Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Dyed my hair & added 18" long extensions!

I used Garnier 100% Color in #501 Medium Brown

My color was fading A LOT so I decided to dye it again last Friday. I used the same color, but I know I didn't keep it in my hair long enough to get the actual color I was suppose to. I only used one box and I concentrated mainly on the top half of my head where my hair was the lightest shade of brown(where I had my bleach accident) and didn't focus much on the bottom half of my hair or underneath. I massaged it into my hair & left it in for 20 minutes, rinsed & shampooed.

It turned out the way I wanted it to :) A medium/dark brown that's a little lighter on the bottom. Some of my old highlights underneath are still visible.. and I really like that. I'm thinking about adding a small handful of golden blonde highlights underneath my hair.



This was my hair after BEFORE i dyed it:


I liked it but it was fading fast and my roots were growing in really dark.

I also purchased a pack of extensions from my local Sally's Beauty Supply. I got the Euronext Remy 18 inch Clip-Ins in Dark Brown. It was $89.99 or $79.99 if you have a club card. This is the 2nd time purchasing these. I had trimmed my older ones and they are now the same length as my hair since it has grown. I really like them. They feel natural, last a long time, you can color them (I've highlighted them and they still stayed good), they are light weight and the clips stay in my hair very well (I've had bad clips that would slip right out). I had them previously when my hair was a lot shorter and I thought that there wasn't enough hair & it looked stringy in my hair. So I would always put my hair halfway up in a clip so you couldn't tell. But this time around it blended so nicely and it was a perfect amount. It comes with 8 pieces.. a few longer rows and a few 1 1/2" strands. It's a good amount of hair and I used all of the strands because my hair is so thick.

For reference, I've also purchased Satin Strands a few times and I like them too, but you have sew in your own clips, they're heavier and in my past experience they would always go flat. I did like them though, but their color choices for brunettes is kind of poor. I have also purchased Sassy extensions and It was a complete waste of my money because they are incredibly thin & I doubled the tracks and they were still too thin. It looked like thin strands coming from my hair. I ended up tossing them after 1 use.

My best friend has tried all of the brands that Sally has to offer and she agrees Euronext are her favorite. In addition from the brands I tried, she tried the Revlon ones (which turn to ratty barbie hair after a few uses) and the Paris Hilton extensions (which also turn to ratty barbie hair after a couple uses).

Here's a picture with them clipped in and curled with my flat iron.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Nails: OPI Haul! La Paz-itively Hot, Dazzled By Gold & Purple with a Purpose!

I bought two at $8.50 each and got one free, plus used a $5 off $10 coupon. So, I paid $12 for 3 polishes! Woo! Great deal. I think it goes through till the 24th?

 At my ULTA, all of the latest collections were completely sold out! I couldn't believe it. They didn't have anything from the Suede Collection, only a couple bottles from the Matte collection and absolutely nothing left from the holiday collection (except for the gold one I bought) :(

These are the polishes I got..

Right now I have on La Paz-itively Hot.. and I LOVE it. I like it so much better without a clear top coat. I applied a shiny top coat and it really altered the color. I'll know for next time. :)



With a clear top coat and Dazzled By Gold for tips!

Rant: snow, snow go away.

I dread the winters in Chicago.

Q: Why do I dislike the winter?
A: I don't like being cold (unless its summertime and I have the A/C blasting), I always slip on the ice and hurt myself (This happened twice already), I always get sick (I've been sick for a consecutive two months now), Waking up and its still dark outside, Brushing the ice and snow off my car that accumulated through the night, warming up my car for 10+ freezing cold minutes, driving under the speed limit so my car doesn't do a 360, Leaving work and its dark outside,

And I can't take product pictures!!!! As you may notice, I take all of my product pictures outside to get the most accurate colors, clarity, etc. Soo, I went in my backyard like usual and snapped some pictures of the NARS blushes in the previous post.. and I could no longer feel my hands. And since we don't have many hours of sunlight, it makes it twice as hard. *sigh*

This is what my backyard looks like. And no, I didn't make this picture black and white. That's how lifeless it is outside. lol


oh well.

George + Natty <3

NARS Lovejoy & Albatross Powder Blushes Review!

NARS Albatross and Lovejoy Blushes


Lovejoy is a beautiful, shimmering bronzed rose. When applied, it instantly adds definition and warmth to my face.

The pigmentation is amazing, and you only need a light touch of the brush for a natural flush of color. Because it's so pigmented, using a duo fiber brush works best and lightly dabbing the powder across the cheeks.

This shade particularly goes really well with my tan skin tone, and I highly recommend it for medium, olive and tan skin tones! This is now one of my favorite blushes!


Albatross is a sheer, light golden powder used for highlighting the cheeks/face.

I'm not going to lie - Albatross looks a bit intimidating in the pan. Nars is known for providing some really pigmented blushes, so I had always assumed Albatross was going to be a pigmented, frosty white (in which I could use any of my white loose pigments). But, don't let the looks of it fool you. If you look closely, you'll see that it has a golden-yellow pearl.

When applied to the face, it goes on as a sheer, golden yellow sheen. It gives a very nice glow to the cheeks without looking shimmery or frosty. It's great for highlighting the top of the cheekbones, and it looks great layered over blushes.

A little goes a long way - my favorite way to apply this powder is with a fan or duo fiber brush.

Kim Kardashian's makeup artist uses Albatross to give Kim a radiant glow. She's wearing it in the photo below, across her cheekbones and it looks like she may be wearing it heavily on her neck.

[photo was taken from Mario's blog]

Here are a couple pictures of myself I took in the car last night. I was wearing Lovejoy & Albatross. If you wanna know what was on my whole face, post a comment :)


Nars Blushes retail for $28 and can be purchased at Sephora.

What are some of your favorite NARS blushes? I want them all!