My experience with Great Lengths Hair Extensions!

I never pictured myself as someone that would get hair extensions. It just never seemed like something that would fit my lifestyle. But temptation got the best of me. I have worked in a salon for over six years now and have seen countless amount of clients come in with short hair and leave with gorgeous long locks. I always said I was just going to grow my hair out ( which I have been doing for two years now-from a pixie to my now shoulder length bob. ) It was just taking so long! I finally gave in and decided to order my great lengths. 

I decided to go with 4 bundles of 10inch extensions because I wanted them to look very natural. I wasn't going for Rapunzel, just enough length to look and feel longer without looking too disconnected from my actual hair length. I also ordered the darkest color that they make which I think was called 1b. 

This is my hair before-shoulder length, grown out layers- nothing very exciting. 

And this is after...a few months into having them in.

And side-by-side selfies.

I'll be honest...at first, I hated them. It was so strange seeing myself with long hair. Also, they hurt. ALOT. For just about the entire first week I had headaches and my scalp was very sensitive. I don't think this is normal for everyone. If you have longer hair or have had longer hair more recently, then I don't think you will have this problem. My scalp was just no where near ready for the weight o the extensions-which isn't much by the way. They don't feel heavy-just different. 

Shampooing for the first few times was weird. It was hard to figure out exactly how to get your scalp clean without pulling the extensions too hard. After a few times you don't even notice a difference. 

These extensions are put in with a cold fusion keratin bond which acts just like your hair, meaning the bond will expand when wet and shrink back down when dry which means they won't damage your hair. But the downside to that is that you must dry your hair pretty much immediately after washing so that the bond will shrink back and the extensions won't slide down the hair shaft. For someone that has had short hair for a very long time now-that's a lot of work. 

After the initial pain and getting used to the blowdrying, the maintenance is very minimal. You must THOROUGHLY brush your hair at least 2 times a day (3 is recommended) to avoid matting. 

Now that I am used to having them and used to seeing myself with longer hair, i can really say they've grown on me. No more pain and they feel so natural. I'm sad to say that I will only have them in for another month-you can keep them up to 6 months, if you take really good care of them. I know I will be ready for a change. 

Ive already been caught browsing for shorter haircuts on Pinterest. 

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

While browsing at my local drugstore I saw this new product by Sally Hansen and immediately knew that I would be trying it. I originally purchased the color "Short Cir-Cute" which is the orange-ish golden color. It's not a terrible color but I knew immediately that I would not be able to handle wearing it for 14 days, it's just not me. As for the polish itself, I had to use three coats to get it opaque-it was quite streaky even with two coats.

On my second attempt with this I picked the color "Wine Stock" which is a deep red. Much more my style. It applied very similar to the first, very streaky. Both colors also seemed a little bumpy as well. Thank goodness for the top coat which was able to smooth everything out. I am no nail polish newb and I found these fairly difficult in application. 

The top coat on the other hand wasn't so bad. It reminds me Seche Vite Top Coat. Very shiny and goes on smoothly. 

The first picture is right after I applied, the second is after one week, and the third is today-one day shy of being two weeks exactly. I feel like this polish held up perfectly the first week. From the end of week one throughout the second week it completely destroyed. 

Over all thoughts: It lasted longer than I thought it would, but it is not a 14 day wear polish like it claims. I would not say it is a replacement for Shellac. The colors I tried were streaky-but that's not to say that all of them are. 

If you have issues with polish even lasting a week then you may want to give these a try. 

New Beauty Test Tube

If you've never heard of the New Beauty Test Tube it's a subscription that is $29.95 six times a year. With the subscription price you receive a tube full of goodies as well as the New Beauty magazine which is a $10 value all on its own. Most of the time they also send a small travel pouch full of things to try as well. After being a part of this subscription for over two years now I can say that most of the products you will receive are skin care related, some hair care, and very few make up products.

This months tube was lacking in my opinion. There are quite a few full size items but I'm not really impressed with the line up. Also, the box this month did not include the small travel bag with extras which I have received for last 5 or 6 six with out fail. 

Here are the products included in this months box:

La Roche-Posay Mela-D Deep Cleansing Brightening Foaming Cleanser 4.2oz $24.99

The size received in the box is .5oz which is a pretty decent sample size. This is a cleanser to help clear the completion and even out the skin tone. 

