hair Archives - Popcorn and Pandas

Mix & Match

Top: Express (similar) / Skirt: Target (sold out – similar here) / Shoes: Cynthia Rowley / Necklace: Express (similar) / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelet: Stella & Sparkle / Lip: MAC Up the Amp / Hair: Curled with Sapphire 8-in-1 Wand c/o Irresistible Me

I love to mix and match different patterns, and florals with stripes are probably my most favorite combo. As long as you stay within the same color palette, I think it works. I was happy to have an excuse to get all dolled up for my friend’s bridal shower. It was a beautiful event, and I was very grateful to be invited!

I am working away from my local farm fresh cafe this morning, and headed home to pack this afternoon for our trip to Maryland for Passover & Easter. We are lucky both of our families live close to each other so that we are able to spend the holidays with everyone! I know Nico is especially excited to see his fam!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

XO,

Gina

Curls & Twirls

As much as I love fashion, hair is not really my thing. I love it. I wish I could do it. I love having it done for me by other people. But when it comes to doing it myself, I usually end up falling short. I end up taking the easy route and just flat ironing it straight for lack of a better option. Even worse, now that I am a busy mom, I let it air dry or throw it up into a messy top knot. The days of actually “doing” my hair are few and far between, but I still long for a fancy do when I have a special event to go to. I just have trouble making it happen myself. I have tried multiple tools, curling irons, etc., and I always end up in a sweaty huff and unhappy with the results. Until now.

After trying their fabulous hair extensions back in September, I decided to give Irresistible Me’s Sapphire 8-in-1 Curling Wand a whirl. Ladies and gentlemen (all three of you gentlemen that read this blog), I am happy to say that I HAVE FOUND THE CURLING IRON OF MY DREAMS! Not only are there tons of options for different type of curls, but it was EASY, and I could do it MYSELF! I actually liked the results, I wasn’t a sweaty huffy mess afterwards…and the best part is that my curls stayed from 10 in the morning when I did my hair until well after I went to bed for the night! As someone who struggles to do their hair normally, this tool has totally changed my mindset on prepping for a fancy night out. I am so happy to finally find something that works for me, and works SO well. Thank you Irresistible Me!

More BEFORE photos:

And now for the AFTER:

Sapphire 8-in-1 Curling Wand: c/o Irresistible Me / Top: Express / Eyes: Sonia Kashuk / Lip: MAC Up the Amp

What do you think? Not bad for my first go at it huh?

Used this curling wand for the first time for a beautiful bridal shower in upstate NY for a lovely bride! It was a lot of fun and a gorgeous affair. I loved how fancy I felt, so I decided to go for round 2 of the curling iron this past weekend at my cousin’s baby shower in MD. Happy to say it wasn’t just beginner’s luck! I’m still obsessed with the tool, and plan to use it for many more events in the future.

Had a nice little girl’s weekend with my mom, family, and close friends…although I did miss my boys while away!

Yesterday wasn’t feeling so great, but hoping today will bring sunshine and happiness my way.

Hope today will bring the same for you!

XO,

Gina

All About Hair

As most of you know, I recently got my hair cut by the amazing, Tim Dueñas, at Arrojo Studio. Having recently celebrated my 30th Birthday, I decided to treat myself to a fancy hair cut, and I am so glad I did. Tim asked about my lifestyle and my daily routine, and without even needing me to show him a photo, he knew exactly what I needed in a hair cut. Long enough to still put up in a pony and go (mom life doesn’t give me much time for styling), but plenty of layers and shape if I do find a moment to wear it down. I am incredibly happy with how it turned out.

That being said…Irresistible Me sent over their fantastic extensions, and I couldn’t wait to try them on! Now, let me be straight with you. I know ladies have been rocking extensions for awhile now, but I never jumped on board. To be honest, as much as I wanted to try them out, it was extremely intimidating to me. I am not the best stylist when it comes to hair, and even when I received the box, I took one look, and e-mailed my contact there freaking out about how I was supposed to apply these things! She sent me a video tutorial, and I have to say, I am completely surprised at how easy it was to clip them in. While, I love my fresh new cut, it’s exciting to know that if I am craving a longer, fuller look for a date night or event, I can now achieve that without spending a fortune at the salon.

I have posted Before and After shots, and you can really see how natural they turned out. A lot of other extensions I have seen have the potential to appear mullet-like, showing a clear separation between the real hair and the “fake” hair. These flowed beautifully with my natural hair. Speaking of natural…Irresistible Me boasts 100% natural hair in all their clips.

