Friday Link Love 11/11/11

Make a wish!

• Did you spend hours on Is Ryan Gosling Cuter Than a Puppy last week? Well, here's a little bonus. Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds, both with puppies!
• I hate when my favorite pair of skinny jeans are dirty but I want to wear boots. Luckily, now I know how to tuck my non-skinny jeans into boots.
• Everyone needs to take 15 minutes to yourself and explore these Google Tricks. Those Google people are just plain awesome.
• Oh my goodness, this DIY Nordstrom bracelet is absolutely amazing.  
• Heavy winter boots aren't really necessary for my neck of the woods, but if they are for yours, take a look at these. 
• Finally! Something other than a quilt to do with my old t-shirts. 
• I pulled out my coat for the first time and I'm wishing I had done one of these 3 ways to dress up a winter coat. 
• I pretty much love The Beauty Department and anything they do. So here's a sugar scrub for you to love as well. 
• Also from TBD, how to get ready in a flash.
• I'm a hair twirler, and this article on the consequences of pulling on your strands was enlightening.  
• Poor Lindsay Lohan, what happened to her Mean Girl days? 
• Quick waves from braids, using a flat iron. An interesting technique I'm dying to try out! 

Tell me what you saw online this week in the comments below!

Are You Using Too Much Product?

I've recently admitted to being a makeup hoarder. First step to recovery. But there are also those of you out there who happen to be hair product hoarders, or if you like junkies. And this, my friends is a whole new class of junkies.

Because sometimes, myself included, hair product junkies can get a bit carried away with using too much product. And too many products are not only a drain on your wallet, but also on your hair. You can always tell if your using too much when your newly clean hair is greasy or weighed down.

Hopefully your bathroom drawer doesn't look like this.

Here's a true story...that might have happened more than once. I've just washed my hair and I grab my favorite product that helps with straightening and smoothing. Because I have 4x the amount of hair of a normal person, I put in 4x the amount of product a normal person would use. Well, needless to say, my hair looked like it did before I had washed it. A nasty, greasy mess.

Don't do what I did.

So here's Cassidy's tips on using the right amount of product. 

• Start small. It's way easier to add more. Because let's face it, starting over sucks and so does wearing greasy hair.
• Start working your products through your hair at the ends. Also, try to keep those gel or cream products away from your roots. That will help keep away the greasies. 
• It's different for everyone, but typically two products should be enough. Try using only a "pre-product" and a "post-product", like a cream straightener and then a hairspray.
• If you end up with the greasies, don't worry. Remember that Second Day Hair post from last week? Try one of those options until you can get home to wash your hair again.

How many products do you use? Does it weigh your hair down or is it the perfect combination? 

photo credit

So You Want Red Hair?

Photo Credit.

Yes! Yes! Yes!


I've been on the verge of dying my hair red for years now. Years! But I just couldn't work up the courage to do it. I was constantly making excuses.

I'm not pale enough.
Well, it's summer. Maybe in the Fall.
I'll do it when my bangs grow out.


Well last week I stopped making excuses, bucked up and did it. And let me tell you, I couldn't be happier about it.

Red has been popping up a lot lately in recent hair trends, and I've noticed it looks good on almost anyone. Your stylist should be able to tell you what color is going to go with your skin tone.

So maybe you're thinking about making the red hair journey. As a veteran, I've picked up a few things that are important for you to know.

1. Schedule a consultation. It took over 4 hours to take my color from a dark brown to a coppery-red. If you try to just call and schedule it without talking to your stylist beforehand, it could cause the stylist to run behind or for you not to get exactly what you want due to time constraints. 
2. At your consultation, talk with your stylist about the different shades of red that you could achieve. Bring a photo, a paint swatch, anything that has that perfect red color you're dying for. 
3. Don't be disappointed if your color doesn't come out the exact color the first time. Sometimes, color transformations are a long process and it could take several times to get there. 
4. Talk with the resident makeup artist to see if you need to change your makeup color pallet. 
5. Bring a book, magazine, DVD player, iPod, iPad, iPhone, iAnything. Like I said, it took me 4 hours. 

But my biggest tip is to just have fun. Stop making excuses. If you were thinking about tattooing Edward Cullen's face on your arm, I might suggest you think about it, but your hair color isn't permanent. And one day you might not have any hair to color, so do it while you can. 

Have you had a recent hair transformation? Red or otherwise? Tell me about your experience in the comments below. 

Friday Link Love 11/4/2011

Anyone else wake up this morning with a 60º house this morning?

