How to Make Your Curls Last

I can't tell you how many times a week I have my clients tell me that their hair won't curl!
Lies! It is all lies! It doesn't have to be that way and I am going to tell you why!

First things first.
Product is YOUR FRIEND

Depending on your hair type decides the kind of product you need, some hair types need more than others, but everyone needs it!

For fine hair I love a mousse. Pureology has a Silk Bodifying mousse that I love it doesn't weigh the hair down nut it helps give it some texture. I also love Small Talk from Bed Head, it is a volume gel that is amazing. It will work great from fine or thick hair. One last product I love for fine or thick hair is a texture spray; I love the Catwalk Salt Spray from TIGI. You can spray it on wet and/or dry hair. It helps create a textured beach look and really helps the curl last.

And last but not least for product is a great Hairspray. If you really need a strong hold hairspray because your hair has a hard time holding the curl I LOVE Masterpiece hairspray from Bedhead. Kenra hairspray is also a really great strong hold as well.

Moving on from product I think the best results come from using a flat iron for curls. I have very naturally straight hair and my flat iron curls last for DAYS. It is challenging at first to get the hang of but keep practicing, it is worth it! Refer to my post about curling with a flat iron if you don't know how to.
If you like using a curling iron or a wand better that is fine but you need to make sure you are spraying your hair with hairspray BEFORE you curl. Make sure that the hairspray is dry before you curl it. You do not want to hear a sizzle! I like to spray mine with hairspray and then brush it after! Hairspray layer by layer and then spray all of it when done. Then take a pick or wide tooth comb and brush the curls out to have it be more of a natural look!

Curling Iron Curls

Wand Curls

Flat Iron Curls

Buying Make-Up Tips!

Wow! It's been a while since my last post! I got a puppy and she is the sweetest, cutest, most loving little thing! But boy does she need a lot of attention! Anyway it's time for a new post and it's something that I've been asked a lot! 

So today we are going to be talking about make up! What products should you be spending a lot of money on, and which ones can you get away with getting at the drug store! 

I think first things first and anything you are going to be putting all over your face is a splurging MUST! 

1. Face Primer- I'm going to be totally honesty and admit that I had never used a face primer until the past year, but I LOVE them. They help moisturize your skin and help keep your foundation on smooth and helps it last all day. Some of my favorites are: 

 Stay Flawless Face Primer and Smashbox Face Primer

Both are in about the $30-$40 price range. 

2. Eye Primer- I love eye shadow, and I especially love when it last all day! I think it's a MUST. My favorites are. 

Urban Decay (sin is my favorite but they are all great) and Paint Pots by Mac 

3. Now foundation is the biggest MUST! Using cheap foundation will cause break outs and dry out your skin! My favorites are: 

 

Naked Skin foundation- this one says it all. I love how light it is I don't even feel like I'm wearing it! 

Make-Up Forever- this one has a lot more coverage if that's something you're needing! I also love it for photo shoots, wedding days, or big events

4. So this is not a must but I personally love to splurge on eyeshadow! I really do believe the more you spend the better quality it is. I love my naked palettes! 

Now that I've told you where to splurge, here's where I think you can SAVE. 

1. Mascara- my own personal opinion is that high priced mascaras aren't worth it! I love my cover girl and it's half the cost. 

2. Brushes- some might disagree with me on this one but I really love a lot of cheap brushes they feel good on my skin, don't lose bristles, and they definitely get the job done. I really love Elf Pro Brushes. Seriously they're fantastic. 

3. Lip color- this one I have some professional ones that I really love but there some some that are also great! I found a chart on Pinterest that I thought was awesome! I couldn't find the original link and so I don't know who to link it to! But it's not my work just something I found! 

That's all for today! Have fun! 

 

Some Brides of the Summer! More to Come!

I have had such a fun Summer full of such beautiful brides! I can't wait to showcase each bride individually, but I just wanted to put a few up to show some amazing looks! Stay tuned for more!!

Sigma Basic Eyes Giveaway!

I'M SO EXCITED!!! Because today I'm teaming up with 8 beautiful bloggers to bring you an amazing giveaway for these Sigma brushes!   One lucky winner will receive the Sigma Basic Eyes Kit! (includes 7 brushes!!!!!)
Sigma has amazing quality brushes! 

Just use the Rafflecopter below to enter! Good luck!!!

