hair! (not the nudist musical)

now that we're actually planning a real live wedding, i feel like anybody who follows me on pinterest knows exactly where my head is at every step of the process.  speaking of where my head is going to be (hopefully on top of my neck) the latest decision making process has involved selecting a hairdo.

i've been growing out my hair ever since getting a pixie cut in february of 2010.  i'll admit i miss short hair (my favorite style to wear is a layered bob) but since committing to growing a long mane for maximum updo options it's finally coming down to the moment of truth.

you can probably tell that there's something of a pattern among the options i like the most.  since our wedding is a bit of a mad men / rat pack era vintage night club theme i like the modified victory roll combined with the embellished pin curls.  i've never had my hair done professionally in my entire life (i was always the one doing my own and friends' hair for high school prom and such) so i'm awfully excited to play pretty princess dress up!

which is your favorite?

iphonery and more

i promise one of these days i'll post something besides rehashed instagram (though one of the photos above isn't from instagram... if you follow me you might know which one).

so as you can probably tell life lately has been a lot about animals, weather, and highly nutritious food.  i've also fallen head over heels in love with those flip flops in the second row.  if you're still looking for a cute and comfy pair i would more than recommend them... they are available here.

one of the highlights of our week unfortunately had to go unphotographed because my camera is not waterproof.  on wednesday evening a group of our friends all took an inner-tube float down the huron river.  it is probably one of our new favorite things to do, and hopefully i can find some way to document it.  there are lots of little waterfalls to slide down, which leave nobody dry at the bottom.  perhaps my holga could survive in a plastic bag?

and on a less related note (hey i skipped blogging yesterday because i had work deadlines... brevity is not my skill) i'm going to ask my readers for a bit of advice.

long haired ladies:  how do you live?

one of the things many people don't know is that my hair is currently the longest it has ever been in my entire life.  historically i always kept it at more of a layered bob, but in february of 2010 i took the plunge and got a pixie.  it was quite fun and i really liked how it looked, but i perfer a bit of variety when styling my hair and found it very limiting... i haven't cut it since.  

i am planning on continuing to grow it out for probably one more year, but let me tell you it is driving me up the wall... it gets in your mouth when you eat... it gets in both your mouths when you kiss... it gets stuck underneath your own body when you lay down or sit back in a chair... it's maddening.

what do the rest of you long-haired ladies do?  what are the tricks of the trade?  do you swear by products or some perfect top knot for sleepy-time?  do you simply develop unfathomable amounts of patience?

let me know, if you have any tips to save what little is left of my sanity.  hope everyone is looking forward to as lovely a weekend as we are!

recent pins

1.  tandoori chicken burgers

2.  crockpot caramelized onions

3.  olivia cut-out oxfords

4.  poppy bouquet

5.  mismatched tiles

6.  hair jewelry

7.  golf tee balloon anchors

let me know in the comments where i can find/follow you on pinterest!

products for life

i'm not much of one to experiment with beauty products anymore.  i think it's a combination of preferring slightly more expensive brands, not making a ton of money, and preferring to spend it on something other than the wrong color of bronzer.

as a result i have developed some real loyalty to the products i've chosen.  enough trial and error has me sticking to one solid product routine: they are the basic staples necessary for me to feel like i'm putting my best face forward.  if you are the experimental type, or if you are just looking for a solid replacement for a product you don't love here are the most important items in my bathroom bag:

l'oreal sulfate free shampoo and conditioner

i am not kind to my hair.  i haven't cut it or even trimmed it in over 3 years... excluding the funky things i do with my bangs.  i have been known to at-home dye it upwards of three times in a single day (and oftentimes it involves blonde and bleach).  so for the longest time i was a moisturizing shampoo addict trying desperately to keep a handle on my split ends.  suave professional was the best thing i found, but it just wasn't quite doing the trick.

