Recent Outfits of the Day : March 29, 2017

Black & White Plaid Shirt

Ashlee Craft wearing a black & white plaid shirt & sparkly headband

Black & White Plaid shirt from Joe Boxer / sparkly black headband / round glitter earrings / pale purple round earrings / minor makeup / ponytail

The first time I wore this black & white plaid shirt that I bought at K-Mart, I fell in love with how it fit me & how nice it looked on me. It was very comfortable, & I liked how the whole outfit looked with my hair pulled back & this yellow wall at the theatre.

My Drama Face

Ashlee Craft wearing a blue sweater, green eyeshadow, theatre makeup, a dress shirt, & ponytail

Cream dress shirt from Devon & Jones / blue sweater from Target / coral lipstick / dramatic theatre makeup (for my role as Puck in Ken Ludwig’s Shakespeare in Hollywood) / ponytail

Because I was wearing such exaggerated, dramatic makeup, I couldn’t help but make a humorously dramatic face as I took this selfie. I like how the bright blue of the sweater looks with the red of the lipstick, & even a less dramatic green eye shadow could look nice in a different version of this outfit. The cream dress shirt also matched it nicely.

Ruby Noir

Ashlee Craft with Schwarzkopf Ruby Noir 1.8 hair

Glow-in-the-dark Batman t-shirt / hair colored the day prior with Schwarzkopf Ruby Noir 1.8 hair dye

These photos were taken the day after I colored my hair with the Schwarzkopf Ruby Noir 1.8 dye that I bought. It’s my favorite hair color that I’ve used, & using it was also the first time I’ve applied hair dye to all of my hair & not just the ends. I’m squinting & making weird faces because the sun was in my eyes. I colored my hair probably almost two months ago & it still is visible in my hair, which makes me happy. It didn’t dry out my hair, & I’m really pleased with its quality.

Ashlee Craft with Schwarzkopf Ruby Noir 1.8 hair

Ashlee Craft with Schwarzkopf Ruby Noir 1.8 hair

Ashlee Craft with Schwarzkopf Ruby Noir 1.8 hair

Lumberjack

Doc Martens / blue jeans / red plaid shirt / white camisole / multicolored headband / blue crystal earrings

I liked the rustic workman look of this outfit. I used to dress like this a lot when I was in my Bob Dylan phase. I still like how it looks, & adding Doc Martens to this type of ensemble just makes it even more epic & badass. For a funky, unexpected touch, I wore a great multi-colored headband that technically belongs to my sister,

Ashlee Craft wearing jeans, boots, a red plaid shirt, & a multicolored headband

Kawaii Eggs

Ashlee Craft wearing a white t-shirt, cute kawaii egg earrings, & multicolored headband

white t-shirt with pocket / cute kawaii egg earrings from Claire’s, multicolored headband / ponytail

I wore this outfit when I went shopping & then to a carnival. The shirt kept me cooler in the sun than a darker one would have, the headband & ponytail kept my hair out of my eyes, & the egg earrings added a touch of funkiness.

More Egg Earrings

Ashlee Craft wearing a pink t-shirt & cute kawaii egg earrings

Pink t-shirt from Target / cute kawaii egg earrings from Claire’s / minimal makeup

An outfit involving the same adorable egg earrings from the previous photo, along with one of my favorite shirts. A nice simple everyday outfit.

Yellow + Stripes

Ashlee Craft wearing black heeled jelly shoes, sloth socks, striped shorts, & a yellow shirt

Yellow t-shirt from Target / gray & white striped shorts from Target / cute rainbow monsters with wings earrings from Claire’s / blue star stud earrings from Claire’s / black heeled jelly shoes / sloth socks from Target

I really liked how this whole outfit came out. It had lots of colorful, bold elements, like stripes, the bright yellow, & black shoes, as well as lots of whimsical, funky elements, like the sloth socks, the fact that the shoes are jelly shoes, & the rainbow monster earrings. These photos also show how nicely my red hair color faded & still remains visible even now.

