inspired.

Last week I had the opportunity to tag along to a creative conference in Texas with Josh & his bosses. I thought it would be fun, but I had no idea what would stir in my heart. The conference is put on in Dallas at a mega church called Watermark. Easily the most beautiful church I have ever seen, down to every detail. 

One of the days, we were lucky enough to catch a Rangers game! So hot. Like Clovis is hot, don't get me wrong, but that humidity is another ball game. Pun intended. 

The conference was designed and put on by people that work in churches, make church media, lead worship, etc. There was a ton that was over my head and not applicable, but there was a ton that was directed at artists in general though. I left feeling so inspired. And full, there was no shortage of food or caffeine at this joint. Chik Fil A, Krispy Kreme, one day there was even ice cream trucks they had rented out. 

The theme of fear // what fear does to us as artists was in almost every session we had. As artists we are so afraid that what we are making might not be appreciated or it might be just being plain bad. The funny thing is, we all have to be bad at some point in order to start our journey to being better, ok, and eventually being good. The loaded question of "what would my life look like if I acted like fear wasn't involved?" can only lead to me asking myself, "what am I afraid of?" One of the other speakers phrased it by asking, "what does the little voice inside you tell you can't do?" That made it a little bit easier. 

 I thought a lot about when I am doing hair and make up. And I thought about writing my blog. My fears for both are pretty similar. What if nobody cares? What if nobody likes it? What if people are talking about how much they don't like it? What if I am irrelevant? The thing is, we are all afraid. We are all afraid of failure. That is Satan's easiest foothold into messing with our heads, tempting us to back down from what we love and what we are called to. I am guilty of watering down my blog from too much Jesus talk because it won't be read by as many people as when I post pictures of my wedding. I hate that. 

What kept coming to my mind was, the power of stories. Then another speaker touched on how important stories are to us, how much we connect with them, and how much more we remember them in the long run. That is where I really stopped and thought, that's what I want my blog to be. I want my blog to be about stories. Stories that we read, connect to and hold on to. I want to tell my stories, my friends stories, little, big, funny, stupid, or emotional stories. I want to tell our stories. Stories are what make up our lives. Stories are what make us cry, laugh, and come to our knees. Stories empower us, move us, lift us up and encourage us. And the best part is, we all have stories to tell. 

I believe so deeply in being real and true to who you are at all times. This is a place where I am just that and can share my stories. I have a couple friends who are gonna share their stories here too, I can't wait. Thank you guys for your love & support! 

xoxo

a year later...

So the day has finally come, it's been a full year that I have been Lexi Warren. 

I have loved every moment of learning what it means to be a wife, humbling myself as I stumble and fall. Being a loving, praying, respectful, kind, unconditional wife is not as easy as I imagined. Life creeps in, and you struggle to be everything you swore you would be, and in those moments all I have to say is "Thank God." Thank you God for knowing me. Thank you for knowing I would fail, but that You would be glorified in my failures. My love for who Christ is in me and who He is in my husband has grown leaps and bounds this year as our need for him has been magnified. It has been a year of searching and growth as we see Christ in this new light of being the keeper of our covenant and where he leads our life together. 

 I have gotten a glimpse into what unconditional love is on a level that only a husband and wife can understand. We got married in the stage of falling in love still, so we had never even gotten to the point of being annoyed of each other! I never thought there would come that moment of thinking he didn't deserve my love and adoration. Really learning to let there be room for error, for men to not be held to the standard of Christ, showing grace without restraint, this is so crucial. It's suffocating to try to live up to the standard of perfection. I promised Josh the day I married him that I would love him when he fell short, and through God I am able to.  Learning to be unconditional not just in the moments when it is easy and we are laughing, but the moments when all you want to do is win that fight. You never know how painfully prideful you are until you are married. Dear Joshua you have sharpened me so much in that sense I could never thank you enough. 

 I have found friendship deeper than I have ever known. I am known by the best man I have ever known. Isn't that every woman's dream? That her husband wants to know her thoughts. He wants to know why she does those silly quirky little things. I love that Josh knows my weird habits and can make me laugh as if I am seeing them for the first time. Laughter truly is one of the biggest joys of marriage.

 And this is only the beginning! It has not always been the fairy tale that we all paint out lives to be, but it has in so many ways, been much better than that. I wouldn't change a piece of it. 

Check out our full wedding video! The password is "love", thank you Kroh Media, I am in awe of it still. If you want to check out the shorter wedding preview that is also amazing. Enjoy!

Cheers to a year & to a lifetime full of love!

 July 15th 2012 

jordana kaiser.

Recently one of my beautiful friends got married and I had the honor of doing her hair and make up. Here are some shots of the beautiful bride on the best day of her life. 

She is glowing!!! That is the look of a woman in love, marrying the man of her dreams if I have ever seen it. Event styling is how I fell in love with hair and makeup, and to be quite honest, I had lost sight of that until this perfect day with my friend. Weddings are so hectic and so much pressure!! It was so special to have this time with a calm bride, just getting ready to marry her true love. My love for my friend grew that day as my love of event styling was renewed. Thank you Jordana for letting me be apart of your special day and a special thank you to Puente Photo for letting me share your beautiful work! 