Dove Advanced Hair Series - Oxygen Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner 

I'm very finicky over hair care and just will not use drugstore shampoo and conditioner. 

Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick in color  $20.00(FULL SIZE)

I am not a fan of gloss at all. The color seems pretty but it will never be used I'm sure. Luckily I have friends to pass it on to.

Revlon Age Defying Wrinkle Remedy Line Filler .4oz $13.00(FULL SIZE)

I feel like i received this product at least 3 times before. Over it.

Strivectin-EV Get Even Brightening Serum 1.7oz $89.00

I will be trying this one for sure. They claim that this will lighten dark spots within two weeks. It is also paraben-free and suitable for all skin types. This will help brighten up even the dullest complexion for more youthful looking radiant skin.

Lumene Time Freeze Anti-Age Color Correcting Cream 1.0oz $14.99(FULL SIZE)

The worst part of this is that I received color Medium and in no way am I medium so basically it is unusable for me. 

Biosilk Color Therapy Lock and Protect 5.64oz $12.50(FULL SIZE)

I will be giving this a try. It's a leave-in that helps seal the cuticle and hydrates along with adding shine.

If you are a major skin care junkie, then this is definitely the box for you. But if you are looking for more makeup then you may want to try on of the other many box subscriptions that are out there.

Blah! | L'Oreal Pro-Keratin Refill Shampoo & Conditioner

I am normally a huge fan of anything L'Oreal Professional, unfortunately this is NOT one of them. L'Oreal claims the Pro-Keratin Refill range rebuilds lost keratin in the hair to reconstruct and reinforce weak, fragile hair. While I don't consider my hair weak or fragile-who's hair doesn't need a little more strength? 

I felt like these products left my hair feeling oily right after washing. I don't know if its because it's meant for more of a damaged hair or what but my hair just never felt clean when using this. The shampoo is really creamy so you have to use a lot of product for the shampoo to lather. The conditioner seems almost diluted and its not very hydrating. It smells really nice but besides that there's not much more that I really like about it.

I purchased the small bottle of shampoo and the conditioner pictured above at $24.00 each. Which is pretty high for something I didn't like. I'm all for paying money for good quality products but unfortunately this did not make the cut.  I've completely run out of the conditioner and am still using the shampoo because I am a stickler for not wasting expensive products. The only way I will make it through the bottle is usually it as a first of two shampoos for exceptionally dirty hair days.

Shampoo's and conditioners I do like from L'Oreal include Intense Repair, Absolute Repair, and Volumetry.

Lush Haul!

I recently took a trip to Lush and picked a few things to try. I know Lush is all over the YouTube world, and to be honest it's what sparked my interest in the brand. I've been to the store and browsed a couple of times only to pick up a lip scrub. Which to be honest, wasn't the best. But with high hopes I thought I'd go ahead and give them another try.

I haven't had a chance to try anything except "Mask of Magnaminty." AND I LOVED IT. It is a face and back mask packed full of peppermint, kaolin, and scrubby adzuki beans for deeply cleansed skin. It reminded me of the Glam Glow mask in texture, where it has bits pieces of something in it. It was super minty and sort of tingled when i put it on which is nice in a face mask. I left it on for about 8 minutes and my skin was left feeling soft and smooth. 

I've heard nothing but amazing reviews on the "Big" shampoo and I'm extremely excited to try it. The package says that it will bring your tresses back to life with a body-building sea salt shampoo for incredible volume, softness and major oomph for your hair. It has a really nice smell and I love that it has texture. I can only assume that it is going to feel amazing on the scalp.

This is one of their new products that just launched, and oh my goodness "African Paradise" smells like heaven. It's sweet without being too sweet-you have to go smell it for your self. It is a body conditioner with softening moringa oil, fresh brightening mango juice and soothing aloe vera combine for beautifully moisturized skin. While I was in store, the sales associate did a scrub on my hand and applied this body conditioner. It felt so nice I couldn't resist. I've never had a love for applying lotion. I hate the sticky feeling of it on the skin and just the general task of doing it. With this one, you apply it in the shower and rinse it off. Sounds right up my alley.

