It's no secret that I love a good manicure, especially when it's DIY. So when my friend, Chasity, introduced me to Jamberry nail wraps, it was love at first sight or should I say first application. If you're wondering "what the heck is nail wrap" it's basically a sticker/wrapping paper for your nail. They come in tons of patterns and fun colors. After doing one Jamberry accent nail I decided to order a sheet and try doing a full set. My first attempt was a complete failure. This was due to operator error. First of all, I went in thinking it would go as smoothly as it did when I applied the ONE Jamberry accent nail with Chasity the Jamberry consultant. Obviously doing ten nails on my own was a little more challenging.
Let's get to what I did wrong:
1. I was in a time crunch. Being in a rush put pressure on me to get them done quickly and not take my time to make sure I applied them properly.
2. I didn't watch the application video. I really should have to refresh my memory of exactly how to apply them. As a result, they came out wrinkly.
3. I took a long hot shower, which included shaving my legs, immediately after applying them. Sure enough by the end of the shower, every single one came off. That's right. Every. Single. One.
Needless to say I was not happy about this. A few days later, I regrouped and tried again. Luckily one sheet comes with enough wraps to do two manicures. I did not make any of my previous mistakes, especially, taking a shower immediately after application. I learned that like most things, practice makes perfect when it comes to applying nail wraps. My wraps were not perfectly applied and a few were slightly askew but nothing too terrible (see picture below). The great thing about them is they really lasted! I had them on for about two weeks. None of them came off in the shower or while doing dishes. Although, to be fair, I have to admit that I try to wear gloves when cleaning or doing dishes. That probably helped them last a bit longer.
Overall I would recommend Jamberry to anyone but, I would strongly recommend them to anyone who really loves doing their nails. I will definitely be using them again!
If you would like to purchase some Jamberry wraps click here. And to watch the application video click here.
I read this book because I went to high school with the author. It's based on Constance's blog that details her dating life.
Constantly Constance
Constance takes you along as she braves a move from Texas to New England. As she sets up life in her new town she encounters many potential suitors and many awkward dates follow. The message of carpe diem resonates through out this book. The author is quick witted and has a wicked (New England term) sense of humor. The story is really just a snap shot of Constance's life. I would like to hear from someone who has read the book but is not from Austin. The book made me nostalgic for my hometown and I wonder if someone who isn't familiar with Austin would enjoy it as much. It's a short book so I say if you like Sex and the City and/or Girls, read this book. I suggest putting it on your summer reading list and reading it poolside with a pina colada!
Rating: B
The above picture is a portrait of me over this past holiday season. I won the Grinch award this year and I wanted to share my acceptance speech:
There are so few people to thank. I know I'll have enough time to forget them all. When this holiday season rolled around I didn't think I had a shot at winning this award. However, through lack of effort, general grumpiness, and lots of whining, I prevailed. There are many things I didn't do to win this award. Not decorating my home at all, not cooking any holiday dishes, and avoiding holiday shopping like the plague are just a few of those things. I would like to mention my darling husband who was kind enough to help me strengthen my grinching talents. He would play Christmas music and wrap presents to help me test my grinchiness. I should also mention my friends and family who were kind, patient, and loving through out the holidays. I have to admit I almost didn't win this award because of them. To be honest I can really only think of one person who truly helped me win this award, ME!
All joking aside I had a nice holiday with my loving, ungrinchy family and friends. Hope you did too!
In the my post The Year of Hair, I mentioned that I use hair oil and how much I love it. To reiterate, I love it! And I want to tell you more about it!
I use Shu Uemura's Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil. What turned me on to it was I read an article that Kate Middleton, one of my hair icons, uses it. I realize that this could be entirely untrue but after reading many reviews of this product I decided to buy it. As I mentioned in my earlier post, it's a little on the pricy side. Right now it's $26 for a 1oz bottle and that doesn't include shipping. So yeah, it's a little pricy, but I think it's totally worth it. I have been using this oil for about 9 months now and really started noticing a difference about month after incorporating it into my routine. I find that unless I use way too much, the oil never makes my hair look greasy.
A quick note about how this product smells: it smells wonderful!!! I usually don't like how beauty products smell,
I often find the fragrances to be overwhelming and unpleasant. However,
this product has a light floral scent that is quite nice and not
overwhelming at all.
Before buying this product I had never used hair oil and had no clue how to use it. After some research, trial and error, and conversations with hair minded people, I worked out a routine.
My hair oil routine:
I shower at night and this is what works for me. After showering, I comb my hair out with a wide tooth comb. I then let it air dry for about 30-45mins so that it is damp, not wet or completely dry. Next I squirt one pump of the hair oil into my palm and rub my palms together. Starting at the tips of my hair and work my way up to the roots, coating my hair with the oil. If it is a non shampooing day then I do not put any oil on the top of my hair near the roots. My hair is naturally greasy and does not need the extra oil on the roots on days I don't shampoo. After applying the oil I use finer tooth comb to comb my hair and help distribute the oil. Then I blow dry my hair and go to bed. By the way, if I use styling tools the next morning then I do use another product for heat protection and would recommend you do too.
