Learning to Love My Hair Without Heat

If you follow me on Snapchat (thehannahgold for those who've been sleeping), you may have seen the struggle I went through last Saturday trying to curl my hair for Her Conference. I watched 2 tutorials, switched tools 3 times, and spent a total of 75 minutes wrapping my hair around a rod/straightener only to look in the mirror in sheer disappointment.

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, though. I've never been able to curl my hair. I've spent years watching tutorials, studying my friends, and practicing on my own to no avail. I've tried products, a bunch of different tools, and praying. Nothing works. I end up with burns on my neck, ears, and hands and a hairstyle that I have to straighten or throw into a bun.

I feel like a bad feminine woman and a bad fashion blogger for not knowing how to curl my hair. Everyone I know who chooses to curl their hair knows how to, and everyone is so confused as so why/how I can't do it on my own. It's such a simple, universal task, but I can't do it. Accepting your weaknesses is difficult, even when they're something as inconsequential as being able to curl your hair. For now, though, I'm putting down the curling iron and picking up some product to enhance my natural waves.

The Bed Head by TIGI activation at Her Conference was able to hook me up with some products that would help me feel comfortable and confident wearing my hair sans heat. Because I can't curl my hair and don't like wearing my hair straight, I'm used to wearing my hair au natural. Since bleaching it, though, I've struggled to find products and drying methods that would keep my hair nice and wavy. The stylists at the booth set me up with a Foxy Curls Contour Cream to give my curls definition and some Foxy Curls Get Twisted to kill the frizz.

I started out with the Foxy Curls Contour Cream, which you're supposed to use on damp hair. I used it about an hour after I got out of the shower, though I probably should have used it sooner. This kind of product on half-dry hair can make your hair super sticky, something I'd forgotten after being out of the product game for so long.

After waiting too long to use it, I immediately made another rookie mistake: using too much. Bed Head by TIGI prides itself on making high-performing products, which means a little goes a long way. I used 2 pumps, but could definitely have done with just 1.

I'm well versed in scrunching product into your hair: spread the product across your hands and make sure not to scrunch the same part of your hair too much. Touching your hair too much alone can create frizz and kill curls, so you want to be careful about how you scrunch.

Once my hair was mostly dry, I picked up the Get Twisted spray. This product can be used on wet or dry hair, which is great news for someone like me, who only showers once or twice a week. I want to be able to use product in between showers. This product is especially essential to be able to use on dry hair because it protects against humidity. That's right, fellow swamp-dwellers: you can use this product during the summer to make sure your hair stays the same shape and volume all day long. New York was at about 85% humidity the day I first tested this product, and my hair didn't poof out at all.

I always prefer sprays to creams because it's easier to spread out the product, so you're less likely to end up with too much in your hair. The application is easy: point, spray, and scrunch. Simple yet effective.

Whether you wear your hair straight, curly, or wavy; blow-dry or air-dry; straighten, curl, or go natural, Bed Head by TIGI has a product for you. Bed Head by TIGI is partnering with Ulta Beauty for an exclusive offer! Get $5 off a $15 online purchase of Bed Head products at Ulta.com. Just enter coupon code 509843 in the space provided in your shopping bag and click “apply coupon”.

This post is sponsored by Bed Head by TIGI and Her Campus Media. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Broke & Fabulous possible!

OOTD: The Wonder of Color

Photography by Cassidy Hopkins

Here's a (not-so-secret) confession: I'm not big on wearing colors. I used to totally rock bright colors in high school, but as I've gotten older my closet has turned to neutrals and pastels. It doesn't help that I've spent the last 4 years living in Seattle and New York, where wearing all-black is part of the lifestyle. Every now and then, though, I find a colorful piece that I just have to have. This dress is one of those pieces.

I bought this dress when I was going through my comfy body-con dress phase. I was drawn to the style more than the color, and told myself I'd wear this dress when I felt like standing out.

And, for a while, I did. Once I dyed my hair, though, wearing colors got that much harder. If I wanted to stand out, I'd go for a daring lipstick or a uniquely designed piece. After all, if a red dress is too much for me, pairing a red dress with my blue hair is definitely too much.

