Hair Care: Micro Ring Hair Extensions

Hi Lovelies,

This week is super busy for me, not only did I have my birthday celebrations, but we're going to see Lady Gaga Monster Ball Concert live at Soccer City this Friday!!

I am absolutely in love with my hair extensions!  I've had them in for just over a week, and I thought this is the perfect time to share with you all my tips and tricks that I have learned so far.  I told my husband the other day that I don't want to be without hair extensions again, I feel so pretty and feminine.  If you missed it, my micro ring (bead/link) hair extensions is from Cliphair Ltd.

My thoughts after having them in for one day:

My hairdresser advised that I wash my hair the day after she applied them, which I did.  Unfortunately I used the wrong products, and I ended up with straw-like hair ... so not cute!  I had slept perfectly fine the previous night and the little beads doesn't hurt or anything, although you do feel them it's not painful (but after a day or two you won't even notice them anymore).  After washing them with the wrong products, I blow-dried my hair, it felt funny, and I definitely felt a weight throughout the day, especially in the neck area it felt quite heavy {by the second day I couldn't feel it anymore, so give it a day or so just to get used to it ~ a week later I don't even feel that I'm wearing extensions at all}.  It also didn't feel like mine yet, if that makes any sense, but I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that my hair felt brassy, which I'm not used to as my own hair is very healthy and shiny.

It is probably something I should've done before using the products, but that night I had a squizz at the ingredients, and all of the products I used that morning had a combination of alcohol and sulfate in them, which is the worst thing to use on hair extensions.  I then found a savour in a bottle of serum I had bought ages ago, and immediately after applying this to my hair, it felt soft and flowy. 

Products not good for hair extensions:

Approved products for Hair Extensions:



I'm not a hair expert, so I cant give you all of the scientific facts, but all I know is when you have hair extensions, look for shampoo and conditioner that is sulfate free, you will also notice in the ingredients list that there is only one small component of alcohol, whereas with other products there will be various components of alcohol in which is not good.  Also note that the first ingredients mentioned are the highest ingredients used in the product, so the further down the list the less of that specific ingredient is used.

Shampoo and Conditioner:  Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Sulfate Free Infused with Keratin {Available at Dischem stores}:

I am absolutely in love with this!  I have felt such a difference in my hair, even the hair extensions are unbelievably soft, and this will definitely be a staple in my beauty cabinet from now one.

Hair-Care Routine:

1.  I wash my hair with the Marc Anthony shampoo and conditioner every three days, I've been told and have read on a couple of sites that you should try and wash your hair as little as possible.  Lightly rub your scalp and work downwards, be gentle and don't rub your hair together too hard, keep working in a downwards motion.  Also leave your conditioner in for longer than you usually would, and it's highly recommended that you wash your hair in the shower, as this helps with the downwards motion.

2.  Try and let your hair air-dry as much as possible, here's a forewarning, your hair will take really long to dry!  What I do is once I get home I wash my hair so it has a couple of hours to dry naturally, never go to sleep with wet hair!  If you do need to blow dry it, use it on the lowest heat setting possible. 

3.  Generally I'll advise to add about 40 - 60 minutes to do your hair, especially if you blow-dry it immediately, trust me, it takes a lot longer to dry and style!  Yes, it's a high maintenance style but totally worth it.

4.  I use Kair Leave-in-Conditioner morning and night, when it's wet and at night before I braid my hair to go to sleep.  I also always use the Tresemme Heat Defence spray before putting any heat on my hair.  I prefer my hair curled, so I'll quickly curl it the morning, sometimes just loose beachy waves, and once dry, I use a teeny bit of Kair strengthening silicone serum.  The serum is wonderful to use anytime you feel your hair is a bit dry, or just need that extra bit of moisture.

5.  I suggest sleeping with your hair in two braids on each side, or in a ponytail, before braiding I spray leave-in-conditioner, brush and then braid.

6.  As I only wash my hair every third day, I adore Batiste dry shampoo, not only does it give you that fresh clean feel and smell, but it gives amazing volume.  Basically I only curl my hair the first day, the second day it's already curled and with the braids looks really lovely and beachy, the third day I'll wear half-up, or in a high messy bun, but the dry shampoo is an absolute must.

