Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Hair: Products, Tips, & More

So, though I've made a pact (which I broke yesterday but I've reestablished today) with myself to not blow-dry my hair more than once a week (T_T), it goes without saying that I love styling hair. I like styling it, specifically blow-drying it. I do try styles and stuff but I'm not as committed to stuff like that as I am to Sarah, my love and first ever blow-dryer. Oh, here is a pic of her!



Beautiful, isn't she? I missed her all semester and now I miss her again since I'm banned from using her till... the 13th or after that. Oh wells, maybe I'll blow-dry my sister's hair this weekend or something.

But yeah, in terms of this blow-dryer: It's the Conair Ion Shine 1875 Styler 146P

It's important to note that with hair and skin (as well as most things actually...), there aren't many one size fits all options. But especially with hair and skin, we can categorize them to make it easier to address a lot of different people's concerns but that only increases the likelihood that that solution will work for you not that it always does. I've found that some stuff that people say is amazing is terrible for me and stuff that people hate works wonders for me. Does that mean that those people are lying? No, it means that I'm not a clone of them. My hair and skin have their own personality and while you can and should use people's reviews of stuff as a tool to help you pick products you like, you should expect that you, like a scientist (geekiness alert!), are going to be one more person who tests this theory and either confirms it's truth or add to its margin of error.

That said, here's my opinion of this blow-dryer (which I purchased by reading positive and negative reviews on Amazon.com. I can do a post on how I effectively use Amazon.com reviews if anyone wants, shout it in the comments).

Pros: It's my one true love- I'm kidding, I'll be serious and objective here.
         It's quick.
                My hair is pretty thick; I avoid volume products because I just don't want more volume. As my sister puts it, it's a mane. And while Simba looks awesome with a mane, I'm not a lion (though I really CAN'T wait to be King). But, even in the beginning of my hair styling adventures, it dried my hair super quickly. 5-10 minutes tops.
         Using the High setting on Warm does leave your hair shiny.


                 Why am I being so specific? Because I've used the low setting exactly once because it was nighttime and my parents would probably wake up and kill me if I used the louder high setting. The hot setting I never use because it'd burn my scalp off. Besides the warm works wonderfully. But the point is, I've found that when I'm done, even without brushes my hair is left very shiny.
         Cool shot button (in blue in the above picture)
                  This is basically a continuation of the above mentioned but it seals the deal. Or the shininess for that matter.
         Attachments
                  The blow-dryer comes with both a concentrator and a diffuser. If you're not sure who those people are, this one is a concentrator:



                  And this is a diffuser:



                  I do not recommend blow-drying without an attachment. Attachments help direct the flow of the air. Without the attachments you have hot air blowing everywhere and it's just sort of insane. At least for me. The concentrator I use for straighter styles and blowouts and the diffuser I use for wavy and curly hair styles. Both have served me pretty well though I haven't mastered using the diffuser yet unless that's all there is to it, heh.
         The filter is easy to clean.
                  Literally, the cover swivels off the back and you can take the filter off and remove the dust or vacuum it if you're obsessive. Or use a lint roller. I'm obsessive, I would know. But I usually just take the dust off by hand, it's not too difficult. Anyhow, here's some pictures of how it swivels...





         It's not heavy.
                  At all. The only time my arm gets tired is when I'm using a round brush on that irritating hair on the crown. You have to pull it upwards and then it falls and you have to gather it up again and... it's not that irritating but I hate blow-drying the crown hair. It is not worthy of a King. Or a Queen in this case. Or a crown. Okay enough dorkiness.
         It manages to pull off amazing results with any experiment I throw at it.
                  This can be because of other factors as well but keep in mind, I got this blow-dryer in September. It was my first blow-dryer and prior to then I had never blow-dried my hair except once in a hotel bathroom out of curiosity. The results of which were 'WTF?'. So it's been about 9 months of learning and experimentation. Yet I have yet to finish my blow-drying session with my hair frazzled or even unhappy with it. I've ended up with a result other than what I was aiming for, yes, but my hair has never looked fried or well... busted. Maybe it's not the blow-dryer that's doing this but I'd like to think it plays a part. Because it's not like I have the world's most easy to manage hair. It likes to resemble a yield sign if I don't foil it's evil plans. Or it decides that it's going to do different things on each side of my head. I mean, my best friend compared it to teenagers when the parents are out of town. "House party! Woooo!" Yeah, that, all the time.

