Baba Yaga Haus

Last week I taught a bridal hairstyling workshop for other hairstylists who are wanting to increase their business in the bridal industry.  It was a lot of fun, and all of the students were so impressive!  Here are some shots from the workshop as well as pictures of the two models I styled for the class.  

Thanks to Julie Parker for the pictures.

Lindsey Shaun Photography

Celebrities always wear current and upcoming trends, so I love looking to the Red Carpet for hair and makeup inspiration.  At the Oscars this year, we saw a lot of chignons, ponytails and down dos.  

If there is one complaint I hear the most from my clients, it's about their cowlicks!  I've had a lifetime of fighting with a cowlick in my bangs.  Nothing is worse than your bangs poking up or splitting down the middle.  Luckily there are a few things we can do to make controlling our cowlicks easier.

Cowlicks are definitely harder to deal with if you have bangs.    

-Go for a thicker bang or a longer bang to help control your cowlick and weigh it down.

-Once you wash your hair, blow dry your bangs immediately, or re-wet them before you blow dry.  The more sopping wet they are the better they are going to lay down. 

-When you blow dry, pull against your cowlick one way and blow dry for a few seconds, then pull and blow dry the opposite way for a few seconds. Switching it back and forth as you blow dry will help relax the hair, giving you more control when styling.   

-Try putting a styling gel just on your cowlick before you dry your hair. 

-After your hair is dry, pin your bangs flat while you do your makeup.  This will help them set in place.
-Try switching your bangs to the other side.  A stubborn cowlick can be a sign you're styling it opposite of the way it wants to go.  Sometimes all it needs is to be parted on the other side.  

-A little trick I have for my cowlick is clear brow gel.  Once your hair is styled just use the little mascara wand to flatten down your cowlick at your root.  Works like a charm! 

If you don't have bangs, let your cowlick be free! I've posted about cowlicks before.  The extra body a cowlick provides around your face is very flattering, but it's important to know how to style it so your hair doesn't just lay limp around your face.  

-Round brushing and root pump are KEY.  You don't have to round brush all of your hair, just at least round brush around your face.
-Apply root pump around your hair line.  Root pump will add more grit and hold, giving you body that will last all day.

-Round brush either up and forward or up and backwards.  Different directions work better on different people.  (I personally round brush up and backwards.  When I round brush them forward my hair falls in my face all day.) 

-Once it's dry, blow dry it on cool while it's still in the round brush to set the volume in place.  

-If you have bangs, cowlicks are a disaster if you let them air dry.  But without any bangs, cowlicks look great air dried.  Try letting your hair dry overnight to see what your cowlick does.   Chances are it will have a lot of lift!  

-Check out this post for pictures of awesome looking cowlicks to give you more styling ideas.

Before I started doing makeup, I thought "We all do our own makeup every day, what difference does it really make to have a professional do it?"  Same goes with hair. What difference does it make if I already know how to do my own hair?  After doing hair and makeup for brides and photographers for 4 1/2 years, I can tell you it makes a HUGE difference to hire a professional.  Every photographer I know will attest to that.  Here are a few of the many reasons why you should hire a professional hair stylist and makeup artist for your wedding:

-A hairstylist will make your hairstyle look good from EVERY angle the camera captures.  It's easy to do your own hair and make it look good from the front or the back, but there is no telling what angles the photographer will capture.  A professional will know how to make your hairstyle look balanced, full and flattering from the front, back, sides, top, whatever angle the camera captures.

-A makeup artist knows how to bring out your best features.  Highlighting and contouring in the wrong places can accentuate the wrong thigss, while highlighting and contouring in the right places will make you look your best.

-A hairstylist knows how to make the most of your hair type.  A lot of brides come to me saying "I don't know what you can do with this fine, thin hair" or "I don't know what you can do with this massive mane I have".  You would be amazed what a hairstylist can do with your hair!  Having experience with so many hair types, they will make your fine hair look full and your thick hair look proportionate.  It's not uncommon to have a bride leave saying "I didn't know my hair could do that!"

- A makeup artist knows how to style for photographs.  Every day makeup looks great in person, but there are a lot of different techniques when it comes to photos. 

-A hairstylist and makeup artist uses the right products and techniques to make your hair and makeup last ALL day.  It's one thing to look great when you leave your house that morning, it's another thing to still look great when you make your grand exit that night.  Professional makeup, hair tools and experience will all help you to look picture perfect all day long.   

Thick hair can be both a blessing and a curse.  It's a lot better to have too much hair than not enough, but sometimes thick hair can be overbearing and time consuming when you have to style it day after day.  If you have thick hair, here are a few tips to help make your life easier:

1.  If you can get away with it, only wash your hair every 2-3 days.  Invest in a dry shampoo for the in between washing days.  When you do wash your hair, avoiding putting conditioner on the roots.   Too much conditioner on your scalp will make your roots look oily quicker. 

2.  After you wash your hair, wait a half hour or so before you start blow drying to cut down on drying time.  If you have naturally curly hair, invest in a boar bristle brush.  Boar bristle brushes have a lot of tension.  Using one while you blow dry will take out a lot of the wave, leaving you with less work when it's time to flat iron.

3.  Next time you have your hair cut, ask to have it thinned or texturized.  Taking out some extra hair will help your hair style lay better and will make styling your hair less work.  

4.  Invest in these bobby pins.  They are larger then normal bobby pins, and have a tight hold.  These will make throwing your hair up so much easier. 

5.  If you want more body, apply a volumizing mousse or root pump, blow dry your hair upside down, and then put your hair in a ponytail on top of your head while you do your makeup.  Letting your hair cool off while it's in the high ponytail will set the body in place.  

 6.  Here are some different ideas for ways to style and pin up thick hair:

-One advantage of having thick hair is that braids will always look good on thick hair.  Some people would die for a nice, thick braid!  If you take the time to learn how to braid on yourself it will open up a world of cute hairstyles.

-Top knots always look great on thick hair.  Since your hair is so thick, you don't have to worry about making your bun big enough or messy enough, it will do that by itself!

-A ponytail can be really heavy on someone with thick hair, so rather then trying to make a high ponytail have enough volume, try a low ponytail or low side ponytail instead.

-Here are a few more ideas for thick hair updos-