hair extension care

I've had my second set of hair extensions for almost six months now. I've taken care of this set much better than my old set that only lasted two months. While I don't wear my extensions everyday (because sometimes I'm too lazy), I've gotten much better at taking care of them so they stay clean, soft, and blend well. This post is dedicated to my tips on washing, styling, and traveling with hair extensions, with a few tips on blending them into your hairstyle.

First off, I use the Euronext 18 inch set in dark brown from Sally's Beauty Supply, since my hair stylist recommended it. I went into the store to find the shade closest to my natural hair color.

After I took these photos for an outfit post (left), I got the extensions and tweeted this one later that day!

Washing, Traveling, Styling, and Blending Tips:

Washing
At Sally's, the ladies there showed me what kind of products I should be using. (On my old set, I didn't use any products, so they got ruined pretty quickly.) About once a month (since I don't wear them every day) I wash the extensions with this shampoo and spray in this leave-in conditioner. I LOVE that this set smells like a hair salon!

It's up to you on how long you between washing your extensions. I do about once a month since I don't wear them every day, and when I do, I don't always style them with products. When they feel kind of rough and crunchy is when you know you should absolutely wash them!

After washing, lay the extensions flat and on a towel. I wouldn't recommend blow drying them.

Traveling
It can be tricky taking extensions with you when you are traveling. Sometimes clip-ins can get uncomfortable and you don't want to wear them on the plane. For me, when I had my 10+ hour flight to Italy last August, I just wore them the whole way there. Personally, I think clip-ins are pretty comfortable if they're clipped in right. They also did not set off the metal detector going through security in the US, Amsterdam (my layover), and Italy.

If you don't want to wear them on a flight or during a road trip, you can stow them in your suitcase. When I do that, I tie them together with a hair tie, and keep them in a plastic bag. This way, they have less of a chance of getting tangled in other things or getting spilled on from accidental liquid leaks.

If you want to use an actual hair extension travel carrier, this one from Etsy would work and has a fun zebra print. I haven't tried using a travel carrier, but they seem like an easy and safe way to travel with extensions.

Styling Products

My number one rule with styling hair extensions is to always use heat protectant. It's really important to do this to protect the extensions, because even if they are human hair, they're not "alive" and attached to the scalp anymore. Does that make sense? It sounds kind of gross...haha. I spray heat protectant on the ends of my real hair in addition to any part of my extensions that will get heat.

After styling, a leave-in conditioner will further protect the extensions and keep them somewhat moisturized. I use this kind from Sally's.

Lastly, use the lowest heat setting possible on your curling iron or flat iron. My hair doesn't hold curl easily, so I bump it up just a little past the lowest setting.

The lighting/shadows in this photo make my hair look two different shades...it's all the same! Haha, I promise!

Tips for Blending

Curling your hair extensions is the best way to make them blend into your real hair, in my opinion. Especially if your extensions aren't quite the right shade (mine are just a tad lighter), curling will make your hairstyle look more "real." (And also more voluminous!) I use this curling wand.
--Side note: my old set of extensions faded dramatically and it looked like I had ombre hair. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't....so far my newer set hasn't faded in color. You can see what it looked like at the bottom of this post.

Depending on what it looks like, you don't need to wear every piece in the set. My set has four layers with four small side pieces. I only wear two layers with the side pieces because if I wear every piece the extensions won't blend.

If I'm wearing a side ponytail or braid, I don't wear the small side pieces.

A teasing comb just may be your hair extensions' BFF. After clipping in the layers, tease the hair above the clips to hide the clips. You don't want the extension clips to show!

If you have any more tips on hair extension care, let me know in the comments!

xo-ally

ombre hair

The ombre hair trend has been going strong for quite some time now and I don't see it leaving anytime soon. It is a way to (in most cases) subtly add color and most of the time looks fantastic! It is low maintenance, so touch-ups aren't needed as often, especially if the color on top is your original hair color. I really like the ombre hair trend, and these fab ladies below look perfect!

Lately I've been looking through photos from when I studied abroad a couple summers ago. A few months before I went abroad I had a "trim" that turned out to be more like 5-6 inches off my hair. I love having long hair and was so sad to see my length hit just below the shoulder. So I got hair extensions. It looked great at first and it was nice to have more volume. However, during my time abroad, my extensions faded!!! The color changed to a lighter brown. A few people thought I just got highlights.....haha. My hair kind of looked ombre:

I actually like the look. If I weren't afraid of dying my hair (I've never colored it, ever) then maybe I would do this. I love my original color too much to color it, but ombre wouldn't change the roots.

HOWEVER, I saw this photo from my last night in Florence. My extensions look so fake. I just CRINGE when I see this photo!! Needless to say I took the extensions out when I got back to the US :(

There are times when I think I might put those extensions back in to get more volume and an "ombre hair" look but then remind myself of the photo above. Sometimes it just ain't pretty. Maybe I'll be able to find a way to make it look more real....hmm if you see any future photos of me with semi-lighter hair that's probably what I tried to do!!

