Organizational Tools for Stylists

Happy Friday! Today I feel extra happy. The bright sun, soft breeze and the end of a hard work week has left me relaxed and excited for the weekend. Unfortunately, my taxes are still left on my to-do list. Eek! At least I can put everything together while sitting in the sun and drinking lemonade, right? Actually, what is going to ease the pain the most is that I have been using a lot of great organizational tools this past year to keep my expenses, invoices and mileage in order.

Part of running your own business is having to stay SUPER duper organized. All of the tools that help me do that are completely accessible online, so if I ever start traveling a bunch my office is with me wherever I am. So, where can you go buy these magic elves? They are either FREE or have minimal fees. I just wish they had striped tights like real elves. =)

HARVEST I can't say enough about this project management and invoicing program. I'm able to draft estimates, creative invoices and track my hours. It's very similar to Freshbooks, but cheaper! You can add collaborators if you happen to have assistants or other vendors you're working with on a project. You are also able to see the status of all of your sent invoices - whether it has been received, opened or paid. You can use their free trial to see what you think!

GMAIL I'm sure you probably love GMAIL as much as I do, and can't live without it like the rest of the world. One of the things that I enjoy the most about it is the ability to label all of the different types of emails I receive. My business has many aspects to it, and I get emails regarding all of them plus more (blogging, personal styling, closet organization, photo shoots, expenses, general inquiries). By labeling the emails it makes it easier to search through my archives.

OUTRIGHT AHH! This little web application is genius. It's basically like mint.com for your business. Not only does it track money going in and out of your business with the ability to link it to your bank account, harvest account, paypal account, etc. It also shows you spending trends, and gets you ready for tax season. It also has the ability to track mileage. It automatically calculates the cost of mileage to my business using Google Maps. GENIUS!

GOOGLE CALENDAR I would be lost without this thing. Without Google Calendar my husband and I wouldn't even know if we needed to show up to family events or not. By keeping track of all of my client meetings in Google Calendar I have yet another record of my time and mileage expenses. It's better than writing it down with pencil and paper because I can share it with people and invite people to meetings.

PINTEREST This is my visual organizational tool. I put all of my photo shoot inspiration into this baby. If I didn't I would have a BAGILLION folders on my desktop like I used to. Not to mention, with so many creative projects, it's easy to let the visual images blur together.

New Beauty Product Loves

Why does it always seem that when ever you need a new tube of mascara you find yourself running out of face wash, concealer, lotion, etc. too? Anyone else seem to have that pattern? Last weekend, I made a trip to ULTA to stock up on my usual beauty essentials, but I decided to try some new things instead.

I've talked before about how much I like Maybelline's Lash Stiletto Mascara. Well, they were all out of the regular blackest black mascara, so I decided to try the "voluptuous" formula instead. I like it EVEN better! It stays on longer and the brush is easier to use. Try it out!

I also decided to trade in my COVERGIRL Perfect Point Plus Eye Liner for a much cheaper one. RIMMEL's Soft Kohl Liner was recommended to me by a makeup artist I recently worked with. Since it was less than my usual go-to liner, I decided to take a chance on it. I love it! It stays, but it's also smudge-able.

Lastly, I tried out Yes to Blueberry Brightening Facial Towelettes. I have tried their Cucumber ones, and I loved them. However, the price is usually a lot higher than the Clean and Clear Towelettes. This time the Blueberry version was cheaper than my usual choice, so I took a chance on the the brightening wipes. The smell is SO YUMMY!

You might be wondering why I spend money on the towelettes over regular face wash. I really like the ability of seeing my makeup coming off and knowing that I'm not drying my face with a dirty hand towel. With all of my acne issues it's important that my face is extra, extra clean.

Photo Sources: Chic Style 21, Fabuless Beauty, Yes to Carrots

The Pony

Styling hair is something that has never come easily to me. From birth my hair has been out of control, curly and frizzy. My mom never knew what to do with it, and resorted to the ugly mullet for a time. ACK!

As I got older, I started brushing my own hair and escaping painful brush strokes of death (just kidding...kinda). I found myself always throwing my hair up in a pony tail. It was easy, and it looked good. I don't think I ever really left my hair down until the end of high school or the beginning of college when straighteners became popular.

The pony tail is the easiest up-do in the books. It is finally coming back to rival the bun and top knot, and I think we're in need of change anyway.

Here is some beautiful pony hair inspiration to enjoy, and get you in the mood for changing times!

Images: Dia De Beaute, Previously Owned, Pinterest, Audrey Hepburn, Refinery 29, The Glitter Guide

What NOT to Wear - A Personal Example

Okay, so I'm about to completely make an arse of myself, but it's for YOUR benefit that I'm doing this! This is how much I love you! It was back in 2006 (six years ago mind you) when Ryan and I hired our wedding photographer, Melissa Jill. I'm so glad to say that we're all great friends to this day and I get to work with her all of the time. YAY!!! But back to the story...Our engagement shoot was approaching, and I was freaking at as to what to wear for our session. So, what did I do? I looked online to see what other people were doing.

Mistake #1 - I didn't stay true to myself. I copied other people - other people that had NO style, apparently.

I saw that most people were wearing black and white in the photos. BORING snooze fest colors that are the WORST colors for the camera by far. NEVER, ever wear black or white for a photo shoot. Promise?!

Mistake #2 - Thinking that the only color in the world that is slimming is black.

Both Ryan and I wanted to look our best, so of course, that meant looking our thinnest, right? Sure, black does make people look slimmer, but it's a terrible color for photographers to work with and doesn't pop in a photo. Other colors like red and purple look great with my skin, are dark, and complement the camera. Prints would have also been a fabulous choice because the right one will easily hide any love handles.

Mistake #3 - We MATCHED! M-A-T-C-H-E-D!!!

Why, oh why, did we think this was a good idea?! Just combine mistake 1 and 2, and you have your answer. Thankfully, the fact that I'm Greek and Italian and he's Norwegian kept us from looking like siblings. Praise the Lord!

So, now when I say don't wear black, white, match, etc., you know I'm not just saying that because I read it somewhere. I'm saying it because I made the mistake of doing it myself and confessed it on this blog for the whole world to see.

I seriously can only share this now after having a well established respect among the lifestyle, wedding and fashion photographers in my area and a portfolio to back my taste up! haha!

White Lace

Trend alert! White lace is popping up everywhere. The ultra feminine fabric is ushering in spring and summer in stores like J.Crew and H&M. I've never really been a huge lace fan mostly because my style is simple and clean. And WHITE lace...Well, until now, I've only worn it on my wedding dress, but for some reason I'm really diggin' this pure and flirty fashion statement.

I'm thinking my Easter dress is going to be right up this alley.

Here is some inspiration to get you on the band wagon...

Photos: Unknown, ASOS, Fashion Kingdom, unknown, Because I'm addicted