By Meg Burns, Blush Beauty Lounge Have you heard of brow lamination? It is a brow treatment that continues to gain popularity because of its amazing results. I thought it would be helpful to give you an overview of the service and what you need to know. Let’s break it down! Why do people love brow lamination and what is it? People continue to fall in love with brow lamination because it gives your eyebrows a fuller look. Often, as we age our eyebrows become thinner. Not only that, but the hairs start to compress together giving the illusion of brows that are even thinner than they actually are. Brow lamination is a chemical process that straightens the eyebrow hairs so that your brows look fuller and thicker. One of the most common things we hear from clients after their brow lamination is that they didn’t even realize how many brow hairs they actually had or how full they could be! What is the process like? During a brow lamination, your esthetician will start by cleaning your brows and removing any makeup. That is followed by a three-step process where the esthetician will apply different products to your brows. Each step of the process will sit on your brows for a bit depending on the texture of your eyebrow hairs. While the products are working, they will brush through your brows periodically to make sure all of the hairs are being treated. Most clients choose to get an eyebrow... Read More

  Listening to music while working out is an ideal boredom breaker, but did you know it can also boost your athletic performance and make your hard-earned hours in the gym even more effective? Let’s look at a few of the benefits of music during exercise and how to build a motivational workout playlist to suit your session. The Benefits of Music with Exercise More Optimism: The largest (and possibly most rewarding) benefit of listening to music during exercise is that it promotes a positive attitude. In February 2020, a team of researchers published an article in Psychological Bulletin that reviewed different studies on music and exercise. They found that people who listened to music while exercising felt more positive no matter how intense the workout or their experience level. Push Harder: Listening to your playlist of workout motivation music has also been shown to reduce what gym-goers call “RPE” or “rate of perceived exertion” and discomfort. This is a scale from 1-10 which rates how difficult you found the exercise, and how many more repetitions you have left in yourself at the end. A study found that listening to your preferred music genre created improvements in maximum strength, endurance, and a reduced RPE rating. Exercise feels easier with music! In the Mood to Groove: The more rhythmic and groovy the music, the more we want to move, nod our heads, tap our feet, or break out into dance. A study in Brain Cognition found that “high groove” music activates... Read More

  We all hear that olive oil is good for us, but the quality of olive oil can vary vastly between typical grocery store olive oils and true 100% extra virgin olive oils. Extra virgin, by definition, means the olives must be “without defect” and must be crushed within 24 hours of being picked. These olives provide great health benefits – protection against heart disease and cancer, reduction of inflammation, improved cognitive function, and more joint mobility among other things. However, to be labeled extra virgin, most commercial olive oil bottles only need to contain 12% extra virgin olive oil. The rest can be olive oil made from old, poor quality and even rancid olives, providing little health benefit. Even worse, it can contain other oils such as soy and canola without listing these oil’s as ingredients. Choose wisely. Look for the actual crush date and the polyphenols (the most important component of olive oil). If this information is not available, don’t trust the source. Emerald Coast Olive Oil gets fresh Northern or Southern Extra Virgin Olive Oils every six months making it among the freshest and finest olive oils in the world – maximum flavor and maximum health benefits. Stop by our store and taste before you buy! Healthy Olive Oil Muffins With Coconut Drizzle Recipe Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup white sugar 1 egg 1 cup milk ¼ cup Persian Lime, Lemon, Blood Orange or Unflavored Olive Oil 2-3... Read More