26 Nov '18

How to Give to Charity: Little Ways to Make A Difference

Give The Gift Of Hope This Holiday Season

Woman Donating Clothing For The Holidays | ISA Professional

It’s not just the time of year to switch to your winter hair care routine and break out your amazing collection of scarves - it’s also the perfect time of year to think about how we can best help others, from our fellow human beings and our planet to companion animals and wildlife. Maybe you worry you can’t do enough to make a real difference to the world, but let me tell you something important: if everyone helps in whatever tiny ways that they can, it all adds up to a whole lot of good being put back into the world.

Daily Acts

Person Bathing Dog At An Animal Shelter | ISA Professional

When you want to make a difference and give back to your community and our world, there are many daily acts available to do so. You can donate your time, your money, or even simply supplies to various causes. You can spread word of worthy groups to support when you’re short on time or tangible goods yourself. You can even invest and reinvest any small funds you have to donate by making microloans to alleviate poverty. Just make sure you do your research to ensure you’re donating to legitimate causes in a way that’s needed - and so the maximum amount of your donation actually goes to the cause or people you’re trying to help. (Charity Navigator’s a decent place to start.)

Donate time or supplies to shelters: Whether to combat everyday poverty or to assist people displaced due to natural disasters or conflict - or to support homeless animals - there are shelters everywhere that need your help year-round. Locate one locally and see what they’re most in need of before donating.

Donate blood when there is a need: Blood donation comes up most often when there’s a large-scale disaster resulting in a large number of injuries. It’s a vital way to help, but only if your blood type is requested and donation centers don’t otherwise have a surplus.

Save your daily change and donate it: Do you spend small amounts daily on coffee or other small luxuries? Consider cutting back a couple days a week and donating the resulting savings to a charity of your choice.

Charities We Support

If you haven’t already selected the charities you’d like to support this year, there are three we’d like to highlight that meet our standards of transparency and responsibility - both to their donors and the causes they support.

National Pediatric Cancer Foundation

Happy Family Smiling For The Holidays | ISA Professional

The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation's focus is straightforward and strong: this nonprofit organization is dedicated to funding research for less toxic, more targeted treatments for childhood cancer. Their ultimate goal is to eradicate pediatric cancer, and they're working with 24 leading hospitals throughout the United States in pursuit of this goal. The foundation was founded by two mothers whose children were diagnosed with cancer in 1991. Their children have survived and are healthy today - thanks to research advancements - and the experience inspired Melissa Helms and Risa Tramel to keep fighting through funding research. Over 87% of the charity's total expenses go to their cause and they're scored 100/100 on both their finances and their accountability and transparency by Charity Navigator.

WildAid

African Elephant In The Wild | ISA Professional

WildAid's purpose is summed up by their strong, direct purpose statement: "We believe that when the buying stops, the killing can too." They work with governments and other partners against the illegal wildlife trade by supporting local conservation efforts and striving to reduce the consumption of wildlife products. They fight for the protection of elephants, rhinos, tigers, pangolins, sharks and more - their programs include introducing new technologies to protect marine life from shark finning, training law enforcement to intercept pangolin trafficking, and convincing Vietnamese CEOs to pledge never to buy, use, or sell rhino horn. When you donate to WildAid, you can feel comfortable knowing that over 90% of your donation goes right into their program expenses, and they're rated 5 stars by Charity Navigator.

Books for Africa

Book Ready To Read | ISA Professional

Love books? What better way to share that love than by donating to the literacy of African students? Books for Africa has been working to create a culture of literacy in Africa since 1988, providing students with the educational tools they need to improve their lives. Over the last 30 years, they've shipped over 42 million books throughout the African continent. Beside traditional books, they also send computers and e-readers, and you can donate to specific projects that are working to get books to libraries and schools via the Library of Alexandria, empowering rural communities with knowledge in Burundi, and more. They also have special initiatives to get law books to law schools and bar associations, build agriculture libraries, and provide French-language texts to students in Francophone countries. Over 99% of donations made to Books for Africa go into their programs! They also have the highest rating from Charity Navigator.

When you’re shopping for your friends and family this winter holiday season, don’t forget about those in need - even a small act of kindness can make a world of difference to someone in need of help. And generosity’s a great look on everyone!

