Paige & Garrett | Bridals

Paige is a friend of mine from high school, and catching up with her over hair and makeup was so much fun. These are her bridals from a few weeks ago; she and her now husband are so sweet together!

Today is her big day, so wedding day pics are to come! :)

                           



                             



                           

Iuliana & Cole | Bridals

Can you say stunning? This girl is so beautiful, inside and out. It was such a pleasure to get her all dolled up for her bridals.

Hair and makeup by Christa Taylor.

Iuliana & Cole | Engagements

Had the privilege to do hair and makeup for the lovely Iuliana's engagements! What a beautiful girl and a beautiful couple.

Hair and makeup by Christa Taylor.
Photography by Kay Norman.

Products You Need #3: Redken Outshine

Outshine will truly put some sunshine in your day! Outshine is a definite staple on my product list; I use it on almost every one of my clients. Let's make this to the point:

What is it? It's a cream/lotion consistency (not heavy at all, so it doesn't weigh down fine hair) that smooths down frizz, gives the hair moisture, shine and softness, refines splayed ends, and holds them together for a polished, finished look.

What kind of hair is it for? Honestly, this product works to it's prime on almost every hair type, be it thick or thin, fine or coarse, straight or curly, long or short. It helps give a healthy sheen to the hair and a polished, soft, touchable feeling to the ends. It can completely eliminate almost all minimal/medium frizz and it gives soft, lightweight control to heavy and excessive frizz. It's one of the only products I use that you can see instant, effective, amazing results with the second you apply it. 

How is it applied? It can be applied to damp or dry hair, but I prefer applying it dry. Use a dime sized squirt of product and rub it between your palms, then run your hands over the last few inches of your hair, on the hair around your face and on the tips of your bangs. Run your hands lightly through all of your hair for frizz control, but avoid getting much product on the roots (or your hair will look greasy). Style as desired, or use this as the finishing touch after styling (that's what I would recommend). 

What are the cons? Ha! There are none!! As long as you apply it correctly, you should see some shiny, gorgeous, smooth results. 

Where can I get it, and how much does it cost? How long does it last? Ask your stylist if she carries Redken products and purchase from her if possible. If not, visit redken.com and look up "Redken Outshine" using the search bar. It's $15-20 depending on where you buy it. If you use it daily, it should last you about 1-2 months. if you use it every other day or less, it should last about 2-3 months. 

Pinterest Knot

Just copying Pinterest hair like a boss. :)

I saw this knot on Pinterest and HAD to do it, so I figured it out from the picture. It looks gorgeous on curly and straight hair, incorporated into updos, french knotted into other knots-- so many possibilities. Comment if you're interested in a tutorial. :)

More Pinterest hair to come!

Vintage Romantic Photoshoot

Hair & Makeup: Christa Taylor

Model: Darby Miller

Wardrobe: Christa Taylor

Photography: Taylor Andrews (Heather Kesler)

Thanks to Taylor Andrews for the shoot opp! To book me for hair/makeup, see the Contact Me tab above. Let me know what you think. :)

High School Updos

I recently went again with my school to Mountain View High School doing free hairstyling, and their prom was the next day-- so that meant fun updos for me!

The first three are from the high school visit, so I had five to ten minutes per updo. The last one was a prom updo on Saturday (turns out we went to elementary school together!).

Had so much fun with these girls and their hair! Let me know what you think!


                                                           

Transformations #2: Kim

My friend Kim came up to me and announced that she wanted to chop her long, blonde hair into an a-line and become a redhead. So we did it!

Kim is an incredible illustration artist moving forward in her career, and a new daring change was exactly what she needed to feel more herself, fresh, and even more beautiful.

She had completely virgin blonde hair (meaning it had never, ever been colored--the hallelujah chorus to a hairstylist's ears) almost down to her waist. We cut it into a short, vintage bob style a-line and colored it with Redken 7RC (7 Red Copper). It turned out gorgeous, and it complements her  fantastic sense of style-- vintage chic. 

Go to "Join this site" in the top right to be notified about new posts. See the "Contact Me" tab to make an appointment, ask questions, or find out what fun things we could do with your hair. :)

I love it when people embrace big changes to their hair for the better. Sometimes it is so nice to have a fresh start. Thank you for letting me be part of your big change Kim! :)

Casual Autumn Photoshoot

I used my gorgeous sister as my model. The prep time was a little rushed, but the shoot turned out beautifully! Check out this lovely, casual look, with golds, browns, and reds to emphasize an autumn atmosphere (even though it was February when we shot this). :)

Nicholas French Class Creation

If you aren't familiar with Nicholas French, he is one of the top hairdressers in the world and is known particularly for his incredible Avant Garde creations. He assisted under Vidal Sassoon (probably THE number one name in the industry, completely revolutionized haircutting in the 1960's) for two years, has won several times at NAHA (North American Hairstyling Awards) and is almost iconic in the fashion/hair industry.

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to take an all-day, hands-on class with him when he came to my school to teach! We learned techniques, methods, and pointers from a so-nice-he-could-be-your-grandpa-avant-garde-mad-genius all day, and it doesn't get much better than that.

Here are a few pictures of Nicholas French's work, just to give you a taste of what the Avant Garde industry is like:
















This collection (above) was inspired by his trip to Asia, as can be seen by the thin, paper-like fabric, colors and background. He showed us how he created each one of these incredible hairpieces.



Yes, everything you see on top of those girls' hair is actually hair. Insane, right? He taught us how to create
this "blades of grass" technique, and I incorporated it into my own creation for the class. The model on the right's hairpiece was inspired by a car Nicholas saw in Detroit, he told us. It looks like the grill of the car and instantly says "high-end" with the yellow and black.



I hope by now you're either fainting in your chair or your jaw is on the floor, because these hairpieces are just wild! :) The two on the right incorporate the "blades of grass" technique, and the one on the left is several hairpieces put together. He showed us several of these techniques as well. Nick French is absolutely genius.


I really shouldn't post this for such dismal contrast, but here is a picture of the hairstyle I created as part of the class. It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to, but this picture shows the rose I created that did turn out great. Everyone loved it. I'd love to incorporate this into a formal or avant-garde look and do something with it.

Jessica - Wedding Day!

My childhood best friend Jessica got married last week, and I was privileged to get her ready for her big day! We had a great time catching up during our pre-appointments and on the big day, and it is so pleasing to see her marry her perfect match.

The lighting is poor, but here is the general look. :)

Hair and makeup by Christa.

Bridal Shoot - Beacon

This was originally shot for a nationwide competition, but is a great addition to my portfolio-- especially as I hope to have a strong emphasis on bridal work in my career! Many thanks to Stacia for being my pretend bride, and for hunting down a wedding dress to use for the shoot. Also thanks to Charolette Winder for stunning photography! Couldn't have done it without either of those lovely ladies!