Remington S5500: My Adventures in Cheap Hair Straighteners Continue

So sorry for being MIA! I was wondering in the past few days why my keyboard wasn’t working at home– of course it was something simple like the batteries were dead. I bought some new ones last night, but oh how easy it was to just fall off the blogging bandwagon! I get lazy. It happens. Anywho…

I wanted to share with you what I hope is going to be the last hair straightener I buy for a while. The jury is still out on whether this item can curl my hair (haven’t tried it yet), but I did straighten my hair this morning. I think it’s a keeper. Meet the Remington S5500 Anti-Static Ceramic 1″… Photobucket
There are reasons why this is a highly rated item. First off, it’s affordable. As in, super affordable- I bought this for less than $20. Plus, the Remington S5500 simply feels nice- it’s lightweight, pleasant to the touch, has a swivel cord and plate lock. I only used it for ten minutes this morning, but compared to the other straightener I purchased the other week, it was a more enjoyable experience. Photobucket Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos My Before & After Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

You can buy this item at major mass retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Wal-Mart. I’ve seen it in-store before, and it was $19.99 last month. I purchased this item for $14.97
from walmart.com
last week. I could buy Olive Garden with those prices!

But I’d rather do my hair. Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Lava Gold 1″ Ceramic Styling Iron

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I get addicted to these ideas that X product will be amazing, or I need Z to complete my life. I don’t really need X or Z, and I didn’t really need this Lava Gold 1″ Ceramic Styling Iron. I had been thinking about upgrading my hair tools for months, and I picked this up on a whim (after looking up reviews on Walmart.com) last Thursday for ~$18. The product seemed exactly what I was looking for- a combo hair straightener and curler that can work on thick, coarse hair at an affordable price point. I found it in a Wal-Mart that had a larger ethnic hair section, and I was really excited about it. Did it work out for me? Ultimately, no. I tried the styling iron on three different occasions, and it did not live up to my expectations nor did it cancel out my other hair tools, which work fine for me. I once got my hair curled by a small flat iron, and I loved it. I couldn’t quite replicate the results with this product because I could not curl the ends correctly. Some people like the “leave the ends uncurled” crimped look. Not me.

The Product – the iron came with a loose plastic cap and featured finger rests at the top of the barrel.
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The first time that I tried the iron, I had already flat ironed my hair with my other straightener that day. I decided to experiment with a curl.
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The last time I tried the iron, I used it on dry hair that had been washed three days prior. I had just woken up. Straightening was fine, but I remembered why I liked my huge Conair paddle iron- it covers a lot of hair area faster than a 1′.
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After straightening, I decided to really dedicate myself to doing all curls. I gave up half way.
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Yeah… no. I like using my small barrel curler to achieve curls easier than this. It’s not that it looks horrible, but it wasn’t an easy thing to do even that small bit, and I could not make all the curls the same (user error). It’s just not for me.
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I’m going to try to return this. Too bad.
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I guess I’ll stick to my trusty old Conair for now.
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Bun bun!

Sock buns with NiftyBa! I just did this- you can too!

I’m not sure if you remember what I look like with long hair. Every three or four years, I grow out my hair and cut it short. I do a lot to my hair sometimes, but when I got married, it was just long and au natural. At the very beginning of my blog, I had long hair, and I spent some serious time rocking out the side braids and Heidi crowns. And of course, right when I cut it off, those become trends again. Dang it.

This is from February 2011.
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So, I’ve been missing out on all the cool long hair styles people have been rocking for the last year. I was super jelly! I can only do tiny braids now! I stick to curling my hair for special occasions. I do love to experiment, though, and today since I had bed head, I decided to attempt a sock bun. Oooooo, mathematical! I keep seeing these weird sock bun things sold in stores, but I know you can just make it out of an old sock. Sorry, husband, I used a sock with a hole in it, along with this tutorial from Hello Framboise. Hilarity ensued, but it all worked out swell in the end. :)

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I had a surprise visitor, Dylan.
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Also, I have a lot of gray hair. I cannot wait for more.
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Vacation Beauty

Last month, I went on vacation to Puerto Rico. I have always always wanted to dye my friend’s hair, and I was finally able to! I mentioned it to her, and she actually agreed to it! So, on the night before we left the island, I grabbed a box of hair lightener from Walgreens and begged for trust. I think it turned out well. I ended up doing both of my friend’s hair, and lightened my own again. Ombre hair just screams summer- I’m going to hold onto it forever.

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Lighten Up with NiftyBa: Ombré Hair

It’s no secret: I really like to color my hair. For the last year, I’ve had it ombré style, and I’m sticking to it. I kind of miss my really really long colored hair, that look was cray cray! But, this is doing me well, and I recently decided to lighten my color up for the summer. I have not dyed my hair in about 2 months, and the last color I did was a bit red. I used Clairol Born Blonde Maxi. I like doing this because it’s a cheap thrill, and if I hate it, I can just cut it all off.

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This chart is all a lie.
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My before pic.

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My after pic.

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Tampa Garnier Greener Tour

On June 30, I met up with some members of the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida to attend the Garnier Greener Tour, making a stop near Tampa in Brandon, Florida hosted by our very own Phyrra!