If I happen to shower in the morning or during the day, then I apply the hair oil AFTER I blow dry and style my hair. Again I use another product for heat protection. I also do this if I'm going to a special event, like a wedding. I tend to use half a pump when applying to dry styled hair, not a full pump.
If you end up trying this product let me know how you like it and what routine works for your hair!
Joe and I recently had a movie night and this was our selection.
Upstream Color
This film is the story of two people picking up the pieces of their destroyed lives after being robbed and drugged. The drug that they were given wiped their memory so they don't know what happened and they are left dealing with the residual effects. After finding each other, they start their journey of figuring out what happened and what is still happening to them. The cinematography and style of this film reminded me of Terrence Malick's films. I am not a fan of his films, so naturally I wasn't thrilled by one that reminded me of them. The story was more developed than the typical Terrence Malick film and the characters definitely spoke more than they would have if he had been directing. I found the story to be intriguing and my attention never wondered during the film. However, I cannot forgive the incredibly stylized cinematography or the disjointed narrative. If you watch this movie I would recommend looking at the themes of the film and try to connect with it on a more philosophical and artistic level. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do this. Maybe it's because I don't like worms or pigs? (After you watch the film you will understand)
Rating: C
And just kidding, I love little piggies!
My inspiration for my manicure this month is the changing seasons. Summer is coming to an end and the gold of fall is creeping in. So for my September manicure I did half gold, half white nails. White for summer, gold for fall. At first I didn't like this manicure, but after a while it grew on me. I did like how easy it was to do! All I did was paint my nails gold, let them dry, then use these french tip sticker guides to paint the bottom half of my nail white. Super easy! I think I would have like this manicure more if I had done gold on the bottom like I did on my accent nail. With the white on the bottom half, they just looked like really wide french tips to me. Let me know what colors you would choose for half and half nails!
2013 was the year I decided to get my hair healthy....or at least healthier. My journey started when a new girl started at work, she had the most beautiful hair I had ever seen. She had Disney princess hair, it was that awesome! As it turns out she was pretty awesome too and would answer the millions of questions I had about her hair routine. The biggest thing she urged me to do was stop washing my hair everyday. I have very fine hair, it gets greasy quick! I can just think about greasy hair, and it gets greasy. It's bad.
Another coworker of mine, who also has fine hair, decided to embark on a every other day shampooing routine. Inspired by her, I decided to do it too. For me, the first few months were rough. They were filled with lots of ponytails and days my hair just felt dirty. Gradually my hair became less greasy on days I wasn't washing it. This took months to happen. After somewhat conquering my greasy hair I decided to completely make over my hair routine.
My year of hair had begun. First thing that had to go was using heat styling tools on any setting except their lowest. That was hard, y'all. Since high school I have been straightening my hair till it is stick straight. You can't always achieve this when you use the lowest setting. It also takes longer to style, but I've stuck with it. Next I examined the tools I used on my hair (brushes, combs, ect). After a little research I switched to using a wide tooth comb on wet hair and a natural bristled brush on dry hair. Both are suppose to be gentler and decrease the amount of breakage. The wide tooth comb I got at Sally's Beauty Supply for about $2. The brush on the other hand was more pricy, $25 at Sephora. You can spend a lot more on a natural bristled brush, there are some that are over $300! After getting the appropriate tools, I focused on the products I was using. I did some research into the "no poo" method(meaning you don't ever wash your hair with shampoo), ultimately, I decided it was not for me. I have not found a shampoo and conditioner that I love yet. I do love to try a new products after I run out of whatever I have been using. And I've learned that some shampoos don't work for me (for example Aveeno tends to irritate my scalp). I have added several new products to my routine. My favorite one has to be my hair oil! I love this stuff and wonder how I ever lived without it. Although, I did not scrimp on this product, it was expensive. I also added a hair mask to my routine. This is also a product that I wonder how I got along without it. I do it once every three weeks to once a month. One great thing about hair masks is you can make natural ones at home or buy a pre-made product. Lastly I started getting my hair trimmed every 5 weeks. The ends of my hair look much better, definitely have fewer split ends. Those are the major changes I implement during my year of hair.
The response from people when I tell them about my year of hair has been varied. Most of them are bored by it (I don't blame them! Not everyone is into hair care like I am). One person was interested, she's like, the nicest person ever (Hi Hannah!). Surprisingly, I had several who took offense to my journey. One of them told me that my hair doesn't even look good, especially if I put all this work and thought into it. That's ok, I notice the difference and I'm doing it for me not them.
Overall, I'm very happy with my results! My hair is more manageable, I have less fly aways, and it is much shinier.
Leave me a comment and let me know what works for your hair!
Before:
After:
Summary of my new hair rules and routine:
-Wash hair every other day, rinse with water on non-washing days if greasy or if I work out
-Never use straightner, hair dryer, or curling iron on anything but the lowest setting
-Use wide tooth comb on wet hair, never a brush
-Only use brushes with natural bristles
-Apply hair oil every day to every other day
-Hair mask every 3 to 4 weeks
-Trim hair every 5 weeks
Hair icons:
Aurora
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