Ombré

Hey tastemakers, this one’s for you! Ombré, with its gorgeous slow fade from dark to light, has found its way from fashion to hair color and ended up smack on your lips! It’s not just a trendy look though, it’s actually a really pretty effect that highlights your top lip, bringing all of the attention there. And there’s something a little effortless and less “done up” about not having your bottom lip as dark as your top lip. Anyway, I just wanted to share the easiest way to re-create it yourself.

1. Paint your top lip with any lip color.
2. Smack your lips together to press the lip creme unto the top half of the bottom lip.
3. Smear the bottom edge with a Q-tip.
4. Paint the top lip again so it’s one shade darker.

That’s it! You can finish it with a coat of clear gloss if you love the look of a shiny lip.

How To Properly Clean Your Hair Brush

This might seem pretty obvious to some people, but you’d be surprised at how many lovely ladies don’t clean out their hair brushes. Too often I walk into a friend’s bathroom, see a brush full of hair and I can’t help myself, so I clean it out. Within the next couple days I usually hear about how much it changed the way their hair looks. It may not seem like a big deal but hair brushes are total traps! Dust, conditioner, oil, germs, even dust mites can be in your dirty hair brush, which is DISGUSTING. For example: if you wash, brush and blowdry your hair on a Monday and then “re-finish” it on Tuesday with the same brush, the oils and dirt from all day Monday will be sitting in that brush. Pile those up for a couple weeks, months… years? Ew. Personally, I recommend you clean out your brush once every week or two. It takes a couple minutes! It’s not something we really think about but you should try to become conscious of the hair piling up in your brush. Cleaning out your round brushes will allow you to get SO much more tension which will lead to smoothness and shine. Here’s how I like to clean out my brushes at home:

1. Grab any brush that’s gathered a visible amount of hair. Here I’m showing you how to clean out a flat (paddle) brush but this can be done exactly the same on a round brush.
2. In the hair world, we have tools to clean out brushes, but when I’m at home I grab a pen or pencil and slide it under the hair in the brush. Now pull up until the hair starts to loosen. (You do this so you don’t end up cutting your bristles with the next step!)
3. Next, go in with your scissors and cut straight down the middle as seen above. TIP: If you’re cleaning out a round brush, flip it over and do the same on the opposite side.
4. Now “peel” the hair open and remove. You can go back in with your pen or pencil to loosen up any more tight spots.
5. Discard that gorgeous hairball.

I like to shampoo my brushes each time I clean out the hair. To do that, just fill up the sink with warm water and add a tablespoon of cleansing/clarifying shampoo. Wash the brush + bristles thoroughly, rinse well, and let it dry (or blow it dry).

Hair Dare!

Since it’s wedding season, we thought it would be a good idea to do a post on flower girl hair. Wee ones need beauty too! It’s a very “sweet” look and will keep a flower girl’s hair out of her face all day. This braid may be a little “young” for some, but  it will probably come in handy at some point! To be totally honest, I’ve worn it and you can’t tell it’s a heart until you’re standing above it. It just looks like two braids running down the back of your head. The hardest part about this braid is starting it, so if you’re doing it on yourself, you may want to enlist a friend who’s good with braiding help you get it going. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Part your hair into two sections by splitting it down the middle.
2. Starting at the crown of your head, make the curve from the top of the heart. Stop at the back of your ear. Don’t worry about going all the way to the bottom of the heart, only go to your ear.
3. Clip that hair out of the way as seen above.
4. I like to do this braid using an “inside out french braid” instead of regular because it shows the shape more, but you can do either! Start french braiding at the part (as seen above) and curve the braid around to your ear. At this point you’re only using hair from outside the heart shape, not the hair that’s in the clip.
5. Braid it down to the back of the ear and then take the clip out. Now you can start joining in that hair. NOTE: Don’t start joining in hair from the inside of the heart until you get to the back of the ear. That’s the trick!
6. Braid all the way down to the nape of the neck and clip it off.
7. Do the exact same thing (or have someone help you do the exact same thing on the other side.
8. Once you get to the nape of the neck on the other side, it gets a little tricky. I like to take my 6 pieces (3 pieces from the left braid and 3 pieces from the right braid) and join them all together. Then I split it back in 3 pieces and do a regular braid all the way down.
9. Tie it off with a clear elastic and you’re done.
10. For added texture, I like to pull gently at each piece of the braid!