7.  Brush, brush and brush GENTLY!  The brush and comb have been approved by my hairdresser, you have to brush at least morning and night to ensure you get rid of any knots or tangles.  Easy does it!  I split my hair in two, so basically as you would to make two braids.  Starting from the tips of your hair brush out, and work upwards,  Be gentle so don't pull or tug.  You can even take your hand to hold your scalp area, then gently and lightly brush over the micro rings/beads.  I used to be so scared but I realised they're quite tough.  For wet hair, never brush with a hair brush but use a wide tooth comb!  You do get special brushes for hair extensions, so if you're a bit scared or unsure I'd say invest in one of them to make it easier for you,

Overall I am over the moon and so happy with my hair!  I feel that now that I've learned how to manage them, I enjoy it so much.  It feels and looks like my own hair, in fact it might even be softer than my own, you can do anything with it as you would with your own hair, just a little bit of extra care goes a long way.  And you should have a good hair care routine anyway.

If you have any other questions pretties, let me know and I'll gladly try to help where I can.

UPDATE:

Just to let you know that I have not lost any strands of hair extensions, nothing has come out, and my hairdresser did advise that I may lose one or two even from the first wash, but nothing ~ so these seem to really be holding super well.

Have a fabulous week!

Love,

xoxo



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Outfit of the Night: Dress from Topshop SA

Hi Pretties,

I made a trip to the launch of Topshop South-Africa last week Thursday, and found such a gorgeous birthday celebratory dress.  I will be posting about the other goodies I picked up and my view about the new Topshop very soon.

This dress reminded me of something Kim Kardashian would wear right?!  It is so pretty yet attention grabbing at the same time.  Very on-trend with mesh cut-out detailing in cream and black, with the girliest shimmery lace material ~ it is the dress that takes you from summer to winter and a definite investment.  It has slight padded shoulders, which perfectly balances out the flared skirt, as it was a bit chilly yesterday I wore tights and black patent leather pumps, and kept the colours black and cream which is very chic and classic, with a pop of colour through my faux-snake skin clutch bag.  It's so much fun dressing up for a night out on the town!

We went to Moyo Melrose Arch what an amazing restaurant, and later in the evening they came around to paint our faces, so much fun, here I'm with my mom and mom-in-law.

Dress:  Topshop in Sandton City R779.00

Hair:  Micro Ring Hair Extensions from ClipHair Ltd

And I wanted to give my brother the reward for the best Movember!  He is the best brother ever, well, he is my only one but still ;) he totally rocked it out!



I hope you enjoyed this post beauties.

Love,
xoxo

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Winner: Clip-in-Hair Extensions {Cliphair Ltd}

Hi Lovelies,



Firstly I'd like to thank each and every one of you for entering my very first giveaway ~ and don't fear beauties as I'll have 2 more giveaways before Christmas! 

I'm extremely excited to give a huge congratulations to Rossyana for winning a full head of 100 % Remy clip-in-hair extensions!!  You will be tweeted once the post has gone live, and kindly contact me soonest so we can arrange for your order and so you'll have your pretty new hair soon!!

I hope you enjoy your extensions from the amazing people at ClipHair ~ I know you're going to love them as much as I do!  And for those who unfortunately didn't win, do give them a try whenever you're interested in buying hair extensions, you won't regret it I promise.

Love,
xoxo

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International Giveaway: Clip-In Hair Extensions {CLOSED}

Hi Lovelies,

I could not wait to share this amazing giveaway with you!  The lovely people from Cliphair Ltd has given me the opportunity to give one of their sets of clip-in hair extensions (full head) to one of my beautiful readers, and it's just in time for Christmas!!!!

I wanted to take the time to say THANK YOU to each reader who takes the time to read my ramblings, that makes the effort to comment on my blog, that subscribes and supports me, I never in a million years thought people would be interested in my weird and sometimes lovely thoughts LoL.  Without you my blog amounts to nothing, and I want you to know that I appreciate you, and I really wish I could give each one of you something, but unfortunately there is only one winner, but keep your fluttery peepers peeled because I do have more giveaways due before Christmas.  So thank you ... thank you ~ Thank You!