Anyways, I am a big fan of the ombre hair trend and I have a feeling it will last longer than we think. What do you think of ombre hair?

xo-ally

sally hansen salon effects nail stickers

I recently tried the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail stickers. I received them as a gift about a year and a half ago, and finally decided to try them for Halloweekend! The majority of the sparkles were green and silver, which were perfect with my mermaid costume.

Pros: Easy to apply, no nail polish smell, no mess, no need for a top coat (but base coat is recommended)

Cons: price - they're $7-9ish, the price for one set is the same as a whole bottle of nail polish, and not all of the stickers stuck.

I'm guessing that not all of the stickers stuck because they're so old? This was my first time trying this, so I don't have anything to compare it to.

Since I had three "unpolished" fingers, I just applied a beige color to let the sparkly nails take the spotlight. Overall, I've been pretty happy with the nails and have received plenty of compliments on them. Even though they're a little pricey for just one application, I'd consider buying another box.

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On another note, I am proud to say that I was able to capture my depth of field (blurriness of the background) perfectly in the photo above! I shot that photo on the manual setting on my SLR camera. I was so happy! Oftentimes, I test the shot and throw my hand in front of the lens to see if my settings are correct (how I got the photo above).

So I tried it to test indoor lighting, and it worked, for the most part....

The subject (hand) is in focus, and the background is blurred! Hurrah!

...and then when I tried having myself as the subject, it didn't. Fail! 

Ugh. The lighting ended up being overexposed in this photo instead of casting the glow it did on the hand test shot. I want to figure this out. I think it would make my photos look much cooler. Sigh. I will continue to try.

Any tips for camera settings to get a shallow depth of field???? If anyone can help a girl out...I would love you forever. :D

xo-ally

bareMinerals lip colors

I don't wear lip color very often. I have Burts Bees lip balm that I wear daily, but my glosses don't get much use. (Well, I had light pink lipglass from M.A.C. that I loved but I lost it. Sad.) I feel like I buy the wrong color sometimes - it just doesn't fully go. That's why I like getting makeup from department stores! Unlike a drug store, you get to try on the makeup and see how it looks before you make a decision.

shop this

I got the bareMinerals Pretty Amazing Lip Color in "Ambition." It is a bright, hot pink! I was originally deciding between this color or a red so I could wear when I perform with dance team at basketball games. When I tried it on, however, it was suggested that I wear it regularly! Here is the color on me, taken with my phone:

I also got the bareMinerals Moxie Lip Gloss in "Show Off." It is a pinky-nude that will bring out the rosy undertones of my skin but will be much more subtle than the hot pink above. I'm excited to try this over a nude lipstick I bought a while back - the lipstick itself seems too matte, so a gloss will help liven it up a bit.

shop this

What brand/type of makeup do you use for your lips?

xo-ally

laine blogger award

I would like to thank adorable Demmy from Uniquely Demmy for giving me a Laine Blogger Award! When you receive one, you answer a few questions and award five more bloggers. Then the five other bloggers can post this, answer the questions, and award five more! It's fun. :)

The Questions

1. What is your current beauty obsession?

Right now I really like Argan Oil. I wrote about it briefly in an old post because it's awesome! I put it on my wet hair after the shower and it dries (with or without) a blow dryer really quickly. It also makes hair shiny and healthy-looking.

2. What is one beauty item you wished you own?

A heat protectant! Every time I get my hair trimmed, the stylist scolds me for not using it before blow drying/curling/flat ironing my hair. The one she used at the salon was wonderful but also really expensive. I'll save up some money and get some then! Haha.

3. What kind of posts are your favorite to read and write?

My favorite posts to read are outfit posts. I love seeing how everyone puts together different outfits. Everyone has their own, unique, personal style. My favorite to write are fitness and fashion posts! I really like fitness, so writing about it is another way to express myself in my writing. I also like posting my outfits and writing about my day. My favorite outfit posts are the ones that I get a chance to take outside!

4. What inspired you to become a blogger?

My first internship was a writing job with College Fashion. It was so much fun, and I really liked writing about other students' personal style and photographing their outfits. [This might sound a little selfish of me, but I thought some of my outfits were CF-worthy too!] Other than College Fashion, I began reading The Daybook and loved seeing how a personal blog was different than a more professional one. The more blogs I read, the more I enjoyed reading them. I wanted to start my own! I began my blog last March.

5. What color nail polish are you wearing right now?

I just had what I call "Tiffany Blue" on my nails with clear jewels on the ring fingers which you can see in the photo below (sorry for the poor quality). My toes have a geranium-colored red.

The five blogs I nominate are....

1. All the Vanity... by Tina

2. Classic Glam by Halle

3. Suppose I Should Blog by Eimear

4. The Slice by Christina

5. Monograms and Pearls by Megan

This was fun! Be sure to check out the blogs I nominated - they're great! Also, does anyone know who Laine is or who started the Laine Blogger Award? Random question, just curious....Thanks again, Demmy!

xo

the wonders of cortizone creme

Apparently I sound like the Windex Guy from My Big Fat Greek Wedding when I suggest using cortizone creme to my friends.

[photo]

It's so great, though! I originally used cortizone creme when I was 10 years old due to very dry skin on my hands. [My brother called me "Sand Paper Hands" ... thanks to the creme they no longer were like sand paper!] 

