KC emailed me this week with a common hair concern…

I have a hair appointment scheduled for this Saturday morning, and I’m itching to go dark. I’ve been blonde my whole life (started highlighting when I was about 16, my natural color is an ashy/dirty blonde), but am tired of the upkeep, and just want to try something new. My complexion is fair, so I’m concerned about looking too washed out if I go dark. Any recommendations/photo examples of what I should do??

I’ve always felt like blondes were lucky because it’s MUCH easier to be blonde and go dark than it is to be a brunette (like me) and go blonde.  There’s a perfect shade for everyone, you just have to find the method that’s right for you.

Here are a few tips for taking your blonde hair dark…

1) Start with lowlights. If you don’t want to dramatically change from one color to the next, weave some lowlights into your hair and increase them over the next few appointments.  It’ll darken your look while maintaining lots of dimension in your locks.

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2) Stick to neutral shades. Hair colors come with three undertones: cool, neutral, and warm.  For your first time going dark, stick to shades with a neutral undertones and you won’t wash out.  After living with your neutral color for a while, you can decide if you want to adjust your color to a warmer or cooler shade.

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3) Go dark on the bottom. Cut down on the upkeep by only highlighting the top of your hair  and going for a darker shade all-over on the lower half of your hair.

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Hope this helps, KC!  Please send pictures of the final product, I’d love to see :)

Readers: help KC out!  Which of these looks do you like best?

Wow, this week has just flown by, don’t you think?!  I’m looking forward to this weekend… we’re taking a little road trip to visit my brother and cheer him on during his first half marathon!  (Hopefully it goes much better than mine did, haha.)

I’ve got some fun surprises set for the blog next week, so make sure to check back on Monday :)

Let’s kick the weekend off right with some fun links from around the web!

Obsessed with this braided updo!

Easy DIY votives…

Trav and I tried out a similar recipe this week and it was delish!  (We added bacon and grilled onions :)

Sweet doorstop.

I love when ladies post weekly pregnancy updates… so cute!

How cozy is this mug sweater?

This home would be the perfect spot for a dreamy weekend getaway…

Is it bad that I’m already reeeeeallly excited for Christmas?

Boot lust!

For more fun finds, follow me on Pinterest…

What are you up to this weekend?  Any fun plans?  Got some links of your own to share?  Comment below!

One thing I love about my day job as a hair and makeup artist is that I get to see all kinds of beautiful weddings.  It blows me away how creative and unique each celebration can be.  A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of working with Ingrid who is, in every way imaginable, my dream bride.

This woman is absolutely beautiful inside and out, and I had so much fun working with her on the big day.  Her wedding was completely personalized and absolutely dreamy… want to see a few pictures?

The first awesome thing about this day: Ingrid got ready on a houseboat!  The weather was foggy all morning and I was worried about her outdoor wedding, but as soon as she arrived, so did the sun.

I love the braided hairstyle Ingrid chose for her big day— so relaxed and romantic, don’t you think?

Her sister-in-law, Stacy Bostrom, is an amazing photographer based in southern California (you can check out more of her work here.)  Despite having had a baby only three weeks before the wedding, she still managed to take the rest of these amazing snapshots of the day… she wasn’t even the official photographer and she still knocked it out of the park!

Check out the rest of the photos from the day on Stacy’s blog.  Isn’t the whole feel of this wedding just a dream?  *swoon*

Have a great weekend, my sweets!  See you back here on Monday.

Last December, I finally got the pixie cut I had been dreaming of for years.  (Click the link for the dramatic before and after photo!)  I was so excited to make a big change, and I was also looking forward to the challenge of growing my pixie out as gracefully as possible.

It took a lot of work— when my hair was super-short, I had to trim it every two weeks!  But I thought I’d share the stages with you lovelies to give you some ideas of how to rock your hair as it goes from super-short to an average bob (which is what I’ve got going on now.)  Care to see?

The Pixie- just a refresher of how my hair looked after it was first cut…

Add body- pixies are all about structure, which is why they often look bad when they’re growing out (they get floppy).  You can work with this, though, buy adding curl and body to your hair with a tiny flat iron or curling iron.  And don’t forget to rock cute hair accessories!

Needs a cut- I knew I needed a trim when my hair would start to get this mullet-y quality.  It was still short in the front because of my original pixie fringe, but the back was losing shape fast.

Quick fix- If I didn’t have time for a trim, I’d wear a front braid to pull the bangs back and tiny pigtails to keep the rest contained.

Neck trim- Otherwise, I used a razor along my neck line to keep the back nice and short while the front layers were growing out.  You can see in the photo below that my front layers were allllmost in line with the back.  When the front and back are even, you can let all of your hair get longer and it’ll naturally turn into a bob without much fuss.

Half Up- While I was waiting for everything to even out, I often pinned the short layers back, giving the illusion of a half-up style (even though I didn’t actually have enough hair to pull it into a ponytail in the back).

My Little Pony- Finally, as the entire look grew, I was able to pull my hair into a mini ponytail (with the help of a few bobby pins, of course!)

A Bob with Body- This photo was taken a month ago, when we were in Italy.  By this point, I had a bona-fide bob and could play with a curling iron to give it bounce and curl.

Now that I have a short bob, I can let my hair grow without having to cut it much.  I’ll clean up the layers every couple months, but I’m finally done with the bi-weekly trim that I had to deal with at first.

Overall, when trying to grow out a pixie, invest in some cute hair accessories and don’t be afraid to trim your neckline on your own with a razor (the kind for cutting hair, not the kind you shave your legs with).

Have you gone through the process of growing out a pixie?  Any tips or tricks that I didn’t mention?  Got photos?  Email ‘em to kim@blendingbeautiful.com or share your thoughts in the comments!

Happy happy Friday!  I am sooo excited for this weekend.  Travis and I are making our annual trip to Half Moon Bay for the pumpkin festival, where we will fill up on amazing food, fall treats, and feast our eyes on the 1700-pound, award winning pumpkin.

The weather has been gloomy and perfectly autumn— I am loving every minute of it!

So let’s kick off this weekend with some fun links from around the web…

Cute nails!

Would you trash the dress?

Awesome DIY stools made from side tables!

Fall in a box.

Pumpkin frozen yogurt… mmmm :)

Have you used a mattifier to keep your face from getting shiny?  I’m thinking about picking up this one for my clients…

I adore this hair color!

Cute idea: plant flowers in pumpkins for Halloween/Thanksgiving.

I’d love to curl into this bed with a good book…

And don’t forget to enter this week’s hair happy giveaway!

What are you up to this weekend?  Doing anything cozy or fall-related?  Is the weather changing in your neck of the woods?  Tell me what you’re up to in the comments!