The Essential Wedding Hair-Do Kit

After last post, there was sufficient interest in learning what I consider the Must-Haves in a wedding hair-styling kit for me to bother rounding up my supplies and taking pictures and putting them into a collage. Thanks for that--I wanted to do the post so you gratified my wish. I will now act important and show you the eight items I believe make up the (basic) Essential Wedding Hair-Do Kit:

1. A curling iron: I have a simple, normal clamp-curling iron but I've heard that the curling wands are even better because you have the choice of how thick you want the curl to be! But honestly, a regular old clamp-iron works just as well when you know how to curl hair. Be certain, however, that you do know how to use it so you don't end up with a bunch of crimped ends and wonky ringlets.
2. Wave-clamps: you never know when you'll be working on a headful of hair that does not want to curl. These clamps are helpful in setting the look. Immediately after taking the hair off the curling iron, swirl it up to the head and clamp in place until completely cool. Spray, then take down.
3. Dry shampoo: I use Not Your Mother's "Clean Freak." Spraying this power into clean or day-old hair (which is easier to work with) provides a great base for teasing, poufing, and pinning. ALWAYS add dry shampoo or another texturizing product when working with updos.
4. Hairspray: the Aussie brand is a good way to go. Volumizing spray is also helpful. Spray the HECK out of the bridesmaids' heads, but only after they've approved the look. It's hard to un-spray hair and you don't want anyone to walk around all day wishing they looked different. After spraying, refrain from lighting a match.
5. A teasing comb: these combs have tiny teeth to help you get that va-voom in the styles. Backcomb gently for desired volume, then comb smooth the top of the hair, leaving a pretty little rat's nest beneath.
6. Curved bobbies: though regular bobby pins work well in most hair, I'm a fan of these curved bobbies by Conair because they follow the contour of the scalp and are much more comfortable to wear. When the bride or bridesmaids are wearing fifty+ bobby pins, you want it to be as comfortable as possible!
7. Clear elastics: a complete life-saver, you always want clear elastics to provide the stability of a hair-tie without the chunky color and visibility. You can easily find them in the hair-pin section of most stores. If for some reason you are having difficulty finding them, check the ethnic section. 
8. Hand-held mirror: obviously helpful for letting your "patient" see the back of her head, a hand-held mirror is a delightful and often-forgotten addition to the essential wedding hair-do kit.

And there you have it! Portable, light-weight, and efficient, these eight items will insure your ability to create nearly any style from French twist to chic chignon, from vintage curls to sophisticated buns and up-dos. Of course you can always add items to increase efficiency or create a certain style. At last weekend's wedding, the bridesmaids had all received snowflake-shaped crystal pins meant to be worn in their hair. At another wedding, if a bouffant bun is desired you might bring a foam ring or a sock. There are always additions one can make. My list is intended to be a list of the basics I now know to be necessities for anyone on their way to lend an artistic hand on someone's big day. I hope this helps take the trepidation out of preparing to play beauty-parlor. Remember! "Wedding Season" is right around the corner. ;)

In Which I Am A Wedding Hair-Stylist

One of the fun things about being known as a girl who loves fashion/style/beauty is that my help is sometimes enlisted for formal events! Back in November, I got to do my sister-in-law's bridal hairstyle as well as work on some of the bridesmaids. Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending another friend's wedding and playing hairstylist again for six of the nine girls in the wedding party. The legendary Jill was there. We have a term called Jill-Hair. Basically, it means Pinterest-Perfect Hair. It is a joy to work with.

I got a flat on the way to the hotel and had to wait in a farmer's field to be rescued by Dad. Gorgeous day for it, though! Weddings, while a lot of work, are such fun. I never tire of getting to be around the bride's best friends, sisters, or soon to be sisters-in-law who make up her bridal party. I love the camaraderie, the laughter, the mess leftover from the bachelorette parties the night before. I love making the bridesmaids feel beautiful, creating styles that fit their faces and personalities, and trying new techniques to get the girls picture-perfect. Unfortunately, I was so busy doing hair that I forgot to take pictures of the styles as I finished them. I will say, though, that every bridesmaid was delighted with her style and thought hers the prettiest. The bride had requested that everyone wear updo's, which was a challenge in itself! I didn't want to repeat a style. Some girls had an idea of what they wanted, some had no clue. I worked with different lengths and textures of hair and had a blast. In fact, the day was going so well that I got all six girls done in 2 1/2 hours! I think Pandora's wonderful "Wedding" playlist had something to do with it. ;)

//photo creds: Jake Gunther//

I believe everyone is gifted in some way and weddings around here are where this principle becomes plain as the nose on your face. I helped via hairstyling, the bride's coworker commanded makeup, a good friend took the bride in hand and did her day-of style, a SWARM of friends worked catering, design, and decor...it was beautiful.

