Violet’s Big Hair FAQ

It’s been a long time since I’ve updated my hair FAQ so I thought it was high time to make it a bit more comprehensive!

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For the record: I really couldn’t care less what hair trends are, I’ve had my hair a LOT of different colours and styles over the years. The first time I did different colour tips was in 2003, I started doing gradient/ombre colours in around 2009ish and have been doing it consistently since. You are welcome to voice an opinion about my hair (and many people have clearly voiced them!) but please don’t think that leaving me negative comments will some how convince me to changing my hair, that is just a bit silly -_-’

How do you do your hair?

Here’s a video on how I dye it. I touch it up once every few weeks and bleach once a month.

This is what it looks like before dying:

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During dying I usually look a little like a crazy person.

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After dying and sleeping on it damp:

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After using the L’Oreal Rowenta Steam Pod on it:

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What brand of dye do you use?

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For bleaching I use L’Oreal Super Blonde Creme Prelightener. It’s basically a colour stripper. Generally one would add other dye after using this bleach or use a toner. I like the orange shades it leaves so I do not.

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For the pink I use Fudge Paint Box. I mix and dilute the pink with conditioner to make my own shade. There’s a review of them here with an explanation on how I achieve the gradient. Note that I just use Pretty Flamingo these days rather than adding copper etc too. I did use Pink Moon but it doesn’t have as much staying power as Pretty Flamingo.

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You used to use Wakk Stain dye, where can I buy that?

Yes I did, it was great. Unfortunately it’s no longer being produced so I can’t tell you. If you find any, let me know!

Do you get it done at a salon?

No. I cut and colour my own hair due to financial constraints and a general distrust of people who wield sharp pointy things near my face.

How often do you do you dye your hair?

Around once a month I bleach and every second wash I add a little more pink while I’m conditioning to keep it bright.

What other colours have you done?

Black, blue, green and various shades of red and orange, blonde to black/brown gradient, bright red with blonde tips and the current combination. Here is a post on my hair history.

What colour is your hair naturally?

This one:

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How can your hair withstand so much torture and damage?

My natural hair is really thick and frizzy so it could always take a lot. I think the really important answer though is that I’ve been dying my hair since 2001 so I have experience, I know what works with my hair and what doesn’t. I always read and follow instructions fully and I avoid things like heat and bleach as much as possible. I tend to film all of my hair tutorials on the same day every few months so there’s really not that much damage actually going on here.

Can you advise me on how to dye my hair like yours? Or give me any tips on doing this myself?

Nope! It’s not because I don’t want to help but I have no idea about your hair and I don’t want to give you any bad advice. I don’t suggest you try any of the things that I do because your hair might be dramatically different to mine. I really can’t give you any advice so I suggest that you seek it from a professional stylist. A professional stylist can touch and feel your hair to make a judgement on whether the colour you want to go is realistic to expect without frying your hair. Stylists usually offer  advice sessions for a small fee so you can always ask advice even if you are planning to do the dying yourself. For nice hair it’s well worth the expense!!

Can you do my hair for my prom/event/whatever?

Sorry this isn’t the kind of thing I do, I don’t have any hair related qualifications and am not comfortable doing other people’s hair.

Where did you learn how to do all of these hairstyles?

Trial and error! The best way to become good at something is to do it over and over again. There are 365 days in a year so you’ve got at least that many chances to practice each year ;D

Why don’t you do you hair in *INSERT STYLE* anymore?

I get bored very easily 🙂

I didn’t understand *INSERT TUTORIAL STEP*, can you re-film it, explain it, or take more detailed photos of it?

I can certainly try to explain things more clearly but keep in mind that my schedule is very tight so I don’t generally re-film or re-take photos, I will sometimes update the text with more information if many people have problems with a part.

Can you please make a tutorial on how to do *INSERT PHOTO I FOUND ON THE INTERNET*?

I can certainly add it to my to do list but it’s quite a long list!

Why don’t you do tutorials for people with short hair/no fringe/other things you don’t have?

Well mostly because I don’t have those attributes myself so I can only work with what I’ve got. I do try to find friends or models to work with me so I can do a bigger variety but most people I know prefer to be off camera and at this point I’m not going to cut my hair just to film short hair tutorials. Maybe in the future if I feel like a change it will be a possibility.

 

What shampoo/conditioner/treatments do you use?

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Previously I used baking soda instead of shampoo and I really liked that. Unfortunately because my hair is so long and easily damaged from filming hair tutorials after around a year I found that I needed something stronger to fix the damage. I switched to the Garnier Goodbye Damage range. There is a review here.

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In terms of serums I use the Goodbye Damage serum on my split ends and the L’Oreal Steam Pod one on the rest of my hair after showering to protect it from heat damage.

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I use some kind of hair oil (currently L’Oreal Mythic oil but they are basically all the same) to protect my hair while I’m bleaching.