Ashlee Craft wearing black heeled jelly shoes, sloth socks, striped shorts, & a yellow shirt

How to Get Dip-Dyed Red Hair

I wanted dip-dyed hair for a long time. Here’s how I did it at home.

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How to Get Dip-Dyed Red Hair

For a long time, I was super-inspired by photos & people I saw throughout the day who had ombre hair. I absolutely loved the way it looked & knew that I wanted my hair to look that way.

How to Get Dip-Dyed Red Hair

A few months ago, I tried doing this look with a light reddish brown color, but as the dye I used wasn’t a high-lift variety & the color was somewhat similar to my natural color, the color didn’t show up very well unless I was in bright sunlight. I was disappointed by the results, but decided to give my hair a break for about six weeks before dying it again so I didn’t dry it out too much. I decided to learn more about the process of dying hair ombre & which dyes would give me the results I wanted. Additionally, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to have the ombre effect done with red or blonde dye.

How to Get Dip-Dyed Red Hair

I eventually settled on red, & I’m so glad I did! After selecting a high-lift dye that I ended up being pretty satisfied with (Garnier Ultra-Color Nourishing Color Creme, Ultra Color R3 – Light Intense Auburn
), I followed the directions on the box & let the dye sit in my hair for about 30 minutes or so, if I’m remembering correctly. I applied the dye using the applicator in the box. I tried to concentrate most of the dye on the very tips of my hair, then blended it upwards both by using my fingers, & twisting the strands of hair to force the dye upwards in a blended manner so there wasn’t a harsh line between where I dyed it & my normal hair color. If you want to learn more about how I did it, read this article that I found incredibly helpful.

How to Get Dip-Dyed Red Hair
At first, when I was rinsing my hair afterwards, I didn’t see that much of a difference, as my hair looked darker when it was wet & the contrast wasn’t so great. When my hair dried, I was very impressed by the boldness of the color. It actually was a lot more red than it is in these pictures, which I took probably four or five days after I colored my hair.

Unfortunately, the color started fading pretty much immediately after I dyed it. Every time I washed my hair, despite rinsing it thoroughly after I washed it, dye still rinsed out, & when my hair was wet, it actually made light orange stains on my bedding & several shirts of mine (thankfully all the stains washed out after I treated them with stain remover). The color also faded quite fast, which was kind of a bummer.

How to Get Dip-Dyed Red Hair

After having this happen, I read online about dyed red hair & learned that it is notoriously challenging to maintain, & that it is completely normal for it to fade quickly, even if you get it professionally done at a salon. I read that this is because the molecules of red pigment in the dye are larger than other colors of dye & therefore, the pigments can’t penetrate the center of the hair, so it kind of just clings to the outside. Learning this made me feel better about what my hair was doing because I knew the fading had nothing to do with the dye I used, the method I used to dye it, or my hair being abnormally resistant to dye. Now I know this isn’t the case. I also found some really great products that preserve red hair color. I’ve started using the John Frieda Radiant Red Color Protecting Shampoo (& I’m going to buy the matching conditioner soon; the store I went to unfortunately was out so I have to go back & buy some next time I have a chance) & it seems to be bringing out the red highlights in my natural hair color already!

How to Get Dip-Dyed Red Hair

My hair dye has since faded away almost completely, & I really, really miss it, because I loved how it looked SO MUCH & I realized that red hair looks good on me. So, I decided that I want to dye it again. I want to try using red Manic Panic dye, because it’s vegetable based, contains no harmful chemicals, & because of this, I’ll be able to use it much more often than regular dye without damaging my hair. I prefer natural products when a natural, cost-effective alternative which works well is available, so Manic Panic being vegan, not tested on animals, & relatively natural is a big plus for me. Another big plus for me is the fact that as opposed to regular hair dye, which has one application which you mix in a bottle & then apply, Manic Panic comes in a tub & therefore it can be used for more than one application, or can even be diluted by conditioner for touch-ups or to adjust how bold the color is. I’ll post photos on here once I use it & explain my methods!