Double Front Braid

We are totally loving braids this season!  It is a great way to add personality to your hair and SO easy.  Today we are going to show you how to do a "double front braid" perfect for long and short hair. Angela will be the model for today so don't mind her dark roots, it just adds dimension, right?! ;) 

Prep your hair to your likings, i.e. straight, curl, natural, etc. We parted Angela's hair over a little further than usual because we like that look with braids and it just gives you more space to show off your braid :)

Take a section of hair on the back half of the part (about 1x1 inch) and separate into three to start the braid. I did about 3 or 4 inside braids before actually picking up hair to create the french look.

 

Continue that pattern till about 2 inches above the ear.  This will make the braid less uniform and thin because you're not picking up as much hair. This was the look we wanted so if you want a more clean and uniform look go ahead and pick up hair every time you cross!

Once you stop the french, finish the braid off and secure. You can use a small elastic or I just used a bobby pin because it will only be temporary.

Begin second braid (just like the first) leaving you bangs or the section of hair closest to the hair line out. This will give you more of a soft look. If you want your hair out of your face, you can braid it all.

Again adding hair to the braid about every 3 or 4 patterns. I am getting the hair from underneath the braids rather picking it up from the sides. We can do this because we aren't picking up hair every time and this will allow the braids to be closer together.

Stopping the french pattern about 1 inch above the ear for the front braid and continuing the braid down to the end.

Section off the back hair, middle hair (hair between the braids), and front hair.

Pin the back braid so it is secure against the head and low enough to be covered by the loose hair.

I like to use two bobby pins and cross them like an "X" so they wont slip and will be secure.

Using the same technique pin the front braid down just above/behind ear in an "X" so it will be tight and hidden. You will want to keep the middle section of loose hair out because that is what will cover and hide your bobby pins.

Adjust lose hair over the bobby pins and it should fall naturally over the bobby pins. If not pull the braid back and under the hair a little more.

Finish with a little tease at the crown and spray to hold.

You can see that the braided sections of hair are not clean and distinct. I think it looks better this way. We've tried it before using clean parted sections and an outside braid but it looked like "corn rows" and that was not the look we were going for!

 It looks great pulled back into a pony as well, so play with it and have fun!

Thanks for visiting!

~ Angela and Marianne

Let's Begin To Get Pretty Again!

"I want to be intelligent.  I want to be exciting.  I want to be dangerous.  I want to be friendly.  But most of all, I want to be PRETTY."

The concept of SELF-BEAUTY combines face, hair, skin, and body all into one.  An enticing, exciting, yet ever-changing FORCE.  Since childhood, beauty products have literally been thrown at us.  We saw them advertised on life-size banners throughout department stores, beautiful women flipping their shiny hair on commercials, and perfectly colored lips telling us why we should buy their product.  Perhaps we saw our moms jumbling through her cosmetic bag, horrified as that scary black wand moved closer and closer toward her eyeball.  Growing up with four sisters and an involved mother, it is no wonder that self-beauty became a huge part of our lives.  Not to mention the many dance performances, music festivals, and theatrical plays (we were forced!) that required a full face of intense makeup.  "Don't you want the audience to know you really do have eyes and lips?" mom used to say.  "More blush.  Darker lips.  I would add a little more mascara."

As the youngest two sisters of our family, we have sealed our friendship and sisterhood with the desire and unspoken vow to never let each other wander the streets "un-beautifully".  Over the last few years, we have experimented with new techniques, styles, and products on each other, realizing what a FUN and bonding hobby this whole self-beauty thing really is.  It was often difficult to take the harsh honesty from one another on what worked and what didn't.  Let's face it, Angela can't rock a coral lip.  And for Marianne, finding the right shade of nude lipstick is a daunting task.  But we would choose no one except each other to tell us that.  We are anxious and EXCITED to start sharing our personal opinions, experiences and observations with all of you.  Our worlds of beauty are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but somehow  these beauty worlds have collided and created a feminine and sophisticated glam that works for the both of us.
Angela says--

MAKEUP!  I think this is one of my favorite words in the entire world.  DEEP CONDITIONER.  Okay, that tops the list as well.  PERFUME.  Moroccan oil, curling irons, round brush, lotion, teeth whiteners, deodorant, under-eye cream, hair-growth treatment, razors... the list goes on and on and on.  These, my friends, are my hobbies, activities and obsessions. (Yeah, I said it.)  Pathetic?  Maybe.  I know some of you are thinking, "This girl should probably get a life."  I actually had that same thought for a long time.  I thought, "Why am I so obsessed with makeup and trying new products?  Am I really that vain?"  I don't consider this vanity, though.  I consider it a vehicle to express my artistic flare and build confidence.  I also find it very satisfying when I find something that works for me.  Yes, I have decided to embrace my love for the art of makeup and self-beauty, and want to help others embrace it, too.

Marianne says...

Beauty... What is it even?  It's where I look, taste, hear and smell..  It's EVERYWHERE!  So why shouldn't each one of us be apart of it???  I have always strove to feel beautiful and I think that is the key.  To feel beautiful.  When you feel it, you know it.  Feeling beautiful gives us the capacity to see beauty and that is what will make our lives exciting, colorful, loving, peaceful, feminine, adventurous....  It makes us Beautiful.  I find joy in all the girly things of this world and want to share them all with you!

We are here to tell you that no matter your age, height, weight, or stage in life, everyone can use a little self-beauty.  We're not talking a full face of professional make-up artist inspired glitter eye ensemble (well maybe sometimes) or that $500 hair treatment being advertised at the salon, but possibly just a few simple products that will add wellness and beauty to your life and help create a more confident, comfortable, prettier YOU.

We want to share with you the many beauty secrets we have discovered over the years, and believe us, there are MANY.  Being obsessed with beauty has resulted in trying WAY too many products, spending WAY too much money, but now having a grasp on products that work and don't work for us as individuals.  We would say it has been well worth the investigation!  We want to spread this knowledge and save you the hassle.  Of course, we haven't been able to explore every product and situation so if you have any questions or suggestions, do let us know!  We are always up for a new product experiment!!!  It is our hope that we can inspire each of you to discover the type of BEAUTIFUL that works for you and your busy schedule.  It is vital to stay aware and in-touch with the feminine side of ourselves, no matter where we are in life.  Not only for our sanity, but for our husbands, boyfriends, friends, co-workers, etc.  Every girl wants and deserves to feel pretty, some just have no idea where to start.  That is where we can help!
 So... Let's begin to get pretty again!!!