Olia Hair Colour

Last time I had to bleach my roots, I was feeling super lazy. Instead of mixing up bleach I just used box dye and it worked reasonably well, but I was also too lazy to tone it so it was super yellow and icky. Add to this the fact the my ends were pretty close to white from being repeatedly dyed purple and you'll see I had some pretty uneven hair tone happening. Now I have a job interview tomorrow which I only got a call about on Monday, so it was fairly short notice and I didn't want to go with my hair looking the way it did. I spoke to my hair dresser friend and she suggested a couple of dyes I could try but when I went shopping, none of the stores I went to had the shade I needed in the brands she suggested. So I decided to go ahead and try the new Olia hair colour by Garnier. It has no ammonia, which was the primary draw for the brands my friend suggested, so I figured I'd give it a bash.

So, I'll do somewhat of a review I guess. I chose the Light Blonde (9.0), although in retrospect I may have gotten a better result from Blonde (8.0), but I was worried about going darker than I wanted so I decided to err on (what I felt was) the side of caution.

The box contains developer cream, colour cream, a plastic bottle for mixing and applying, a tube of conditioner and a pair of gloves. I mixed the developer and colour creams together, sectioned off my hair and began applying. My hair is pretty short and quite fine and there was enough for my head, but not really any extra. If you have long or thick hair I'd recommend getting a few bottles if you're doing your whole head. Application was pretty easy but I didn't like how thick the mixture was. It felt like it made it harder to spread it out through my hair and have it penetrate through  to coat everything evenly, although the plus side to the thick formula is obviously no drips. I suppose it did the job of coating my hair though and I think the result is pretty even bearing in mind how uneven it was to start with.

Box contents

The product smells quite nice. A lot of dyes get up my nose and have a burny chemically smell to them, but this one smelled sweet, and even after the full 30 minutes on my head it still didn't smell bad. It didn't irritate me scalp or feel uncomfortable, it did tingle a little, but compared to how bothersome I find most dyes this one was extremely mild. After washing it out I actually found that my hair felt really dry and straw-like, which was the only negative in my opinion, but even then my hair was fine and felt normal again once I had conditioned it.

I'm pretty happy with the result. I think it has worked pretty well. It slightly lightened my roots and  slightly darkened my ends so my hair doesn't look so uneven. Its still a bit patchy but there's only so much you can ask of these box dyes really! I do think my hair looks better overall than it did before, and that's what I was going for.

I've taken some before and after shots, though as usual I couldn't quite get the angle and lighting precisely the same between the two so the comparison is not 100% perfect. I've done my best though!

Before and After (please excuse the lack of makeup/styling/caring in the after shot! I was on my way to bed)

Before and After - Length close up

After - the roots are much better blended with the rest of my hair now

After - styled today

Trying a New Dye

The other night I decided to try a brand of dye I haven't used before. Normally to lighten my roots I use bleach and then sometimes I use a blonde dye to give it a nicer tone, but I've never tried lightening my roots with a box blonde. Even though box dyes work out more expensive, they're much easier to use, so I thought I'd give it a try to see if it lifted the colour enough. I have to say, I think it did a pretty good job.

I used Live Salon Permanent dye in Extra Light Ash Blonde. It was super easy to mix and apply. It did have a chemically smell and it burnt my eyes initially (the vapor that is, I didn't actually get any product in my eyes), but not nearly as badly as the brand I usually use. It only took a few blinks to get rid of that initial offensive odour which tends to hurt my eyes and leave them watering. The instructions don't say to section your hair off, and it isn't strictly necessary, but I find it makes application a lot easier and helps to ensure its even throughout and there aren't any spots missed. I have fairly fine hair and not a tonne of it so sectioning would probably be more important to those with thicker hair.

