Mmmmm…Goosebumps

Do you ever find yourself really listening to the words in a song, or listening to a monologue in a movie that you’ve seen a hundred times before, but never really heard heard? And you get goosebumps because you know exactly what they are talking about because it totally relates to you now? I caught myself watching one of my favorite movies, Never Been Kissed, and I caught a line that I never really noticed before but this time, I really ‘got’ it….

“That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around you becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person, and you realize that this person is the only person that you’re supposed to kiss for the rest of your life. And for one moment you get this amazing gift, and you want to laugh, and you want to cry, because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that it will go away all at the same time.”

(source)

I got chills. That was exactly how I felt the first time Scott kissed me, standing on a city corner in the rain, waiting for a cab. Knowing that I never thought what was happening at that moment would ever really happen. Knowing that this hopeless romantic train wreck, Josie Grossie has a crush on this man that probably won’t evolve into anything but she still loves him anyway. That was me growing up. I loved Scott and I never in a million years would have thought we’d end up getting married. Seriously, pinch me, I’m having one of those moments where I am shocked and awed with the way fate works. And I know that’s how I’m going to feel when we’re standing together, looking in each others eyes, vowing to love and be with the other for the rest of our lives. I could have told him this when I was 5 years old but he probably would have told me I have cooties. God, I loves me a good love story!

Do you have a favorite romantic movie character that you totally relate to? Maybe lyrics from a song that seem like they were written for you?

Leaving My Babies

My doggies are my babies. I love them to death and can’t wait to get home from work everyday to see them. When I open the door, their whole butts wag, and it’s a wonderful feeling to know that these little ones are SO happy to see me after a long day.

Left: Hazel, 4  – Shorkie aka Yorkie/Shih Tzu

Right: Princess, 8 - Yorkiepoo aka Yorkie/Toy Poodle

Ok, one more…

They snuggle and spoon with me under the blankets at night. Princess can’t resist a belly rub – you walk up to her, she’s on her back ready and waiting. Hazel has endless amounts of energy and loves playing tough guy with her toys, then curling up in a ball for some good snuggle time. I’ve had both of them since they were 2 pound balls of fur and I love them like children.

(yes, I made them Snuggies after cutting the bottom off mine for a Snuggie pub crawl. Hear that Snuggie maker? I thought of it first!)

Needless to say, I AM GOING TO MISS THEM SO MUCH WHEN WE’RE GONE!!! In 8 years, I have never been away from them for 2 whole weeks. If I could smuggle them in my suitcase, I would! And as a personal choice, I will never board my doggies after working at an animal hospital and seeing some HORRORS behind what could potentially happen when doggies are in the care of strangers at a kennel. My friends are lifesavers, they will be taking good care of my babies and spoiling them rotten, I’m sure. So my friend Amy is going to be staying at our apartment with them for the entire 2 weeks we’re gone and get a taste of city life, and with my friend Cathryn right around the corner, I know those doggies will get all the daily love they are used to from me. I expect pictures sent to my phone. I expect Hazel to set up the web cam and hop up on the desk to talk to us.

And I will have pics of them on my camera so I can see their little-fuzzy-schnooky-poo-poo-just-wanna-squeeze-em faces when I get the urge. Wow, I’m going to be horrible when I have kids. That first day of kindergarten, I fully expect to be standing on a box peering through the window fighting off being dragged away and risking arrest to make sure he/she is ok.

Those of you with fur babies, do you have to leave them for a period of time for your wedding or honeymoon? How are you gonna keep yourself from missing them tons?

I Am a Virgin

Ahem, let me be more specific, I am a pedicure virgin.

I hate feet. Your feet, my feet, Scott’s feet, it doesn’t matter, I hate them. Except for Hazel’s feet, I call them her chocolate chip cookie paws.

Some people have a foot fetish, I think I have a slight foot phobia. I thank my lucky stars everyday that my beauty school didn’t make us do pedicures! And I don’t particularly like people touching my feet either.

