Beauty in a Beat! New Mobile Beauty Service in DC!

Recently I came across a brand new company called Beauty in a Beat and it couldn’t have been at a better time! They are a brand-spanking new mobile beauty company that serves the DC region and I couldn’t love them more!

Somehow I left my hair and makeup for the Big Day as almost an afterthought-I didn’t think it would be too hard to get a stylist and makeup artist to come to my hotel to get ready the day-of. Turns out, it was much more challenging than I thought! I spoke to a few freelance makeup artists I found on Instagram or through friends and I found our interactions to be disappointing and rather unprofessional due to their response times!  Also, the rates and minimum amounts they were charging seemed to be a little excessive in my eyes. My bridal party is renting their dresses from Rent the Runway and many are traveling from out of state so I’m trying very hard to keep their costs down. Asking them to pony up a large sum of money for hair and makeup seemed insensitive to me and unfortunately it’s not in my budget to pay for all of them (paying for a DC wedding by yourself is expensive!). Plus they are all pretty stylish ladies anyway so I’m not concerned!

That being said when my own hairstylist told me she couldn’t come to do my hair for my wedding date I was extremely bummed and then magically I received a press release and invite to try out Beauty in a Beat! After doing some research it seemed to me that a service like this is essentially non-existent and I couldn’t wait to try it out!

Owner and creator Heather Coote decided to ditch her corporate job and jump into the world of beauty after she realized this was a service the busy women of DC need! She partnered with top beauty experts in the area (and some talented developers) and came up with a team of stylists, makeup artists and nail technicians you can schedule with the touch of a button from their handy app. It’s so simple to sign up, too. All you need to do is enter your email, create a password and schedule the appointment. Once you select your service and stylist you have the option to chat with your stylist via the app prior to the appointment. You can share ideas with your pro so they can come prepped to make you gorgeous for your special day-or night. Services are available from 5am-11pm so whether you have a morning wedding or a hot date in the evening, they’ve got you covered. Their prices are extremely reasonable as well, which is another bonus! You can have someone come to your house and blow out your hair for $50! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve washed my hair and thought if I could call someone to come blow out this mane my life would be so much easier! You can pay via your credit card through the app but keep in mind at this time tips are cash-only so make sure you have some handy.

I plan on using this service for my wedding–and if you’re interested in doing something like this as well you can email them at info@beautyinabeat.com and they can work with you to make sure you have the glam squad you require for your big day.

I hope you all check out this service for yourself so you can see how awesome it truly is! I wish the best for this new company and I’m so excited to become a loyal customer! Thanks to BIAB for hosting this amazing! I’m looking forward to my Big Day with BIAB!

As always, thanks for stopping by A Fresh Coat! XOXO Jen

The after pic: my wedding hair trial with the talented Shamika! Loved this soft, gorgeous up-do!

A little angle shot

I have a LOT of hair. Shamika managed to get it all in this awesome, loose braid but keep it off my neck so quickly! Her skills were impressive–she didn’t even complain about how thick my hair is (my top pet peeve when working with a new stylist!). LOVE. THIS.

Heather, left and Shamika, right

The day wouldn’t be complete without a selfie! Had such a fun time with these ladies–they made me feel like a million bucks!

The ever glamorous founder of Beauty in a Beat, Heather Coote, left and me all glammed up, right.

When I left the Hay Adams I stopped to take so many selfies in front of the White House tourists were looking at me like I was crazy. Whatever, I had a blast and felt great! Shamika took down my hair and left me with these dreamy curls for my date night with my fiance!

If you’re gonna do it, do it right! Amazing location to host an event–thanks BIAB!

The process…

Heather gave me a great demo of the app on her iPad. It’s so easy to use ladies!

Loved the informative handouts and gorgeous floral display, filled with my favs-roses and hydrangeas

A little wedding inspiration? Yes!

Gorgeous suite at the Hay Adams Hotel

Keena had me camera ready in about 45 minutes–I was super impressed with her arsenol of makeup and tools she came ready with!

A selfie after all her hard work was done!

We don’t just wake up like this!

The “before” (ok, she had done my eyebrows at this point–I’ll let you check out BIAB’s site if you really want to see me sans all kinds of makeup!)

Wedding Dresses!!!

This weekend I’m finally going to go wedding dress shopping with my mom! I’ve been holding off until I found a venue because I wanted to make sure I didn’t buy a heavy dress if i was getting married at the beach…but since I know i’m getting married outside on a gorgeous patio of a historic house in DC (details later) I have a better idea of what type of dress I want!

