I had a major event at work this week so blogging has taken a backseat—but I still wanted to do a little post for the weekend.
First, let’s talk about my hair. Some of you may remember that the last time I had my hair colored, I went back to add more lowlights. This time around, my blonde pulled way too yellow and the highlights were not distributed evenly, and to be honest, my hair just looked a little over-processed. I’m not sure how it happened, because my colorist is awesome, but sometimes these things just happen.
Basically, my hair looked way too high contrast. I favor a blended look so I went back this Friday to have more lowlights added to break up the blonde and to have my blonde toned down to a softer color. My colorist said that from now on we will use color instead of bleach to do my highlights.
Here is what I mean when I say the highlights were yellow:
So yean, not good. It is SO much softer and much more blended now (as you’ll see in the photos below and in my fitting room photos):
PHEW! The next time I have my hair done, I am really looking to get a look like Kate Beckinsale’s. I don’t want to go as dark as her on the top, because my natural color is lighter than hers, but I love the overall look of the soft, blended highlights poking out from underneath and on the sides (with way less of them focused at the top/crown/roots)
(Photos from JustJared)
Seriously Kate, can we all just have your hair?
Next, I wanted to share some fitting room photos from my recent shopping trip to Zara and J.Crew.
First, this gorgeous paisley No. 2 pencil skirt from J.Crew. I loved it, but for $148, I’m waiting for a sale. It fits just like the wool version:
Then I tried on some tops at Zara
(I got the second lilac tee-featured in today’s haul video and also the blue paisley tunic)
I liked the minty top above, but I wanted something even longer. I still have a great minty tank from Banana Republic from last season that I plan to wear a lot this spring/summer.
What else am I focusing on this week? Working on drafting ideas for my new blog design:
Relaxing before I start another big week (by reading People Style Watch, of course)
and H and I are about to enjoy delicious Five Guys burgers for dinner (I get mine without the bun, less guilt and I don’t miss the bread at all!)
What could be better?
xoxo,
Veronika.
PS— You can watch my latest haul video below (only if you want to!)
Patty [PRETTYGROUNDED] says
Your hair looks great in the after pic. Good for you for sticking up for yourself and making sure you like how you're hair looks. I really think – actually can tell- that Kate is wearing mega extension in those pics, but her color is lovely I agree.
CANT WAIT TO SEE YOUR NEW DESIGN!!! It looks very minimalist and chic.
xoxo
Patty
[email protected] says
thanks Patty 🙂 have a great weekend!
I agree 100%—if your hair doesn't turn out you have to go back—because believe me, your stylist wants you to be happy and your hair is a representation of their work so it should be great!
MJ @ Teaching in Heels says
Your hair looks great! I absolutely love Kate's hair. If only we could all be so lucky to have her hair 🙂
melissamevans says
Loved your video. Love the pink cardigan!!!
Where did you get your cross necklace, that you're wearing in your video? I love it!
[email protected] says
melissa— I always put the links to everything in the downbar of the video 🙂 it's by https://www.reginapierallini.com/
G. says
I like your hair!
G. says
I like your hair!
karebear304 says
Not sure if you saw the older version of the paisley pencil skirt, but it's on sale online at Jcrew – https://www.jcrew.com/AST/Navigation/Sale/AllProducts/PRDOVR~57494/99102538976/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~90~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~pencil/57494.jsp
[email protected] says
I will check it out, thank you!
karebear304 says
Not sure if you saw the last year's version of the paisley pencil skirt, but it's on sale on JCrew's website – https://www.jcrew.com/AST/Navigation/Sale/AllProducts/PRDOVR~57494/99102538976/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~90~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~pencil/57494.jsp
Andrea Clare says
The new hair is definitely much more natural looking, very pretty! I wish I had the self control to order a burger without the bun but I would be so jealous of my boyfriends bun I would probably end up begging for some of his! P.S How are your at home workouts going?
https://www.andrea-clare.blogspot.com/
[email protected] says
thanks 🙂 I am sill just doing bar method twice a week…haven't gotten into the groove of it all yet!
amanda says
Good for you for going back and sticking up for you and your hair! You always find the cutest things at J.Crew, I love that skirt but I'm glad you're waiting for it to go on sale, it'll be even more beautiful at a lower price 😉
By the way, I was at the J.Crew outlet near me today, and your beloved jelly flats were on sale for $20! I think I remember you saying you have outlets near you, I'm not sure if the sale is on there as well but it can't hurt to call!
[email protected] says
thanks amanda 🙂 I have two pairs already, love em!
Trishelle says
Jutsboughtthat exact jcrew top your wearing with the pink on top, and have mod about you on my nails currently as I type., ha! great minds!
http://Www.xoxotrishelle.blogspot.com
[email protected] says
great minds indeed 🙂 have a great weeken trishelle!
alison*elle says
I love your new hair, Veronika! Kate's hair is perfect… can definitely see that looking great on you too even if you don't go as dark on top. Those Zara tees look super soft; are they?
xo, alison*elle
[email protected] says
thanks allison 🙂 the lilac tops actually both have a little bit of texture to them, they aren't super soft like plain cotton tees
Erin Leigh says
Yes! Veronica DOES need another cute, pink cardi! 🙂 good haul vid. Excited to see the bench!
