Wedding Day Hairstyles

Are you sick of me talking about my wedding yet? =P

Here are the hairstyles I am LOVING and wanting for my big day.

I want a low and romantic chignon with a silk flower placed to the side, like this:

I may move the chignon to the side like this:

Anyone who's married knows how EXPENSIVE hair pieces are. Any item the word "bride" in it automatically causes the price to sky rocket. Gorgeous silk flowers like the one above cost at least $60.

I was in H&M last week and came across white hair flowers (given, not silk), in large and small sizes. I scooped up a bunch so will have many to play around with and surely find one that works =)

I think this is a gorgeous hairstyle, but not for me:

So Pretty.

The Great Hair Debate

Since I was 14, I've been going back and forth between dark and light hair colors. Over the past year, I've had the best of both world's with ombre hair - my natural dark color fading into the remnants of my last blond dye job. The fact that this coincided with the year's biggest hair trend was an added bonus! My wedding is coming up and I'm debating what to do next with my hair. My personal preference has always been a head of long, dark locks. If I was a guy, I'd be going after the brunette ladies =) But blond looks good on me too, and at times I feel a lot prettier with that color. Rachel Mcadams is someone who can seamlessly transfer back and forth from brunette to blond, and look equally as good in both cases.

If I go blond, I don't want it entirely bleach blond as I've had it before, but just blond hi lights like Molly Sims. She's definitely a runner for best hair in Hollywood:

She actually looks quite similar to Rachel Mcadams, no?

Jennifer Aniston is the perfect blond, I think. It looks so natural, like each strand was unintentionally lightened by the sun. Still dark enough to bring out her features. If I go blond, it will be like this =)

I love the mystery that black hair brings .. it's hard to pull it off without looking gothic though. (If you're a pale skinned Caucasian) I don't think I have the right skin tone to go this dark .. but then again Jennifer Connely is quite pale with the same color eyes as me, so I might..

This is a little darker than my natural color. It looks stunning on the gorgeous Olivia Wilde. She is a classic example of someone who can ONLY be brunette. You would think with her amazing looks she could sport any color - not so! Google a "Olivia Wilde blond hair" and you will see what I mean. I think she is the prettiest starlet in Hollywood right now.

Isla Fischer. I don't think hair color gets much prettier than this! After the wedding, I want to try red, just because I never have before! It's very hard to have it look natural, so I'll need to be careful and do some more research before I venture into the red territory..

Just For Fun:

 What do you think of Rhianna with long hair? I think she looks quite peculiar myself. Obviously she is stunning no matter her hairstyle, but her short hair DEFINITELY suits her more. What do you think?

Geisha Bun

This modern day geisha inspired bun is fast becoming my signature hair style. I love it becuase it is so quick and easy to create, and looks nice for both the office and the weekend. Every time I wear it, people ask, 'how did you do that?' In reality I saw how to create this look on other various beauty blogs, but decided to show you incase you've never seen how yourself.

***

This is my weekend version, a little messier and casual. For the office, just take a bit more time ensuring hair is smooth and bobby pinks are hidden.

You Will Need:

-medium to long length hair (If it's TOO long, it won't work unfortunately)

-brush

-hair elastic in the color of your hair
-bobby pins
-hair spray

-1 small clip like these ones:

1.Brush all tangles out of hair and smooth into a high pony tail at the crown of your head

2. Bring the pony tail straight up, and curve it towards the front of your head and back towards itself at the base in a loop.

3.Secure the pony tail ends to your head with the claw clip

4.pony tail should fold over slightly to each side - secure any loose ends with bobby pins. 

Here's a (very) basic sketch I did in case you aren't quite sure.

Pull pony tail straight up:

Loop pony tail towards front in a circle and secure with clip:

It should look something like this:

I've never done it, but for fun you can also jazz the look up with a sparkley barette or summery flower (once summer finally comes, that is)

Good Luck & Have Fun =)

New Long, Dark Hair! (Extensions)

As previously mentioned, I said I would be dynig my hair extensions - well here is the finished look!

As you can see, I kept the ombre ends of my real hair to create some bottom hilights. From the pic it looks like they are only in a chunk on your left side, but the other side is just behind my head =)

Here are the extensions before I dyed them:

{Don't mind the cat at the top. She always wants to be near to the things I put on my bed. Laundry mostly, and in this case the hair extension. I think she thinks they are her new friends}

They were a really nice dirty blonde, with an assortment of highlights and low lights in them. There are four bands of clip in extensions above - two wide pieces for the back and partial sides, and two narrower strips for the sides. This human hair set cost me about $200 five years ago - I only wore them for special occasions, so I was able to keep them in good condition.

