what i wore this wedding season 2017

Friends getting married > friends having babies. I'm all for the dancing and eating and the open bars and the reason to go shopping and get all dressed up and make personalized gifts [more on that later]. Sometimes I'm even all for the traveling it requires.

This year was a good year. THE best friend got married and so did some of his best friends and his brother. SO MUCH PRESSURE.

There has never once been a time that I felt like the best dressed guest at a wedding, but I learn each time... kinda. Still, I seem to think you care about what I wear to these events so here I am posting these terrible cell phone pics again. I'm such a professional.

WEDDING ONE, on the water in MD, in May: #darrlybeloved

I'm pretty obsessed with this dress from Forever 21 [and the Charlotte Russe shoes that I wear to every wedding every year], even though it seemed pretty out of my norm. It's the right amount of trendy and appropriate for a wedding. It may have been better for the more fall-season wedding, and maybe I shouldn't have looked like one of the bridesmaids in navy blue... but damn if my make-up wasn't on point...

For each wedding, I just did a blend of the NAKED3 palette and an awkward attempt at contouring.

WEDDING TWO: Maid of Honor in SC, in June. #partyharding

I've already posted all about this dress and all the dresses I tried on to pick it, but thanks to her photographer, I have better pics of my hair. 

Whenever I do an updo, I throw in some braids, then finish my make-up, then figure out how much time I have to create something with the rest that isn't in a braid. I had five minutes, so I did a quick topsy-tail, bobby pinned some pieces, and prayed it looked good because I never look at the back of my hair. After seeing these pics, I'm amazed by how good the rainbow looked! 

WEDDING THREE: Outside in upstate NY, in August. #hughesidos

Half the fun in getting dressed up is doing subtle matching, right?! Although, based on everyone's comments, I wasn't so subtle with the matching at this one. His $9 tie from TJ Maxx, $5 coral shirt from H&M, and my NastyGal dress were a match made in Heaven. The only issue was that my lady parts fell out when I walked until I put some safety pins near my hips to keep that wrap-over part together. Don't you hate the slutty girls at weddings??!? 

WEDDING FOUR: At Pinstripes in DC, in September. #yeswayjose

An Express dress that I thought was simple and fun enough for a wedding at a bowling alley, but with the amount of compliments I've gotten- I need to wear this more often! I finally switched up the shoes for blush wrap around heels from JustFab, and blush fringe earrings that I bought at Target 90 minutes before I went. I'm gonna need to update this post with a close-up of these things.

I normally allow myself an hour to get ready after a shower, and soon I'll need to admit to myself that's not enough time to do hair, make-up, put on the right jams, make some pre-wedding drinks, and gather my things before ordering an Uber. I did another version of a side braid then had to straighten the pony because I convinced myself that sleek was cute [and I was almost running late].


Maybe next year I'll re-wear some of these dresses for a wedding. lololol JK. A more realistic thing would be trying to find some friends who will trade with me. Isn't that a genius idea?! Swapping dresses you've worn for weddings?! WHO'S IN?!

love,
elizabethany

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how to make your fashion hair color last

It's been 9 months since I switched my hair into the scary fashion color trend. I worried about having to constantly dye it, losing my length, having it look fried, fading into something weird... there was a lot to lose, it seemed.

True. All of those things CAN happen, but you can also easily avoid them all and get whatever colors you want on your head. It's up to YOU [and your hairdresser] to keep it looking pretty and healthy.

I'm no pro, but I've listened to the tips my girl Ruby Devine gives me, and adapted older practices, and random things I've learned on the Internet, and after three months since my last dye job, my hair still looks pretty good.

