Pinterest Hair Inspiration

Happy Wednesday, y'all! It's been a while since I posted even a Friday Five, but last week I was just SWAMPED with things for my school's huge variety show. As in, I was leaving each night at 11:30 and staying up til three in the morning to finish my homework and waking up at six to go to class. Not good. I've been so busy that I've kept putting off getting my hair done, and I was so happy to go in and get it done today! I kept it as long as I could while getting my bangs shortened and taking off all the split ends. 

Even though I literally just got my hair cut, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas for things to do with my hair! Pinterest is, of course, my favorite place to find inspiration, and I pin all of my beauty related wishes, wants, and needs onto my Hey Gorgeous board! Below are some of my favorite pins from that board.

This is basically my dream hair!

So Barbie. Love it.

So I guess the moral of the story is that I really am obsessed with Carrie's hair? And that I still really want to be blonde...

XO

Friday Five

1. I'm currently dancing at the state dance team competition! Prelims are today and if we rank in the top ten by the end of the night, we'll be dancing at finals tomorrow!

2. Dry shampoo is my new lifesaver. I've been using a volumizing kind from TRESemmé and it has changed my life.

3. I've found a dress for the Turnabout dance in March! I'm borrowing it from a friend and I don't want to say too much about it...but it's pink!

It's also super body-con, which brings me to my next item...

4. I've decided that after Nationals, I'll be going on a cleanse. I wanted to do one as a New Year's Resolution, but January is such a stressful time for me already with finals and being in the full swing of competition season that it just wouldn't be healthy or safe. The last half of February is pretty mellow though, and it's right before Turnabout, the Poms Fashion Show, Spring Break....basically perfect timing. I'm definitely planning on posting extensively about my experience on the cleanse.

5. Less than a week (six days!!!!) until Nationals. The next Friday Five will be posted from DisneyWorld! WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Have a fabulous weekend, y'all!

XO

My Hair Routine: Part Two

Here's part two of my two-part post on my hair routine. You can read part one here.

My hair routine for when I wear my hair curly is a lot less intense than my routine for straight hair. I use a lot less product, a lot less time, but I still like my hair more when it's straight. That means I wear it straight way more often than I wear it curly, even in the summer. But when I want to change it up and go natural, here's what I do to style it.

I wash it the same as I do when I wear it straight, so I'm not going to go in-depth on that. Shampoo, condition, deep-condition once or twice a week. Nothing fancy, really.

Once I get out of the shower, I run three big dollops of TRESemmé Flawless Curls Mousse all through my hair with my fingers, concentrating on the ends and the middle of the shaft.

After that, I mix together a little each of MoroccanOil and the Neutrogena Split End Mender mentioned in Part One.


Air dry.


That's it. Call me crazy, I don't know why I don't just go curly more often. Sometimes I even confuse myself.


XO

My Hair Routine: Part One

This is going to be a two part post, with one part covering my hair when it's straight, and the second covering my hair when it's curly.

I have a lot of long, thick, curly hair. However, eighty percent of the time, I wear it straight. I like it better straight, and it's really just easier to deal with throughout the day. Everyone always asks me how don't go insane straightening my hair all the time, but I've just gotten used to it. I know that every other night, I'll be spending up to an hour and a half straightening my hair. I've gotten pretty good at it, and pretty fast too, but I have lots of practice!

It all starts with washing my hair. I use Neutrogena's Triple Moisture line, starting with the shampoo and then working in the conditioner. When I condition, I leave it in for at least three minutes and make sure to comb through my hair while the conditioner is in to get out all the tangles.

Once or twice a week I use the Deep Recovery Hair Mask to keep my hair soft and healthy.

When I get out of the shower, I give myself a few minutes to let my hair air dry a little so that it isn't sopping wet. Once it's just damp, I put in most of my products.

I start with TRESemmé Thermal Creations Volumizing Mousse. I use about a tangerine-sized amount, and run it through my hair with my fingers, concentrating on the upper back of my head where I like the most volume.

After I put in my mousse, I spray my whole head with this oil sheen spray. Holding the can about ten inches away from my head, I pick up all my hair and let it fall through the spray so that it's evenly coated without being too saturated, since the oil is super concentrated. I've been using some sort of oil sheen spray since the first time I ever blew out my hair, which was when I was 6 (Mama was doing most of it for a while), and it works like a dream to get my hair super straight.

The last thing I put in my hair is the Triple Moisture Split End Mender. I just put in a little from mid-shaft to the ends to seal up and prevent split ends.

And now, the main event. I pin up most of my hair on top of my head, and work in layers from the bottom in the back up and over to the front. I use a Chi blowdryer and flatiron, and I flatiron each layer right after I blow it out. I also use a large round brush to blowdry and a fine tooth comb for when I flatiron it. To keep my volume, I spritz the roots of each layer with a little hairspray before I blowdry. I like TRESemmé's Extra Hold Non-Aerosol Hairspray.

