No-heat hair curling: the sock method

I'm trying out a new no-heat hair curling method today called the Sock Method. I tried this method the other day, but I didn't like how the ends turned out; they were more "kinked" than they were "curled" {although I'm thinking it was mostly user error :}. So I'm trying it again today...

And if nothing else it's kind of a cute way to pull up the hair for a twist on a "professional" hairstyle. {DC is a pretty conservative working city, so for many {incl yours truly} that generally means the fun, funkier hairsyles are reserved for after hours and weekends.}

I'll report back later with an update on the outcome of the curling powers of the sock method.

* Update: well, the sock method produced cute sassy curls for about two hours... and then the curls completely fell out.   I didn't get a chance to take any pictures since, by the time I was ready, my curls were pretty much all gone. So between the "hair halo" and the sock method, the "hair halo" has taken a strong lead in big-soft-curls department.  I'm have yet to try the sock method as an overnight hair curling method, but I will try tonight and report back tomorrow with an update {or pictures if it produces lasting curls}.

Sweet dreams!

*Title: This is not Miami by Sander Kleinenberg

Happy, happy, happy Friday, by beloved!!

Would you go along with someone like me

Loving mixtures of gold and silver.  And I love the nail trends right now, especially painting the ring fingers different from the rest!  This glittery top coat is so much fun and the options are endless for colors it can be paired with.

Here's what I did:
* Two coats O.P.I. Innsbruck Bronze polish {on all fingers}
* Two coats O.P.I. Only Gold For Me gold glitter top coat on ring fingers
* One coat O.P.I. top coat {over all fingers}

* Note: Be sure to use a base coat if wearing the glitter top coat on it's own - the gold flakes really stick to the nail bed without {lesson learned}.

* Ring: new design - pearl cluster ring from beloved by lindsay

* Title: lyrics from Young Folks from Peter, Bijorn and John

Is it Friday yet...?!

Destination Unknown

I turned 35 this year, at the beginning of September. I was a little anxious about my birthday this year and undecided about how to celebrate.  But all anxiety and indecision was thrown out the window when my friend, James, took me on a surprise road trip for my birthday weekend. James didn't tell me anything about where we were going! We loaded up the car on Friday morning and hit the road...

Four hours later {in record time} Destination #1 became known: NYC!!!

James got us tickets to the Electric Zoo concert on Randall's Island where some of our favorite DJ's were performing live: Carl Cox, Benny Benassi, Victor Calderone, MSTRKRFT, and TIESTO, just to name a few.  I didn't do a great job taking pictures at Electric Zoo :( TIESTO's set - one of my all time fav DJ's! More TIESTO Carl Cox and Victor Calderone turned out amazing sets too.  We danced our asses off, and the next morning we were back on the road for Destination #2 Unknown... We drove North through Pennsylvania and New York and marveled in how beautiful the hills and trees are as Fall is starting to set in.  Several hours later we crossed the border to Destination #2 known: TORONTO!! Toronto skyline CN Tower Retro graffiti Cool street art Toronto's Old City Hall Random bagpiper on Queen Street Toronto is a cool, hip city. I'll definitely be going back.  We ate great food, heard great music and danced til we {I} literally couldn't stand any more.  On our last day, we decided to rent bikes from BIXI, Toronto's bike share program.  We rode all over the city starting with Toronto's Distillery District.  And as we ride up, this is what we see! This is Michael Christian's Kolios art sculpture.  Michael Christian first made this sculpture for Burning Man in 2007.  The Destination Unknown trip that James planned was, in part, a Burning Man alternative for me as I was pretty sad that I was not able to go this year. I have gone the last four consecutive years, with my virgin year being in 2007 when Kolios first graced the playa.  Check out Michael Christian's website--you can see Kolios both in Toronto's Distillery District as on the playa at Burning Man Festival. Chilling at Balzac's Coffee Roasters in the Distillery District.  The Distillery District is a really cute area.  Local vendors come out selling art and crafts.  The area is pedestrian only and full of cute shops, cafes, restaurants and lounges. And terrific people watching. Distillery District shops James, captain of el road trip! We stopped at Fuzion restaurant for a late afternoon drink and this bee was chilling on our table for the longest time!  He was just walking around the table checking stuff out.  I've never seen a bee behave that way before; I must have taken over 20 pictures of him. Regretfully our trip had to come to an end, but on the way home we took a detour to visit Niagara Falls.  James and I had never been--it's really pretty impressive! It's incredible how close to the falls the lookout points are on the Canadian side of the falls.  This photo isn't zoomed in at all and the water is probably only 20 feet away... and it's surprisingly green. View of the falls from the Canadian side, looking towards the US side.  James and I at Niagara Falls.  {look I'm sporting the hair halo. :) James, you are an amazing friend, travel companion, dance partner, co-conspirator of fun and craziness and an overall amazing person.  You bring so much joy, laughter, fun and silliness to people's life.  Your generosity and love for your friends knows no bounds; and even though you lied about the marshes of ptown that one time, I'm still grateful that you are my solid!  You are beloved, by me.

