4month wedding checklist.

Well folks, I'm now on a 4 month countdown to my wedding. 

Things are going pretty well, I'm embracing all things healthy, getting lots if walks eating clean, drinking water.

My skin is looking fresh and I've a feeling Il need my dress taken in. Ahh it's terrible, isn't it? 

My hair plan is also going well, I've been using protein rich treatments, sulphate free shampoo and getting regular trims.

However, I'm going to use extensions to enhance my upstyle on the day.

I've spoken before of how I plan to wear my hair up for my wedding.

A lot of brides find this a hard decision. Personally my opinion is hair up looks more glamourous. Of course it's compleatly up to the individual, & on some ladies hair down is stunning.

For me, I feel that when I'm in a corseted dress, best invention ever by the way, and everything is hoisted up, defying the laws of gravity. It can make my neck look even shorter, so I feel have my hair swept clean from my neck, it can elongate and create an illusion.

So I still haven't decided on the exact style I'm going for but it will be a classy old hollywood inspired look.

Personally I love getting glammed up, & I fully intend to do the same for my wedding day. I've never been one for a natural barely there make up, & I don't intend to start on my wedding day.

When being photographed it's vital to make the most of ones features. Sometimes even the most gorgeously made up face can get lost in the camera lens. Remember those photos will haunt us forever more if we're not happy.

Hiring a professional to do your wedding make up is absolutely vital. There's a complex world of highlighting contouring & shading that will make you look amazing on the day & in the photos, you need a professional who understands how the camera picks up on your features for this.

Of course I could do my own wedding make up if I wanted too but I want to relax and be pampered for the morning of my wedding. My good friend Ashling Cunningham from Glo beauty in Castlebar is doing the make up for my bridal party, were in safe hands.

Soooo to top off the look, I'm not one for veils, fabulous on others, ridiculous on myself. I'm going for a glamourous headpiece, there's nothing subtle or demure about it. I'm going all out.

Jennifer Wrynne is working on it as we speak. I feel I have to be true to myself & this look brings my personality to the look. It's a mix of vintage hollywood glamour with a bit of diva sparkle thrown in.

I will keep you all updated on how my look us coming togeather over the next 4 months. Hopefully my blogging might help give someone a few ideas.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Maria xxx

Beautiful Brides, the secret to amazing hair for your wedding!!

Well it's now 11 months to my wedding, and Bridal bootcamp is in full swing. I'm restricting the carbs and guzzling my lemon water daily along with a host of skincare, anti cellulite, lifting, firming etc etc. All with one goal in mind, to look amazing on my wedding day, does this sound familiar???

Bridzillas everywhere I feel your pain.

Sooo after making a name for myself as a bridal stylist over the last number of years, I guess all eyes will be on my own crowning glory on the day!

My first tip is, it's never too early to start prepping for the big day!

Begin your Bridal Hair Bootcamp, one year before your wedding.

Condition is everything, and I mean everything.

Healthy hair, is beautiful hair, never underestimate the power of good preperation.

"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail" is my mantra, I've worked with many brides and I can honestly tell you, the happiest ones were always the super organised!

The right shampoo and conditioner recommended by your stylist is the holy grail of healthy hair, this with a conditioning treatment once a week with a trim every 8-10 weeks but no later than 12 and you are on the fast track to your dream hair on your big day!

For the colour, if you are happy with your current colour, great all you need is maintenance by your stylist every 6-8 weeks and your laughing all the way up the aisle!

However if you wish to dramatically change your hair colour as in from dark to blonde or from blonde to dark, you need to begin this process a minimum of 8 months before your wedding. This process must be carried out by a professional colourist and you must be compleatly honest about what you have used on your hair at home, this will determine the outcome, so it's vital we get the truth!

So assuming you are happy with the colour, condition and style let's move onto the exciting part, choosing the style!

To upstyle or not to upstyle?? that is the question.

For me personally, I'm going up, as I need to elongate my neck, I'm going for a clean look at the nape of the neck sweeping upwards with loads of volume. I haven't decided on the finer details just yet but I know this look works best with my head shape, neck and of course the all important dress!

As with the perfect dress, the perfect style is also out there for you. If you never wear your hair up my advice is start trying out upstyles, for social events.

Start with somthing simple and work your way onto more detailed styles. Getting used to having your hair up is like anything else, practice makes perfect.

The next night out you have planned book in for a messy bun or loose waves pinned at the base of the neck or even a high bun. See how it feels, is it comfortable? 

Maybe you have a wedding coming up try a vintage inspired style. Once you get into the swing of wearing upstyles the possibilitys are endless!

For the die hard "Downstyle Divas" the Classic Demi upstyle is always a safe bet, adding clip in extensions will enhance the look and add volume, you need this as there are many things on the day that can and will make those lovely wAves drop, or your backcombing flatten a little. 

