The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty.

hair

BEACH SPRAYS FOR ALL HAIR TYPES

graphic design: Eunice Chun written by Sarah St. Lifer

Written by Sarah St. Lifer, Graphic Design by Eunice Chun

If you ever catch us tossing a lucky penny into a fountain, you can bet we’re wishing for one of two things: world peace or perfect beach waves. The truth is, both take a lot of work — the latter being the bane of our beauty existence. Not all hair types are created equal, so one potion could be the difference between a big ‘ol salty mess, or the glass slipper to your Cinderella coiff. Being tress-obsessed, we took it upon ourselves to get to the root of the issue. Here, you’ll find our top 8 sprays for achieving summer-prefect beach waves. Doesn’t matter if you’re hundreds of miles or mere minutes from the sand, these products are shore to please! Just define your ‘do (fine, kinky, fizzy, etc.) and dive in.

Added bonus: If you don’t meet your potion prince today, don’t fret! We’ll be doing a beach waves tutorial along with our own DIY formula next week!

1. For straight hair: Wella Professionals’ Ocean Spritz Beach Texture Hair Spray (Ulta)

For those of you with sleek strands, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll overcompensate with wave-promising sprays. But, the end result is always the same: stiff and crunchy chunks — totally the opposite of your effortless efforts! Less is more with Wella’s version: spritz on damp hair from scalp to ends on day one, then again just at the top for day two. Curling iron entirely optional! This spray also softens with a little heat from the blowdryer in case you accidentally over do it.

2. For wavy hair: Oribe Apres Beach Waves and Shine Hairspray (Neiman Marcus)

The continuous props from pros around the globe don’t lie: stylists swear by Oribe’s rich extracts and exotic oils, whether it be for an event or an editorial shoot. If you’re already rocking tousled wavy tresses, but need extra oomph, shake your head and apply a light mist to your layers. For those searching for bombshell status, add tiny bit more at the tips. Though pricey, this stuff delivers. It comes in travel size if you’re just looking to get your feet wet or not quite ready to take the full plunge into a whole bottle.

3. For curly/kinky hair: Ouidad Wave Create Sea Spray (Ouidad)

Give those natural curls the definition they deserve! With textured tresses, you really can’t go wrong with any of Ouidad’s products — they hold, but the weight never interferes with the natural curl pattern. And, the brand’s Marine Complex of natural seawater and mineral-rich sea salt crystals lends that authentic beachside look, while locking in the shape with plant-derived humectants. Did we mention the vitamin-rich seaweed and algae extracts that nourish and moisturize? Yeah, this is basically a miracle in a bottle for curly girls wanting beachy texture!

4. For fine hair: Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray (Wal Mart)

Need to give you fine hair new life? Rather than investing in extensions, consider this cheaper option instead! Sure, a few sprays post-shower will do the trick, but for best results apply all over your mane before your head hits the pillow. Combined with a top knot, this brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “beauty sleep”!

5. For treated/damaged hair: Sachajuan Ocean Mist (Sephora)

Colored, relaxed, or permed, chemically treated hair needs a little extra TLC. If your mane won’t cooperate, spray this on when the hair is slightly damp. Sure, we were satisfied with the results when we let it air-dry, but a diffuser really did the trick. On low heat, point the nozzle at your roots for just a few seconds. Then, comb your fingers from the crown to the tips.

6. For lazy girls: Victoria’s Secret Beach Hair Wave Spray (Victoria’s Secret)

If we told you that just a few pumps of this product — no curling iron, no gel — would give you Gisele-worthy waves, would you believe us? Not only does this $12 bottle live up to hype, the clean scent isn’t overwhelming, and the blend of buriti oil and sunflower seed extract helps protect hair from UV damage. All for one, and one for all!

7. For hair that needs volume: Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray (Bumble & Bumble)

Uh oh. Did you wake up to a bad hair day? No worries, Bumble & Bumble’s Surf Spray is the ultimate problem solver. Just spritz some of this sandy-smelling product on your paddle brush and comb trough, teasing the crown. It’s low-maintenance and smells like you were just in Malibu.

8. For frizzy hair: Frederic Fekkai Summer Hair Beach Waves (Frederic Fekkai)

Let us introduce you to the product that works best on bone-dry tresses: Frederic Fekkai’sSummer Hair Beach Waves. Even though we were hesitant at first, the formula didn’t leave a single trace of grease and stayed put for hours. It’s as if you used a gel, but totally lightweight and non-sticky. Score!

Do you have a favorite beach spray? If you found the perfect product for summer time waves, please spill it below!

hair

SUPER SHORT STYLING

photos/tutorial/graphic design: Kristin Ess

If you’ve never chopped your hair off, you’ve probably dreamed about it. (Probably a frequent dream for anyone with high-maintanence hair!) Some of you lovely ladies have actually taken that leap, leaving braids and buns in the past– and this tutorial was for made YOU! You may recognize this look from our Vidal Sassoon voting post a while back. It didn’t win, but we just couldn’t help but share it with our pixie girls anyway! This is a basic every day look at how to take control short hair. A few of you with cropped cuts may already use this trick, if you’re new to short hair or haven’t mastered yours yet, this is what you’ll need to do it. Here we go!

