Be Different! Unique and Beautiful Hairstyles For Your Big Day!

Here are a few ideas for those of who want to look different for your big event. Here are a few options that will work for you or your bridal party. Remember you don't have to have your hair completely up to have a gorgeous look for your wedding day.

Here are some looks that are classic and timeless. They are easy to do and easy to wear and could look amazing with almost every style of dress.











Loose waves and a throw-back to old retro fingerwaves and pincurls you can achieve a soft and romantic look that works well with any hair type. I would also recommend these styles for young bridesmaids and mother-of-the-brides.










If you are going for the nontraditional formal style or plan to wear your hair down, use accessories to dress it up a bit. You could even use an accessory in place of a vale and still look and feel like a bride. You don't have to go all out or all up to look special on your special day!

Aly's Quinceañera Photo Shoot :)

Look at my recent project! This is Aly, she asked if I would do her hair for her quince. It was a blast and she looked so cute! I was so jealous! I wished that I had a quinceañera! Look at these cute pictures done by my friend Christina Calderon who is a fantastic photographer. Check her out at Christina Kay Photography

Hair luvs (luv luv luvs) Hairdo How-to: Lesson 23: Braided Heart

Hairdo How-to: Lesson 23: Braided Heart


Hairdo How-to

So I haven't tried any of these yet but I came about this blog in search of ideas for flower girls. I think I found perfection! What little girl wouldn't want to look like a complete and total princess? From braids to twists and everything in between I am so excited to start trying some of these styles out! Believe it or not, I never learned how to braid. I had one or two lessons in hair school and nothing more since I didn't need it to pass boards. Once I was in the salon the focus turned to cut, color and round brushing. I am self taught in the art of up-do couture. I didn't learn how to do that till one Saturday a fellow stylist booked an entire day for her friend who was a bride and her whole wedding party. The party seriously had like fifteen girls and the bride wanted all of their hair up-styled. Another stylist showed me the very basics and that was it! Now with blogs like the one I have linked to I have the opportunity to keep learning more and more! Hopefully I will have some pictures up of some of the styles I have tried. :) Till then lots of hair luv from me to you!

How to Make the Most of Your Salon Experience

As wedding and prom season approaches I have had the wonderful task of consulting with brides and prom queens alike and deciding what we want to do with their hair. While getting all fancied up is super fun and exciting, it is easy to get lost in the details of planning a big event. Here are some helpful tips to getting the most out of your salon visit eliminating stress for you and stress for your stylist.

Bring Pictures

While thorough verbal communication is great, the most thorough way of explaining what you want to your stylist is by showing her. Take a few minutes to find some pictures of the styles you like, this goes for cuts and colors as well as formal styles. Even if there are only one or two aspects of it you like you can mix and match pictures to create the look you are going for. This makes it much easier for your stylist too, believe me!

Plan Ahead

If you are thinking you want highlights or wanting to cut your hair before your big event, I would recommend doing it far enough in advanced that you can change it if, A. it isn't something you like or B. is a huge disaster. How terrible would it be if you colored your hair and it took warmer than you wanted and it was two days before the wedding? No time for corrective color my friend. Same thing goes if you cut your hair and it ends up too short. You would need time to grow it out a bit. As far as formal styling goes schedule a time to do a consultation as well as a trial with your stylist. This allows you to experiment with what style will look best on you and play with veil and/or tiara placement. It also will give you a good idea of how long it will take you to get your hair done on the big day.

Do Your Shopping

Some stylists, like myself, will give you a deal on a bridal package. They may do the bride for free if there are a certain number of bridesmaids or offer discounts for the bridal party. They may also know of makeup artists and photographers that do their job well. Ask and ye shall find! Look for a stylist who specializes in up-do's and formals. When I first started doing hair I had no idea how to do an up-do! It is true! After a couple years of working I can whip up a pretty awesome do' if I say so myself! Starting out I would have never taken a bride, but not all stylists are that way sadly, some will take you even if they have no experience at all!  Find someone with a portfolio they can show you.

Be Honest and Be Nice

If you are sitting in the chair and you decide that the style is not working for you, speak up! It doesn't hurt my feelings when my clients ask me kindly to change something. It is another story when they flip out. It does however upset me when they sit there with a smile plastered to their face and then I get a call later or hear through the grapevine that it wasn't what they wanted. LAME. Just remember that while your stylist will be as perfect as she can with the hair, it is impossible to plaster down every little fly-away and on occasion hide every bobby pin. Your stylist is a person too which means she is not perfect. If you are understanding and kind she will do her best to give you the best style possible. If you are pleased with it, say so and write a kind review or tell her salon manager. Who knows she may give you a discount for doing so!