All photography by Puente Photography

Hair color, styling, and make up by yours truly. 

my summer picks.

Since summer and my birthday are right around the corner, I thought I would throw together  a list of my favorite things right now. Here are my essentials for the pool / beach, vacation, the house & all things to look fabulous while you are enjoying the sun. 

decor // home & life 

Nate Berkus towel at Target

Dry me off in style. 

Silver Linings Playbook

Great date night movie that we both loved!

Threshold double chaise

I just want to lay on this all summer and take a couple cat naps. Perfect for summer nights too!

Swimways floaty

In the pool, all day, every day.

Hunter classic fan

Josh and I both can't sleep without a little fan noise and I love feeling the breeze on me on hot summer nights! 

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style // fashion

Toms Phoenix Classics

The perfect summer shade & bonus that it's for a great cause.

Victoria's Secret cover up

So cute I want to wear it as a dress!

Anthropologie's Sasha Toe Loop sandals

Camp Brand's T's

I love all their fun, easy to throw on, casual T's that you can wear with shorts or over a bathing suit. It would look cute with a maxi and some boots as it cools down. 

Marc by Marc Jacobs side bag

Small enough for just the essentials for a date or the perfect bag to bring on vacation.

Anthropologie Petaluma dress

Great dress for brunch with cute flats / a date with some heels or boots / or even a wedding with some wedges.  

Marc by Marc Jacobs backpack

The cutest backpack for a weekend trip or for traveling. Love the fun bright color. 

Flynn Skye romper

Is there anything better?

Free People necklace

This was made for summer time with tan skin. There isn't a single thing it wouldn't look amazing with. 

Victoria's Secret bikini

It's not summer until you buy a new bikini. This is obviously exactly what I look like lounging around my backyard or at the beach. 

Anthropologie's Smocked Malee dress

This dress would be perfect for a hot day at work or for running around on vacation.

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beauty // make up, hair, and skin

Benefit bronzer Hoola

The best bronzer for every skin tone. 

Laura Mercier oil free flawless kit

I just bought this the other day and it is stocked with all the greatest stuff. The kit has everything you will need to keep your skin looking perfect through the summer heat. 

The Organix coconut line

I have been hearing great things about the super affordable organic line. And I have seen a couple of my client's hair really get healthy and fuller from using it as well! Worth a shot! 

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So, there's a couple of things I have had my eye on and things I am loving for this summer! Let me know if you have any must haves or loves for summer time too.

xoxo

jamie dana.

Look at those big blue eyes. This is my beautiful 18 year old sister, Jamie,  when we went to San Francisco for a weekend.

I was so blessed to have had her for a week, all to ourselves. We had such an amazing time giggling together, getting tattoos, getting to know each other more, and just bonding. We are 5 years apart, so we really have had the true sister relationship. I was the cool big sister who would take her friends to a movie or to the mall. In the past couple years though, our friendship has grown so much deeper. She has turned into to this person that makes me stand back in awe. Seems like yesterday that she was this crazy little blonde running around screaming at the top of her lungs to be heard by her big sisters and brother. Now here she is... this beautiful young lady. She is full of life and love, she's brilliant, funny, hardworking, and above all, she is kind.

It's amazing what God will do through the gift of siblings and what your relationship grows into as we grow up. I am so thankful for this one I have been given with Jamie and each relationship I have with my 3 other siblings.

hey pretty girl.

Here is the down low on my latest beauty routine and loves. 

SKIN 

SKIN CARE // Mario Badescu

 I could go on and on about my love of Mario Badescu skin care. I use the acne face wash every night (every other night I will use my Clarisonic brush with it) and use Neutragina Natural Face wash in the morning. It has been a great product for my skin and has truly cleared up my acne. I mean, I thought I paid my dues to acne in high school, but apparently not. I have also used and love their oil control moisturizer spf 15. 

Available at Ulta or on Amazon.

BB CREAM // Naked Beauty Balm by Urban Decay

 I am such a skeptic of things being too good to be true, but this little bug is just proving me wrong. It has all the benefits of beauty balms (spf, pore minimizing, primer, & moisturizing) but it doesn't have coverage, which I actually prefer. I have oily skin and am still acne prone, so this is perfect for me. I have been shine free & not a single break out. It is great for no make up days because it still gives you oil control, moisture and spf, while it also works great under foundation, too. 

Available at Ulta and Sephora.

FOUNDATION // Maestro by Giorgio Armani

Though this is hands down my priciest product, it is worth every little penny. This is like silk on your face. I get the most compliments on my skin from this foundation. Gorgeous. A little goes a long way and use a foundation brush. 

Available at Nordstroms.

EYESHADOW // Naked Basics by Urban Decay

This is the famed Naked & Naked 2's baby sister. She is cute, simple, and soft. The pallet, made up of 6 shadows, is mainly matte, with one bone colored shimmer shadow- perfect for highlighting. The brown is a great shadow for smokey eyes, smudging eyeliner, and I even use it to fill in my brows. 

