Let's Talk About My Hair

So I'm annoyed with myself right now. I've been going to the same amazing stylist for the past 2 years, and she has legitimately changed my hair for the better, appearance and health-wise. She has moved around locations 3 times since I've known her, and has ventured out into another business as well, doing something she really enjoys. I haven't had my hair done in about 5 months, and had been trying to make an appointment with my stylist but wasn't able to get a hold of her. Because I have limited time off of work, I made an appointment with another local stylist, someone whose work I've been following for about a year on Facebook. She has amazing reviews, so I felt very comfortable going to her.

Here is what my hair looked like before going in, and next to it is a picture I showed of what I wanted my hair to look like:

My hair has a lot of roots, but still looks great. My goal was to have my hair lightened even more for an ice-y, close to platinum look, but with the dark roots so I could go a long time in-between appointments. The picture of my hair was taken in natural lighting, and doesn't necessarily show the hint of brassiness my hair had.

When I had my appointment I showed her this picture she acknowledged she knew exactly what I was looking for and began mixing up the product. Instead of bleaching, which is what I was expecting, she consulted with her colleague and she told her she was thinking of using "T-18". Now, if you're someone who watches a ton of Youtube videos on people who tone their hair at home, you know that it is a light ash blonde product that you mix with developer. I was a little confused on why she was using this product instead of bleaching with foils, but I'm not a professional.

As she was roughly brushing the product on, she told me that achieving that level of brightness was nearly impossible, and photos like that off of pinterest aren't necessarily realistic. She also told me that where the roots/brown in my hair met the blonde was at the perfect spot, so she wasn't going to touch it. So, essentially, she was just going to tone my blonde.

It took her literally 3 minutes to apply the product, and then she took a phone call and went to the back of the salon for over 30 minutes. This gave me a lot of time to think about what just happened. I was under the impression she could complete what was in the picture, and it was only when she was in the middle of applying the product I found out that it was "impossible."

When she checked my hair and was rinsing the product out, she told me the amazing lift my hair had achieved, and "what a difference it made" with the brassiness. I was excited!

Here is the "After" photo:

 

Now I know what you're thinking, Grace, you attached the wrong pictures. Nope. I admit, in the salon when she did the reveal, my hair looked lighter in that lighting, so I wasn't annoyed at that point. She gave my hair a trim, which I legitimately love, so I'll give her that. But when I went to my car and looked at my hair, it looked dimmer that before. A duller blonde, and not at all what I wanted. It looks nothing like the picture.

After being pissed off for a solid day, I was able to get ahold of my original stylist, and have an appointment set for tomorrow. I will post a picture of my hair after she has her hands on it, and show it again in comparison to the same picture I'll show her.

To answer a question some of you probably have, no, I'm not going to ask for a refund from the other stylist. It didn't cost too much money, and I did get a nice haircut/treatment on my hair and it feels healthier than ever. This whole experience though taught me a lesson on patience. I regret not being more patient for my stylist to respond, I legitimately have an issue where when I want something done, it is ALL I can think about, and I was determined to get my hair done.

My hair doesn't look bad, it just doesn't. But it isn't what I wanted, and I didn't feel comfortable with the second stylist as I do with MY stylist. Oh well. STAY TUNED FOR A FOLLOW UP POST.

Bumble & Bumble Pre-Shampoo Mask

I have very curly hair, and I've only recently been wearing my hair natural and without heating tools. I found a promo code online for deluxe hair samples (Code - GOODHAIR) from Sephora, and many of these products are supposed to be great for curly haired women like myself.

This is the jumbo sample pack the code gets you.

The first product I decided to use was by Bumble & Bumble, and is a pre-shampoo mask:

The directions are simple enough. Coat hair with the product, and wait 20 minutes before showering

 Here is my hair before. It is definitely washing day at this point, my hair is dirty AF.

This is what the product looks like. It is thick enough to not drip everywhere, including when it is in your hair, but thin enough to not be 'goopy.'

I think my face says it all. 

Once the product is on, it stays on. I didn't worry at all about it dripping off or getting on anything, the product adhered to my hair, and just made it appear mega oily and dirty. I probably should've combed the product throughout my hair, but it did blend in immediately without any problems otherwise.

20 mins later - I took a shower to wash it out, used my normal Shampoo & Conditioner (John Frieda Blonde), used Frizz Ease Leave-in Conditioner & a curl enhancer, and let my hair air dry.

My hair was still damp when I went to bed, but these are the results the next morning:

 
I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER!!

I wanted to use the normal after shower products I use when I let my hair air-dry (Frizz Ease & Curl Enhancer) to really see if this product made a difference, and it did. My hair is typically bigger and frizzier, despite using frizz ease products. My curls have more dimension and are lighter!

