Wedding Hair

Wedding Week is going on over at Aunie Sauce. To read the post all about wedding day hair, CLICK HERE. It's my very first Yes To Stylista post with Yes To Carrots... and yes, it covers all the details about the hair. Thank you for helping me decide which 'do to pick!

Wedding Week posts:
THE GUESTBOOK │ THE HAIR │ THE FLOWERS │ THE DRESS │ THE WEDDING │ THE HONEYMOON

Wedding Hair Styles

With our wedding just three days away (oh my—three days), I have been asked questions about my hair almost more than anything. "How are you going to wear your hair?" seems to come up every time the wedding does.

And guess what? I have no idea how I'm going to do my hair on the wedding day. NO IDEA.*

Recently, I had my hair curled for my bridal shower, and afterward, I went home to play around with some styles. I took some photos to help make a note about what I liked and didn't like. I have a little archive of wedding hair ideas on Bye Bye Beehive, so I adapted some of those styles to make new ones.
Here are a couple of my ideas for wedding hair styles.

THE TWISTED HALF-UP STYLE. This one is so easy. It's the base hairstyle for most of the other ones featured here. It's really similar to this style, but instead of just pinning it back, I twisted the hair as I pulled it back & before I pinned it, creating a pretty and soft design in the back. It would be great to add a little pearl or flower hair clip to hide the bobby pins or gap between the twists.

THE PINNED UPDO. I took the Twisted Half-Up pictured above and simply pinned my bottom half all up to make this easy updo. It took about 10-15 extra bobby pins. I would just grab a strand of hair, twist it and then pin it into place, creating a little "poof" (best word I could come up with) of hair with each pin. In the end, I had about 10 poofs that came together to create the definition in this updo. I pulled and tugged at each one to make this style look nice and full.

THE TWISTED PONYTAIL. You've seen this one before. This time, I didn't pin the last couple pieces up so high, so instead of creating a waterfall look, they simply cascaded down the ponytail. To create this look, all you do is just twist & pin (going under the curls to hide the pins). It's so simple and stays in place all day if you add a little hairspray.

THE TWISTED LOW CHIGNON. I started again with the Twisted Half-Up style, and instead of pinning smaller pieces of hair all over the place and higher up like the Pinned Updo, I took a couple large sections of hair, pinned them in a low bun, and then tugged on them to make the chignon just a bit bigger. I think this style would be really pretty with a couple loose curly strands falling down from the bun.

THE SIMPLE TWIST & PIN. As the name implies, this one is simple. You tease the hair at the crown of your head, twist back the front pieces & pin them under your hair, and you're set. This style is perfect for the easy-going-hair-all-down kind of bride.

And there are 5-easy wedding hair styles. Each of these took me less than 10-minutes, with some of them taking much, much less.

*FYI: in case you're wondering, I will not be wearing a veil, and my dress is not strapless.

Which is your favorite?

Ombre, Braids & A Contest

Photo: c/o Matt Martin Photography

Ombre.

Waterfall braid.

Curls.

Perfect.

Granted, this was one of the two occasions this year
where I had my hair done for a wedding (in May), but the girl who did it is amazing.

And... the photography? 

Amazing.

The photo was done by my friend, Matt.

I got to meet him when I went to said wedding down in Oklahoma.

And... something cool?

ATTENTION, ATTENTION! Calling all 2013 Brides! Matt Martin Photography is giving away a complete wedding photography package to anyone living outside Oklahoma. He loves to travel and will come to YOU! 

How does it work? Enter HERE by October 31. Three finalists will be chosen, and a voting period will be held from November 15 thru December 15th. The couple with the most votes at the end wins!

What comes with this prize package?

• full wedding day coverage by Matt 
• complimentary engagement session
• handcrafted box of 4x6 curated prints from your wedding day
• online proofing and ordering gallery for 3 months

So, what's the catch? None. The one thing you must do if you win is pay his travel expenses. And honestly? Just Expedia.com that little trip... you will save thousands. If I were getting married in 2013, I wouldn't even let him open up this contest. I would automatically declare myself a winner by default.

For all the details, click here. There's even a little contest of my own if you read to the bottom. To be honest... you'd be silly not to enter Matt's contest. Want more proof he's awesome?

Told you. Now go enter and win the package from the best photographer ever for yourself.

Topsy Tail Twist

Glasses: c/o Firmoo.com

Last week, The Beauty Department posted an amazing tutorial for a funky topsy tail bun. 
First, let me just say, I'm a huge fan of the topsy tail.
Second, this style is so easy.