For big events, I usually just slap a coat of nail polish on my tootsies and go on my way. But I’ve made a decision. At 32 years old, for my wedding, I’m going to let someone deflower my feet. Yep, I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna go all the way.

If you get pedicures, tell me what you love about them so I can psych myself up for this momentous occasion!

National “Do Something Sweet For Your Sweetie” Day

Yep, I’m declaring this an unofficial holiday. Why not? There’s already a:

• Penguin Awareness Day - yea Pengy!
• International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
• International Talk Like a Pirate Day
• there’s even a NATIONAL NACHOS DAY!

(source) 

Just like with the little “Love Is…” comic that Scott cut out of the paper for me, I try to think of fun new ways to make him smile. Sometimes I’ll google the word “love” and email him a cute picture when he’s at work. Most recently I sent this…

(source)

He gets me “just because” flowers every once in a while that make me smile big every time.

Last week from work, I sent him a note in the mail that simply said “Thanks for always getting the mail and everything you do! Love, me”. So when he got the mail a few days later, he had a little surprise waiting for him in our mailbox. 

I think it’s important to show your love that they are appreciated and thought of so, as the title says, I’m declaring today the unofficial National Do Something Sweet For Your Sweetie Day. Breathe on the bathroom mirror and draw a little “I <3 you” with your finger so when they take a shower it’ll show up from the steam. Leave a post-it with a “you’re my favorite” in the coffee mug cabinet so when they go to grab one in the morning, they’ll see it. Lay out their favorite blanket and pillow on the couch so when they come home from work, they have a cozy spot waiting for them. Take 2 seconds out of your day to do something small but special to let your love know that you are thinking about him/her and make your sweetie smile

What are you gonna do for your sweetie today?

Hershey Labels: Perfectionism is Overrated

This past weekend, I played around with the Hershey Kiss stickers some more. The sheets of labels are small, only 4×6 sheets, and they recommend using the envelope feeder on your printer. Mine doesn’t have a feeder, just a lever I can move over. So I put in my first sheet of labels, crossed my fingers and hit print. All of them were just slightly off, enough to where the black circle that was supposed to run along the outside edge was getting cut off. So I went back to my template, scootched them all over a little, and put in another sheet of labels. And the same thing happened, it was like I never went back and tweaked them at all! So instead of wasting ANOTHER sheet of labels, I peeled off the circles I had printed on and ran it through without the stickers after repositioning AGAIN. And this is what I got…

 

 Closer, but they were still getting cut off just a smidge at the top. I felt like Miss Buttons and wanted to rip them up and throw them out the window. But no, just like with my flip flop bedazzling, I was determined. Me, give up? NEVER!

I figured if I took the outside circle off of my design…

…the positioning wouldn’t have to be so accurate. So I started with a fresh template and recreated the design over the template without the circle. If you remember, I originally made the design in Power Point and saved it as a JPEG. This time, when I decided to actually make them in Word, I zoomed in really close on the template so I could see what I was doing a little better. And I had, as Oprah would call it, an AHAH! moment.

Every circle in the template is off just an itty bit. So I moved all the circles of the actual template over a tad and finished making my full sheet. I also added some color to them, printed them out, and….

 

(are you envious of my sweet MS Paint skills? I’m kind of a whiz with the paintbrush)

They’re still not quite centered and I realized 1. it could have been the boxes on the template that were off, not the circles, and 2. it totally depends on how my printer grabs the paper. Since my printer asked me to stop yelling at it, I decided to accept it for it’s flaws and be ok with the labels a little off. I think it makes them quirky. Yeah, that’s it, quirky. And honestly, I don’t think anyone is going to be critiquing the stickers on the bottom of our Hershey Kisses. If they do, I’d love to see them make these any better.

Did you have any DIY projects turn out less than perfect but you were still happy with them?

I Never….

…want to make another invitation as long as I live. If you’ve been following along, you know that the home party invitations have been quite the pain in my little arse. But my friends, they are finished thanks to you!