I wanted to share some dress inspiration with you–some are dresses from the Spring 2015 collection I pulled from press releases and some are dresses I’ve been swooning after for a while (like, two years–yes before I was engaged!). I hope you enjoy–and let me know what you like!! Also, I’m always open to suggestions for bridal shops in the DC/VA/MD/DE/PA/NJ area!

Thanks for stopping by! XOXO Jen

Lazaro. This is my dream dress I’ve wanted for two years…sooooo gorgeous!

I’m including this because it’s pretty and $99! Might just get it as a backup! Holy cow! Taffeta fit and flare, David’s Bridal

Organza fit and flare, Vera wang, David’s Bridal (on sale!)

Winnie Gown, BHLDN (obsessed with the back of this dress!)

Winnie Gown, front

Monaco DC Wedding Showcase

The Monaco in Washington, DC, hosted a beautiful Wedding Showcase tonight in the Paris Ballroom. I met some amazing people in the industry but most importantly, I enjoyed the relaxed, casual vibe of the evening! They did a great job bringing in area florists, restaurants and bakers and I got to enjoy some pretty amazing samples, too! I had my iPhone 4s with me, as I ran straight there from work, so the pics aren’t amazing but I thought it would be the best way to share this event with you! The vendors included:
Zentan
Urbana
Poste (freeze-dried macaroons-amazing!)
Firefly (holy shrimp and grits–so delicious!)
Yellow Door Floral Designs (Thanks, John, for sitting through me showing you my Pinterest page of floral inspiration!)
Petal’s Edge Floral Design
Fancy Cakes by Leslie
Alexandria Pastry Shop
Fluffy Thoughts Cakes (had great Groom Cake examples)
The Dandelion Patch (Heidi was adorable and so friendly-and honest-I need to get on invitations!)

Thanks so much to everyone at the Monaco DC for a fun event that my fiance and I enjoyed very much! Buddee, director of catering and special events, was amazing (although I’m sad to report you CANNOT rent the gorgeous outdoor space as it’s just too busy in the summer) and I am excited (and scared) to look over the wedding package he sent me home with! I am a huge fan of Kimpton hotels and think they are the type of venue that has character and can provide guests with a memorable experience-not to mention the food and cocktails are always tasty, too! I happened to work at a wedding last summer at the Monaco in Alexandria (I did the sound outside in the courtyard for the ceremony and uplighting for the reception) and it was a beautiful event that all of the guests enjoyed. I’m getting butterflies in my stomach thinking about possibly having a wedding there! Even if it doesn’t work out (DC weddings are very costly I’m finding out) I’m still very happy to share this gorgeous event with you!

As always, thanks for stopping by! XOXO Jen

Paris Ballroom

Welcome!

Zentan (you may know this place bc of the Donovan Rooftop-great restaurant!)

Christine, thanks for all the info and the delicious tuna and avocado samples!

Firefly DC

Lara Stuckey, head designer and owner, assured me the black fondant would not stain my teeth should I choose to go with a chalkboard wedding cake 🙂

My favorite cake sample of the night!

The beer cake is a replica of an actual groom’s cake they made!

Fluffy Thoughts

Lara noted she dead-lifts 50 lb bags of flour to keep in shape. I may have second-guessed if she was in fact a baker haha!

Kimpton properties was well represented this evening!

Anything that looks like a chandelier=love.

Yellow Door Floral Designs

Yellow Door Floral Designs

They are using dry ice to freeze the macaroons-they come out very cold and extra sweet! Coolest part is the dry ice makes it seem like your mouth is smoking when you eat them. #easilyamused

Try them…… 🙂

T wasn’t quite sure what to do with them! He ended up liking them though!

Thanks to Chef Kyoo Eom and Casto Unson for the treats!

These were surprisingly delicious and tasted like tea-flavored jam. I wanted a hot cup of tea to go with it!

The chefs!

Cakes by Leslie

Leslie in action cutting a sample of her delicious chocolate cake

Chalkboard cakes are all the rage right now!

Our bartender made some refreshing basil lemon martinis that would be a perfect, light drink for a summertime wedding. T commented, “They taste like brunch.” lol

Tom Lally from Alexandria Pastry Shop

Alexandria Pastry Shop

Yellow cake with raspberry jam and buttercream icing. Ever see the episode of Friends where Joey eats all of Monica’s jam? I had that reaction after trying this cake, “…yum…jam.”

Alexandria Pastry Shop

Petal’s Edge Floral Design

Petal’s Edge Floral Design

Petal’s Edge Floral Design

Firefly’s chef–she made my fav food of the evening!