I find dying hair much easier when I start at the front and work my way back, but as I bleach regularly, I alternate each time I do it to prevent the hair at the front getting too damaged (wherever you start the dye will be on longer there, therefore being more likely to damage the hair). Starting at the back can be a little trickier but it really isn't as bad with box dyes because you can just massage it into a chunk of hair rather than having to paint it into little sections. Once my roots were completely saturated with the dye, I left it on for the recommended 30 minutes. I then washed it off and used the included conditioner (which smells rather nice) and this was the result:

Left: Before, Right: After

As you can see, my roots didn't go a nice white blonde but have stayed rather yellow. But I don't think it is any worse than my usual results with bleach (although I've been told there's a better brand I should use next time I stock up.) I could probably have left it on a touch longer, but I didn't feel like that would make a great deal of difference as I was checking it periodically and it didn't really appear there had been much change in shade in the final ten minutes; I'm also hesitant to risk leaving a product on longer when my hair is already quite fragile. It should also be noted the pictures were taken under bright white light, so the contrast is actually less noticeable in normal indoor lighting which tends to be more yellow, but under neons or outside in the sun you can definitely see the yellow. The yellowy roots are still an improvement on mousy blonde though! And I will fix them up eventually I'm sure.

Hope everyone is well!

Twilight Sparkle Hair

Just a quick one tonight. I've spent much of my night fixing up a skirt that I made awhile back and wasn't entirely happy with (I'll share more about that tomorrow).

Tonight I'm just going to share a picture of my new hair. I dyed it yesterday and I'm super happy with the result. I've been doing more pastel shades the past few times, but this time I really wanted bright colours and I think it turned out awesome. A couple of my friends have compared me to Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which is simultaneously awesome and funny. I swear I didn't have her in mind when I dyed it lol. Since I started with the pink and purple hair a few years ago I've been told I looked like a My Little Pony many times, but this is the first time I've been told I looked like a specific pony.

Left: Me, Right: Twilight Sparkle, just in case you couldn't tell!

Hair After

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I tried to do an ombre of sorts in my hair. The light purple didn't pick up very well, nor did the pink, but I still think overall it looks pretty. If I try it again, I'll make my light purple and the pink a little darker and the dark purple darker still.

Before and After

It looks MUCH better curled than it does straight. Curling it exposes all the nice, richly purple bottom layers, and that really emphasizes the pink in contrast. Its not perfect, but I'm happy enough with it. I had a look online last night for the Special Effects dye I read about, but I can't seem to find any stores that have both colours I want in stock! Just my luck really. I'll keep an eye out and in the meantime I still have a little stock of Fudge to get through.

Dye, Dye, Dye, My Darling

I remember the first time I got brave with my hair. I was 17 and my naturally blonde hair had been a few different temporary colours, but I'd never done anything major with it. I'd wanted to dye it black for ages, but hadn't had the guts to do it. Finally I went ahead and did it, I'd recently had my hair cut shorter too, so my hair had a pretty drastic transformation from golden and down to my hips to shoulder length and black.

 I flipped back and forth over the years between letting the blond grow out and dying it black again, and it wasn't uncommon to see me with about 30cm of blonde regrowth and black ends.

After awhile I got sick of the upkeep, due to continual dying my hair colour was now a boring, drab mousy blonde. I didn't think about it at the time, but now looking back at photos I hate how dull and crappy my hair looked. I hate how dull and crappy I looked. It was all baggy tops and dark pants. I feel really embarrassed that I was putting so little effort in and had apparently forgotten what it was like to dress up and feel pretty. In retrospect I feel like I had lost touch with myself.

*shudder* ugh I hate it!

So cue the break up of a long term relationship, and suddenly I was ready to be FUN again. I started wearing pretty skirts and dresses, bleached my hair and put pink and purple through it, and haven't looked back. I've spent the past 2.5ish years in various states of platinum, pink, purple and blue. It might sound contrary because I'm not going "au naturel", but I really feel so much better and so much more comfortable in my own skin now. Its sometimes a chore to do my makeup and keep my hair pretty and all that jazz, but its a labour of love, and I really enjoy the end result.

Today I spent a large portion of the day dying my hair, I had to bleach my roots, then apply a toner to get rid of the nasty yellowy shade, then I decided to try and to a kind of reverse ombre thing with lighter roots and darker ends. So I applied light purple to my roots and darker purple to my tips, and I also put a bit of pink through the upper layers to give it a little dimension. Pink and purple really is my favourite hair colour combo, and as much as I consider other combinations, I never really stray from my pinks and purples. My hair didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped, the pink really hasn't picked up as well as it should have. I've used a different shade of pink than I usually do and it just doesn't seem to take to my hair as well as the old one, even though they're both Fudge Paintbox dyes.

