Saturday, 2 March 2013

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!


Distressed Denim


My new fave jeans happen to look not very new, but of course that is the idea. Distressed denim is all the rage!! I love this casual, laid back approach to a key piece in my wardrobe. The key to this look is a distressed, lived-in approach. Not ratty, that is a no no!! I will be cuffing mine and pairing them with a pair of heels. My picks can be found HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.






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The Dream Baggage

These are what I was dreaming about last night.............







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Lace Up Lovage


I have been loving lace up sandals at the mo. They give the eye a ladder along the leg, giving an illusion of length. At 5'2 (just!!!) this is a major plus for moi! I love the fact that these can be worn as a more casual chic look or paired with a glam dress for a more night time look. My fave highstreet lace up's are these Zara beauties HERE! I am just about to go pop them in my shopping cart.......yay or nay!?!






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Saturday, 16 February 2013

Steal Her Style: Millie Mackintosh

I spotted these boots recently on Millie Mackintosh and fell in love. I adore the deep red colour and cowboy feel. They would look great with leather leggings or jeans at the moment. In summer they would be an amazing addition to denim shorts and bare legs. To top it of they are currently on sale. So what are you waiting for.....click HERE! 



Thursday, 14 February 2013

Ring Thing


 My fashion friends as you all know rings are the new thing. The arm candy party that has been raging for seasons is over and moved to another venue. Rings on ring fingers, rings on middle fingers, rings at the top of every single finger, rings stacked and stacked. You get the idea! 


These rings are delicate, made of just a sliver of silver or gold. Pop them together and you have one hell of a ring party! My go to brand for gold rings is Gorjana. I have loads of their stuff and it is amazing! If you have cash to splash and want to bring that bit extra to the ring party, check out Catbird. The best of the bunch has to be the ASOS set of rings found here! So go party!!!!

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Couture.....Juicy Couture

Juicy Couture.......what springs to mind?! The dreaded velour trackie! However Juicy Couture has certainly put the Couture back in Juicy. 

Their Fall 2013 Collection has some serious attitude with a film staring models Kasia Struss, Lindsay Ellingson, and Anais Mali as a band of rock n' roll models who land in jail for being criminally stylish. It shows of their glam girls acting as if they have a bad reputation, while lip syncing to a cover of "Bad Reputation" by Dolly Rots.

They bring the fun in Juicy Couture.....and not an orange jail cell suit in sight! Check it outttttttt