eventually i read on some pinterested source that sulfates are terrible for your hair.  i have never been one to care for my hair like it is my child the way i've known some women to do, so i was skeptical that going sulfate free was just some holistic attempt to purify your beauty products by minimizing chemicals.  not that i have any problem with people who DO like to minimize their chemicals, but if i'm being honest, i straight up don't care.  it's hair.  hack it off it grows back whatever.  now i'm not saying my hair is like the undyed baby soft locks i was born with, but the visual difference, the difference in feel, and the difference in how easy my hair became to manage is not up for debate.  i've tried just about every moisturizing shampoo/conditioner combo in the drugstore and a whole lot of salon brands too.  once i tried the sulfate free stuff i had better hair than any other product i'd ever tried.   plain and simple.

clinique quick corrector concealer

this was the concealer i would sneak from my mom's bathroom when i was in high school.  drugstore brands just couldn't compete.  the bags i get under my eyes when i'm tired are big enough you could take them shopping.  i've never even bothered with other high end concealers because i'm pretty sure my mom was right about this one.  this stuff rules.

lancome teint idole ultra 24H foundation

l'oreal true match foundation had been my brand for a while, and even though it left my face shinier than the hope diamond, i put up with it until my skin had enough pimples to pass for a 15 year old.  i tried switching to clinique, but wasn't wowed, and when i tried makeup forever's foundation i felt like i had just flushed $55 down the toilet.

i walked in to sephora and decided to actually take advantage of one of their overly aggressive salespeople.  "what is the best long-wearing foundation for mixed skin?" i asked.

the salesgirl, without so much as a half second pause, pointed to the bottles of lancome tient idole directly next to her.  i was worried her hasty prognosis was just an attempt to get me to buy the most expensive bottle in the store, but when i saw the bottle cost less than some of the garbage i'd already tried i gave it a shot.

that woman knew what she was talking about.  the day i switch foundations will be the day this stuff is discontinued, or the day i get a totally new face of skin.  i have never recommended a product so often or to so many people.  i'm seriously in love.

covergirl lip perfection lip color

i did a post about this stuff a few months back when i was first learning how to pull off bright lipstick in daily life.  i was so excited that i had finally found a color that didn't make the rest of my complexion look like death. i didn't anticipate that this lipstick was going to totally change my life a little.

anyone who knew me very well between the ages of 12 and 22 would be able to tell you that i was a chapstick addict.  that might sound like i'm just speaking in cutesy makeup lingo, but i'm not kidding.  i had used blistex medicated lip balm so frequently and for so long that my lips literally ceased making their own moisture at all.  if i went so much as an hour without chapstick my lips were red, raw, and ON FIRE if not bleeding.  i once put butter on my lips when my chapstick was confiscated by TSA around one of the post-9/11 bomb scares.  it was ridiculous.

about a month ago i mentioned to steve, "you know, i haven't really been so dependent on chapstick anymore."

"i noticed that too," he said.

after a bit of investigation i discovered that something about the recipe for this lipstick actually balances the moisture levels of your lips.  if i hadn't been experiencing it in real time i would have called BS, but honestly this product has all but eliminated my dependence on chapstick and it is one of the most mind-blowing things any makeup has ever accomplished.  plus it's super pretty and every single one of the five shades i've bought so far has looked awesome.

so there you have it!  i also use bronzer eyeliner and mascara on a daily basis, but i'm less loyal to the products i'm using there.  i like them, but as the great ron swanson once said, "I won't publicly endorse a product unless I use it exclusively and I really believe in it."

photo recap

it's been a busy week!  with my sister moving out, and me getting a new roommate there has been a lot to do!  i gave the bathroom a mini-makeover.  cleaned and FINALLY DECORATED my HORRIFICALLY messy room (mega slob = me).  

annnnd do you see that beauty i snagged for the vintage shop?  that 1920's woodstock typewriter is in PERFECT WORKING CONDITION. i'm not kidding.  every single key works like new.  someone was practically GIVING her away on craigslist.  i'm tempted not to sell her, she's so darn beautiful, but i guess that's not really the point of opening a vintage shop.  i'll be listing her and a few other great new pieces very soon!

happy friday everyone!  hope you all have a beautiful st. patty's day weekend!