Pink or blue hair is no longer considered unusual. I walked around with my girls this weekend at a local festival and we saw hair color in every shade. I’ve even seen many women 60+ with purple or pink hair. Honestly, I love it! I think it’s fantastic that people feel comfortable enough to make a statement in this world.

A few months ago I dyed my hair pink (rose) with some at-home color. I had done the same at the salon over a year ago but wanted to test the waters at home. Since playing around, I fell in love with the Joico Color Butter. It’s easy to use and not permanent. The color builds on itself as well. I read the directions many times!

My girls are 5, 7, and 9. The middle one is more eccentric than the others. I already know she’ll be my wild child. She has so much to express and certainly loves to dress her own way. When I told the kids I would color their hair for summer she was SO excited. They are not allowed to have colored hair at school. I had the pink/magenta on hand and the second color we opted for was blue. Blue hair for summer, why not? Off to Ulta we went.

We started easy with doing the tips of their hair. The instructions say apply (with gloves) to wet or dry hair. In my experience the dry hair took color better than the wet. You leave the color on for 5 minutes but I left it on for 10-15 minutes. It’s super conditioning so their hair feels silky after using the product. Of course the color will take blonde hair differently than it will do brown hair. Both girls have more brown-ish hair than blonde so the color isn’t super intense. It washes out over time as well.

So here are the girls with pink and blue tipped hair. They are happy, I’m happy– it’s a win-win. Warning for those who swim a lot. We tried the color and swam the next day in the pool. The color just about totally came out. I’m not sure if this is normal or not but to save money on color, wait until you don’t plan on swimming a lot. Their hair is so fresh and not chemically treated so I don’t think the color stays as long as it does in my hair.

Have fun experimenting this summer!

I remember the first year I watched our town 4th of July parade. It was 100 degrees and I had two little kids. We sat at a friend’s house at the end of the parade and it was SO long. Our little town has a 3-hour parade! Families put chairs out the day before and we have rules about when you can leave your seat unattended. It’s so big that the 3rd has turned into a party just waiting for the 4th to arrive.

When I was a kid we visited my Uncle’s house for the West Allis July 4th Parade. I always got a baton to twirl on the sidewalk. Later on we would head to a friend’s lake and my dad would shoot fireworks off the dock over the lake. It was a huge party and we were always a part of it.

The last two years our school has had a float in the town parade. My girls have dressed up in red, white, and blue and helped to cheer to all the parade watchers. They really had a blast and were thrilled to ride the float instead of walk. They smile. I smile. I have a few drinks. It’s a fun day! I can’t imagine not taking part in some festive activities. It’s been such a big summer memory my entire life. But each year I think about what red, white, and blue clothes I have on had to wear. If it’s super hot, I end up with an outfit change or two.

Here are my season picks for festive outfits. Stores don’t always have a section curated, but if you search for the colors you may find something you are looking for. Have a Happy 4th of July and always remember to pay it forward and be a little kinder.

1. Red Star Tank from Evereve (one of my favorite stores to shop at).
2. Roxy Trucker Hat, decked out in red, white, and blue– just like our flag.
3. Striped Embroidered Tank from Escapada. Resort wear at its finest!
4. Braeve Embroidered Dress found at Evereve (of course). Off the shoulder too.
5. Scout cooler, must keep your beverages cold! Online or at Amazon.
6. Cherry Red Slip-ons from Ugg “Sammy”. Comfortable, breathable, fashionable.

Rent The Runway is another fashion subscription service but focuses on the top designer brands. What makes this one different than the next? Here is a rundown of how RTR works.

• With RTR you can shop online or shop at one of their stores (big cities only), where you can try on a selection of dresses and rent on the spot or for a future date.
• Not sure about what size you are? You can add one free backup size to your order, and rent a second style for $32.50.
• Almost every dress features customer reviews (with photos!), so you can see how the dresses look on real women. This is a crucial part of the service. By reading reviews you can see real women in the dress and they usually share what size they are wearing, their measurements, height, and weight. It’s pretty easy to tell if your body type would be a good match for that dress.
• Keep your items from 4-8 days. Everything ships back free via UPS.
• There is a $5 insurance fee which covers most mishaps
• There are many ways to rent: Pay as you rent each piece, $89/month for four rentals per month, $159/month for unlimited rentals per month.
• There is a PRO Membership for an additional $29.95/year. You’ll get FREE shipping and FREE insurance for a year, plus a $30 birthday gift. Shipping TO you is normally around $12-15 (return shipping is free). If you plan on renting even two dresses a year, this PRO membership is worth it.

Here are three dresses I’ve rented and wore. Two of the dresses I shipped directly to the location I was flying to (hotel in Las Vegas and a Texas home). I have rented some things that didn’t work out. In one instance, the dress fit but I wasn’t convinced that it would stay up all night (strapless)– luckily I had a back up of my own at home. RTR is good about sending an emergency dress if you really need one.

I rented this for a big Vegas trip and wanted a showstopper. I also shipped this dress directly to the hotel in Vegas.

I wore the larger size in this dress. I needed a LBD for an event and didn’t actually have one! This dress I shipped directly to my destination.

I love this tunic so much I’ve rented it twice. I wish I had the opportunity to purchase it.

What can you rent?

You can rent designer dresses in any style, tops, coats, pants, and skirts. There is no athletic wear. There is an app for your phone and it is really easy to filter by color, size, date of rental, occasion, price, style, body type, maternity, designer, and more. If you’ve ever wanted to wear a $1,000 Marchesa lace dress, now you can for around $145. What a steal! In addition to clothing, you can rent hats, sunglasses, jewelry, purses, and scarves. Designer accessory heaven.

Would I use RTR again?

For *fun* events I will definitely use this service again. I love renting a fancy dress and sending it back. I hate wearing the same dress twice (especially if the crowd is similar) so this is a great solution. I don’t think I’ll ever subscribe to the Unlimited Monthly Service for the same reason as I won’t keep a long-term subscription to Le Tote. I just don’t need to wear high fashion on a regular basis. I work from home and sometimes won’t really have any other adult interaction. I do have a closet filled with pretty decent clothes so wearing those day-to-day is best for me.  For that reason, it’s a good splurge but not a regular thing for me.