Before I even get into the things I do, let's get this out of the way: No excuses. Don't say "that won't work on my hair" or something of the sort until you've given it a solid try. I'm talking weeks-months of trying.*

• Find a stylist that's good at it. This isn't something you do yourself or try out with a Groupon. The good ones [like Ruby] will use the best products AND practices.
• Don't wash your hair. Okay, wash it, but I only do it twice a week. Tuesdays and Fridays. That pic above is on day FOUR. The right dry shampoo, braids, ponytails and hats will become your best friend. [Also, see above.* These things take training. Your hair will absolutely be greasy and disgusting until it's used to it.]
• When you do wash it, COLD WATER is a must. Hell yeah it sucks. You're gonna have to bend over awkwardly or get a detachable showerhead if you wanna survive in the winter, but it's also very energizing and saving your hair! Just crank the heat as soon as the hair is washed and out of the way.
• Also, use good shampoo and conditioner for your color. I use purple because, well, my hair is purple. Your stylist's suggestions will be key here.
• Limit your heat. I rarely blow dry, unless it's to finish up the air drying real quick. I normally let it dry some, throw it into a bun, then bring it down when it's dry and beautiful. I've also ditched my straightener. I use a ceramic curling wand and throw THICK sections around it. See Guy Tang for proof on how terrible heat is. 
• Do an Olaplex treatment before every other shower. It helps keep the color AND the strength. 
• Stay out of the sun or use an SPF spray if you don't want to bleach the top/roots. Sometimes I like the blonde that happens from the sun, but depending on your color- it might not look right. I also used bandanas etc to protect it.
• For extra treatment, there are PLENTY of products, but I use Keratase on my ends, which happens to be more expensive than I thought, but I got it in Birchbox so I'm chillin' for now. It lasts a LONG time.

Those are my main points. Maybe it seems like a lot, but I think it seems pretty simple. It's a new routine you break into. [Along with not using light colored towels and expecting some crazy colored shower water.] The color you get also matters, obviously. I like the red I have at the top right now because when it fades/my roots come in, it's not very obvious.. probably even less noticeable than with blonde or any highlights.

So, embrace the magic, the fade, the excitement, etc of fashion color if you want it! If you have a job that'll allow it, there's nothing else to hold you back!

Plus, how fun is it to have hair that looks different in every picture? These were taken seconds apart, in the same place, same light, same phone. 

Can I also say I love being sent all the new hair trends and colors to try?! I also love seeing what everyone else gets done- so send them my way! And have fun!

love,
elizabethany

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here's my new rainbow "confetti hair!"

Welp, you done did it again. Voted on a hairstyle/color for me to go for.. and I did it.

You wanted the purple/pink/little bit of blue mix from the options, and I wanted a little bit of bright/blonde still incorporated because... summer. The amazing Ruby Devine worked some serious magic that even she was impressed with.

TA DA!

The before and after makes me cringe... I didn't think my hair fade looked that bad before. Oy. 

She called it "confetti hair" which totally fits not only because I got it done on my birthday, but because different colors show through depending on where my hair is falling. You can see all the colors in this one, for sure. 

And then BOOM! It's hot pink!

Keeping those blonde streaks in there is where the real magic happened. It's obviously not easy to stop the colors from bleeding onto the blank canvas. 

It was definitely a long process... but I'm glad it was because my hair is still in good shape even after bleaching it. Look at this horrid color of strawberry blonde that it was for a bit: 

I'm pretty excited about it, and everyone has been loving it so far. It's shocking, it's weird, it's scary... but it feels pretty me. Now I need to find a new wardrobe so I have things that actually go with rainbow hair.....

Also, I need to give some attention to all the surprises I got on my birthday. As I get older, I don't get any less excited for my birthday, but I certainly expect less from others. People seem to care less about birthdays in general, and it's hard to get them to commit to parties or anything. When i had all of these things happen, I was genuinely shocked and so, so happy. I don't even know if happy is a word to describe it. 

I had a neighbor decorate my apartment and bring cupcakes to the studio, coworkers who covered my office in balloons and wrote all over my car, other neighbors who got me a cake and drank with me the night before, parents who sent me "fun flowers," and Toby Knapp who got me the necessary vodka. Even Kane called me live from the morning show. Blown away. 

