Short 'n Sassy

When I was a kid I let my hair grow long but I always pulled it up into a ponytail; afterall, I was a tomboy. Pictured Left: Me in kindergarten. Right: 4th grade soccer picture.

By the time I got to 6th grade I was sick of people only complementing me when my hair was up. I never really did anything with my hair when it was down, so I decided (with youthful wisdom) to cut my hair short - very short. I don't have a scanned photo, but I pretty much looked like a 12 year boy from 6th grade until I graduated from high school!
I kept my hair like this all through middle school, high school, and most of college. Every once-in-awhile I would grow my hair out, but I always ended up going short again.

The picture above is of me (February 2006) just a few months before meeting my husband.
When I met my husband in 2006 my hair was short, but as soon as a wedding was in our future I decided to grow my hair out again. I always pictured myself getting married with long curly hair. So, I grew my hair out longer than it has ever been. The funny thing is I ended up wearing it up for the wedding anyway!

Pictured Left: Me with my curls at the rehearsal
Pictured Right: My wedding day up-do

So, now we have have been married for just over 5 months (and I haven't had my hair cut since before the wedding); the other night my husband tells me that he likes my hair better short. Wow! I've been told all my life that men prefer long hair. My mom, my friends, and even my mother-in-law have all told me that men like long hair. So, I asked around and it seems to me that a man wants his wife to keep her hair the way it was when he first met her; they want it the way it was when they fell in love! So, short, long, straight, wavy, red, brown, whatever - your man does have a preference that is specific to you!
Before the chop (1/24/09):

After the chop (1/24/09):

So, I did it - "the post wedding chop". My husband loves it and I love it! It is short, fun, sassy, and a little funky. I can wear it simple and sleek for work, or wild and sassy for a night out. Now I just have to decide if I want to color it or add highlights!

~Calioc

Making that hair Bling!

I was at the mall the other day and I saw these beautiful hair pins with crystals and beads. I thought they would look lovely with my curls and my dress. So, I asked the sales girl how much they were... I gasped... $35.00 each plus tax. I would need at least 6 of them... they were sooooo small...There was no way I could spend over $200 just for some hair bling. So, I decided that I could make my own hair bling!


First, I must give you some back ground information. One of my hobbies is making jewelry. I've been making it since about 1996 and I am pretty good, but it is an expensive hobby, it is hard on my eyes and finger-tips, and I never found a way to make any real money at it; so, it remains a hobby. I made my best friends wedding jewelry a few years ago, and I've made lots of bridal party jewelry. However, due to time restrictions I did not make my own bm's jewelry; instead, I found someone who makes a similar style to myself and I hired out! Okay, so I got a little off topic.

The point is that I have tons of swarovoski crystals and gold wire just sitting around my house. So here is what I managed to come up with:





9 crystal hair pins! I have no idea how much they cost me; the pins were left over from my hair trial, the crystals and gold wire I bought years ago and was just sitting around not being used. So, in a way they were free. I made 3 of the 9 pins with Pacific Opal crystals, which is the color I had my bridesmaids jewelry made of. This is a fun project that I did while watching TV, it was very relaxing and a bit theraputic as well!

All curls...

I had my final hair and make-up trial on Monday night and I must say that I am very happy! The hair looks great in the photos, but we didn't get a chance to photograph the make-up in natural light because we didn't finish until it was dark outside. Trust me that it looks beautiful! She did my hair half up first and then all up; I think I like it all up better, but I like the idea of being able to take it down for the plane flight to Jamaica. I had my hair cut on Saturday and she cut the bangs too short, so the front isn't exactly the way I wanted --but it will be for the wedding. Also, she will add a little more height on top --in the photo it looks flatter than it really is because she took the photo looking down at me. Okay, that is enough rambling, here are the pics! I went to Y Beauty Studio in West Hills (the Valley); Diona Rhynard was my make-up artist and hairstylist.





Up vs. Down



Bottom right picture, me sans make-up -- don't look too close!

Spring Break...

Well, I've been a busy bee over the past week, and this week is going to be even crazier because I'm on spring break. So, last weekend my moh and I went to LA to:

1. Look at wedding cakes in China town
2. Check out hotels in Westwood
3. Find a decent nail salon in Westwood
4. Find a place that does hair and make-up (for a reasonable price) in Westwood

I would consider this trip one of the most successful we've been on. We managed to not only look at wedding cakes, but after only an hour pick one I liked and order it! I love China town -- we ended up getting it at Wonder Bakery. I'd post a picture, but the only pic I have was taken with my moh's cell phone and the cake was behind glass with bad lighting. It is a sweet and simple cake -- only two layers, one 10" and one 8" round. The cake is called "bridal white" and it has fresh strawberries w/bavarian creme filling. It will be frosted with whipped cream and decorated with buttercream daisies that look like they are "growing" from the bottom layer and lady bugs on the leaves. Yummy! Best of all it feeds between 75 - 85 people for only $185.00! Ok, so yes I know we are having more than 85 people at our wedding, but we are also doing a Vienesse sweet table, so I don't see the point in having enough cake for everyone. We also ordered a birthday cake for my grandma - she is turning 90 the day of our rehearsal dinner, so we are throwing a suprise party at the rehearsal!

We also made a hotel reservation! After looking at a few near the UCLA campus, we finally decided to get the "mega suite" at the W. It was cheaper for all the bm's and me to chip in and pay for one suite than have us each get our own room . The suite has 2 bedrooms, 2 couches (one pullout bed), two bathrooms with a total of 3 sinks, 2 showers, and a separate bathtub. It is 1,200 sq ft -- that is almost double the size of my condo!

Nail Salon -- there were so many and they all charge between $25 - $35 for mani/pedi -- so we are going down again this Thursday to check them out.

Hair and Make-up -- Me and two of my bm's have appointments to do hair and make-up this Thursday at a place called Ali's. The owner was very funny and said he would work with our budget. I'll keep you updated.

Okay, so now this week I have a ton of appointments for make-up and hair, I'm getting my hair colored again (it has been a long time), I'm going to the LA flower district, and I have an appointment for eyelash extensions (for our engagement photo on April 6th). What fun!

Hair and Make-up...

Okay, so now I am beginning my hair and make-up research. I actually did a preview with a make-up artist a few weeks ago, and I was VERY disappointed. I wonder, why pay someone to do something that I do every day? But, then people remind me that I should have a "stress free" wedding day, and having someone else do my hair and make-up will allow me to not have to worry. So, I have two more previews scheduled. I just hope they go better. The quotes I've gotten vary from $400 for the Bride and $100 for the Bridesmaids to $135 for the bride and $65 for the bridesmaids. The wierd thing is that the expensive quote came from someone who is supposedly straight out of school and building her portfolio. I've already decided to get eyelash extensions instead of wearing temporary false lashes. I'm going to Puff Beauty Salon in Pasadena to get my eyelashes done, and I've decided to get them done in April for the engagement photos as a "trial run". Ok, I've got some internet research to do. Bye!