*  You can make a selection on any of these Clip-in-Hair Extensions

*  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, and the prize includes shipping to your door.

*  The giveaway opens once published and ends on Saturday night, 24 November 2012.

*  A random selection of the winner will be made on randomizer.org

How To Enter:

1.  Subscribe to my blog via Google Friend Connect (GFC), it's the blue button at the right side of my blog.

2.  Comment (anything - surprise me) in the comment section of this post, please also add your contact details, it can be your twitter or email address.

3.  Like here, here and here.

4.  For an additional entry (only one will count, and as I will be doing this on a program your duplicates will be deleted), share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook, and remember to include @DressedITCity and @Cliphairlimited in your tweet in order for your bonus entry to be valid.

PS ~ All entries and subscriptions will be checked, I appreciate honesty and if you've failed to adhere to the rules, your entry will be deleted to give someone else who is honest and loyal a fair chance to win.

The winner will be announced within a couple of days after entry closed, I will try and do it as soon as possible and will keep you updated via twitter and Facebook, so remember to check those accounts if you've entered.

Good luck all my beauties!!

Love,
xoxo

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Review: Cliphair Ltd. ~ Micro Ring Extensions

 

Hi Beauties,

I have some exciting news to share, so if you see me with long and pretty hair, don't think my evil twin sister abducted me (of course she's not real in case you're wondering).  I was contacted and given an amazing opportunity to review hair extensions, and I selected the new Micro Ring Extensions from Cliphair Ltd.  After doing some research on their website, I was pleasantly surprised to see the wide variety of hair extensions available, even more so when I saw how competitive they were with their pricing, even after converting it to Rands it still came out cheaper than most prices I have received in South-Africa, so if you are based locally I'd highly suggest you have a look at their website.

BEFORE:

I was sent 4 packs with 50 strings per pack, which came to GBP 131.00, and roughly R2000.00 - They sent me in colour Medium Brown # 4.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm lucky enough to be able to call my hairdresser my cousin too, she is the only one I trust with my hair, and I suggest you have a professional apply these ~ if you ever need an amazing hairdresser on the East Rand in Johannesburg let me know, she is totally fabulous. It took approximately 2 hours to apply, it can be quite rough on your scalp, luckily I'm not too sensitive on my head and you can kind of tug and pull a bit, but if you are sensitive this might be quite sore. 
 

What I Love:
 

~ Free and fast worldwide shipping!
 

~ I e-mailed a picture of my hair colour, and a colour expert helped me to select the best shade, which by the way is the perfect match.

 

~ Competitive pricing plus wide selection of products.

~ This type of extension guarantees the least damage to your own hair.

~  100 % Remy human hair.

Tips and Tricks:

Long hair instantly transforms me into a goddess, well, that's my thinking anyway. But I adore having long luscious hair, I feel more womanly and to be quite honest quite empowering. How many men have told you that they love long hair? Exactly. To keep your tresses in tip-top shape, here's a couple of guidelines:

* Brush your hair as often as possible, but very-very gently, using the correct brush or comb, start from the bottom and work your way up and instead of forcing a knot out, spray leave-in conditioner to soften it up a bit. Use your hand to hold the scalp area when brushing to avoid pulling out strands of extensions.

* As the extensions have gone through quite a rough process of chemicals etc. I have noticed that it is quite dry and dull looking, the reason is that it's not connected to a follicle which gives it much needed moisture, so you have to replace that from the outside. I suggest using a deep conditioning treatment at least once a week, up your quantity of usage such as heat protectant and leave-in conditioner, so when you think you've used enough add more.

* These can be treated and styled as you would with your own hair. Use your hairdryer and all other heating tools on the lowest temperature, and wherever possible let air-dry, but never go to sleep with wet hair, also never tip over your head when drying your hair. When going to sleep, tie it up in a ponytail or braid your hair, to avoid tangling.

* When washing your hair, do it in the shower, very gently starting from the scalp to the roots, don't rub and be gentle. Pat dry once out of the shower and continue styling.

