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Getting Ready for Your Zoom Happy Hour

PLUS 5 REASONS WHY THEY ARE EVEN BETTER THAN IN PERSON!

Article by Susan Ginsberg

Photography by S.Ginsberg, S. Bieberle, L.Phillips, & A.Malzahn

Who doesn’t look forward to seeing our distant family, friends, and co-workers for a good happy hour after the end of a crazy day? The good news—we don’t have to let miles or social distancing restrict this from happening with the technology of Zoom. The question: how can I make my image in that little square look attractive and healthy?

1. How to Style my Difficult Hair

A salon junkie whose guilty pleasure is a weekly blow-dry (don’t judge), I am now doing my own hair, which perplexes me. Creative as I may be in my mind, my hands don’t cooperate.

I reached out to one of my all time favorite hair stylists, Angela Malzahn for some suggestions. Angela is the manager of my fave blowout salon in Scottsdale, Primp and Blow. I asked her to give a few tips for others and myself on how to fix up our hair for a virtual happy hour. Once the salon reopens after social distancing, I cannot wait to give this fabulous salon—with the all-time best stylists—my business! My hair wholeheartedly agrees.

Here are Angela's three easy steps (pictures below) for a Zoom-worthy hairstyle that even a two-thumbed novice like me can pull off!

  • First photo: Curl your hair however you’d like to add some fun wave, volume, and texture to your style!
  • Second photo: Super simple-just tie your hair up into a half pony.
  • Third photo: Add a sparkly barrette or clip of your choice! Side note- my favorite product to achieve this style is Oribe Thick Dry Finishing Spray to add more volume and to give it a good grip so your style will last. Primp and Blow club sells Oribe hair products and members also receive 10% off products.

2. What Should I Wear?

I asked Lauren Phillips, my go-to fashion advisor and co-owner of Pretty Please, to share some helpful suggestions for deciding what to wear for a Zoom Happy Hour. FYI—Pretty Please also has an online site and they offer personal styling sessions—virtual or in-person with the store to yourself when possible.

Lauren suggests choosing a bright colored cute top to stand out a bit in your Zoom box. Also, a fun hat or a cute piece of eye-catching jewelry is fun. The beauty is you can also pair that super cute top with some pajama bottoms, and no one will know! I love the way Mackenzie, one of Pretty Please's sales stylists, looks as she models these looks awesome looks in some Zoom-worthy photos.

3. How to Make-Up My Face to Look ‘Glam-Natural’

I spoke to Sheri Bieberle, an independent consultant for Rodan+Fields, for some tips. Sheri not only knows a great deal about healthy skin care products, but she also always looks glowing, natural, and glam at the same time!

First, Sheri suggests ditching the makeup and using something that is actually good for your skin. Rodan + Fields Radiant Defense Perfecting Liquid is the perfect solution for a polished, natural and healthy look. This 4-in-1 tinted product with an SPF of 30 comes in 10 shades so you can find the perfect one for your skin tone. What I love about it is that it looks like makeup but acts like skincare.

All you need is a pea-sized amount applied evenly all over your face with a good brush. If you like to contour, you can use lighter and darker shades to get the desired look. 

Sheri then finishes off her glam natural look with mineral peptide powder, mascara, a bit of eye shadow, eyeliner, and lip-gloss. Voila- your glowing skin will not only look radiant, but it will also thank you for taking such good care of it.

*Bonus Healthy Tip:

Don’t feel pressured to have to have wine or cocktails for a happy hour if you would rather not imbibe in alcohol. My go-to? Kevita Kombucha watermelon rose. Pour it in a wine glass, as seen in the main pic in this article, and rock an alcohol-free happy hour feeling just as celebratory!

I learned so much about how to throw myself together and have a fun time while looking and feeling great—albeit in a little box on someone’s screen. I hope this helped you, as well.  In fact, I came up with these five reasons why virtual happy hours may be even better than real ones!

5 Reasons Virtual Happy Hours are Better Than Real Ones

  1. You can wear your pajama bottoms
  2. Showers are optional
  3. Reconnecting with friends from afar
  4. Virtual backgrounds conceal a messy house
  5. The bathrooms are always clean!

Health and wellness is such a broad field. I would love to know what my readers are the most interested in seeing each week. Please drop me a line telling me what interests you most. Is it aesthetics? Meditation? Fitness? Essential oils? Preventative health? Let me know what you would find compelling to learn about.

Email Susan@stopandbreathe.org, find me on InstagramFacebook, or visit my website, StopandBreathe.org.

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