​Disclaimer
trigger warning this post contains words such as diet, food, etc. I'm not a dietician or nutritionist, but I am very interested and well studied in nutrition. Gluten was something I wanted to eliminate in my diet as a trial run for MY health, I am by no means recommending this diet for you. Please talk to your health care providers and a nutritionist, before making any dietary switch. Finally, all of what I'm about to share is completely anecdotal, this is not scientifically proven!I I'm just sharing what I found happened to my body :)

Why am I sharing this?
To help people like you! Whether you're just curious or seriously considering changing up your lifestyle, I want to provide you with my honest experience and advice!

The backstory
I have been vegan for many many many years now. My vegan diet has tremendously helped me treat my health problems, but I felt the need to experiment being gluten fee to see if that would give me any extra benefits. So sometime last year right around the holiday season (learn from me, don't start a new dietary change around the holidays haha), I decided to jump in and get rid of all the gluten in my diet. The original plan was to trial it for 6 weeks, well I ended up extending the trial for over a year. 

My positive results
The first change I noticed was my digestion. Gluten free foods felt lighter to digest than the whole wheat or multigrain products that I was eating previously. The second change was surprising to say the least haha... I noticed that my breast shape changed.  yes, you read that right. I do not know if this is actually related to cutting out gluten, but after about two months of being gluten free my girls definitely changed shape. I found limited scientific research on this topic, but many people in the gluten free community have reported similar findings. The third and most significant side effect of being gluten free was the change in my energy levels, especially after meals. I truly believe my energy has increased since becoming gluten free. I am assuming it's because gluten free foods are easier to digest, but as I said earlier, I do not have any credentials or scientific proof to prove this.

The cons of my experience
Being GF and vegan is not for the faint of heart. You have to be fully dedicated to improving your health. Gluten is everywhere & non vegan products are everywhere, finding foods that are friendly to both (other than fruits and vegetables haha) is tough! Also gluten free and vegan packaged products tend to also be pricier because of the lack of competition in the market.

Will I be gluten free and vegan forever?
Probably not. I don't see myself ever not being vegan or plant based, but being strictly gluten free + vegan is hard. When eating at home it's easy once you get the hang of it, but when eating out it's not fun. I honestly feel like a brat telling the waitress "I'm vegan and gluten free, what are your options?" haha! So I will most likely just follow a vegan diet when eating out or for special occasions. It will save me and the restaurant a headache lol. 

What are my favorite food brands and restaurants I found friendly since becoming GF & Vegan?

Restaurants: 
by CHLOE (NYC+)
Fruitive (East Coast)
Callicoon Kitchen (Virginia Beach)

Brands:
GoMacro 
Kinninnick
Natures Path
(offers some GF & Vegan products)

Final thoughts
I'm dedicated to holistic and healthy living especially with my health conditions, so I will continue to follow this lifestyle, even though it can be challenging at times. 

​featured from my #helpingyouglow post on instagram, 

"give yourself permission to find joy 🖤
be like a child again, even if it’s for five minutes. create art, even if no one sees it. have a dance party, even if you are alone. stomp your feet, stick your tongue out, chase butterflies, slide down a slide... under all of the stress and pressure of life you are full of playful energy, allow yourself to unleash it. ✨ #lifeismeanttobefun #helpingyouglow"

​- Jordan (@jordanartistry)

July is disability pride month, therefore I wanted to celebrate by celebrating and recognizing a few brands that are making a huge difference in the disabled community...

the news headlines have made me heartbroken, but through all of this darkness, I see a glimpse of the light...
​
I see people waking up to the injustice, people opening up about their pain, people striving to listen and advocate for those that have been suffering for so long 🖤

may we never forget those who have been mistreated. may we all grow from this incident and the millions of ones before this. may we all accept ourselves enough to accept others. may we all translate our acceptance into love, peace, and harmony. we all live on this earth together, we all live during this lifetime together, we can all make a difference... but it all starts within ourselves.

keep growing, keep loving, keep the movement going. 
​
with love,
Jordan

​ hello! I hope you and your loved ones are doing well. before sharing the precautions that are in place, I want to say a big thank you to all the workers that have kept our world running. I deeply admire your bravery and commitment to helping others during this time. 

I also want to thank those who are supporting small businesses. small businesses are vital to the economy, to families, and to people's dreams. as a small business owner myself I know how much financial risk and time goes into starting a business. it breaks my heart knowing that so many have been forced to shut down permanently.

