So, for the longest time, I was convinced…. I absolutely cannot and will not do my own hair and makeup on my wedding day. it. is. simply. not. happening. a) I seem to have a penchant for curling iron burns before big events, and b) my hair is wildly unpredictable. Also, I’m a bit of a makeup idiot. Slap some mascara and Benetint (LOVE) on me and I’m good. So makeup seemed a bit out of my league.

I went about starting the search for a stylist, which is a difficult thing from 1,000 miles away. I was relying on internet reviews, word of mouth, fellow brides…but I couldn’t find anyone who could do what I was looking for. Something loose, a bit wild, a bit unstructured, but elegant and understated. Is that so hard?

Apparently, yes. My search did not end well. My last trip to Denver revealed that…well…despite the fact that my hair is, again, ridiculously temperamental, this will NOT be changed by having a stylist. In fact, a stylist knows my hair even less than I do–so what kind of advantage do they have, besides the styling materials? Thus, inspiration in hand, I went about designing my own hair and makeup. And I found out that I’ve totally got potential. Which not only saves me quite a bit of cash come the big day, but a couple hours in my schedule (no longer must I drive an hour to the stylist!). Want to see? Get ready to scroll, kids. (Bonus DIY how-to below!)

Here is the first, and only, attempt at the down-style. While I liked it, I wasn’t sure it was formal enough for our evening reception. And getting my hair to curl like I want it to…well…does not happen. Love it, but leave it.

Here we see a re-style of a rather interesting updo by a stylist I tried in Denver. It was a nice style, but…not at all me, and not at all what I’d asked for. Names (and said hairstyle!) withheld to protect the innocent! I liked the result after a little rearranging, though! So the next step was to try it from scratch, at home… ta-daaaaaaaaaaaa!

It worked, it worked! My ridiculous hair finally found its niche. Here’s the front and side views:

(um, not sure about that face though)

Now the problem would be getting it to look consistently like this every time. The last time I tried it, it looked…well…goofy. So try and try again, we shall!

Next stop, makeup floor. I’m about to be super super brave and post my naked face to the internet. Eep.

Before:

After: (the first)

I sent this one out to my friends/bridesmaids…who replied that they didn’t think it was enough makeup. It’s waaaaay more than I usually wear, so I already felt like it was caked! Nevertheless, I added more so we could compare:

Which resulted in a little more even coverage, but not enough blush and lipstick. Again, practice practice! I’ll get it. The point is this: every time I went and got my hair styled or my makeup done, I ended up leaving unhappy. I didn’t look like myself, and I definitely was not comfortable. In my book, I’d much rather be happy, smiling, and comfortable in my own skin–which I think will show through in pictures more than the perfect makeup or hair will.

See below for the easy DIY side bun!

Step one: roll crown with velcro rollers after blow-drying. Set it and forget it. Meditation, anyone?

Step two: Unroll and shake hair in mirror like rock star. Enjoy newfound bouncy hair. No picture of step 2 for obvious reasons.

Step three: Use 1.5 inch curling iron (or so…really any size will work, but make sure the barrel isn’t TOO big) and curl hair in three sections: left, right, and crown. Giggle.

Step four: Tease roots around crown and in the back for a more voluminous ‘do. Spray with gentle-hold hairspray as you tease. If you’re looking for something more sleek, skip this step. Photo included for hilarity.

Lol.

Step five: Gently smooth down the top layer of teased hair. Apply thin layer of pomade or frizz-reducing serum to keep flyaways from flyin’ away.

Step six: Gather into low ponytail at spot of your choosing.

Pull out pieces if you want a bit of a looser style. Voila, cesar! This is it!

So what do you think? Which of you will be DIY-ing your look? How are you preparing?

Happy Sunday!

-B