Flat Iron Waves for Shorter Hair/Long Bob

I wanted to post a quick idea for shorter hairstyles. I always see TONS of tutorials and inspiration pictures for wavy longer hair, not so much for the shorter haired ladies. This is a great hairstyle for 2nd or even 3rd (I won't tell if you don't!) day hair. With this red hair, I need all the shampoo-less hairstyles I can come up with to make this gorge color last longer!

I will say, so far I have not had a *TON* of fading or bleeding of color, but definitely still am seeing orange tinted water when I shower.

Also, let's just be real here. This is my office. A girls gotta document a good hair day when it happens, real talk.

Anywhoo...this hairstyle. I basically washed and dried the first day and wore it straight. Woke up the next morning, showered but didn't wet my hair and then applied dry shampoo. Right now I'm loving Beyond the Zone Rock On dry shampoo from Sally's. I'm a hardcore fan of the Suave but am always up for something new and so far, really like this one!

I applied the dry shampoo to my roots all over my head and let it sit while I applied my makeup. Then I kind of work  it in with my fingertips to get rid of any whiteness. This also gives me a little bit of texture.

I pin the front section of my hair back to get it off my face. I can deal with unshampooed hair for a day or so but the less I have to "feel" it, the more tolerant I am.

Then I just took my 1 inch flat iron and waved random sections. Nothing too organized or tidy. Just grabbed whatever hair was grouping together, did a flat iron wave and let it cool. I then broke the waves up a little with my fingers and applied Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray. This lasts forever!

Crimson, Red, Auburn, Burgundy...It's all GOOD!

Ta-da! Another hair change, what's new??!!

This color has been one in the deep compartments of my brain for a VERY long time. I've always been obsessed with dark red hair. I've had the underneath section of my hair died various shades of red multiple times but could never dive all the way in and go for it all over. My dalliances with any shade other than a blonde have usually just been deep brown. Until now!

I was in Sally's a few days ago picking up some supplies and saw that they carry a new line of hair color from Clairol. My hair has always gotten good results with any version of Clairol hair color so I was interested. It's called Flare. It's a permanent cream color with a built in gloss. Sounds great...then I read the first line about Alpha-Red Technology and was like, DO IT!

sallybeauty.com

 

I actually ended up buying 6 tubes of different colors and figured I'd come up with the color recipe later. What I ended up using was 2 ounces of the 4BB (Light Intense Brown-Chocolate), 1 3/4 ounces of the 3RRV (Intense Red Violet-Crimson) and 1/4 ounce of the 5VVR (Light Intense Violet Red-Burgundy). Ounces are clearly marked on the side of the tube which makes measuring super easy. 4 ounces of the Flare 20 volume developer and apply with brush and bowl and GLOVES. For the love of all things holy use gloves!! I applied vaseline around my hairline, ears and neck, then I sectioned my hair off into quarters and applied in small, thin sections. I don't ever just flop dye on my hair and hope for the best. The neater you apply, the better your coverage. Make sure to saturate each strand and be tidy. I let it sit about an hour, on accident. I started cooking dinner in the middle of processing and kind of got distracted. Rinsed, and rinsed, and rinsed and rinsed some more with cool water until it ran mostly clear (oh my gosh my shower looked like some kind of gory halloween set.). Applied a leave in conditioner and let it mostly air dry before blow drying the final bit. I would not go to bed with this hair color wet...you'll end up with pink pillows. So definitely wash and dry before bed or wash in the morning. Also, use OLD towels for the first few washes.



Scary red on...turned VERY dark, almost black before I rinsed it off.

Makeup-free and RED! Fresh after drying and crappy kitchen lighting!

I know that from going so blonde to this color I will have some definite fade out for the first few times I touch up. I plan to combat with cool rinses, skipping as much shampoo as I can, using sulfate free shampoo and making a red conditioner. I found a recipe mixing Manic Panic with a deep conditioner and using once a week, we'll see if it helps.

So far...I am completely in love. I just feel so DIFFERENT with red hair, but it's so much fun and talk about SHINE. Blondes never get shine. It also definitely makes blue eyes POP! It's not a natural red color but also not a "punk red" or clowny red. It's a flattering unnatural shade I think.

I am really impressed with the "Flare" colors. They are thick and creamy and don't smell too offensive. It really deposited the color I was hoping for and the color is deep and rich. My hair was left soft and vibrant, I will definitely use this line of colors again and highly recommend.

Little Amazing Finds

I have been obsessing over these 2 products lately and had to share.

 

The first one is the Garnier BB Cream Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector for Combo/Oily skin. I know...a drugstore BB cream? Bear with me. It's amazing. I've tried a ton of other BB Creams and was less than impressed. I didn't even like the original Garnier BB Cream. No coverage, they smelled like sunscreen and felt greasy on my face. Not a fan. I went camping recently and needed something I could apply in the morning and give me a little coverage and protect my face. Like a good blogger, I read some reviews and it seemed like this little treasure was different.

