Easy Beachy Waves

I love what salt water does to my hair on the beach. I have pin straight hair naturally, so when the salt water and humid air hit my locks, I turn into a surfer girl with lovely waves :)
It's hard to do this if you don't live by the ocean. You can try to do it with styling tools but nothing looks as authentic. Until now!
A couple years ago I was reading People magazine and they were highlighting a Bumble and Bumble product called Surf Spray.

Upon reading the description (Excellent for wavy types and surfers with winter blues; adds body to fine hair) I knew I had to have it. The problem was that Bumble and Bumble products were extremely hard to find in Canada. Only select salons (as in salons that ONLY* sold B&B) and those were few and far in between as well. Luckily, I have friends in the states that can get their hands on it. But luckily they now sell it at Sephora!!! ($30)
I LOVE this product. It does exactly what the ocean does, but without all the tangles and sand.
The best method is to towel dry hair really well, comb through and do NOT use any other products (detangler, Moroccan Oil, etc) besides the spray. Let hair dry a little bit more, then spray hair generously and scrunch with hands. Roll into circles and put in clip pins:

If you don't have pins, bobby pins can also be used. I have also put my hair in buns and used 2 big claw clips.

Let hair dry as much as possible. If strapped for time blow dry. When clips come out spray all over and scrunch up again. Leave hair alone after! The more you touch the less it'll stay.

I'm also wearing the Revlon Tutti Frutti in this picture :)

I also found a pin on Pinterest that allows you to make it yourself. If anyone does, let me know how it turns out!
*The great thing about Bumble and Bumble as a company is that they are only exclusive to their salons and select places to ensure authenticity. If you take it back, it goes back to them direct not back out again. They are very adamant about that, and that shows quality and respect for the customer.

Curly Sue-Hot Curlers!

 From grade 8 all until the end of high school I would faithfully get up every morning before school and curl my hair. Hot curlers are the easiest way to achieve a done up glamorous look in little time.
Wash hair and dry completely. If any part of your hair is even damp it'll throw off the whole look. All the curls will be a shorter length and the damp one will be the long curl. Make sure curlers are really hot (I usually plug them in before I get in the shower).
Spray the top area with hairspray, and every layer after. Just like the velcro curlers, start at the top with the bigger curlers. If you want a curl do the regular roll. I wave my hair with a curling iron and realized you can do it with hot curlers as well! Simply wrap hair around roller and make sure you have enough room to roll curler under to fasten and curl/wave away from your face.

 Once all curlers are in, spray hairspray all over head and leave to set. Try to leave in until curlers are cool. That way you know your curls will stay longer.

Once out, use your fingers to place the curls/waves the direction you'd like. Once you have the look right spray again with the hairspray. Curls will stay in all day/night!

As you can see I do have that one longer curl...simply use a curling iron to curl it up!

I Care Deeply About You!

With cold winter here we need to take as much care with our hair as our skin. Static hair is a common occurrence in the colder months because there isn't enough moisture in the air to hydrate it.
There's a whole whack load of home remedies to fix this (dryer sheets, lotion, etc) but the easiest and the best is probably something you already do.
You condition your hair everyday, but do you leave it in the appropriate amount of time? Does it have enough moisturizers?
I bleach my hair so it gets stripped and damaged. In order to keep hair silky and in good condition I have 3 different conditioners. The normal one is an everyday use, a deep conditioner to use every other day, and a deep treatment conditioner used once a week overnight.
When using the regular everyday conditioner, try to leave it in for at least a minute.
The deep conditioner I use is just the Dove Intensive Care brand. It's cheap and it's amazing! Use every third day for 5 minutes.     

 Usually Sundays are my at home spa days. I take a bath, do a 5 step facial, then after washing my hair apply the conditioning mask. I do leave it in overnight so use a plastic shower cap to cover hair and a terry cloth turban over top of that to keep in all the moisture. In the morning simply wash it out (shampoo and normal conditioner) and style hair as normal. The mask I use is a higher end salon product; it's L'anza Trauma Treatment.

