French twist updo

This time I have a more positive experience to share :) Last Friday, I went to a hair saloon to have my trial wedding updo done. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone since I also needed an updo for a cousin's wedding, and the hair stylist promised me to do something a bit different for a trial so that the updos wouldn't be exactly the same and I could have something unique for the wedding day.

My stylist was Miss Ania, a very nice and cheerful girl who listened carefully to my expectations and tried to follow as closely as possible. Obviously, the result had to differ slightly from the photo I took there as an inspiration, because my hair is different to the model's, but I didn't mind a bit of originality.

Unfortunately the photos from my cousin's wedding are on my parents' camera, but I was quite pleased with the effect apart from the fact that there was WAY too much hairspray in my hair, even for updos' standards.

Today I went again to have my ends cut so I can grow long, healthy and strong hair, but as soon as Miss Ania saw me, she suggested doing another trail updo since I wasn't entirely happy with the last one. She convinced me it's better not to leave any changes for the day of the wedding, and I think she was right. She also listened to my hairspray concerns and some other suggestions I had and, after cutting the ends, came up with this:

Basically, it's another variation of a French twist. You can still see some bobby pins, but they will be covered under delicate flower decoration for the big day. I really like the messy effect and the loose strands, I think they add some personality to the updo and make it look more natural. Plus, there's actually very little hairspray in the hair, so it all looks and feels very soft, but is still quite sturdy because of the pins which don't hurt at all!

Yes, that's my natural hair color, but I think it looks so shiny because of the camera flash...

At the front, she created a loose wave and pinned the lock to the left. I think this will go really well with a delicate veil and the 40's inspired make-up look I'm planning. All in all, a happy customer!

On a different note, yesterday I went for a facial. I was really impressed with the customer service at the beauty saloon I visited and actually enjoyed the experience. A beauty therapist diagnosed my skin as oily (of course) but dehydrated, and suggested an exfoliation using ultrasounds to get rid of the dirt clogging my pores, which is recommended even for sensitive skin types, and then an intensive retinol therapy under an algae mask to aid the skin in healing any scars or blemishes. At the end, she applied a vitamin A cream which smelled divine, like a mix of marzipan and meringue. Yum!

My skin felt really refreshed and hydrated afterwards, but it was a bit irritated because of the exfoliation. Today all the redness is practically gone and I haven't noticed any new breakouts, so yay for that! I think I might go for the ultrasound exfoliation from time to time to help even out my skin texture, but the retinol therapy is unfortnately too expensive for a hard-working student :)

How do you like the updo? Have a lovely Friday evening everyone! xxx