15 Nov '18

Focus on Wellness Retreats: Relax Yourself Healthy

Give Yourself A Mini Break For Your Well-Being

Friends Enjoying A Relaxing Day | ISA Professional

Have you noticed how our lives have become relentlessly plugged in? We find ourselves having to work harder than we ever have before. It’s a growing concern, and one measured by our suffering. Finding a getaway has become one of the most powerful tonics available today: Wellness retreats are a type of vacation that clap back at all the crap life wants to throw at you.

Our physical health is impacted by long work hours that may promote a sedentary lifestyle. Our mental health is affected by endless worry and comparing ourselves to others until we’re anxious and depressed. More of us are having trouble sleeping, perhaps due to blue light from our devices affecting melatonin production.

With our whole bodies tied up in knots like this, it’s no wonder that our health suffers.

Wellness retreats are one solution to this modern problem. They’re all about unplugging, unwinding, and re-centering. About incorporating beauty into your day and letting all your worries go. Often situated in beautiful natural surroundings, you may spend your time at a retreat doing yoga, practicing meditation, communing with nature, or so much more - all by unplugging from the rush of everyday life and tuning in to our spiritual or meditative sides.

Go All Out

The purest form of wellness retreat is the one that involves getting away - often far away - to some luxurious and/or secluded location. These are the fantastic facilities you hear about when someone’s gushing about the wellness retreat they’ve been on. Depending on how far you want to travel (and how much you want to spend), you could find yourself under the gentle hand of a Wellbeing Guide in the Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, reflecting in meditative silence at a monastic Indian retreat, or doing yoga and meditation at a health resort in Sri Lanka.

Whether you want to be isolated from the world, try alternative health care, or experience something new and weird, you can find a wellness retreat to fulfill your desires. You must, of course, be willing to pay. If you’ve saved up the funds and need to fundamentally reset, why not splurge and treat yourself? Money is just money, and your health is everything. If you can spend it while being fiscally responsible, then go for it. Make sure you do your research first to be sure you’re purchasing the brand of support (and maybe even pampering) that you deserve.

Stay In Budget

Women Relaxing On The Beach Together | ISA Professional

Of course, many of these options are breathtakingly expensive, so don’t be afraid to look further for a quality wellness retreat that you can actually swing on your income: check out resorts in gorgeous locations you’d love to just hang out in, especially at less luxe-minded resorts or even during the off season. Then see what kind of spa and related getaway packages you can find. Think about natural springs in the American southwest and ocean or forest retreats in Central American countries. And don’t shy away from creating a wellness retreat with a few friends to defray costs.

With a little work, you can plan your own wellness retreat and put together a relaxing itinerary, so you don’t have any decisions to make while you’re there. All for a fraction of the price demanded elsewhere! Finding something healthy for your bank account as well as you? That’s living the dream.

Do It Yourself

For so many of us, finding both the funds and the time to get away can seem impossible. When we do manage to get a couple of days off together, we feel too exhausted to do much beyond nest on our couches and binge-watch whatever’s hyped on Netflix or HULU. There’s nothing wrong with feeding yourself entertainment when you crave it - but you should know that you have options to DIY your own wellness retreat staycation. Turn your downtime into something that feeds you and clears your mind with a few deliberate choices.

If you can, find someplace natural and beautiful nearby to spend the day. This can be a little-visited bit of beach, a nearby forest, or even a public park. Somewhere with the opportunity for fresh air and the sounds of the natural world. Find free or low-cost wellness activities you can participate in while there - there might just be a yoga or tai chi class in that public park that you can join.

While you’re at it, detox from your digital life. Sign out of all social media - delete the apps from your phone if you have to. (The memes will still be there when you get back, promise.) In fact, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, and let all your friends and family know that you are officially unplugged for the duration of your wellness staycation.

Feed yourself fresh foods - spend some time caring for your body through the deliberate and careful preparation of meals. If you splurge on anything, make it a massage. Make sure you take plenty of naps, and maybe even read for pleasure. Pamper yourself. This slow-focused downtime will help you clear your mind and infuse some beauty into your days - without any expensive travel.

If you go on a wellness retreat, be sure to tag us on Instagram! We’d love to see where you’re relaxing.

31 Oct '18

Eat Your Way to Healthy Hair

Want To Have Healthy and Beautiful Hair? Start Eating These Foods!

Beautiful and Healthy Hair | ISA Professional
The foundation of any great hairdo is - well, your hair! Whether you’re dying to dye your hair that cuivre red or trying out the latest in-style braids, you need a solid foundation to build your look on. You need hair that is strong, full, and shiny: you need your natural, luxurious hair to be at its best so you can shine.

