Not too long ago I received an email in my inbox from the editor of Cincy Chic inviting me to a day at the spa. That sounds awesome, I thought! What’s the catch?

It turns out the catch was that I had to turn over my looks to the team at Mitchell’s Salon and Day Spa. They would cut and color my hair, do my makeup and prep me for a fun little photo shoot.

Well, while I have loved my long locks over the years, you probably remember a few drastic decisions I’ve made of my own free will over the years. In the past two or three years, I’ve gone from a long look to a short haircut and back again. Once I accepted the color part, I was actually really excited for my spa makeover!

Leading up to the big day, I was pinning images like crazy and decided that I was really interesting in trying a little bit of ombre, while also keeping it somewhat natural looking. The morning I arrived at Mitchell’s, I was nervous and excited and not really sure what to expect.

I was greeted by an amazing stylist named Michelle who is downright adorable! I mean check out this gal’s orange and blue combo!

Michelle made me feel really comfortable and looked at all of the Pinterest photos I could possibly pull up on my phone. She also talked to me about what challenges I have with my hair (flat, thin, won’t curl, etc.) and how I typically wear it (up or straightened). She wanted to be sure that she gave me a cut that would help with some of my challenges but would also allow me to stick with my straightened/pony syndrome.

I came in with my hair in a braid and when I took it out she was amazing at the length I had. She was even more amazed when she learned I had ‘virgin hair’ (her word, not mine), meaning it was color free. This color is all natural, baby!

Once she surveyed the landscape, she decided to go ahead and chop quite a bit off before she applied any color. There’s no point it putting on a bunch of color when we’re just going to cut it off anyway! After that, it was time for the color! She applied natural highlights around my face and then began teasing the ends up before applying foils to the ends of my hair. She explained that this allowed her to add ombre without making a direct line across my hair. Subtly is key here, folks!

After all of the foils were applied, I caught up on my Kardashian gossip and snapped this ‘before’ Frankenstein moment photo on Instagram:

I didn’t keep track of minutes but by the time I finished reading all about Kourtney’s new baby and how much she loves Scott, it was time for a rinse! This is always my favorite part of going to the salon and, I have to say, it was just as amazing at Mitchell’s! Michelle’s assistant shampooed me and that girl knows how to work a scalp!

Do you see some blonde ends yet? As she was towel drying was the first time I was able to see the color at all. I got really excited, but also had a “Oh goodness, what have I done?” moment.

Then she flat ironed and cut my hair again! I wish I had Michelle to style my hair everyday. She got my hair straighter that I ever have!

Do you see that subtle ombre in there?

It’s a bit more blonde around my face.

Once Michelle had finished her handiwork, it was on to the makeup team. Now, when it comes to makeup, my motto once again is natural. I wear a bit of foundation to even out my skin tone, a little powder to set it, some blush, eyeliner and mascara. If I feel like getting really crazy, I may add a hint of eyeshadow, but that’s it.

My makeup artist, Mera, had big plans for me! She wanted to show me how much I could do if I played with more types of makeups. To be honest, I have no idea all of the things she put on me, but I can tell you it felt really natural while wearing it. She really played up my eyes, which was a lot of fun.

Once my makeup was finished, I got dressed and prepared for my photo shoot. I’ve done a few photo shoots before, but I’m usually best with a more journalistic style of shooting. This was very posy so I’m sure the photographer was really struggling with me.

But, without further ado, here are some of my favorite after shots!

Dress: TJ Maxx | Heels: From my wedding

In the end, it was SOOOO much fun! I had a complete blast and love my haircut! Check out more photos on the Style Every Day Facebook Page!

You can also read more about the experience, including the products used on my hair and makeup on CincyChic.com.

Disclosure: I received this experience at Mitchell’s Salon and Day Spa courtesy of Cincy Chic and Mitchell’s. I was not required to write about my experience and the views expressed here are completely honest and completely mine!