Festival-Inspired Braids with House of Cabelo

With Coachella kicking things off, Festival Season is officially upon us. While I'm not exactly the festival going type (I'm more of the intimate concert at Wente Vineyards, with a nice glass of cab in my hands type) I can certainly appreciate festival-inspired braids. I recently went to House of Cabelo, where I got to try out some festival-inspired braids that I'm excited to share with all of you!

Look #1 - Dutch Braided pigtails, finished with a messy bun on each side. (If you don't already know how to do a Dutch braid, HERE is a video explaining it.) To create this look Erica did two loose Dutch Braid pigtails, and then gently tugged at each braid strand (also known as "pancaking") to create volume and texture. Instead of going all of the way down with the braid she ended a bit below each ear, and finished them off with a messy bun. For more of a festival look, add a beaded headband. To make this a more everyday wearable look, skip the headband and still pancake the braids, just less.

Look #2: Pull-Through Braid with dried lavender. To achieve this look Erica did a method called the pull-through braid, which isn't really a braid at all. While watching her do it I couldn't believe how simple it was! HERE is a video explaining the technique. Erica pancaked each strand, and then added sprigs of dried lavender. To make it more wearable just omit the lavender.

I was inspired to try it out on my girls for Easter, and it really was easy!!

Look #3: Dutch braid across loose waves. I think this was my favorite of all of the looks we tried. Erica Dutch braided a few extensions, and pancaked them. She then placed the piece on the top of my head, and secured with bobby pins. To make it more boho chic and festival-ready she then threaded the chain of a broken necklace throughout the braid. So clever, right?! To make it more of an everyday look just leave out the chain.

Look #4: The Dutch Braid Crown. This was so pretty, and what I ended up wearing for the rest of the day. Erica did the Dutch Braid technique and continued it until I ran out of hair. She tucked the ends in and secured with bobby pins. HERE is a video explaining how. This is something I would wear all the time!

Here are the products used to give my super fine hair some grit, and hold:

*More Inside  * Dry  *Outer Space  *Death Valley *More Inside Shine Spray *Thick *Badlands {all available at House of Cabelo}

This is Erica, the rockstar who created all of these looks, and the co-owner of House of Cabelo in downtown Pleasanton. Her and her entire team are so amazing at everything they do, and create some really incredible braids! Give them a call at 925.426.1250 or visit their website HERE and be sure to follow them on INSTAGRAM for some serious hair inspiration!

Have you been to any festivals? Do you plan to go to any? And what do you think of festival-inspired braids? Which would you rock?!

"Cool Girl" Beach Waves Tutorial

I'm under no illusions that I'm a "cool girl." Quite the opposite, really. I can spot a cool girl a mile away, though, and often times what sticks out to me is their "cool girl" hair. Kind of an effortlessly done, but undone wave. I've tried to recreate it myself, several times, but when I do it I feel like it always ends up looking  a bit too polished. So, when I had my hair done I asked my stylist, Emily to show me how to do cool girl waves. It seems the key to giving it the cool girl edge is straight ends. You definitely want the wave in the middle, but the ends should be straight.

Check out the quickie video below:

Here is the final product:

Basically curl your hair, but leave just about two inches out from the ends. Take your hair out of the curl quickly, and then straighten the ends. Easy peasy! The exact products I use to create this look at home are the 1" BEACHWAVER PRO curling iron and the BABYLISS PRO STRAIGHTENING IRON. Both are an investment, but both are incredible. The Beachwaver in particular is something I can't live without, and one of my holy grail items. I then use the Kristin Ess Beach Wave Spray from about the middle of my hair down for a little more grit, and then the Kristin Ess Dry Texture Spray on my roots for a bit of volume and hold.

If you're in the Bay Area, and looking for an amazing hair stylist make sure to give Emily Smith of Salon Tivoli in downtown Livermore an email! You can reach her at emilysmithhair@gmail.com

Fall Beauty at Target (TONS of in-store events!)

Hello, my friends! The leaves are changing, all things pumpkin are everywhere, and it finally isn't 100 degrees. Fall is officially here!

Whenever the seasons change beauty trends change too. I'm fairly certain you all know by now that I am an extreme Target addict and was stoked to find out that they are hosting a bunch of fall beauty events! These fun "TargetU" events will be held every weekend, and are being put on by some of my very favorite brands (Maybelline, L'Oreal, Essie, and Carol's Daughter) and will feature live in-store demonstrations, and beauty hacks to teach you some fun, fall looks! Where do I sign up??!

For my local ladies, you can find these in-store events here:

(If you aren't local check www.target.com/beautyevents for a full list of what's going on!)

There are different events every weekend (starting this Saturday) and going through November. BeautyU is free, and on a first come, first serve basis so get there early! (All events are being held 11:00am - 3:00pm) 

Here's what's happening every weekend: 

Which event(s) are you going to try and hit up?? They all sound amazing, but I especially want to see the in-store Halloween makeup demos! Be sure to let me know if you go to any! 

NYE 2012

Whether you'll be in a big city watching fire works, or having a relaxing evening at home, New Year's Eve is the perfect night to add a bit of glam.  Below are some of my pics for an effortless NYE look.

- You can NEVER go wrong with a little black dress!

 - Glitter heels. Always appropriate in my book. 

 - Glitter clutch. Again, always appropriate in my book, but especially on NYE!

 - A bold, red lip is always in, but for this festive holiday why not switch it up with a bold PINK lip? (Bonus - for every lipstick Radiant Cosmetic sells they will donate a lipstick for outreach projects to current victims of human trafficking as well as survivors as part of their 'Kiss Slavery Goodbye' campaign. Has there ever been a better tie to treat yourself to a new lippie or two? I don't think so!)

 - Fun nails! You can get tons of NYE nail inspiration on Pinterest, or clicking on the hashtag #newyearsevenails in Instagram

 - Cat eye in an unexpected color. If you're already wearing a little black dress, how's about a cat eye in a fabulous turquoise or plum?? THIS is my favorite technique - foolproof and crazy easy!

 - For hair, I'm a fan of a simple top knot with a gorgeous accessory!

What are YOUR plans for New Year's Eve? We used to go to Lake Tahoe every year and party in the streets.....before kids. This year we'll be heading to some of our good friends' house, and having a little get together with them. And partying like crazy....until the girls start to crash around 9pm ;)