Paddle Brush Blow out on Natural Hair

I blew out my hair earlier this week after a fresh wash. These are the items I used:

• Aunt Jackie's In Control Moisturizing & Softening Conditioner.


• Whipped Shea Butter Mix


• Paddle Brush


• Hand held blow dryer w/concentrator (not pictured).

I first moisturized with the conditioner and sealed with the shea butter mix.

Then, I sectioned my hair into 6 parts:

 

I worked one section at a time, de-tangling with the paddle brush, then gliding the brush down my hair as I chased with the blow dryer. I tried chasing with a rat tail comb as well but that really didn't make a difference.

 

Keep reading for pics of the result (PIC HEAVY):

Whipped Shea Butter Mixture by Hand

Let me just say that I do have a hand mixer, however, it's for food and I'd like to keep it for food only! You can mix it by hand for all of five minutes (or less).



 

 

Here's what I used:

• 2T Shea Butter


• 1/2 t coconut oil


• 1/2 t avocado oil


• 1/2 t extra virgin olive oil


• 1/2 t Crisco (soybean & palm oil)

I combined each into my small plastic bowl and mixed away using a small plastic spoon! I did not melt any of the oils. The result was a very light, fluffy, and smooth mixture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWo5CA2d72w

 

Tips for Polishing Your Nails

Here are some tips that I'd like to share with you that have helped me to get the best looking nails. These tips can be applied (pun intended) to any kind of nail polish:

• The first coat is your base color, not to be confused with base coat. This layer sets the background, so to speak and allows you to build the opaqueness of the nail polish. For the first coat, dip the brush and gently wipe a bit off the side of the bottle. Apply light pressure evenly over the entire nail.


• For the second coat, load up the brush slightly more than normal and glide it over the nail, applying NO pressure. This particular method ensures that you get no streaks and your final look is nice and smooth.


• Make sure to allow adequate time to dry between coats. I'd give it 10-15 minutes before applying the second coat. For the final top coat, give your nails about 1 hour to fully dry. Allowing enough time between coats allows your nails to dry without bubbles.


• Apply the top coat in the same manner you applied the second coat of nail polish; loading the brush then gliding it over the nail with NO pressure.

 

Please excuse the dent in my index finger :( I was not being careful and doing too much before letting me nails dry.



So that leads me into my last tip. Let those nails dry before doing anything! At least one hour. Go watch a movie or put on a tv show or two while you wait.

Twist & Curl Without Perm Rods or Rollers

Here is a technique I came up with for a twist and curl that does not use roller or rods. How is that possible you ask? Well..............the answer is bantu knots :D



I did about 14 twists in my hair, then half way up, I made a bantu knot.



I really like this method and I will never use rods or rollers again for this look. I find that this is also very comfortable to sleep in as opposed to the alternatives. Rods and rollers can hurt your head if you sleep in them. Plus, if you do go under the dryer, sometimes they can't fit. LOL. Let me add that on the second day of this style, I just used one product. Can you guess what that is? WATER!!!! Water was my styling product. So easy, so simple. Keep reading to see more pics.

NOTM: Mermaid Abstract Gel Nails

So I redid my gel nails for the "n"th time. LOL. I can say that each time = more practice so that's a plus :) I used the Ez Flow Gel It Kit which I purchased from Ebay for $29.99 as well as the Salon Edge 36W UV Nail Lamp, also from Ebay.

Now on the the design:

Click here to see the step by step!

DIY: Vanity Tray

Earlier this year, I bought a haul load of fragrances and needed a place to store them all. I came up with the idea of making a vanity tray. I already have one for my bathroom.

Here's what I used:

• a mirror sized 11x15


• decorative tape


• hot glue gun


• block shaped beads

First, I measured the tape and applied it to each side of the mirror.

Then, I glued the feet on the bottom:

And that's it.  See the finished look here.

NOTM: Royal Nail Art

I named this royal because that is what I thought of when I saw how the colors came together. I think the maroon and gold really characterize this look.

Here's what I used:

• Nicole by OPI - Shoot for the Maroon


• LA Colors Striping Polish (Gold Glitter, Black, White)


• Ruby Kisses French White **for the dots


• Reinforcement labels for the french tip **not pictured

Step 1: Stick on reinforcement labels to act as a guide for the french tip.

I personally do not like these. The shape is too circular and it does not fit the shape of my nails well at all. Also, it didn't form a good enough seal so some polish got below the guide--this could be user error.

Step 2: Add the french tip

Step 3: Add black stripes, white, and gold stripes.

Step 4: Add dots.

Finished look. This was taken the next day in natural light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWTk-5akF4Y

My at Home Gel Nail Manicure

So I re-did my gel nails. I got some of it on the skin so the last manicure was lifting. I was sure to  be careful and clean the skin off this time before curing the gel. I think this set came out pretty good :)

Products used:

I first used my: Nail Tek Base Coat

Then I used two coats of China Glaze Champagne Bubbles

I then used two coats of this cheap gold glitter nail polish I picked up at a BSS years ago.