Loving Who You Are: Lessons I Learned From Reading Anne of Green Gables

Recently I just finished reading the Anne of Green Gables collection. It was one of my favorite books. In many ways, Anne embodies the modern-day woman. She wants to fit in, belong, be loved and she loves a good romance. I think we all have a little bit of Anne in us. At least I know I have a little Anne in me. One of the first things you learn about Anne is that she is a dramatic, charismatic little girl with a great misconception of how "handsome" a girl should look. She, herself, does not fit that image and therefore frets and obsesses over her appearance every day, even at one time refusing to say her prayers because God gave her, her red hair :) which she hates. 


Our media today has given us the unreal and silly expectation of how we should and should not look. I cringe every time a see a swimsuit issue of a magazine or see a tabloid with a picture of a pregnant and way too skinny mommy- to- be on the cover. Seriously? What gets me, is I once saw an interview with a celebrity who recently had a baby saying that the baby weight was coming off and she was down to a size six but her goal was to drop down to a size two. Okay. Size six? Not that big. She looked fantastic! If the camera added ten pounds you definitely could not tell. PLEASE!!!! GET OVER IT!!!! Let's focus on being healthy people and feeling good about you and not trying to please unreal expectations. Really, no one cares as much as we do. But don't get me wrong I am not opposed to working out, I myself try to get in a good workout at least three times a week. It makes me feel good even if I hate actually doing it, but I am doing it for me and no one else. Sometimes it is hard to not get wrapped up in the image of "perfection" that is screamed out from all directions in our society. In the end it comes back to what beauty is to you. Here are a few life lessons in being beautiful that I learned from reading about Anne-girl. 


Smart is Better Than Beauty 


In Anne of Green Gables, Diana Barry (Anne's bosom buddy) tells her about Charlie Sloane having a crush on her, "Charlie Sloane is dead gone on you. He told his mother — his mother, mind you — that you were the smartest girl in school. That's better than being good-looking." Yes, smarts, in all forms is way better than being "beautiful". I feel good when I look good, it is true, but I feel wonderful about myself when I have learned a new skill. I feel so much more accomplished and fulfilled!  Do what you do and do it well, weather you excel in scrap booking, web design, or even doing your dishes, that makes you beautiful! I love seeing people who love what they do and do it with perfection! It makes them a much more appealing person with much more to offer, in my opinion. Really I don't care how much you weigh, what kind of car you have, how your house looks, or if you have traveled the world, I care about having genuine kind people as friends who find happiness in every day life and who are passionate about the things and people they love :) When I am on my death-bed I don't think I will be thinking too much about my looks, I hope that I will think of the good things I did for others and about all the things I learned while living.  


Find something you like about yourself... and don't compare yourself to others!!!


"She looks just as I've always wanted to look," thought Anne miserably. "Rose-leaf complexion-starry violet eyes, raven hair, yes she has them all. It's a wonder her name isn't Cornelia Fitzgerald into the bargain! But I don't believe her figure is as good as mine, and her nose certainly isn't." Anne despises her name, red hair, freckles, and skinny frame. Throughout the book she is always finding beauty in others with no regard to any of her charming attributes which I, personally, love about her. She is charismatic, funny, charming, and compassionate and has a nice nose! All to often I've compared myself to someone else, always loosing the competition and I always will. Life is not a competition and if you busy yourself trying to keep up with "her" you will wear yourself out because there will always be someone who has something better than you (and you have things that are better than they!) 


Be grateful for what you do have


"Marilla, Jane Andrews told me that Minnie MacPherson told her that she heard Prissy Andrews tell Sara Gillis that I had a very pretty nose.Marilla, that is the first compliment I have ever had in my life and you can't imagine what a strange feeling it gave me." Anne eventually comes to love the shape of her nose, and eventually her hair even turns auburn another good thing for her. We can't always change things about our appearances, but we can love what we do have. For me, I love my eyes, smile, cheekbones and shoulders, I wouldn't want them any other way!!!! When I was younger my mother told me I had nice feet, I grew up really liking my feet :) When I struggled with weight gain from the antidepressants I was taking as a teen, one of the only things I liked about myself were my feet!  You can love yourself (or in my case, parts of myself) even if you are not perfect.  