Cons: That is one short cord, my love.
                 Yeah, kind of awkward if your plug outlet is I don't know, wedged between the dresser and the heater? One side of your head is always getting less lovin' and that is not something you want on your conscience. And I don't like blow-drying in the bathroom because there's always some puddle of water on the counter and dying by blow-dryer is not one of my goals in life, thanks. If there's less water then I'll wipe it up but my room is a better choice since I have access to all my products and brushes, etc. in case I forget something.

Yeah that's the only thing I dislike really. As for noise, it's not a pro or con since I'm not annoyed about it but it's not anything legendary. It's not like an airplane and it's not like a negligible hum. If it was, you know I'd be blow-drying at night.

There's been a lot of talk on Youtube (my #1 source for hair tips/techniques!) about getting expensive blow-dryers and "drugstore" dryers sucking. I have only tried this blow dryer so I can't give any conclusive opinion on this. My blow-dryer is a drugstore dryer. I use it. I've tried it on other people, all with thick hair, two with curly hair and it's served me extremely well. But this is of course only my experience. I can't say for other drugstore dryers or even this blow-dryer in other hands.

Moving on, Tools:

Detangling Comb
I got this a while ago, possibly and likely from Duane Reade, I think it's made by Goody and I'm probably right. It's from a drugstore, who else would it be made by? But this is pretty simple. It detangles hair. I use it usually only when my hair is wet or after some types of blow-drying. No complaints but I mean a sucky detangling comb is a sad thing indeed because how can you screw that up?


Conman Brush
Haha, behold my Conman. It's not a Denman, it's a Conman as it's made by Conair :D. It's pretty small but I've found getting a big one wouldn't make too much of a difference since this works pretty well for me. I really like this brush though I can't actually identify one reason why. When I use it, my hair looks good. My nieces like this brush because it does the same for them. It's also good for flipping your ends out or in. I once used it to blow-dry and it made my hair straight but with very beautiful waviness on the ends. It's one of my favorite unexpected results so far from blow-drying.


EcoStyle Medium Sized Round Brush
I got this one at Jack's. If you're in NYC, hit up Jack's. Best 99 cents store ever (though this brush was 2 or 3 bucks, I think). 32nd Street between 6th and 7th I think... There's another one up in the 40's. Google is your friend. But anyway, I like this brush, I have no complaints. I use it a lot to blow-dry and it always gives me good results. It doesn't pull or tear your hair unless you're doing something weird. Happened to me once so far where I got stuck and yeah I did something weird. It's pretty nice looking and the wood handle is pretty cool. It has some grippy things on the sides which I have no real opinion about.


New Guy! (Big 'Ol Paddle Brush)
I got this one on Sunday from Walmart. I know, how sad. Moms dragged me there with her so I was like, since I'm here and I need one of these, might as well get it. I dislike Walmart. Though if I ever find out that Target is guilty of similar behavior, I'll be so depressed. I love Target. But since I just got this I can't say much about it. I used it to blow-dry yesterday and it was nice. I definitely like the size. I haven't used it while dry, again, because once my hair is dry I do not brush or comb it. But I have high hopes for this one since it seems promising.


Jumbo Bob Pins
I actually noticed that only a couple of days ago. These aren't cute little Bobby pins, they're big Daddy Bob pins. Haha. These are nice because they don't pull my hair and they slide on and off. I did manage to stretch one of them to the point that it does not hold hair well but I don't know how I did that since the rest have been used a billion times without any damage. I usually use these to pin hair at the end of a blowout (the results of which are adorable, by the way) though I also use them to pin hair away from my face. And as you can see they are 1.99 at Eve Beauty Supply in Soho. Just look for the yellow store squashed between two clothing stores (I think?). It's on the end of Soho closer to Chinatown.


Duckbill Clips
These are awesome. I use them to section and clip hair out of the way. I got the idea from the first Blow-out video I ever watched and that one was on Stylecaster done by Blow, the New York Blow-dry Bar. My style has changed since then and is now a combination of a lot of different tips and techniques I learned mostly from Youtube and personal experience but this video did help start me up. Maybe I should watch it again, heh. But yeah, as she says in the video, they have amazing hold.