And of course all the love online and on my phone and everything- I'm still catching up on responding to everyone. It's such a great excuse to catch up with some people and tell them I love/miss them. Thank you to everyone who made this birthday great- even though it's not over until the party on Saturday!

love,

elizabethany

PS Ruby is a total hairstylist celeb and Periscopes during transformations and puts up all of her magical pieces of art online, so you should at least follow her if you're not going to book an appointment! ;)

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poll: which colorful hairstyle should i go with next?

It's about that time again... time for a change. Not only do I want to switch up my hair, but I'm probably switching salons. 

I've been wanting to add more color/funk/blonde for a bit now, but didn't know what I wanted to do. Scratch that, I still don't know what I want to do.... but after finding the absolutely marvelous Ruby Devine, I've got some inspiration [and excitement to hopefully get her hands on my head]!

Obviously I need your help. I've gathered some of my favorites, now we just need to team up to narrow it down. I'm hoping to keep a red base of some sort and add a little bit of blonde/light to it all, but I'm open to your opinions too. If you really love one of these but think different colors would be best, you just let a girl know.

By now, I assume you know what I look like... so check out these styles, most of which Ruby has done herself, then weigh in on your faves!

I'm sure a lot of people are like "aren't most of these the same?" Well, no... but very similar. BUT STILL DIFFERENT, OKAY?!



Maybe we also discuss color...



You know how much I appreciate you helping me make such really hard decisions, right? You're always here for me. I owe ya.

love,
elizabethany

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how to: get a thick bohemian braid

Are you as obsessed with the thick, bohemian braids as I am?! If my hair isn't down [and even half of the time when it is], there's always a braid involved. I was always jealous of the girls with the thick hair because they had the most beautiful braids. THEN... I discovered the trick!

It's called "pancaking" and it made all my dreams come true. 

It's the easiest, simplest, most obvious thing ever! All you do is pull the outer part of the braid out a little bit before securing it with a rubber band or bobby pin! 

My new favorite hair girl Abby from "Twist Me Pretty" taught me the trick in this fab video.

So BAM! How awesome did your life become?! Mine was made, so I'm hoping you feel the same accomplishment.

love,
elizabethany

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wearing: purple and lace

Do you have any weird fashion rules you've given yourself? For some reason, I can't convince myself that wearing my hair up with a lower-cut shirt is perfectly fine. I don't know why I think it's not a good look, but most of the time, I fine a higher collar when planning to throw my hair up.

So this time, I knew I wanted to do my side-braided-teased-pony, and needed to find a top. This lace tee with pleather lining was perfect.

As I'm typing this, I realize that EVERYTHING I'm wearing is from Forever21, including the earrings and shoes.

How fab are these?! And they're probably the best fitting/most comfortable flats I own. I need to see if they have more of the same, but different. They were only $8!

Playing with purple on my eyes is my favorite. Both of the purples are from Urban Decay, called Fishnet and Ransom from the Deluxe palette.

French braid the sides, tease the top, double band it for some extra kick in the back, and I feel like a rockstar.

This was actually for a day when we had Haim in the studio. We didn't get to record anything, but they were hilarious. Turns out, one of them accidentally slapped Chingy in the face one night when trying to excitedly high-five her friend at a club. Oh, the LA life. 

Someone took the picture on 2 instead of 3. Woops. 

Welp. See ya.

love,
elizabethany

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look! i finally got my hair done!

It FINALLY happened! After 4.5 months of being terrified of trying a new salon, I finally found one, made an appointment, and did exactly what y'all told me to do! 

This was the winning hairstyle, with the colorful highlights: 

Not gonna lie... I wasn't happy about that cut being the winner. I felt like it was pretty similar to what I've done so many times, but I said I'd do what won. The only thing I really changed was instead of the main/base color of the hair being brown, I went red. I like red. Red is fun.

BOOM! Whaddaya think?!