There are a ton of factors that go into what kind of hair we have naturally and many of them are beyond our control. Genetics will dictate not just the color and texture of your hair, but also your predisposition to hair loss. Age obviously affects our hair, whether through thinning or greying. Environmental factors can impact your hair’s health, too - poor air quality isn’t just bad for breathing! We can’t really control most of those, unless you’re secretly a super-advanced biogeneticist with the Fountain of Youth in the backyard of your biodome filled with air filtered of 100% of pollutants. (If you are, please call me so I can come live with you.)

Our hair is also affected by our diet, and that’s one place where we do have the ability to take charge of our own hair destiny. So get ready to take notes, class! I’ve collected a selection of facts and foods to help you eat your way to a healthier head of hair.

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR HEALTHY HAIR

Woman Looking At Hair Damage | ISA Professional
The building blocks for healthy hair are protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and a series of vitamins, including biotin; each of these elements is critical to promoting healthy hair growth, from maintaining scalp health to building each strand of hair.

Our hair is mostly made up of protein, so having adequate levels of protein in your diet is important to ensure your hair keeps growing. Omega-3 fatty acids help keep your scalp in peak condition and contribute to the natural oils your body produces to ensure your hair and scalp stay hydrated. Iron is a key component in building those hair proteins and providing your body with sufficient oxygen via your bloodstream - including your scalp, preventing hair loss from anemia. Vitamin B7, or biotin, is important in the health of not just your hair, but your skin and nails as well. Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, also contributes to hair growth while vitamin C is vital to your body's circulation - including to the scalp and in feeding your hair follicles to keep hair healthy and strong. Vitamin A is involved in the production of sebum which helps condition the scalp, and zinc also protects the scalp.

Your body gets most all the protein and omega-3 fatty acids and various vitamins and minerals from the food that you consume. There are specific foods you can eat that are high in these elements, allowing you to promote healthy hair growth through your diet: let’s learn how to be alchemists, changing delicious food into healthy hair rather than lead into gold. (C’mon, it’s basically the same thing.)

FOODS TO IMPROVE HAIR HEALTH

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is important to our overall body function - and that includes promoting healthy hair! When choosing what to eat, try to stick with as many healthful, less processed foods as you can. It also helps to avoid greasy foods, since extra grease can clog your pores and increase the likelihood of hair loss.

Meats

Smoked Salmon | ISA Professional

Animal protein is obviously high in protein; food such as red meat is also high in iron. Seafood like oysters, crab, and lobster are loaded with zinc while shrimp also has a lot of B vitamins. Salmon is an amazing source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Vegetables

Black Beans For Hair Health | ISA Professional

Lentils are another fantastic source of protein, along with iron, zinc, and biotin - beans are as well, actually. Spinach and bok choy will give you iron for days, while chickpeas will give you a ton of B9. Sweet potatoes provide beta-carotene (also helps in sebum production) and sweet peppers give you lots of vitamin C (I know sweet peppers are technically a fruit, but bear with me here).

Fruits

Avocadoes For Hair Health | ISA Professional

Berries are great for a sweet treat - and for giving you a whole host of vitamins and antioxidants, so chow down on strawberries and blueberries and raspberries. Tangerines and guava and other fruits high in vitamin C are great, too. Avocados are full of biotin, too.

Nuts and seeds

Sunflower Seeds For Hair Health | ISA Professional

Nuts and seeds are baby plants, right, so perhaps it's not surprising that they're chock full of nutrients as well! Almonds (including almond butter) will give you healthy fats with protein and vitamin E. Sunflower seeds will also give you vitamin E. Chia seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids as well in case you don't want to eat salmon.

Grains

Grains For Hair Health | ISA Professional

Enjoy some oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast for a heap of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and iron!

You can also eat eggs for protein and biotin, cinnamon to improve circulation to your hair follicles, and Greek yogurt for everything - and vitamin B5.

Hungry yet? Good! These foods are delicious and nutritious, making eating your way to healthier hair a pleasant prospect. Are there other foods you like to eat for shiny, strong hair? Share them in the comments to help your community on their way to hair that looks and feels great.

19 Oct '18

Halloween 2018 Makeup Looks from Weird to Wonderful

Get Creative With These Halloween Makeup Looks

Halloween Makeup | ISA Professional

Are you a big fan of Halloween? Then tis the season for thrills and chills - and there’s no reason your makeup can’t get in on the action. Whether you’re going to a Halloween party (and you may not want to don a full costume) or you just want some appropriately festive looks to get in the mood throughout October, we’ve got 15 spectacular looks for your nails, lips, and eyes below!

