Weddings!

So last weekend I was in Florida for my beautiful cousin Brooke's wedding. Mind you - I haven't been to a wedding since I was 16 and it was in Mexico (which was more of a vacay and then someone so happened to get married). Prior to that I was about 4 or 5 and in my aunts wedding.

But for Brookie's wedding, I had the honor of being a brides maid. I couldn't wait to stand up there with her! The getting ready process started around 11 am and went until right before the ceremony at 5 pm. I absolutely LOVE taking forever to get ready for big events! Especially when you're surrounded by a bunch of fabulous women to laugh with, drink champagne with, and occasionally cry with (happy tears!).

I'm kicking myself now because I failed to document the process, but I am going to try and recreate - step by step - the makeup and hair I did for my sister and I in the next post. For now, below is all I have.

If you ever need special event hair, let me know! Enjoy :)

My hair

I ended up tucking the bangs back more

The back of mine

Danielle's - My fave!

I know it's not a lot, but more details will come soon!

live beautifully
xoxo
ash

Selfies

Awww the selfie. Don't lie. Whether it's taking a picture of your new outfit, prom dress, or drunken duck face, we've all done it. Origination: MySpace. Back in the day when it was hot to take serious mirror pics; emphasizing boobs, booty and killer abs. No, today the mirror selfie is nearly extinct (guys - take note - it's pretty douchey to only have pics of your abs). Thanks to Instagram, the modern day selfie is artsy, creative, and generally makes anyone look decent. Nothing can boost your self confidence more than seeing 20+ likes on Instagram or take it away faster than a selfie. Conceited? Yeah kind of. BUT if you're gonna selfie (ya...I just made it a verb) you rock that selfie and own it.

So, in honor of the word becoming a part of the Oxford dictionary (what is this world coming to?!)  I've decided to share some of my legendary selfies. Enjoy. 

Definition:

Syllabification: (sel·fie)
Pronunciation: /ˈselfē/
(also selfy)

noun (plural selfies)
informal

a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website:
occasional selfies are acceptable, but posting a new picture of yourself everyday isn't necessary

The "I'm so sexual at 16" inappropriate MySpace Selfie

The "I'm exhausted but some boy wanted a picture" Selfie

The "How did I make a GIF and have no idea, but this is cool and it's St. Patrick's Day" Selfie

The "I didn't know my glasses where crooked until now" Selfie

The "So then I fixed them, took most of my face out, and filtered the sh*t out of it" Selfie

The "I'm on a date with a cute boy, I should document this, and my hair looks awesome" Selfie

The "What do my friends think of my dress" Selfie

The "Capture how blue my eyes are/duck face/high school throw back" Selfie

The intentional "Let's take a selfie for the purpose of taking a selfie" Selfie

The "Sexual, hungry, possibly constipated" Selfie

The "I feel skinny betches and I'm a Senior - Zero F*cks" Selfie

The "I'm going to be artistic and make a statement about beauty" Selfie

The "Let's be honest, my hair looks fab and I'm feeling hot" Selfie

There ya go. Some are slightly embarrassing. But hey, if you're gonna selfie and share, you better own that selfie. Let haters hate. Do what makes you feel good. And hey - Van Gogh selfied too. 

P.S. Ya - I made selfie a verb.

Polished

Long time no post! It's crazy to think that the last time I posted something was almost a month ago! Shame on me...Because I have been crazy busy with the start of my last quarter in college (woah...), I've decided to go ahead and just pick a few of my favorite manicures I've done =] Enjoy! 

You can follow me on instagram @ ashleycraven3. I also have my own hashtag: #cravennails

I was obsessed with this one for a good two weeks...that's a long time for me ;)
My favorite nude. From O.P.I.'s German Collection, "Don't Pretzel my Buttons"
Silver sparkles from Amazon

I was feelin' a bit nautical! And bored in class when I took this...
It looks black in the pic, but Essie's "bobbing for baubles"
Yellow: Sinful Colors, "Unicorn"
Gems from Amazon

Abstract Chevron
This one took a looong time. I didn't even try to do my right hand, but it's so flashy and different!
Blue: Nina Ultra Pro, "Blue Blaze"
Hot Pink (pic doesn't do justice): Nina Ultra Pro, "Punki Pink"
Copper Tape from Amazon

So festive! Loved this gold. Felt like the holidays
Base Nude: Revlon's, "Sheer Petal"
Sparkles from Amazon

My first attempt at marble nails ever. Cleaned up as best I could, but what can you do..
Light Blue: Sephora by O.P.I.'s "Havana Dreams"
The main darker blue (there's about 5 colors in there though) is Essie's "Butler Please"

My favorite top coat at the moment is Nina Ultra Pro (from Sally Beauty). It gives it a nice thick layer and I've never had chipping issues.