So I guess what I am saying is you can be pretty without weighing 90 pounds, having botox and tons of lipo, without starving, without being perfect at every new hobby you attempt or having the brand new IPad.  Insecurity is part of life and I think part of being a woman but just know that you can be pretty as your average scrap-booking, diaper- changin, laundry-doing, dish-washing,  plain-Jane self. :)

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Sale!!!!

So I received a mailer the other day and was going through it post work-out this morning and found my Ulta catalog. Normally I don't give a hoot because I get their mailers every week and I don't care that much. BUT, they are having their 21 days of beauty sale and you may be able to get a pretty good deal on some hair care stuff (makeup too). Each day during the month of March they will be having sales on select brands but don't be fooled they are having some good deals on other things as well. If you haven't received a mailer that's okay, just pop into your nearest Ulta and sign up, you may be able to also get your paws on a coupon for $3.50 off your purchase of $10 or more, and the fine print says that it is $3.50 off all regular, sale and clearance merchandise. A few things that I am happy about, Chi brushes are 20% off, Redken duos are 20$ and select hair products are buy 2 get 1 free.  If you were looking for a time to stock up on product now is the time. You may even be able to get multiple coupons and go in at different times during the sale to get the most bang for your buck. Check it out!!! 21 Days of Beauty Sale

Styling 101

Towel Drying

If you are like me and you are in a hurry towel drying involves placing the towel on your head and going to town with it. If you want smooth hair, stop and dry your hair out by placing (kindly) the towel on your head and squeezing it down the hair in one motion. Make sure you go downward. Going all crazy pushes the cuticle every which way giving you frizzy hair.

Brushing

Start at the ends and work your way up. The ends usually get the most tangly. Work through your hair in small sections getting the ends un-tangled and then work your way up to brushing from root to end. I have seen people rip through their hair time and time again literally pulling out clumps and breaking off the ends of their hair. Be kind!

Blow Drying

When blow drying, always apply a heat protectant. These often are silicon-based but if you are washing your hair properly and use a small amount, it won't matter. Also, like towel drying we must have order to our madness. Don't go to town with the blow dryer! You know what I am talking about, waving it around your head like a weapon of mass destruction. Think beautiful thoughts and blow dry downwards always keeping in mind those little cuticles - push them downward and you have smooth and shiny hair, push them upwards and you get ugly. You only need to blow dry your hair 80% and nature can do the rest.  Any more and you risk frying your hair - literally!!!!

Applying Product

For those of you who love their products - Be careful! You can always add more product but you can't take it away once it's in there. Apply a small amount, a good rule of thumb is to apply a dime-sized amount at first. Disperse through your hands and start at the nape (base of the head) and work your way up. This insures that if by chance you do have too much product that your roots don't get too greasy or weighed down. You can always add more product here or there as needed. If you are using a volumizing product that is for the roots, I would add a small amount to the crown area, which is where people generally want the volume.

Back to Basics: Hair Care 101

Back to Basics: Hair Care 101

So I was washing my hair one day enjoying a lovely scalp massage and it occurred to me as I was rinsing that not all of us know the basic hair care techniques I love and cherish :) Yes, there is a correct way to wash and condition, to towel dry, and to even brush. Implementing these basic techniques can and will give you optimal results when it comes to your hair. Whether it is maintaining your color or achieving a smooth style, practicing proper hair care ( yes, the basics!) can help make all your hair dreams come true!

Good shampooing and conditioning is the first step to creating a masterpiece. When looking for a shampoo look for something acidic as opposed to alkaline. Your hair is made up of tiny scales called cuticles. Products that are too alkaline burst open the cuticle causing your dye and beneficial oils to come out; acid closes the cuticle giving you sleek and lovely hair. Steer clear of sulfates (the detergents that make your shampoo foam) and products full of silicon and oils (they coat the hair and make it look dull and greasy). Foamy shampoo does not equal great shampoo.  Some of the best shampoo I have ever used didn't foam at all but it kept my color in tip-top shape and made my hair shine like silk.

 If your product claims to have something beneficial in it (for example Argan Oil) make sure you read the label and see if it is in the shampoo. Don't pay for something that isn't there. Last but not least, cool water is better than hot. Hot water bursts the cuticle open and cool water closes it.  This is important for those of us who dye our hair and want to go longer in between salon visits.

By properly shampooing your hair you can actually save money. Proper hair care extends the visits you make to the salon thus keeping your pocket full of that hard earned green stuff.