Here is what they looked like when I'd wear them with my blonde hair:

I've been brunette for over a year now, the longest I've stayed dark for as long as I can remember. I usually always miss being blonde, and end up going back, but I think I'm brunette for good this time. So I decided that until my hair grows long, I may as well dye my extensions dark for special occasions, too.

I used two boxes of the Clairol Nice 'n Easy in 120 Natural Dark Brown.

It seemed like the closest to my own natural hair color.

The dye was super easy to prepare.

After I'd mixed the color up, I laid the strips of extensions down one at a time in the bottom of the bath tub and applied the dye down the length of the extensions, making sure they were fully coated.

Once all four strips were saturated with dye, I laid them out on tin foil for 45 minutes to process.

Once they were done processing I ran them under the bathtub faucet one by one to rinse the dye out. Once they were rinsed, I applied the conditioning treatment that came with the dye and gently combed them through with a wide toothed comb. I then laid them on a towel to air dry. I never blow dry my extensions as it pulls out hair with each stroke of the brush/hands as you are drying.

It took about three hours for the extensions to fully dry.

I styled and curled my own hair as usual, then added in the extensions and curled them the same to blend in. They are just a fraction darker than my own dark hair, but over all I'm pleased with the result.

Tips:

-Make sure it's 100% human hair you're dying. It sounds creepy having someone else's hair on your head, I know, but synthetic hair won't change color, it will be ruined the minute it's wet and unable to be restyled.

-If you are purchasing extensions for the first time, try and get Italian hair extensions, as in, from an Italian head. They are expensive, but known to be the best, and easiest to work with.

-Lay tin foil down on the bottom of the bath tub while you are coloring the extensions so you don't get globs of staining dye all over the bottom of the tub.

-Try not to dye the hair more than a couple times (I won't dye mine again) as every dying will weaken the hair and cause more to fall out.

-When they start looking ratty - throw them out and get new ones! There's nothing worse than ratty hair extensions on a girl.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Vlog:Shampoo Rave!

What hair products do you use? Would you recomend them?

Let me know!

"Wet to Dry" Flat Iron Review!

Hot Stylers Wet to Dry Styling Iron

I purchased this flat iron for $39.99 at Winners, however because Winners is a discount store, this isn't a reliable price point for you. You can visit the HS website for more info.

http://www.hotstylers.com/

Product Description:

The Wet to Dry Flat Iron has 1 1/2” ceramic plates that emit negative ions to seal moisture in. An advanced far-infrared ceramic heater for gentle penetrating heat, and special channels and sixteen plate vents allow steam to quickly disperse. It also has temperature settings from 140° F to 392° F (80° C to 200° C)
Product Features:• 160 watts• Lightweight – only 12 ounces!• Insulated fingertip pads for greater styling control• One year limited warranty

I really like the look and feel of this iron. The larger plates make it faster and easier to straighten a larger amount of hair, and it's comfortable in the hands. It heats up fast, with orange lights that let you know it's on, and when it's reached the right heat.

Here are the products I used to aid in the straightening process:

Pantene Pro-V Curls to Straight Shampoo and Conditioner
My hair isn't exactly curly, but it definitely has a wave to it. This shampoo's main goal is to loosen the curls in the hair, and prepare it for straightening. It worked amazing on my hair, I think I am going to do a review on this too. If you have wavy hair, I'm sure this curly to straight shampoo will aid in smoothing and getting the hair better ready for the straightening process.

Joico K-Pak Style Smoothing Balm
To Straighten and Protect

After washing my hair I applied this straightening balm to further aid in the styling. It helped a lot.

Ready for Straightening:
I sectioned my hair using a large clip and, starting on the bottom section, began to straighten the damp hair. (NOTE: My hair was about 40% dry when I began straightening it - more damp than wet. I had applied my makeup, which took ten minutes before straightening.) I created a slight curl on the ends of my hair by turning the iron inwards slightly at the bottom.

Result:

I loved it!

I was actually very surprised by how well this product worked. I was indeed very skeptical, but it made my hair shiny, smooth, and silky, and looked even better than when I blow dry it.