Little Pixie Crafts // Ginger Next Door // The Monogrammed Midwesterner 

Stripes in Bloom // Beauty by Breanne // Top Knots and Pearls 

Skip to the Details // Little Mrs. Priss // Wear the Edge 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Minty Marlowe Mini Giveaway

I am absolutely excited to announce a fabulous giveaway! :)

I have teamed up with 12 other bloggers to bring you the opportunity to win a Rebecca Minkoff Marlowe Mini bag in Minty :)

to enter -- follow the Rafflecopter prompts below :) good luck! the giveaway starts today and ends this thursday, the winner will be announced this friday :) 

this giveaway is open to the US and Canada! 

Stripes in Bloom // Ginger Next Door 

Shotguns and Seashells // Glamour and the Girl // Lovely Addictions // Little Mrs Priss

 Shotguns and Seashells // Glamour and the Girl // Lovely Addictions // Little Mrs Priss              

Fresh Food and Fashion //  A Memory of Us // Kelli France // Tattered to Taylored

From A to Z // Beauty by Breanne // Pretty Petals 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Messy Bun 101

Messy buns are all the rage right now even on the runway! I'm here to show you just how easy the messy bun can be! Here are a few of my favorite celebrity inspirations! 

Just like the title these are messy and I know it, but soooo easy and so fun to spice up your dirty hair! 

The key to messy buns is that they are MESSY, don't obsess about making things perfect because they aren't supposed to be! 

Let's start with the low messy bun! Starting left to right! 

1. Put hair into a loose low ponytail

2. Twist the pony tail

3. Wrap the twist into a bun and pin in place 

4. Spilt the bottom section into two sections, twist the section while holding it up.

5. Wrap around the bun and pin in place

6. Repeat step 5 to the right side as well. 

And ta-da! You're done! Like I said! Keep it messy! Feel free to pull on pieces and on the top to add volume! 

Side messy with some twisted texture! Be creative with this one! Change up the twist with a braid for a different look!! 

1. Start with a far side part 

2. Twist braid your bangs. If you don't know how to do this I have a tutorial on my "all about bangs" post. But for a quick refresher you are going to section your hair into two sections. One above the other. Twist them forward first and then cross them over each other going the other direction. To make it a French twist just add hair to the section before you twist. Repeat until your twist goes all the way down. Finish it off with a clear elastic and put it aside. 

3. Bring all your hair to the side and ponytail. Don't pull your hair all the way through. 

4. Push the ponytail to your head and pin in place. 

5. Grab the front twist and wrap it around the bun and pin in place. 

Beautiful! Just like the previous picture pull on hair to make it as messy as you want it! ( this look can also look pretty styled more sleek for a different look) 

High messy bun. SO EASY. 

1. Start with your hair in a top knot on the crown of your head. 

2. Pull the top knot up to make it loose. 

3. Pull the top knot apart and press against your head and pin until it's secure. 

4. Pull this one like crazy and make it messy and big!! 

Beach Curl with Wand

1. Start with clean hair 

2. Part your hair off and start curling the bottom section! Keeping it fairly loose and only hold for about 3 to 5 seconds. 

3. Continue parting off and curling by wrapping the hair around the wand away from your face in the front sections. When you get to the back I like to alternate my curls in different directions for more of a beachy look. 

4. When you get to the top curl a little tighter 

5. This is what your curls will look like before you comb them out. I like to spray hairspray or even better a spray wax in my hair on this step to give it a lot of texture. 

6. Next use a wide tooth comb or your fingers to separate the curls. And you're set! Have fun with these curls they look awesome with a head wrap or braids! 

Tips: leave your ends straighter so they look more natural. Take all different size sections so that it's not perfect by any means! 

You are more beautiful than you think...

What is beauty? When we say someone is beautiful, what defines beautiful? Is it the way they look, or is it their heart? Having a beauty blog clearly, I believe in beauty. I believe in makeup, I believe in beautiful hair styles, beautiful colors and cuts, amazing wardrobes, and basically just pampering yourself. However, is that what really makes someone beautiful? In some ways, yes. Doing all of these can boost a woman's confidence to the point that she is literally radiating her beauty. 
How do we as women get to the point where WE radiate our beauty? Why are we so hard on ourselves, but can see the beauty in everyone else? 

