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Category Archives: pin ups


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Wedding Preparations

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The beauty of living and working in such a stunning location is that there is an absence of  a “wedding season.” Loving couples are constantly tying the knot at the many exquisite hotels in the Lake District. A majority of my happy couples do not hail from Cumbria and are travelling with their nearest and dearest to enjoy a wonderful day celebrating their relationship. This is a glorious treat for everyone involved to spend time in the picturesque Lakes, however planning for what is the most magical day of your life is made extremely hard when dealing with so many unknowns. Who is the best supplier for cakes, hair, makeup, flowers etc. ? This is a huge issue as unreliable or unsatisfactory service in these areas threatens to ruin your big day.

Many Hotels do have dedicated wedding coordinators who are often a great source of information. Many hotels offer recommendations in their brochures. I would urge you to discuss your requirements with the staff as well as read the marketing material and always bear in mind that the bigger the marketing advert does not always correlate to the best service for you!

My advice is ask the suppliers you find first to recommend other professionals. I have worked this area for over twelve years and last year completed over 120 weddings! For this reason I always am brutally honest about who I will vouch for with regards other suppliers as I want the best for my customers. Also it always creates a much more relaxed friendly atmosphere if the suppliers are familiar with each other,used to working together and compliment each other. For example I work with many photographers and can recommend them based on your personality. I even know how each like to arrange the room and can save them having to do it when they get there. Makeup artists and myself work well together and with many we have a system that works well and keeps everything ticking away in a relaxed manner! All of the suppliers have seen it all and are aware of each others strengths and can help guide you to find a “fit” for your requirements.

Planning is such a major part of the process and I can’t stress enough the importance of drawing on the “locals” knowledge. Plus, if you get all the pieces in the right place, the suppliers are all professionals in their field and the day will run smoothly!

Happy Planning!

Ashley x


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Bridal Hair

wedding hair 2014

 

This article is brought by Ashley Taylor of Greg Malloy Hairdressing Penrith. This month she talks through bridal Hair and the many choices brides face preparing for their big day.

This season has exploded with weddings in the Lake District and people are coming from far and wide to marry in Cumbria’s beautiful churches and exquisite hotels. This year yet again there is a shift in bridal hair design. For years I have had numerous brides recreating the Kate Middleton wedding style which was simple and elegant, however not always compatible with Cumbrian weather! This year the move is more towards “hair up” and this for me is much more suited both the weather and the busy and often stressful situation of a wedding day.

Brides need to consider where photos are being taken, if outside will you want to be panicking about your hair flying around in the breeze? Are you commuting from one venue to another which again can affect the longevity of the hairdo? Is there a veil and are you going to wear it all day or not? Many of my past and future brides venture onto a boat as part of their day. This is lovely …but…you may look like you have been dragged through a bush by tea-time!

Then there is the dress. The neckline will dictate the hairstyle and a brides physical attributes will also affect this. For example a bride with a nice slim neck and shoulder line will want to wear her hair up to accentuate these features. You can soften the look with dropped pieces of hair around the face and neck. Smaller brides may want hair placed higher on their head with detail at the top to lengthen their whole image.

This year there is a move towards hair braids and hair twists. This is a much softer and more bohemian look and works really well for people who prefer less structured looks and a more natural approach to their image. I think this works well with flowers in hair and even ribbon/material woven through the hair. Many with this look will opt for detailed clips/flowers or flatter less bulky headpieces as this image doesn’t always work with large tiaras which are more suited to more classical bridal styles. I would always advise a practice as it really puts a bride at ease to know what she is having and also to check tour initial hair plans are suited to you, your dress and plans for the day. As with dress hunting, people have ideas of hairstyles that don’t work when sampled! Brides often end up having a style that they didn’t think they would as tastes change once you start experimenting with styles and this is why a practice is very important. It is important to get it right for you as you will have to view these pictures for years to come and want to know that you won’t wince at your choice of style after a few anniversaries!


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Wedding hair preparations.

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Brides spend much time deliberating over the special hairstyle for their big day. However once the decision is made we need to think about how best to prepare our hair to make it look its most shiny, bouncy and healthy.