​I am so thankful for your support and for helping me and my business recover from this downfall. I can't wait to see all of you again and meet many new faces! I promise to try my best to create a safe + comfortable environment for your services as things return back to "normal". below is a list of precautions I am taking to help keep us ​safe.

​please feel free to reach out with any feedback or advice <3

my cancellation policy has been temporarily removed until further notice. all sessions are allowed to cancel without a fee and no questions asked. holding fees and deposits remain non-refundable. please cancel and reschedule if you have any symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed or has symptoms of covid/flu-like illness within 14 days. 

as much as I want to hug and shake hands with everyone...now is not the time. 
therefore air hugs an elbow bumps only haha!

prior to each appointment a temperature check will be conducted using a touchless thermometer. I do not feel comfortable serving customers with a temperature 99.7 F or above.

24-48 hours before an appointment, each client will be sent a digital form with contact information and covid related questions, this is strongly encouraged by the state for contact tracing purposes. (a link to the form is located at the bottom of this page). If an appointment is for multiple individuals, paper copies will be provided prior to beginning service. 

wearing a face mask is required at this time for all personal care services, so please wear a mask to your appointment (and please wear the mask in the proper manner, covering both your nose and lips). I am asking all photographers to also wear a mask, in respect of myself and our clients. if you do not have a mask, I will be happy to supply one :)

as a licensed cosmetologist and a certified makeup artist, I highly value cleanliness and sanitation. I have always used disposables, sanitizer, and disinfecting spray during every session. I deep clean and sanitize my brushes after all appointments. I throw away products or give them to my client if it accidentally comes in contact with their skin. I will continue to take these precautions and take additional actions such as, thoroughly disinfecting each product's packaging after use & deep cleaning my kit after every session. hand sanitizer will be encouraged and available for use throughout the session. 

for hairstyling services: if possible, please wash your hair and dry your hair prior to your appointment.
​as usual, clean capes will be provided to drape over your clothing.

when I greet you, I will be wearing a mask. before our session I will put on a face shield (leaving the face mask on). the mask and the face shield muffle my voice so at anytime you can’t hear or understand me,
​feel free to ask me to repeat haha! 

I am currently accepting payments through square,  paypal, venmo, cash app, or zelle.
​cash will be accepted, but not a preferred method.

I know this is hard, I know this has been a long time, I know you are probably tired of reading all of these rules lol, but the reason business owners put these rules in place are to protect you, our other clients, ourselves, and our families.  

thank you for reading this and for your support.​ looking forward to your appointment! 
 
air hugs,
​Jordan Artistry 

I was sitting by my makeup mirror practicing creative looks on myself, something I do almost daily, but on this day I spent several hours at my makeup mirror. not because I was enjoying it, because I was frustrated. everything I created, I hated. my eyes were getting red and irritated from how many times I wiped them clean. I thought awful thoughts about my skills, my business, my worth as an artist. 

I wanted to quit, I had the urge to shut down my business (especially with the loss of income due to COVID-19). then I looked at my phone and I received a notification from Instagram… “see your post from this day two years ago”.

I clicked it and realized that the look I completed two years ago was almost exact to the look I was frustrated about, just a few minutes earlier. I studied the two pictures side by side.

here are the two images in comparison…

the difference of my blending, the vibrancy of my colors, the intensity of the sparkles, the liner, the brows… 
I was in awe of my improvement. 
I felt so proud of myself, of my art, of my growth.

that notification came in perfect timing, and it inspired me to write this post....

​if you are a creative and are frustrated with your art, please be patient. please be kind to yourself. please give yourself time to grow. please accept where your artistry is now. please give your art the love it deserves. we will try things and fail, many times the failures are painful (and costly!), but always remember that you are creating for fun, to release energy, to inspire.  I believe in the past you, the you where you are now, and the future you. you are talented. you are gifted. you are special. no matter what challenges you are facing, please never quit on giving your creativity and gifts to the world. 

thanks for reading,
wishing you all the best.
xx, 
​Jordan

the world is going through a dark season, lets all try to spread as much light, joy, and kindness to cheer each other up :) here are 5 ways to spread a little joy safely! 

Working in the beauty industry, a lot of people express they're insecurities to me. It makes me sad seeing how one little thing, such as a crooked nose, can make someone hate their appearance and themselves. Insecurities lead to lack of self esteem and confidence, which often lead to bigger social and relationship problems in one's life. In this post I share a few tips for feeling more confident and breaking down your comfort zones, hope you find it helpful!

I've been following a vegan diet for several years now. I love helping and educating people about veganism, so I thought I'd dedicate a blog post sharing my tips!