Cute Enough to Eat

So, I was on pinterest tooling around and thought "I bet there's cute halloween nails out there"

I saw these, Candy Corn, and thought to myself "i'm so dumb. why didn't I think of that on my own?"

http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400797418024/


Now the real sugary sweet confection looks like this:

Because the orange is in the middle (and it's the darkest color) I painted half my nail yellow and half white. I let this dry then painted an orange stripe in between.

Clearly the orange stripe is too wide, but it was a first attempt. However, I did get several compliments and "Oh! Her nails look like candy corn!" comments.


Time taken: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: Low
Pro-tip: DO NOT USE SCOTCH TAPE. It will take the paint off. If you want perfect lines either buy the stuff designed for nails or use something flat and straight to make an edge. The whole "just use scrapbook scissors and scotch tape to make cute nails" BS. Doesn't work. It strips the pain.


Best of luck and Happy Halloween month! May you have a Boo-tiful October!

A Change Would do you Good

So in honor of fall I decided to change it up! I decided to become a radiant redhead!

I showed my bestie some choice colors I liked:

http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400797475637/

http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400797467289/

http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400796183649/

And we went off to Sally's.


Using 3/4 Wella Red-Red 810/7R & 1/4 Wella Red-Blonde 728/8RG plus developer we began the process. The Wella is better for your hair because it's demi-perm and DOESN'T BURN YOUR SCALP! YAY!

This was about half dry

Full dry and direct sunlight. Parts of my hair wanted to stay blonde REALLY bad. Perhaps the color that had been used on me the time before did not take kindly to the red. But that pic is deceiving. The red sort of set in after 24 hours.

And here's what it looked like day 2. Carrot top, much?

And yes, I know, i'm taking a picture of myself in the bathroom at work. It's pathetic. Whatever. 

Day 4 hair. I did my (now commonplace) double braid headband and got a lot of compliments on both the hair style and color. 

The reddest parts are (of course) still the "virgin hair" or that which had never been dyed. And yes, some of the blondest parts still have blonde showing through, but it's got a good bit of dimension because of that. It doesn't look so...flat. 

So people with highlights be not afraid to dye your hair one color! The highlights from before will bleed through and still make you look fabulous! 

And if you already have a good golden blonde and want a red red, there's the secret formula for it. All you need is the two colors I said, developer, a brush, a bowl, and some saran wrap to wrap your head up with as soon as it's all slopped on there. 

Do not be afraid to do for yourself what the salon charges 8x as much for. For $25 I got professional dye and two new bottles of nail polish to make candy corn nails. Get a brush, reuse it, and get a friend. If you want highlights then section out your hair and use tin foil (that's what they use). If you just want a dye but want it to really hold get dye from Sally's (mix colors if you want. I did!), put it in a bowl or an applicator bottle, and apply it all over then wrap up in syran wrap for 40 minutes.

You will be amazed what you can do for yourself. You don't need a cosmetology degree to look great, especially when you're on a budget. Sure, it's nice to get pampered, but if you don't have the money but still want to look great I PROMISE YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF.

Be beautiful even on a budget! And if you have questions, ask me!

Ribbons in Her Hair

Saw this adorble pin that had a waterfall braid that was tied off with a ribbon (and the ribbon was also the headband) for a side pony.

http://pinterest.com/pin/141089400796183770/

I decided to do my own variations on this:

My first try was actually just pinning the ribbon as a headband and then bowing it off at the top of the braid and braiding the remaining ribbon down. I was less than satisfied.

This way took 15 minutes and minimal effort.

Take 2 I waterfalled the back, tied the bow, and continued the braid down still integrating the ribbon.

This way took 20 minutes and medium effort (mostly because of the waterfall on the back of my head)

Take three I did the same maneuver, but I moved the bow down to the bottom of the braid.

Better views of the side and back

This took 35 minutes and medium / hard effort because I had to keep redoing the waterfall on the back of my head to make it look decent. I did not have a mirror behind and in front at this time, and it made it REALLY hard. 

Basically, if you'd like to braid a ribbon into your hair and have it as your headband, I think the bow looks better at the bottom. Or perhaps just try like the original pinner did...waterfall, bow, pony. However, I did like the way the blue looked in my braid.


BIG TIPS:
If you're going to use the same ribbon for braid and headband:
1. PIN IT IN!      You absolutely must bobby pin it to both sides of your head before you begin the waterfall braid or it will fall out.

2. Have access to a mirror in front and behind you.     I'm lucky to have a mirror front closet that is split doors so I can have a front and back mirror to do back of head braids. If you don't have this, it will be harder for you to accomplish.


3.  Have spare bobby pins!    There will be little whispies that insist on getting out of line. You need bobby pins to secure them back into place. Just twist as you work them into the braid, and they'll be almost seamless.



Happy Hairdos!