drybar

this is a sponsored post, I received a complimentary blowout in exchange for this honest review

Did you hear the news? Michigan FINALLY has a drybar, and the Birmingham location officially opened its doors this past Friday. I had the opportunity to check it out and get my first blowout! drybar has a simple philosophy, they focus on one thing and that’s blowouts - let me tell you they do an amazing job.

You start by picking what style hair you like.
Old Fashioned – Old Hollywood waves
Straight Up – Straight with a little bit of body
Manhattan – Sleek and smooth straight hair
Cosmo – Lots of loose curls (what I went with)
Mai–Tai – Beachy hair
Cosmo-Tai – a mix of loose curls and beachy hair
Southern Comfort – Lots of volume
Dirty Martini – Tousled and Textured
Uptini – Updo
Shirley Temple – for girls 10 and under

Amanda cleansed and conditioned my hair with On the Rocks a clarifying charcoal shampoo and condition. Activated charcoal removes impurities and product buildup without stripping or drying your hair out. I Really loved what it did for my hair and I will definitely be going back to buy a bottle.

Originally going in I had my heart set on Mai-Tai, but after talking to Amanda I went with Cosmo. Remember, this was my first ever blowout so when Amanda told me it would last for a couple days I literally thought she was nuts.
Day 1 was Friday, and I had plenty of gorgeous loose curls.
Day 2 I woke up with curls still intact, worked out and they still looked good.
End of day 2 and my Cosmo look was transforming into Mai-Tai like Amanda said it would.
Day 3, gorgeous perfect beach hair. I could not believe the blowout lasted that long.

All and all I absolutely loved the blowout experience and can’t wait to go back for another one. Ladies, be with a man that randomly sends you to get a blowout before a night on the town – they’re so amazing and you will not believe how you look when it’s finished.

Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds Oh My!

photo from Pinterest. this is a sponsored post

Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, exchange-traded funds oh my! The allure of earning high returns from these investments is sure to get your attention. With big returns comes big risks. Before you set out to invest it’s best that you get all your finances in order and increase your knowledge to make the best investments that you can. Chase Rubin has served the financial industry for more than twenty years, and is currently sharing his knowledge regarding the investment industry so the public is informed. The more you know, the easier it is for you to make the right decisions.

One of my friends is actually a financial planner and sat down with me to make this list of 20 things to keep in mind when it comes to investing.

1. Having. Unless you’re already wealthy saving is important to built your wealth.
2. Invest. The best way to invest is in small business, real estate and stocks.
3. Be real. 9 to 10 percent per year is about the return you’ll see from stocks and real estate.
4. Long term. Invest long term five to ten years to get a greater return.
5. Play it safe. Money you need to use within the next year should be invested in a safer way such as money market.
6. Make sure you have the money before you invest.
7. Go global. Don’t just invest in the US markets, see what is out there globally to invest in.
8. Supply and demand. The price of bonds and stocks are determined by supply and demand.
9. Spend money to make money. Buying and selling investments costs money, make sure you’re at a good place financially before placing your investments.
10. Taxes. Understand your tax bracket.
11. The more you pay on commissions and account management the less money you make in the long run.
12. The more you trade the more likely you are to make mistakes.
13. Educate. Make sure you do your research on an advisor before agreeing to allow them to be in charge of your money.

Jumping into stocks, bonds and more can be a scary situation, but when you put the time, effort and energy into learning about what investments are the right ones for you. Not every investment is the right investment for everyone. What I decide to invest in might be so wrong for you to invest in. Always find someone who is on your side working with your best interest in mind so you can feel comfortable in the decisions that are being made. You should never just rely on financial advisors to make all your decisions. This is YOUR life, these are YOUR investments, this is YOUR money – use your voice and have a say. The advisor is making money off of you, whether you lose it all or gain it. Some don’t even care if you have a big loss, because they know you’ll come back and keep trying. We all want the big return, the big money, but make sure you know what you’re doing with your investments first.

Artificial Intelligence

photo from Pinterest. this is a sponsored post

Do you feel like technology changes by the minute? We are creating an unprecedented amount of data on a daily basis. From social media to the digital footprint we are leaving on services such as a Fitbit or Netflix. Did you know that every second, yes every single second of the day 3.5 million of us are searching on Google. It’s simply insane. The growth offers new opportunities and brings on change, but are you fully prepared for change? Blake Rubin is a driving force in the tech industry. He believes software creating artificial intelligence will become a reality in the not too distant future – can you even begin to imagine that? His research and expertise on the subject have helped make major strides in the field.

Why does artificial intelligence even matter? Currently, artificial intelligence is being used to help with the development of new products such as apps, virtual assistants and even smart technology. Blake Rubin is working on the deep learning aspect. For instance, he takes numerous photographs of the same individual to determine if the computer can discern whether or not this is the same person. He’s ahead of the game with his data, and has realized what was considered impossible in the past is becoming a critical part of present and future technological advances.

After reading articles about artificial intelligence, it seems as though it’s going to rule not only our lives but the world as well. Machines are giving the ability to think in a similar way as humans but learn the same way as well. Being a computer they have the capability of learning at a faster rate of humans, and keeping a higher level of accuracy than any human could even be capable of. This means technology will become more knowledgeable, as time progresses. Currently artificial intelligence systems are designed to perform one task or maybe a general one. Once they have the language down, and we teach them what they need to do the advances that could happen are absolutely endless. Soon they’ll be acting just like a regular human. Having skills for artificial intelligence technology this year will prove that it’s a critical part to advance further technologically.

When it comes to technology the possibilities of what can be are endless. Back in the “olden days” computers could only connect to the internet – maybe if you had some money you could get a phone that could as well, but that was rare. Today most of us function daily on smart technology. Smart technology has paved the way and light bulbs, watches, refrigerators, thermostats, cars and more are connecting to the internet. How easy does smart technology make our lives, I mean all I have to do is say Alexa what is the weather, change this station… etc and what I want happens. As the year progresses there will be more advances in the smart technology realm.

How are you liking all the technology advances that have happened in the recent years? Do you feel overwhelmed or are you able to keep up with the ever changing technology?