All Rise: Time to Judge my Beauty Trial

Hello, Hive! A fever pitch is on the horizon with W-Day less than a handful of weeks away. I've completely focused all effort and energy to crossing off to-dos and making the last decisions to impact the look and feel of our wedding. No more time to change my mind, it feels good to find some final answers!

Case in point, my beauty trials. From my initial hair inspiration, Anne Hathaway's glamorous locks clearly won out.

Image via Real Beauty

And as it has been throughout the planning process, my style turned out nothing like the original vision. This time it was totally my own fault - I fell in love with a rhinestone hair ribbon necklace from Untamed Petals at The Collection Event Studio booth during the Fizz & Frills event in San Francisco. I wore it for the entire two-hour drive home, it makes me feel so pretty!

Last week I met with my fabulous hair stylist Cathy at Euphoria Salon in Monterey. She's my go-to girl since my first Japanese straightening three years ago. Cathy took one look at the hair ribbon and suggested a style she's been dying to try since seeing it on YouTube.

Video via YouTube / Posted by Lilith Moon

And so we tried it! Keep in mind that it was her first attempt and she promised to practice between now and the wedding to get the twist down just right. Before I reveal the look, let me also share a quick word about makeup. I was lucky enough to have both my trials on the same day!

Belinda, owner of Heaven Scent Salon in Hollister, referred to my inspiration photos and got to work. I wanted to look natural and fresh with a 'bridal' glow. Here's the main picture on which she chose to base my look.

Image via Health Beauty Spot

Belinda shared these snaps from her phone after my first round of hair and her awesome makeup job! You can get a good look at the hair ribbon in these photos. And I'll apologize for not remembering to take a picture of my 'before' look. 

Cathy and I both agreed the hair looked a little flat and she re-did the 'do after Belinda finished her makeup magic. The next photos reflect some self-portrait action courtesy of my iPhone. Be prepared for lots of Teacup mug shots.

{ Are the falsies to spidery? }

{ Lashes looking good from this angle, I want more twist to show in my hair though }

{ Bump it, baby! The twist looks a little better on this side }

{ A look at the back, not an easy shot to get of yourself - ha! }

And hold on, we're not quite done yet. I took advantage of my trial to set up a test run with my awesome photographer John Kammerling. You've seen a preview of his work in our e-pics. He's slammed with the height of wedding season and yet sweetly offered a quick shoot after I explained wanting to preview my overall look in front of his lens.

Ladies, even if you don't go all out for bridal portraits, I highly recommend taking some test photos. I donned all my wedding gear and the resulting pictures were reassuring. It also helped me decide to slightly up the earring bling factor.

For now, I'm only providing head shots. I promise I will reveal my dress to you on W-Day after Mr. Hot Tea has gotten his first look! 

Photo courtesy Kaemmerling Photography 

Photo courtesy Kaemmerling Photography

Notice anything curious? Yeah, the hair didn't hold up on one side and after several attempts to recreate it, I had to scrap it for the test photos. On the other hand, the makeup lasted all day and night until I removed it with cleanser. Happy dance!

So now I'm ready for your feedback. Feel free to be honest - especially regarding those eyelashes. And know that there is zero tolerance for falling hair, it MUST hold all day!

Image via LOLcats / Photo: PancakeMomm / Caption: FurryCorona

A Devil's Haircut in My Mind

My ramblings about wedding planning as a process of self-discovery sidetracked my initial intent to entertain you with outrageous hair styling. Some may argue 'high fashion' or 'couture' and I'll let you be the judge.

For example, I thought about adding a flower as an accessory to my wedding hairstyle. Something romantic like a real gardenia would be easy enough to get from my florist and tuck behind my ear. Then again...maybe I want my stylist to work harder and create flowers out of my hair, like this?

Image via The Hindu

I'm not sure what to make of this next style, so I consulted the resident creative genius, Mr. Hot Tea. I'm afraid to report that his imagination failed us here. Do you see a pig snout? Neither did I. He quickly recovered to say that it looked like a modern-day take on Princess Leia's locks, but I'm not letting the original suggestion go that easily.

Image via Style List

Now you might be thinking that it would be impossible to combine the first two styles into one. I'll ask you to think again, my friends. It HAS been done, on Natalie Portman, no less.

Image via Open Walls

And our last stop on the tour of outrageous hair needs no explanation. Here's one for Mrs. Lioness! My only question is - how did they do THAT?!

Image via Toxel / Designed by Nagi Noda

Needless to say, I'll stick with the tamer selections I shared yesterday. Especially after a second look, none of those fancy 'dos seem veil-friendly. So which will it be -- Beyonce, Anne, or Sandra? And the winner is...

Image via Real Beauty

Here's another example I found that's similarly inspired.

Image via Hairstyles for Weddings

So how did we do? Did your choice align with mine or did you prefer another style?

p.s. In case you're wondering, the title is a song blast from the mid-90s past by Beck. He explained the song as being "A really simplistic metaphor for the evil of vanity." Fitting, no?

By Hook or By Crook, a hair-y tale

It's time to create my wedding day look! No intentions to accomplish this 'by any means necessary,' though I always enjoy a good rhyme...

I've chosen the dress, which shall remain unposted here until W-Day. Mr. Hot Tea reads my blog and prefers to be surprised, so we'll honor his choice for another three months. And like my three pairs of shoes you'll soon see, I said yes to the dress...twice. Sensing a theme here? [Ed. note: I probably should have considered 'indecisive bride' as my screen name - LOL!]

Image via Amazon

The challenge is that time is quickly ticking down and it's imperative to make decisions that I can stick with. Instead of over-thinking each task and forcing a choice in my quest for these...

Image via Our Crooked Tree

...it's more important to take a deep breath and really feel that the choice is a reflection of me. I rarely approach everyday decisions with my heart, which may be why I find wedding planning so maddening. I'm learning that it can serve as a means to self-growth if I choose to accept the challenge.  om.

Image via Detavio Samuels

Whoa. Now I'm on a journey not only to find my inner voice, but to listen to it, too?! I didn't know I signed up for this when I said yes to the proposal and the ring...who knew decisions like flowers and shoes and makeup could be so deeply affecting?

With this in mind, let's get to it, shall we? First stop is hair. Here's my everyday look for reference: long bangs and an annual Japanese straightening job because I'm lazy like that.

For the wedding, I'm thinking to wear it down but with some curl and volume. I affectionately call this my "party hair" like in my profile pic and I've narrowed 75 photo inspirations down to three distinct styles. 

We'll start with the loose, wavy locks of Beyonce. Very sexy, I'm wondering how much hairspray will be necessary to keep the curl fresh all day. Sounds like mission impossible.

Image via Long Hairstyle Trends

Next up, the Hollywood glam of Anne Hathaway. This look has potential: it's polished and more finished than my everyday hair. And it may stand the test of time. Bookmarked!

Image via Real Beauty

And finally, who didn't love the sleek look of Sandra Bullock at the 2010 Academy Awards. Absolutely gorgeous in its sophisticated simplicity.

Image via Spa Esthetic

So now, dear Hive, I turn the choice over to you. I think I've already decided and would love to hear which celeb you think has the most wedding-worthy hairstyle for my big day!