Easy Hair To Beat The Heat For Us Short Haired Ladies!

The higher temperatures are wonderful, aren't they?
Morning coffee on the patio while Annie plays with the squirrels, and an outdoor beer in the evening make me feel like the world is right where it should be!
I do, however, hate when my hair is in my face in the heat.  My hair may be short, but I still like to have it back and comfortably away from my face.
Thank goodness for the hair accessories trend!
Everywhere you look there are ingenious ways to keep hair back!  Headbands, hair wraps, scarves! 
Forever 21 is a goldmine for them this season.
And, NO!  They are not only for long hair ladies!
One short hair stunnah that can rock a head scarf like nobodies business is Casie Stewart.  If you aren't familiar with Casie, you need to be, and you can learn about her here.  Her hair game is bang on!  So much inspo it's crazy!

 

 

What I go for when I'm doing a look like this, is a kind of retro feel.  I love pin-up hair, so this has a pin-up influence to it. 

To keep this flirty, make sure that there's a bit of a pouf in the front, and make sure the back isn't too smooth.  Tousled  and sexy is the goal here!

 

 

 

Here's how!

Blowdry your hair, making sure the front has some volume.  Add a small amount of texturizing wax or pomade to tousle the hair, and smooth the sides back.  I like to leave some "sideburns" down, to soften the look.  Then take a square scarf and fold it in half.  Then fold the scarf until it's a straight line, wrap it around your head, and tie it in a knot!  I like the knot off to the side.  You can tuck the ends in, or leave them out and keep it fun.  Add oversize sunnies and you'll be cool as a cucumber!

I'll be rocking this a lot as the heat skyrockets!  Between this and a hat (I got a really cute one at Old Navy in the kids section, since I have a freakshow small head.) I should be all set this summer.

What heat-proof hair secrets do you have?  I want to hear them all!

 

 

Donna Xoxo



 

 

Makeup Looks for Saying Goodbye to 2013

Happy Holidays!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and has been enjoying some time off.
Most of all, I hope everyone has their power back on!
What the HELL was that????!!!!
We lost power for about 36 hours, and after the first 10 or so, Ray and I were bored, delirious and freezing!  Even my poor doggie was cold!
We were pretty lucky though.  I can't imagine having to leave my home for a week, or going through that with young kids.  (I did however get a text from a friend, who has a 10 week old and had to pump breast milk in her Subaru.)
Now, to the subject at hand.
New Year's Eve!
No matter what you have planned, New Year is always an opportunity to be fancy!
Try something a little gutsy and colourful!
I have a few looks here that are fun!  A little colour goes a long way towards brightening your face, and making you feel confidant.
Go for it!!!

I love a smokey-ish eye in something unexpected, like turquoise.  It brings such an inherent sexiness to the look without being obvious.  I have a taupe and gold combo eyeshadow on the lids, and I also have black liner very close to the upper lashes and the lower waterline.  This gives some depth to the eye and makes the whole thing a little Rock and Roll!  For the turquoise liner I used a beautiful waterproof liner from ArtDeco.  I brag about this in more detail here.  I applied a heavy line of the Art Deco above the black on my top lid, and a nice  thick one along the bottom too. This is not the time to be subtle!
Add lots of mascara, a good dose of hilighter along with a pale, shiny lip and Sexy is your middle name!

We all know how much I love Lippy right?  Love the feel, the richness, the elegance!  There is no way I'd discuss NYE looks without offering an option which involves a bright lip!  I went with a fuchsia shade instead of red for a more unusual feel this time of year.  Red is classic, while this feels like a more modern choice.  The best thing to do while wearing a dark or bright lip is prep like a champ!  Too Faced Lip Insurance is an amazing primer!  It gives hours of wear.  A good lip liner is a life saver too!  Make sure it's waterproof, like Sephora's Waterproof lip liner.  Makes a huge difference!  After that, apply your lipstick from the tube, or with a brush.  I'm wearing Lancôme's Colour Design in Fuchsia Clutch.  It's a gorge satiny shade, non? 
All you need to go with this is mascara, brows, and a sculpted cheek!   HOOOOTTT!
Well, Happy New Year Guys!
Thanks so much for all of the support I've gotten from each and every one of you in the past year!  It means more to me to be able to write this blog than I can say, and I couldn't do it without you!
 I wish you all the best for 2014, and I'd love to hear any plans for New Year's Eve, or resolutions for next year!  An Occasional Redhead has a few interesting things coming up!

Donna Xoxo

Humidity-Proof Eyeliner? Hook a Sister Up!

Ladies and Gents, it's a scorcher!
Summer has come with a vengeance, sweaty face and all! 
I previously solved heat proof lips in my popsicle lip-stain post, but what about eyes?
I found the answer to that a few days ago!
While in Shoppers Drug Mart, I stumbled on a makeup line called ArtDeco.  It's a German line that's relatively new to Shoppers.  I'd never heard of it, and the rep for the company was in so I played a little.
I bought the Soft Eyeliner Waterproof in #72, which is a metallic turquoise.  The application is very creamy, without any drag to it.  To get a good colour payoff it does take a few layers, but it's buildable.  I also love that it's not a self-sharpening pencil.  I get a finer tip when I can use a sharper, therefore get a more precise application. 
The best part though, is when they say waterproof, they are not kidding!!!!
This liner wore like a dream on a very humid night.  Everything under the sun smudges on me usually, but this bad boy stayed right where it was supposed to!
The colour was ultra pretty too!!!!
At $11.00 this was a great buy!  The whole line is priced quite well.  It's not Covergirl prices, but it's not Guerlain either!  Needless to say, I will give this line a shot again!
Have you tried ArtDeco?  What did you think?

Donna Xoxo

PS- Please forgive the picture quality lately!  My camera lens broke and I'm using my iPhone5, which I must say is pretty good!  Could be me that sucks!  The pics are going to get better!  Honest!

Summer Stained Lips.

I don't know about you peeps, but I hate the feeling of heavy makeup when it's hot!  My face feels like its suffocating!

There is nothing better in the summer than a bright lip though. 

What's a girl to do?

Well, as it would happen, I have the answer!  

A stained lip!  

I LOVE the lip to look as though you have just finished a Popsicle!  Slightly darker in the centre of the mouth, with a soft matte finish. 

I have a little step-by-step tutorial on how this is done. The pics below are in order of the steps.

This is my particular fave way to get this look. 

1-Smooth on a hydrating lip balm and pat it thoroughly into the lips. Line and fill in the lips with a bright berry tone lip liner. 

2-Apply a bright pink lip stain on the inner portion of the lips. Take a matte nude lip crayon or lipstick and apply that the outer portion of the lip. Smudge where the two meet so there is a nice soft ombré finish.

3-Apply concealer around the outer lip line and blend for a clean lip line. This prevents bleeding like a champ!

4-Put a creamy hilighter in the "cupid's bow" of the lip. (The "V" on the top lip). This gives the appearance of fullness. It's a great trick since the formula and technique used here are not adding volume to the lips. 

And, there you have it!  

I used four products for this, which may seem like a lot of work, but the payoff is worth it!  It will wear for hours, and if it feels dry, just press some lip balm on gently and you'll feel more comfortable without losing any colour!

This also looks fab in the cooler months with a deep wine shade!  

So many possibilities!!!

Don't you love some new tricks! If you guys have any, hook a sister up!!!

Donna Xoxo