I decided to make one mock-up on Vista Print and one on Shutterfly to compare the quality. The mock-up on Vista Print was pretty much identical to what I had tried to make myself (this is the actual Vista Print card)…

 

…except I kept the wording on the inside black because it was an extra charge for color.

 

I only wanted to order 1, except they have a minimum order of 10. Then I got a coupon for 10 more for 50% off, so like a sucker (or a very smart shopper, discuss amongst yourselves) I decided to go ahead and order 20. I figured if we use the design, we already have 20 in our hands, and if we don’t then I could cut the wording part off and give the picture portion to our families to use how they liked (send to friends and family, use as a dartboard, it don’t matter to me). I received them in the mail and they look…ok. The quality is so/so but bearable considering the low price. The main problem I had with them though was this….

Can’t see it? Here, let me get a little closer…

That’s exactly where I wanted to put my “all you need is love” stamp . I know most cards you buy have the company logo on the back somewhere, but I don’t know, I guess I didn’t expect them to put their website on there. I went on the live chat and asked if there was any way to order the invites without their website on the back. The response was that like all other card companies, they put it on there and it’s there to stay. BUT as a one time deal, they’d give me a credit for the money I spent on the cards and shipping. I was getting a 100% credit! Thank you Vista Print!

While all of this was going on, I made a card on Shutterfly. Unfortunately, they did not have the same design option, so I made one semi-similar but with a black border around the front. Fortunately, they do let you order just one, so I did. I received it in the mail a few days ago (their shipping was a lot slower than Vista Print), and surprisingly, I like it even better than the other one.

 

The quality of the paper and the picture are so much better. The back has this on it….

…but honestly, it looks more professional than the little website scrawled across the bottom of the Vista Print invitation. And I can always use my love stamp on the envelopes.

After seeing the quality, I compared prices. With the Vista Print credit they gave me, 70 invitations will cost us around $15, while the same amount through Shutterfly will be a whopping $88! That is a HUGE difference. So I brought them home for Scott to see, fully expecting him to want to save the cash and go with Vista Print. His response?

“These will be the first impression of our party, I’d rather spend the money for the nicer ones.”

I was shocked and happy. Even though it’s so much more expensive, you definitely get what you pay for. Shutterfly it is! I loved all of your suggestions for the wording the other day, took your advice, and Bunny2010’s wording won in the end. So the invites will now read…

 

And I took everyone’s advice that said we should include the actual wedding details and added the location to the front…

 

So here’s my critique of the 2 companies I tried:

Vista Print

Pros:

• way cheaper
• fast shipping
• lots of coupons

Cons:

• quality is eh
• website printed on the back looks a little cheap

Shutterfly

Pros:

• great quality picture
• better paper
• no extra cost for color on the inside

Cons:

• slower shipping
• way more expensive

FINALLY these are finished! Seriously, the one thing I thought would be the easiest ended up being the biggest pain. Have you encountered anything during your planning that you thought would be super easy but turned into your biggest headache?

Coming Soon to an Apartment Near Me: My Shower!

With this being my second marriage, I wasn’t sure if I would, or even should have a shower, but everyone told me that it was going to happen whether I like it or not. And I like it! And who am I to say no to a party? My friend Sharon started throwing around ideas for a shower for me, and she’s keeping me in the dark about the little details, so I’ll share with you all what I know so far.  Sharon was faced with a few obstacles…

First off, she lives up north, about 50 miles from the city, my mom and Scott’s mom are about half way between me and Sharon, and the majority of my other friends live in the city. So the first question was where to have it. I know she threw around the idea of having it in a party room in a restaurant and she looked at Jimmy’s Charhouse as a possibility. However, I am a big fan of showers thrown in the comfy confines of someone’s home, so she then talked to my mom about possibly having it at my parents’. Good plan, if it wasn’t for my new little brother Charlie…

That little furry sweet pea is about 4 months older, 50 pounds heavier and is one excited puppy that could end up opening presents before I have a chance to! Next thought, my place. Why not? Everyone on the guest list knows where I live, and I can make myself scarce if she needs to set up without me there. Plus Scott will be there to help her with anything.