When Cassidy, Tomi and I decided to go to Coney Island last Saturday, Cassidy (the most experienced New Yorker of the bunch) said we should wear bright colors to match the colorful rides in the background. I found myself staring blankly at my clothing rack. This dress is the only colorful piece I own, and I've been waiting until my blue hair grows out to wear it. "I'll just wear white," I decided.

At the last minute, I threw this dress into my backpack on my way to meet Cassidy and Tomi. It's been years since I wore it in a blog post, and goodness knows I have to make the most out of my wardrobe when it comes to dressing for OOTD posts. I figured I'd throw my hair in a bun so the blue wouldn't clash with the red.

I really surprised myself when I looked in the mirror and liked seeing myself in all this color. Not only did I look great, but I still looked like myself. Usually when I try a trend I'm not naturally drawn towards, I don't feel authentic. One of the most important aspects of my sense of style is being true to myself and portraying myself the way I feel, not just the way others see me as a fashion blogger. I'm glad I tried something new, and I'm glad I truly committed to the look. Plus, these colors ended up matching the ferris island on Coney Island, which is pretty ideal.

Now that I'm back in the land of shades of gray (literally), I'm content to let this red dress hang untouched on my clothing rack. It's nice to know, though, that I can totally pull it off if and when I so choose.

OOTD: Part of the Skyline

On Saturday, I took a trip to the East River State Park in Williamsburg to see what Smorgasburg was all about. Here are the Cliff notes: it's expensive, crowded, and just as cool as it was in "Master of None".

Since summer's been in New York, I've been struggling a little more to get dressed in the morning. I need to be work-appropriate during the week, which can be difficult in 90 F heat. Yeah, I know that's not actually that bad, but I'm from the Pacific North West! 90 feels like death.

On the weekend, though, I want to take advantage of not having to wear appropriate clothing. I try not to buy a lot of clothes that I can't wear to the office; it doesn't make sense to only own clothing that I can wear 2/7ths of the time. My office has a pretty lax dress code, so all of my week-wear is really cute and totally wearable outside the office. This isn't too dissimilar from my time in college, when I could basically wear anything I wanted to class. Now that I work in a professional environment, the few things I can't wear stick out like a sore thumb, and I often think about how badly I want to wear my ripped jeans or crop tops during the week.

I definitely can't wear this shirt to work, for example, so I wanted to wear it this weekend because I haven't worn it since I bought it. The only problem is that I didn't want to wear it with ANYTHING in my closet. It usually takes me 15 minutes to get dressed and ready in the morning, but I took a full 45 minutes to sort through everything I own trying to figure out how to best take advantage of not having to adhere to a dress code.

So... A little silly, right? I'm working on finding a balance between being happy with what I wear and getting out of the house in a reasonable amount of time. One of my goals is to stop putting pressure on myself to look picture perfect every day. What really matters is the experience I have on my days off, not what I look like on these adventures. Plus, I can definitely put a cute outfit like this together in a couple minutes if I don't push myself for perfection.

How do you dress for the weekend/your days off? Let me know in the comments below!

How I Organize My Lipstick // Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink

Not-so-surprising confession: I own a lot of lip products. Like, they make up half of my entire makeup collection. I spent too long keeping them stuffed inside a cabinet, only using a couple of my favorites. Luckily, I've figured out a more efficient system of organizing and storing them.

Surprise! A color-coordinated sheet. Is anyone surprised that I've color-coordinated my lipsticks the same way I've color-coordinated my entire life? I actually just had to remake this sheet to make sure I had enough room for future purchases.

2 of my most recent additions were these Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink, sent to me for free to review from Influenster. This lip product stayed on my lips for 10 hours without needing reapplication. It withstood tacos, ice cream, multiple cups of tea, and a bagel. It felt a little sticky throughout the day, but still didn't come off. For less than $10, I couldn't believe this product worked so well.

I hang my lipstick chart up right next to my vanity, so I can look to it for help when I'm doing my makeup.