I got myself a curling wand in December and haven't used it all that often, so I would love to get better at curling my hair. C'mon, don't these women look amazing with their perfectly curled waves. Obviously mine won't be as good, but I like the idea of curling my hair a bit and then pinning the front back.
I also want to have more fun with my nails. I've been painting them one boring shade for too long. I love the two nail ideas in the picture below as well as this fun watermelon nail idea.
I'm getting bored with leaving my hair down or doing a side braid. I love my go-to side braid because it's so easy, but I need to switch up how I do my hair. For Hanukkah, I got myself a curling wand and would love to get better at using it. Adding a few curls here and there would make me feel like I'm actually doing something with my hair. And the hair idea at the bottom left of twisting the front pieces back is so simple and cute!
Every spring I decide I want to start playing with my hair more. My go-to's all through winter were the side pony and the side braid. I needed something easy that wouldn't get ruined by the brutally cold winds or the collar of my jacket. Soon it's going to get warmer and I want pretty but easy hair styles to go with it. I want to master some romantic up-dos, the fishtail braid, and I want to start pulling my hair back with cute pins.
If you're interested in also trying new looks, some of the looks above have tutorials:
It's been swelteringly hot in New York this past week. In fact they're calling it a heat wave. When it's this hot, I want my hair off my neck and up in an easy hairstyle. I definitely need to learn how to master these hairdos because they are super cute. I'm especially loving the picture on the bottom left with the loose French braid and messy bun.
1. Grab two pieces of paper and tape them together. Then use it to measure your head (or the head of the little girl or boy that it's for) and tape the paper into a circle. Put it aside for now.
2. Lay down newspaper and two paper plates. Pour some Modge Podge into one plate and put the lace flat on the other. Using a thick brush (but make sure it isn't a brush where the hairs come out), "paint" the Modge Podge onto the lace. It's easier to dab it thickly onto the lace rather than sweeping it across. You want all of it to be saturated with the Modge Podge. Don't worry about it being all white because it will dry clear.
3. Once you've finished painting one side, flip it over and do the other side.
4. When the lace is covered with Mode Podge, place the paper crown onto a third clean plate and then place the lace around the crown. Try to get the ends to match up as best as possible and to make sure that its against the paper as straight as possible. Let it dry overnight.
5. Now that the lace crown is stiff, get out a cup and pour some acryllic paint into it in your choice of color and start painting. It's best if you dab at the crown. (If the lace isn't stiff, you can always add more Modge Podge and wait for it to dry again.) You can paint the outside and inside, or just the outside. It's up to you. Wait for it to dry.
6. Optional: Glue some fake gems onto the crown. I didn't yet, but I think I will before I give it to my sister.
7. Voila! Wear it yourself or give it to a little sister or friend. Don't you think this would be perfect for a little girl's princess birthday party?
Last year, one of my resolutions was to wear my hair down more, which I definitely accomplished, but this year one of my unofficial resolutions is to try new hairstyles. I've worn the side braid, ponytail, and side ponytail to death the past year, so I liked to try more braided styles, maybe wear a bun now and then (though the topknot is out for me since it makes me look ridiculous), and try twisting rather than braiding my hair.
Right now, I'm loving ways to keep my hair up in the heat, bronze smokey eyes, bright pink, red lips, and ombre nails. What beauty looks are you into right now? Anything you've seen on other people that you want to try? Personally, I like the knotted headband look (pictured below), but don't think I could pull it off. Have you tried it?
For my latest campaign as a Bzz Agent, I was sent Garnier Fructis' Sleek & Shine shampoo and conditioner to try out and spread the word about.
Let me just start out by saying that both the shampoo and the conditioner, but especially the shampoo, smell absolutely amazing! They both smell like apricot, which is a lovely smell to fill up your shower.
The shampoo is pretty good, though it doesn't seem like anything too special. Personally, I usually use a clarifying shampoo since I have oily hair and get a lot of build up. After over a month of using this shampoo I would say that it does it's job of cleaning my hair thoroughly.
However, since I have dry, frizz-prone hair that is very thick, the conditioner did absolutely nothing for me. In fact it made my hair incredibly dry and frizzy, not sleek or shiny as it promises. Jackie agreed that it smells amazing but it left her hair dry too.
I've since gone back to my go-to conditoner (Peter Coppola's Almost Latte Conditioner, which smells like chocolate!) since it's the only thing that makes my hair silky and soft.
So while I would recommend the shampoo, I wouldn't recommend the conditioner unless you already have frizz-free hair.
What do you think? Have you tried these products? Are you going to?
♥♥♥
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I've never dyed my hair an fun color, but I've always loved looking at people who do. Lately, for spring and summer, I've been considering dying a few pieces of hair a pale lavender or pink. What better time than when I'm young and when it's warm, right? And the office I work at isn't that conversative, so it's not a big deal.
While at work today, I wanted to pull my hair out of my face without doing my go-to ponytail, so instead I decided to do a Katniss-inspired French braid, which is definitely more interesting!
My version...
I took a small, inch-sized portion of my hair on the left side of my head and regular braided it once, starting the braid back above my ear.
Then I started French braided by gathering somewhat large portions of hair as I went along. I didn't want it to be too tight, so I braided it with just enough pull so that it would stay throughout the day.
When I got to the right side of my head it got a bit more complicated since I'd never done this type of braid before and there was a little bit of hair remaining, so I just gathered it all together and regular braided it a few times, and then used an elastic band to keep it in place.
And, surprisingly, it stayed for the rest of the day. It came a little but undone where it stopped being a French braid and turned into a regular braid, but I think it looks pretty good. I'm definitely doing to do this for class!
Watch this amazing Katniss tutorial by LetsMakeItUp1 that I wish I'd seen before just now:
Oh, and I wore my new peter pan collared shirt from Alloy! The lighting is a bit yellow in my bathroom, so the shirt is more of a rust color. You can see there's tiny dancing people on it.
Sometimes before I go to work or school, I just want my hair out of my face and for me French braiding my bangs is the easiest way to do it. It's easy once you get the hang of it and only takes a couple of minutes. I'll explain how to do it.
{Sorry for the greasy, second day hair}
My hair is parted slightly off center, so on the side with more hair (my right side), I gather about an inch of hair at the part. Then I braid it normally once, and then begin a French braid, adding small pieces of hair from either side and adding it to the braid as you go. It might sound complicated, but it's actually really easy once you get into it.
After several times of French braiding (you could keep going if you want), I continue with a regular braid until the end. Then I use an elastic band to keep the braid together while I gather the rest of my hair into a ponytail, then add the braid to the ponytail (make sure to take elastic band at the end of the braid out), and finally secure it all in an elastic band.
Secure any pieces that are sticking up with a bobby pin.
Other options: French braid the other side as well, and/or turn the ponytail into a bun.
For a similar hairstyle, watch this amazing video tutorial by LetsMakeItUp1:
Hope you like this idea!
And don't forget to follow me via Google Friend Connect and comment on the Giveaway post!
I wish I was a pro at doing my hair and make up, so that I could expertly do these looks below. I'll probably still give them a try and see how they turn out...
Black and neon nails
Dotted nails
Colorwheel nails with gem
Pulled back little braids
Colorful fishtail braid
Messy bun with headband
Swept aside and pinned bangs
Three little buns
Thick winged eyeliner
Dark smokey eye
Which looks do you like? Any you're going to try out?