It was a whole bunch of fun! Not only did I get to see some friends, but I loved learning more about Garnier and their take on being responsible with the environment. What do you think of when you think of Garnier? Hair and green. The color green is synonymous with their brand, and they are making a mobile tour throughout the country to showcase how green Garnier really is, be promoting recycling and the elimination of waste through TerraCycle. I took many pictures. To view the album, just click here. I take way too many photos…

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I got my hair styled.
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The stylists did a great job with adding volume and awesome braids.
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We were next to a Wal-Mart. Of course we had to visit the makeup aisle.
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Thanks again to Garnier and Courtney of Phyrra for the amazing experience! Shoutouts to my ladies: Maria of Cult Nails, Kimberly of Libby’s Pink Vanity, Kari of Once Bitten, Judi of Judixo, and Eugenia of Geniabeme!

Happy early birthday to Coco, Maria’s daughter, who attended the event and showcased her favorite lime green nail polish called Deal with It! Perfectly paired with Garnier! To celebrate her 13th birthday on the 11th, Cult Nails is launching a very special collection for her called Coco’s Untamed Collection.
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Have a great day, everyone! Beauty lovers: you know we all buy, buy, buy. When you buy, discard smart, recycle! :)

And before I sign off, a guest jump from Kim!!! LOVE IT.
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No Fluff

OOTD
Jcp I Heart Ronson dress
But let’s focus on my hair…

I straightened it for the first time this year, or maybe the first time since I’ve had really short hair. Does it look ok?

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NOTD
OPI Number One Nemesis

I forgot this was supposed to be a dupe for Chanel Graphite, and I picked it up anyways. It’s a beautiful color, and if you do not already own the Chanel, it’s a definite buy. Graphite is one of my all time favorite nail polishes, something I hoped wouldn’t be copied again for cheaper, but this just teaches me a lesson to wait for dupes. Even in polish, it doesn’t really matter to me which brand makes it, it’s all about the color. The OPI version, made for the upcoming Spiderman movie, worked beautifully for much less $$$.

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Crack: A Habit Forming Hair Fix

This is my hair. Hello, hair!

For the past year, I’ve had short hair. It used to be pretty long. Like, longer than long. But it’s quite nice like this. I would like to think that my hair has been in better health because of the shorter length, but… I dye my hair at home, so it is dried out. And conditioner? Eh, I just spent two weeks not using any, so it felt super meh. I am blessed with thick Asian hair (and seven gray hairs!) that does what I want, but it’s not soft.

BUT I HAVE FELT THE SOFTNESS! And, man, I’m missing out!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I run my hands through my hair underneath the top layer to feel how soft it is. The top of my hair is just always so frizzy and coarse since I don’t take care of it. I tried this new product a few days ago and it made all my hair feel soft. OooOooOooOOOooo.

Meet Crack. Apparently it is “a habit forming hair fix.” The blurb on the back of the tube says “Crack is a leave-in hair cream made with Acai Extract and Silk Protein. This addictive multi-tasker moisturizes from the hair cuticle to the ends of the hair to protect from dryness and chemicals including chlorine.

One is supposed to work a small amount into towel dried hair.

I let my hair air dry. I couldn’t tell the difference after a few hours, so to put the product to the real test, I had my husband run his hands through my hair. Success! He said my hair was really soft!

I had incorrectly applied the product to the top of my hair only, and at least that part was soft. I tried Crack again the next day, wetting my hair and making sure to add product to all areas of my head. Air dried, and then something a little different: I curled my hair.

This is my hair the day I curled it.

And this is the next morning.

Wow, on curled hair… I love it. My hair is usually easy to curl, and I try to make sure I haven’t washed it in a few days to build staying power. The instant after I did my first curl, I could tell a difference- it was so much easier to curl it and oh my goodness, the staying power. I did not add any hairspray and I went to work on a rainy day. I slept on it, and the next morning, it looked near perfect. That’s incredible.

You can purchase Crack from Drugstore.com for under $20. My experience may be completely different from others, but if you have thick crazy coarse hair, I can actually recommend this. This product is more expensive than I’d usually purchase, but a little bit goes a long way. If you use too much, the hair just gets to feel heavier. To learn more about the product, visit Prolocks. Thank you for being a sponsor of the Central Florida Beauty Bloggers, Prolocks!

Products shown were provided for review.

Homemade Beauty

Armed with a coupon and Pinterest/Internet inspiration, I went to Michael’s this evening to get some supplies and get crafting… for beauty! I just had to try two DIY trends that have recently popped up.

CHALKED HAIR

I first saw this on Lauren Conrad’s site, the beauty department. Whether you are a fan of the girl or not, you’ve got to admit: she’s branded herself very well. I can’t deny The Beauty Department’s cuteness. I purchased soft chalk, and I used yellow and red chalk to try it out.

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Looks pretty cool! I am getting many gray hairs now, and I can’t wait until it is all gray- that’ll be the closest I’ll get to blonde, lol! This is a great way to create a funky effect with fun colors, and it’s nice to see how it’d look on dark hair.

BEADED NAILS

A short while ago, I saw Ciate’s new Caviar Nails. It didn’t take long for the blogger universe to try it on the cheap, and the first place I saw it at was at the Polishaholic. I had placed an order for beads from eBay, but I just had to pick up more tonight in these elegant colors.

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Very nice! But a bit messy- I need a funnel to put the beads back in the tiny container, and many fell on the floor. They’re so small! But I love how the effect can be achieved easily.