1. Gather hair in a ponytail at the nape of your neck.
2. Secure with an elastic band.
3. Pull the elastic band to the bottom of your ponytail, leaving about 1-2 inches of hair at the end of the ponytail (or until your shorter layers don't start falling out).
4. Separate the hair in the gap of the ponytail right down the middle into two pieces.
5. Bring the ponytail up and through the gap, creating an upside-down topsy tail.
6. Repeat, repeat, repeat... the hair will begin to twist into coils! 
7. Once it's all coiled into a bun, secure the end of the ponytail underneath the bun with bobby pins.
8. If your shorter layers fall out (like mine did), let them hang loose or pin them back. I gently twisted mine back and pinned them underneath one of the bigger twists (top right photo).
9. You can tug on some of the pieces to give it some body and hide the part in the back.
10. You can also tug on the coils to make them look a little bigger and more full. I had to do this because my bun was so small at first!
11. A visual learner? Want to see how it is done? Visit TBD!

The Beauty Department recommended wearing this style slicked back and straight,
but I actually prefer it a little more loose and casual-looking.
I think it's perfect for a day at the office or a nice wedding updo.

I'd love to see your version of it. Tweet me or Instagram a photo with the hashtag #topsytailtwist!

Twisted Side Pony

It's been almost three months since I have done a hair tutorial.
What. the. hay.

Don't hate... because considering that Bye Bye Beehive has a little over 2 months (2 months!)
until its completion date on October 11,

I figured I may as well begin making the transition to showcasing my random hair tutorials on my other blog.
But don't fret, if you're a follower of BBB, I'll probably double post them.

Maybe not.
Who knows.

Today, I'm showing you the twisted side pony.

Dress: Francesca's // Earrings: Francesca's // Necklace: c/o Lisa Leonard  // Bracelets: c/o Payton Woodcraft

As you remember on Monday (if you read Aunie Sauce),
I mentioned that this weekend I did a promo event for Francesca's.
What I really did was go to their store for an hour or so and style their customers.
I had so. much. fun.
I also met lots of new friends! A special shout-out to Rhylee, Adrianna and Ashley!

Like usual,
I was running late to get there.
I had taken my time that morning to sleep in, get to the gym,
sweat my booty off,
and by the time I got home, I realized I had to be out the door in about 35 minutes.
Oops.

I did NOT have time to wash my hair,
and I was not about to go to Franny's with wet hair.
I can't use a hair dryer, remember?
So I quickly rolled it up in a friar tuck and hopped in the shower.
When I got out, I dabbed on some blush, shaded my brows, and put on a couple coats of mascara.
I had about 5 minutes before I had to leave,
so I quickly unrolled my hair from the "friar yuck."
To my immense surprise, I had curls almost as pretty as if I had slept in the headband overnight.
And I'd only had it in for 30 minutes!
I was expecing a slight curl to the tips, but not full-on waves.
Score. Humidity, thank you (this time) for creasing my fine, lifeless hair into a curl.

OK ok ok. Are you ready for how I did it yet?
This style was kind of inspired by this style.
Anyway, here's the how-to:

1. I gathered a small section of hair at the nape of my neck and secured it in a low right-side pony with a clear elastic band.
2. I took a couple of face-framing pieces from the left side and twirled them into a little twist. I stuck a bobby pin at the bottom of that to hold it in place and just let it hang down for the time being.
3. Then, I gathered small sections of hair and began twisting them back (loosly) and secured them around the clear elastic ponytail holder.
4. I kept it messy. I didn't want it to look like a "ponytail," but instead a side updo-of-sorts.
5. As I twisted the sections back and pinned them, I made sure to only pin a small piece of the twist. I didn't want huge bobby pins showing everywhere. Plus, once the hair is twisted back like that, it won't move too much, so the whole thing doesn't need to be pinned.
6. After all my sections were pinned, I grabbed the little extra twist and tucked it back behind the ponytail.
7. I then pulled and tugged on a couple pieces to give my hair a bit more volume and to make it look a bit messier.
8. If I were you, I would definitely finish this with a bit of hairspray, but mine didn't seem to move too much without it.

The little added twist would look really cool if you had highlights or colored dimensions in your hair.
It didn't show up so well in my au natural ombrè hair, but that's OK.
It's the thought that counts.

If you need help, refer back to that other tutorial.
Mine was clearly modified and doesn't look as nice, but I liked it a lot.
I even wore the same style the next day...
...with the same gross, dirty hair.
Because that's how I roll.

Half Updo.