Plus I've already gotten a complement on my hair, so I'm feeling good today :)

Younique Royalty's Detoxifying Mask

Saturdays are when I end up doing most of my skincare, consisting of various masks and peels, in order to repair my skin after all the makeup I use all the time. After I signed up to be a Younique Presenter, included in my kit was 3 sample packs of the Detoxifying Mask, which I first used last week and fell in love with, and I immediately bought the mask!

"Younique Royalty" is their skincare line, which consists of about a dozen products.

Here is my beautiful face before the mask. I just woke up, so be nice!

Next up is the mask. It comes with a plastic spreader to apply the mask, and the directions state to be generous with the application, so I was.

The mask is applied for 5 minutes and and as you apply it, it begins to bubble and tingle!! After the bubbling stops, they kind of dissipate and the charcoal residue remains. Next wash off with warm water, and... 

...reveal your brighter skin! These pictures were all taken in the same spot, with the same lighting, and no filters were used. My skin is noticeably brighter, and very very soft. 

If you're interested in this product, shop from my store here : www.youniqueproducts.com/gracenudo

Becoming a Younique Presenter

Watch on Youtube

'Presenter' is a term I first heard this year. A few months ago I looked into a product I had heard about called 3D Fiber Lash Mascara, which is sold by the company Younique. When I hear of a product I want, the first thing I do is look it up on Amazon, because you can often find it cheaper there, however there is also the risk of buying a knockoff product of lesser quality. On the Amazon page all of the reviews stated that the product was different than normal, and had even caused a severe rash on someone, and many stated that to get the real product it is best to buy it from a 'Presenter.' 

I did a massive amount of research into Younique, and I was intrigued. I have also been looking for a way to supplement my income, and there seemed to be a match here. So for $99 you receive a smattering of products from eyeliner, eyeshadow palette, lip gloss, brow pencil, mascara, beauty serum, and more, which is valued at over $300. This is a direct sales company, so by becoming a Presenter, if someone buys a product through your online shop, you receive a portion of the money. 

If anyone is interested in shopping Younique products under me, you can do so here. If you are interested in becoming a Younique presenter, you can click on that same link to find more info on it, and can sign up under my name. If you have questions, let me know on the website as well. 

Hair Update

My hair is very low maintenance, which I didn't think was possible with blonde hair. My stylist made it possible for me to go months and months in between appointments, and for my hair to still look good with root regrowth. It has been about 4 months since my last appointment, which makes it time to get things touched up.

Woo! Through all the regrowth, highlights were added in to get rid of the drastic separation between the blonde and the brown.

Makeup Of The Day

I finally bought myself a pretty new camera, so why not do my hair and makeup and show you all?

Eyeshadow/Blush/Contour: Smashbox- Master Class Palette III

Lipstick: Kylie Cosmetics - Exposed Matte Liquid Lipstick

Brows: Wunderbrow - Brunette

Mascaras: Maybelline Mega Plush & L'Oreal Paris Voluminous  

Ivory Clasp: Part 2

In my last post I discussed the purse subscription service Ivory Clasp. I'm doing a second post on it, because I had encounters with customer service, and wanted to report back on my experience.

So I got my second purse by Republic of Aces:

Don't get me wrong, this was a nice purse, but it was not my style at all. I debated on whether or I would exchange the bag, or get a refund, but I decided to exchange it. In order to do so, I needed to email their customer service and tell them what I wanted to do. Their instructions back were to mail the purse back fully in tact, with none of the packaging removed, and to leave a note inside the box with my full name and email address. I needed to pay for shipping, and in return they would add a credit to my account to offset the shipping cost. 

I went above and beyond with the note inside the box. In addition to my name and email, I reiterated the note I left on my 'Style Quiz', which was that I wanted a medium to large purse, because I carry my iPad around with me for work and have diabetic supplies. I also included three pictures of purses I loved that Ivory Clasp uses in their promotional photos, so I knew they were purses they possibly still had access too. I believe because I did this, it made their job to 'restyle' me much easier, and they ended up sending me one of the purses I suggested. 

I got this purse back today: 

This purse is so beautiful, I can't even handle it. Of the three purse pictures I sent them, I figured I wouldn't get this purse, simply because it is the one I wanted the most. This bag was also sent out with two day shipping, and I really commend them for doing that.

Overall, I am very impressed with Ivory Clasp's customer service. 