Available at Ulta and Sephora.

BRONZER // Hula by Benefit

This is such a great bronzer for most skin types because it looks like a real tan. Hoola is brown based, not orangey like most are, giving you the appearance of having been out in the sun and kissed in all the right places. Perfect for contouring and giving your skin that glow year round. 

Available at Ulta and Sephora.

LOTION // Spray & Go moisturizer Coco Butter by Vaseline 

So easy, smells great, and no excuses not to put lotion on after the shower. 

Available at Target and Ulta.

DRY SKIN // Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from Trader Joes

This is great for my little hands that get washed all day long. My hands have been so dry that most normal hand creams still burn, not fun. I started using the oil on my hands, feet and elbows. I love it. Smells great, cheap, and natural. The only draw back I have found, is that you can't throw it in your purse. I use it at night before I go to bed and sometimes in the morning before I leave. 

Available at all grocery stores.

HAIR

HAIR MASQUE // Total Repair 5 - Damage Erasing Balm by Loreal 

I am willing to try any new product, in good reason, that will help restore my locks. I regularly use heat, color, and wear high buns so much that my long locks need all the lovin they can get. This masque smells great, moisturizes, smoothes, and is a great price point. I would definitely recommend this and buy it again. Use in place of conditioner once a week, let sit for 5 minutes. If your hair is extremely dry, put in after only shampooing in the shower, braid your hair, and let it sit on your hair over night. You might want to lay down a hand towel on your pillow to not get your pillow case all covered in conditioner. 

Available at all drug stores and Ulta.

VOLUMIZING SPRAY // Volume Spray by Brazilian Blowout

I have been using this on my clients with both finer hair and thicker hair just wanting some more lift and the response has been great. It is practically weightless, smells great, gives good movement, and doesn't effect your hair's ability to not wash for a couple days. All around, great product, decent price (little goes a long way) and very user friendly.  

Available at salons that carry Brazilian Blowout Products or on Amazon.

Hope my little tips and reviews are helpful.

Feel free to email me or comment bellow with any comments or questions. 

xoxo

let me love you.

The overwhelming amount of great memories I have of all the different Valentine's day is amazing. Some of my favorite childhood memories are how my Mom and Dad always made that day so special. We would all wake up to our favorite candies on the kitchen table with a gift! We loved it. As I got older, my Dad would always send me flowers, which of course as every girl knows, makes you feel like a million bucks. Through high school, my friends and I grabbed a movie (usually The Notebook, lets be honest) and ordered in a heart shaped pizza... or two or three. Friends and sisters are always the greatest Valentines. The memories of funny things that we did and gave to each other is too long to list. To this day we still laugh and tell our husbands about our former hilarious single days and the stupid things we did. Sometimes they laugh and sometimes you get the look that says "that is only funny to you and your friends." - which I have to say, is usually true. To me though, I think the true value is in the memories that were made, the joy that is brought in those gifts, and the time spent together. 

The greatest joy that I receive is in giving love and the many different ways that we can show it. 

Here are some of my favorite things I have made / given / received!

made by me this year for my Mom & Dad

the card I made for my younger sister, Cait, this year

my gift for Josh this year ...

the phone case I got Josh this year for valentine's

my valentine from my boyfriend, Luke, this year

the card I made for my younger sister, Jamie, this year

my baby sister, Addison, with some of the things I sent her

the card I made for my Dad, Laura and Addison this year

my tea from my friend Jayne two years ago

cupcakes sent a couple years ago from my favorite bakery by my Mom & Dad

probably my #1, my first valentine's day card from Josh two years ago

& valentine's day last year from Josh

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Love is such a gift. The beauty of love is all it's different shapes and forms that it takes. The way we love one another is a reflection of who we are and how we choose to feel towards another. This past week Josh and I read through The Five Love Languages and we really learned a ton. We realized so much about how we feel loved, what we need to feel loved, how we can better love one another, and just how special that is that we are all so different. I love that we are different. I love that Josh feels love in another way than I do and now I know how I can better communicate that to him. So far, in the tiny steps we have taken to express our love to one another, through quality time and the simple hand on the back, we have both felt better loved. 

I love that God has blessed me with being Josh's wife and being able to love him in a way that only I was created to love him. As we enter into a new part of our relationship, passing the 2 year mark of being together, we have found the chapters of each part of our story to be so different but equally beautiful. Realizing that you can't live on a mountain top, that there is beauty in each phase of life, and seeing growth in both good and the bad has been a huge blessing to us both. Falling in love with each other daily in new ways, loving each other when you fall short, choosing to show each other love when you are tired and just want to go to bed... this is the beauty of our God to me. I love that He has modeled the perfect relationship and reflection of love. Thank God, because I fall short everyday. But Josh loves me the way that our God loves him, with mercy, grace, and unconditionally. 

This Valentine's day was better and different than any other because of that man and the love we have been given. I hope everyone else has had a great love day, whether it was being silly with your sisters or friends, sharing it with your parents, or with the man / woman you love. 

xoxo