Rosette Half-Up Hairstyle

It's the last week of camp and while I know I will miss the students, I also feel ready for the two-week trip to the American Midwest with my family. We're leaving this Saturday, and I'm probably going to take a two-week break from blogging. When I'm back, I have to pack for college! I'm thinking of starting a new blog for college...I'll keep you posted.

This hairstyle was fun and simple to create! It was perfect for a breezy and cool camp morning. I'm so glad the heat wave of a few weeks ago has come and gone. The weather has been gorgeous! Isn't the sunlight in these photographs simply magical? 

Rosette Half-Up Hairstyle 

Part hair in the middle. Braid two 2-inch sections of hair on each side of the head and secure with elastics. Use an elastic to tie the two braids together in the back of the head. Take the end of one of the braids and twist it around itself into an O shape. Secure with bobby pins. 

My hair is wavy because I put it in braids the night before. I like how it gives the look some more texture. 

Have a fantastic day! 

Camp Style and Swiss Miss Braids

A typical day at camp for me begins with deciding how to wear my hair. This is usually dependent on the weather forecast for the day. Today's forecast was a high of 82 degrees and sunny. That meant an updo! I decided on this style by The Beauty Department, but also found online in many places. The Beauty Department has a great tutorial. I modified it by making a side part in the front and Dutch braiding the first two inches of hair behind my hairline. I have some short hairs by my hairline and the little front braid helps keep them out of the way. The shirt says Summer Super Stars, the name of the camp. 

Outfit details: Shirt: Old camp shirt / Shorts: American Eagle / Sandals: Merrell / Earrings: Anthropologie 

Here's some inspiration for your day.

In high school, I changed my mindset. I learned to enjoy the process of the events in a day, instead of always focusing on the destination. That's really helping me feel more fulfilled each day. I hope you're having a wonderful day. 

There's Always a First Time for Everything

With this outfit, worn to a picnic last weekend, I debuted my first maxidress! So I've worn long dresses before, for prom, but those have been on the formal side - this is a casual maxi dress that I'm loving. One of my favorite parts is the sheer skirt. There's a black skirt underneath a sheer panel covered with brilliant blooms. I love the colors of this dress - they're what initially drew me to it when I spotted it at TJ Maxx. 

Since I started working at summer camp, I've gotten a lot more creative with my hairstyles. I spend time poring over hair tutorials online and in magazines, trying to figure out the best ways to keep my hair off my neck and out of my face for work. One technique I've discovered is braiding and pinning or clipping my hair up into buns. This is one of my favorite updos, and it's deceptively simple and foolproof. I've written out the steps below!

Outfit details: Dress: W118 by Walter Baker via TJ Maxx / Sandals: Franco Sarto / Earrings: Shop in China / Sunglasses: Target 

Hair Tutorial: Braided Side Bun

Make a deep part to one side. Separate 2 inches of hair in the front. Begin Dutch braiding hair, starting from the part, toward the other side of the head. Keep the braid close to the hairline. 

 When you get to the side of the head above the ear, begin to gather more hair into the Dutch braid. When you get past the ear, gather up the remainder of the hair into a braid and continue to work around the head until you get to the other ear. Continue to braid until you have a side braid. 

 Tie off the braid with a small elastic (I used black ones because my hair is black, but you can use clear ones as well). Twist the braid up toward the front of the head and insert a bobby pin to secure. Continue twisting the braid around and tuck the end of the braid behind the first part of the braid that was twisted upward. Add more bobby pins until the bun feels secure. 

Good luck with the hairstyle! I'm so glad last week's heat wave has passed. I'll still be trying new hairstyles and showing them on the blog. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of milder summer weather - lovely!

Have a great day.

Three Braided Buns

Today's post is a hair tutorial inspired by this look, found here. I wore it for an awards ceremony for an essay contest about women in science. It was very warm that day, so it was important for me to keep my hair up and out of the way. My hair right now is the perfect medium length to try all sorts of hairstyles - one of my favorite styles for camp has been a braided side bun (tutorial coming soon!). 

Here's a photo of the hairstyle. I like how all the braids played up the texture of my hair nicely! Having hair that is all the same color, it can sometimes be hard to achieve dimension. Braiding is one of my favorite techniques to create more texture. 

And here's the photo of me at the awards ceremony.

Outfit details: Dress: Lush via Nordstrom / Wedges: Franco Sarto via T. J. Maxx / Earrings: Urban Outfitters 

I went with a summery look with the cream lace dress (one of my favorite dresses - it's so versatile!), nude wedges. I accessorized the otherwise neutral-toned outfit with gold and jade earrings. 

A heat wave is hitting my town right now, making it very warm - wherever you are, please stay cool! Have a fantastic day. 

Pop of Color

This outfit is black, white and grey...with a little pop of some Spring green! Making the green color the focus of the outfit, I kept everything else neutral. There's a tiny bit of green in my hair - my crystal hair clip peeking through the braid. This is the same braid hairstyle I featured here. The necklace and top both belonged to my mom, but she gave them to me :) She has amazing taste and I think she has been a huge influence on me as I develop my own personal style. 

Outfit details: Top: LOFT / Sweater: Gap / Jeans: Gap / Boots: Luxury Rebel / Necklace: Gifted / Earrings: Anthropologie

Hope you're having a wonderful day. It's starting to finally feel like Spring! 

I just love this quote so much.

Wishing for Spring

I wore this outfit last week when I was wishing wistfully for Spring to arrive. Although the pretty snowflakes and snow-covered streets of winter are lovely, I always find myself looking forward to warmer weather, skirts, and sun around the beginning of March. This outfit and all its bright colors was my way of telling Spring to come a little sooner :) 

Outfit details: Shirt: Ann Taylor LOFT / Jeans: Gap / Boots: Nine West / Belt: Ann Taylor LOFT / Scarf: Vintage / Earrings: Anthropologie 

This scarf was not a vintage flea market find - it used to be my mom's! I have never worn it but I decided to wear it with the jeans and the belt because the colors matched well. Like my last outfit, there was color coordination without going overboard. The colors were light and vibrant, but my boots made it winter-appropriate. 

Hairstyle: 2 inch sections braided on each side, clipped back with a small black clip. My friend pointed out to me that the way I clipped it made the different strands of the braid separate nicely - that was completely unintentional, but really interesting! I usually like to wear my hair half-up half-down: it keeps my hair out of my face, and it also balances out my face shape. A lot of times I read magazines that offer tips on what kind of clothes or hairstyles to wear, but I usually need to try things out first. It's all about understanding how something works with your own proportions. 

I've got my fingers crossed for better weather in the next few weeks!