Ivory Clasp - Purse Subscription Service

Growing up pre-Netflix, my dad used to rib on my mom for her habit of buying movies and TV box sets. She would always say back to him, "Hey, we all have our vices." My vice has always been purses. Like, having over 30 at one point, not stopping, and just refusing to keep counting at that point. To be fair, these bags were typically bought from either Target, Marshalls, or Ross, where you can find nice, inexpensive bags. I'm all about finding deals, which brings me to Ivory Clasp.
I first heard about this subscription service through a Facebook ad, and immediately looked into it, including reviews about it.

Ivory Clasp is a monthly, or bi-monthly service where you can take a style quiz and be delivered a purse that is suited to your tastes. It is $45 dollars each purse, but they guarantee each purse will retail for over $100. I am typically hesitant to try a website that I first see advertised on Facebook, as they are known for promoting websites that operate out of China, and have terrible customer service and products (https://www.buzzfeed.com/sapna/chinese-company-behind-cheap-facebook-clothing-ads-responds?utm_term=.bfKK75zB#.epQvx06g) . I have seen legitimate ads for good companies, which makes it hard to differentiate. Ivory Clasp, however, has a 100% refund or exchange guarantee. If you are matched with a purse you don't like, you can send it back and get a different bag, or get a refund on your money. If you find that the purse you were sent retails for LESS THAN $100, you get to keep the bag, and they will send you another one that does retail for MORE THAN $100. Before placing my order, I checked online to see if there were any coupons available, and I found a 50% off coupon for the first month. This put me at just over $20 for my first bag.

I placed my order on January 11th, 2017 and waited! ..and waited... and waited.. and waited.. and ended up contacting customer service to ask why several weeks later I had no news about my bag, and didn't have any way to track it. They got back to me after the weekend and stated that there were unforeseen issues, but I would get an email being able to track my bag. They apologized and stated that this was unusual, and wouldn't happen again in the following months. I received my bag on February 3rd.

Box Opening:

When opening the box, on top of the paper is a note from the stylists who picked the bag for me, with surprisingly real signatures!

I'm not sure if this is a regular item that gets shipped with first purchases, or if it was a limited time bonus, but I got a pom key ring as well! It is more pink than appears in the photo.

Here is the bag! It is a medium sized hobo/shoulder bag in a dark blue color. I have never heard of this brand before "With212", but it is a beautiful sturdy bag, so I'm very happy with it! I wanted to also check online to find the website for the retail price, but had a surprisingly hard time finding it! The only way I was able to find the website was by typing "ivory clasp" into google with "with212." Odd. The purse does retail for $138, however!

Overall, I think I'll stick with this service for a while. You can't go wrong, because you can ultimately get a refund if you want. I would recommend this to all the purse lovers out there!

Monat Haircare

A few months ago I visited my hairstylist and she was telling me about a brand she found and was in love with: Monat. I had never heard of it, and still never hear about it on the scale of other brands like Olaplex. This brand advertises itself as having all natural products, and if you look at pictures of before and afters you'll be intrigued. They have a good variety of products, several of which promote hair regrowth. My hair isn't too unhealthy, I do have a good amount of split ends though, but as my hair gets longer, the ends tend to not be as thick as the middle length of my hair. After going back and forth on what product to buy, I settled on the 'Power Boost System' which consists of the S3 hair supplements (which I assume are a variety of biotin pills) and a volumizing and hair regrowth supporting spray:

Now, if you're asking yourself "why didn't you buy more of those products, they sound great?!" that would be because this cost $99. Because of course it does. You can't hear about miracle haircare products that only cost $20. I've been super hesitant to try Monat for this reason, but, again, my hairstylist has been talking about the miracles they do, and she has never promoted a product in all the time I've known her.

ANYWAY

I'm only on day 2 of the supplements, but I plan to take photos of my hair a week at a time to show a difference. However, I just tried the spray for the first time and wanted to share the results.

Before:

This was taken after my shower before last. The picture on the left is after blow drying my hair straight, and the picture on the right is after using a straightening iron (believe it or not). Pretty much no matter what my hair is fluffy. I blame it on using a brush since I have very curly hair, and curls and brushes do not mesh. 

After:

Same as before, picture on the left was after blow drying, and picture on the right was from straightening with an iron. I didn't expect to see a difference after one use, but I definitely did. The spray itself made my hair feel like it had more texture, sort of similar to those texturizing cremes. The biggest difference is very obvious: my hair is less frizzy and significantly smoother. I've been drying and straightening my hair the same way for years, and afterwards my hair has never been as smooth as it is after using the Monat spray. 

I look forward to seeing further results as I use the products. Also, I have a hair appointment on Wednesday where my stylist is going to use different Monat products on my hair to let me try them out, afterwards I might get more and post my results.