As for my base coat, at the moment I use China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat (also from Sally Beauty), but that's almost out and I'll most likely be in search of a new one!


I have plenty more to come!

Live beautifully :)
Ash

Buns on Buns on Buns

Ahhh I love buns! The go-to for when you haven't washed your hair for three days...wait...what?! They're fabulous because you look super chic, they take 30 seconds (unless you decide to do a crazy braid...above...) AND you're most likely going to get a compliment. Boom.

So lets explore the multiple ways of a sock bun - minus using an actual sock. I don't find it appealing to put a sock in your hair, plus - I haven't run into many long blonde colored socks lately.

Let's stick to the $5 mesh thing some genius invented and is now making loads of money. As I just discovered when I typed into Google "sock bun mesh thing," the technical term is "Mesh Chignon." Fancy! You can purchase one for around $4 at Sally Beauty. They're also at Charming Charlies, Claire's, and I'm sure Walgreen's and Walmart are carrying them now too.

Top Left Bun - Good for shorter hair
Step 1: Place your hair in a pony tail - I like mine a bit higher because they look better straight on
Step 2: Pull hair through the donut until at the top of the head
Step 3: Allow your hair to fall over the donut - covering it so you can't see it
Step 4: Place an additional hair band over the hair covering the bun
Step 5: separate the excess into two sections and pin around bun.

Simple and cute! I feel like a ballerina with this one

Top Middle Bun - Medium to long hair

Step 1: Put your hair up in a pony tail - preferably higher

Step 2: Pull hair through the donut until at the top of the head

Step 3: Slowly slide the donut back up your pony tail (to get all the strands in) and hold the donut and hair at the end farthest away from you:

Step 4: Slowly roll the rest of your hair and donut down towards your head. It's ok if it's not perfect - but keep shoving your hair into the ring

Step 5: I always end up twisting my bun around to hide the mesh and keep tucking

Little more skill set required, but this is my favorite bun because it's big! I personally like it a little loose and messy too. Go for the, "Doesn't look hard, but kind of was, relaxed, yet put together" look

Top Right Bun - Long hair

This one isn't easy to do, but it's so gorgeous. I will do my best to explain - I wish it was easier to take pictures of the back of your head

Step 1: Part your hair down the middle

Step 2: Where the part ends and the hair falls the way it does to the back - begin parting your hair down on each side - the same width that your neck is

Step 3: Tie that in a low pony

Step 4: With the excess hair - Put it up like you would the start of any normal bun like above - put in pony

Step 5: THE TRICKY PART - flip over and let the low pony out - start french braiding the back of your head all the way to the ends - put a little clip or bobby pin to prevent it from coming out

Step 6: Make middle bun above.

Step 7: Wrap the braid around your bun

Voilà!!!

Natural Nails

It wasn't until earlier this year when I really started getting into nail polish. I literally went through a crazy buying phase and quickly stocked up my collection! My dad thought I had an addiction...so did all of my friends...I can admit now I did and still kind of do..but less intense. We're talking glitter, rhinestones, dotting tools, specialty brushes, the whole shebang. I don't know what came over me. Thankfully, I'm growing out of the buying phase - mainly because I have all the colors I want now.

Anyways - my aunt used to do acrylics back in the day and now just does them on the side for family and friends. We're talking old school! None of that glue on the tip and sand down your real nail (ouch), but building up and hand filing the acrylic. Dedication I tell ya! It's definitely a process to get your fake nails to finally look like real nails, but I've reached that point! And aren't they pretty?! =]

As you can see, my real middle nail is a bit shorter than the acrylic - that's because I always manage to somehow ding that one. 

Why acrylic nails? Why not?! I've always loved my aunts nails and thought they'd look good on my too! Unlike my sister, who is gifted with beautiful long fingers and nails that can grow out without breaking, I have to reach out for some help. But hey! When someone asks me if they're real, they kind of are, they just have a plastic armor over them ;)

Here they are now with some pretty, slightly sparkly, kind of opal OPI color - I'll have to get the name later.

Usually I have some kind of crazy design or sparkle on them, but I'm feelin' the natural at the moment.

I'll post more of my crazy designs later!

xoxo

Ash

An Introduction

Hi there! The name's Ashley - 22 - graduating - attempting to have a big girl job - while all the while indulging in my girlie side. As my friends and family could tell you, beauty is my thing. I love doing hair, makeup and nails. For the most part, figuring out different styles comes naturally to me. I take pictures of most of the things I do and I figured, why not blog about it?! If not for the whole internet, I might as well do it for myself. A look book, if you will :)

So look forward to pics, how-to's and inspiration. I'm excited to start!