We got to dance at this wedding, and the one fellow I know who knows how to swing dance happened to be in attendance and I happened to be wearing a dress perfect for swing-dancing in, and it happened to work out that they played "Be My Forever" (one of my favorite songs), and he happened to be in a mood conducive to asking someone to dance and I happened to get to dance with the one person who knows how to swing besides my cousin, the photographer. We also did the Cupid-Shuffle and the bride made everyone cry by dancing with each of her brothers and then this crazy-skilled Asian fellow broke down into electric/robot dancing and absolutely killed it. So I ended the night quite happy, though jealous of my friend Linda's amazing freestyle-dance abilities.

As for the hair, I wish now that I'd gotten photos of individual styles as I went, but maybe they will start coming out of Facebook over the next few days. For now, who would be interested in a run-down of the Vital Pieces of a Wedding Day Hairstyling Kit? If there's interest, I'd be glad to put together a post and perhaps a tutorial or two. If you're good at hairstyling, I would definitely keep practicing, learning, and sharing your talent.You never know when you'll have the opportunity to save someone a ton of money/time/stress by lending your skills. Plus, who doesn't love to be up close and personal with the wedding party? It's kind of like a mini VIP meet-and-greet. ;)

Knotty and Nice: 7 easy hairstyle tutorials

This post is for Livia Rachelle, and for any of the rest of you girls who wonder about new and interesting ways to do your hair, or the way I do mine. More often than not, people will look at the way I do my hair and sigh and say:

"I could never get my hair to do that!"

And ladies, I'm a firm believer in the fact that such groanings and moanings are a lie. You can do what I do with my hair, because face it: I'm a busy girl with little time and never-enough-hairpins who can't stand to use hairspray or straighten or curl her hair. Which means that the rest of you can do exactly what I do with my hair--and more. 

My #1 secret to gorgeous hairstyles?

The Knot. 

I use either of two knots:

The one-strand knot: (i.e. loop it around your fingers and pull the end through)

The two-strand knot. (i.e. like the start of tying your shoe-laces.)

I don't have exceptionally long hair. It's about to the middle of my back or a little higher.

I would say my hair is completely average: average texture, thickness, length, and all. So keep the faith up! 

In the rest of this post I'm showing you 7 different hairstyles built entirely off of either of those two simple knots. All you will need are some bobby pins and occasionally a hair-band.

Okay! Let's start!

#1: The Knotted Pony-Tail.

I brought both sides of my hair back and tied a two-strand double-knot. Like what you do when you're tying your shoes extra tight. Then I fastened the bottom with a pony-tail holder and voila! It's finished. Very cute, and a great way to take up length in your hair during the summer!

#2: Half-Up Knot

I took one strand from either side of my head and tied a two-strand knot, then pinned it against my head, leaving the rest of my hair down. This is a really pretty, really simple style.

#3: Sweet Vintage Knot

I did this one very quickly and without enough hairpins so the bottom is slumping. But as you can see I did the exact same thing as the half-up knot, I just used all my hair and tucked the ends beneath the bun as I pinned. :)

#4: The College-Knot

For this perky, preppy style just gather your hair into a really high ponytail on the  crown of your head with a hair-band. Take the hair and twist it into a long rope, then tie the rope in that one-strand knot, tucking the ends under the rest and pinning in place! 

#5: Double-Knots

Divide your hair in half, and tie each half into a single-strand knot. Pin the knot in place, and the let the ends stay down. This is a very cute style I just invented today, and rather like. ^.^ It makes me feel sporty, which is about the rarest feeling for this girl to have.

 #6: Romantic Knots

For those of you who love Downton Abbey, listen up, because this is a style that could easily go for a Downton-esque outfit. This seemingly complicated (and rather formless style, since I was in a rush) is made up entirely of one-strand knots. Literally that's all you do. Tie a bunch of knots all over your head and coil the ends around, and pin them in place so they don't die and flop and unravel. Just knots. I think I made about six. Easy as ABC.

