Balayage in Seattle with Gary Manuel Salon and Aveda

If you follow me on instagram you may have seen my insta-stories while I was at Gary Manuel last week getting my hair done!  If you don’t know what balayage is, here’s the definition: a technique for highlighting the hair in which the dye is painted
on in such a way as to create a graduated, natural-looking effect.
Before I got this done I spent a lot of time googling “Asian Balayage” because I wanted to make sure that I liked the look and to have a specific look in mind to let them know what I was looking for.  I always recommend doing that when you are doing any sort of treatment/change to your hair just so you know what you like before you actually go in and get it done.  I really liked it because it gives it such a pretty ombre and a natural “sunkissed” look.  The best part about balayage is that unlike highlights, when it grows out, it’s barely noticeable since you aren’t dying the top part of your hair.  When it grows out, it just looks very natural.  My previous balayage was fine but it had been about 6 months so I was ready for some more color.

Derik, my stylist, was amazing.  He really took the time to figure out what I wanted and made it happen exactly as how I asked.  And not only that he was just so nice and friendly.  You know how sometimes when you go to a stylist you’ve never worked with before and you can either awkwardly talk about the weather or it’s just silence?  It wasn’t like that at all.  He was just so warm and friendly, I had such a great time the whole time I was there.  His intern was working on my hair as well and she was just so sweet.  I really appreciate it as I’ve been to so many of these “fancy” salons and haven’t had the best experiences with the people working there but when you are spending so much time there it’s really important to enjoy the atmosphere while you are there!
Anyway, back to the hair.  So, I wanted to go a bit lighter than my previous balayage and we talked about if I wanted a more warm or more cool look to the color.  I didn’t end up getting a cut, which I should have seeing as the ends of my hair are kind of dead but I will be back for that on another day.  The not so great part about balayage is that it takes awhile, I was at the salon for a little over 3 hours.  But I’m not complaining, it was so worth it!  They only use Aveda products at the salon and what I love is that Aveda color is 96% naturally derived, so it’s not just a bunch of chemicals that will damage your hair.  I’m such a fan of Aveda products and all of my favorite hair products that I currently use are Aveda.

When I sat down in the chair and we were going over what I wanted I told Derik that when I left the house I joked with my husband that I’d be back with pink hair.  Derik took one look at me and said “Want to do it?” I didn’t plan for it but I’ve always really wanted colorful hair and never had the nerve to do it so I said yes and he made a plan for it!  He kept it in the back underneath my hair so it’s hidden but I have to tell you that I really, really love it.  I love seeing the peek of it and now I often wear my hair half up just so you can see it more.  It’s so much fun and my daughter is in love with it, she always asks to see mommy’s pink hair.

Here’s a few snaps from the day that I got my hair done.  I love their space, the light was amazing and it was just a very good vibe. Everyone was so friendly and seems like everyone has a fun time in
there!

Look at all the Aveda products!  They have everything! And if you know Aveda, you know that everything smells so good so the moment you step in the salon it just smells amazing!  I totally forgot to ask what products they used on my hair but I have quite a few of their products at home and I’m currently loving their Smooth Infusion (so great as a prep for styling your hair), the Split End Repair (much needed!) and the Shampure Dry Shampoo.

They even have a photobooth in the salon!  Derik and I had to take a pic together.  How fun right?  I took like 5 more in there just for fun.  LOL! Don’t tell a fashion blogger that there’s a photobooth and not expect us to take a ton of photos 🙂

I went to the downtown Seattle location but they also have one in South Lake Union which is a gorgeous space as well.

And can we just talk about these floors?  So pretty!
My outfit details:  JACKET SWEATER (similar) JEANS BOOTS

Here is how it looks curled.  Since I usually wear my hair curled I wanted a look that would be pretty both curled and straight and I love them both.  The end of my hair is very blonde but it’s a very warm caramel blonde and I love that you can see all the different shades when  my hair is curled.

I am so happy with my hair and love that I did this.  I usually am quite boring with my hair so this just feels so fun and exciting to me!  By the way, I used the instyler to curl my hair.  I mentioned it in my Gifts I’m Giving video but just had to tell you that I’m really loving it.  Normally I use a clipless curling iron which I love the look of but man of man it takes me so long to curl my hair and not only that my arm starts to hurt!  The instyler takes all the work out of it and I get these pretty waves.

I loved my entire experience with Gary Manuel and really appreciate the team at Aveda for setting this up for me.  I highly recommend them for all your hair needs.  You can find their store info here and if you want a balayage, make sure to ask for Derik!
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