Location, check!

 The next issue was funding this little shindig. Since we don’t have a bridal party, she didn’t really have anyone to talk to about splitting the cost. I told her she didn’t need to spend money on decorations, they usually just get thrown away anyway. And I suggested doing a potluck – have everyone bring a dish and there will be plenty of food, and it won’t cost her a penny. Not sure what she decided in the end, but I will find out the day of, I guess

(source) – I want a piece of that strawberry shortcake so bad right now

Food and funding, not sure, so I’ll just say check!

Lastly was picking a date. We both broke out our calendars and compared notes. April was pretty much out for me because I wanted at least one full weekend devoted to nothing but making sure all wedding things had been taken care of. Throw Easter into the mix, and there’s not a whole lot of the month left. So we looked at March. We knew the bachelorette party would be going on one weekend, and Sharon’s husband’s birthday is another weekend, so we finally chose the one that worked best. From there, we had to pick an actual day of the week. I think most, if not all of the showers I’ve been to have either been on a Saturday or Sunday, usually around brunch time. We had other plans. My mom’s work schedule has her up in the weeeeeeee hours of the morning Saturdays and Sundays, and I need her at my shower, it wouldn’t be the same without her. So my friends, we are having my shower on a Sunday evening at my place.

Date, check!

So far, that’s about all I know. Sharon’s a sneaky little one and I’m sure I won’t get much more out of her before the shower, but I trust her and love her and know whatever she pulls together will be fabulous. I’ve also caught Scott giggling at texts on his phone a few times and when I look over at him, he just points to it and says “oh that Sharon, she’s funny”, so I know they’re in cahoots. Can’t wait to post pictures of the festivities for you all!

Are you/were you involved in the planning of your shower or were you kept in the dark? And after doing so much wedding planning, is it just me or does it feel weird to have someone planning something for you now?

Chain Reaction

Dad says “bong” -> baby laughs -> I fall out of my chair laughing -> chair goes flying -> hits computer -> computer starts smoking -> I get to go home cause I can’t work without a computer = perfect world I don’t live in

You know how one little thing can cause a chain reaction and affect more than expected? Yeah, we were hit with one of those little things last week.

If you remember, we picked a possible date for our home party in June based on the tentative Cubs schedule a few months ago and now that the official schedule is confirmed, we know that our date is available. Weeeeeeee! It had to be on a non-Cubs game day otherwise it would be pure mayhem. Addie, our contact at Vines sent me the official contract. I looked it over… 3 hour party, check! $5,000 minimum, check! Our date we picked in June, check! Everything looked good, so I signed it and sent it right back.

(source)

Simple enough, right? Ha, you know nothing ever goes that smoothly by now!

Scott and I organized our guest list and sent out emails for addresses so we’d be ready to send out invitations when the time comes. Everything was going swimmingly until we got an email back that we weren’t expecting. One of our guests is getting married. In Maryland. On our confirmed, contracted date. Normally that wouldn’t be a big problem cause hey, not everyone is going to make it to our party, I’m sure. In this instance however, he is friends with a dozen of Scott’s closest friends and is taking them with him. Hmph.

