Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Bridal Trial and Error

About a month ago, I had my hair and makeup trial for my wedding. 

I have to say, I was pretty nervous about it.

Most of the pictures that I saw in magazines were of women with shellacked hair, smokey eyes and squidgy looking lipgloss.  And I don't know about you, but my fiance would run the other way if I came down the aisle looking like that.

So when the hair and makeup artist showed up, I immediately started babbling about "natural" makeup and wanting "hair that wasn't crunchy."  They looked a little bewildered at first, but my mom calmed them down and let them know that I wasn't a Linda Blair-bride or something.

First came makeup.  The artist used a face primer and a lip scuffer to smooth out my chapped lips. She used MAC foundation and concealer (the same one I use!) and a fabulous combination of grey and pink eyeshadows with a little black eyeliner near the lashes.  She used a Mary Kay mascara in black on my lashes to finish the look.

The effect was really great.  

I looked like me.  Only better.

The last part of the picture was the lipstick.  The artist used a magenta-ey pink Mary Kay shade that I just didn't love.  As a devotee of pale pink glosses, the lipstick felt heavy handed to me.  And way too dark.  She explained that you need a brighter lip color for photographs, but the color never felt right to me.

Meanwhile, on my head....

The hair stylist began her work.  She immediately proclaimed that my hair was too soft and silky to hold a curl (damn you, Pantene!  You make my hair too soft for it's own good!!).  

She made do, curling my hair into soft waves and pulling half back into a little twist.  While the effect was perfect, especially with my dress (I had a fitting an hour after the trial) it wasn't smooth sailing.

There was a lot of hair spray involved in this process, and the curl started to come out even as she stood there.  

The prescription for what ails my hair?  No conditioner. 

How is that going to work?  I have to wash my hair that day.  In fact, I have to wash my hair every day.  I seriously can't not wash my hair.  She told me I could use a little light leave in conditioner, but that was it...

(did you like that double negative, mmm, weddings have made me dumb)

So.  Help me out people!  Does anyone have a recommendation for me?   Leave in conditioner, maybe even a spray?  Help a sister out!

27 comments:

EthidiumBromide said...

The best thing you can do to simulate that dirty hair hold, while still washing your hair....
Make a 50/50 mix of hair gel (any brand) and leave in conditioner (any brand) in a spray bottle, and spray away. The spray-in conditioner will, well, condition, while the gel will provide a bit of grip and texture, but the mix will prevent the gel from giving you crunchy hair. Seriously. It works.

I personally love Paul Mitchell's "The Conditioner" as far as leave in conditioners go.

sara star said...

If I need the effect you sound like you need, I use coconut oil or jojoba oil as a leave in, it creates grip, but is a very light conditioner. Your hair will still feel soft, but it will hold hairstyles.

Anonymous said...

Bumble and Bumble makes hair powder to use on day's that you can't shampoo. It might be worth looking into. Baby powder also works but it takes a little more skill to make sure it blends properly.

Magnolia said...

I always use conditioner sparingly and use a spray right after I towel dry. I have a great one from KMS in California -- my hair has never been so shiny.

Anonymous said...

I have the same probalem I have to wash my hair every day and it does not hold a curl for a second. My Maid of Honor uses dry shampoo when she's short on time. I used that the morning of the wedding. It took the grease out but still had the effect of being 'dirty' enough, it held perfectly.

Thirkellgirl said...

My daughter has great success with (don't laugh, I know it sounds like a drugstore cheapo brand) Fructis anti-humidity stuff. There's a cream in a tube, and a liquid in a bottle. They're cheap enough to try both! If they'd repackage them in something other than lime green and bright yellow they'd sell to a different clientele, I'm convinced, because they're really good products.

Anonymous said...

I second the bumble and bumble hair powder idea.
It would also work if you wash your hair as usual. The powder makes your hair "stiffer" and easier to style.

ABF said...

I'm on the Bumble and Bumble hair powder bandwagon. I used it for my wedding for the exact same reasons and it worked great.

