Trying on more than wedding dresses

I love getting my hair done…the wash, the blow dry, the smoothing… The fact that I can own the products & use the same styling tools but still not be able to create the perfection found in a salon is precisely what justifies the trip to me.   Dallas hair salons are definitely abundantly available, however finding the right one for you can be a painful, and pricey, experience.   Truth be told, when it comes to my hair, there are really only two places I’ll go. One place is Splurge Salon in Highland Village.   When BurbMom first started, I actually accompanied Holly there for her BurbMom makeover.   The salon was pretty new and I distinctly remember the girls were all very friendly. Oh, and they had free wi-fi. For an internet-junkie like myself, that was all I needed to know! Recently I had an opportunity to go to Splurge to do a test run of potential hair styles for my upcoming wedding day! Magazine cutouts in hand…I headed over to the Shops at Highland Village, where Splurge is located. I was the first person there, since my appointment was the first of the day. I was greeted by the front desk attendant and she immediately offered me something to drink. I like when a salon does that because what’s worse than getting ready to be confined to a chair for at least an hour while you’re thirsty? Answer: not much. I was quickly greeted by my stylist for the morning, Stephanie Fuller.   Stephanie had cute hair AND makeup – always a good thing to take note of when someone’s doing your hair – how do they look?   She passed the test and we got down to business. I’m here to try out a couple of ideas I’m considering for my wedding day. I also brought accessories to try…I’m prepared like that. Stephanie took a look at the pictures and we talked through the plan. We’d start with the look where the hair was down (Look One) and then we’d convert it into the pinned up look (Look Two). Perfect!   While Stephanie went to gather the tools, I took a before picture to note what we started with. Stephanie told me it’s really best to come with dirty (as in un-shampooed, not hair with actual dirt and/or leaves in it) hair when styling an updo. However, if you have oily hair, you could shampoo it several hours before you show up.   Personally, the rest of my hair probably could have done without the shampoo, but I HATE how greasy my bangs get after a day.   Part of the problem is constantly running my hands through them to push them to the side, but I digress. I showed up with freshly shampooed hair.   Stephanie began to get to work separating my hair and curling it in small one inch sections.   This part takes the longest, but once we’re done we’re good, she told me. I used the time to drill inquire about her life, why she got in to hairstyling, etc.   She told me it was something she’s been doing since she was in high school. Along with hair, Stephanie is trained in makeup application and other cosmetologist services.   This makes her quite a valuable asset at Splurge!   I decided to survey the artist’s tools. Once Stephanie finished the curling she used the hairspray and comb to tease hair at the crown of my hair because I specifically said I wanted to have some volume up there.   Stephanie said often times she’ll purchase BumpItsâ„¢ for her brides and include that in the price, so they can keep it afterward.   For hair that isn’t cut in a style that’s compatible with height at the crown, this is the best option for height and hold. However, for this test run, we didn’t use one.   Soon she was done with the first look. She added one of the fabric flowers I brought with me to finish the style and you could even see it from the back view. I loved the feel of the waves. I could tell they were in place, but they felt so smooth! Stephanie? How did you do that? How did you make the waves hold, but not be stiff and crunchy like when I spray them down?   This is truly “touchable” hair! Stephanie used a mixture of two Kerastase products and rubbed them between her palms to “activate” the product. Then she grabbed each curl on it’s own and lightly grazed it with the product. Once the first look was done, the second look was more than halfway done. Stephanie added some bobby pins, some more miracle product, repositioned the flower and Voila! Don’t those curls look like silk? They felt like it!   I liked this look because it seemed very playful and young.   It also appealed to me since our wedding will be outdoors and it could get pretty warm! Another thing I liked about this look was that from the back it was really cute! Not that I anticipate having tons of pictures taken from the back, but I did realize that several people might see that angle of me throughout the day. Stephanie was great and I really enjoyed getting to know her while I spent the morning at Splurge.   As for the styles, both were cute, but I think I’m still looking for that “special” style…one that embodies me and one that reflects the style of our modern-vintage wedding.   I realize that’s an oxymoron, but it’s us and it works! If you’re looking for a salon in Dallas to design your wedding day hair, or makeup, done, I highly recommend Splurge. They have a super talented team of girls, a cute salon, several services available, and they’ll include a trial run before the wedding day.   In addition, if you have Stephanie as your stylist, you can get both hair AND makeup done by her.   If you go by, be sure and tell them you heard about them on BurbMom.net.