Glitters!

A lot of you have mentioned that some of the polishes that we’ve posted in the past are too expensive when you’re living on a budget. Well, this sparkly DIY glitter polish tutorial should help you out. Here we go:

1. Roll a post it into a cone shape and tape the side to create your funnel.
2. You’ll need 3 kinds of sparkle. I used thick chunky craft glitter from the craft store, a fine craft glitter by Martha Stewart, and a gold pigment powder. You can either use a gold pigmented loose-powder eye shadow or you can get gold pigment powder from the art store.
3. Get a bottle of clear top coat. Don’t use a quick drying top coat. It will get too sticky too fast. I used a basic clear top coat and dumped out a little bit to make room for the glitter.
4. My formula: 1/4 teaspoon of the chunky glitter, 1/8 teaspoon of the fine glitter and “a pinch” of the gold pigment powder. Your formula depends on the size of your clear coat bottle, but go easy because you can always add more sparkles.
5. Once you get it all in there, shake it up. Then you can decide if you want to add more of one glitter or another.

This makes a great gift when you’re a little tight on money– just personalize it by re-labeling the bottle with love. Good luck! Let’s see those sparkling manis!

Flowers Fade

Who doesn’t love a soft, faded floral pattern? You can basically do this mani in any color combo you want– we chose a spring-y palette. Here’s how you get the look:

YOU WILL NEED: Nail polish remover, 4 small paint brushes, a plate or something to put your polish drops on, a white nail polish + 3 of your favorite polish colors that look good together.

1. Place a dot of each color on your plate. Also fill your nail polish remover cap with nail polish remover. The colors above are American Apparel “Angeline” and “The Valley + Wet & Wild “Club Havana”.
2. Paint the base of your nails with something light and wait until they dry completely.
3. Dip one of your small paint brushes in the nail polish remover and use it to dilute the polish drops. You want to add a few drops of polish remover in the nail polish until it starts to look thin and “stain-like”.
4. Then using a dabbing motion, create abstract flower shapes on each nail. Leave room for the other colors too.
5. Use your other brushes to dilute the other colors the same way. Don’t mix your brushes in different colors!
6. Apply the other colors. Create as many abstract flowers as you want. Don’t stress about the shape. Some of the messy flowers ended up being my favorite!
7. Now take a drop of the white paint from your base coat and dilute that using nail polish remover, just like you did with the other polishes.
8. Apply a VERY thin dot of white on the center of each flower. If you diluted it enough, it will slowly spread over the flower when you put the drop down. If not, thin your white polish out a little more. When you put the white drop on top, it gives the flowers a more faded look.
9. Wait for everything to dry and give it a good quick dry top coat.

Oh My DIY: Lip Smoothie

Dry + cracked lips ruin how lipstick looks. And because of recycled air, flying, dehydration and just life, unfortunately all of us are victims! So I’m sharing exactly what I have my clients do before I apply their makeup. All you need is a disposable mascara wand (or toothbrush if you don’t have one), lip balm and a tissue.

1. Dip the wand into the balm to pick up a decent amount onto the bristles then apply it directly on your lips (Just like in the image, I started with my bottom lip).
2. Scrub back and forth, up and down and in small circular motions in the same fashion you would brush your teeth. Really work on the flaky areas until the loose skin gently breaks off.
3. Wrap a tissue around your finger and remove any flaky residue.

That’s it! If you want to stay on top of it and keep your lips polished and crack-free all year round, every time you brush your teeth, before you’re done, brush your lips with your toothbrush as well.

PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO JOIN MY GIVEAWAY, INTERNATIONAL READERS ARE WELCOME BUT YOU NEED TO SHOULDER THE SHIPPING FEE (IT’S STILL WORTH IT TO JOIN THOUGH). THANK YOU! https://ohthoseredstilettos.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/1st-blog-giveaway/

Hair Dare!