Spooky Nails

A post shared by FINGER BANG (@fingerbangportland) on Oct 14, 2018 at 7:51am PDT

When your Halloween feels aren't playing around, ask for the severely pointed nails next time you're at the nail salon. Then break out the matte black nail polish that makes your inner Wednesday Addams ALMOST break a smile. Leave the base third of several nails bare while painting the rest of the nail black. Use your black nail polish to paint some spider webs in the bare space. On the all-black nails, use white nail polish to paint finger bones. Altogether, you’ll be sporting a classy macabre look.

A post shared by Jessica Gonzalez (@jessicaspolish) on Oct 15, 2018 at 7:39pm PDT

For a classic Halloween look, choose a bright orange nail polish - not a neon color, but a pumpkin shade. And not a realistic pumpkin, but jack'o'lantern-made-of-construction-paper pumpkin. Get a nice, bright, even coat across your nail. Then follow that with thin stripes of black nail polish from nail base to nail tip. Crisp lines aren't required here - it's a playfully free-handed polish job that declares "this is Halloween!"

A post shared by Morgan (@morgan_thenailartist) on Oct 15, 2018 at 7:37pm PDT

Another easy look is to decorate each fingernail as if it were a jack-o-lantern - again, you'll need to establish a smooth base of unblemished, bright pumpkin orange. Follow it up with your black nail polish - glittery is festive - and draw a different jack-o-lantern face for each finger. Smirking, gasping, howling, or with a skeleton grin!

A post shared by TALISHA L SHEPHERD (@talishasnailart) on Oct 15, 2018 at 7:42pm PDT

If you're looking for a manicure straight out of Halloweentown, break out your black and white nail polishes again. This time, vary your nails with all-black polish, white polish with black stripes, and white polish with a Jack Skellington face painted in black. Do both hands to match, or on the other hand, create nail polish patterns in purple, gold, blue-green and black to mimic the fabric of your favorite ragdoll's dress.

Thrilling Lips

A post shared by April Nuttall (@april_christinaa) on Oct 3, 2018 at 11:27am PDT

Great fake fangs are hard to come by, so what's a wannabe vampire to do? Get creative, of course! When you don't feel like eating around plastic all night - or gluing fangs over your canines - get artistic and paint those vampire fangs on your lips! Go dramatic with a black outer lip with red in the middle and two pearly white fangs painted on either side of your lower lip.

A post shared by Stephanie (@spooky_bunny_) on Sep 24, 2018 at 6:17am PDT

Share your love of the pumpkin patch with a creative orange and black lip! Apply a clean, well-defined layer of matte orange lipstick to your upper lip, layered with black as your lip curves under - you want that black to be on the upper curve of your lower lip as well. Using lip liner, draw the outlines of jack-o-lanterns in two rows on your bottom lip. Then use a pale yellow or gold lipstick for the jack-o-lantern eyes and grins!

A post shared by Too Fast Clothing (@toofastclothing) on Mar 24, 2016 at 6:01pm PDT

If you can find some tiny bat shapes to use for lip art - or if you have a very steady hand - try this lip look of slick black night disintegrating into a spooky flight of bats across your lower lip! This calls for your favorite black lipstick with a precise and severe upper lip over ragged-edged black on the top of your lower lip and those key bat shapes flapping away.

A post shared by Jazmina Daniel (@missjazminad) on May 12, 2018 at 8:40pm PDT

Are you a total artist when it comes to your lips? If you want to go all-out, try a recreation of one of Jazmina Daniel's lip creations - like the iconic shot of four witches strutting their spooky stuff in that Halloween classic film The Craft. I can't even begin to tell you how to tackle this lip art - take a look at the master's work and give it a go yourself!

Nightmare Eyes

A post shared by BEAUTY 🌎 (@everythingbeauty__101) on Sep 27, 2018 at 6:49pm PDT

Show your love for Halloween candy with candy corn eyes! You will need orange, yellow, and white shadows - and something with glitter is great as well. Lay down orange on your eyelid with white smudged closest to your nose and yellow sweeping into a sharp wing on the other side. You can throw some glitter in your eye crease, with a strong line of orange eye shadow fading to yellow just under your brow. Smudge a line of orange under your eye, fading to yellow, and then draw a small piece of candy corn below the right corner of your eye.