I always advise a small trim about a fortnight before the wedding. This refreshes ends and revitalises the hair.

If a brides hair is coloured and dry i would advise a treatment. This normally can be achieved by using a deep conditioner for a few weeks leading up to the wedding day. However brides need to not use it the wash before their wedding hair up as it may look greasy and be too soft!

I advise most brides not to have their hair freshly washed for their wedding hair as grips slip from the hair more easily and the hair can often be too soft to manipulate into style.

 


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easy pin ups

topknot 

This article is brought by Ashley Taylor of Greg Malloy Hairdressing Penrith. This month she talks through pinning up hair and quick and easy solutions for getting your hair up.

Early this year I wrote about the upcoming hairstyles and touched on the pin up looks that are going to be hot this year. Whilst plaits and tousled hair are in this spring we will see much hair tied up as it is not yet quite bright or warm enough to release our locks! Getting your hair up and looking fashionable is now not as hard as it once was. As the current fashion is messy and unstructured  this makes our lives easier.

One way to pin is to twist sections at the side and then secure with pins at the base of the neck. This can be easily done with one section each side or you could take numerous smaller sections to build a more detailed look. This is good for hair that is wavy/curly.

A simple pleat can be created by gathering your hair in a ponytail at the back of your neck in your hands and twisting it upwards until you have a sausage shaped piece of hair running vertically up the back of your head. Then you hold the hair in place whilst putting pins in horizontally across the pleat into the crease. Any hair left at the top of the roll can be fanned out to give a soft look. You can also buy decorative crocodile type clips that will hold the entire roll without the need for grips. This look is ideal for all ages.

A great way to secure a pin-up is to start with a ponytail. Then place pieces of the ponytail in little rolls and pin or scrunch sections and pin for a rougher effect. A really good way to secure the ponytail is to use a small elastic hairband (although I often use horse plaiting bands as they are stronger!) and pop two Kirby grips on it. Gather the hair into a ponytail and whilst holding it pop the Kirby grip into the base of the ponytail then wrap the elastic around the ponytail whist keeping your thumb on top of the inserted grip you must do at least one rotation around then pop the remaining grip into the base of the ponytail also. This is a more secure way than the traditional method and often gives an instant facelift!! A really current trend for the younger generation this spring is the top knot which would start with a secure ponytail and then twist the ponytail and wrap it around its own base and pin it. This season the higher this is placed the better!!!


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festival hair!

This month Greg Malloy Hairdressing will be hosting the first dedicated Hairdressing facility at Kendal Calling and with this in mind Greg Malloy reflects on what Britain’s festival clientele will be demanding and looking at the festival fashions of 2014!

The first rule of festivals is make sure your hair is washed the night before as whether or not you intend to do your hair yourself or pop to the hair tent it needs not to be too freshly washed for most of the popular hair styles. Experiment with hair accessories before the main event to see what suits. It may be head scarves/garlands/head band or feathers.

This year plaits are massively popular and a great option for day 1 of your festival. If left in overnight then removed you will have a boho wavy look for the next phase of the festival! There are some really interesting plaiting techniques and many wind all around the head in halo effects which are novel and hip! The fishtail plait over one shoulder is always popular. Anything too neat is out so bear that in mind.

Rainbow hair is the biggest festival trend this year and it is often coupled with plaits. This is achieved either by pre-lightening then using semi-colours in pastel shades that will last 6-8 washes or by using hair chalks which any hairdressing stand will be offering. These are great as they only last a few washes but you can get very creative with them!

Garlands are always popular but many find them too clumpy so an alternative is loose flowers woven into hair using a twisting or plaiting technique. Another popular look for the more edgy, grungy festival goer is to have feathers put into their hair.

Unless you have paid for upgraded washing facilities you will feel dirty so remember that hair up will last better and get less dirty during the festival and that dry shampoo is your best friend at a festival!

Those of you heading off to Kendal do not fear as we will offer all of the above so there is little excuse to look anything but on trend at Kendal this year!!

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