Wave Hair: Step By Step Guide

Here are a few of my tips for getting that effortless look right every time:

- Start by parting your hair however way you like and brushing your hair through to get rid of any knots. I always find that the middle or slight side part looks best.

- Dont be too worried about sectioning your hair perfectly, however it does make it easier when you clip sections away just so you don't forget what still needs to be curled. I definitley recommend sectioning your hair if you have a lot of it!

- Taking a section that's about a few centimetres wide (this will obviously change depending on your style, just find what works best!). Don't be too fussed about the size of your sections, it doesn't matter if they're not all uniform - it all adds to the messiness. 

- Curl away from your face AT ALL TIMES. If I'm curling the right side of my hair, I like to hold the wand in my left hand and vice versa. The Babayliss wand I use heats up super hot and super quick, and it also comes with a heat resistant glove if you're accident prone!

- I like to leave my ends straight - I don't wrap the entire length of my hair around the barrel (I start about 10 cm from the top of my head and leave about 5cm out). This is definitely a key tip for the look!

- After you've curled all your hair (away from the face), leave them to cool (i.e. don't touch them!). If a section is looking too curled, just pull on the end to loosen it up a bit, but don't be too worried as these waves drop naturally to an even more beautiful effortless look as the day goes on.

- Spray with a little finishing product - hairspray or shine spray - if you need it. I find the less product you use, the better. I do however, like to spray a little bit of dry shampoo to create some texture and keep the top looking matte. I've tried my fair share of dry shampoos but nothing so far has really stood out as absolutely amazing. They all do the trick in my opinion, but I've been loving the L'Oreal Techni.Art Fresh Dust because of how lightweight it feels.
- Run your fingers through your hair to break up the curls and give it a little scrunch, and you're done! 

I hope that helped some of you out! If you have any more specific questions on any of the steps or anything, make sure you leave it in the comments so I can get back to you!

Things To Embrace: Messy Hair

As a girl with long hair my hairdryer and straightener are among my best friends! However I often have days when I can think of nothing worse that using my trusted tools. I have embraced the messy look a lot lately. I am blessed or cursed (sometimes I can't decide) with a good natural kink/wave to my hair. I do have a few trusty products on hand to give it extra texture. I normally blast the front of my hair to give it a sleeker look. Once my hair is towel dried I pop a little bit of my fave serum into my hair, I love this one (HERE). I then use a surf spray, you have to be very light handed with this as it can give you a hard crispy look. For a texturized, messy wave I spray it into my hands and work it through my hair. My go to one is Bumble and Bumble. If i want a softer wave I have a bargain find that I swear by. It is this Boots Curl Creme, a little goes a long way with this. I rub it in the palm of my hands and then work it through the ends of my damp hair. Sometimes when my hair is almost dry, I lightly brush it through for a sleeker look. In about 1-3hrs , depending on the thickness of your hair, you will have on trend, messy hair!

..............I did!!!!



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Luscious Locks: Great Lengths

Happy Saturday guys!! Not only is it the weekend but I have some major hair news. Most of you know I am very much a "long hair don't care" kinda girl. I have had long hair pretty much my whole life, apart from a brief bob phase. I was the girl who went in to a salon to get a blowdry and have two stylist to dry it. I had vast amounts of hair and used to moan I had too much hair. I have been guilty of colour abuse......blonde was never blonde enough! Don't get me wrong I went to excellent salons and used salon products on my hair. However in the last two years I saw my long, thick hair slowly thin out and snap away. I must also admit that some of this is probably due to medication I take daily, heat, styling over load and my love of blonde blonde hair. In the last few months it has progressively got worse. I maintained my length, but my ends were showing major signs of thinning and damage. 

Like many girls I see my hair as my crown and glory. Good hair is the key to any outfit. Long, luscious locks grace the magazines, runways and red carpets. Many of us go to our salons with pictures of celebrity hair hoping and wishing for their amazing hair. What we don't realise is many of these beauties have hair added to theirs. Yes girls, extensions!!! This is where Great Lengths come in. Celebrity names such as Cheryl Cole, Kate Beckinsale, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Anniston, Eva Longoria and loadsssss more are Great Length fans. Click HERE to see more names.

Great Lengths extensions are available worldwide. You can check out their website HERE. The Great Lengths system is unique. They use what is known as a Keratin bond to attach the extension, no glue or beads here! Keratin is a protein from which your own natural hair is made from, meaning it is gentle and sympathetic to your own natural hair. The extension even grows with your own hair, no shedding or snapping and can be easily removed, amazing. You can expect your set to last 3-6 months, depending on care. 

I decided to go and get a consultation for Great Lengths. Through research and word of mouth, I heard about Ceira Lambert. You can check her out on Facebook HERE! Ceira's salon is located in Shankill, Dublin 18. I rang and booked a consult for my next trip to Dublin.

Ceira  Lambert applying Great Lengths to Rosanna Davison

Consult:

I popped in to the salon and met with Edel who works a long side Ceira. The girls are the best in the business and train GL certified stylists. Their clients include Rosanna Davison, Roz Purcell, Georgia Salpa, Georgina Byrne, Katherine Thomas and many many more. Edel talked me through the procedure, history and care of the extensions, my options of length and colour. As I am blonde we decided I should come back and get my highlights done in the salon so they could colour match my extensions precisely. We settled on 40cm length, with three types of blonde and a slight low light. Edel also informed me that they dry in a natural wave, like my own hair, and are quite low maintenance. She also assured me that my own hair would grow and strengthen while I had my Great Lengths in. I was sold!!

