Hair Care, Menswear, & A Paper Doll

Sorry for the extreme lack of posts lately. I am still trying to recover from being out of town and several family events. I think I will finally get a chance to breathe this week. Hooray for getting back into routines!

I just realized which FBFF post I missed 2 weeks ago! It was all about hair care!! And you know what, I want to post it anyway, so here goes...hey, it's only 10 days late!!!!

April 2007. My favorite haircut EVER.

1. How often do you get your hair cut?

I get my hair cut probably once ever 4 to 6 months. I'm trying to force myself to get a hair cut more often because I know my hair wants to feel and look healthy, so I'm trying to make that every 3-4 months. My problem is that I used to always want something drastic done in order to get a bang (haha) for my buck. But now I realize that if I like my current hairstyle, then why not just get a trim and a few more layers instead.

The best (hair) day of my life.

2. Do you go to the same stylist each time, try someone new, go to the
cheap hair cutting chains or live it up in a salon?

I used to go to Master Cuts a lot when I was in college. And I liked the services there; my hair cuts and color always looked good. I have tried them a couple times since I moved back to Houston and I haven't been too happy. I last went on the day of our engagement photos (Feb 2010) and told the guy I wanted sweeping bangs. He then proceeding to chop them at a very sharp angle and then blow my hair out to give me big Texas hair, ugh! I went home, straightened my hair, and pinned my bangs to the side. That's a good lesson for why you shouldn't get your hair cut on picture day!

I've decided that with so few hair cuts I get a year, that it's definitely worth it for me to spend a little more and end up looking great every time. I now go to an Aveda salon (Josephine's Day Spa and Salon for those in Houston) where the service is impeccable and you aren't allowed to tip. This makes it a lot easier when you are getting both your nails and hair did...it's always confusing to know which of the 5 people that helped you should get a tip and how much they should get. I try to go to the same girl but I've been to 3 different ladies there and have had a wonderful experience each time. I also love that they have Aveda products there and I always buy some during my visit.

3. Do you color your hair? How often? What’s your natural color?

I used to get highlights all the time. But I haven't done that in about 4 years now. I was tired of getting them redone or redying my hair to my natural color and my husband liked my hair better in its natural state of color anyway, so I just stopped getting them and saved myself some money. I've never dyed my entire head one color (except when going back to a natural look) and I'm thinking of trying a lighter brown shade for a different look. (Plus I am getting a few gray hairs at the crown.) My natural hair color is what you see now...dark dark dark brown.

August 2006. Short wavy hair with highlights

December 2006. Shoulder length hair with highlights.

December 2006. Hair dyed back to dark brown after lots of highlights.

4. The one thing you always do to keep your hair looking great is:

Not washing it. That sounds gross when you put it in writing, but my hair dries out if I wash it every day. When I had shorter hair, I washed it more often but I guess I just don't touch it as much when it's longer so it doesn't get greasy.

I also let it air dry most of the time so that I'm not over stressing it with a hair dryer and straightener too many days of the week.

I also use hair products sparingly. I don't use hair spray but my favorite products are Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother to prevent frizz and Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam for a little body.

2005. Shortest haircut as an adult...donated that chunk to Locks of Love.

5. What hair trend do you love and wish you could rock?

I used to want to sport a really short layered do, and rock it for a few months. And when I was younger, of course I wanted to be blonde...every brunette thinks they want that at some point. But now I'm pretty happy with my hair. I like that I don't have a new, cutting edge, trendy hair style. I'd rather have hair that I can look back at in 20 years and not know for sure which decade I was living in because it looks timeless and flattering to my face. That's more important to me now.

Now that we've covered hair, let's get into a little fashion again. I haven't posted an outfit in a while, but here's one I wore last week.

My pants were a little baggy so I paired them with a fitted blazer, which I think creates a more feminine look for the menswear.

I'm really liking the menswear trend lately. And blazers are definitely one of my favorite accessories to jazz up an outfit a little.
I go through phases...one week, I'm all about cardigans, the next week it's blazers. Either way, I have to make sure I stay warm in my cold office.

No close up pics as I wasn't wearing any makeup yet!

I bet you're wondering where the Paper Doll part of this post is coming in and it's right here.

Have you met Elisa? (read as though Barney is saying that on How I Met Your Mother)

Well Elisa is letting the blogosphere choose her outfits for her. In other words, a real live paper doll for you to dress up, YAY!

See the outfit I chose for her here.

So what have YOU been doing the last couple weeks that I might've missed? Point me in your direction so I can catch up on all your doings.