On Saturday, November 4th, 2017, my cousin Timmy got married to his fiance Kelly. They met and live in Chicago, so naturally the wedding was there too. I’ve visited Chicago many times as my family originates from Lombard, which is a suburb outside the city. I’m very lucky to have many cousins close to my age and to have grown up very close with most of them.

My cousin Sara is only a month older than me and although we grew up over 1700 miles away, we are so similar. We have the same interests, style, music preferences, fitness goals, fashion, taste in wine, etc. (The list goes on and on.) I’m so fortunate to have her in my life as she’s a second sister to me and sometimes I feel like we’re fraternal twins (but with different parents – lol.)  

When I was planning to come to Chicago for the wedding, I realized that I have never done a photo shoot in the city. Sara is such a supporter of TFK blog, so I asked if she’d be interested in joining me. Thankfully she said yes and referred me to her amazing hairstylist, Melanie Schnell. 

Sara and I were able to both snag appointments with Mel early in the morning before our makeup appointments and photo shoot. Since we had a wedding that night, but also a casual photo shoot during the day, we were looking for a hairstyle that would work for both. Our looks for the wedding were a little on the bohemian side, so loose waives and braids were definitely what we had in mind and Mel surpassed all expectations. 

Sara’s appointment was before mine, so when I arrived, Mel was curling her hair with a 1.25 inch curling iron. She added a fishtail braid in the back and added pieces of hair at the top of the braid. There were curls that came down around her face, which made it look so effortless. I love how Mel added body into the crown of Sara’s head for an extra vavavoom!

For me, Mel switched her curling technique to create the all over waves and texture for my boho look. She went back and forth between ringlets (she started at the top and left the ends out as she curled) and also a “S” curl, which is with a straightener. She forms a “S” shape with a piece of my hair and secures that shape by clamping the straightener over it. Using a generous amount of texture spray also helps to create this textured boho look. 

In the video above, you can see that Mel braided two fishtail braids on either side of my head (leaving out a couple pieces to frame my face.) She doesn’t braid them the whole way, but instead stops halfway down, secures the braid with a rubber band, pulls the rubber band down slightly to give the braid some breathing room. Lastly, she “pancakes” (yes, that is the technical term 😉 ) the braid to give it volume so that it creates a crown around the back of my head. She connects the two braids and allows for the ends to drape into the overall waves. 

For our makeup, Sara and I went to the MAC Pro store in Lincoln Park. I knew that I wanted something classic and simple. I had red nails and wanted a candy apple red lip to match. Plus, my light blue dress for the wedding would compliment the bright red perfectly. My look was a cat eye with a matte red lip. Overall my face makeup was also matte with a light highlighter for a sun kissed glow.

Christian V was the makeup artist who did my makeup and I was so happy with it! I typically love to wear a #7 MAC lash all fluffed up for an all over fullness, but he introduced me to the #32, which he says is the best for a cat eye. He also shared a little secret with me, which is that Ardell’s lashes from Sally’s Beauty Supply Store has a very similar and quality product to MAC’s. Unrelated, something I didn’t know is that Forever 21 is creating their own makeup products and will be opening beauty stores as well. Keep an eye out for that and let me know if you see one. I can’t wait to see what kind of products they carry. I’m assuming their price points will be inline with their clothing price tags. 

Above photos and cover photo by McKenzie Berquam | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Unfortunately, this particular day was cold and wet. It rained almost all day and when it wasn’t raining there was a constant drizzle. As you can see in the four photos above, our curls lost some of their hold, but overall our style stayed through the night. I was so surprised considering I was constantly throwing a thick hoodie over my head. Before the wedding, we refreshed our curls and our makeup, and it looked like we just had our hair and makeup done. It was such a fun day getting pampered and although the rain got in the way a little bit, it didn’t hold us back. A big thank you to Mel Schnell from George the Salon! Sara and I loved hanging out that morning and learning your hair secrets. Maybe I’ll be able to attempt this look at home! I can’t wait for my next trip to Chicago so that I can stop in and feel glam again. <3

Credits

Hair: To book, use name Melanie “Mel” Schnell at George the Salon. Her real name is Megan Schnell. meganschnell.cominfo@meganschnell.com, @melaniegeorgethesalon

Photography by McKenzie Berquam, @mydarlingdepictions, Facebook

Guest modeling: Sara Lombardo, @slombardo14

Makeup by Christian V, MAC PRO Lincoln Park

Fashion styling and modeling by Katrina Fox of The Foxy Kat and TFK Styling, thefoxykat.com@thefoxykat1

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