T also approved of the shrimp and grits (and his new fav martini, basil lemon)

Me and T ❤

Vintage Liquor IDs for the Wedding!

T (the fiance) and I are throwing our own wedding (go us!) so I’m all about budget-savvy finds. I always imagined having a vintage-inspired men’s bar area with liquor in gorgeous glass bottles, a cigar station and basically a little nook the men could call their own (signature pink drinks at the bar for the girls?!). I spotted these adorable Whisky, Vodka and Scotch ID labels at Marshall’s on the clearance shelf the other day and for $4 I knew I had to have them. They were an insta-perfect match with my men’s bar nook idea! I love the idea of having a neat treat like this for our guests after dinner (of course, any ladies that want to partake in the liquor and cigars can as well!).

Love this Cigar Bar sign from Etsy

Bottle Inspiration

I also found this mirrored tray at Target in their clearance isle for $12. No lie! I love mirrored trays but I never found one I loved enough to drop the cash on but for 12 bucks I have a potential tray for the wedding and something I love on my coffee table in my house!

My awesome Target find!

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading A Fresh Coat! XO Jen Please check out our Facebook page here as well 🙂

 

 

Where have you been?!

Hi everyone! So, there has been a lot going on the past few months which is why I haven’t quite been, er, present on the blog! I got into a minor car accident on the very first day of my new job and got a nasty case of whiplash. New job=crazy amounts of stress + whiplash=unhappy Jen who can’t work out and has no time for anything else! Then something great happened-I decided to use my “free time” to study and get my PMP (project management professional) certification (like gold in the government contracting world of DC). I wasn’t happy at the new job for various reasons but I figured the best thing to do would be to improve upon myself and at least check a goal off the list! So on Dec. 17, 2014 I passed my four hour long exam and got my shiny new PMP certification. Since then I’ve decided to do my best at my job and just see if this new certification helps! I also negotiated with my company to allow me to work in DC a few days a week because I really hate this commute from the city out to Tyson’s corner (I think getting rear-ended and suffering through PT is a good indicator as to how much it sucks). Traffic in DC is no joke-and yes, there is still a ton of traffic even though I’m going against the flow!!

So once the job started getting better I started working out again which has helped me get back to normal! Going from working out 5 days a week to a mere light exercise at PT a few days a week really threw me off, not to mention I managed to gain some weight.

When Christmas break came around I was so overjoyed to take a few days and spend time with my family. I was also excited because my boyfriend was coming to New Jersey to spend my birthday (Christmas Eve) and Christmas with my family! Everything felt like it was getting better and I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! Then something wonderful happened–my boyfriend proposed to me on Christmas Day!! It was beautiful and he did it in front of my whole family which was pretty special. I think I was so shocked at what was happening I didn’t even answer him-it took my mom yelling, “So what’s your answer?” before I even replied (I said yes of course!).

So now I’m engaged in DC and have once again found something to inspire me and write about! If you start to see more and more wedding content in the blog that’s why! So if you’re reading this-happy new year and let’s start 2015 off right!!

As always, thanks for stopping by! Xoxo Jen

A New Favorite Chair!

photo courtesy of SuiteNY

The minute I saw the Scandia Nett Lounge chair I fell in love–all over again! Architect Paul Lunder’s company, Fjordfiesta, recreated Hans Brattrud’s amazing designs and brought the ’50s back with these beauties. You can request a quote from Suite NY or have your designer contact them for pricing info. The chair is available in laminated wood slats in American walnut, American oak, or American oak with color stain finish (blue, green, black, red or white with visible wood grain available).

…I suddenly feel like grabbing a book and getting cozy under a blanket! As always, thanks for stopping by and reading A Fresh Coat! Hope you enjoy your Thursday! XOXO Jen

photo courtesy of Suite NY

photo courtesy of Suite NY

Q Design Home in Cartagena

As I was exploring the streets of Cartagena, Colombia, my eye was instantly attracted to Q Design on Calle de la Iglesia de la Estrella Esquina. Like most streets in the city, it was narrow, slightly crowded and it would be easy to miss the shop if it weren’t for the bright red logo out front. For a minute it reminded me of the Target bulls-eye, so I was intrigued, and then I saw a Kartell chair in the window and I knew this was a store I’d like! They carry a lot of my favorite brands/designers like Philippe Starck, Chilewich (I still have a favorite set of place mats on my table rotation I bought five years ago!), Foscarini, and Artemide. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi! It was amazing finding this little gem and I’m happy I was able to share it with you all. As always, thanks for reading! XOXO Jen

 