• Anything that says it will help with blackheads I'm all for. If you're the same, try out this baking soda and orange juice mask. 
• All of the men are all about no-shave November. But what about no-makeup November? 
• Haircuts that make a career. You can bet your bottom dollar that "The Rachel" is on there. 
• With the holidays coming up it's time to search for the perfect party dress. Refinery 29 helps you out. One for every occasion. My favorite: The Hometown Reunion: Make Your Ex Eat His Heart Out.
• How to halfup braids curtesy of The Small Things Blog.
• All of these different cat eyes are amazing. Must. Try. Every. One. 
• Halloween may be over, but I'm still having nightmares about these shoes. 
• And here I thought Christian Louboutin could do no wrong. 
• This DIY wrap bracelet is amazingly cute and easy to do! 
• Make sure you think twice about that tattoo, unlike these people. Oprah? Really?
• It's Renaissance Festival time in our town, so in case your feeling festive... 
• 8 hair rules to break right now. Although, may I say consult with your haircare professional first. 
• Aren't DIY things just amazing? And look how simple!
• And probably the best idea for a blog ever. Is Ryan Gosling Cuter Than a Puppy? 
• Apparently after the Kim K. divorce, New Yorkers held a candlelight vigil outside her Manhattan boutique Dash. And the photos are hi-larious! 
• In case you need some inspiration for your plaid button-down. Take a hint from these fashion bloggers. 

Show me what y'all saw online in the comments below!

November Spotlight Stylist

This month's spotlight stylist is a part of a very special group here at On Stage Hair Design: The Design Team. The Design Team is made up of some of our most talented stylists, and Nellie Kimbrough is no exception.

Nellie has only been in the hair industry for four years, and already she is making a name for herself. Plus, she is juggling planning her wedding. Which, as anyone knows who has planned a wedding, is a great accomplishment in itself.

So, everyone, meet Nellie.

How long have you been with the company? 

I've been with On Stage 2 years and been in the industry 4 years

What are your specialties?

Cutting and coloring is what i do best!

What do you have the most fun doing?

Spending time with my family and traveling.

Have you taken any special classes?

I went to  Paul Mitchell's signature gathering 2011 where i attended several cutting, coloring and styling classes.

How would you describe your personal style and hairstyle?

My personal style is a little funky/edgy and my hairstyle is constantly changing but is always some sort of extreme color..i don't do normal well.

What made you want to be a hairstylist?

I love to make people feel good about themselves and doing hair gives me a creative outlet.

In your opinion what is the worst hair style of all time? And the best?

The worst has to be reverse mullet aka the Kate Gosslin. The best I think the bob, when done right it looks good on just about everyone.

Do you have a message that you would like to tell all of your clients?

I love and appreciate all my clients. They make each day special!

Do you want to make an appointment with Nellie? Call (409) 899-2109. 

Second Day Hair

Or...if you like, third day hair. Because, you know you want to go that extra day.

In my experience, I've probably met more people who wash their hair everyday than people who skip a day. And their reasoning: well it gets too greasy to not, might as well since I'm in the shower, or just ew. 


And yeah, some of you out there really, actually need to wash your hair everyday. But most of you don't. You see, your hair is a dead by-product from your body (just like your finger nails), and it needs to be lubricated. So when you wash your hair too much, well lets just say...

You don't want that, and neither does your hair. You need those natural oils. 

Second day hair is the best hair in my opinion. Pretty much any style will stay since the oils act as a natural hold. But if your self-conscious about not washing your hair everyday try out a few of these things to help.

• Find a dry shampoo and become best friends with it. Just be careful if you have darker hair on how much you spray on, because a lot of dry shampoos leave a white or gray color on the hair. Try TRESemmé's dry shampoo. They make it for curly or straight hair. 

TRESemmé FreshStart Dry Shampoo

• If you're allowed to wear hats to work, wear a hat! Old fashioned or vintage-looking hats have recently come back into style, and a lot of them are fabulous. Take advantage of it!

Target Xhilaration Felt Fedora, $14.99

• If you can't wear a hat, you could probably still wear a hair scarf! Those work just as well. 

Photo from here

What are your second, third, or fourth day hair secrets? Tell me in the comments below.

How To Tuesday: Larger Looking Lips

And yes, that's without any Restylane.

Do you ever watch those videos on YouTube of that girl who completely transforms her face using makeup? Pretty amazing. So that's why I'm going to show you how to do today. Well...not the whole face. But you can trick your lips into looking bigger.

Cool right?

So. Here. We. Go.

Here is the before.

     1. Liner 

Use a natural color lip liner. We're using Jane Iredale's Spice. 

Outline the lips just outside of the actual lip line. This is what creates the "fullness".

     2. Lipstick 

Whatever color you want here. We're using Jane Iredale's Sydney.

     3. Eye Shadow

Eye shadow? Yup. Find yourself a slightly shimmery-highlighting-eye shadow and apply it to the fullest part of your lips. This creates a fuller effect. 

Tip: Open your mouth slightly to see where the light reflects off of your lips. Also, don't put the shadow on the inner part of the lip, only the outer. 

We're using Jane Iredale's Peach Sherbet.

Here is the finished look. 

See the difference?

What are your makeup tricks? Tell us in the products below!