* Make sure that you have a brush/comb with you during the day, as you'll need to comb through quite often to avoid tangling and helping your help stay blended and looking nice.

One Small thing I would change:

~ When you pick up a strand of hair, it's very thick at the base, but thinning to almost half of the thickness at the bottom, which means you end up with a lot of thickness up to where your own hair ends, and then it's noticeably thinner at the bottom. My hairdresser had to trim it a little bit, and also do a bit of cutting overall to help make it blend better. I also prefer wearing them curled rather than straight, I think it looks so much better when it's curled or wavy.

I've had these in for a day now, it has taken some time to get used to it, I can definitely feel that my hair is heavier, it also didn't feel like "mine" for a few hours, but now I'm getting more used to it, I've washed and styled it this morning and no strands came out. I didn't struggle to sleep at all last night and the beads doesn't hurt at all. My biggest suggestion is to avoid heat as much as possible, put in as much moisture as possible through treatments and serums ... but overall - Enjoy them! They look and feel so pretty, and I will definitely be repurchasing from them.

 

Love,

xoxo



 

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Jumpsuit Joy

Hi Pretties,

Last night we saw Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 ~ Yes I said it, I'm a Twiheart and it was a bittersweet moment.  It did not disappoint, maybe it's just because I've been a fan of the franchise, it had such a fairytale romantic ending, who doesn't love a happily forever after?

The other day I found this gorgeous flowy printed jumpsuit right at the back of my closet, I adore the colours which reminds me of our South-African sunsets, finished off with some tribal inspired chunky jewellery and platform wedges .. I was ready to embrace another beautiful sunny day:

 

 

Here you can also see my new Marilyn Monroe nail polish in Sherelle

Jumpsuit:  Legit

Wedges:  Fashion Express

 

This jumpsuit is flowy and flattering and slightly cinched in at the waist, the pants are quite long so I scrunched it up to just below my knees, but you can easily take this piece into fall/winter by leaving them long, so it's a very versatile piece to have in your wardrobe.  

 

I hope you enjoyed this post lovelies, please remember to subscribe and always stay fabulous!

 

Love,

xo

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M.A.C. Holiday Collection 2012

Hi Pretties,

One of the nicest things about the festive season is all the amazing collections that are released, and MAC never fails to disappoint.  I instantly fell in love with two beauties, and although I wanted to pick-up everything, I had to choose between them all, and I'm very happy with my choices:

 



M.A.C. 129SE   I   M.A.C. 266SE   I   M.A.C. 226SE   I   M.A.C. 190SE   I   M.A.C. 275SE

Isn't the minty colour too gorgeous, and how cute is the leopard print make-up pouch?  The bristles are super soft, and the collection contains a foundation brush, blush brush, angled brush, eyeshadow brush and eyebrow brush.  The make-up pouch has a gorgeous shiny surface, which means you'll be able to easily wipe off any make-up spillages, it has two small compartments inside, with a beautiful lace effect.

 



M.A.C. Fabulousness 5 Smoky Eyes:

Taupeless

Satin Taupe

Love Spice

Spellcaster

Black Slip

 Such a dainty and girly quilted compact with a pretty bow as the clasp, with 5 colours you'll be able to create a soft and romantic look, or a more vampy smokey look.  The colours are absolutely beautiful, they're all very pigmented as with most MAC eyeshadows, with just a subtle sheen to them.  The compact has a mirror and an eyeshadow brush.  This little beauty is a worthwhile investment, as you'll be able to create various looks.

 

I adored this collection, did you pick up anything?

 

All photos taken by Purple Butterfly Designs

 

 

 

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M.A.C. Marilyn Monroe Collection

Hi Beauties,

This has to be one of my favourite MAC collections ever ~ celebrating one of the most iconic women in the entire world.  I doubt there is a person alive on this earth today that does not know who Marilyn Monroe is, not only is she beautiful, but she has given curvy women the confidence to know that having a womenly body is sexy and should be celebrated.  She is known for her bouncy platinum blonde curls, flawless skin and the perfect red pout ... Her legacy will live forever.