Initially, Scott didn’t want to do anything about it, but I knew he was sad knowing that certain people that he is really close to couldn’t be there. Me, being the rational, calm, collected, fair Libra that I am (ha!), suggested we look into changing our date so all of his friends would be able to make it. We couldn’t exactly expect the friend to change his wedding date for our little ole party, now could we? I convinced Scott that we should at least find out if it’s an option, so I sent Addie an email explaining the situation, and I let her know it wasn’t a huge deal if we were locked into our original date. Luckily, she was willing to accommodate us, so we moved our date up. Easy peasy! So now, my friends, our party is 2 weeks sooner than expected and hooray, we’re gettin’ all our peeps together…

(source)

But then, like any good chain reaction would have it, I realized the wording on our invitations might sound a little weird considering we need to send them out earlier and our guests will be getting them long before we’re married. Those frickin’ invitations. Post coming soon about the latest saga on those. Anywho, because of the timing, I didn’t think it sounded right to have them say “Jaime and Scott tied the knot! Come celebrate our marriage with us” since we won’t be married yet. So I wanted to change it to “Jaime and Scott are tying the knot! Come celebrate our marriage with us”. But then I started thinking people may think they are being invited to the wedding and show up at our cocktail party expecting a little more than free drinks.

So I’m coming to you……how should I reword the invitations so people understand that we are getting married ahead of time, and this is an invitation to the home party only, all the while keeping it short and sweet? Obviously most of our guests will know this, but there are a few people (old family friends, relatives we don’t talk to often, our parents’ guests, etc) that may not. Please help me end the chapter of our home party invitations so we can get them ordered and out of our hands!

David’s Dresses: Model vs. Me

I was looking through pics on my computer, and I realized I never showed you all the dresses I tried on the first time I went shopping with my ladies! You know how dresses look so perfect online, then you try them on and they look nothing like they do on the model? I love seeing different dresses on real people as opposed to the staged models so I thought I’d share what real person versus model looked like from my perspective. These are all from David’s Bridal….

If you all remember, this is the dress that I bought and ended up exchanging for something totally different. Style T8076 …

Model – hehehe, I’m getting married in this little gazebo here and my teeny-weeny bouquet is so funny!:

(source)

Me – not bad but I can’t breathe because apparently this dress is made 2 sizes smaller than the regular DB sizes:

Next up, this one was part of the DB Galina line and one of the dresses I brought a picture of to try on. Style T9389…

Model – doesn’t she look so happy and skinny in a beautiful dress giggling at the funny non-existent person off to the side?:

(source)

Me – note the look of utter confusion on my face because I look nothing like the model in the dress above and it looks like my hips are about to give birth to a baby calf:

This next one we saw on a mannequin as we walked in. Of course it looked fantastic on the mannequin and the model. Style WG9828…

Model – Oh look at you in your gorgeous European garden setting, you skinny little thing:

(source)

Me – ok, not so bad from the side:

But from the front, I kept thinking I could use those pointy corners on the top to wipe my eyes as I cry tears of sadness because it looked so much better on the mannequin:

Next up was my second choice, one of the dresses I kept going back to and almost bought. Style V9409…

Model – I have nothing bad to say about her, she looks perfect:

(source)

Me – yea! Finally a good one. Flowy, lightweight, fit well even 2 sizes too big, oh I should have ordered you right there and then:

This next one I LOVED but no one else aside from my friend Sharon did. My only concern was that it was heavy and would have been too much to wear in St. Thomas. Plus at this point, we still thought we were getting married on the beach and the train wouldn’t have worked well in the sand. Style T9579…

Model – Oh model, you’re so regal. P.S. where did you get those branches in the vase? I still need some for my centerpieces. What? You’re not going to tell me? Fine then, keep staring off into the distance:

(source)

Me – not too shabby, very flattering, but just too heavy:

Up next, a few halters that I wasn’t too fond of, but the sales lady was trying to find me more “beach appropriate” dresses. First is Style T9445…

Model – Ah hahaha, oh photographer, you’re so funny:

(source)

Me – uh, no. And I have to remember to stick my chin out a little when getting photographed to avoid the double chin look:

Next is Style V9621

Model – Oh lovey, where’s my driver? I have to get to the church:

(source)

Me – um, I don’t see that poofy flair in the above picture, do you?:

This next one, we called the uni-boob because the whole boobala area was heavily beaded and my little mosquito bites, as my sister calls them, got lost in the top, making me have that not-so-flattering uni-boob effect you get from a sports bra. You know what I’m talkin ’bout. Style V9010…

