upside down french braid

Every time I see this hairstyle I want to try it myself but have never gotten around to it. This morning on my newsfeed I saw Whippy Cake had posted a tutorial on how to create this look and so while Rigby napped and Porter played with bubbles in the kitchen I decided I’d give it a go.

My style is a little less polished so I didn’t do the braid as tight as she did nor did I take as small sections. This was my first attempt so that tells you how simple it is. I was certain I’d have to start over a few times but I actually didn’t have to. It was a little tricky to wrap my brain around doing it all upside down but when it came down to it the worst part of the process was just a sore back from bending over. If you can french braid your own hair already I don’t see why this should give you any trouble.  



I followed Whippy Cake’s tutorial exactly and although I think it turned out cute I’ll probably try something different with the front next time. Having my hair all pulled back isn’t my favorite look for myself so I will try and work some kind of side swept thing or something next time. I have appreciated not having to fiddle with my bangs and pull hair out of my eyes all day though and having the hair pulled up off my neck without chance of loosening and falling out is really great too.



I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this hair-do is. I will definitely do it again and I’d like to try it while my hair is curled and has a little more volume and texture. Have any of you tried this style before? Do you have any variations of what could be done with the front?

hair revolution

I know, another post about hair. I have mentioned a few times now that I don’t feel especially talented in the hair department but after a recent hair-doing-tutorial from my amazing friend Rachael I am confident in saying that deep down I really do have some skills. Look what I did!



Besides the insightful and helpful tips she gave me she also told me about a thermal spray she has been using and really likes. I have used thermal sprays in the past but after finding they made my hair too sticky, too heavy or too limp I stopped using them. She told me about an inexpensive (around $10) product from Sally Beauty Supply called Flat Iron Addict.

It’s an aerosol spray (I find those pump sprays disperse too much product and make your hair wet and weighed down) and it has a mild smell. Best of all while it protects your hair it makes it shiny and helps hold the curl. I think the lasting curl was what thrilled me most about using this product, surprisingly the above picture was taken after a long Sunday afternoon nap. :) This spray does not leave my hair feeling sticky, heavy or flat at all. I am really impressed with this thermal spray and wanted to share as maybe some of you have had a hard time finding a product that works for you too.

Happy good hair day!

a post about hair

I guess I should say another post about hair. Well you might guess then that hair has been on my mind. Literally. Bad joke. I have been growing my hair out with no real goal in sight for about 2 years. I’ve never had it this long and I’ve been enjoying it. As I told you before I don’t feel like the most capable stylist but I try.

I went out last night for a much needed girl’s night out with my friend Rachael. We had time to kill before our date so she offered to curl my hair. I love it when she does, it always looks amazing and somehow it lasts longer than any other time I do it. This is what she did for me last night – loose curls with straight ends. I’m in love… as you can see by the many photos I took to remind me how to recreate it.



The thing is, I’ve been contemplating cutting my hair. I know I won’t do it right away but when I saw Becki from Whippy Cake’s hair pop up on my newsfeed on Facebook I knew that this was the cut I was going to do when I did go under the knife, er, scissors.



I love it even more now that she has it really blonde and often styles it in a faux hawk.

(These are photos I creepily stole from the Whippy Cake Facebook group, although I did ask for permission.)

Do you think I could pull something like this off? I’ve had short hair quite similar to this before, and even shorter actually, but after growing my hair for so long I’m uncertain. I’ve been pretty well obsessed with her hair since I first saw it so if I’m still loving it down the road this is definitely the cut I’ll get. I love that it’s short and fresh while still  being versatile. I’ve seen photos of it styled in a few different ways and it’s always adorable. You’ve got to watch this video of how she styles her faux hawk. She has it down to a mad science.

On a related side note you should most definitely check out Becki’s cute accessories at Whippy Cake or on her Facebook group. She is ridiculously creative and talented. Obviously, look at her hair!

someone teach me how to do this

The favorite of my guilty pleasures is The Real Housewives shows (don't judge). I’ve been a fan of the Orange County series for years and started watching Beverly Hills this past summer (thanks Judy!) I haven’t got into the others as these 2 hold enough tears and screaming to get my drama fix. Taylor Armstrong from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has just about the most beautiful hair I have ever seen. Every episode I sit and admire it. Taylor herself has gone coo coo bananas (poor dear) but her hair is magnificent and I’d love to know exactly how she her personal hairstylist does it.

