Black & Virgin Rose

Hello Beautiful Beasties!

So todays post is one I've been meaning to get done for awhile now. ... By awhile I mean .. since the end of October. I know, I know. I've been a slacker. :(  Anyhoos..  I've gone and changed out the blue in my hair for a bright magenta and I just wanted to show you all the results. Back in March I did a Black & Blue post that describes how I dye my hair.  Please refer to that post for the methods I use to dye. I will however list the products I've used for this application down below.

This is what I've used:

1 tint brush

1 tint bowl

3 pair gloves

1 RGC packette

1 packette Prism Lights blue lightener (bleach)

roughly 3.5 oz 40 Vol creme developer (peroxide) *please be aware anything stronger than 30 vol should typically NOT be used on the scalp

1 box Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color BL21 (Blue Black)

1 bottle SE Hair Dye Virgin Rose

Blue tinted bleach w/ RG corrector and 40 Vol developer

Just a note here on changing black dyes. The Feria I was using faded extraordinarily fast. Way quicker than the semi-perm blue dye, which is a shame. I went with Garnier this time after doing some research and this one seems to be holding up pretty good as it's been in now since October and has normal wear/minimal fading.

Processing Special Effects in Virgin Rose. Its okay for it to touch the newly dyed black hair because its so dark, it should only slightly tint that hair IF it even does that. But beware of using this process if your dying over ANY other color than dark black hair.

A note on Special Effects dyes: I still love them. This is the 3rd time in my life I've used Virgin Rose. Its SO pretty. A nice in between shade if you can't decide between pink & purple. Its also very vibrant without being too in your face against the black dye. I wish they had a wider range of colors to choose from, as I've been through them all quite a few times. But I'm glad they haven't lost sight of quality control. I think a lot of companies market their products for rebellious tweens/teens. Heck.. I use to change my hair color once every few weeks when I had UBER short hair. But I like to keep it longer and healthier now. And also, because I'm a bit older I really appreciate the quality of this product compared to ... Manic Panic for instance. They have LOVELY colors and SO many to pick from.. but the quality just isn't there. I've used them too many times and gotten something that the fade out color is some pukey gross color that makes me wish I'd never dyed it 3 weeks before. So when you're choosing your dye, make sure you're getting a decent quality product, not just the COLOR you love. :) 

Ok so now onto the fun stuff.

Before: Can you believe I did this in MARCH! :D LOVE that staying power! My black looks brown though. :(

Bleached out/ freshly dyed black. My bleach job was sloppy. I have some unevenness.. but its okay!

Final Product. Aw .. isn't it pretty?

Thanks to my friend Adrian. He morphed my photos together into one awesome patriotic mashup. LoL!

Fin! :D Ack! Nakie face tho! 

This is a look I called Violet Vampire. I did it for a NTMS weekly challenge. I will be posting it next time. Im still processing through the photos, but look for it soonly! I really like how it turned out!

Okay. So there's my most recent hair journey. I honestly would really like another hair cut soon. I want something like what I had done before. Kinda a shaggy bottom bob. LoL! I love texture! Maybe something right below the jaw line? Above my shoulders? Hrm.. what you do think? Thanks for looking and have a great day!

I love you Special Effects!

This is just going to be a quick RAVE post! I just wanted to share this with you all. I've been using Special Effects hair dye for many years. I've always found it to work wonderfully for me. They have a wide variety of colors, and even when they fade, they fade to a pretty color. I knew it had decent staying power, but I'd never recorded just how long they last. I blogged back in early March about using Special Effects dye (Blue Velvet) on my hair. You can see my original post HERE.  I just wanted to show you guys what it looks like now,  roughly 5 months later!! I have not done ANY touch ups or re-dyes here. This is the actual wear of the dye. The only "special" things I do is make sure none of the hair products I use have alcohol in them, and I skip-a-day wash my hair (I've been using Moisture Maniac Shampoo & Conditioner by Tigi Bed Head) and when I straighten or blow dry my hair I use a heat protect spray. 

BEFORE : Dyed March 04, 2011

AFTER :  Photo taken August 06,2011

As you guys can see .. its still nice and vibrant!  The black dye I used faded REALLY fast. I probably won't use that brand again, as the last 2 times I've used it it's faded early on me and that sucks because it's permanent dye. I shouldn't have to worry about anything but roots with it. >.< Anyway.. I've used almost every color of Special Effects dyes out there and ALL of them have met or exceeded my expectations. Have any of you used Special Effects dyes? How did they work for you? Did you find your color had amazing staying power as well?