I'm always on the hunt for a good body scrub, and "Ocean Salt" is extremely popular. It is a scrub for face and body made up of coarse and fine sea salt with organic lime juice to brighten and avocado butter to soften. 

Last but not least, I had to try the dry shampoo. "No Drought" comes in a pop-top bottle, which you use to puff directly onto the scalp. It smells like grapefruit and lime, which is a big plus for dirty hair. I am nervous that you will be able to see the gray shadow that most powder dry shampoos leave-but I have high hopes.

Have you used any of these products?

Is there anything else I should try for Lush?

My Favorite Dry Shampoos.

All hail the dry shampoo. I've tried so many in my time and a lot of them aren't so great. I think I have finally come across a few worth sharing.

ORIBE DRY TEXTURIZING SPRAY

I think most people that use dry shampoo's has heard of this one. It's probably my favorite out of them all. It absorbs all the oil and adds amazing texture and volume. Plus it smells amazing like all of the other Oribe products do, and can we take a minute to ogle over the packaging-it's beautiful. It also is a clear spray, so it doesn't looking chalky on the hair. As someone with black hair that is by far the most annoying thing about most dry shampoos. I'm not ready for gray hair and I surely don't want a product that makes it look that way. 

There are a couple of cons though, you do have to reapply it throughout the day in order to control all of the oil, but conveniently they make a travel size that will do the job. Also, it is quite pricey coming in at $42 for the regular size and $21.50 for the travel size. 

L'OREAL FRESH DUST

I've gone through at least 10 bottles of this stuff, it's that great. It controls all oil all day long. No need to reapply. It doesn't add texture like the Oribe one does and sometimes I find that as a benefit. It has a very baby powdery smell, which personally I like, but may not be for everyone. It's priced very reasonably for professional hair care products, it's under $20 at most places.

SEBASTIAN DRY CLEAN ONLY

This is the newest to my ever growing hair care stash and I'm so happy to say that it was a great purchase. Like the L'Oreal one is also has a powdery smell, definitely not as strong of a smell though.  It does unfortunately leave a bit of a white cast when you first spray it, but easily disappears with a few swipes of a brush. It adds a very similar texture to the Orbie's Dry Texturizing. I would for sure consider this a dupe for it and it's way cheaper at $20 at most retailers. 

Have you tried any of these? 

Are there any other amazing dry shampoos that I should try?

Orange is the New Black.

I just finished season 2 and wow. I'm really sad it has to end-and that we all will be waiting until next year to continue the amazingness that is this show. With that said, I must share my thoughts. I'll try not to give anything away, but if you're not caught up - beware. 

I knew from season one that I was hooked. I remember finishing it in maybe two days. Season two, on the other hand, started out a little slow for me. With the first two episodes I wasn't really impressed. Maybe even a little let down-based on the love I had for season one. But I kept watching because I knew the potential, and I am so glad that I did.

This show is so different than anything else available right now and it really pushes the limit on what most people find comfortable tv. But that's what makes it so good. 

There is a lot more character development in season two. I loved getting to know the other character's stories, whereas season one rightfully focused more on Piper's story. While she isn't necessarily my favorite character on the show, I really enjoyed Morello's story. 

Have you watched season 2 yet?

Which character did you like getting to know best?

Nude Nail Appreciation.

I know this is nothing new but it's something pretty new for me. I've always been more of a fan of darker or bolder nail colors but for some reason lately, I've really been drawn to nudes. 

I'm extremely fair skinned and always thought nude nail polish and even lipstick looked weird on me. But now I can honestly say it's grown on me over the last year or so in both departments. I'm still on the fence about pinky nudes- but beige/brown/grey nudes are right up my alley. Below you'll see Essie's Sand Tropez with two coats of polish and Revlon Colorstay Top Coat(which is an old favorite). I've used Sand Tropez a million times but mainly as an accent color or some sort of nail art, but rarely as an all over color. It's great. Opaque and flattering. I really do think anyone could pull this color off. It's different enough from my skin tone to be noticeable without washing me out. Or as a lot of lighter colors do, it doesn't pull out the yellow in my skin making me look like a Simpson character. It doesn't really come off that way in the photo, but I promise in real life it doesn't. 

btw, the phone case is from Brandy Melville.