– Erin Leigh
Christian says
I wanted to ask how you like your tory burch flats? Are they comfy?
*Reeny* says
I love your hair! I think little darker looks better on you anyaway, but you have a wonderful hair always, you are my hair inspiration! xx
Lior says
turned out A-mazing!!! really.
Schnelle says
I love Kate's hair too. I think her color would look great on you.
Honeysuckle says
Omg that happened to me once.. Imagine over processed blonde highlights on black hair. Yuck. I was mortified!! But luckily it can be fixed. Whew! You're hair looks great now, it looks really natural and soft!
Tali says
I love the top you are wearing in the video. Actually in general i pretty much love and want everything I see you wear. Nearly drove my self to insanity trying to get that lulu lemon top in the color you had with the holes for the thumbs lol
Love your hair. I know the look you are going for. My hair is a little like that for now but not for long.. hair dressers next week! xx
Nicole says
I took a Kate pic to get my color done and my stylist suggested ballyage (sp?). It's a two step for me at least, but the concept is to get the darker top you tease and they do something with color around that. My base is a little ashy so I have to get a darker color added, but it has the look you're going for and was less expensive. Love your current color though 🙂
Meg O. says
I had a similar hair situation this week. She put lowlights in and they pulled orange-y… (I probably should have clarified that I wanted the lowlights to be my natural color). I went back and she fixed and toned it but it's still too much for my liking. I hate to go back a third time (and figuring out how to leave the baby), so I plan on doing some lowlights on my own. I've done it before with much success (I actually used to highlight/color my own hair all the time but it's so time consuming and I'm a stinking perfectionist so it was easier to go to the salon). Love the idea of the brighter highlights being underneath (mine kind of looks like that right now). You pull it off so well!
Sarah says
Have you heard of Piloxing? I ordered a home workout DVD and the very lightly weighted gloves from piloxing.com last week and so far I'm really loving it. I've been doing a Pilates equipment class for 4 days a week for about a year now, but I've been skipping cardio. This DVD is pretty fun, as far as cardio goes. I'd highly recommend it if you're still looking for something to add to your Bar Method workout.
Beautygirl24 says
Great buys as usual! You always score beautiful things at zara! I wish we had one closer to where I live. I'd be there constantly!
Di says
Love the tunic and it looks great on you! I just look silly in tunics.
Jen says
I just love reading your blog! I am curious though; when you called the salon to tell them that you aren't thrilled with the color, how do you word it? Did you request that it be done for free? I have been seeing the same hair dresser for about 3 years now, and I LOVE her, she typically does a great job! I have long, dark brown hair and I typically get blended, copper highlights in…BUT, on Friday night I went in for my regular appt. and took a pic of Rachel Bilson's ombre color in – my stylist said she was going to highlight the under layers of my hair and leave the top dark. Well, I didn't really love it when I left – I was expecting a much bigger change, but really all you can see is my brown hair with a bit of blonde at the ends if I flip the under layer forward – and the next day I foudn that I REALLY didn't love it when I pulled my hair back and the whole bottom half is stripey blonde and top half is brown. The next business day they are open is tomorrow – I need to call and see if I can get in for a fix, as clearly my stylist and I had different interpretations of the look, but I'm nervous! I don't want to hurt her feelings, and I certainly don't want to pay for it again!
[email protected] says
Jen—I emailed my stylist and sent her photos of my highlights and told her that they turned out a bit too blonde/yellow and that I wanted them broken up with more lowlights.
You shouldn't have to request that it be done for free, they should do it for free because they didn't do what you asked for (you brought a photo, your hair does not look like the photo and your stylist did not tell you that it was not possible to make your hair like the photo—if she told you that, it would be a different story).
You don't have to worry about hurting her feelings, just be polite about it and tell her you were really expecting A and you got B and how can you fix it? She should not charge you. My stylist has never charged me to make adjustments. I am a loyal client and I send clients to her because I really like her, so if she were to charge me for a mistake that was not my fault, it wouldn't make sense. Hopefully your stylist feels the same way.
[email protected] says
one more comment Jen—Ombre is a difficult technique to master for a lot of stylists—you should ask her if she is trained in doing balayage which is a popular technique for ombre hair.
Jen says
Thanks V! I ended up calling this morning….I expressed to her that I was really unhappy with how stripey the highlights were along with their placement(and did notice in the fluorescent lighting at work this morning, that some of them are very yellow) and that I just didn’t feel that my hair looked ANYthing like the photos I had brought in. She’s booked solid til next Tuesday, so I took the next available appointment and they also promised to call me if they had any cancellations this week. I’ve been going to her for a long time and have referred tons of people to her, so they seemed more than happy to get me in for a fix.
My hair dresser is usually spot on with stuff and she really keeps up with the latest trends – she travels a lot, going to continuing ed. seminars for color, etc. BUT, you may be right…perhaps she just can’t master this technique on my hair. I’m just going to ask her to be brutally honest as to whether or not she thinks she can get it to look the way I want it to. She typically is very straightforward with me, so hopefully this was just an error in communication and we can get it straightened out.
Sara says
Hi V- love your black skinny pants you're wearing- where did you get them? Are they denim?