Avocado Oil!
Love this stuff. I picked some up from the health food store near my school and it is amaaaazing. I use it for hair and for my skin. I've transferred a bit to a spray bottle I had for body oil. For my hair, I spritz maybe one and a half spritzes of this stuff on my hand and then work it through my hair focusing more on the ends and then rubbing the rest on the roots. I usually do this before blow-drying since thanks to its incredibly high smoke point, avocado oil is an amazing heat protectant. It makes my hair unbelievably soft and shiny. Like, there should be a warning: will cause excessive hair fondling. I used to hate oil because well... it's oily. But this oil is not greasy and doesn't leave your hair nor your skin greasy. It leaves it soft and you don't look like Snape after using it. Though I do use only one or two spritzes for my hair. Some people will need more of course depending how moisture hungry your hair is. This isn't a skincare post but I do use this as a sunblock/moisturizer/cleanser. Sounds weird, huh? Well, it protects your skin as well as it protects your hair from your blow-dryer. What I do is take a spritz and a half and massage it on to my face after washing my face with warm/hot water. Then I rinse it with lukewarm water. You can't tell that I just "washed" my face with oil because... simply, this oil is awesome. My skin is soft, not dried out like it gets with other cleansers, and protected from the sun. And yes you can wash your face with oil. It doesn't clog your pores and removes dirt as well as makeup.


Essencia by Samy Volumizing Shampoo (Yay!)
This was a birthday present from my best friend and it literally changed my whole attitude about my hair. Before using this shampoo, I used Dove. Sulfates, anyone? I literally could not pull my hands through my hair, and this is back when I had super straight silky hair. It tangled extremely easy and I had a LOT of it. I was just not into my hair, I didn't like it nor it's length. I didn't know what to do with it honestly since I felt it was too long to leave out. Ironically enough, now I'm waiting for it to grow again. Back then I paid no attention to it so I probably didn't realize how long it took to grow. I never had it cut too much anyway so it was always long and it grew back quickly. Now I pay a lot of attention to it so I do notice that it takes time to grow not to mention it has a lot more to grow now. Before, my hair was never this short so it just went from long to longer. It's going to take me a year I'm guessing to get it as long as I want. But anyhow, after I started using this shampoo, hand through hair became possible and I was amazed. Whoa, this is possible? Apparently. My hair clearly didn't enjoy being dried out. It just fell nicer and it looked nicer. And so I started paying more attention to my hair and learning new things to do with it so now when my hair is longer, it's going to be a lot of fun :) This shampoo has a nice texture, it cleans very well and you feel very fresh afterwards. I might pick up the moisturizing one instead since this (sadly) has run out and I'm currently out of a shampoo. The only complaint I have is that ridiculous cap. It's a friggin ball and when your hands are wet and slippery and you're trying to pour shampoo in your free hand to use, it's a little awkward. I tend to drop it while trying to screw it back on one-handed but then again some people claim I remind them of the force of gravity. I'm glad I do. Someone needs to take care of that.


Alba Botanica Replenishing Conditioner
This is a newer addition. Couple of months old I think. I got it after I gave my Nature's Gate Henna Conditioner to my sister since she liked it. I like this conditioner, it smells very nice and doesn't take 8 billion years to rinse out (like certain Henna Conditioners I know, cough *Nature's Gate* cough). It makes your hair very smooth which is nice. Again my complaint with this one has to do with the bottle. I have to turn it upside down and slap it and squeeze the bottle beforehand so that when I open it, something will come out. And this has been since day one :O. Sometimes I'm literally losing my mind trying to get the damn conditioner out of the bottle. I'm thinking of suggesting that to the company. Good conditioner, bottle = bad idea! There are some parabens at the bottom of the ingredient list which I hadn't noticed before which is not cool but ok. I am not going to get this again as it was expensive and I didn't see why since cheaper brands do similar things but it was fun to try it.

UPDATE: This does not have parabens, sorry, I was confusing it with another product lol. I should not post when I'm tired :O


Fx/Vogue International (?) Surf Mist Styling Spray
I need more of this stuff! Currently, the bottle is being used to hold salt water in it but I need to get more. I like this stuff. It smells extremely good and it works well. It makes your hair shiny and smooths it down. It has at times made my hair feel a little crunchy which is not good but it's all in how much you use and how. It's one of those products which I'm really unsure what they do but they just do everything. That's literally how I used it. I had any issue with my hair, I sprayed this in and went from there and it worked well. It is a heat protectant so I used to spray it on before blow-drying. I haven't really tried it with a diffuser which is its main purpose so maybe I should next time. On my shopping list.

SO... On a more personal note. I am leaving at the end of the month for vacation with my family so the blog will be on hiatus for 3 weeks. I'm a little sad about that since I posted after a month and so this is going to be short-lived. I will post a lot in the next few weeks but my posting plans for the month of July are canceled. I do promise to take a lot of pictures and do an awesome post when I get back. I will also, I believe, keep updating the twitter, but I'm not 100% sure about internet and stuff yet. Aw, I'm already missing blogging and my silent readers, heh. Much love.