Anonymous said...

i have the same hair type you have, and my stylist told me the same thing, but on the morning of my wedding, i caved to my little inner voice screaming "you have to wash your hair! you can't be dirty on your wedding day! wash the hair!!!" oh man - i wish i hadn't. she had to use lots of gel to simulate the dirty hair hold, and my hair ended up looking like i used varnish instead of hairspray. disgusting. anyway, now i've learned, and if i'm getting ready for a big event, i tell the little voice to shutup, and i used renee futurer dry shampoo to get the greasies out. it gives fabulous hold, too. you can find it at sephora online, it comes in a green aerosol can, and is about $20. i hope your hair turns out fabulous, just the way you want it! :)

Anonymous said...

I have to wash my hair everyday and I use quite a lot of conditiner but, I always use Jonathan Dirt or the silky dirt - they help to make your hair have some hold to it but, not too stiff.

Anonymous said...

Bumble & Bumble works really great. I have used it myself and i have the same hair as you. But, when i do not have time to condition my hair, i use pantene's prov-v restoratives breakage defense spray. it is hard to find, but well worth it. trust me. its lika leave-in conditioner that is soft and prevents tangles too!

Anonymous said...

My comment is on a different tract - not hair, but lips! I loved my makeup on the day of my wedding but not the lipstick she insisted I use - I caved to her preference and was never happy. Not on the day, or in the pictures or even 18 years later. Go with the lipstick you like on yourself -it does make a difference. Best of luck.

Anonymous said...

I hope you don't really use Pantene, it is the WORST for you hair, it causes major chemical buildup, just ask your sylist if you don't believe me... yikes!

caphillbarbie said...

Thank you for all the suggestions!

Since I still have some time, I will try out a few of these suggestions for making my clean hair dirty so I don't end up looking flat on the day of a thousand pictures.

To the person who wrote about Pantene, yes, I absolutely use Pantene. It's my hands down favorite shampoo and conditioner. I don't care if I have more chemicals than a Dow factory on my head, it makes my hair super soft and shiny. My stylist has cleared me on this, and honestly, I've just never found anything I like better.

As for the lipstick...more to come on that soon!

Elsie said...

You know the make up artist does have a point about the color issue for lip wear. Think of it as make up for photos, not so much for your day to day wear. If you have time I would take some snap shots with different color lips, just to see what brings out the best.

Anonymous said...

Lipstick: I agree with the makeup artist that you'll want something more than gloss, but if you don't like the color she picked there are too many other options. For the record, I love the L'Oreal Endless Lipcolor (a personal fave is Teaberry), they also have a new gloss that is longlasting.

Anonymous said...

i'm a huge jojoba oil fan. it works great.

Anonymous said...

i totally agree with the hair powder. i have very very thick hair which is japenese straightened, i wash it every other 2 days, sometimes more sometimes less. oscar bliandi makes a fabulous hair powder too. sephora has a few others on hand you may want to check out. highly recommended! they say that if your hair is a little "dirty" it holds its style better. good luck

h*dizzle said...

mary kay mascara is THE best!

esp if its waterproof

my aunt is a senior director and i practically invested in the waterproof mascara during my comp. tennis days!

Anonymous said...

you should totally e-mail amalah's adive smack down with this question, she'd probably know just the answer.

Anonymous said...

I have to wash my hair everyday, too, and I definitely didn't want to forego the washing on my wedding day. I used Aussie "mousse+leave-in conditioner"-- and my (admittedly naturally wavy) hair looked great.

BarbieDollDiva said...

Make sure you use two MK mascara's that day. The Ultimate or Lash Lengthing, then the last coat should be the waterproof. That way you will not have any mascara on your face on your special day. If you can get the look you want with just the waterproof, that would be the ideal way to go. On your color lips, go with your favorite in the MK line. Use Dusty Rose lip liner, fill in your lips completely and top off with Cream & Suger lip gloss. You will look perfect!

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