Girly thread v. soft hair and pretty faces

[CHiLD-0F-THE-BEAT]

^PS - I found my styler here for US$78, 50% off. :D

 

[poopie]

pillthrill, cotb, and every other woman:i have (and like) a ghd. i bought it after extensive research. i shelled out a LOT of money for it.

but, now, i am *quite* curious about this cheaper straightener that i'm hearing amazing reviews for. it's the remington shine therapy- available at any wal-mart, target, etc for approx. $50. i so wanna try it to compare and contrast.

as for flat-iron sprays, i also use the s-factor spray by tigi. it smells like cotton candy and truly leaves your hair weightless. when i want the ridiculous poker-straight hair i use fabricate by redken. it reminds me of spray starch, but way better!

darthmom- as for miraculous products, i'm always on the hunt. i've been really trying to avoid all those products with silicones in them, and also sulfates. my hair seems happier. i've been using everpure by l'oreal. and then, a few times a week i'm using neutrogena's triple restore (or something like that)- it comes in a light yellow tub. there are also curly haired women who swear by the no 'poo method or the condition only method. (good to see you around these parts again!!!)

i've eased up on my hair-styling as well. it's a hot, humid summer already, and i like just throwing in some styling cream (dr. bronner's is helpful, but tricky to use. too much and it's grease-city), sprunching and go. if i flat-iron, i won't wash it for three days and just use a dry shampoo to fight off greasies...and stinkies.

queenbee- i think the new shellac system sounds great! especially for a long vacation when you don't want to worry about chips, etc. i think i might get bored having the same color on my nails, but it does have it's advantages. i can't believe how reasonably priced it is, either! awesome!

amanda- on this one nail board i frequent, they insist on biotin for nail growth. you would have to look up the amount they suggest, but it's supposed to help with both nail growth and strength. also, find a cute nail polish color!!! =)

tip color as of tonight- OPI's cozu-melted in the sun (NOT my nails):

and on my toes- essie's california coral (i love this color) (again, NOT my nails!):

maybe later i will actually take some pictures of my own polish!

oh, and cotb- about the green polish DR1968...i'm in love with it too! i must get it!

fun manicure i did a couple of days ago- revlon minted (a mint green, obviously) with sally hansen's hidden treasure (an irridescent flakey polish ) over it. pretty seashell fingers! i got a bunch of comments!

oh, and fizzle! i heard about the zoya exchange and i am pumped! i plan on packing up some polish tomorrow!!! i hear amazing things about zoya and the color range is phenom!

 

[n3ophy7e]

i have long curly hair, i wear it natural, and flat iron also in addition to coloring. so my hair does get abused. GO!

My friend at uni has loooonng thick curly hair, it's clearly been highlighted, sometimes she wears it natural, sometimes she straightens it, and it always looks awesome. Sounds very similar to your situation.
I'll ask her what she uses

 

[rant*N*rave]

With all of these great products I want to see your hair.
Can you recommend a flat iron?

The iron recommended below sounds good. I use the 1.5 inch flat iron from the Ceramic Tools line by the Babyliss company. My hairstylist got it for me at a professionals-only sale for about 70 or 80 bucks - it usually costs quite a bit more. It heats up quickly and evenly and stays hot as you use it. It has a removable comb piece that makes things work quickly and nicely. Really, the way to go is to get a ceramic iron from a reputable brand; just shop around and find a deal. Ceramic will be the gentlest (least awful? lol) on your hair and heats up the best in my experience.

If you want cheap cheap cheap, I highly recommend the Remington Wet to Straight flat iron (although you should NEVER use it on wet hair, even though my naughty self did do it a couple times in a pinch - and it does work, even though it's tremendously bad for your hair). It's nice because the holes in it meant to vent steam will vent off any styling product that does that gross vaporizing thing and keeps it from going straight into your face like happens with some straighteners.

This is what my hair looked like just prior to being braided:

It's a very poor representation - it was black with purply-pink streaks in it on the ends and a few going all the way up. It had just previously been my natural brown going to platinum going to neon pink at the ends. I hate the haircut, but that's what happens when you cut all your hair off to 2 inches long for the first time ever and it grows out...

This is what it looks like now (my apologies for how uber-myspace-whore the pic is! :D):

For a more thorough report of my hair through the ages, I have a whole album : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2515905&id=8610786&l=9c23df66d5

 

[purplefirefly]

I have a Chi one inch flat iron that I love. I was able to use my credit card points to purchase it so I didn't have to pay for it out of pocket. Retail I think it goes for $90-$100 USD. I've had it for a few years now.

I had a babyliss 2 inch (I think) flat iron that I ended up giving away, it just never straightened my hair properly.

