Beauty School Diaries: Growing Out Damaged Hair

 

Damaged hair is such a common complaint amongst women I know, it's not surprising with all of the chemicals and heat we use on our hair. Hair straighteners now go up to 450 degrees and most hair types don't require that much heat. With every stroke of that little magic machine you are frying your hair a little bit more. Hair is made of protein, I don't want to get all chemistry on you but basically damage occurs when the protein chain breaks. This break in the protein can not be fixed, despite what labels on products may claim, hair damage is permanent. Using these products can help manage symptoms of damaged hair, frizziness, breakage etc but the damage is still there. The only way to really repair the hair is trim the damage off. Getting regular cuts is important because it removes the split/ damaged ends and stops it from spreading up the hair shaft. Some blogs say to grow out hair you need to stop getting it cut completely, WRONG, your hair will continue to break and split.

I've had to cut a lot of hair off in the past year due to my love of coloring my hair. I was blond, then red, then dark brown with blond highlights, then brown with pink, then dark brown with blond highlights. I was adding color then removing it with bleach, this destroyed my hair. In the process i've found a few products that actually help to manage the symptoms.

My favorite product is Carol's Daughter Split End Remedy, this helps to seal the split ends together. Does this solve the problem? No, once you wash your hair the product is removed and the seal is gone. This product smells nice and can be applied to wet or dry hair.

Protein Sprays: Damaged hair is in need of protein, using a protein spray is a great way to temporarily add that protein. Hair is made of Keratin so when looking for a protein spray look for one that is keratin protein, like It's a 10 miracle leave in treatment PLUS Keratin.

Deep Conditioning can help moisturize your hair to help with flyaways and keep the rest of your hair healthy. (Don't deep condition too frequently, it can weigh your hair down)

the NUMBER 1 MOST IMPORTANT thing to do to manage damaged hair is to STOP bleaching it.

Use LESS heat, I am not telling you to stop flat ironing your hair, but lower the heat. Try it at 200 degrees if that doesn't straighten your hair crank it up a little, find that sweet spot that works for you it's likely less than 450 degrees.

XoXo Nicole

 

XoXo Nicole

Beauty School Diaries: Blunt Cuts

Hello Pretty! I am so sorry I've been MIA, I started cosmetology school last week and my life has been hectic to say the least. You my poor readers have been neglected in the process. I'm starting a new series (today) called the Beauty School Diaries. This will chronicle my thoughts, feelings and learnings while in school! Hopefully ya'll will find this information helpful and I'm excited to be able to bring to you the actual science of beauty! So let's dig in I have a lot to catch you up on...

I had A LOT of expectations of what beauty school would be like, I thought it would be really fun and easy. I totally thought I would be the best at everything, because 1.) I'm a perfectionist and 2.) I have high expectations on everything I do. We started with the basics, orientation, rules and regs of the school etc. The same day we did our first haircut. Wait, what? Day one and we are cutting hair? I know, I know it's just a mannequin but still I wasn't prepared for this until at least week 2. We learned a four section part (i.e you part the hair down the middle and then from ear to ear) we dropped a 1/2 inch subsection (am I suppose to know what a half inch looks like??) and we started our 0 degree haircut. What does this have to do with you? Well in this haircut I learned a few things.

A 0 degree cut is also called a "blunt" cut. This means there is no layering or elevation in the cut. This is not one of my favorite haircuts yet it serves a purpose. The blunt bob is the same cut as a long 0 degree cut, interesting huh?

This cut builds weight in the hair and creates the illusion of thickness and body. This is a great cut for people looking to create thickness in their hairstyle, however it's NOT a great cut for people with a long face. Without face framing or layers this cut actually makes your face look longer. If you have a long face and love this cut add blunt bangs to help widen your face. Jennifer Love Hewitt is an example of someone with a long face doing this cut right.

 

On a round face this helps to balance your overall look out. Sienna Miller rocks this blunt look with some side swept bangs to add a little softness to the cut.

The blunt cut is a lot harder than I thought....it is hard to achieve a perfectly straight line. This beauty school thing may not be as easy as I thought. Queue "Beauty School Drop Out".... just kidding! I'm not giving up!

 

I hope everyone is having a beautiful day!

 

If anyone has any questions for me please feel free to write me! I am learning a ton of stuff and trying to repeat to you what I think is relevant.

 

XoXo Nicole

 

XoXo Nicole

OPI Euro Centrale Collection

It's getting to be that time of year when snow starts to melt and toes start to show which means brighter color polishes! Yay SPRING!