* Title: road trip theme song Destination Unknown by Alex Gaudino Feat. Christal Waters - Destination Calabria

Happy Friday, my beloved!!

How to find your ring size

Shopping online for jewelry is F-U-N!!  But shopping online for rings can be a pain if you don't know your ring size.  And if you're like most people, you probably don't have a ring sizer laying around.  Luckily finding your ring size without a sizer is fairly easy to do!

From beloved by lindsay

What do you need:
* A ring that fits you comfortably--the ring you measure with should be snug enough so that it will not fall off or slide around too much, but loose enough to slide over your knuckle
* A ruler, preferably one that measures in millimeters
* Ring size chart

Measuring your ring:
Using the ruler, measure the ring across the middle from the INSIDE of the band; measuring from the outside of the band will cause your new ring to be too large. 

If you're measuring a comfort ring, be sure to measure from the inner most part of the ring. 

If your ring falls in-between two sizes, it's better to go up a size to ensure the ring is not too small. 

TIP--take several measurements to ensure an accurate reading of your size.

An example of measuring the diameter of a ring.

The inside of this ring is just shy of 17mm making it a size 6 1/2.

Once you have your measurement, use the ring size chart to find your size!

That's all you need folks! Happy Shopping!

{shameless plug... check out belovedbylindsay.com}

Lovely feeling, slippy breathing

I just finished this custom ring for my amazing friend Lynn; and I had to share, it's GORGEOUS!! 

Thank you, Lynn, for letting me show off your new beloved treasure! xo

* 24ct gold handmade tripple band

* Swarovski crystals hand wrapped in 24ct gold wire

Title: lyrics from I Believe by Sophie Ellis- Bextor

See more at beloved by lindsay

Last Night's Sunset Was Amazing

We had the most beautiful sunset last night!  I was glad I had my camera on me and could get a few shots. 

And a rainbow crossed the sky for about 10 minutes...

T G I F !!

Say Goodbye to Hot Rollers and Hello to the "Hair Halo"

I love big soft curls, but standing in the bathroom with a curling iron or putting in hot rollers can be a time-consuming pain!  I'm the queen of multi-tasking so when I have to use the curling iron {which means I can't really be doing anything else} I tend to get bored and don't often get a full head of curls. Plus the DC weather is so humid most of the year that by the time I get to the metro in the mornings {which is only a 10 minute walk} my curls are usually kaput!

So I was ecstatic when I came across the YouTube post How to get Vintage Style Curls without Heat by thelipstickdiaries.  I modified the instructions somewhat to get my version of soft luscious no-heat curls with minimal time in front of the mirror.

I call this the "Hair Halo"

What do you need:

* A stretchy headband

* 10 minutes

Brush out your hair and part it where you would normally wear your part. Today I did the part a little off to the side, but generally I part it down the middle. Pull the stretchy headband over the crown of your head over top of your hair.

{apologies for the missing faceplate on my light switch in some of  these photos!! I'm getting ready to have the house painted this weekend!}

Starting from the front, take a small section of hair and wrap it once around the headband.

Continue taking small sections of hair and wrapping the hair around the headband. You will do this on both sides, moving from the front of your head to the back.

When you get to the back of your head, slide the wrapped hair on the left side towards your left ear; do the same on the right side {towards your right ear}. You want to open up space on your headband for wrapping the remaining back sections of hair.

{apologies for the bra straps in these shots!!  My bathroom can get mighty hot when I have the heat lamp on!}

When you have two sections of hair remaining, take one section of hair and wrap it around the headband several times until all the hair is wrapped and the ends are tucked under the headband. Repeat the same process with the other section of hair.

This is what it looks like from the back when you have all the sections wrapped around the headband.

Lift the headband off your forehead and move it onto the crown of your head.  Now you have the "Hair Halo" {which actually can be a cute look worn intentionally, especially when done a little bit messy}.

When I get to the office 40 minutes later {or wherever I'm going}...

Remove the headband and...

VOILA!!

**I ran my fingers through the curls to separate them a bit.

When I leave the office today, I'll redo the "Hair Halo" for my commute home, especially if I have after-work plans.  Works great on 2 or 3 day old {i.e. not freshly washed} hair as well!!

What I'm wearing:

* Silver earrings by beloved by lindsay - from the pure silver collection {pictures available soon}

* Pearl cluster ring by beloved by lindsay {pictures available soon}

* Green silk camisole by Saja

* Gold silk suit I had custom made in Thailand

* Nail polish: Frankly I Don't Give A-Dam by Sephora for O.P.I. from the fall 2011 collection

Happy Thursday, my beloved.