A post shared by Stephanie (@stefanifreeartistry) on Oct 12, 2018 at 3:00pm PDT

Love Beetlejuice? It's classic Burton and great Halloween fare. Get into your best Burtonesque suit and trick your eyes out to match. Draw a black and white curling Beetlejuice snake’s tail curling to the left over your eyelid, and smudged purple fading into a thin streak of green shadow just under your eyebrow. Repeat the green more deeply under your eye. Finish it up with writing "Never Trust" just over your eyebrow in eyeliner, and "the Living" below your eye.

A post shared by Dollfacemua💋 (@doll_face_mua_) on Oct 11, 2018 at 7:24pm PDT

Ditch your usual winged eye look for more dramatic batwinged eyes this season! Create a heavy line across your upper eyelid that sweeps into a that pointed classic batwing shape with it's three lower points. Use a thinner line across your lower lid to close it off.

A post shared by Tal Peleg (@tal_peleg) on Sep 1, 2015 at 8:08am PDT

If you're super artistic with a steady hand, your eyelid can become a canvas this fantastically creepy season! Just look at this The Nightmare Before Christmas inspired bit of eye art created by Tal Peleg. In addition to traditional eye makeup, you’ll need watercolor makeup in various colors along with fine-tipped paint brushes for application.

I hope these Halloween looks we’ve shared today have inspired you to embrace weird and wonderful makeup this season! If you do, be sure to share your photo with us in the comments or tag us on Instagram at @isa.professional.

12 Oct '18

Lip Art Designs That Will Make You Look Twice

Five Lip Artists That You'll Want To Follow Immediately

Woman Applying Lipstick | ISA Professional

Lipstick is a classic staple in most women's makeup arsenal; even women that don't like wearing a full face of makeup, usually have a lipstick (or balm) handy for any occasion. Whether you like wearing a simple gloss, balm, liquid or the more daring matte's that are so popular right now, lipstick is just fun to experiment with. I love going into department stores and trying on different lipsticks that are out of my comfort zone to see if it would look good on me. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised and actually walk out with a full sized tube and sometimes I gasp in horror at what I see in the reflection. Even though picking the perfect lipstick can be a challenge, you usually find a shade that suits you. Some makeup artists that are all too familiar with what colors work with whatever look they're going for, take it many steps further with their artistic abilities. If you haven't seen detailed lip art on IG, then you're in for a treat. These are just a few of the creations out there, which one would you try out on a bold night out?

Glossy Rainbow Lips

A post shared by Jill Foran (@jilltakesphotos) on Jun 20, 2017 at 5:58pm PDT

This lip art is so awesome, I love how @jilltakesphtos made the rainbow colors melt together to look so put together. It's great for anyone who can't decide which color to try out, when in doubt, just go with the whole rainbow! The glossy finish is also a nice touch.

Leopard Lips

A post shared by Molly Bee (@beautsoup) on Feb 20, 2018 at 11:26am PST

For anyone that wants a wilder look to really wow the crowd, this lip art by @beautsoup is the right way to go. Leopard spots are the main highlight of this look, and the neutral background really helps it pop. This is a wonderful look for anyone that wants to release their wild side!

Neon Splatter Lips

A post shared by Chastity Dimitra Leos (@chassydimitra) on Oct 12, 2017 at 2:05pm PDT

I think a music festival is a perfect place to sport this lip art by @chassydimitra, don't you? The black base with the brightly colored, perfectly placed liner designs is fascinating to look at. I can't even imagine how she managed to create this but I know I always go back to look at it when I need my makeup inspo.

Detailed Dali Lips

A post shared by Jazmina Daniel (@missjazminad) on May 23, 2018 at 8:57pm PDT

I'm still in shock over this lip art; it seems almost impossible to fit Dali's 'The Persistence of Memory' onto such a small canvas but @missjazminad did just that and beautifully. His melting pocket watches in the sun are one of his most well known pieces and seeing them recreated with makeup products is awesome. It took her seven and a half hours to create but I think it was well worth it, don't you?

Pastel Mosaic Lips

A post shared by Mina 💀 (@theminaficent) on Jun 4, 2018 at 1:35pm PDT

Pastel colors are a lot of fun on hair or nails but did you ever think of a pastel colored mosaic design on your lips? We can thank @theminaficent for thinking of such a unique idea, just look at those perfectly detailed black outlines! I have a hard enough time using lip liner and seeing her work makes me want to practice more than ever. Bonus points for the matching manicure to go with her lip work, she really is a MUA to follow.

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