I gave it a go and am so glad I did. This is NOT a tinted moisturizer. It's got really great coverage, dries to a semi matte finish and feels really nice on the skin. It has SPF of 20 but doesn't smell or feel like sunscreen.

I will tell you a little secret though. I like this best when applied with a sponge (wedge, beauty blender...whatever you like) not a brush and not your fingers. I find I get the best coverage and finish when applied that way. It lasts all day without breaking up in the oily places and doesn't oxidize or turn orange. They don't have a great color selection (I think only 4). I wear the Light/Medium. I highly recommend. $12.99 at Fred Meyer.

This is just the BB cream, under eye concealer (no concealer anywhere else), bronzer and blush on my face, not counting eye makeup. Seriously good coverage.

The other little prize I'm coveting is the Maybelline Define-A-Brow. My Revlon Brow pencil got too short to sharpen anymore and I did not like the brow gel that was on the other end of it at all. It made my brows look flaky. Ew. So I'd been on the hunt for something that was very taupe for my eyebrows with not even a sneaky hint of warmth. Nothing I loathe more than an orange brow on a blonde. Not cute.

I saw this little tiny tube and it instantly reminded me of the Anastasia Brow Wiz. Same slender tube, except this one is lime green. I picked it up in the Dark Blonde color and it's fantastic. The color is perfect. Don't wind too much up, I only wind up a small amount at a time so it won't break off and haven't had any issues. It's waterproof so you don't have to worry about your eyebrows disappearing in the heat/pool. For a fraction of the price of the Anastasia, this is a gem! $7.99 at Walgreens.

Jordana Cosmetics Crushes

Lately I have been seriously in love with Jordana products. I started with the mascara but a few other things got my attention and at less than $3 a pop, I figured why not. The standouts for me have been Best Lash Extreme Mascara (basic black), 12 Hour Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil (I have and love the black and brown)  and the Twist and Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain (I have Sweet Pink and Rock N Rouge).

The mascara is bomb dot com. It's super dark. I like this best layered over another mascara, it just gives an extra OOMPH that lasts all day. It's also a GREAT bottom lash mascara, it doesn't smudge or flake at all.

The eyeliners have basically replaced all other eyeliners in my book. Super dark, sets and lasts. It can be smudged out for a smoky look if you work quickly but once it sets, it stays.

And finally...The Balm Stains. These are what all other balm stains should aspire to be like and they are only $2.99!!!! There is a good color selection, they feel comfortable on your lips and they last like no other. The Rock N Rouge is the perfect, EASY red lip that lasts. Sweet Pink looks like a soft nudey pink in the tube but comes off brighter on my lips and it lasts all day. I can seriously, easily get 6 hours of wear out of both even with eating and drinking. The shine might fade, but the color doesn't and they don't feel drying. You could basically buy all 8 shades available and spend less than if you bought one in a higher end brand.

jordanacosmetics.com

 

Rock N Rouge

 

Sweet Pink

 

"Chop and Change" A new Beachy A Line Bob

One of my favorite Black Keys songs and super appropriate here!

I chopped all of my hair off and I am so glad I did. I don't understand why I grow so attached to my long hair, I always end up loving the feeling when I go shorter. I think I just identify as a "long hair" girl and I'm sure I'll grow it back out but for now, this feels so nice!

I've been coveting this oh-so-pinned image off Pinterest for months.

pinterest.com

I finally just decided to go for it but I asked her to go a little shorter to give me a little more time between trims. Love it. I can still get a teeny nubbin of a pony tail if I just need the hair off my face, I can wear it straight or I can do beach waves with a flat iron. Most versatile short hair I've ever had.

It's A-Line and thinned at the back but not stacked. My hair just won't do that style, curses of the cowlicks. The length pretty much goes collar to collarbone.

The balayage had basically all been cut off and/or faded out so it needed to be touched up. I went a shade darker this time, mixed a 7NN with a 7A Smoky Ash, both from Wella and with a 20vol developer. I let my roots process about 30 minutes and then combed through the length of my hair for the last 10 minutes. I did a protein filler before to avoid it pulling in the more porous spots. After it was washed out and rinsed I did balayage on a few face framing pieces and the bottom is still a tinge lighter than the roots so it has a nice ombre/balayage result. I wasn't really going for subtle. Excuse my hair bleaching shirt (don't we all have those??)

 

 

And this is the end result. The first one is just blow dried with a paddle brush and some argan oil on the ends. It's nice and polished and definitely easy if I don't have time to curl it. It also air dries pretty nicely but I get more frizz that way.

 

 Here I beach waved it with a flat iron. I really only focused on the top layer and front peices, the back is so short it just needs a slight bend of the iron to blend in. I finger combed the waves out, added a little texturizing spray to the roots and some beachy sea salt spray to the ends for more of a lived in look. This lasts all day and takes about 10 minutes.