Team Suzie

" A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." 

Team Suzie is dedicated to supporting and lifting up an extraordinary woman who has continued to be a fighter despite the many obstacles that have come her way. Her continous optimistic attitude and relentless perserverence is truly an inspiration to all who are lucky enough to know her. Mrs. Suzie is truly the definition of a hero. Here is her story...

April 2013 we found a large mass in her right breast which ended up being Breast Cancer - Stage 4B - after the initial shock, fighting this head on with a positive attitude was the only option, and that's exactly what happened. We made a get together whenever we could, gathering all of her supporters, celebrating life, it came to her hair falling out, and we made the decision to shave her head and take control! We made a party of it, a few people took turns with the clippers, thousands of smiles, tears, laughs and plenty of wine and with that we were ready, #SuzieStrong!!!!! Needing to shrink the mass, she started with 8 rounds of Chemotherapy, then came the Mastectomy followed by 45 days of radiation. A long, tough road but worth it when we saw her ring the bell as all her amazing nurses stood by her side, Team Suzie shirts on!


Fast forward to Summer 2014 - while scheduling for her reconstruction surgery unfortunately Skin Cancer was found - quick and easy fix brings us to December 2014, reconstruction, a new ta-ta, a nice little lift to ring in the New Year! 

2015 started CANCER FREE!!!!!!!! So much to be thankful for bringing in the New Year, it brought so much confidence to her, she started a healthier lifestyle, dating, spending her weekends enjoying life with her girlfriends and celebrating 18 years with Maxim Healthcare. All in all she was unstoppable. 

The beginning of May, went to see Dr.Tweed - yearly mammogram came back - ONE YEAR CLEAR of cancer! 


May 16th - a Saturday night, she has no recollection of a few hours of the night without drinking involved but operating a vehicle and having normal conversation with Ryne (my brother). She went to the doctor that following Tuesday morning and was told she needed an MRI brain scan which led to an emergency call from her oncologist to head straight to the ER with seeing swelling and masses on the left side of her brain. After being admitted into the Oncology unit, we were told by the doctors this would be treated as breast cancer metastasizing to the brain, which was to later be confirmed. On Tuesday, June 2nd brain surgery was performed to test the one larger mass connected to the lining of her brain - while the smaller mass, deep in her brain with be treated with pin-point radiation. As of today, she has now been released from the hospital, will be in recovery for 4 weeks, with radiation following. She will be closely monitored at home, as well as through each and every doctor in her amazing medical team at Anne Arundel Medical Center. 

With the unfortunate prognosis being only treatable, not curable, as a family, we're sharing her story in hopes to help with the abundance of financial burdens to come. We thank you all for your continued thoughts, prayers and well wishes. Xo! #TeamSuzieTakeTwo

*Story written by her daughter, Paige Clifton. 

  

Please click the link below to donate any thing you can; every penny counts towards medical expenses.

Thank you and God bless. 

http://www.gofundme.com/w9gvh4?fb_action_ids=10204153843385960&fb_action_types=og.shares&fb_ref=undefined&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B684861954974463%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.shares%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%22undefined%22%5D

Follow us in Facebook and Instagram @teamsuzie 

PSC Hair Artistry

So proud to announce that one of my dearest friends just launched her official website! She is an amazingly talented hair stylist specializing in styled shoots and wedding hair. You may recognize her work on my blog as we did #tutorialthursday. Brides to be this is your go-to girl!

Check out her beautiful website to see some of her most recent work: http://www.pschairartistry.com/

Keep doing your thing Paige. You really are an inspiration that dreams can come true with hard work, passion, and perseverance!

XoXo

Meg #idealizeandimpress

Spring are you coming?!

So Mother Nature has been playing tricks on us lately in MD however, after returning from Mexico I cannot help but be in the spring/ summer mood! I teamed up with The Boutique at Body Wellness upon my arrival back to the US and loved all their new summer arrivals. It's only a matter of time before the sun starts shining so get your closests ready ladies! 

All items are available now in store. 

Had to throw in 1 Cancun pic ;) 

Transition from winter to spring!

Personally, the best kind of outfit is one that you can mix and match, wear alone or layer and above all else transition throughout the year, no matter the season. Maxi dresses are usually considered a summer or spring clothing item however, I say wear it all year round. Here's how...  

Fall/Winter: 

Layer with a warm jacket and thick scarf. Throw in some cute booties and this maxi is ready to go even in the coldest weather. 

Spring:

Pair with a light weight button up and cute hat and you have a stylish outfit! 

Summer: 

Go classic maxi dress. This flowy loose fitting maxi is so comfortable and pairs great with your favorite summer sandals. 

It's that easy! One item yet three totally different looks. Please ladies, get the most for your money and wear your clothes more than once!

||All items available NOW at the Boutique at Body Wellness in Edgewater, MD.|| 

We Love Braids

A braided look is one of the easiest ways to turn a boring hairdo into a fun and boho look. The braided do you see below is my way of channeling my "Greek goddess," and is oh so simple. 

Check out the 360 look on Instagram @psc_artistry 

Hair Stylist: Paige Clifton 

Got a Hot Date? Valentines Day Ready!

Love is in the air, but are you ready? Whether you're going out for a hot date with your love or if you're going to meet up with all your single ladies, you can look classically beautiful. 

  These big soft curls are easier than you  might think and give a look that is sure to impress. Follow the steps below for a short cut to setting curls: 

1.) Start with blow drying your hair and making a deep part to your preferred side.

2.) Section the top portion of your hair and begin curling, rolling and pinning. The longer the curls sit the better so go do your nails or makeup in the meantime.

3.) For volume and length add extensions to bottom of head (optional.) Curl as usual by wrapping hair around the barrel. 

5.) Use two different sized barrels to create more texture. 