 

[QuestionEverything]

Since this polish has to be removed with the CND wraps specifically for Shellac, the isopropyl swept effortlessly over my nails without smudging or removing any of the Shellac - something that truly amazed me.

MUCH more reasonable than what my reading said! I need to call the salon offering it here and see what their pricing is like.
I can't wait to hear/see the review after the 14 days are up.

Also, from what I read, the CND wraps used for removal are just acetone. They've made them in wraps so that you can minimize exposure and still read a magazine or whatever while it works on the Shellac. So it seems like all you would really need to do this at home is the polish and base coat from CND. Everything else is easily obtainable.

[edit: I called the only salon listed here. Not only did they not sound knowledgeable about the process, but the supplies are only on order. Right now they're offering something by OPI, which to me sounds like nothing more than a normal manicure, but are selling it as the Shellac manicure. She's "not sure" what they're going to charge for the CND one.]

 

[n3ophy7e]

r*N*r, I think that's the first time I've seen a pic of you!
LOVE the braids hun, when did you get them??

 

[queenbee1127]

[edit: I called the only salon listed here. Not only did they not sound knowledgeable about the process, but the supplies are only on order. Right now they're offering something by OPI, which to me sounds like nothing more than a normal manicure, but are selling it as the Shellac manicure. She's "not sure" what they're going to charge for the CND one.]

OPI offers a service called Axxiom, it's supposed to be a manicure that lasts 3 weeks. I read a blog review of the Shellac, and the author mentioned liking the Shellac far more than the Axxiom.

 

[poopie]

just picked these up at a *hefty* discount! yay for sexy summer wedges!

and essie's turquoise and caicos (the turquoise bottle, obviously)

 

[wibble]

I like the heel on those shoes

 

[Mariposa]

C0TB, I am so trying that liquid VCO! The one I used was solid and a little tough to apply. I'll probably decant some with my Possets oils. Can't wait to get paaaaaaaiiiiiid :D

Fizzle, that Zoya beauty exchange is amazing. I'm sure I have 6 old colors laying around somewhere that I can exchange.

I can't repeat the warning about the Kronos products enough. I returned them according to their instructions and they are STILL trying to get my bankcard. My bank is blocking the transactions, but yep - scammed.

My favorite products at present are Aveda. The Caribbean Therapy Body Creme smells like Shampure, so you'd either love it or hate it. I happen to adore it.

Poopie, turquoise is THE color this season apparently. Can you let us know how it applies? Essie generally applies well, but you never know.

And yes, the Peach Lush massage bar is as wonderful as the others.

 

[queenbee1127]

For the Zoya exchange, do they have to be Zoya colors you send in, or just any brand?

 

[purplefirefly]

^^

I was just wondering the same thing.

 

[queenbee1127]

Got a chip in my Shellac

A weird vertical one, all the way down the side of my nail. Would I be justified in calling the salon?

I went on Zoya's website, and it actually has to be any polish other than Zoya, pretty neat. Here's the link: https://www.artofbeauty.com/exchange/default.html

 

[purplefirefly]

Definitely call the salon. Most places will honor their work, especially within such a short window. They most likely will fix it for free because you are a walking advertisement of their work.

 

[fizzle]

For the Zoya exchange, do they have to be Zoya colors you send in, or just any brand?

It actually cant be zoya or one if its two sub-brands, it can be any other brand

 

[QuestionEverything]

You most definitely need to call the salon. That 14-day guarantee is there for a reason.

[edit: Just went to the zoya site and chose 14 new colors! I'll be shipping out my old bottles on Monday. Even with the cost to ship my old ones out, it'll still only be about $2 per bottle. What a great way to clean out all of that old polish! Thank you for posting.]

 

[rant*N*rave]

r*N*r, I think that's the first time I've seen a pic of you!
LOVE the braids hun, when did you get them??

I got them a couple weeks ago. I just lost one yesterday That's the problem with white people hair - it's way harder to do cool extensions. They fall out so much faster..... Lame. Once my natural hair gets back to shoulder length, I'll probably put fusion extensions back in. Those worked very well for me. I have a buttload of super cute black and pink bulk yaky hair that I can't even use right now cuz my hair is too short! Although I think i'll have to get microlinks to use it... Just a few months...


Poopie - I looove those sandals!!!

 

[amanda_eats_pandas]

amanda- on this one nail board i frequent, they insist on biotin for nail growth. you would have to look up the amount they suggest, but it's supposed to help with both nail growth and strength. also, find a cute nail polish color!!! =)

Awesome, I'll look into that. Thanks,

 

[fizzle]

My zoya polish just got here today, they look great! We'll see how they wear