#7: Low-Slung Knot

This is just a single strand knot incorporating all my hair. I gathered the hair into a my hand, twisted it, tied it, and tucked the ends before pinning. I like this. It's casual, cozy, and cute all at once. :)

Simplicity.

So, girls, these seven styles are just a couple of the ideas I came up with in the half-hour or so I spent messing with my hair this afternoon to formulate this post. The Knot is one of the most versatile hair-styling techniques, as it can be styled tight and preppy or loose and romantic. 

Try these, or styles of your own, and let me know how they work out for you!

Best Foot Forward Challenge: Day 3

So today the main event was to try out the flaxseed hair gel I made yesterday. Mama and sisters were very very dubious as to how it would work. I was determined, but had no idea if it was a good idea or not. But it's something I have wanted to try for some time, and this is what "Dressing up to Knock Around the House" days are for, right? Trying things out here in case they won't work there? This morning I got up, showered, and ran the gooey-goop (it looks exactly like the cave trolls' "floaters", btw) through my hair, and scrunched it repeatedly.

Did it work?

You judge: 

I honestly think it did. If nothing else, it smoothed my frizz and made my hair kitten-fur soft. I'm not kidding. This is the best junk I've ever put in my hair. (Not that I've used much gel, but you know.)

And because I know you're asking, here's the recipe:

Homemade Flaxseed Hair Gel

1/4 c. flax seeds

1 c. water

1 tsp. coconut oil

Boil all ingredients together till it becomes the thickness of unwhipped egg-whites. Remove from heat, give a good whisk once or twice, then strain and keep in a jar in the fridge. You can add essential oils (I didn't have any on hand) and you can re-use the seeds over and over to make more till they won't get gooey! Isn't that awesome? It made me happy to hear it. :) 

To use, just apply liberally in your hair and scrunch the curls. Let air dry. This doesn't make your hair crunchy at all, and the coconut oil moisturizes!

Now for the rest of the outfit:

 Leah laughed at my post in the full-length picture, but it's grey and rainy again, and the only place to take the photos was on the front porch, and it was not working out so finally I struck a  "Take that...HOMEBOY!" pose and got the picture. Hence the inner-city tossing of the hands.

 And the bare feet. Or perhaps that's because I'm a country bumpkin now.

Pardon the idiotic expression on my face. I was attempting to show you my makeup, and when I smile my eyes have a habit of crinkling up so you can't see my makeup. I used Loreal "Desert Rose" palette, I think--basically browns. I sprayed on a little "Innis Moonlight" to make myself smell nice. :D

Because the whole outfit was feeling brown, I added NYC "The Red Hots" Duos (the tangerine side) lipstick. :) A gold bracelet, gold watch, black and crystal bracelet, and matching necklace and earrings finished the thing. 

Ohhhhh dear. This gets funnier the longer you look at it. On the bright side, my complexion is marvelous. I am wearing no foundation or concealer or blush. (Thus I'm a little pale, but oh well.)

The dragon-hoard bracelet goes on the other arm, but that arm was the one holding the candle. What can ya do? Nothing.

What is your outfit for Day Three?

The Best Foot Forward Challenge!

Since I've been neck-deep in editing and rewriting in my literary world, and neck-deep in living in my real world, I started to think about the effect personal presentation has upon a body. Jenny spoke of the importance of making oneself and one's surrounding nice before trying to accomplish any writing. I have covered (at great length, I might say) the importance of dressing well and doing your best to present yourself best-foot-forward.

In my own life, I always try to look nice, even if I don't expect to leave the house at all.

 Yesterday, for example, I had a long day of editing and rewriting ahead of me, and I knew I needed to dress up to meet the day.

 It might sound ridiculous, but I did it.

I took a shower, I did my hair, and I put on makeup.

It turns out I did end up going out, but that doesn't really matter because I wasn't aware of it beforehand. ;) The point is, the care you put into your appearance really sets you up for your "mental-me" state for the day.

If you treat your appearance with care and dress up a little, you are mentally acknowledging the fact that you are worth it. On the other hand....

We had a funny discussion on Facebook the other day about the fact that my main qualm with going to work in the business was the color of the shirts we have to wear..."It's not that I *mind* going to work with Dad. It's just...the shirts are a color that would only look good on a cave troll in the deepest throes of an apoplectic hemorrhage."