I must admit though, I am getting super sick of having to touch up my hair every week to keep it nice, so I'm thinking of trying to get my hands on some of the Special Effects semi-permanent dye. It supposedly stays vibrant for ages. The only problem is I can't seem to find anywhere in Australia that sells it and shipping from the US is pretty pricey. Well, I'll keep looking into it and see what I can find.

I've taken a couple of photos tonight, but really the full effect of the colours blended together is meant to look best in curled hair, so I've pinned it up and tomorrow I'll try and get it looking pretty and post some pics.

Hope everyone is doing well! :)

Colours and Compliments

Its such a nice feeling when strangers pay you a compliment, and even more when they actually want to take time to talk to you about it. I've been receiving a lot of compliments on my purple hair, and many people wanting to pull me aside and ask me if I do it myself and how its done. I tried getting some pictures of my hair in the sunlight, but we only get a tiny little patch of sun in our yard, so I was very restricted in where I could take photos from. I literally had to stand in one spot and not move to take all of these.

I'm loving red lipstick so much lately. I'm not sure if I've said it previously, but I was never brave enough to wear it before. I've tried wearing it a few times over the years and always felt overdressed and ridiculous. I'm not sure if its that red lipsticks seem much more commonly worn now, or if its a change in my perception of myself (probably a bit of both), but I'm wearing it every day. I can fast see it becoming an addiction as I've ordered a few more lipsticks online on the weekend! I blame Priceline for having irresistible bargains! I got an email today saying they've been dispatched and I'm super excited to receive them.

I went to karaoke on Saturday with a friend. We used to go every week (sometimes even twice weekly) but we haven't been in ages. We got there and our usual DJ guy wasn't there, which made us both a little sad. I'm not sure if he doesn't do that venue at all anymore or if he was just off for the night or something. But once we got past that initial disappointment, everything went well. We took our daughters with us and we all sang, it was so much fun. I think we both probably forgot how much fun we have there, but we're going to try and make it there more regularly again.

I have a friend who is moving up here next week. I'm really looking forward to it, he has three young kids too and its nice to be able to hang out with other parents. He and I were friends in high school, then lost touch for years, and coincidentally we were both living in Sydney later when we reconnected. I moved up here soon after that, so we haven't seen each other in awhile. His kids are absolutely adorable so I'm happy I'll get to fawn over them again. And it will be nice to have another friend in town.

Friday Fun

Last year I went a few times to a swing dancing group that met at a local club on Wednesday nights. I moved out of that area though and getting there is quite a hassle now so I haven't been in probably about a year. Last night they came to do a demonstration at the weekly markets near where I live, so I went along to watch and maybe join in. It was so much fun. I'm really not a good dancer, I get all tangled up in arms when it comes to doing spins and turns, but its fun and there were loads of other amateurs too so we all had a good laugh. I'd really like to start going again. I don't do much these days in terms of opportunities to meet new people so I feel like it would be a positive step for me. My kids also joined in at the end and had an awesome time, so I'd  love to take them along too. I think dancing is a dying art and I'd  love to help preserve it. Getting there is still a problem. I don't have my own car and the buses here are often full of people who smell like they're allergic to basic personal hygiene, but I'll try to work something out.
All of the regulars were remarking on how nice it was that I got all dressed up for the occasion. I thanked them and internally giggled to myself because I just showed up in the outfit I'd worn out shopping with my best friend. I wore the tablecloth skirt that I made with my spotty halter top that I haven't worn in ages due to lack of anything to wear it with.

Please excuse the blurriness of the full body pic.
Didn't realise it was blurry until I saw it on the big screen!

Speaking of red lipstick. While shopping today I went to Priceline to look at makeup, and they had 50% off all their Rimmel cosmetics. WOOT! I would have gone nuts but most of the things I liked were already sold out! I did buy a new red lipstick though. Its a really nice purpley red. The reds I have are all on the lighter side, so I wanted something darker for when the mood strikes. The shade is #120 - Cutting Edge. I had A look on Priceline's website and the swatch they have for it shows a bright fuschia, but its really quite a lot darker than their swatch would have you believe.