Pros:
-Works great at producing shiny, sleek, straight hair
-Faster than blow drying and straightening, cutting your time in half
-reasonable price
-Style locks in, and lasts all day
Cons:
-Makes a slightly discomforting "sizzling" sound as it straightens the hair

So yes, it does make a sizzling sound as it straightens your hair, which can worry some. This isn't "burning" you hair - it's simply the heat reacting with the water and styling cream, much like how a hot pan will sizzle when placed in water.

There are mixed reviews on whether this type of straightening appliance is safe for you hair. Hair is weaker when it's wet, and some argue that using this straightener may damage the follicle over time. I personally think that the amount of damage caused to the hair cannot be much worse than blow drying beforehand and then straightening. The difference is that this way saves time. ( I HATE blow drying my hair).

Like any product still relatively new to the market, you need to use care and caution - I wouldn't use this product every day, but then again, I don't blow dry my hair every day. Just use common sense. For the days when I fancy a smooth blowout, I will use this product. I will do a follow up review after a few months to let you know how my hair has fared.

I rate it 5/5.

Have you used a wet to dry iron?

What did you think?

Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments =)

New Bangs!

I was getting really bored with my hair, hence my hairstyle post from a couple weeks ago. Well yesterday I decided to take matters into my own hands and give myself bangs! I was so eager to get them short that I just took a giant chunk and started cutting .. then my heart started beating really fast as I looked in the mirror - they were so thick and jaggedly crooked. I spend the next half an hour thinning them out though and ended up being fairly happy with the finished result.

It will take me some time to get used to them, but at least they'll already be a bit longer in a few weeks. After that I went to stampede, so threw on my cowboy hat and took a pic for you (kind of - can't really see the hat).
Hope you're having a good weekend =)

My Virtual Hairstyle Experience .. Seeing is Believing!

So I haven't had my hair properly done in ages. I used to haunt the hair salon on a monthly basis, spending hours at a time getting bleached, snipped, and styled to perfection. Then I realized that the monthly visits were obnoxiously expensive without being entirely necessary. My recent bank balance fully agrees.

BUT hair still grows, and the split ends of my splits ends now have split ends. Yes, it's that bad. I'm also sure you've noticed my color is a little funky looking, a lot lighter on the bottom two thirds, with a brassy undertone. It definitely needs to be done, and soon.

I know I want to grow my hair really long (haven't had it that way since grade 7), but of course I still want layers, and something needs to be done about the color situation that is going on.

With high hopes, I headed over to none other than the COSMOPOLITAN website (ha!) to use their groundbreaking and revolutionary "virtual hairstyle creator". I was excited beyond belief at the chance to see what my hair would look like before actually taking the plunge. Shear Genius, right? (pun intended)

WRONG..

I was asked to upload a straight on closeup pic of my mug, which was easy enough..

Enter straight on closeup pic of my mug ..

With continued optimism, I clicked "upload"and watched my blurry face come into focus on the screen. A bevy of celebrity beauties with silky mains appeared on the left, just waiting for me to test their hairstyles.

Excitedly, I clicked the style that was the longest, flowiest, and prettiest of the bunch. I hit upload and waited gleefully to see how beautiful I would look...

Then I watched in sheer horror as THIS tainted the screen ...

I'll take her cleavage, but the hair!? Me thinks my face looks a little distorted! And is my nose really that honkin' big?!
I know it's virtual but COME ON Cosmo, this is ridiculous!

Not fully deflated quite yet, I decided to try another. Surely my face would be a match with another long dark style?

WRONG AGAIN!

Ok, now it just looks like I've had a stroke. (Pardon my political incorrectness). Is this not the creepiest picture you've ever seen?!

At this point I knew what the tool was good for - a laugh! I continued to test out the ugliest styles offered, and sure enough, my face followed suit.

Third chin, anyone?

I look like a BUG, and an ugly bug at that!

Isn't a tool like this all about making you feel beautiful, and giving you hope? I'd much rather walk around bald if it meant not having my face look like it had been folded in half and stomped on, then unfolded and dropped in acid.

I thought perhaps if I tried a different picture it would work out better ...

Nope! Just as bad! Although I do quite like this color with my skin

Oh Cosmo .. you failed me. I had high hopes for you to select the perfect personal style for me. I could just waltz into a salon with the printed version, and walk out an hour later looking and feeling as good as my fave celeb.

Looks like it's back to hair magazines and simple trust after all ..