OPI has released a new collection for the spring 2013 season and I am so excited to share the new collection with you. This collection features a nice mixture of creme and shimmer polishes. This collection has several dark shades which I find to fit better with a fall/ winter collection but theyre still beautiful.

My personal favorite of this collection is "Can't Find My Czechbook" which is a dusty aqua blue creme. It's super pretty in person and really has a unique color to it. The picture above doesn't do it justice and its much more aqua in person.

I also LOVE the glitter in this collection "Polka.com" It perfectly matches all of the pretty pastels in this collection which makes for a great accent nail although in order to achieve opacity you would need a lot of coats.

 

"Eurso Euro" is a deep blue creme. A pretty color and I like that it doesn't look black on your nails, although nothing about this is really new or original.

"Suzi's Hungary Again" is a pretty watermelon pink creme.

"You're Such a Budapest" is a soft lilac creme. It's really pretty and reminds me of Easter eggs.

"My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours!" is an orange creme. It looks really pretty like a red/ orange in the bottle but translates to a much more orange color when applied.

"Hands off my Kielbasa!" is a pinky tan shimmer and I am not super in love with this color. Shimmer polishes tend to get streaky and show brush strokes, I didn't find this to be any exception to that.

"Oy-Another Polish Joke" is a golden shimmer, it's pretty but it is really yellow. My favorite gold ever is still "Golden Eye" from the 007 collection.

"A Woman's Prague-ative" is an orange-copper with golden shimmer. It's pretty but is a really fall shade.

"Vant to Bite My Neck" is a deep purple, it looks really close to black in the pictures above but is actually a gorgeous eggplant purple.

"I Saw...U Saw...We Saw... Warsaw is a dark blue creme. I would say it's a bit of a green blue as "Eurso Euro" is a true blue shade.

A surprising favorite of mine is "My Vampire is Buff" It's a pretty yellow nude shade. It's perfect alone or for layering.

 

Go snag these at your local salon.

 

It's Almost Spring :)

 

XoXo Nicole

Gift Giving Guide: VanDavis Aveda Spa Retreat

Hello Pretty! I want to start by saying happy almost valentines day! I also want to say that this post is NOT a paid advertisement or review, my commitment is to you my reader and I honor that commitment by always sharing with you when I am being given something in return for a post or review. I just really believe this to be an amazing gift and I happen to love Aveda so it's sort of a win-win.
If you are stumped on what to give your partner this upcoming cupid day look no further I have the perfect suggestion for the North Carolina resident. VanDavis Aveda Lifestyle Salon has 2 amazing lovebird packages happening right now. They have 2 salon locations one in Wilmington, NC and one in Winston-Salem, NC both salon/spas are beautiful and staffed with amazing and friendly people.

Gift #1 (my total fav. package): Features a half hour massage, half hour facial, shampoo and style and a makeover! This deal is great for the woman in your life that you want to treat like royalty. I strongly suggest after the makeover you take her out for an amazing meal downtown. This gift is so much better than roses, sure roses smell good and are pretty until they die and then they stink and are black and sad looking, a total waste of money in my opinion. So give the gift of luxury this Valentines day.~$130

Gift #2: Features a Stress Fix Manicure, Stress Fix Pedicure and a mini stress fix lotion and bath salt to take home. This is great for someone that needs time to unwind and release the day to day pressure that builds up in their life. Stress Fix is an aromatherapy line from Aveda which features Lavender to help soothe and calm the spirit. Not only do you receive the stress relieving products but you receive a killer manicure and pedicure on top of it all. YES PLEASE. ~$75
You can find out more information about VanDavis Aveda Lifestyle Salon here.

In the meantime I will keep my eyes and ears open to more great gift opportunites for you. Stay tuned.

XoXo Nicole

I'm so over you Bob

So last year I wrote a blog about the stacked Bob and how much I adore it, it's true I still love the cut and think it's flattering for most face shapes, but allow me to tell you about the other side of Bob... growing it out. I had a very stacked Bob done in November of 2011, the front was longer than the back etc. Well I missed doing braids, buns, curls etc. on my hair and decided it was time to grow out my short locks. It's been about 9 months now since I started growing out my hair and it has been such a process. An annoying and long process.