The whole point of this tutorial is to get to step 9 and push your hair the opposite direction you styled it, so make sure you’re styling it the “other way” and then pushing it to your normal part when you’re done.

Towel dry your hair right when you get out of the shower.
Apply a heat protecting leave-in conditioner. Of course you don’t want the hair to be too soft, but you do want to protect it from blowdrying.
It’s important to work product through evenly, especially when dealing with short hair. Rub each product in to the root, sides, back and then…
comb through to ensure even distribution.
Using a nozzle on your blow dryer, rough dry a little with just your fingers. The nozzle will help direct the hair and get it to lay down much more than you could without one.
Smooth over the top using a soft bristle brush.
If you have a “bang” or “fringe” on your short hair, smooth it out a little with your soft bristled flat brush.
Spray a little heat protectant spray before the next step.
Flat iron any pieces that are long enough. Best to flat iron them with a little bend so they lay down and cooperate.
Take a little styling paste or styling cream in the palm of your hand. Rub it between your palms to emulsify and warm it up.
Now push the hair in the opposite direction and style as you normally would.

Styling the hair in the opposite direction first will help you conquer cowlicks and any issues you have with your short hair laying “too flat”. Do you have a secret trick you love for a pixie cut? If so, we’d love to hear it in the comments below. Also, what are your favorite short hair products? This tutorial was originally done for our Vidal Sassoon Pro Series partnership post, so those were all the products we used in these photos.

makeup

DRESS IT UP!

Post + Photography by Amy Nadine, Graphic Design by Eunice Chun

Silver is a really fun way to dress up your makeup and is much more wearable than you think. The lightness of color along with the metallic finish draws a lot of attention to the eyes and is perfect for a night out with your girlfriends! Here’s how to achieve it and what products to pair it with: READ MORE…

inspirations

SHUTTER BUG

Like many Instagram worshipers, you’ll find us glued to our feeds whenever we catch a free moment. But, when it comes to the heart of our jobs — a.k.a. those gorg tutorials and how-tos, we’re often questioned about which camera we use. You’re most likely to find us behind lens of a Canon 5D. Sure, you’ll find more filters on an iPhone than drink options at Starbucks, but no smartphone will ever deliver the same detail as an SLR camera. Whether we’re capturing a close-up on some nail art or documenting a certain hair texture (as seen in the photo below), our Canon never leaves our side. We’re so smitten with quality, we’ve had zero qualms with leaving behind our touchscreens when it’s time to seek out inspiration for upcoming TBD posts. As evidenced by our office’s mood board, toting around pro equipment is essential for capturing vibrant colors and crisp images — now we know how photographers felt before cell phones were equipped with lenses!

photos: Kristin Ess, written by Sarah St. Lifer

Not only does our day-to-day life influence our work, but so do the iconic muses of yore. You know what we’re talking about: those gasp-worthy portraits of Bianca Jagger dancing at Studio 54, Jackie O. dodging the paparazzi, or Sophia Loren being a bona fide bombshell at the beach. You could say we’re constantly borrowing from the old-school icons, while staying on top of today’s trends. Without the trusty trigger of our Canon along with some old school vintage photographs, our day-to-day might be a little less inspiring.

Confession: A bunch of those brilliantly-lit photos we publish on TBD were taken at night. Did we fool you? Well, blame it on the Canon 5D. Since our days are often booked with back-to-back meetings, the only availability we have for tutorials is when the sun starts to set (What can we say? We’re a dedicated bunch!). Even in low light situations, you can still achieve that clear and bright shot, sans a vibrant light source. Added bonus: You can rock that fancy ‘do to dinner! Magic!

When it comes to social media, we’re all about natural light. But, while shooting outdoors, we’ll sometimes encounter direct L.A. sunlight. Way harsh, Tai! In order to make those snaps as perfect as a Noxzema commercial, we bust out our trusty Canon (can you tell we’re a Clueless-obsessed crew?). Trust, we’re still learning the camera’s many settings! But, just switching the tab from portrait mode to landscape helped us achieve that softer light we were searching for. (If only choosing a nail polish shade were that simple!)

The trickiest tutorials to capture? Probably nail art. Those features are all about the details, and it would be an injustice to those dazzling digits if we photographed them with anything less than a pro lens. Whether we’re zooming in on some glitter or photographing the end result, the Canon takes care of business. Sweet dreams are made of this!

What’s the point in preparing a magazine-worthy photo shoot when the camera quality isn’t up to par? We want our readers to enjoy every minute detail, down to the petals on some pretty peonies! Textures tend to be much more dynamic, and you can’t argue with the color quality. Wowza!

Even the everyday items in our studio look like little pieces of art when we snap ‘em with our Canon. Hair and makeup tools never let us down, so capturing them in a flattering way is the least we could do!