Once all my hair is straight, I tease the back a little bit and lock it in place with more hairspray and TRESemmé's 24 Hour Body Finishing Spray.

I don't spray my hair straight from the can or the bottle, instead I spray a fine tooth comb and run it through the top layer of my hair to avoid stiffness and crunchiness.

My last step is a few drops of Morrocanoil on the ends for extra shine and softness. It also helps to keep my hair frizz-free, which is a huge help!

What's your straightening routine?

XO

North Shore Prep 

Happy National Wear Your Lilly Day!

Were you spotted in Lilly today? I thought I wouldn't be able to participate on account of having both Poms practice in the morning and a workout class in the early evening, but I was able to wear my new Jarvey Skort for a few hours in the afternoon! 

I paired the skort with a polo from Vineyard Vines and platinum Jack Rogers Navajos, natch.

Also, I got my hair styled today! I was the guinea pig for my Poms team's hairstyle for our performance at UDA Elite Camp next Monday. We'll be performing a lyrical jazz routine at camp so that we can qualify for Nationals! Our hair team met at the Andreas Hogue Salon to to work with a stylist on developing a look.

After the appointment, I was too lazy to deal with taking my hair out, so I wore it out and about while running errands. It was a total Audrey day.

Basically it's smooth in the front with a side part, lots of volume in the back, and into a bun.

XO

North Shore Prep

Head Candy

Y'all already know how much I love my bows. I have more bows than I know what I should do with. Little bows, big bows, solid bows, printed bows....I even have a bow with rhinestones! Recently though, I've been expanding my hair accessory collection to include some new headbands, which is why I was so happy when I came across franceluxe.com!

The website has what feels like a million different headbands, some more classic, some a little more out there, but each one is truly a work of art.

Since there are so many products on the website, I pulled a few of my personal favorites to share with you.

The simplicity of this one is the perfect final touch to really tying a look together.

I saw this headband on Blair in an episode of Gossip Girl, loved it, and was thrilled to find it here! It's impossible to choose which color I like it in best–there are so many options!

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Simply charming.

I gave some of these to a friend as a Christmas present and she loves them. They're just so comfortable and easy to wear with anything.

I adore the stripes on this headwrap. It's so versatile too! I could see myself wearing this anywhere from class to the gym to the pool.

Probably my favorite headband out of all of these (though it's so hard to choose....), this one just screams summer to me. The simple stripes and candy hues bring to mind images of lemonade on the front porch and playing on the beach. 

XO

North Shore Prep

Tasha Hair Accessories

Shopping the other day for Christmas presents for all my friends led me, of course, to the accessories department at Nordstrom. I'm always looking at the headbands and hair accessories there, but have never actually went and gotten one for myself. But seeing all of the adorable things from Tasha pushed me over to the other side.

The headbands and hairpins are glitzy and glamorous–the perfect complement to an LBD for a holiday party.

Possibly the prettiest hairpins I've ever seen. 

 This sweet and simple headband is perfect for pushing your bangs back for school or studying.

 More pretty pins!

 Love the pearls on this one!

 The combination of tweed and chain here is so fun and unexpected! This headband is similar to the tweed and rhinestone one I actually got.

This headband+LBD+nude heels+diamond studs. New Year's/Holiday party outfit done. Red lipstick optional.

XO

North Shore Prep

Take a Bow

Warning: This post is very heavy on pictures!

I honestly swear by this, and have for years. Whenever I feel like an outfit is missing something, I add a bow, and everything just seems to fall into place. Bows are the perfect preppy hair accessory, and I can't help but add to my collection! Like, all the time. It's like an addiction. Like my sweater addiction. Maybe worse. Bows Anonymous, anybody?

I get all of my bows from a little store in my town called Country Classics, who get their bows from a supplier called Bows Arts.

Some of my bows hanging on my wall!


I'm always on the lookout for more of what Bows Arts has to offer.

They have so many different colors...

And patterns...

They've got headbands too!

Love the teeny little polka dots!

They have a whole nautical/patriotic line. I'm particularly fond of the navy and white stripes.

More dots!

And colors!

And stripes! I spy some pink and green :)

This headband reminds me of J.Crew's Blackwatch Plaid shirt.

Like I said before, I love putting on a bow to add a little something extra to an outfit.


I wear them to Poms parties,

on gameday with my uniform,

on local TV at the telethon (it's peeking out on the left!),

last year's Variety Show (please excuse the braces),

and I even got my whole junior high cheer squad to wear them when I was captain in 8th grade!

Lately, I've been sticking mainly to smaller bows just to pull back my bangs, but sometimes I love to pull out my bigger bows or even my Poms competition bow when I wear my hair half-up, like at the telethon.


How do you wear your bows?


XO

North Shore Prep