 

I rarely dislike my hair but the past few weeks I have been pinning it back everyday because I can't stand the sight of my own hair in a mirror. It's angry with me, the back is long and heavy where the stacks have begun growing out, it's massively layered and looks awkward especially because the front is unlayered. It doesn't lay right and the worst part is it won't stay straight at all, it just flips out like i'm rocking the Mary Tyler Moore cut.

 

This picture is IMMEDIATELY after straightening it.... FAIL

 

 

I'm working in a hair salon now and have been lucky enough to pick the brains of stylists to find out what the best way to grow out a Bob is. P.S regardless of how hard you try you will still have to go through an awkward hair length stage, however we can do a bit to make it look less terrible!

 

 

This is immediately after I got my hair colored, ps. red is totally hot right now, we will discuss this later. See how it almost looks like a mullet?

 

 

 

#1: Get bangs: Mixing it up a bit will help the shape of your hair look different. If you already have bangs then grow them out, it's a simple way to alter your hairstyle without cutting off the length of your hair.

#2: Even out the layers: This can take TIME to get to a point where your hair is long enough that you can even out your layers without creating a mullet. Be patient.

#3: Get rid of the corners: This is a must to changing from a bob to another hairstyle, ask your stylist to gently remove the heavy corners of the bob.

#4: Change your color: Add highlights or lowlights to help add some dimension to your tresses as they grow out.

 

What I did was take off the bottom layer of my hair that was flipping out. This evened out the back so as it grows out I won't have such drastic layers in the back. I had to lose some length in order to do this, but the hope is it will grow out a bit more evenly and be easier to work with.

 

Here is the end result, again I lost a bit of length hoping it will grow out more evenly.... No matter what it's pretty ... so that's awesome!

 

 

This is a long and annoying process, so be patient. Pin it back while you are growing it out to avoid some of the annoying flipping that occurs. Fight the urge to cut! It's hard, I almost chopped it back to the stacked bob until one of the stylists suggested just taking the weight off the back to help it lay more evenly.

 

I did this adorable look a lot before my recent trim.

 

 

 

 

 

Good Luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

XoXo Nicole

Review: Liquid Sand OPI Polish

Hello Pretty! If you have been a reader for a while you know how much I LOVE NAIL POLISH... well I have a new collection I am so super excited to share with you. OPI has a new Mariah Carey collection called "Liquid Sand". These polishes are matte texturized glitter polishes. It's a mouth full to say I know... but these polishes are super gorgeous! There are 4 colors in the liquid sand collection and I seriously hope they come out with a million more. They are matte (meaning no light reflection = no shine) but with the glitter addition they reflect hints of light creating a cool effect. They really do feel like sand on your fingernail, they are texturized and surprisingly long wearing. You don't wear a top coat with these unless you want to get rid of the cool texturized effect. I have been sporting these for days and am surprised at how chip less they still look after 5 days. I removed them for purposes of this review and they are similar to other glitter polishes in that they are hard to get off. Soak pieces of a cotton ball in nail polish remover and place on nails for a minute then wipe off for easier removal!

Here are some pictures of the collection. You can pick these up at your local salon or grab em online for about $8.50-each. If you have a hair dressing friend I recommend asking them to take you to your local cosmoprof where you can find these for around 4.50 each with the cosmoprof card. AMAZING <3

The top set of nails are the matte nails with no top coat. The bottom are the same nails with a topcoat. You can clearly see the difference in these pretty polishes and how it changes the effect of the nails. I LOVE the matte ones.

This picture is Stay the Night and The Impossible (LOVE THEM) on my very sad short nails with no topcoat

 

Have you tried these polishes yet? What do you think? Matte isn't for everyone or texture for that matter. Would you wear these?

 

Final Thoughts: These are a great addition to anyones nail polish collection, I think everyone should have at least one.

 

XoXo Nicole

Well That's Awkward: Scary Beautiful Shoes

I love shoes, they are the perfect way to completely change an outfit. You can dress it up or down based on what footwear you choose. These shoes by Leanie van der Vyver were created to be social commentary about the lengths women will go, to be labeled beautiful. The shoes themselves are terrifying but the message behind them is nice. How many times have I worn a pair of too high, super painful heels because they looked cute? A LOT.

These shoes are in a word, backwards. Your foot goes straight down and your shin presses against the front of the shoe for "balance". They remind me of lobster claws combined with ballet shoes. Nothing about this footwear looks safe to me, broken toes anyone? Watch the video below to see a model walk verrrrry slowly in these shoes.

Please remember these are a project not a fashion statement, don't go out looking to buy these.