Yes. I waxed eloquent on the subject of shirts.--does that really surprise you? My dear friend replied:

"Oh...Yeah. Not the happiest color to work in. Just the shade of them says, 'just lie down in the mud and mope...It doesn't matter....'."

See? This phenomenon is not a singularity of mine. I am firmly convinced it happens to women everywhere. So the point of this rambling post is this:

I am challenging those of us who agree with the ideas above to a Best Foot Forward Challenge.

The idea of this challenge is that for a week, (starting Monday) we participants will dress nicely each day--wearing our hair a different way than usual or just a taking a little more care, putting on a bit of makeup if you wear makeup, wearing some jewelry, and generally just presenting ourselves in a prettier, more careful way. Each day you'll take a picture and post it either on FB or your blog or G+, and leave your link in a comment. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, nothing intricate. Just everyday beauty. Along the way, notice how putting your best foot forward changes your attitude about everything from work, to housecleaning, to writing and school and beyond! :)

I'll be here Monday with my first day, and I hope to see you there! In closing, here are a few everyday-beauty photos to get you inspired!

See you Monday!

Hairstyle Tutorial: Lady Mary-esque

The Downton Epidemic has not left our family unscathed. We were very very late to the Downton game, and only just crammed seasons 1 & 2 into the weeks between Christmas and now. :D After hearing some awful things that happen to favorite characters in Season 3, the jury is still out on whether we'll continue or just leave it at the hopelessly wonderful ending to Season 2.

At any rate, if the story of Downton wasn't enough, the costumes and hairstyles are gorgeous, world without end, amen. That being said, I've been thinking a deal about Downton-inspired styles, and when I threw my hair up this morning, I thought I'd take a picture and show you how you can add a little Lady Mary flair to your twist-up. :)

Do realize that I was not intending to recreate one of Lady Mary's hairstyles--this style is simply a nod to the Edwardian period in general, and Cora, Sybil, and Mary (not the mention Aunt Isobel) wear similar styles. And though I'm far and away from being as pretty as Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary), I thought the style turned out pretty well. :) 

I started with the basics I learned in this video:

But I didn't have time to curl my hair beforehand, and I didn't tease the front. Instead, I parted my hair to the side and twisted two strands together, then pinned it behind. The rest of the hair I did exactly as the video showed. I finished by slipping in a hand-painted Russian barrette. Voila! A soft, black shirt, a long pearl necklace, a pair of coordinating earrings, and you have an outfit even the Dowager Countess would approve of!

Aaaaand the side. At this point I had changed twice while wearing my hair up, so it was a bit fuzzy and the pins were showing. I didn't bother spraying my hair for a day at home. :P

Have you been inspired by Downton in your fashion?

Curly Girls

I am going to be leaving for a week without internet and cell-phones to counsel at a camp in the NC Blue Ridge mountains, starting Sunday. So I'll be off posting for a week, but there'll be lots of pictures and things come the return!

One of my dear friends, Rachelle, has been what she calls a Curly Girl for years. This means her hair has a certain measure of wave/curl and she takes care of it with a certain system she describes here on the YLCF website. It intrigued me. Really? Washing your hair with nothing but water? Putting gobs of conditioner in and not rinsing it entirely out? NEVER USING A HAIRBRUSH? It sounded extreme, but intriguing. After all, my own hair is always in a dubious state of frizz...maybe I should try it! I tried washing my hair with only water this morning, and then putting in conditioner. *sigh*.

 I am skeptical at best. I know it'll probably take repeated attempts for my hair to wake up and smell the coffee, but I really do want to try this at some point. Probably not right before I've got to be around people for a solid week though. ;)

Here are links to the whole Curly Girl spiel. What do you think?

Curly Care
Curly Styles
Curly Shopping
Curly Handbook
Curly Concoctions
Curly Cutting
Curly Kids
Curly Links
Curly Tweets
Curly Stories
Curly Q's

Are you a Curly Girl? Have you tried this hair-care regime?

All the possibilities!

Hello lovelies! 

Here's me being busy again with a lot of writing: blogging, novels, devotions, and researching for the classes I'll be teaching at Camp. I'm really excited this time: I'm assisting in the hair-cutting/styling class and spear-heading the hair-do half. :) Unfortunately there isn't internet access up at the camp (or the girls aren't supposed to use electronics during the week for sanity's sake) so I can't just direct them to my Pinterest board. Ha ha.

