Moxie

By Lauren Linhard – moxie.lauren@gmail.com

“It’s like a little secret,” said Crop Salon Owner Jenn Jensen. “Nobody might notice, but you do, and that makes all the difference.”

What’s that secret something Jensen is referring to? Confidence –and learning how to strengthen it by taking a little time for yourself.

That was the topic of discussion at Crop Salon’s first beauty class – Blowdry Bootcamp. While at first glance it might seem the main focus was brush type, hair products and blowdry technique, there was actually much more to the event for the six attendees.

“Confidence doesn’t come from how you look in the mirror, but how you feel about yourself,” said Robin Himmel, who is getting married in May. “So taking the time for yourself makes a difference.”

Himmel, who attended the event with her soon-to-be step daughter, Brooke, has three girls from a previous marriage and said it’s important to know confidence is part of learning. Events like Blowdry Bootcamp provide a platform for that conversation, she said.

There’s not any one age more important than another to learn the tips and tricks of developing confidence, said Jensen, who has been in the beauty industry for 15 years. It’s great to watch girls shine with inner strength from a young age, and for moms and grandmas to be able to pass that down through life lessons.

“I was a really weird teenager,” Jensen laughed. “If I had known some of the things being taught today, it might have been a little easier.”

Marisa Mysko, co-owner of Upskill Artistry and Beauty, which provides cruelty-free makeup classes in the Baltimore area, believes workshops are also great social opportunities for strong women to come together and make each other stronger.

“I love going to classes to pick up something new, but it’s also about meeting people and building community, which adds to what each person takes away,” Mysko said as she learned to section and dry her short hair.

Frankly, added hair stylist Beth Landsman, putting on makeup or doing your hair is not about getting compliments. It’s a way of investing in yourself, reminding yourself you are worth that 10 or 30 minutes, she added.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a size two or 14, you deserve to feel good,” Landsman said.

Photos by Kaitlyn Fitzgerald