 

Just the other day, one of my best girlfriends, Alyssa, sent me a Pinterest pin and asked me to try this style.

So I did what any decent friend would do and whipped it up the next day. Granted, mine looks NOTHING like the photo (because hers it totally teased and awesome). I'm fairly certain that mine turned out way different because there were no instructions to go along with it. So hey, I just went for it.

Since the style didn't come with a how-to, how about I provide some sah-weet step-by-step action for you? You're welcome.

1. I began with crimped hair that I had loosely braided the night before.
2. I gathered the top section of my hair (still with a part) and secured it at the back of my head with a barette. 
• In hindsight, I should have used bobby pins or a clear hair elastic. That would have been much easier to cover than my big old barette.
3. Then, beginning with small sections below the top portion that was already baretted, I would take a section from each side of my head and pull it back to cover the barette and then pin it. I let the loose end hang down. In fact, they kind of add different dimensions and layers to my hair which is pretty cool.
• If your hair was curly, the loose ends could make a really cool layered look.
4. I criss-crossed sections like that until I had half of my hair pinned up. 
• I'm a little disappointed the criss-crossing didn't show up better. It just looks like 2 pieces that were crossed, when it was really 4 or 5. I'm going to follow my instructions a little better next time and maybe not try to hide the bobby pins so much. 
5. I added 2 flower pins to hide the last big bobby pin that just wouldn't disappear under the criss-crossed strands.

And voila! A hairdo that can be casual, formal, or as Alyssa is thinking "perfect for her wedding day hair!"

Right-on girl. That makes me so happy. What do you think?

xo

----UPDATE----

After checkin' her blog, I discovered she's a professional hairstylist. Sheesh! No wonder hers looks so much better than mine! Don't judge, ya'll!!!

The Braided Bun.

As I promised yesterday, I said I would try a new style, inspired by this style from The Beauty Department. The braided bun.

Let me begin by saying, I followed their tutorial to a T, minus the added hairspray spritz in the end. It is so easy. I did make one modification by changing my top 2 braids to corn row French braids instead of regular plaits.

My only complaint about this hairstyle, in my eyes, is that if you have thin or fine hair... this one will be tricky. It's not hard to do, by any means, but making the bun look nice and full is definitely a trick. I pulled my braid plaits apart like they suggested, and even tried to strategically pin my hair... but I couldn't do anything to make it look more full. Clearly, the girl from TBD has amazingly thick hair. Her bun is outstanding. Mine is just so-so. I also apologize for my visible clear elastic bands. Those buggers were tough to hide with my fine, shorter hair!

Nevertheless, it is a gorgeous style that I can't wait to wear more often. I am seriously considering it for a New Year's Eve style. Any plans yet on what you'll be doing with your hair?

xoxo

Formal.

With so many photos to share today... I don't need to do too much writing! Today I have decided to show you my step-by-step process to create a formal hairdo without a formal styling process. You know, since I can't use any hairspray, products, heat or tease my hair at all... I've got to make do with the basics. And you know what? Surprisingly the basics did the trick (this time).

I hope you enjoy the following photo montage of my before-to-formal look:

Put in Wrap Snap & Go curlers the night before and sleep
 on them to give your hair some good body the next day.

Take out curlers... and behold: Shirley Temple.

Adorb? Not so much.

Shake your head up, down, and all around to loosen
the curls and separate them a little bit.

I prefer to "shake" my head to separate and fluff the curls,
instead of brushing my hair because then it doesn't make
them too fluffy and still keeps the curl in place.

Whoops!!! During the formal event setup, I wrapped my curls
 in my scarf because I didn't want to sweat too much
 (we had to put 300 chair covers on!) and relax the curls all the way!
Oh, and P.S. ... that's Zoë from From A to Zoë.
This was our FATZy and Bee picture :)

Event time! You just know I rocked the Aunie Hawk
 for the event. Boo yah.

The Aunie Hawk delivered volume, oomph, and surprisingly
 didn't fall out at all. I skipped the bun with the longer hair
underneath and just let the whole back hang loose.

FATZy and Bee at the event! Finally... the event is here.

So, as you see... frumpy to formal can be done without products, processing and poofy hair (though I would've killed for some hairspray at one point in the evening)!!!  Do you think you're willing to give the Aunie Hawk a go yet? Or is it still to much of a mullet-look, as my sister says?

Braided Side Topsy Tail.

Don't worry. It's not that bad. Trust me, if I can do it... you can do it!