That means I get to put together a notebook of all my favorite hairstyles. I'm also typing up a sheet of hairstyling-links for the girls to take home, and I thought I'd share the links with you for your own hair-happiness. Oui? Okay.

ebeautyblog.com -video tutorials for casual/formal styles

Rapunzel's Resource- picture/ video tutorials {especially for long hair}

Pinterest.com- My Art of Beautifying Board, and Sarah's Pretty Hair board.

Two's Company: a double-take- several historical copy-cat styles I linked to a few posts ago...

A Beautiful Mess- lots of hair tutorials here!

Join the Mood

Kouture Kiss

Pink Pistachio

The Beauty Department

A Cup of Jo

My {yellow} Sandbox

I had to laugh over my hair today. First off, it's like 85 degrees here and humid as a greenhouse--can't tell why when it's been so beautiful lately. ANY-how, this no-way sets my hair up for a good time. Then I get in the shower and find that the little container I'd assumed as shampoo turns out to be conditioner.

I knew we were running low, but not that low.

My only choice is bar-soap or the guys' Axe Body-wash....

I go for the body-wash.

Guess what?

Yep. Best hair day I've had in a month.

Go figure that one....smooth, silky-soft, and way less frizz than I'd even hoped for on a day like this.

Autumn Allure: Hair-dos {and don'ts}

Well, This lovely little party ends in two days! Only two days... :'( It's been great, y'all! I am so thankful for all you girls, and especially the ones who have participated in the my-style days! :)

One of my favorite parts about personal style is fixing your hair different ways. I am the girl who--at twelve years old--had friends who swore I was born with a pony-tail. That launched me into a search for new, attractive ways to fix my hair which then settled into a bun or a "middle" eternally....till I was about 15. Then I got my hair cut and realized that I could do things with it. Real things. Real pretty things.

Since then, styling my hair has been loads of fun. I am still not too good with my hair being...down. It just doesn't behave. But coming up with pretty updos, half-ups, and historical style reproductions are my forte.
Below are links to three historical hair tutorials I've done on Two's Company:

The Ada Clare Pull-back from Bleak House...

(includes instructions for bandanna-curls!)

The WWII "Sweetheart" Updo...

The Belle Gardiner Ball Coiffure from Little Women...

And the Little Dorrit Wedding-style Tutorial.

These are the only four I've personally done tutorials for, simply because I haven't had time to search out all the others. The major hair-inspiration for me recently has been Pinterest.com. I have so many favorite styles to try pinned on my Learning the Art of Beautifying board, so go check it out!

One of the biggest things in arranging your hair nicely (or other people's) is to take into account the shape of the person's face. I have a high forehead so pulling my hair back tight like this:

just doesn't work for me. 

Neither does wearing a headband for some reason unknown to man. I can't say why, but ribbons, headbands, etc. just won't stay on my head without being pinned there severely. Not only do I have a high forehead, but my face is relatively round--I don't have especially pronounced cheekbones or jawline. So if I went with a sleek, slick look I'd end up resembling a shiny little egg or something equally strange. I've learned that for my face shape, my hairline, (and plain and simply my hair) the best styles are soft, gentle, and floufy.

I could pull this off very easily.

this too...

Or this!

So just play around, gather your own inspiration, and see what works best for you!

What To Do With Your Hair...

I get tired quickly of doing my hair the same way, so I'm always on the lookout for new and pretty hairstyles. Pinterest is a great place to find them--here are some of my favorites, and some I'd love to try! :) I think it's a good idea to try at least one new style a week. Maybe try to wear your hair a different way every Sunday or another day of the week. It keeps you from getting in a rut. :)

This is so beautiful and it looks really easy! Just a French-braid starting at one side of the head and ending at the other...as far as I can tell the end of the braid is just pinned back beneath the rest of the hair.

Just beautiful! I'm thinking they curled the hair and then pinned it loosely in several places...

Oh my goodness! How cute is that? Looks to me like French braids that are pulled and loosened and then bound back with the ends curled. :) Love the rosebuds.

Very pretty, but I'm telling you I can't get my hair to look this modern! :D I'm thinking there was a lot of hairspray and gel and stuff to get that look.

So elegant but simple. This doesn't look hard at all...actually it's funny...this lady looks like Gwyneth Paltrow from the back.

Ah! Very pretty. Looks easy too! *Score*! ;)

The water-fall braid--this is easy and pretty too. There are many tutorials for this style online. :)

What styles do you want to try? Which is your favorite of these?