In terms of hairspray I haven’t found a perfect one since my favourite black Cedel was discontinued. I’ve gone through several bottles but nothing is quite as good so I will update this when I find a good one again.

That’s it, I don’t usually use treatments, masks etc.

What appliances and styling tools do you use?

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I use a Parlux 3800 hairdryer if I have to dry my hair. I hate using a hairdryer though so I air dry if possible.

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I use a GHD occasionally to curl my hair. I think they are quite expensive though so previous to the GHD I used a VS Sassoon travel curler.

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I use the L’Oreal Rowenta Steam Pod to straighten my hair and do my fringe. I also use it for basic curls sometimes. It’s expensive as hell but it’s an amazing product and I was lucky enough to win one as a door prize.

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I’m not sure what brand this brush is but I prefer brushes with thicker nylon bristles. No particular reason, they just feel nice.

I also occasionally use a teasing comb if my styles require more volume or staying power. The teasing comb I use was from Takuya but any old one will do.

What did you use to keep *insert hairstyle* up?

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Most likely bobby pins and hair ties. I don’t generally use anything other than these unless it’s a really specialised style because it’s not needed. You can really achieve pretty much anything with hair ties, bobby pins and a good dose of hair spray.

Can I bombard you with questions even though you already answered them here?

Sure thing. You’re always welcome to email me and I’ll do my best to help but keep in mind that I get a LOT of emails so I can’t always reply.

Hope that answers all of your questions! Let me know if you have any others and I’ll include them here 🙂

Yay hair!

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How To Do A Plaited Headband With A Pouf Hairstyle Tutorial

Hair tutorial time again 😀 I am pretty happy with how regularly I’ve been able to get these done, the new set up makes me so much more motivated. Now I just need to finalise my video set up with some new lighting and I’ll be set!

Today I’m showing a basic small pouf style with two plaited headbands.

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Start with clean brushed hair.

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Pull out a small piece of hair from the nape of your neck.

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Now plait down the whole length of the hair and tie off.

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Repeat with another piece of hair on the other side of your head.

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Put those to the side of the moment while we make the pouf.

Pull a large section of hair up from the top of your head.

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Pull it forward on an angle and then use your brush to lightly tease/back comb the back of the section.plaited-headband-instructions21

Now fold it backwards gently so the pouf is as high as you like and pin in place. I like to shape it with my hands so it’s nice and round. You can fluff it up with your fingers too. If you don’t like the shape just pull it up and start again.

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Now grab one of the little plaits and pull it up and over your head to the other side. It should sit at the part between fringe/bangs and pouf. You can pull the side bits of hair behind the plait for a smooth look or leave them in front for a soft look. Pin the plait on the other side of your head, mine reaches just behind my ear but as long as it goes over half way you should be fine.

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Now pull the other plait to the other side. it should cover the end of the first plait. Tuck the end of it under the first plait and pin in place.

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If the ends are really obvious then pin a little of your loose hair over the top. Give the whole thing a burst of hairspray.

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And that’s it! I like to curl the ends of the loose hair so it’s a very floaty soft look but I think it works really well straight too.

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I hope you enjoyed the tutorial 😀

I’m going to continue doing these as regularly as possible so if you have any hairstyle requests please let me know!

 

How To Do A Hime Gyaru Hairstyle Pouf Using a Rat Tutorial Video

After the excitement over my hair last week I was asked for a tutorial on it by some of my lovely newer readers. I’ve done tutorials on this style a couple of times which are listed below but I hadn’t done a video of myself doing it yet so I figure that would be the easiest way of answering any questions. When I did the style on Celeste a few months ago you guys asked how I could do it on myself, so… taadaa!

The main difference between this version and the one I did on Celeste is that we teased her hair completely. Because my hair is bleached I am more worried about damage these days so I choose to use a hair rat inside so I don’t have to tease my hair as much.

The other main question I get about this style is what can you use as a rat? I use a rolled up bandana covered in a crappy old hair extension but you could really use anything light which is in the shape you want. Foam, fabric, whatever. Just something to hold the shape.

This is the last time I’ll be doing something on this style but feel free to check out the other tutorials I’ve done on this style here:

So hopefully that helped and thanks so much for watching!  Over the next week I’ll be implementing a lot of the suggestions you guys made in the survey last week so keep an eye out for them 😀

Medium Length Hime Gyaru Hairstyle Tutorial with Celeste Video

A while ago Celeste came to visit and we decided to have some fun and experiment with various fun hair styles and make up 😀 Celeste had never tried big hime style hair before so I thought I would use her as a life sized doll and play with her hair. We made a quick little video showing the steps. I thought I would post it because I often get questions about my hair. While I’ve done tutorials in the past this might be useful as you can see a bit of detail and how quick it is to create.