Model:

(source)

Me – where did those come from? Note the silly grin on my face as I stare at my double D:

Yeah, that’s all structured dress, I really did not contribute anything to the bulge that you see. Notice the 45 degree angle from my chest to the dress:

I loved this next one, but again apparently I have different tastes than everyone else I brought with me. And I brought them for their opinions so I took what they said to heart. Style E9351…

Model – gorgeous:

(source)

Me – loved it, but I thought the satin might be too heavy:

This next one actually looks really good in the picture, but the tulle on the bottom side part made everyone giggle, and someone told me I could jump in the ocean and catch fish in it for dinner after the ceremony. Style T9669…

Model – You’re oh so dreamy and soft looking as you tiptoe through the vineyard:

(source)

Me – Why did the tulle just look so wrong when I had it on? Lobster? You want lobster for dinner? Ok, let me go catch you one:

Another from the Galina collection that the sales woman thought I’d like. This one did absolutely nothing for me. Style T9378…

Model – beautiful, dreamy, flowy:

(source)

Me – I swear I had a shape when I walked in here:

And now for MY dress. Style ML9521…

Model – not a fan of the gloves on her but the dress is perfection:

(source)

Me – ahhhh, heavenly:

Dress shopping was quite a monumental experience and I give a ton of credit to those of you that have bought your dress online without seeing it in person first. I thought all of these dresses were gorgeous on the models, but most of them were not flattering on me or beach appropriate.

What I learned: trying them on was a huge eye-opener because although the dresses looked great on the models, they didn’t necessarily fit me or what I was looking for. Also, ultimately get what you want. In the end when you’re walking down that aisle in the dress of your dreams, not one person will be thinking, “Oh, she would have looked so much better in a halter/princess style/cap sleeve/corset”. I promise. You will look beautiful in the dress that you love.

Did you buy your dress without trying it on first? If so, I give you a lot of courage-credit! If you did try on dresses, were you shocked at how different they looked on a model than they did on you?

Locks to Lust After

With the wedding day fast approaching, I thought I’d share some of my tips to getting hair in top shape for the big day. So here goes…

1. Use professional shampoo and conditioner.

This is my number one rule of thumb and here’s why… some cheap shampoos and conditioners coat your hair with wax, so while they may initially leave your hair feeling silky and smooth, that wax will build up after a few weeks and make your hair dull, heavy, and greasy. Don’t fall for the Pantene commercials! Those women do not use Pantene, they are hair models getting paid to wave their healthy hair in front of a camera. Other cheap shampoos will dry out your hair. Scary Jaime fact #2937: Prell shampoo has the same pH as Drano. Not kidding.

Professional shampoo is everywhere these days so you have no excuse! Yes, it’s definitely more pricey than your $1 bottle of Suave, but it. is. worth. every. penny. Although if you see pro products at your local drugstore or chain store, I’d be wary. Scary Jaime fact #48: those stores do not have a license to sell those products so what the bottle says may not actually be what the bottle contains. Plus they jack up their prices higher than the salons do. Fun Jaime fact #8487: cosmetologist friends can get products for you for HALF the price of what you’d pay in a salon. If you personally know a hair stylist (I’m not talking about your own stylist, do not bother them, I’m talking more like a friend with a cosmetology license), ask him/her to get your products for you the next time they hit the professional beauty supply stores for stylists (like Beauty Alliance, Victory/Cosmo Prof, and Marshall Salon Services, not Sally’s).  My favorite brand of all time is Redken and I get it for my friends and family regularly.

(Logo source)

2. Change your shampoo and conditioner every once in a while.

Although your pro shampoo isn’t leaving a residue behind, your hair gets used to it and you need to switch it up once in a while. Picture someone giving you a lollipop every day for a year. You’re happy you’re getting a gift, but you get bored with the lollipop. Then that person gives you a purple monkey balloon animal one day, and the excitement is back! Hair boredom can cause your shampoo and conditioner to underperform, and you have to give it that purple monkey balloon animal once in a while. I like to switch between Redken Body Full, Redken All Soft, and Redken Extreme every couple of months.

