February 2, 2014

♡ Red Hair Guide ♡

(made waay back in September ooooops)

Seeing as how red is one of the hardest colors to keep and happens to be the color I dye my hair and know a lot about, I thought I would make this post to talk about dye, maintenance, and hair care. n.n


So first of all, if you wanna dye your hair red and want to keep it that color for a somewhat long time, I would suggest not using Manic Panic because even though they have really great colors, it's more of a temporary dye rather than permanent (from both my experience and many others').

Now if you're like me and have naturally dark hair but don't want to damage it with bleach, back before I bleached all my hair (to go blue) I used this dye called L'Oreal Excellence HiColor.

$6.59 here

For some people, it turns out as a super bright red and for others (like me), a dark but bright-in-the-sun red. It really just depends on your hair type, color, and how well it takes to dyes and developers.

Tutorials here

BUT if you've already bleached your hair or just do it all the time, some great dyes I'd recommend are:

Ion Color Brilliance Brights: Red - $5.29 here


Pravana: Red - $9.95 here



Special Effects: Hot Lava - $11.60 here

I've actually only used Ion and Special Effects before because in order to get Pravana, you have to either own a hairdressing license or buy it online. ; - ; But it's been recommended to me numerous times and I'm planning on maybe trying the orange shade soon!


After you've found your preferred dye, I would suggest showering every other day rather than every day to help lessen fading. But if your scalp gets oily faster than others, you could just get some dry shampoo or some dye-friendly shampoo/conditioner! n.n (would suggest for every other day showerers as well though)

I've used these for a while now and they seem to do their job:

Riveting Reds Shampoo - $6.95 here & Riveting Reds Conditioner - $6.95 here


After you dye your hair, there are going to be a few things you should change about your routine to maintain the color and keep it vibrant as long as possible!
  • Rinsing you hair in cold water is a must! After a few washes, you'll notice the difference of how much bleeds out when you use hot water! If you're someone who showers in extremely hot water and just can't do cold, here's what you could do: use preferred water temperature to rinse/warm body, when done, change water to cold and lean backwards to put only head under the water to dampen hair, move head out from under water and switch it back to hot to warm self back up, shampoo hair (I'd suggest leaving it on for as little as possible since shampoo fades hair), change water back to cold, rinse hair, keep hair away from water, change water back to hot, condition hair, shave legs/wash body/whatever you do to keep yourself occupied whilst conditioning heh, change water back to cold, rinse hair AND YOU'RE DONE YAY. That's what I'd do before I was able to adapt to low warm/high cool shower water temperature. c:
  • Use heated hair tools as little as possible! ei: flat irons, curling irons, crimping irons, blow-dryers, etc. Heat loosens the dye particles thus fading your hair. But if they're aaabsolutely necessary to your hair-styling routine, just apply a heat-protectant and use your tools on the lowest setting possible! Hey, even cutting back on them when you're not going out all fancy-like or chillin' during the weekend would even make a difference~ And you can even look up tutorials on YouTube of people showing how to curl your hair without heat tools (socks, headbands, bobby pins, straws, pens/pencils, hair rollers, braids, buns, etc.)!
  • (This is something that kind of doesn't have to do with after dye-care but does since hair health effects hair dye longevity) Don't brush your hair while it's damp!!! This is something I had done for years without knowing the harm it caused to my hair. It's bad because your hair is at its most delicate state when wet and will break off moreso than brushing it dry! It also weakens it, making it more prone to split-ends and just not-so-good hair health. So use a wide tooth comb instead!

To keep your hair healthy and in good condition after bleaching/dying it, I would hiiighly recommend investing (some can be pretty expensive ; - ;) in some repair or moisturizing shampoos/conditioners, hair masks, or leave-in conditioners as well. c: It'll also help dye particles "grab" onto your hair shaft and better their time sticking to it so your color will last longer!

These are all the ones I like and use:

Pantene: Repair & Protect Shampoo - $4.99 here


Ion: Repair Solutions Conditioner - $11.99 here


It even comes in sample-form in case you want to try it before committing to the 20 oz. one!!

Ion: Repair Solutions Conditioner sample - $1.89 here


TRESemmé: Rejuvenating Mud Masque - $6.09 here


OH and if you're going to buy both moisturizing and color-safe shampoo/conditioner, instead of switching off between them every day, you could just use half of each at the same time! And if you have your own that's preferred and wasn't listed, make sure it's Sulfate-free!! It's known to fade hair a ton.

Here are some other ways to keep your hair healthy!

 Eat healthy and drink lots of water!
 Exercise! (helps hair and overall body health)
• Use hair cap or chlorine protectant whilst swimming!
 Trim hair every 6-8 weeks if you have split-ends! (breakage stunts growth)
• Use heat protectant or wear hat when in extreme heat! (UV rays are damaging)


SO YEAH, happy hair dying, good luck, and feel free to comment with any questions/tips you may have!! Hope this helps. n.n


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December 15, 2013

♡ My Most Used Make-Up ♡

So I really wanted to make this post since I've been in /love/ with my make-up lately~
& also just got new foundation and it's my new favorite ever and wanted
to share its wonderfulness with you guyss so yeah. ♡

E.L.F. Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer

Milani Runway Eyes: Lily White eye shadow


Revlon ColorStay liquid eyeliner
     
   

Falsies mascara


Kat Von D's Lock-It Tattoo Foundation


Maybelline lipstick in Red Revival

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December 5, 2013

♡ Favorite Starbucks Drinks ♡

Starbucks is my favorite monthly treat (more or less) since I love both coffee and super sweet things!!
(spoiler: I really really really love frappuccinos??)








The Green Tea frappuccino HAS to be
my aaall-time favorite. ; u ; No matter
what I try next, I always always end up
going back to it!! I would definitely
recommend to all fellow tea lovers. n.n
Especially if you love green tea like me~












     The Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino
     was my very first addiction/favorite drink
     from Starbucks! I first tried it last Fall and
     instantly loved it. Sadly it is only available
     during the Fall so if you want to try it, make
     sure to get it before Winter starts!!









The Mocha Cookie Crumble is perfect for when you're having a SUPER chocolate-y craving or are just a chocolate lover in general~ It's only available during the Summer, sadly. :c Though you can technically still order it whenever, you just won't get the chocolate whipped cream or cookie crumbles! It's my boyfriend's favorite drink and is what he usually gets, heh.







The Salted Caramel Lattè is basically just
like the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino
but hot! Since it's usually always a million
degrees here in Tucson, I usually get cold
drinks but since it's finally starting to get
cooler here, it puts me in the mood to drink
something nice and hot to get warmed up!









I've only tried the Gingerbread Lattè once since it's what my boyfriend got last time we went but I really liked it! I was kind of surprised I did too since I don't like the taste of gingerbread that much, heh. Once again, seasonal drink only available during Winter.



Feel free to comment if this post inspired you to try something new or if
you have any favorites of your own that you'd like to share!!
I'd be more than happy to hear them~ (◡‿◡✿)

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December 2, 2013

♡ Cute Christmas Present Ideas ♡

Whilst searching for clothes and stuff, I found all these super cute things!! I would totally buy them myself but don't really have the money for it at the moment so I thought I'd just make a post about it, so enjoy~ ?
Oh and also I figured posting at least once a week seems doable so hopefully that'll work out! ; u ;







Night Light $24.99












Cat Flats $14.39




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