A Tribute in Photos to our 2019 Brides

It's that time of year again when I find myself taking some time to reflect on the previous twelve months and create a vision for the future. Just this past weekend, we closed out the 2019 Wedding Season with our very last Bride- so I feel it is only fitting that this final blog post of year be a tribute of sorts to the lovely ladies we have worked with over the year.

Today, I am sharing the photos (some that were never before shared) I have been able to collect from the first half of the season. There are so many amazing photos that I collect along the way and don't always get to share on Instagram, etc. but none the less deserve to be shown off!

Much thanks to all of our Brides this year who have kept us quite busy and creatively fulfilled, and to all of our new 2020 Brides I hope that you find inspiration in these images.

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Angela's Wedding 5.17.19

Photo credit: Lilly Photography

Location: The Sophy

Hair styling by Ann, Makeup by Michelle

Natasha's Wedding 6.28.19

Photo credit: With Love Productions

Location: Bride's Family Home in Wilmette, IL

Hair styling by Ann, Makeup by Kim

Kelsey's Wedding 6.8.19

Photo Credit:

Location: Park Hyatt Hotel

Hair styling by Ann & Nicole

Brittany's Wedding 6.22.19

Photo credit: Anna Zajac Weddings

Location: Chicago Marriott at Medical District & Lacuna Lofts

Hair by Ann & Mary, Makeup by Nancy C. & Michelle

Aidan's Wedding 6.22.19

Photo credit: Jordan K Fuller Weddings

Location: Lake Michigan in Rogers Park

Hair by Ann, Makeup by Nancy C.

Meg's Wedding 6.29.19

Photo Credit: Jason Kaczorowski Photography

Location: Ravenswood Event Center

Hair by Athina, Makeup by Michelle

Bethy's Wedding 6.29.19

Photo credit: Melissa Marie Photography

Location: Waldorf Astoria

Hair styling by Ann & Kim

Makeup by Anjelica Bannos

Rachel's Wedding 7.6.19

Photo credit: This is Feeling

Location: AirBNB in Wicker Park & Low Res Studio

Hair styling by Ann & Nancy G.

Note: Brides whom we have worked with in the later months of the 2019 Wedding Season will be shared in a later blog. I am currently still waiting on the final images from several dates.

Here's your Holiday Hair Inspo!

In time for the Holiday Party Season, I decided to give the Accessory Overload Trend a try! I first spotted this idea in Fall 2019 Runway looks, and fell in love. You probably have seen it on Instagram since a lot of the accessory/jewelry designers are jumping on board in a big way.

I really love the randomness of this trend and how you can mimic these vibes in various hair styles, with all different types of sparkly clips and fancy bobby pins. For my version here, I didn't even need to purchase anything new. You may recognize my various pieces (from ASOS and Riley Rose), because they have all been used in previous posts (Huge fan of repurposing, here)!

I decided to go with a Gold-Pearl-Sparkle theme so I gathered all of my accessories that met this requirement. Full Disclosure; I attempted this style two times to get it just the way I liked it. I began by using a very generous amount of dry shampoo and flexible hair spray all throughout my hair, and then I teased the roots of my hair throughout my whole head and especially at the crown. Then I smoothed my hair back (just with my hands) into a low pony. At this step, I made sure to not undo my teasing, but to also make sure that it wasn't showing through.

For the placement of pins, I used a second mirror to help arrange everything in a way that looked good to me. It helped to be patient with this step as I moved pieces around a bit until I loved it. Once everything was in place, I pinched and pulled small sections of hair between my fingers to create some looseness and variety in texture. It's important to do this step after the pins are placed, otherwise it's too difficult to secure them. I love how a little bit of messiness can offset the shiny accessories! Finally, I teased my entire pony tail and twisted and pinned it up into a messy low bun that slightly covers some of the lower pins.

If you want to know how I styled my bangs, please reference the previous blog post titled "How I Style a Long Curtain Fringe".

Happy Holiday Hair Styling!

How I Style a Long Curtain Fringe

About two months ago, I decided that I was tired of having really long boring hair (as I called it), and determined that it was time to change my style to more of a long shag with a curtain fringe. Since then, I've gotten several comments on my hair (positive ones), with a lot of women saying that they love my 70's vibes. Not complaining about that comparison!

I've also heard the compliments followed with, "I wish I could do that", or "I just wouldn't know how to style my hair if it was like that." Full disclosure; it's a tiny bit more maintenance than when I would style my boring long hair daily in beach waves (simply because I mastered wearing the same beach waves for 3 consecutive days without restyling)- but this isn't complicated. Here is my routine;

I use my favorite 1 1/4" curling iron (Bioionic brand) to first add loose curls away from the face to all of my hair. I no longer leave the ends straight like I did when going for beachy waves. With this larger iron- and therefore larger sections of hair, these curls take less time than beach waves. Only thing is, I typically need to touch this up daily. Then I grab my entire fringe (along with the longer bits on each side that reach my cheekbones) and curl it up and back as pictured above.

Then I roll the hair around a 1 1/2" velcro roller, pin it in place with a metal clip, and apply my favorite dry shampoo or texture spray generously. This will add volume and texture to the finished look. As an added bonus, this step keeps my hair off my face and makes the perfect opportunity to do my makeup while the roller sits there for 10 minutes.

Next, I remove the clip and slide the roller right out like this.

The fringe might look really weird at first, but I just run my fingers through it for a few moments until everything falls into place.

And now for the finished look...

It's worth mentioning that this technique is best for a curtain fringe that reaches at least to the middle of your eyes in its shortest, center length. Rolling a fringe back when it it too short, will make it flip outward in an odd way. I must say that I loved this fringe when I first had it cut while it was much shorter, just as much as through the outgrowth. Translation; if you are contemplating this style- you certainly won't need to be back in the salon all the time for bang trims!