(Source 1,2,3)

3. Don’t feel like you have to get a shampoo and conditioner that match.

Although most formulas are made to work together, you may need one thing from a shampoo and something different from a conditioner. For example, I’ll use Body Full shampoo for the fullness, and Extreme conditioner for strengthening if I’ve been mean to my hair.

4. Do not sleep in rubber bands, barrettes, etc.

As you roll around on your pillow through the night, your hair will pull and break at the rubber band. If you prefer to sleep with your hair pulled back, break out your scrunchies! Although you may not be caught dead wearing a scrunchie in the light of day, those little fabric covered uglies will help save your hair from bedtime breakage.

(source - apparently Sarah Jessica Parker found another way to wear the scrunchie)

5. Before you blowdry, use product.

Any product is better than no product. Mousse, gel, leave-in conditioner, anything to protect your hair from the elements (sun, wind, extreme cold) and the heat of the dryer. Fun Jaime fact #5468: you can make your own leave-in conditioner by mixing a few drops of your regular conditioner with water in a squirt bottle. I don’t like the feel of product in my hair so I use Redken Clear Moisture Instant Polishing Prep Leave-In Spray – just squirt a little on your hair when it’s damp before you blowdry and comb through. A little goes a long way and it leaves my hair feeling super silky.

(source)

6. Before you get out of the shower, run your hair under the coldest water you can stand.

Your hair’s top layer, the cuticle, gets roughed up when you wash it, and the cold water closes the cuticle, making your hair super shiny once it’s dry. True story: about 10 years ago at the salon I was working for, the water heater broke. Those few brave clients that still wanted their hair done let us use the freezing cold water on their hair and they all left with the shiniest hair I’ve ever seen.

Raised cuticle vs. flattened cuticle

7. Please please please leave your color in the hands of your stylist. 

He/she knows what they are doing and use professional color which is COMPLETELY different from color you buy at the drugstore. Scary Jaime fact #482: Most at-home colors from a box are metallic dyes. They contain little bits of metal that get sealed in your hair. And what happens to metal after it’s been wet? It starts to rust. And the rust turns your hair a very unflattering shade of brass/copper. Have you ever seen someone with a brassy glow to their hair? 9 times out of 10, they dyed their hair themselves with a box.

(although this brassiness is more likely caused by trying to go from dark to light too quickly, but you get the idea)

8. Deep condition at least once a month.

Wash your hair when you’re in the shower, condition as usual if you’d like, then when you are out of the shower, apply a generous coating of conditioner, and wrap it up. You can use a towel, but I prefer a plastic grocery bag secured with a clip because it seals in the heat from your head which helps the conditioner penetrate. After a minimum of 30 mins, rinse it out. This is best saved for the days when you have an hour or so to lounge around in your pjs with a good book in hand.  One that I like for this is Redken All Soft Heavy Cream. But you can use your regular conditioner, too.

(source)

9. Get your hair trimmed every 6 weeks.

When you have split ends, those ends literally split up the piece of hair making it thin and scraggly looking. The ends also tend to get caught around each other causing knots which then cause you to pull out hairs as you brush.

(source - magnified split end)

10. Use only a comb on wet hair.

Brushes will break your hair when wet, leaving little fly-aways. When you are first out of the shower, comb it, then when you start to blowdry, use just your fingers and dry the roots all around your head first. Your hair will dry so much faster and you’ll have the heat on your hair for less time. Only use a brush during the last few minutes to smooth it out.

(source - so much breakage on top, she hasn’t been using my 10 step plan. Get that girl some hairspray, stat!)

So there you have it, my 10 steps to pretty wedding day hair. Are you doing anything different with your hair to get it in tip-top shape for the big day?