Our fabulous Irish weather shows no mercy to our lovely loose curls, if it's too warm the sweat is rolling off us resulting in our beautiful hair looking neither straight or curly by the speeches. If you have a gorgeous head of thick glossy hair that holds a curl in all weather conditions hurray, but if your like me you'll need all the help you can get to make sure your dream hair looks as good for your first dance as it did when you walked up the aisle!

Hair trials need to be done 6 weeks or so before the wedding, as it is impossible to know what you really want until then.

Going for a trial on a busy Saturday is a disaster, this is why I won't do trials on busy days in the salon.

I need to spend time on it, espically  if I have never done this girls hair before.

Bringing photos is a great idea but please understand, I can't copy a style section by section from a photograph. I will create a bespoke style just for you based on the ideas you have shown me.

Pinterest is fantastic for ideas and google images are brilliant too aswell as OneFabDay and bridal magazines!

Using a little of your own creativity is always a winner, you don't have to stick to every rule of traditional bridal styling either, feel free to make a statement with an amazing hairstyle if you don't want to go down the road of a veil or tiara ect.

If you are like me and want somthing edgy and different booking a consultation with a professional milliner is an option, I love headpieces and I'm looking for somthing original that's just for me. I've enlisted the help of Jennifer Wrynne, I have an idea in mind and you'll have to wait until after the big day to see it!

I hope you've enjoyed this blog ladies and it's given you a few ideas, check out my website www.platinumhairdressing.ie or follow me on Facebook PLATINUM hairdressing Mariaconneely, or Instagram or Twitter 

Best of luck to all the beautiful brides out there and keep slogging Away at the bridalbootcamp, it will all be worth it on your big day.

Love Maria xxx

Beautiful hair 2014

2014 is all about beautiful hair, thick glossy manageable hair. Forget the unkempt tangles and think, regular trims, good home care between salon visits, with ultimate respect for the hair.
Keeping an eye on the products we are using at home is a key factor in achieving beautiful hair.
Some shampoos contain harmful detergents like sodium laurel sulphate, on larger quantity a than others, this is similar to dishwasher salt and can have a detrimental effect on the hair.
Salt is used on shampoos to give a lather, sometimes we think we are doing good by sudsing up and scrubbing but this can actually be quite harmful, eroding away at the cuticle of the hair and leading to frizz.
As a good rule of thumb, salt and sulphate free shampoos are the way to go, also protein rich shampoos or those enriched with keratin are also a good buy.
Ideally buying from your hairdresser is by far the best option, remember your stylist is the one that knows your hair and has actually styled it and knows how it works, also your stylist is aware of your colour history and knows how many times your hair has been chemically treated. The shop assistant or the online reviews do not know any of these things. Us hairdressers have been researching and trying out products for years so generally we know if a product is any good, or if it's any good for you. A professional diagnosis of the hair and scalp is vital. In my experience the best hair products are never advertised and are usually found on our styling sections, this is because we love them and we are using them every day. So it makes perfect sense, if we are using them, they are good, simple as!
A few  simple things can be your answer to beautiful hair,  the right colour, the right cut & the right shampoo & conditioner is all you really need to achieve beautiful hair., and the right hairstylist of course.
Stop  home colouring!!  If you must touch up your roots in an emergency, by all means  do so, but ONLY your roots! I can't stress this  point enough. Permanent  hair colour contains Ammonia, this is designed for natural hair only that has never been coloured.
Opting to visit a professional salon is worth it's weight in gold every time,. There is no better feeling than walking out the door with hair you absolutely love. You can never  get the Same result at home.
Professional colourists know how to tweak mixing quantities, shades, toners, application techniques tailoring each colour to the individual hair.  There is no one size fits all with hair colour, a deep understanding of the hairs structure, natural pigment and texture is vital to create the perfect colour. Equally as important  is the colourists knowledge of the chemical make up of hair colour they are using & how it works. You won't get this kind of expertise in the box colours off the shelf.

The right haircut is a key factor in manageable  hair, regular trims will make your life easier. After 12 weeks your ends are in tatters, do not go more than  12 weeks without a trim, a tiny one will do fine, but make sure you do it, otherwise the hair will start spitting upwards this will result in tangles , frizz and a weakness in the shape !
Classic cutting techniques are  a key element for 2014, keeping strength in the haircut and holding a strong shape. Avoid over layering and thinning , this is quite harsh and difficult to maintain at home. Keeping it simple is an easier option  as keeping the weight will actually hold the style a lot better, making  your Blowdry last longer.

I hope you enjoyed my blog , that it was  helpfull & informative, check out my website www.platinumhairdressing.ie or follow me on twitter Platinummaria or on Facebook