Girls with bangs seem to have some trouble finding updos. Here’s one that I think is super cute and preppy yet easy to do. It takes about 5-10 minutes and keeps your hair out of your way all day. Well, in my first try, it actually took around half an hour to 45 minutes. It’s a great way to deal with second day hair if you just don’t feel like doing it in the morning but have to look prim + proper for work or school. Here’s how this bun is done:

1. Start with dry hair. It doesn’t have to be perfectly clean. If your hair is on day 2, spray a little dry shampoo at the root before you start.
2. Use this type of thick rubber band or something similar to gather all of your hair on the top of your head. Don’t worry about it being perfect, just make sure it won’t move.
3. Take about 1/4 of the whole ponytail and drop it off to the side. Try taking this piece from the side, not all the way from the back– that way the best/thickest part of the braid will show up in the front.
4. Leave the 1/4 section out and create a regular ballerina bun on top using the other 3/4 of the ponytail.
5. Once you’ve secured the bun, take the 1/4 section you left out and braid it. Fishtail, regular braid, whatever kind you want. Tie that off with a small clear elastic. But in my opinion, doing the regular braid is the best!
6. Secure the braid using small bobbypins. I like to put a bobby pin in every inch and a half to make sure it really stays put.

Oh My DIY: Flower Wrapping for Hair

Who doesn’t love adding a fresh flower to their hair when heading to a special event? This trick has come in handy so many times and I’m really excited to share it with you considering DIY wedding and prom accessories are at the peak of popularity. Here’s how it’s done:

TOOLS:

• Floral tape (can be purchased at craft stores, some flower shops or google it and buy it online)
• Beading wire or floral wire
• Scissors and whatever type of flower you want.

NOTE: Use an open flat flower so it sits nicely against the head. My favorites are gardenias, fully bloomed and opened roses, lisianthus, orchids, and here ranunculus was used.

STEPS:

1. Push your thin wire through the stem, close to the base of the flower. If the stem is stiff, try poking a needle through first.
2. Drag the wire through and cut it. The 2 sides of wire should be even. Make the wire is an inch or 2 longer than the stem so you’ll have room to curl the bottom up like you see in picture # 7.
3. Twist each wire around the stem a couple times, and then twist them around each. This will make the wire twice as strong.
4. Grab your floral tape and start wrapping the stem from the base of the flower.
5. Keep wrapping until you get all the way to the bottom.
6. Snip the tape right where you feel the wire ends.
7. Now roll the bottom back up to make a loop.

Now, use that loop to secure the flower with a bobby pin. This makes the flower more sturdy and it stays alive longer because you’re not crushing the stem. (And always try to avoid spraying hairspray on the petals of your hair flower!) Good luck!

Hair Dare!

Every one of us needs lots of ways to get your hair off your neck. Here’s one. It’s a new twist on a good old classic– the fishtail. It’s simple, quick and combines two of my favorite hair styles.

STEPS:

1. Start with all of your hair down. It can be wet or dry and you can do this on any hair texture.
2. Tease the crown a little so it doesn’t get completely flat up top. Sometimes, you would also want to give the top at least a little texture when doing a messy braid.
3. Make a regular low ponytail using a thin clear elastic.
4. Gently pull the clear elastic down about an inch to an inch and a half.
5. Split the hair in two sections just above the clear elastic.
6. Loop the whole ponytail up and around and through the hole.
7. Fishtail the hair under the clear elastic.
8. Gently pull the braid apart to give it some soft, messy texture.
9. Carefully cut out the top clear elastic, but leave the bottom one.
10. Wrap a little hair around the bottom clear elastic to hide it. Use a small bobby pin on the back side to secure.

VOILA! A new summer ‘do or if you’re from the Philippines, you just learned a new back-to-school hair ‘do! If you have a hard time doing the back, get a friend to help. It’s really sort of difficult to get a centered braid by yourself!

Raindrops keep falling on my head!

Another shift in seasons is upon us. Are you looking forward to it? Leaves, coats, umbrellas + rain! One thing none of us are looking forward to is the dry scalp that often comes with a new season. I’m about to tell you something a little weird, but please, bear with me. Did you know that Listerine is the remedy? Listerine is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial and it actually makes sense. Tried it on myself . SHOCKINGLY, it worked.

I just mixed 1/2 oz of original formula Listerine and 1/2 oz of baby oil (to soothe and soften).

I shook it up in a bottle and used cotton balls to apply. (Tip your head back a little as you apply to be sure nothing gets on your face.) I left it for 5-10 minutes and then shampooed it out. I only did it for 3 days in a row but I’ve been reading that it can take up to one week. Honestly, not a flake on my scalp. If you do this at home please email me or comment here!

NOTE: This blog post is for the people staying in countries with their rainy seasons on June.