5 Easy Updos for Any Occassion

When the weather warms up—yippee!—off go the layers. But how do you make your look interesting with so much less clothing? The answer: cool hair. I'm obsessed with these five easy-but-special updos for spring events. Pair with a pretty dress, fun heels, and gorgeous, glowy skin and you're ready for anything.

Updo for a Spring Wedding: The Tousled Topknot

Romantic and sweet without being old-fashioned, the tousled topknot looks chic with a 

cocktail dress, bold-color lipstick, and dance-all-night heels.

 

Updo for an Outdoor Party: The Twisted Ponytail

This fun ponytail looks fancy and festive while keeping your hair off your neckline and face

 at sunny graduation ceremonies, garden parties, and picnics.

Updo for a Romantic Date: The Loose, Low Bun

Tousled buns, either centered or off to one side, are great when there's a need for something kind of fancy. Wear

 your hair like this on date night and pray for a cool breeze—so sexy.

Updo for a Spring Formal: The Bombshell Twist

A major French twist creates instant drama, whether you're off to one of spring's big black-

tie galas, a day at the races, or the kind of night out that makes you want to channel Adele.

Updo Idea for an Outdoor Festival: The Crown Braid

An out-all-day, up-all-night event like a music festival demands strategic but pretty hair. 

Crown braids totally capture the boho spirit of the occasion while keeping your hair in 

place come heat, rain, or mud.

Caitlin + Joseph

The fabulous cream and navy wedding of Caitlin and Joseph was held at the summerall chapel. The rain let up long enough for them to leave the ceremony beneath the swords of the Citadel Cadets!  The reception was in full swing at the rice mill for a delicious meal from good food catering and loads of ’90s hip hop (at the grooms request) spun by dj natty heavy.  Here's to wishing caitlin and joseph clear skies and many more dance parties in years to come!

Bride's hair by Carrie Mcleod of Paperdolls
Bridal Party/ MOB hair by Alise B. 

Photos courtesty of Amelia + Dan Photography 

A Brand New Thing

Hello!

So I've been kicking around the idea to gather a more "cohesive" look to all of my marketing materials and websites for awhile now but wasn't sure where to start. I've been a reader of another blogger, a young entrepreneur named Kaleah (read her charming blog here) and asked her to do my design work for me. Our tastes go together like PB&J, she's been so easy to work with! She designed my new logos, business cards, stationary, and the blog you are currently enjoying! If you are ever in need of design work, she needs to be your go-to gal!

How To Clean Your Heat Styling Tools

Ever looked down at your curling iron and flatiron and wondered why they aren't as effective at styling your hair as they used to be?

Perhaps it's because they're dirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrty.

Your heat-styling tools accumulate product build-up with repeated use.. Heat causes residual product to transfer from your strands to the tools, and over time product accumulation definitely starts to affect the performance and longevity of your curlers and flatirons. Plus, you could start transferring old product back onto your hair, which is never a good thing!

Regarding how often you should clean them, that depends on how often you use them. Every day? Clean them once a week. If you use them two or three times a week, once or twice a month is good enough.

To remove build-up from your curling irons and flatirons, wipe them down with alcohol pads, or try white vinegar. Keep it in a spray bottle, and mist it directly on the tool from 6 to 8 inches away, then wipe the tools down with a cleaning rag. White vinegar has antibacterial benefits, which is great for eliminating bacteria and germs from your styling tools. (As if you need any of that on your hair!)

Clean your styling tools while they're warm or lukewarm to ensure that the product build-up comes off quickly and easily. If tools are left dirty and get cool, removing build-up may prove to be quite challenging, so be sure to unplug them and wait for them to cool down slightly so that they still have a little heat but are cool enough to handle.

Danielle + Matt

Re-post from Dana Cubbage Weddings blog- Danielle + Matt were married on Sunday at the Historic Rice Mill in downtown Charleston, SC.  A current Los Angeles resident but a Charleston girl at heart, Danielle worked together with Chelsye of Intrigue Design + Events to plan a beautiful day that captured the essence of lowcountry grace + glamour.  Along with the talented ladies of Loluma, the team created a stunning spring-time wonderland.  This wedding was one for the books.  The decor was absolutely fabulous with hints of baby blue, pink + light green and there was such beautiful calligraphy details by the fabulous Paige Tanenbaum.  Despite the rainy, overcast weather of the day, the inside of the Rice Mill was 100% spring.  The true focal point of the evening was the beautiful wedding cake by Jim Smeal which mimicked the tin ceiling of the Rice Mill as well as the bride’s Jim Hjelm wedding dress.  It was an absolutely stunning piece of art – and a delicious one at that!

Guests dined on a selection of delicious entrees by Good Food Catering and Creative Sound kept the dance floor packed all night.  Danielle + Matt exited the reception to the glow of sparklers… the perfect ending to their amazing wedding day.  

Brides Hair and Makeup by Carrie M of Paperdolls
Bridal Party Makeup by Mariah H of Paperdolls

Bridal Party Hair by Alise Buckner 

Photography Courtesy of Dana Cubbage Weddings

Carly + Justin

Hello Hello! Wedding Season is officially in full swing and there was no better way to start my March with Carly and Justin's blue and green affair on John's Island. It was a chilly, damp day, but it was stunning to watch the storm roll in from the water.

Carly and her bridal party looked too cute in their pashminas, Lauren Miller photography was on hand to capture all of the moments and the awesome bubble walk out moment. I wish this sweet couple timeless bliss.

What Is A Glaze?

As a color specialist, I am often preach the importance of healthy hair. Often, I recommend glazes to clients for multiple reasons. But what is a glaze?

What you can expect from a Glaze:

- Enriches hair with multi-dimensional and luminous shine.
- Blends gray hair up to 50%.
- Refreshes color between permanent color appointments.

This is amazing for redheads, and brunettes to help keep color fresh and vibrant between weeks of appointments. Many of my clients stretch their appointments out 8- 10 weeks in between services. Permanent color is only designed to stay vibrant for about 6 weeks or so. Glazing restores the shine and color to your locks and helps your hair look amazing for another few weeks!

Who is a Glaze best for?

- Those interested in color but to do not want permanent color.
- Clients who are afraid of an artificial color result, or potential damage to their hair.
- Those who are afraid of commitment- longevity of color and financial cost.

This is a 20 minute treatment that can enhance and restore your own natural color, or that of permanent color. It slowly fades out over 6 weeks and is a great way to "try going dark" or "maybe I'd like to go red".

I recommend this service for all of my color clients, and at half the cost of permanent color, its a much smarter, quicker way  to color your hair!