An Open Door to Design: Cartagena, Colombia

Hi everyone! Recently, I was lucky enough to travel to Cartagena, Colombia to attend their Bridal Week which was hosted by the Sofitel Santa Clara. The event was wonderful, the hotel was gorgeous but the city was more than I could have ever imagined! If it wasn’t for the humidity I might have almost forgotten to breathe as I snapped away with my camera lens trying to capture all of the inspiration I could. Everywhere I looked around me was a vignette I couldn’t live without documenting (I am that person on a trip–always with my camera out!). The small cobblestone streets, the colonial architecture complete with balconies filled to the brim with bright pink and purple flowers that overflow from the second story windows, the sidewalks barely large enough for two to walk side-by-side which forces a closeness amongst the people, the mini taxis buzzing around the streets and the double doors that are painted beautiful hues with lines and textures that only weather and time can help create…Cartagena is a magical place! Most of the magic for me, however, was in the doors and the door-knockers. I was mesmerized by the ironwork and colors and just couldn’t get enough. Here are some of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

As always, thanks for reading A Fresh Coat! I hope you enjoyed these images as much as I enjoyed capturing them and sharing them with you. Please come back to read more info about my experience in Cartagena! XOXO Jen

Fall Fashion! Already?! Budget With Me, Ladies!

It feels like I was just at the beach and suddenly my inbox is overflowing with back to school deals and fall fashion. Last week we had a few days where the temperature dropped and I suddenly had that fall feeling come over me where I wanted to put on jeans, my riding boots and break out the pumpkin scented items. I’m not ready, though–I still have visions of palm trees in my head! This summer has just flown by but this weekend I decided to jump on the bandwagon and check out the Arundel Mills Mall for some fashion deals. If you’ve never been there, it’s a great outlet mall in Hanover, MD, only about 30-40 minutes from DC (it also is across the way from the Maryland Live! Casino which is pretty fun, too!). I saw a lot of things I wanted to buy but budget-wise I’m just not ready to do my fall shopping.I did however need a new black cardigan and I could always use a new dress! I stopped by Old Navy because they were really pushing their sales this weekend ($19 jeans are my fav) and I happened to find a great option and only spent about $33 total for two pieces!

I scored this very nice, flattering ponte-knit shift dress in dark gray for $17 (hey lucky for you it’s only $11 online!):

The material is very thick so it is a perfect dress to transition from a cold office to a nice fall day! I’m considering ordering the other colors (salmon, turquoise, black) online as well because I really like the way it fits and I can easily make it as dressy or casual as I want. I can’t even decide which bright, bold necklace I’ll pair with this dress yet–options=limitless.

 

I also picked up a black cardi because I wear them all the time in the office over my sleeveless dresses, etc. and they were on sale for $17 at the outlet store. Online they are $25 but if you use code CHOOSE20 you will get 20% off your entire order and ON always has free shipping over $50.

I only spent a little bit but it was exciting to buy my first pieces for fall–and at such an amazing deal! If I didn’t have two pairs of jeans in my closet with tags on them still I probably would have went for the $19 jeans sale as well. I’m almost a tad bit excited to start going through my clothes to make a donate pile so I can start adding some new pieces to my tiny, tiny closet!

I should also mention, ON also has their Super Cash promotion going on so if you have some shopping to do, I’d head in now! I do like getting basics here like tees, tanks and workout clothes. Sometimes, you luck out with a cute dress, too! Here’s how the Super Cash works:

 

Then you can bring in your certificate for the amount you earned off your next purchase (dates will be on the coupon).

As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope to post more this month and share some good deals with you, too! XOXO Jen

 

July 4th Sales!

Hi everyone! Happy 4th of July! Hopefully you are all off from work today and have the day to relax and do whatever you like. One of my favorite things to do is take advantage of all of the sales over the holiday. Here are a few good ones happening today/this weekend, along with some of my fav July 4th picks:

Express

Striped romper, on sale for $26.94

$20 off $60, $40 off $120 or $80 off $240 with promo code 9238 (also available in store)

Shorts and sandals are 50% off and they have a good selection of dresses that are 40% off.

New York & Company

 

 

Marble Bead Bib Necklace, on sale for $7.99 from $26.95

 

Crate & Barrel

Ventura Outdoor furniture collection, up to 30% off

Patriotic String Lights, on sale for $20.37 from $34.95

Bath & Body Works

Loft

Sprinkle Dot Cami Dress, $19.80 on sale

Victoria’s Secret

These are some of my favorite sales going on today! Hope you get to do a little shopping in between the BBQs, fireworks and family time! As always, thanks for stopping by and come back again soon! XOXO Jen