Last night I just didn't feel like washing my hair. I had done the Zoë Twist yesterday, and I really wanted to give my hair one more day to grease itself up before I washed it. And no-- that's not gross. It's good for my hair, OK? So, instead of the whole shampoo routine, I tried something different. I Wrap Snap & Go curled my dry, dirty hair.

When I woke up, I took out the curlers and was a little dismayed to find that the back hardly curled at all, whereas the front was all spiraled. Bummer. But I gave this style a go anyway and this is the braided side topsy tail that I came up with:

Oh my, I loved it! It's so simple. Here are the steps:

1. Begin with wavy, crimped, curly or whatever hair you prefer.
2. Create a deep side part in the front of your hair.
3. Braid the front sections of your hair and secure them with clear plastic bands.
4. Pull your hair into a side ponytail.
5. Using a Topsy Tail tool (or just your own awesome skill), create a small hole right above your ponytail holder.
6. Pull your ponytail up and through the hole to make a topsy tail. 
7. Finish with a flower or leave it as-is.
8. Voila-- you're finished!

This style would be so beautiful for those ladies with longer hair. I just can't wait until mine is longer so it will cascade over my shoulders in soft waves. Oh, that will be the day!

P.S. If you want to see the fun nails I did to go along with that leopard print scarf, click here!

TBD Inspired.

Boy, oh boy. If there is one beauty site that I love out there, it is The Beauty Department. They feature makeup, hair, DIY, tutorials, polls, and all sorts of fun stuff. I check out their site each and every day looking for new ideas and things to try.

One downside of TBD's hair section is that they are huge fans of hairspray, hair products and teasing. Considering that I'm not allowed to tease or touch products for the next 350 days, I have to modify a couple of the hairstyles to suit my needs.

A particularly fun hairstyle that caught my eye recently was their Short Hair Chignon. It is meant for girls with long bobs, but considering my hair is just past shoulder-length, it works just fine. In fact, I'm a firm believer that this hairstyle will work for just about any length of hair if you secure it right.

For today's style, it's important to make sure your hair is curled or has some good texture. Yesterday, my hair had been Wrap Snap & Go curled, so it was just relaxed enough for this style today. I chose to keep my hair parted in the front just to make it easier. I grabbed one of my favorite elastic headbands and placed it on top of my hair and pulled it down a little bit to make it snug. With the hair at the back of my head, I simply separated a couple pieces, twisted them, and tucked them up and into the headband. And that is it. This style is so so so simple. The only bobby pin in my hair is the one holding the front curl in place (I can't stand loose hair around my face). Since my hair had some body from the day before, I didn't have to tease it or anything. I just tugged on a couple pieces to give it the teased look, and went on my merry way.

If my messy rant is too confusing, you could also visit the Short Hair Chignon link, since TBD was awesome and posted a video tutorial for how to do the style.

Basically... I love TBD. Love, love, LOVE. If I could be as cool as they are some day, that would be fabuloso. But until then, I'm the dork in the corner. Peace out, yo!

Chignon Chic.

This past weekend I went out to purchase clear hair bands just so I could try a fun old-school look. I had it all planned out in my head. See, I was on a one-day vacation up in the mountains... and I knew I had plenty of time to experiment, so I couldn't wait to try the milkmaid braid. It's so fun, classy, and totally unexpected. Oh, and it was on The Beauty Department. So it has to be cool, right?

The only problem? My hair is way too short. When I braided it and tried to wrap it around my head, it ended up looking like a Greek god's ivy halo. It just did NOT work. Bummer, right? I guess I will just have to wait a few more months before I can try that one again.

Out of desperation for something simple, I instead concluded I would try the waterfall braid. It was so simple and worked out really well. Until I got stuck walking through the rain. Figures. Sunday just was not my day for hair.

I'm not sure if I've told you this, but I have very limp, body-less, dreary hair. You know how when some people get stuck in the rain their hair frizzes all up and turns into a crazy mess? Mine does exactly the opposite. It basically hangs on my head like grandpa's 10-year old toupee. Gross.

I had to fix myself up quickly because I was preparing to go out to dinner. I kept the waterfall braid in, out of desperation, but still wanted something just a bit more stylish. I started by twisting the pieces of hair beside my ears back and securing them with a clear hair band at the back of my head, like this style. Then, I twisted individual sections of my hair and tucked them over and under my makeshift hair headband. I added a few bobby pins to keep it secure and BAM... I was finished.

This look is apparently called a chignon (sheen-yon), and it's the first time I have ever tried it. Needless to say... it's chic, classy, and super easy. I will probably be doing these quite often... I'm in love!!

P.S... I have officially made it one whole week! Only 51 more to go :)