That and you can enjoy giggling at us as we go. The audio was no good but if you can imagine this conversation in the background you’re pretty much set…

Violet: *does hair*

Celeste: :O it’s huge!

Violet: Bigger the better 😀

Celeste: *trying very hard to muffle juvenile laughter*

Violet: Ahahahahaha bigger the better, I get it!

Celeste: *Sends photos to room mate*

Roommate: ZOMG SQUID HEAD!!

Celeste: -_-‘

Violet: *snicker snicker snicker*

And much laughter was had all around.

So hope that was a little useful ^_^ We did a couple of other styles which I will posts too. Next time we do something like this I’ll have a new lighting set up so everything will be nicer quality yay!

If you want to see Celeste’s post about her make up check over here.

 

How To Style a Hime Gyaru Wig

As carrying on from yesterdays post on Fashion Addict here is how I styled the blonde one into a hime gyaru wig 😀

The technique I’m using is pretty much the exact same technique for standard hime style hair but because it’s a wig there’s no fear of damage so you can pretty much go nuts. Or if you are happy to brush out lots of tangles this is a perfectly fine way to style your actual hair.

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As per usual with these I point out that this is just the way I do it and there are lots of other techniques or methods that you could use. I’m certainly not an expert!

So this is the wig to start with, it’s just a plain old multi-tone blonde wig. The cut is layered and it has a light wave to it. As you can see it has very little volume.

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The way the top of the hair is parted is also important, this one has a zigzag pattern. It would be better if it was a straight part of even no part so it’s less obvious when you brush it all backwards.VioletLeBeauxDSC_0136_702So what we want to do is create a lot of volume at the top and sides to make the big lion’s mane effect. The first step is to grab a section in the middle/top and pull it up. I am using a teasing comb to do this, it’s awesome because it has alternating long and short bristles so it catches all of the short hairs and teases perfectly… which it should being a teasing comb and all.

Back to it, grab a section at the top towards the back of your head. Leave around 2cm of hair between the section you’re taking and where you want the fringe/bangs to start. At the moment we just want to create a lot of volume before we use the front to cover it all up.

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Pull forward and tease the back of the section around 3-4 inches from the root. By teasing/backcombing what I’m doing here is combing from the middle back down to the roots. The teasing brush catches all of the shorter hairs and meshes them together into a tangle which gives the piece of hair volume and texture.

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Once you’ve teased it a reasonable amount it should have volume all on it’s own, you will of course look like an extra out of a Dr Seuss book at this point.

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So that’s the volume part but the front looks terrible so to fix that we need to smooth down the front. Take your comb and using light short strokes brush lightly back over the front section. You may need to hold the wig in place while you do this. Don’t let the bristles of the comb sink into the hair too deeply or you will basically be undo-ing all of the teasing you just did.

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Once you have smoothed the front over it should look something like this from the side…

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That’s really all there is too it, just a lot of teasing, smoothing and eventually hair spraying. This wig is perfect for styling like this because it has lots of short layers. Clip the section you just styled out of the way, we will come back to it later.

The next step is to give the wig more volume all over so it start to get into the right basic shape: lion’s mane XD

Starting with small sections from the sides, hold the piece of hair out at a 90 degree angle and tease the 3 inches closest to the root.

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Repeat this until you’ve done every piece of hair on each side. Don’t touch the front area between the first section we did or the fringe.

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Now keep going to the back. Pull the sections upwards and tease at the roots. You can see in this photo the individual tracks of hair and my pink tips showing through XD

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Don’t forget to do the underneath sections too, they are very important because they hold the rest of the style up!

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Below you can see how much volume is created just by teasing at the roots. Because this wig is more wavy than actually curly I decided to play up the curls by teasing them at the ends slightly too. To do this, you grab the end of a curl by the tip and run the comb from the tip up a couple of inches. Only do this once per curl otherwise you disturb them rather than accentuating them. Basically you’re pushing the curl up the strand of hair so it looks… curlier.

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Now it’s time to finish the top section finally! Unclip it and we’ll get to work 😀

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At this point it should look something like this…

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The final step involves the sections between the top and fringe that we’ve been saving. Taking a small piece of hair from that area at a time, tease the back of it lightly and then sweep it backwards.

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At this point hairspray will be your friend. I’m taking a lot of spray. You can see below I’ve started sweeping the front back on the left side but not the right yet.So it’s starting to come together.

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Because you are trying to brush pieces of the wig in directions they weren’t designed to go in, doing this will take some trial and error. Getting mine to stay took a whole lot of hairspray and then a lot of teasing and smoothing over the front…. tease, smooth, spray, tease, smooth,spray over and over.

This is starting to look more like the finished product now but not there yet.

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Half finished from the back it looks very messy so this area needs to be combed and sprayed as well.