Okay, so... this post took 2 hours. OMG. Later!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Kurt Hummel and his faboosh hair

I mentioned Glee's Kurt Hummel in my last post I believe. I'll let the pictures do the talking ;P





I tried to capture (screenshot, stalk, however you want to put it) his hair as best as I could, not sure if it worked... Oh wait, the second picture. I got the amazing waviness. Mission accomplished. When I was younger I used to call parting your hair like this the "good boy hairstyle". I guess it's still appropriate cause it does look very good ;P. Basically, his hair is parted on the side probably tracing the crown and then pulled back with an awesome wave. It does seem that on the sides the hair is cropped a little shorter than on top but I can't be sure.

UPDATE: I think you could probably get his wave with a straightener if you turn it 180 degrees and pull through. I'll try it out on my bangs and update.

Conclusion: Awesome hair.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Fashion Inspiration Pics since last post (April 21)

It is not even a secret that I hoard fashion inspiration images. I have tons and tons of pictures on my hard drive.

So here's what's new :)

(Image from Allkpop)
I love suits. Many people associate suits with Wall Street and monotony but this picture makes it clear that it doesn't have to be boring to wear a suit. I mean what you do in your suit is your call but while the corporate world may limit your options, outside work there are plenty of options in terms of colors, cuts, buttons, prints, vests, etc. And then of course, there are tons of options when it comes to the shoes. You can opt for the expected dress shoe or an oxford or a loafer. Or maybe boat shoes but just hit up any Aldo and you'll have plenty of options. They have some of the most awesome men's shoes. Just finish off with a Kurt Hummel hairstyle and you'll look supa fly ;P


Oh ok, so it says Allkpop on the pic so you know where it's from. I should have cropped this since the only reason I saved it is because of Heechul's pink blazer. It's a very nice look pairing the pink blazer and tie with a white ensemble.


(Image from the "GOOD HAIR" blog)
This is a super pretty braided updo. I especially like how the front is left curly. Considering my hair braiding drama this morning, I'm far from being able to do something like this but that's why it's an "inspiration pic" ;P I also recommend checking out this blog, it has a lot of useful info.

(Image from... somewhere? :O)
This is the Burberry Ad I was talking about on Twitter. I saw it in Harper's Bazaar at the public library (did you know they carry stuff like that? :). Studs and leather? Supa fine.


(Image from The Fashionisto)
Another blog I recommend checking out, especially if you hoard fashion pics like some people I know... :D This outfit in general works for me. The jacket is a nice color and fit and it's a nice contrast to the khaki pants. The sneakers, shades, and hair just seal the deal. As for the magazine, I do that to books when I'm clearly not getting any reading done, heh.


(Image from Allkpop)
I suppose it goes without saying that I like formal wear as casual wear. First the suits and now this. But isn't it cool how they tied the ties together like that? Also that's a nice somewhat nautical (or Nautica? :O) belt.


(Image from Allkpop)
In my first (EVAR) inspiration image dump, I put a picture that featured a similar style outfit. It was the one where they had the female models tucking polos into tulle skirts and suggesting that it was rock band wear. If you say so... But anyhow, in my opinion, this outfit always works. I like the hair too, Kurt Hummel with tamer bangs? Yes, I'm a big fan of Kurt Hummel :P


(Image from... again, somewhere? :O)
I usually don't like this type of dress but I will make an exception for Halle Berry because she looks foine in it. I'm also usually skeptical of the type of sandals she's wearing but they look good on her and with the dress. Her hair on the other hand is just super cute :)


(Images from Allkpop)

The first pic characterizes the way I find (read: hoard) fashion pics. I don't actually have to like the outfit but I have to find it in intriguing in some way. I do however like her belt and her lip color. As for the second pic, I like how the scarf is twisted and used as a headband (it looks like a scarf but who knows).


(Image from Allkpop)
This is here simply because I like her ponytail. I like ponytails.


(Image from Eiffel In Seoul)
Interestingly enough I'm in no mood to talk about hair today yet this picture is here because I like her hair. The vest is also a nice color.


(Image from Allkpop)
See pics 1 & 6. But as per my discussion of pic 1, see how versatile this style is? Otherwise what would possess you to buy fern colored pants? (That is provided you're not my philosophy professor... -_-) And vests are a staple whether you like this style or not. A staple that is on my list of staples that I have yet to buy. For some reason I can't find one I like...


(Image from Kevin Murphy)
It looks so soft... :O

Ta!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Stealth Phone Fashion Photography (And some non-Stealth as well ;P)

So I don't have much on my phone in terms of stealth Fashion photography but I figured I'd dump what I do have here. I need to work on my stealth skills.