I went to this amazing salon in DC [they also have a location in Alexandria] called Glynn Jones Salon. Truth is: They were pumped to work with me, and want to reward you for helping me out! But we'll get to those details later. 

I showed the winning pics to my stylist, Ryan, and told him to do it in a way that was also flattering to my face. We didn't cut the bangs too short for that reason, and we had to cut off some dead ends, but other than that I think it's dead on! 

Also, I'm beyond grateful because when I showed him the colors, he was super honest- telling me that if I wanted the purple and orange to be as bright, my hair would have to be fried. I don't want fried hair.. so we're going to gradually brighten them up. The orange and purple highlights are still pretty noticeable but are more cohesive. 

It looks so different in every picture I take. I have a love/hate relationship with that. 

I can't stop taking selfies. I'm beyond obsessed. I just hope I can re-create the same bangs-styling that he did once I get a round brush and some velcro curlers!

Even three days later and a little re-waving, I loved it. The colors shine bright in the sun.

Ya know how when you get a completely new haircut, you wanna know how people feel about it [but also secretly want them to just be nice so you don't cry about it]? I don't even care what people think right now. The fun colors feel so me. I feel less like a "typical white girl" and more like someone who should be standing out. It's not meant to look natural. I'm over looking natural. I wanted different, and I can't thank y'all enough for helping me make this decision!

If you're in need of a new look or even just a freshen-up, Glynn Jones is gonna hook up all my friends with a fantastic deal, and a contest to win free hair styling for a year! It'll be going on the entire month of May, and I'll give you all the details later this week. Trust me... I'm not just recommending them because they helped me out. I was so impressed with this salon and Ryan. I'm going to be forever thankful!

love,

elizabethany

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wearing: winter in the spring

As much as I love getting some wear out of my winter-clearance items, I'm over it. I'm ready for bright colors, flats/sandals, and not worrying about carrying a coat around.

...but here we are... A week into Spring and I'm wearing a scarf and coat and still freezing. I decided to at least lighten it up a bit yesterday.

I'm so excited I finally found a chambray shirt that fits pretty good! It's darker than most, but I feel like it'll be a good contrast with hot pinks and yellows that I wear all the time in the Spring. 

-shirt from Old Navy

-jeans from F21

-flats from Charlotte Russe

-scarf from the streets of NYC

I've been going to work with wet hair lately [and just trying to hide my roots and nappy hair that I decided to show off here, I guess] so the easiest thing is an "LC-braid" that goes all the way down. Then I just double rolled the braided pony underneath and bobby pinned it up.

My fabulous blue liner is from Chella via Ipsy. I love the color, but it definitely doesn't go on easily/well.

How do we feel about the half-tucked shirts? Not going to lie... It took me several attempts to make the "untucked" look, look alright. People on Pinterest make it look so good and easy.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to waste the only hour of "extra time" I have by playing 2048 or trying to decide what to buy from this website.

love,
elizabethany

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poll: help me decide how to cut my hair!

Something is seriously wrong with me. I have become the most indecisive person ever. It's been over three months since I got my hair done and I still haven't made an appointment because I can't figure out where to go or what to do.

I want a change... and I might even be up for a bold one... so I put together 19 different looks on Instyle's makeover website app. I tried to make them as realistic as possible by making them a lot flatter and thinner, because that's how my hair works, and not trying to take the most photogenic picture ever.

So.... there's a lot of different things going on there.. and none of them can even illustrate my favorite hair coloring I've ever seen on Pinterest: 

Is that not super fun?! Gah.

Anyway... I don't wanna say my favorite cut or anything [even though I think I made it obvious how much I love that last coloring job], but PLEEEASE help me out and pick three of your favorites! And/or tweet me if you wanna combine two of them. 

I'm hoping you pick something that I can agree with at least a little bit. I'm pretty prepared to do whatever wins [or a combo of the top picks], unless it seems sabotaged! ;) *deep breaths*

love,
elizabethany


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