 

 

MAC Forever Marilyn Beauty Powder

 

The swatch doesn't really show up properly, but hopefully you can see the gorgeous sheen.  It's a very natural colour, I think it'll look good on light to medium skin tones, but will appear more prominent on darker skin tones.  This powder is perfect to use on the inner facial area i.e. nose, under eyes ~ it will highlight and give you a flawless Marilyn-esque look.  I adore the packaging with the photo of her on the lid, and the box has an adorable red kiss on the inside, the compact also comes with a mirror for easy on the go touch-ups.

 

MAC Nail Lacquer in Shirelle

 

I may have mentioned before that I'm not a fan of colour on my lips, so this fire-engine red is the perfect Marilyn inspired beauty to add to my collection.  The colour is absolutely amazing, and one coat will be more than enough.  Please remember the way to look chic and wear dark colours is keeping your nails nice and short, no place for long talons here.  It has a lovely glossy finish, and I've been wearing this colour from the day I got it, you can actually get a sneaky peek of the colour on the above swatch ... so I think it's safe to say it's a firm favourite of mine {PS - Don't let anyone ever tell you-you can't wear red in summer, this beauty have no seasonal limitations}.

 

Did you get anything from the MAC Marilyn Monroe collection?

 

Photo's taken by Purple Butterfly Designs

 



 

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Summer 2012 Favourites: Nail Polishes

Hi Beauties,

I'm loving all the lovely mint and coral shades that are in for summer, but I tend to always be drawn to pink nail polishes (I've told you here that I think in PINK didn't I)?  Changing your nail polish to suit your outfit will give it an instant update and freshness, and is probably one of the easiest ways to incorporate colour in what could otherwise be a very boring or monotone outfit, for example:  If you're wearing an outfit with turquoise in, pairing it with bright red nails and then the same coloured shoes/clutch bag will give it a completely different look than wearing it for example with golds or silver, so who says you can't wear the same outfit twice and giving it a whole new look?

So here are my favourite nail polish picks for Summer 2012 ~ this excludes my lovely new nail polish I picked up from the MAC Marilyn Monroe collection, which I will be posting about this week:



Essie in Mint Candy Apple   I   Revlon in Blue Lagoon   I   Revlon in Minted   I   Sass Diva (No Colour on Bottle)   I   Essence in 01 You're My Dragonfly Sugar

 





Revlon in Flirt   I   Essie in French Affair   I   OPI in Strawberry Margarita   I   Kangol in ShockIt   I   Essie in Jam N'Jelly



Essie:  Mint Candy Apple   I   French Affair   I   Jam N'Jelly

I adore Essie nail polishes, not only do they have the cutest names but the range of colours is amazing, they dry really quickly and last very long.  It's worthwhile having a couple of these pretties in your nail polish collection.

Revlon:  Flirt   I   Minted   I   Blue Lagoon

 

Revlon nail polishes are amazing, they're very pigmented, have a stunning range of colours, and look out for their scented shades!  Blue Lagoon is a scented one, and it's definitely a beachy smell, the scent also lingers on your nails so you'll be able to get a lovely whiff even after you've worn it a couple of days.

 



OPI in Strawberry Margarita   I  Kangol in Shockit

 

The OPI nail polish is one of my favourites, and I've worn it many times, it lasts forever, probably a week if not longer without chipping at all.  Kangol is a really bright pink, and is really pretty.

 



Essence in You're My Dragonfly Sugar   I   Sass Diva

 

The Essence polish is the perfect nude, it's a very light peachy/apricot colour.  The yellow looks like rays of sunshine on nails.

 



Essie in Silver Bullions   I   Essence:  Circus Confetti, Glorious Aquarius and Make it Golden

 

A couple of glittery nail polishes is a must, and although it's hard to remove, these are perfect creating an accent nail or two or all of them if you want.

 



Yardley Fast Dry Top Coat and Bonder   I   Revlon Colorstay Gold Standard Top Coat

 

These are my favourite topcoats, the Yardley one helps tremendously with drying times, and once applied takes approximately 10 - 15 minutes to dry.  The Revlon topcoat gives my nails a lovely glossy look and helps prolongs the wear of the nail polish.

 

I hope you enjoyed my picks lovelies, let me know of any new ones I can try?

 

Love,

xx

 

 



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