Steps for shampooing your hair
1. Wet hair
2.Start at the scalp- Many of us (myself included sometimes) put a whole bunch of shampoo on our hands and lather up mid-shaft to ends and kind of get the roots. However, it is important to start scrubbing at the scalp.  Then, move on to your hair roots.  The roots are where the oils from our scalp are mostly at, so scrub those first and then work the shampoo down into the ends.
3. Rinse out thoroughly with cool water and repeat once more if your hair is especially dirty.  If you are a product junkie you may want to repeat so that you get all the product out, if not just go on to conditioning.  Over-shampooing your hair is not the best either.
4. Ring out your hair! If you put conditioner on right after you rinse you give your hair no chance of absorbing any of the conditioner! Ring out or towel dry your hair.
5. Condition. This is opposite shampooing in terms of application. Do not condition the roots! This can make your hair look greasy. Start mid-shaft and comb through your ends.
6. Rinse. Cool water, please, so that you smooth out the cuticle.
7. Don't over-shampoo! For goodness sakes, you don't need to wash twice a day or even once a day. It is best to wash every two to three days, and if your hair gets especially oily and dirty try to go a day in between.

Styling 101

I luv... Product!!!!

Here is a list of the products I luv to use they each bring a little something different when it comes to styling.



Paul Mitchell Spray Wax    I luv the control and texture that comes from spray wax excellent if you want to add texture and definition at the end of a style.





Paul Mitchell Super Clean Spray  I like to use this in combo with the Hold Me Tight, great working spray with good hold that leaves a clean-run-your-fingers-through-it finish.




Paul Mitchell Hold Me Tight  Layer as you go for excellent hold and volume.


Molding Mud  Heat up to create a sleek, tight hold, or use to help give hold, volume, and texture.


Sabastian Ultra-Firm Finishing Spray  Great hold at the end of a style... excellent hairspray.

Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion   Awesome magical product that goes from powder to cream in the palm of your hand. Use at the roots for volume or for that grungy-just-went-surfing texture.


Marilyn Boar Bristle Brush  Amazing round brush gives volume and shine.

Redken Spray Starch 15  Good for those of us who have fine or coarse hard-to-curl hair use in combo with the Pure Abundance and Paul Mitchell Super Clean Spray and you can add lots of volume and curl to otherwise limp and lifeless hair.


Argan Oil from Sally's   Love to use as a heat protectant and to smooth those pesky fly-aways.

I luv . . . .Bobby Pins

Yesterday while browsing the web I found what I think could possibly be a new obsession.... bobby pins! And who says they have to be plain???



This first one I found a tutorial for on http://littlejennywren.blogspot.com/2009/10/pinwheel-bobby-pin-tutorial.html





Anyone up for scrabble? http://www.mandysmonograms.com/item_35/Scrabble-Bobby-Pins.php



These are so cute and would a great project for you and your little ones

the how-to for these can be found at http://family.go.com/disney/pkg-disney-crafts/craft-962594-bambis-butterfly-bobby-pins-t/


And last but not least I luv, luv, luv these who says the mustache is only for the face?







http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleAngelsJewelry?section_id=5303990




Finally I came across this article and I think it is pretty helpful. You don't know how many times I have taken my hair down and had a bazillion bobby pins all over... why not do something with them?



http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/february/202947/Mrs-Fixit:-Bobby-P
ins

1. Remove the protective ball from the end of a bobby pin and use it as an emergency screwdriver for a tiny screw!

2. If you're always loosing the bookmark from your favorite book, slip a bobby pin over the page to save your spot.

3. This is also a grea tip for marking favorite recipe pages in a cookbook so you don't have to keep flipping through while you're making a big meal.

4. Are your bags of chips always going stale? Fold the opening over itself several times and then slip a bobby pin on the bag at each end.

5. Keep a few bobby pins in your handbag for an emergency hold on a fallen hem.

6. Or you can use them to hold fabric in place while you're sewing.

7. If your zipper pull breaks - slip a bobby pin in the hole and pull the zipper around!

When in Texas!

Hey Ya'll! After moving to Texas many of my friends and family members asked, "What now, Steffany?" after finding out that my Colorado cosmetology license wouldn't transfer to Texas, I asked myself that too. After ten months and meeting up with some very talented photographers and an awesome makeup artist I have begun to answer that daunting question with a series of free-lance projects doing what I love the most, HAIR!!!! And I luv hair. Most of all I love formal hair, curls, victory rolls, fingerwaves, bobby pins and hairspray! And no worries either, the regulations have recently change and I am in the process of getting license reciprocity so look for me in a salon near you! In the mean time here are some tasty tid bits of the work I have been doing and there will be more to come. If you are interested in having me style your hair please shoot me a message and include your name, hair type and pictures of the hairstyles you wish to recreate.