Today my blog post is based off of the dove real beauty sketch on nickritchielive.com there is a link to the video below. 

http://youtu.be/litXW91UauE

Watching the video my eyes truly filled up with tears thinking of myself and thinking about how hurtful my own thoughts about myself can be. The video speaks for itself and PROVES just how critical we can be. 

Having a beauty blog I not only want to promote physical beauty, but I want to promote CONFIDENCE, and INNER BEAUTY. We control so much of what our minds believe! So it's time not only to believe we are beautiful but to know it and find what makes you beautiful! 
Be confident, love yourself, believe in everything you are! Then and only then will we start to see how beautiful we really are. Just as the video said, you ARE more beautiful than you think. 

I challenge everyone to watch this video and work towards loving yourself, work towards seeing the things that make you beautiful. 

Super Fun Low Ponytail

This is probably the easiest ponytail ever and the best part about it is that it looks like you spent quite some time creating it! Don't you love that! 

1. So first you are going to grab the crown section of your hair. Make a half twist. 

2. Pin the section by securing it with bobby pins.

3. Next grab a two inch section and cross it over the twist. make sure you hide the pin and the partings from the first section. Secure with pins.

4. Repeat to the other side. 

5. Next go to the other side and grab the remaining hair on your sides. 

6. Braid the section and pull to make bigger 

7. Repeat to the other side. 

8. I don't have a picture for this step, I'm not sure how I missed it but cross the left section over to the right. Secure with pins. 

8. Repeat on right side. 

9. Braid the hang over from the last section that you pinned. 

10. Wrap in around the pony tail and secure with pins.

The best part about this style is that you can be so creative with it! You can do more braids with your sections or you can leave out the braids completely! Have fun with it!!  

FINDING THE RIGHT SHADE FOR YOUR EYES!

A Cheat Sheet to discover what colors are YOUR colors! 

When choosing eye makeup colors the classic rule is to use colors that are complementary to your eye color. 

However, skin and hair color are two other important factors to consider. 

Here are a few basic guidelines when choosing colors for your eyes:

BLUE EYES: 

Warm hair/Warm skin- 

warm bronze, copper,and peach. 

Cool hair/Cool skin- 

Taupe, cool browns, pinky peach, mauve

GREEN EYES:

Warm hair/warm skin- 

Brown, red brown, rust

Cool hair/cool skin-

Plum, mauve, taupe

* good colors for red hair and either of these eye colors are- 

Rust, brown, and warm tones. 

BROWN EYES: 

Warm hair/warm skin- 

Brown, rust, bronze, red brown

Cool hair/cool skin- 

Mauve, plum, pinks, some blues

GRAY EYES: 

Follow the guidelines for blue eyes or green eyes depending on which color is the more prominent undertone. 

MATURE EYES: 

Stay with medium pastels and/or neutrals that don't have too much red or pink in them. 

Stay away from colors that are too dark or muddy. 

Eyeshadow a with a slight shimmer can be extremely flattering. 

Half Up, How to

Here are some quick styles that are insanely easy for days you want something besides just down, but you don't want to pull it all up! 

I like to do half up styles on curly hair. Make sure not to make your curls too tight though when doing a half up style. Stick with something like more of a wave to prevent the style from looking too juvenile. 

1. Section your sides out from Judd behind your ear. Clip your back aside if it's easier! 

2. Starting with the left side braid with just a normal braid. 

3. Pull on the braid to make it bigger. 

4.Wrap the braid to the opposite and pin into place. 

5. Next step you can either just braid the other side and follow the above steps or you can do what I did and start a French braid on the "heavy side" of your part. 

6. Pull on the braid to make it bigger 

7. Wrap it around to the left side. Tuck the braid behind the first braid you made. 

1. Start out by teasing the crown 

2. Pull all of your hair into a half pony tail

3. Give the entire section one big twist. It will create a "roll". 

4. Secure it by placing the bobby pins upward into the twist. Use as many as you need to hold your hair. 

5. Take the end of a weaving comb or a rat tail comb! Slide the end of the comb in and pull up to create volume and get the shape you are wanting. 

6. Hold up the hair and spray, after this step don't run your fingers or a brush through it. This hairstyle looks great with a lot of texture. 

1. Start by pulling your hair half up into a normal braid. 

2. Pull on the braid to make it bigger.

3. Create a bun by wrapping it around and pinning it underneath. Secure it with pins wherever you need.

4. Once it's secure pull on the bun softly to make it bigger and to give it texture.