Ceira Lambert Salon Clients

Highlights:

The following week I popped back to the salon, where I discussed my highlight options with the wonderful Niamh. We looked at my hair in depth and decided I needed a full head......bubye tell tale roots for a few weeks! Niamh suggested I pop in a slight low light to help it look more natural and thick. I got my mesh put in and a few hours later I had a fabulous blonde shade to my hair. LOVE!

Application:

The day had finally arrived and I was so excited, if slightly nervous. I was assured and told of the process by both Ceira and Edel. I sat there flicking through all the new fashion mags as both the girls worked their magic on me. They are such nice girls and made me feel in safe hands. Each strand applied is made up of a number of hairs. It is then applied with a protein polymer bond. This is attached to the hair using a heated tool and folded around the hair. The bond is so fine and natural you can not see any tell tale signs of their existence. It was all applied in about an hour and a half and to say I was pleased with the result would be an understatement. I couldn't believe how natural looking, thick and light they felt. I imagined they would feel heavy, it literally felt weightless. Thank you Ceira and Edel......I LOVE them!!!!!

My Before and After Pic

After Care:

I bought the amazing Great Lengths paddle brush, as this brushes through the hair without tugging or pulling the hair. I feel this is my new best friend. I also bought the Great Lengths Shampoo as Edel explained how regular shampoos can damage the bonds. In my opinion, if you are going to splash out on GL extensions then they need the appropriate shampoo and care. I slept on my new hair last night and popped it into a low ponytail as Edel suggested. I woke up to tangle free, smooth hair. To get the most out of your extensions you need to follow the girls guidelines and advice. I intend to do so! 

Great Length Care Products

I have to say the whole process was a pleasure. I absolutely love and adore my new hair. Any misconceptions I had about extensions are long gone thanks to GL and Ceira Lambert's salon. Thanks guys!

Men's Shirt Look

The latest trend apart from neon that I have been dying to wear is the "Boyfriend" Shirt trend. I have been looking for a nice shirt for a while and finally decided the only place i was going to find one was in the men's department. I got one in Topman to wear for Sunday drinks with friends. A man's shirt doesn't need many extras. Its is more efortless chic! I paired it with blue denims, nude peep toes and gold jewellery to girly the look up. To make it extra feminine I rolled up the sleeves to show some skin :) My hair was looking unkempt from the plait the night before so I kept it that way. Wanted it to have that casual, laid back all over look. Think I am going to buy it in white and check too, this is going to be my go to casual evening look for the summer.

Mars <3

Hair Trend: Side Plait

The side plait/braid, the cool girl's go-to, that is easy to create while being effortlessly stylish. It can be worn with loads of looks, casual or dressy. Your plait can range from an easy french plait to a complex fish tail braid! It can be worn in a texturised, tousseld look or a polished, romantic look. I may even give it a go this weekend when I hit the town....LOVE! 

Mars <3

Gig Outfit: Hermitage Green

I went to see Irish band Hermitage Green on Friday in the new live sessions upstairs in Halo, Galway. They are an all male group, easy on the eye ladies, all majorly talented. They were really good.... covering songs from Mumford & Son's, Florence and The Machine etc. They also have some really catchy originals! This is their YouTube Account.....click to listen to some serious talent.  You can also check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts for upcoming gigs, I know I will be! So here is what I wore.....kept it simple and casual, outfit and hair wise. My go to denim shorts, these are a white pair from Topshop that i bought about two years ago. I did find a similar pair on the site at the moment: White Denim Shorts. The t-shirt is from River Island a few months back, they have a new version now in stock: Black T-shirt. My shoes are my newest obsession! I got them as a pressie for my birthday. They are in a similar style to a Jeffery Campbell and there are a lot of cool versions on the high street at the mo that will suffice until you can save for the real deal :) Hope you like!


Mars <3

Fashion Inspiration: The Olsen Twins

Another of my inspirations are the beautiful Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley. You certainly can not accuse them of dressing like every other young Hollywood star! They have created their own style, going for high-fashion looks with an edgy, hippy look. Their daytime attire may be a tad "homeless chic" from time to time, but I admire their desire to be laid back and edgy. From their hippy unkempt hair, to the piled on gold vintage jewellery...I want it all!!! Their style is their own and one I adore!


Mars <3

Undone Bun

Hair crush of the day...."Undone Bun". Buns have been a trend for a while and one that I love! They are back in a big way in as a modern "undone" style bun. Personally I adore the messy bun scrapped right to the top of the crown, but it can be worn loose at the back or to the side. I think I will rock one of the high top, messy buns myself this week.


Mars <3

Fashion Inspiration: Nicole Richie

A big fashion inspiration for me is Nicole Richie. She oozes cool and hip no matter what she wears. Whether it is a pair of cut off denims and white t-shirt combo or a backless Haute Couture gown. Her style is clean, laid back, hippy, cool. Key to her look is a very simple outfit, giving loads of room to pile on the accessories. This is a look that she pulls of so well.  Sunglasses are a major part of her look...rain or shine get your classic large sunnies on and rock them!! To finish it off...think bed head. Thant unkempt, I just got out of bed hair is easy wear and looks great. Nicole Richie I salute you for your California cool!


Mars <3