What is brassiness in hair?

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

Okay so in the hair coloring world, this term is thrown around a lot, and it is often seen as a villain in hair color. Yes, we want rich brunettes, cool blondes, and vibrant reds, but brassiness? No, we avoid the color like the plague. But what is brassiness? How do we identify it? How do we get rid of it? These are all questions that used to boggle my mind until I went to hair school and got a deeper education in hair color. Brassiness is not really a color in my opinion.

To me, brassiness is actually the tones that are left behind when hair is absent of it’s cool pigments. It is the leftover color of hair that lightener doesn’t lift. For darker hair, that leftover is red/orange (unless more than 4 levels of lift is achieved), and for lighter hair the leftover pigment is orange/yellow. That leftover color (true “brassiness”) looks bad because it’s not an actual hair color, but a hair color under construction. The right color must be placed on top of it.

Brassiness often appears in hair that not lifted enough to support a lighter color, and too much warmth shows through the color. Another scenario is when toner (a hair color tint) used to correct yellowish blonde hair doesn’t take or washes out. And as a general rule even permanent hair dyes eventually wash out exposing brassy color in the hair

In the end, I don’t think brassiness is the enemy of hair color, but it’s the con of chemically lightning and coloring hair. Artificial colors will eventually fade and change due to the daily environment (sun, wind, shampoo, chlorine)…and fighting this change in hair color has become unfortunately routine  It’s with re-coloring faded color as a solution. It’s what hair colorists are here for and why as a business, there will always be repeat customers…I think it’s fine price to pay for our preferred hair color, as long as we give our hair a rest between color treatments.

I lightened myself to a level eight to try and support a pinky color… But even at a light level the leftover warmth shows through a bit making the color more of a peach. But I still like it! (not brassy because it’s wanted)

Beauty and the Beach: what I wore on holidays…

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment

So, for the longest time, I heard that one’s not supposed to wear make-up on the beach, because it slides, it cakes, it runs, and it’s the opposite of the beach image ideal; which is to have a no make-up, but have a fresh tanned face…but I disagree. On my first trip ever to the Caribbean this holiday season, I did wear a full face make-up and am soooo glad I did. Nobody wants to have a puffy face, blemishes, and undefined eyes. In photos, these are expensive memories, and I wanted to look my best. Here are my top tips for wearing make-up for the beach, including water proof make-ups that can be worn during dips in the sea/pool!

Tips on makeup for the beach:

  1. Foundation? yes please! Don’t be afraid of wearing heavy foundations…the reason being that it can be mixed with sunscreen for more translucent coverage and it won’t look too “done up”. I used my Revlon Youth FX foundation mixed with cream concealer (for extra coverage) since I was cutting it with a sunscreen too. After mixing the three products in my hand I rubbed it generously, but evenly on my face, being sure to smooth streaks. Then a good dusting of face powder to set the base. It looked natural and was protecting me from the sun! I didn’t reapply sunscreen to my face during the day, so I banked all my protection on a thicker, more water resistant application in the morning.
  2. Eye shadow…waterproof is hard to find! I always like a bit of colour on my eyelids because it’s just a nice accent for a beachy, but fashionable look. I couldn’t find waterproof eyeshadow, so I used an aqua colored soft pencil all over the lid and set it with aqua power shadow. This lasted me through several dunks in the sea! Just powder shadow works too, but is less long lasting,..
  3. Eye liner! Waterproof is necessary since it will run and smear everywhere if not, especially black eyeliner. I found a 24 hour water proof gel liner by Benefit that did the job nicely. I got to wear a cat eye look everyday, which made all the difference in photos by helping my eyes pop.

    After a dip in the ocean, my liner, blue shadow and mascara seem to still be entact. Score one for make-up!
  4. Mascara: Waterproof formulas are easy enough to find…I used a Revlon make for lengthening, but volumizing would have worked great too. It looked nice, didn’t flake or run at all. Mascara is very essential make-up for the beach and not something to skip. I look more awake and my eyes look wider when I wear mascara, which will make vacation photos look better!
  5. Honorable beach make-up mentions:  blush and tinted lip balms with sunscreen; blush, if done in powder form will probably wash off with enough sea water and pool water, but is still flattering on skin when the sun is out. Tinted lip balms are also amazing in that they offer moisture, shine and color in a subtle low maintenance way! Just remember to reapply.

    Here I am without bright eye shadow…but still with foundation, liner and mascara. I like that I look natural in photos, but my features are accentuated!

At the end of the day, wear the amount of makeup that is comfortable for the beach. But I wanted to say that there are no rules when it comes to the amount and kind of make-up to wear…as long as there is sunscreen and waterproof versions of basic products, why not wear a bit of color to the beach to add to the beauty of the surf, with beauty of the face.

The ins and outs of being a wedding guest!

~ Emmie ~ Leave a comment
After the ceremony; I was there with my son and opted for lavender colors for a summer wedding.

The wedding season is more than half done or at least the bulk of it is done, and while I love weddings–the romance and the special feeling one gets when seeing the bride walks down the isle, or the splendor of flowers and pretty place settings, and luxurious stationary paper…it’s actually kind of nice that the season is almost over. Weddings can be expensive and stressful, filled with obligations, awkward etiquette dilemnas, and seeing distant relatives that one only sees well, at weddings and funerals.

I was anticipating one event of the summer for me…My little sister’s wedding that was announced since the spring and last weekend was when she finally tied the knot with her boyfriend of many years… it was a small intimate event, simple and fun. And as a wedding guest, I didn’t have to do any intense bridesmaids duties, but as a guest there are still many rules to be observe to be a great guest. And to have a comfortable time there myself as a guest. Here are some notes I’ve made about attending weddings:

Ways to be a great wedding guest:

  1. Let the bride get her way: I think that brides, with all the stress of getting hitched and planning a wedding, they get a bit crazy and it rubs off in weird ways, on the bridal party and guests. The best thing to do is unless it is something really important, I just let her have it her way.
  2. Look good, but not too good: Let’s be honest, the day is the bride’s day, not the guests’; wearing that red hot number or, a revealing bodycon dress is not the place to go. I rather go for innocence and friendship with pretty, simple dresses that are wedding appropriate and will not outdo the bride, but still have a sense of fashion.
  3. Wear neutral make-up. I really like expressing myself with make-up, but bold trendy make-up is just too much of a statement. As a wedding guest, I feel more comfortable blending in, and not standing out.
  4. Make polite cheerful conversation even if it’s hard: I find it very unnatural to be happy all the time and it’s always when I’m feeling a bit down that someone who would care about that approaches me. All it takes is one dour expression, and you’ll end up looking too stern and risk looking like a pouty party pooper.
  5. Fashion don’ts for girls: No black or white dresses, no mini skirts, nothing overly formal that would outdo the bridal dress…no bra straps or bralettes visible, cover up shoulders during ceremony, reception can bear shoulders. I also don’t thoughtlessly wear just any old dress. I want to show some effort was involved and that I care how I look to the bride, groom and other guests.
  6. I like to look like I’m having fun, even if I am not. Accept drinks when offered, and participate in toasts, dancing, and anything else that may be happening. And remember to congratulate the bride and groom! Be a gracious guest at all times!