The owner of these shoes had a pretty awesome outfit in general but I'd have to be way more obvious to photograph the whole thing and I didn't want to ask the guy I'm sitting across from on the subway if I can take a picture of him for my blog. Awkward. I really liked the worn look of these shoes.


Oh wow, these pics are pretty bad quality but hey, it's a more personal effect. Coming from my phone and all... okay bad excuse. I'm sorry but if I take them on my phone it's less obvious. If I pull out my teal camera case with its golden chain and slide open the lens of my Fuji then yeah it's fairly obvious what I'm up to. This was taken in Duane Reade when Best Friend and I were sitting in the pharmacy being tired. Cute boots; you can never have enough of them.


Yay! Less shady picture. I was in the library with Friend and I discovered that they carry magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Dazed and Confused. Go BPL! These are a pair from Rupert Sanderson's Spring 2011 collection and they are FA FA FIERCE. Nick Kirkwood-esque but a different family ;P I love the navy and the thunderbolt design.
Oh so this is quite interesting. I was admiring how cute the expression the model has on his face is (awkward sentence structure here..) and lo and behold, a week (or so) later I go to NYCAASC (pronounced Nysack :P). I was in the Asians in Fashion Workshop and Jake Choi was talking about his friend getting the Uniqlo ad campaign and I'm all, whoa, that was his friend? Interesting, eh? Okay, well I found it interesting. This picture sucks though... Maybe I'll post originals of this and the Rupert Sanderson heels.

But not in this post since this is a Phone dump post.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Outfit Post

This is not inspired by anything except me and my eternal love for dark colors (black), pewter, chrome, and crystal. And heels.

Piece by piece breakdown:

ASOS Long Metal Spike Earrings - $10.76

The Caged Songbird Necklace in Antique Silver by Obey - $32.95


ASOS Pleated High Neck Batwing Top - $28.69


Volcom Kitty Claw Shoulder Bag - $46


The Black Queen ID Bracelet by Harajuku Lovers - $30


The Crystal Cluster Cocktail Ring by Betsey Johnson - $34.95


The Crystal Cocktail Ring in Clear by Betsey Johnson - $40.95


Navy Chino Short - £28.00


Michael Antonio Studio Mercer Black Triple Wedge Ankle Boots - $88 

 Enjoy :)

Hair and Makeup Inspiration Post

So, I hit 1000 views! I noticed I was close to the mark so I was thinking to do a post in celebration but I didn't expect to have to do it so soon :) Thanks, viewers! If you follow the blog, say hi in the comments section! Also, if anyone has suggestions or requests: comments section!

So in celebration, I'm going to do another inspiration post. If I survive that, I'll do an outfit post :)

Hair and Makeup. In the same sub-folder of my inspiration folder (labeled... Hair n Makeup lol).

Pic from Kstyle
(I've been following this ^ blog since the beginning of my fashion love affair and I definitely recommend checking it out.)

I doubt I'll ever go blond since I have an irrational (or maybe not that irrational) suspicion that going blond will lead to my face matching my hair. Obviously my face isn't the color of CL's hair in this picture but still, you don't have to match exactly to blend, you have to be in the ballpark. If you want to know how many other of these odd quirks I have, ask my best friend.
The point is, I like her pigtails. I like how they're lower on the side of her head and more towards the back as well as the side part and side-swept bangs. The length seals the deal.

Pic from Karmaloop
These are like my favorite waves. Wave perfection. I also like the lowlights.

Pic from Fashionising
This color I would consider and have considered. Of course any hair-dying pondering usually ends in, but I like my hair color/I don't want to damage my hair. If I ever did it I'd probably go for temporary (as in one day) :D
Again, awesome side-part and it's really cool how the hair on the side is swept to the front.

Pic from Fashionising

This clearly doesn't inspire me, but it makes me extremely happy. I don't really like Keira Knightley but this is just awesome.

Pic from Daily Makeover

I'm subscribed to Daily Makeover, it's one of those things you never remembered subscribing to yet check the emails. I find a large portion of the emails terribly irritating but some of them are interesting so I didn't unsubscribe. Wait, that's not true. I was just lazy. Still am.
Brandy's eye make-up is perfect. I haven't tried this out yet but it's on my to-try list. Actually her hair and makeup is just perfect in general in this pic. As for Heather Morris, I really like her but that hairstyle is not doing it for me.

Pic from either Kstyle or Eiffel in Seoul (?)

I really like how Minzy's hair is flipped outwards. It's also a very cute hair color. And let's not forget the Star Wars hat <3 I also really like that lip color; it looks really good on her. As for the eye makeup, 2NE1 tends to nail the eyeliner pretty well.

Whoa, I'm done! I think I'll do an outfit post :)

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