Next, the striping w/LA Colors Art Deco (black & white):

I then added dots using an orange wood stick and black & white polish.

I added some more white stripes, along with silver stripes and rhinestones.

I sealed with a gel top coat and flash cured two fingers at a time under my LED lamp for 10 seconds.

flash cure [flash] [kyoor]: to cure under light for a very short period of time.

Watch the video:

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqIKMlBdQ04[/embedyt]

Gel Nail Manicure

In my previous post, I talked about my gel nail manicure that I did. I like this pic and I just wanted to show it because it was taken in natural sunlight. At the time of this photo, the manicure was 4 days old. What I like about gel is that it stays on much longer than regular nail polish. I would have def had chipping by now w/o the gel top coat. The pink polish and the striping/dotting are all done with regular nail polish that has been sealed with a gel top coat.

 

 

 

My Gel Nail Extension Set + Nail Art

This is my first time doing gel nails on myself. I chose gel because I think it looks more natural. This is the kit I used.

Nail Bliss Pro SoakOff UV Gel Nail System.

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  I purchased mine at Sally's Beauty Supply for $30.99 w/my Sally's Beauty Club card and a $5 off coupon code (555148). If you order online, you can use coupon code: 555386 for 20% off. It is also available at Amazon for $39.99 + $5.95 shipping.

I also purchased a KISS LED lamp. I got mine at Walgreen's for $29.99.

See pics of the mani here:

Twisted Top Knot Bun on Stretched Hair

I stretched/straightened my hair this past weekend with a combo of the flat iron and foam flexi rods. I like the sleeker look it gave my hair style.  The technique I used is the same as in this style: http://hypnotic-glamour.net/blog/?p=29

This is a three day old stretch

 

Two Strand Twist Top Knot Bun

Can you tell how much I like buns? :D For this look, I put my hair up into a bun (leaving out the bangs). I divided it into 4 equal sections (left, right, front, back) and two strand twisted. Then, I gathered the front two by the ends and pinned in the back and gathered the back two by the ends and pinned up front.

For the bangs, I made 2, two strand twisted, rolled, and pinned.

See more pics here:

How To: Curl Those Twist Out Ends

Let me start off by saying this method will also work for a braid out. I don't know about you but when I used to do twist and braid outs, my ends always ended up either unraveling or keeping my natural curl pattern. It always ended up looking off :/ I came up with this method a long time ago and thought I'd share.

All you need to do is a loose bantu knot and the end of the strands like so:

The result is a nice curly "q" and the end :D

And here is the finished look!

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Yet Another Protective Style: The Princess Bun

So bun looks have been my go to hairstyle this season. This winter has been extremely cold and having my hair out as much as I'd like just hasn't been a possibility. Now, the princess bun, as you may wonder, is not much different (if at all) from the top knot bun.

This is just my own spin on a high crown bun. It got it's name because I think the bun does look like a mini-crown. Princesses are "mini-queens" LOL, and the name "Princess Bun" was born! I spiced it up with a rhinestone hair accessory which I picked up from the dollar tree. This is just a really long silver bobby pin with rhinestones on the top. And of course I did my signature twisted bang at the front.

See more pics

Outre Polly Half Wig

Here's a wig I had for awhile that I decided to throw on. This wig blended quite well with my hair. I parted a small section in the front and did one braid. I let it set overnight and took the braid down, then blended it with my hair.

This is a color 1b. The hair itself is quite soft and very light weight. The wig has two combs (front and back) and two elastic adjustable straps.

For some odd reason, Outre has a pic out of a model wearing this wig and it looks nothing like this:

A Quick & Simple Protective Style: The Turbin Head Scarf

This is a style I wore on a day that was really cold. I had just washed my hair the night before and hadn't styled it yet. I just threw on my one (of many :D) scarves, paired it with some earrings and called it DONE! Scarves are great because you can use them to accessorize your current hair style. They are also great if you are deep conditioning and have to run a quick errand!

Who do ya think you're foolin' Wal-Mart

So I'm at Wal-Mart yesterday and I see a elf clearance display so of course, I head over :) Then I saw they had their studio line marked at.................$3.00.



Yep, the regular price. I'm thinking, this has got to be a joke. I just shook my head and walked away. But not before I eyed the teal colored cream eyeliner. I put it back because I really didn't need it. I already have the black one.

See for yourselves here:

Top Knot Bun

I once again did a top knot bun as a lazy day/protective style. This was done on freshly washed, un-stretched hair. All I used were a pony tail holder and a few bobby pins. The technique I used was to split the hair in half and then wrap each half in the opposite direction and pin the ends. I added a scarf as a nice finishing touch ;)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="316"] top knot bun[/caption]

See more here

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