Cardigan Empire

Salt Lake City Fashion Stylist

Signature Style Makeover Week: Hair

My hair from meeting Andrew to present
I’ve courted copper, and flirted with blonde, but I consider myself a committed brunette.  Yet my link to hue is far more fickled than my fierce loyalty to length.  I  can style everything from a pixie to a bob, but the expanse beyond the chin is uncharted territory. I’m a short hair girl, eternally, always.   
Except for now.  In response to the persuasions of a persistent husband, my hair now tickles my shoulders.  I have to brush it out of the way when I put on a coat.  And when I pull it into a pony, I actually have some sort of a tail.
Which is where it resides most of the time, in a high pony, commonly twisted into a tiny bun.  My hair is fine, and although naturally curly, at this length I’m lucky to sustain a soft, flat wave.  
In a mane induced milieu, I ran in for a professional consultation, with my stylist Leisel Decker, and received the following golden instructions following a trim and allover tint of brunette bordeaux.

And so I commence,  how to add volume and curl to fine hair using a flat iron:

Step 1:  Wash and condition the hair with a volume inducing product.  Your shampoo and conditioner are critical in prepping your hair for styling.

Step 2: Apply a volumizing foam and power dry the hair with a blow dryer.  Make sure you start drying without a brush, tousling sections in the opposite direction that they normally fall.  You want your hair to be 80% dry before you actually start styling it.  Round brushing sopping wet hair will increase your dry time, wear out your arms, and amplify breakage.

Step 3:  Spritz the crown with a root boost.  Then wield your round brush to finish drying the hair, focusing the direction of heat towards the ends of the hair.

Step 4:  Apply a heat protectant spray and comb through the hair to minimize damage and breakage.
Step 5:  Heat your flat iron to a low/medium temperate and begin building volume at the roots.  Clasp the flat iron around the base of the hair shaft than pull up and away from the head.

Step 6:  After boosting the crown, begin curling individual sections.  The smaller the section of hair you take and the slower you move it through the hair, the tighter the curl will be.  I wanted loose soft waves, so we worked through medium size sections, clamping the iron half way down the tendrils.  Once clamped you twist the wrist, wind the hair around the iron, then slowly pull out and away from the head while rotating the iron.

My stylist exemplified this process using the Missiko Hana Titanium Ionic Flat Iron

I like that it offers a range of heat options, friction free plates, and a tangle free cord, particularly crucial for avoiding third degree encounters when your twisting hair into curls.
Find all the hair products mentioned above with these Amazon Promotional Codes and purchase them for a bargain!
I’m going to try all my makeover trips for a big reveal.  Stay tuned.
In the meantime, what’s your best hair styling tip?

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Signature Style Makeover Week: Clothing

I am a romantic, with every frill, ruffle, and bow attached.  But with both feet firmly planted in my third decade, I’m ready to renounce “cute” in favor of a slightly more sophisticated “pretty.”

a catalog of where I’ve been

And while I’m open to letting my pumps go nude, I cling to my narrative roots.  I want storytelling to be a part of my dress and enchantment to underlie every garment I select.

So I began with a rigorous analysis of the signature style spectrum.  Prisms split light into seven categories ranging from red to violet, I have dissected fashion into the following five flavors.

And whether a store or celebrity, most looks fall somewhere along this continuum.

True, purity can be luxurious: Missoni’s bohemianism, Gucci’s drama, Chanel’s traditionalism, Valentino’s romance.  But I intend to blend.  What I want is a style hybrid, a sophisticated breed made of my own natural selection.

As examples:

Bohemian + Modern = Tory Burch
tailored lines intersect natural motifs, sharp outlines blend with bohemian overtones
Dramatic + Romantic = Betsey Johnson
perpetually girly at an unrelenting party, a blushing bold
Modern + Romantic = Kate Spade
vivid feminity, neatly organized whimsy
Where does your style like-o-meter point?  Or who’s style do you most envy?
Desire something deeper? Reserve a 60 minute virtual shopping session to compile a portfolio of uniquely personal ensembles. Rather than teetering between blasé and flagrant, relax knowing you will have an expert to offer informed opinions, creative outfitting advice, and savvy shopping experience. Sessions initiate with a signature style discovery interview.
Feed me fashionably fresh