6.) Now that the bottom portion of your hair is curled, let down those pinned curls. They will appear similar to this when you first let them down. 

7.) Lightly brush the pinned curls out. This will create a looser and softer look. 

8.) Now, it's selfie time...You can tuck one side behind your ear or swoop to one side to create variations of this look. 

Meet the Stylist: 

Paige graduated in 2010 from the Fila  Academy in Brooklyn Park,MD. She has been doing hair ever since; working the past 4 years in a well renounced salon and spa. Currently, Paige is working towards starting her own freelance business specifically focusing on weddings, styled shoots & events. For questions or bookings email: paigesclifton@gmail.com 

The Banana Split

We're bringing back the 90's on today's #tutorialthursday. This very simple hairdo is a twist on a popular look from when NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls ruled the world. Today you can find lovely ladies like Lauren Conrad, Khloe Kardashian and Ariana Grande sporting this cute half up half down look. Follow the steps below to learn how to achieve what we like to call the "Banana Split."

1.) Start with clean blown out hair. When blow drying try to twist out the ends to create a soft curl ( or you can curl the ends with a curling iron, optional.) 

2.) Tease the top section of your head, leaving out your bangs. Go crazy, the bigger the better. 

3.) Section hair from about the temple of your head upward and make a half up pony tail with a clear elastic band. 

5.) Wrap a strand of hair from the pony tail around the elastic band to hide it. 

6.) Hairspray lightly for extra hold. 

There you have it, a sassy 90's look that takes just minutes!   

Stay tuned for next weeks Tutorial Thursday and as always feel free to tag us or hashtag #tutorialthursday to share looks you would like to see featured on an upcoming blog! We love your feedback :) 

Meet the Hairstylist: Paige Clifton 

Paige graduated in 2010 from the Fila  Academy in Brooklyn Park,MD. She has been doing hair ever since; working the past 4 years in a well renounced salon and spa. Currently, Paige is working towards starting her own freelance business specifically focusing on weddings, styled shoots & events. For questions or bookings email: paigesclifton@gmail.com 

Morning Hair Rescue!

If you're anything like me sometimes morning hair can resemble that of a lions mane, dreadlocks, or a birds nest; but don't fear ladies. Today's #tutorialthursday shows you how to take messy morning hair to perfectly presentable. Not only will you be ready to take on the day but you can easily change up the look for that Thursday happy hour that you so desperately need (and deserve, the weeks almost over and you worked hard.)

Lets get started...

1.) First, Wednesday (or any other night before) wash hair and let it air dry naturally.

2.) Apply Dry Shampoo to the root for extra volume and texture.

3.) Section hair into 1 inch sections starting at the base of your head. (Excuse my insane roots) 

4.) Use  a 1 inch Wand and sub-section into 4 pieces, curl each piece with wand.

5.) Continue on to other sections moving up your head making sure to switch from a 1 inch and 1/2 inch barrel wand (with smaller wand use more sectioned pieces.) When wrapping hair around wand make sure to leave 2 inches off of curler to create a natural looking curl. If your hair is naturally curly you can leave some natural pieces in the mix of the curls you're making with the wand.

6.) Note that the more times you wrap, the tighter the curl. I would suggest wrapping tighter every other section to have different sized curls.

7.) Once your full head is curled its time to get a little untamed. Spray some tousle spray or salt spray all over your hair and start scrunching, pulling out some curls, teasing, etc (anything that creates more volume and a more unstructured curl.)

8.)  You are now ready! This look will last all day. In fact, I think it looks best when the curl falls out a bit.

Now to the Happy Hour Evening look...

1.) Take 4 or 5 sections and start bobby pinning curls up.

2.) No matter how you pin it will appear like a mini updo with the help of all the volume from the curls.

3.) Pull out the curls in your bang area and add a headband to glam the look up even more!

This look is absolutely doable with second day hair as well. Just add more tousle spray and re-scrunch. Messy hair can often look better than tamed hair, giving it a beachy or bohemian feel. 

"Goddess" gold headband- PacSun 

Hope you enjoyed this weeks #tutorialthursday. Stay tuned for next weeks look. Please feel free to leave suggestions of looks you would like to see in upcoming tutorials. We love feedback :)

Meet the Hair Stylist:

 

Paige graduated in 2010 from the Fila  Academy in Brooklyn Park,MD. She has been doing hair ever since; working the past 4 years in a well renounced salon and spa. Currently, Paige is working towards starting her own freelance business specifically focusing on weddings, styled shoots & events. For questions or bookings email: paigesclifton@gmail.com

Everyday items every woman should have

  Every woman's make up bag is filled with a list of essential items. Most commonly you"ll find foundation, bronzer, mascara, lip gloss,etc. These items are used daily and can be enhanced by adding additional makeup or they also do just fine on their own.  

  Like these beauty products, there are essential clothing items that every woman should have in her closet during the winter. They can be worn alone or enhanced by layering with other clothing items or pumped up with jewlrey but any way you slice it, these are must haves. 

Número uno on my must have list is a plaid button up shirt: 

This is the plaid shirt in it's most simplistic form. Throw it on with some jeans and you're ready to go. 

You can also go with the unbuttoned look paired with a logo tee:

(Also tying the plaid shirt around your waist makes for another fashionable look that is so in right now.)

Number Two: Solid Slouch Neck Top

The large neck makes this essentially plain long sleeved top a bit more dressy.

Where it alone or pair it with a patterned jacket or sweater...

Number Three: Striped Sweater 

Classically comfy and cute. 

These items are so classic they can often be overlooked during your shopping trip; but with them comes a variety of different outfits you just can't forget! 

*All clothing items are from The Boutique at Body Wellness in Edgewater, MD. Available in store or over the phone.*