A few years later, I read in a magazine that cortizone creme reduces redness and swelling so it's smart to use on blemishes. My 14-year-old self was sold! Pretty much any part of the skin that is red, swollen, dry, or itchy can be helped with cortizone creme. 

A few of its many uses:

blemishes

red spots

rashes

dry skin

sunburns

bug bites [those darn mosquitoes...]

soreness/redness from piercings [I use it on my earring piercings sometimes]

[photo]

A little goes a long way with cortizone creme. You don't need a whole lot, which is nice because the tube lasts a long time.

Because I'm not a doctor, make sure you read the product packaging, directions, other safety items before using!

I don't care if I sound like the Windex Guy. For years this has been the best - and un-replaced - skin care product I've used!

xo

waterproof mascara

I wear two coats of mascara: one regular, and one waterproof. I've been doing this daily since last summer because....

1. It makes my eyelashes look extra long! Sometimes I get asked if my eyelashes are real or fake. [They're totally real ;)]

2. If I shower in the middle of the day, I don't have to worry about redoing my makeup. This is great if I go work out in the morning. In the summer, this is also great because my mascara stays on when I swim!

The two types of mascara I wear daily:

Maybelline Great Lash BIG in Blackest Black

I love Diorshow by Dior, but since that's a little pricey, I like to use this mascara from Maybelline. I used to use the regular Great Lash mascara until I tried this one with the "BIG" brush! The brush is much larger than the other one and I think it makes my lashes look like they have more volume.

Find it here for $5.19 at Ulta

Cover Girl Exact Eyelights Waterproof Mascara

A perk about this waterproof mascara is that its color subtly "matches" your eye color. My eyes are Hazel so I use hazel or Green, depending on what's available at the store.

You can find it here for $8.49 in Blue at drugstore.com

What is your favorite mascara? Have you used the ones I use, and how do you like them? Will you be layering a waterproof mascara over a regular one this summer?

xo

cheap nail polish finds

I was at the drugstore today and found a few awesome bottles of nail polish! Even though the trip was only meant for face wash, the shopper in me took a look at the makeup section. I love good nail polish finds, especially if they're cheap! Sometimes I don't buy cheap nail polish because of the quality of the paint and brushes, but some brands are actually pretty nice for the price!

Left: "Mezmerised" by Essie, $8

Middle: "Blue-Ming" by Color Club, $5

Right: "Energetic Red" by Sinful Colors, $2

I bought the Essie color thinking it would be similar to the shade of medium-wash jeans, but it's actually a little darker. It's more of a cobalt, saturated blue. It's still very pretty, though!

The "Tiffany Blue" polish in the middle is great! I'm rocking this shade right now. It's a beautiful robin's egg blue hue that is pretty good quality for only five bucks.

The red polish on the right is a gorgeous shade of red. It's not too alarming and not too subtle - a good in-between shade of red that's perfect for summer.

I'm thinking of doing a "French manicure" on my nails with the blue color in the middle and the red. The blue would be the base and the red would be on the tips. Do you think this would look good, or totally crazy?! If I like it I'll post some pics on here ;) and if not... well, you can assume it probably didn't turn out so well. Haha.

xo

3 of my favorite hair products

So many people have hair products and tools that they swear by - "cult favorites," tools they've used for years, etc. Other people use hair products and tools, but aren't totally satisfied with them. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite hair products and tools I use and rate them as well!

Here are three products I regularly use, on a scale of 1 to 5. (1 being low and 5 being high).

Bed Head Dual Barrel Waver

Rating: 5

I really like this iron! It gives me waves that are more unique than regular curls and they usually stay bouncy longer (my curls often fall flat). Here's a photo of me on one of the days I waved my hair using this iron. It took me a few tries to get it down easy, because having two barrels is more different than one - you have to weave the hair in a figure-eight motion to get it to wave. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube to help you figure it out (that's how I did!) I recommend this for beautiful, wavy hair.

Remington Ceramic Curling Wand

Rating: 3.5

The curls made using a curling wand (an iron without the clamp) are very popular right now. I like this style, so last fall I got this curling wand from Remington - I got the smaller barrel size version. It does a great job curling the hair, however, I wish the barrel was just a tad larger! Also, since the base is a little plastic-y, sometimes a few strands of my hair get caught in it. If I could go back, I might have just spent a little extra money on a nicer version, but I'm actually pretty satisfied with the purchase. Overall, it gets the job done!

Argan Oil

Rating: 5

I LOVE THIS STUFF. It is pretty pricey - $40 per bottle - but a little goes a long way. (Apparently on the website I linked to has it on sale for over 1/2 off, which is awesome). I started using the oil in August, and even though I use it on my hair often, I still have a lot left! Just a dime-sized dab of the vitamin E-loaded oil is all you need to smooth the ends and bottom half of your hair, and voila! Shiny, silky hair. I usually put it in before I blow-dry my hair but it will work on both wet and dry hair. HUGE recommendation!

Anyone else use these products? What are your favorites? Any recommendations for me? (I'd love to know!)

xo