The PWC: I'm a new woman!

Well, it is official: I am a new woman! My PWC (aka post-wedding-chop) was yesterday, and I definitely feel like I'm about 10 pounds lighter!

To be honest, any hair cut at all would probably have made me feel amazing, but it feels SO good to have a bit of style back in my hair!

For perspective, I took a few photos before I left for the salon. It isn't that my hair looked awful, per se, but it was just...blah...and long...see?

Excuse my serious face; it is hard to take your own picture reflected in the bathroom mirror!

Check out how long it was in the back! About 3 inches for sure!

My wonderful stylist agreed that a slight inversion would be good, and proceeded to give me a razor cut (because my hair loves razor cuts...true life). We removed almost 3 inches of hair in the back, left it SLIGHTLY longer in the front, and then gave me back my long bangs! Yay bangs! Ok ok, I'll stop talking and start showing you the photos:

I was soooo happy; can't you tell???

A view of the side/back:

My bangs are back at around lip-level...much better than at chin level!

I know it isn't a drastic cut, but I am so happy! When I first started growing out my hair, I was so certain that I would want to return to something short and spunky when the wedding was over, but I found myself getting slightly attached to my longer locks as time went by. This cut was a big relief: it is much shorter/has texture, but it is still long enough to pull back if needed (yes, if you are wondering, I can get it into a ponytail!). Anyway...I LOVE IT!

How excited were you/are you for the PWC?

Contemplating the PWC

I'll be honest: I've been thinking about this day almost as long as I was planning the wedding.

I'm talking about the PWC. Oh, the glorious PWC...how I've dreamed about it longingly. I started growing my hair out in February of 2009; around the time when the chatter of engagement began with Mr. Buttons. I knew I'd want to sport an updo of some sort on the wedding day, and I knew that I'd need to start early to get the length necessary. This is how my hair looked after my last REAL haircut...a chin length inverted bob with long bangs:

This is how it looked about one year after that (in November 2009) - my bangs had grown out, and my hair was at shoulder level:

And this is what it looked like 2 weeks ago...right before the wedding:

It is LONG (for me at least)! I've joked around with many people that I was about ready to take a pair of kitchen scissors to it on a daily basis. I'm SO ready for a new look!

But...what should I do? It has been about a year and a half since I tried to have some sort of "style" with my hair cut. I am not sure which direction I should go now! I have grown somewhat attached to the "longer" length of my hair; it is useful to have the ability to put my hair in a ponytail/clip because of the heat in Florida. However, I need some SHAPE in it, and Mr. Buttons agrees.

I have an appointment for my PWC tomorrow afternoon (eek!), and I am desperately searching the Internet for some inspiration! Come on hive, help me out! Lets find some inspiration photos for medium length, straight hair! Here is what I've compiled so far...

This reminds me of my old haircut...I like the long bangs swept to the side...

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I am fond of the layers in Sienna Miller's hair; even though it is long, it does have some shape!

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I'm also throwing around the idea of shorter bangs...I've had them in the past as well. I rather like the look of Anne Hathaway's in this photo:

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Again, the sideswept bangs...

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Finally, what I think is one of my favorite photos so far - a "long version" of the inverted bob (aka shorter in the back than in the front) with long sideswept bangs

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So...what do you think? Do you have any inspiration photos to share? Send them along!

Did you have a PWC? How did it feel and did you have a hard time finding some inspiration???

Make me beautiful...

One of the more difficult aspects of living a distance away from your wedding location is that it is sometimes hard to make appointments or set trial sessions for certain wedding details! It isn't easy to taste cakes, to hear a band play live, or to have a hair or makeup trial from long distance!

Since I didn't have time to find a makeup artist before I moved to Virginia last fall, I had to do it once I returned to Florida. Yes, I was cutting it close, but sometimes I work well under pressure! In my search, I came across Camposecco Artistry, and I requested more information. After speaking with Donna, we set up a time for a makeup trial!

A few weeks ago, Mommy Buttons and I met up with Donna at her home studio. And...she proceeded to make me look absolutely stunning!

We started with airbrush foundation. I had never been airbrushed before, and I really enjoyed it! Aside from the fact that it sprayed me with cold blasts of air (it is HOT here in Florida right now), it went on very smoothly and did not feel heavy at all!

She brushed translucent powder under my eyes to catch the remnants of eye makeup as she applied it. And, because I love you all so much, I'm going to show you a photo. This is frightening...

I was in awe of how amazing my eyes turned out in the end; they were dramatic yet still understated and romantic.

We also tested out fake eyelashes; I think they really gave the look a nice pop!

After the makeup trial was complete, I found myself longing for a hair trial as well. It was clear from the makeup trial that Donna understood the vision I had for my bridal look, and I wanted to see what she could do with my hair as well! She was kind enough to oblige me, and promptly got to work.

We went for a low chignon, placed off center. On the day of the wedding, Donna will add some "extra" hair to the chignon for a fuller effect. I loved it; the look was simple, chic, and it still looked like me!

I thought the complete transformation with both hair and makeup was fabulous! I couldn't stop staring at myself when I walked into the bathroom (or any other room with a mirror, or a car window, or any other reflective surface, for that matter). I took a few photos at night before I took my hair down and washed my face...still lookin good!

I can't wait to see myself in full wedding gloriousness on the big day!

Did you have a successful hair/makeup trial? Did he/she understand your vision for bridal beauty?

