DIY Dye

Confession: I have a deep, passionate love for at home hair color.
Major brands have added some amazing formulas to their arsenal of products that promise 100% coverage in beautiful shades that oh, by the way, nourish your lovely locks with relative ease and without the hefty price. of a salon.
Clairol and L'Oreal are two of my favorite brands because they offer a wide range of shades from almost pure white blondes and inky blacks to sexy reds and rich brunettes.
But as much as I love L'Oreal, I find myself turning to Miss Clairol more and more for their Perfect 10 system. With your box of Perfect 10, you get two different options for application: the classic, slightly pointed applicator for all-over color and an applicator that looks (and acts) like a comb, so it's perfect for root touch-ups. Now, while at home color is simple and relatively goof proof, there are some tips and tricks that will make things even easier for you.

*Unless you have extensive experiance with at home hair color, it's best to stay between two to three shades of your current hair color. If you can't choose between two shades, go with the lighter option.

*Wash your hair the day BEFORE you intend to color it. If that's not feasible, wash hair in the morning and apply color in the evening. The natural oils your scalp produces will help protect your scalp from the chemicals found in hair color.

*Immediately before, use a fine-toothed comb to get rid of any knots or snarls. You want smooth, tangle dree hair for better application. If you have knots, it can cause streaking or spotting.

*Divide your hair into sections using clips and apply color one section at a time, starting from the nape of your neck and working your way up to the crown.

*After the color has developed, rinse thoroughly and apply the deep conditioner.

I actually use the Perfect 10 color to do my highlights because it's so quick and easy to do.

*Apply color directly to your roots and allow to sit for about five minutes.
*Use wide-toothed comb to constantly pull color through your hair. The comb will help to evenly deposit the dye through your strands while giving it a more natural look, similar to boliage highlights.

If you leave your color on for more than the recommended time, don't panic. Modern hair dye has an agent in it that stops the color from processing after a certain amount of hair, so it's almost impossible to over-process your color.

Happy hair!

Ashleigh

Sorry sorry!

I'm not dead, I promise. My laptop finally decided that it doesn't love me anymore and that we're through. Officially this time. I don't have the money to take it to Mr. Notebook for them to rip me off on repairs again, so I'm in the market for an HP or Dell Netbook, but that's a story for a different blog.
Long story short, I've been testing a lot of different products and reviewing them (in a notebook!) and as soon as I have another laptop to work on, they'll be up.

xoxo,
Ashleigh

Best Foot Forward

This past Saturday was the first day of Spring and all my sandal wearing ladies know what that means- it's time to get your feet back in shape for some heel and toe baring. I know some of us are daring and just don't really care what our feet look like and wear sandals with a Devil-may-care attitude, but most of the ladies I know would be mortified if they had visible calluses or dry skin on their hooves feet. Sure, you could go to the salon and pay upwards of $20 for a pedicure that will last about as long as it takes for you to walk to the mailbox, or you could do it at home. I choose to do it at home.

When this blog first started, I talked about how much I despise the PedEgg because of it's awkward shape, the mess it makes, and the lack of comfort in using it. Normally, I'll soak my tired toes in a foot bath and slave over them with a pumice stone, but lately, I've been going the easy route. 

Update

I know, I know, updates have been pretty sporadic as of late, and I don't have a real reason for it, other than work and school have been crazy busy lately. I had hoped to knock out a blog entry every day of Spring Break, but alas, life got in the way. However, I have been diligently testing products- almost a new product every day! So, stay tuned my beautiful friends, and expect more updates soon!


Love and Kisses,
Ashleigh

A quickie

Just a quick note tonight, sweethearts!
I stumbled across this tutorial on the Oprah website and I'm kind of hating it.

http://www.oprah.com/style/Eye-Makeup-Tutorial-Sexy-Smoky-Eyes#slide

I don't like how it tells you to "do your make up for the day," especially since not all of us do our "day" make up and then smoke it out for our "night" look. I personally think you get better, much prettier results if you just go for the smoky eye to start with.  I don't think it's a well done tutorial :(

When I have the time, I'll be sure to do my own.

Love and Kisses,
Ashleigh

Avee-no!

This post has been a while in the making, since I wanted to make sure that I had thoroughly tested the product before I reviewed it, especially since it's a moisturizer that's allegedly "clinically proven to even out tone and texture."
I really like Aveeno's commercials, because they're well done, emphasize the fact that Aveeno does a lot of natural products and well, they're pretty. This is not the case with Aveeno's Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer. With it's "total soy complex", Aveeno is supposed to be hydrating while evening out skin tone and texture in four weeks. I've been using it for about six weeks now, and I have not noticed improved skin tone or texture and it does not moisturize as well as I was expecting it too. Even after liberal application, I still have dry spots around my hair line and nose, which is something that I just cannot abide.



About the only thing that I like about Aveeno Positively Radient is the design of the bottle (the pumps dispenses product pretty well) and it has SPF 15, so that means I can skip sunscreen on my average day.





Price: $14.99 for 4 oz
Grade: C

Liplicious? Indeed!

I've been buying the Liplicious lip glosses from Bath and Body Works for quite some time now. They have a great, long lasting formula that never feels sticky, a wide range of colours to choose from, and they all taste and smell great without breaking the bank.



Lately, I've been forgoing my usual red lips in favour of trying out more nude lipsticks and glosses in an attempt to broaden my horizons, cosmetically of course. I think I've finally found one that I really like, and knowing my dislike of nudes, that's saying something.
Whipped Vanilla is a very pretty creamy pink with gold flecks throughout- very "nude-but-better." As the name suggests, it's very lightly flavoured with vanilla, but does have a stronger vanilla scent to it, so if you don't like scented lip products, watch out. Personally, I love the fact that it's scented/flavoured because it helps me cut down on my cravings for sugary sweet things. Whenever I start thinking "Oh, hey... caramel would be good right about now," I just put on some lip gloss and in a few minutes, the craving has passed.


So much shine!

According to the Bath and Body Works website, the Liplicious products are packed with Vitamin E and Jojoba Oil, which are both great moisturizers, especially for delicate skin. I find myself reaching for this more often than I do my Burt's Bees chapstick, even when I'm at home.
Bath and Body Works usually offers specials on the Liplicious line and at the time of this posting, they are generously offering a "Buy 2 get 1 FREE" special. Definitely take advantage of it if you can, I know I'm stocking up!



Cost: $7 at Bath and Body Works
Grade: Solid A