategies to Stay Sane While Working at Home Right Now

Must Know Now: In It Together #3

I’m deep into the, “In It Together” Series. I hope you are finding it useful and that it makes you feel better. Despite operating as if I’m in a remote cabin with my family, I find there are all sorts of things I want to make sure you know. So, here’s a post just for that. Enjoy and thanks VERY much for all the emails, messages, etc. They are delightful and are inspiring content for the blog. Mwah!

All The Things

In It Together #2: Do Your Mani Like a Pro with this DIY Tutorial

The next several weeks are devoted to making your days better. We’ll be solving problems, decreasing anxiety, making you look and feel better. It’s all happening here. And, it’s all happening thanks to the genius of local small businesses in the Poplin community. Welcome to another installment of, “In it Together.”

While I have lots of great qualities, doing an attractive mani or pedi is certainly not one of them. A few years ago, i discovered how much better I feel when someone else makes my nails look amazing. This is not because I enjoy the process so much. In fact, I often find myself anxious about my schedule when I’m getting my nails done. Nope, it’s because I can’t seem to make them look as beautiful as I’d like.

And, apparently, I’m not alone.

So, today’s IIT post is courtesy of my good friend who is also an incredible resource, Courean Napolitano, owner of Vixen Day Spa and Boutique in Magnolia. It’s a magical land where you can get spa services and pick up a hip and affordable vegan leather jacket before you leave. I’m a big fan.

Enjoy Courean’s tutorial on doing the perfect mani at home.

Friday’s post is all about how to dress for yourself (and your Zoom calls) from yours truly. On deck, how to rearrange your place from Amy May, set yourself up for professional success on your Zoom calls from Kore Kobourlis and much more. Thanks for being here and take very good care.

How to do a Mani Like a Pro

In It Together Post #1: Stress Eating Survival Tips

In it Together

Welcome to the inaugural post for our April blog series: In it Together. The entire month of April is going to be devoted to making your days better. We’ll be solving problems, decreasing anxiety, making you look and feel better. It’s all happening here. And, it’s all happening thanks to the genius of local small businesses in the Poplin community.

First up, Nutrition Coach and Personal Trainer, Natalie Joffe, dives right into one of the questions so many of us are struggling with right now, how to avoid stress eating during this crisis. Natalie Joffe is a long time friend, client, coach and all around inspiration. Our work to help every woman embrace her authentic inner voice and express herself has obvious cross over. Despite that, I learn something new from her every time we are together. Natalie is the friend you wish you had who knows all about food and having a healthy lifestyle, but who listens and advises with compassion and an understanding of what is actually realistic for your day to day. I’m a big fan.

From Nutritionist and Personal Trainer, Natalie Joffe:

COVID-19 Stress Eating Survival Tips

Launching: In It Together

While we all might be physically separate, we are very much in it together. Over the past month or so, I’ve had all sorts of delightful interactions with my clients and the Poplin community. Of course, this is certainly not a delightful time to be home. And, if you can, please support local food banks and other organizations working tirelessly to help folks affected in an endless number of ways right now. Really. Anything you can give does matter. (For that matter, supporting your favorite candidates for office matters quite a bit, too. )

The thing is, it’s all very abstract. We’re not interacting with one another IRL, which means we are missing the nuances of in person communication. We aren’t taking in nonverbal cues from one another. We can’t comfort with a hug or an impromptu get together. While we all may be finding the silver lining in this (and yes, there are many), it can also be lonely, frustrating, and unpredictable.

Add to that, we have the daily annoyances of real life. Likely, we feel guilty about caring about our roots growing out or lacking a pedicure. But, trust me, Dear Reader, those things matter because they are reminders to us everyday that life is not the same. It can be depressing to feel like there’s no reason to put yourself together each day. But, My Dear, there absolutely is. You are the reason.

If you get that, but you still don’t know exactly how to execute, that’s where this series comes in. Get ready. It’s awesome.

Over the next few weeks (maybe more?) you’ll be the lucky recipient of blog posts that aim to solve your daily challenges. And, I won’t be the only one solving them. I’ve turned to my very favorite local experts to answer those nagging questions with detailed, helpful guidance made just for you. Here are some examples:

A Sample: In It Together Blog Post Topics