Gathering my hair inspiration

If you've been following along, you might recall that a few months ago I started to gather some hair inspiration.

Over the course of the past few months, I slowly built up a folder of images that I had stumbled upon. Seriously, for those of you with "medium" length straight hair, it can be daunting. I was constantly bombarded with images of gorgeous brides with low, loose, curly buns...messy yet beautiful hairstyles that I drooled over. The thing is, I LOVE my straight hair...from day to day. However, this is the ONE time in my life that I was wishing my hair had some texture! Alas...

Although the pictures were hard to come by, I managed to gather a small collection of feasible and achievable hairstyle inspirations to bring with me to the salon for my hair trial...

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Ok, first of all...I just adore Reese Witherspoon. What I really love about this hairstyle is the volume on the top...it isn't a ballerina bun that is flattened to her skull!

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Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy are so cute! I really liked the placement of this hairstyle.

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You may recognize this chignon photo from my original post. I like that you can tell the model doesn't have too much hair, because I sure do not! Upon further consideration though, I realized that I don't like the idea of having bangs falling down in front of my face. End of May in Florida = humid, and I know that bangs would turn into a greasy mess...

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Ohhh my gosh I adore this hairstyle! I saved it, but was unsure if it would be possible with my hair...but I decided to bring it along regardless!

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Some more bun-loving goodness...because I can...

Did you have a hard time finding some hair inspiration? Is anyone else in the straight, short hair boat? What look did you/are you going for?

Some "hair"spiration...if you will...

Right after Mr. Buttons proposed, I wanted to be stubborn and keep my hair the way that I like it. Why should I have to change because of one singular day in my life?

However, the reality is that I have very very fine hair. And it is stick straight. It does not hold a curl without about 10 pounds of hairspray involved. Yummm, who likes crunchy hairstyles???

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Can you imagine how much hairspray is involved in that?

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I love this photo, as it is a beautiful example of looking natural for your wedding, but personally, I don't want my hair to look pretty much the same as I wear it every single day. This, after all, is NOT a typical day!

After some more searching, I DID run across one set of inspiration photos that made me very hopeful. Mrs. Cheese's inverted bob in transformed to bridal hair was so extremely successful! Seriously, how beautiful was she???

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Well, call me insecure, but I just wasn't ready to rock the short hair on my wedding day. And, as you know, I started to grow it out to a reasonable length.

The last time I visited my stylist, we talked wedding hair. Before she started chopping away a like I am used to, I asked her what I would be realistically able to achieve with the hair that I have, and how much length I could feasibly add in the time period I have to work with. I have to love her, because she immediately responded with “I know EXACTLY what I want to do with your hair.”

Apparently, my hair will grow about ½ of an inch a month, which will put me at total growth of 4 extra inches by the time the wedding comes around. That will put me at a few inches below the shoulders, assuming that I don’t freak out and chop it off myself before then, a la Brit Brit!

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She suggested a low chignon, with a lot of teasing/volume on the top of my head. I rushed home and started to look at some ideas. And breathed a sigh of relief, because these look like feasible styles!

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I love this picture…I have long bangs like this photo, and I love how it is an “updo” without looking too formal. I think that with my projected hair growth, this is an achievable look.

But, my stylist also mentioned that we can add some “extension” without physically attaching hair. There is the option of adding some “extension” inside the chignon itself to make it look fuller. I’m digging this idea…especially after Mr. Buttons and I turned on the movie What Happens In Vegas the other night. And I fell in love with this…

And yes, after searching high and low for photos online, I had to pause the movie at multiple times to take screen shots of the hair style at all angles…(how in the world are there none online???).

(all images are personal photos)

Did you find hair inspiration somewhere you weren’t expecting? How did you find the perfect coif for the big day? Did your hairdresser give an opinion of his/her own?

Hair Through the Years

My hair style has never been on the long side. As a baby, I was bald for quite some time, so my hair was naturally short for the first few years of my life.

Around kindergarten, I acquired the somewhat mushroom-like shaped hair cut.

I did rebel for a short time during middle school. I mean, come on, all the girls had long hair! I felt the need to conform, can you blame me? Thus began the awkward stage of long hair, bangs, braces, and some pretty awful clothes. I prefer not to share photos of that time, just trust me that they are bad. Just think: Converse sneakers with tube socks jocked up to mid calf. Ugh.

When I started high school, I received the chop…to right about the shoulders. Which then evolved to a short cut by my chin/ears during high school/early college.

During college, it fluctuated (I had a traumatic experience with a hairdresser who “slipped” when cutting my hair…and it was left at about 3 inches long total...even shorter than the picture above...the week before sorority recruitment. Ouch.). And, apparently I learned to like color during college, as my hair transformed into an auburn/red hue!

After college, I sported the inverted bob with bangs. And...I got sick of the red hair. In an attempt to return to my natural color, I dyed my hair what looked on the box to be dark brown, but turned out to be more black in reality.

This eventually washed out, and I was left with a side banged version of the inverted bob that I love.

…and then I got engaged. And I promptly decided that I am going to have to grow out my hair. Because, well…there is just not a ton of “hair”spiration, if you will, for short haired brides out there. Currently, my hair is about an inch or so past my shoulders.

A relatively current photo for reference's sake (add an inch!)

Did you have any hair/fashion successes or failures as a kid? And, did you immediately start growing out your hair in preparation for your wedding?