So what do you all think of extensions? Have you tried them before? Which look do you like better?

Before:

After:

*** I apologize for the blurriness in some of these photos. We are trying out a new lens, and my husband was also taking these with a baby strapped to him, so there was some shake-age. Haha.***

Hair Extensions: c/o Irresistible Me / Top: Necessary Clothing / Scalloped Shorts: Necessary Clothing / Shoes: ALDO (similar) / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff / Shades: Vintage / Earrings: c/o Stella & Dot (now on sale!) / Bracelets: Henri Bendel, Baublebar, Stella & Sparkle / Watch: Michael Kors / Lip: MAC Impassioned

And can you believe my outfit is actually a top and shorts set? I wore them together, but apart, I think they would be just as cute styled in a different way. I went on a sets kick this past shopping trip. I don’t know what it was, but I was alone for once and excited, and I kept seeing adorable sets, so there you go. The one I’m wearing is sold out online, but if you live in NYC, you may still be able to catch it in-store. I also purchased this adorable two-piece top and skirt set, and I hope I can find the perfect occasion to break it out.

We spent the weekend in Brooklyn with our nieces, celebrated Nico’s 1st Birthday with a slice of rainbow cake (the big celebration is coming up this Saturday), and reminisced back to last year’s Labor Day Weekend when I was actually in labor. My how much has changed since then.

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend as well!

XO,

Gina

Happy Hunger Games!

…and may the odds be ever in your favor…

Despite all the Hurricane Sandy madness…I hope everyone has a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hope everyone is staying safe. We lost power for a couple hours last night, but it’s now back on. Again, if anyone needs a place to stay or shower or eat, please feel free to come on over to Ditmas Park.

How to recreate Effie Trinket…

Effie has many different looks throughout the movie, The Hunger Games, so I chose to go with the pink/purple/fuchsia color scheme since that screamed the most fun to me.

Hair: Bought a super long curly blonde wig from Ricky’s and pinned it up to create the voluminous look of Effie’s hair. I then sprayed it with Jerome Russell Strawberry Blonde Highlight Color Temporary Spray, also from Ricky’s. To complete the look, you’ll need a huge headpiece or flower to place in the middle of the hair. I actually found this amazing piece in Union Square from a street vendor. I can’t believe I got so lucky! Voila!

Makeup

Base: Kryolan Aqua Color Wet MakeUp color 070 for the white / Eyes: MAC Paint Pot in Painterly for base of lids, Make Up For Ever Diamond Shadow No 303 via Sephora all over lid, outside of lid, Make Up For Ever Matte Eyeshadow No 26 Fuchsia via Sephora all over lids to eyebrow and outside, also underneath, Make Up For Ever Matte Eyeshadow No 58 Dark Raspberry via Sephora in eyelid crease, Korres Soft Eyeliner Pencil in Athens Black / Eyelashes: Paperself Peacock (not the original (Deer & Butterfly) from movie because they were sold out, but these were close!) / Cheeks: Make Up Forever Diamond Shadow No 303 (same as above) stroke from eye to cheekbone, Make Up Forever Matte Eyeshadow No 58 (same as above) very lightly on cheekbones / Lips: MAC Lip Liner in Magenta to outline the heart, Lancome Lipstick in Fuchsia Clutch to fill in the heart.

Clothing: Again, Effie has so many different outfits, and it’s almost impossible to recreate her exact outfits without having a seamstress alongside you or an amazing vintage boutique, so you can get a way with a lot in the clothing department. I went with this fuchsia peplum top that I found at Forever 21, and I pinned two flowers to it to give it the “Effie volume” which I purchased at H&M. For the bottom, I wore a simple black pencil skirt (that is so old, I have no idea where I originally purchased it.) For the shoes, I meant to pack my black booties, which are a signature Effie look, but I forgot them, so I went with these beautiful Betsey Johnson Zingerr pumps instead, which I think Effie would totally be able to pull off.

The girls and I celebrated Halloween this past Saturday, and I am so thankful they were such an awesome hair and makeup team to help me create this costume! I have never been more excited about a costume I don’t think! The girls (Alex & Marisa – also known as Pregnant Snookie & a 50’s Housewife) and I went out to downtown Annapolis on Saturday night and we literally bar hopped to almost every single bar showing off our costumes and trying to see others dressed up as well. It’s not often that I get this much bonding time with my cousins anymore, so I was really excited to have a little girl’s night. What a fun time!

Hope you all out there were able to enjoy the holiday as much as we were, and hope the Hurricane didn’t rain on your parade! Again, stay safe!

Love,

Gina