 

 You don't need a lot and it's worth it, your hair will definitely notice the difference!

The Pink Hue

You voted and said yes to the pink! Here's how I did it:

I first washed and dried it thoroughly, then I put half my hair up and used a comb to make the part. I did it in a "V" shape so that it would peek-a-boo at the bottom. I didn't lighten my hair beforehand because when it grows out, I still want to have my natural highlights. If you have darker hair, you'll obviously have to lighten it.

I had to mix a couple of the colors, because they didn't have the one I really wanted (Hot Hot Pink). I ended up going with Red Passion and Cotton Candy Pink. After mixing them together, my husband Dallas applied it with a paintbrush. Just like at the salon, do not apply at the root or touch your scalp. After it's applied, wrap up in saran wrap or tinfoil and let sit. It takes 15 minutes to completely set in, but you can do it at a longer time so that the color stays well.
When you're washing your hair after in the following weeks try not to bunch up your hair. The color will bleed a bit. After about 2 weeks I just do whatever, and the bottom tips (the regular ones) will go a really nice soft pink.
I didn't take an after picture but I will be doing more hair tutorials, and you can see it then! :)

All That Glitters...

They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but I beg to differ. Sparkles are my diamonds. They are beautiful, colorful, and all around wonderful.
I was perusing through Micheal's one day and came across the Martha Stewart section. I stopped immediately and like a raccoon, was drawn to the shiny things I saw. 24 glorious glitters in all the colors of the rainbow.

This set retails at Micheal's for about $44.99 (CAN). They also sell it at Walmart, for a cheaper price. The great thing about Micheal's is their constant coupons, and luckily I had a 40% off one, and gladly used it on this.
Now you may ask what I want to do with all this glitter. Well, I spent a good 5 days just staring at it. Seriously. It's that beautiful. Next, I sent a picture to my good friend who is also my esthetician. She also love sparkles. We knew what we had to do!
A couple years ago we discovered the simple amazing trick to combine loose glitter and gel to make fabulous, sparkly nail polish. It was close to Halloween and I was going as Katy Perry, so I wanted to do something really fun and funky (Katy always has crazy nails!). I wanted RAINBOW nails! Unfortunately we didn't have the time (or enough different brushes) to do the job, so I chose a blue.

(I took the nail pictures about a week after they were done, so they are grown out a bit)
So that's one idea you can use this glitter for. Another is for eye make-up. It's super fine so it's not going to clump up. I got this idea from LIT, when years ago I had bought a bunch of glitter at a hefty price. Well, NO MORE! Their "glue" is good to have though if you are going to be using this on your eyes. If you don't have it you can purchase it at Merle Norman for $5 (Calgary), or on their website.
http://litcosmetics.com/
OR you make your own glue from water and sugar, or just straight 7UP. Dip a liner brush in solution, then glitter and sweep across lids for glitter eyeliner. If you'd like to use it as an eyeshadow (the more the merrier!), use a wider brush and dab glitter onto eyelid. This look is brilliant for the holidays!
And for even more wonderful glittery fun, use in your hair. Do your hair up in the chosen style you'd like, spray hair with hairspray, then sprinkle glitter where needed. Spray again with hairspray. Voila!

Poll Results

Well, the vote to go pink was 100% DO IT! And it shall be done!!!
Thanks for the votes! xox

Think Pink!

A couple years ago I was in this phase where I dyed the bottom half of my hair a couple different colors (dark brown, auburn, pink). I recently was looking through old pictures and had a nostalgic feeling for my pink hair. It's a temporary hair product (manic panic), so it washes out within a couple weeks. It starts out a really bright fuscia pink, but gradually goes light without looking like kool-aid (you know exactly what I mean!) But I also really liked how it lightly seeped into my hair on top half on my ends. I found a picture from when I did it before. You can't get the exact idea, but it's there (it had been a couple weeks at that point so it's a little "weak" in the color).