I am kind of all thumbs when it comes to doing hair. When I receive a compliment on my hair I really feel like I’ve fooled you because I actually have no idea what I’m doing. If it ever looks half decent it’s a fluke I’m sure.

Now I have no idea what I’m doing putting a picture of myself next to Taylor’s but here is an attempt I’ve made at replicating her hair on myself. Comparing them now side by side I can see some tweaks I need to make (thanks for that, cowlick...) but if anyone has any hair tips on how to create this look I’d love to hear them. Would you use a curling iron? A straightener? Loose curls? Tight curls pulled out? What products would you use? See, I just have no clue.

I think Taylor is a sweetheart, albeit an unstable mess, but the only thing of hers I’d like is her hair. I do wish her happiness and a much less tearful next season, and for myself, I wish her hair. Can anyone help?

because I complained

I thought I’d mention this just because I did whine about it a while back. Look what’s grown! My Rigby hairs have finally become somewhat of a bang. Thank goodness.

I call them my Rigby hairs

Those of us that are moms understand the phenomenon that is hair growth and hair loss related to pregnancy. While we are pregnant we enjoy beautiful thick and healthy hair but shortly after baby arrives we endure nasty handfuls of hair clumps as all we gained now falls out. After my babies are born I shed like an angora sweater for months. Ge-ross.

Another thing I’ve noticed post-partum is the sprouting of new little baby hairs. I seem to get them right on my hairline, framing my face. At first they are inconspicuous little fuzz that hide nicely under the longer  hairs. Soon they are not long enough to bury but stick straight up like little antenna on the top of my head. Beautiful. I sprouted some of these baby hairs after Rigby was born and this is what they currently look like. They have finally reached a length where they lay down but they still do their best efforts to stick straight out, or at least not blend in with whatever else is going on up there. I am terribly annoyed by my involuntary fringe and do my best to twist, pin, braid and slick them away. I await the day they have grown to the length of my shortest layer and at least look like they belong.





Tell me you experience this too?

another hairdo

As lame as it sounds I've been having a lot of fun trying out these hairdos from Abby's 30 Do's in 30 Days series. I mean, when I put my kids to bed at 7 and my husband doesn't get home until 11 I'm left with a lot of time on my hands! And instead of doing something productive I play makeover with my hair - great choice Michelle, I could have knit an afghan by now. Anyway. 
Today I'm sporting the 'do she called Three Banded Buns. It too was super fast and easy and I'm loving having the hair off my neck in something other that a regular old ponytail. Unknowingly I left more ends out than she did but I think it's a cute variation. I'd also like to try this with only 2 buns instead of 3 so that you don't see as much of the poof on the sides from the front. We'll see how much of a headache I have this evening but so far I'm liking the look.

And for your viewing pleasure... some poor quality photos. (Sorry, they're especially bad today.)

Next up I want to try the Braided Crown. I've attempted it a couple times and so far it's got me beat but I'll get you Braided Crown. Yes I will.

waterfall braid

When I had two different friends send me the link to Abby's blog My Yellow Sandbox's series of 30 Do's in 30 Days (cute idea right?!) I figured they either thought I would really enjoy trying the looks on myself or were subtly trying to tell me I should really put a little more effort into my tresses. Which is true, I probably should.

This morning I decided to try my first one - the Waterfall Braid. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be and went very quickly. I was skeptical that it was going to hold well but it actually does. As she explains in the video you can end it off in different ways and I chose to just fasten it at the end instead of doing a braid. 

Here's my hair today!

Fun eh?!

And please excuse the crappy self-taken-in-the-mirror-photos, I asked Porter to help me and I got a collection of pics that look a lot like this: 

 And this:

And this:

So I figured I'd better take matters into my own hands... and mirror.

Go look through Abby's series, not only is she absolutely beautiful but she makes the tutorials really simple and doable. I hope you give it a go, I'm going to be trying more for sure!

*Oh, and with only three more followers I get to give away a bottle of yummy Moroccan Oil! We're so close!*

today's inspiration

I watched this tutorial from Alex this morning and liked the simplicity of what she did. Plus isn't she just adorable?

(Oh yeah, it's long. I watched it in installments, haaha!)

Because I didn't already have an idea of how I wanted to do my hair and makeup today I decided to give her glowy summertime look a go! I don't have all the same items she used (like extensions for one, how fun do they look?) but with my own similar products I recreated the look on myself. I think watching a video or seeing a photo and trying it out on yourself is fun and you can learn a lot. Here's my version - but I'm no Alex!

Please excuse the crappy phone picture

Find a look you like and try it out, what have you got to lose?!