Rimmel Lasting Finish - #120 Cutting Edge

I've also dyed my hair again. I've done purple again, although I tried a different shade this time. It was meant to be much MUCH lighter than it actually turned out. I always go too dark! But I'm not too concerned as these sorts of dyes fade quickly, so in a week or so it will probably be something around the shade I wanted anyway. I didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to photos today so they're not the best.

Purple hair! And my new Rimmel lipstick ;)

Headband Curls and No Bike!

 The tracking website which has the details for the delivery of my new bicycle had an ETA of today, so I was really hoping it would arrive. Around 8:30 this morning I called up the courier company and asked them if it was likely to arrive so I could make sure I was home. They told me their shipment from Adelaide was still being unloaded and took my details to call me when they were done unpacking.
By about 12 I was getting anxious. As I mentioned briefly before, there were a lot of problems trying to get my bike delivered, so I think I was justified in feeling nervous. I called them back again to find my bike is indeed there! However the address only lists my street number, and not the number of the unit I'm in. So delivery has been delayed another day :( But at least its in the right city now!

Last night I decided to try headband curls. When my hair is longer it changes its mind daily about whether to be straight or wavy, but I very much prefer it wavy. My hair is short at the moment however, and sits almost dead straight and I hate it. So I've been experimenting with various ways of curling my hair. It gets bleached and coloured a lot, so I try and keep heat off it wherever possible. Thus, I've been looking into heat-free curling methods.
Because my hair is layered, pin curls can be a bit of a pain, so I decided to try the headband curls and see how they went for me. They turned out alright. They certainly hold well, but I wasn't thrilled with the shape of them. I think that could probably be remedied though with either a different headband, or better rolling technique. Most of the tutorials I've seen have people with longer hair, so I took some pictures to share the process and result in case anyone was interested in seeing it in short hair.

Stupid straight hair

Here's the 'before' pic. Please excuse the panda eyes and lack of makeup. As you can see my hair is quite straight and sits just on my shoulders. It had been freshly washed and I allowed it to air-dry.

Left side done

So, I only took a couple of pictures while I was putting it up. Its pretty easy though. You just slip the headband over your head  and begin looping the hair over and inward from where it sits below the headband. If you're not quite clear on what I mean, here's a Youtube tutorial that shows you exactly what to do. My only advice in addition to the method in the video is to bobby pin as you go. My shorter bits would try and escape when I was tucking in the next section, so bobby pins helped keep everything tucked in. Here's my head half done.

Ahhh, that's better

Oh no! Can't Seeeee!

So once I'd gone all the way around my head, I still had my shorter fringe bits out. I didn't think they were long enough to get a decent curl by tucking them around, so I just chose to pin curl that section. One roll did fine.

Rear view

Looking not at all ridiculous

So now I'm ready to sleep in it. I read a few different tutorials before going ahead with this to see what people recommend. Some people suggest only leaving it in for a few hours rather than sleeping on it (if possible) as the curls tend to be too much if left in overnight. I decided to try overnight mostly because I wouldn't have time to wait for it to set the following morning, but also because my hair tends to dislike doing what its told so I thought it could do with the extra time. I found the curl held all day without any problem, so people who have and easier time with their hair may find a few hours is plenty. I'd suggest giving both a try if you have the time. Just try whatever you can and see what works for you.

Oh god, what have I done?

Now, fast forward to the next morning! I did my makeup and stuff first because the headband was already keeping my hair out of the way, so I figured why not.
When I first took out all the pins and removed the headband, I had some very tight, kinked curls. They did not look very pretty!

Looking a bit like a clown wig lol

Fluff!

To the left is how my hair looked after loosening all the curls and giving my hair a brush through with my fingers.

To the right is the result of brushing it properly. I know it still looks weird, but I'm actually kind of fond of the fluffy curls.





I spritzed it with a little water to help tame the mane, and this is how it looked after the water, a little finger styling, and allowing it to relax for awhile. Although they didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped, I think I can definitely improve it. I'm thinking next time I'll wrap my headband in t-shirt material to fill it out into a rounded shape, and also take more care with my technique to ensure the hair isn't kinking under the headband. I think I may also need some type of serum or styling something to put in my ends to help prevent frizz. There may be better curling methods out there, but I really love how quick and easy this is, so I'm going to keep working at it to try and perfect it.