So, in the poll above let me know what you think!!! :)

Curly Sue-Velcro Curlers!

There are about 5 different ways I curl my hair and since I always get asked how I do it, I figured I'd break it down from softest to curliest :)

One of the best ways to get tons of volume and big soft curls is by using velcro curlers.

The set comes in 5 different sizes, so you can adjust the volume you want. Usually I like do this in the summer because I can just pop them in, sit on the deck in the sun and let my hair set. But because the luxury of time is short, and the sun has gone away we need to adjust.
Once out of the shower and your hair is toweled dry, put a little amount of your favorite volumizing product in (gel, mousse, spray) and put throughout your entire hair, root to tip. I say a little because you want it to look soft and natural, not crunchy.
IF you have time, try to let it air dry a little on it's own. If not, use the hair dryer on low and dry your hair about 50%.
Time to place them in! How you do this is entirely up to you. I put the large ones on the crown of my head down to the smallest at the nape of my neck. In the front I put my bangs back with smaller curlers so they curl more. I also set them away from my face.

Once the curlers are in let them sit for as long as you can. Do your make-up, get dressed, etc. Again, if you don't have the time take your hair dryer and dry it at high heat. The great thing about these curlers is that they are breathable so your hair will dry fast.
When you are ready to take them out grab them by the end and lightly pull them out. 

After all the curlers are out you can easy manipulate the curls in the direction you want them to go. Use your fingers to comb thru the hair and if need be use a big rounded brush to adjust and soften. Once you have the effect you want spray all over with hairspray.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Are you trying to grow your hair out? Maybe your nails are too short and brittle?
It's not too hopeless, there are a couple steps you can take to speed the process up a bit.
In order to grow your hair out properly a lot of people think it's ok to skip the trim/cutting. This is so not the case, ladies! When you leave your untrimmed hair to go wild the split ends break and travel up that piece of hair doing more damage. To go longer in between trims, deep condition and use moroccan oil. Wash your hair less--when you wash you hair everyday it strips the natural oils from your hair. If you're like me and have oily roots, use a dry shampoo. It's an amazing product! The one I have doesn't leave the white powder behind, either.

If you just can't seem to grow your nails out without them breaking I recommend O.P.I's Nail Envy line. You have to put it on everyday, but it does work.
And to help with both healthy nail and hair growth, take your vitamins! You have to be healthy from the inside out! Most multi-vitamins would do, but the best ones are Materna.

You might not be pregnant or trying to get pregnant, but this vitamin has extra good stuff like folic acid and B12. I started to take it 2 years ago, and have noticed a huge difference in my hair growth, my nails got harder, and even my eyelashes have grown!
Always forget to take them? Put them beside your bed and take them at night. Not only will you not forget, but when you take your vitamins at night you don't pee them all out like you would throughout the day. Grow on!!!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

I love my hair products, and have quite a few of them. But one of the products I love the most is my Moroccan Oil.
Moroccan Oil has many wonderful properties, but what it does the best is strengthen the elasticity in your hair and makes it really shiny and soft, while protecting it from UV damage. After I get out of the shower I comb through my hair, then I use less than a dime sized amount and rub it in my hands so it's evenly dispersed. I comb through my hair with my fingers only half way down my hair, making sure I get the ends of my layers and concentrating on the tips. I have greasy roots so no need to go further up for me. In the summer time I try not to use hair dryers, curling irons, and my flat iron so if I have the time I just let it air dry, or pop in my velcro curlers.
There are 2 types of Moroccan Oil--the light treatment for fine or blond hair, and the original, which is for all hair types. The light treatment smells wonderful, but the original smells like candy. Delicious. Enough said.

The price is great, too! The small travel bottle (shown above, 25ml) is $16.00, while the bigger bottle (100ml) is about $40. Only found in salons.