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After continuing with the combing and spraying, paying careful attentions to the sides as well as the top this was my finished product:

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From the side:

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Now looking at the photos I can see areas I intend to improve, for example cutting more layers into the back and using that to creating more defined curls.

You can see below  that it definitely needs a few more layers to make the top pouf look more natural with the loose hair below. Until I do that (or if you don’t trust yourself cutting into a wig) this can be temporarily hidden with a big bow.

From the back:

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With the addition of some accessories I’m quite happy with the way it turned out considering it was a first attempt. When I make the changes I’m planning I will be sure to post photos of that too 🙂

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Bonus photo: Taking off the wig and scaring the hell out of James with by real hair because he was so used to the wig XD

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The wig by itself from the front:

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The back:

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Side:

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So there you go, that was my first adventure into wig styling and I’m quite happy with the outcome. Of course there are a lot of areas that I need to improve in and this isn’t the best example of a hime style wig but I can see where I want to go from here  and that’s all for another post! I think to style the back and sides I will make James wear it so I can see what I’m doing better hahaha!

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Hope you enjoyed my bout of Hime Gyaru wig styling ^_^

Melbourne Snapshots- Celeste's Nuffnang Panasian Meet up/Graduation!

This is a special edition of Snapshots which is fairly Celeste-centric because she’s moving away ;_; Nuffnang threw her a going away party which was also the first meet up of the year!

The girl of the day:

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Vanessa, Celeste and I!

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The meet was held at the lovely Pan Asianrestaurant in Prahn and we started the ridiculously hot day by cooling down with gespacho with egg whites.. or something… I can’t remember I’m not good at food stuff XD Go check all the food bloggers for more detailed food accounts!

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With Sarah and Kim!

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And everyone!

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Of course being a blogger meet, there were about a billion photos taken XD

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Loooots of photos.

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More of the yummy food:

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And exchanging of business cards which is my favorite part of meets ups! I love getting home and going through everyone’s cards to see their blogs and information, I’ve always had a weird hoarding thing about business cards ^_^

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My favorite part of the decor in Pan Asian is the awesome chandelier, it’s made of kitchen bowls and salt/pepper shakers!! It kind of inspires me to make something like that for our house!

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I made this mistake of wearing ridiculously pointy high oxford shoes but they looked so good with the beautiful stockings Alisa from Kinda Fancysent me it was totally worth it!

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All in all I had a fantastic time and it’s so nice to be able to get out of the house and out from behind the computer for a few hours 😀

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This poor little cupcake didn’t quite survive the train ride home but it was damn delicious anyway! How on earth it managed to turn itself completely upside down is anyone’s guess *_*

Nuffnang Pan Asian Meet

Recently Celeste graduated and Jameswas the official photographer for the day so I thought I would share some of those photos too because it was a really fun day and the photos looked amazing!

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The grass was so green and lush that day, it was like the first day of Spring!

Celeste's Graduation!

Celeste looked absolutely beautiful and her bouquet was made up of little graduation Lemur stuffed toys!

Celeste's Graduation!

The little graduations bears are so cute too, I couldn’t believe how pricey some of the merchandise they were selling was, if I had just dropped like $50K on a course you’d think they could throw in the damn bear for free XD

Celeste's Graduation!

Her parents flew over to see her!

Celeste's Graduation!

And while her sister couldn’t make it, she sent this in her place XD

Celeste's Graduation!

My absolute favorite photo of the day, Kev’s expression is priceless!

Celeste's Graduation!

We had to do some silly ones too, like imitations of this moustache guy outside the music department!

Celeste's Graduation!

She was nice enough to lend me her mortar board and everything so I could pretend to graduate too XD

Celeste's Graduation!

While Celeste was taking care of the actual graduation part James and I decided to take advantage of the lovely green grass and take photos of our own!

Celeste's Graduation!

There were so many of these beautiful daisies around so I took some home to press! We took a ridiculous number of photos to take advantage of the pretty lighting that day  but I think too many photos of me would get pretty boring so I’ll leave it at these two XD

Celeste's Graduation!

Most amusing part the programme for the day was this guy with his gigantic mace looking thing! There were many many many jokes about beating people into submission with the pointy mace of knowledge made hahaha! I think this must be the punishment for students who don’t study hard enough XD

Celeste's Graduation!

The epic shoes she was wearing that day, so pretty but apparently so painful! I had to giggle at some of the girls who were running around in tiny little mini skirts under their big billowy robes XD

Celeste's Graduation!

My favorite photo of us together! I’m going to miss you Celeste!! I’m already planning our first vacation to the middle of no where to come visit you 😀

Celeste's Graduation!

Obligatory hat throwing shot:

Celeste's Graduation!

And the most important photo of the day XD

Celeste's Graduation!

We already miss you! Time for me to start Skyping more XD

<3 <3 <3