Kechmara Designs
I’ve been dying to collaborate with Kechmara Designs, a local Moroccan-made rug shop at 1104 R Street in WAL (Warehouse Artist Lofts). The owner Ali travels to Morocco to hand select the rugs, some of which are decades old! My visit to Kechmara was really fun and informative – you can tell that Ali is very passionate about his business and wants to educate people on these beautiful works of art, so run don’t walk, and check out his beautiful shop.
I chose a beautiful Azilal hybrid rug to match because I loved the vibrant pops of color. Azilal carpets are produced by the Ait Bouzid, Ait Shokmane, Ait Bou Oulli and Ait Bougmez tribes of the Ailal province in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. They are single-knot carpets which have a background of white wool against designs executed in undid brown or black wool – some Azilal carpets are highlighted with additional colors. Colorful Azilals are extremely rare and almost extinct, they truly are magnificent pieces of art which really depict the country’s history. I gravitated toward one adorned with symbols of the Berber people in North Africa from the 1960’s and the coloration mimics the confetti-like patterning on a flirty Hemant and Nandita cold shoulder dress that I’ve had my eye on!
Hemant and Nandita dresses definitely have a bohemian vibe with their intricate patterns, trademark tassels and feminine silhouettes. I wanted my overall “look” to mimic vibe of Kechmara, the uniqueness of this particular rug, and most of all, I wanted to do something different and have fun with it!
The Wild Wavy Hair Routine
I mentioned in my Instastory that I would be sharing my wild wavy hair routine with everyone. There are definitely some key products that I use to achieve this messy and effortless look and they are all within Oribe‘s line.
First, I start with wet hair and and use a dollop of Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse on the crown of my head. I work the product through at my roots and in general, less is more here. Using the same minimalist principle, I then use their Imperial Blowout Transformative Styling Cream (literally less than a dime-sized amount) on my ends up to about midway up my hair. Again, less is more!
From there I use my prized blowdryer, Babyliss Pro Volare V1, which all of my friends love to borrow because it dries any kind of hair – long, thick, wavy (basically what I have!) – in a fraction of the time that most dryers take! I start by drying the roots with my head upside down and work my way through my mass of hair to get it fully dry. No need for a round brush or anything, just trying to dry the hair and allow the product to do its volumizing!
Once the hair is dry, I section it off into the first bottom third (I just the rest in a topknot). My favorite tool to achieve the messy curl look is Paul Mitchell Neuro Curl Wand because it heats up incredibly fast, holds heat, and the curls are more wavy and less ringlet like. Then take small sections of hair (I prefer medium sized sections as larger makes for looser wave and smaller makes for tighter curls) and I curl them starting from the front, curling away from my face and alternating between each direction with every section. It is definitely not a precise method and it doesn’t need to be! Once I have the first third completed I use the Superfine Strong Spray to set the curls. I love this hairspray because it allows your hair to be flexible while still holding the curl / wave! Plus, like all of their products, it makes my hair smell so good!
From there I work my way to the top with the other two thirds, finishing each section with the hairspray. Once all of my hair is curled, I like to run my fingers through to separate the sections so they aren’t so uniform. The final touch, and in my option what makes this look “messy” is the the Dry Texturizing Spray, which is essentially the hair gods’ gift to Earth. Similar to to dry shampoo, it boosts volume without making your hair sticky. I apply the product at my roots and sometimes a little here and there in the front to fluff things up!