ZombieGirl Onyxia

***UPDATE 4.19.11***

The owner of ZombieGirl, Cyndee contacted me shortly after this post was made and advised me the lilac colored bow I received was sent to me in error and said they DO have a royal purple bow! She immediately corrected the error and sent me out (and I got it today!) the color I had originally ordered! This is outstanding customer service and I am SO extremely happy to have my new favorite bow!  Thanks ZombieGirl for top notch service! You're the best Cyndee!

******

 *WARNING* This post is gonna be HUGELY photo heavy & quite long.

Me & Zombie Walk

I like to window shop online.... and here's why. A part of all of us is that awesome satisfaction we get when we get nice things for ourselves I think. This compulsion drags us towards massive amounts of shopping and the uphoric feeling we get when we've gotten a great deal or found the perfect what-not. So to curb my spending and keep my money where it should be, I e-window shop. I go to my favorite sites, pick out everything I love, put it all in my cart, and then ... when its check out time.. I just press the little X and close out of the window. I still get the feeling of shopping without all the guilt. It satisfies me to just look at the lovely things and what I'd do with them, and certain things I make mental notes of and return to do an actual purchase. I don't like to impulse shop. If I like something enough in a couple months, and feel I can't do without it, I'll go back and purchase it at a later date if I can't stop thinking about it.

So, the reason I told you all that was because I wanted to tell you all about an accessory company that I've been stalking for awhile and now I'm in love with. This company feeds my Psychobilly needs perfectly!  The company is ZombieGirl & Zombaby Designs (she also makes the cutest baby things!).  I noticed her shop first on Shop Homemade and she also sells right off her facebook fanpage. Just FYI her facebook always has a much better selection & is always being updated.  Her designs are so adorable and everything is handmade with love by Cyndee.

Skelly in mah hair

Every day since I first saw one of her bows I would be doing my hair and picturing them in my doo's! I needed to have them. After about 3 months of drooling online over them, I decided I needed a few in my life. The prices are exceptionally resonable,  and this is what I got:
4 Mini bows, 1 mini flower, 2 regular bows, and 1 ribbon bow.

I keep them all clipped on a bandanna on my wall.

The package was shipped about 2 weeks after I ordered, but I received them quite quickly after they shipped. All in all I waited about 3 weeks after I ordered, which I think is pretty reasonable. This considering she just had a newborn and like I said, everything is handmade.  I love everything I was sent, the quality is high and I love the fact that each clip is felted so that it doesn't rip or pull your hair out. Each little skully seems to also be well attached. I can honestly say that there is only 1 issue I had with my order. One of the bows I received is no where near the same color as it was depicted on her page. The purple bow on the page was a royal and dark purple. What I received was a very light lavender bow.  Now.. don't get me wrong, it is still cute and all that, but it's certainly NOT the color I had expected. All in all I am very happy with what I got and I would definitely order from them again. ('cuz I haven't gotten one of the BIG beautiful flowers she makes yet!)

Mini Bows (from top to bottom Gemstone, Purple Fancy, Stalin & Lip Gloss)

Regular Bows (Zombie Walk & Pink Rhododendron)

Ribbon bow & Mini flower (The Guilty & Orange)

Ribbon bow "The "Guilty" my FAVORITE!

Mini bow "Gemstone"

The next little bit is just about the kitten the hubby & I have adopted. She is one little she-devil. Keeping me up all hours, nibbling and playing with me while I try to sleep, getting into all sorts of little demon kitty trouble while I'm not looking.

Bad Ony on top of the Mr's computer monitor! Eeek!

 Yesterday, she learned a new trick! She climbed up all the hanging clothes in the closet and  got herself stuck on the top shelf. *grrr* Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to have her, she's just a handful as a baby! Everyone, meet Onyxia ( my other kitty is named Murloc.. no I don't have problem. LoL) .

Onyxia (drops epic "lewtz" & sometimes I wanna hang her head in SW LoL)

 We don't normally call her Onyxia, we call her Ony or Nyxi. But I think her name fits her perfectly. Her alignment is Chaotic Evil & shes a black dragon. Yup yup I'd say that perfectly describes her.

Nyxi says Om Nom Nom

Ony sleeping in the tissue box. Yes, it still has tissues.. i mean, a mattress in it.

Onyxia & Me

Thanks for reading! Ony & I are so happy you decided to stop by! We hope you are having a great weekend and hope to see you back here soon!

Black & Blue

Ok.. so first things first. I have been dying hair & practicing cosmetology for over 15 years. Just to get it out of the way, YOU may have different results using these same products. I know what works for MY hair, and the opinions stated below are my own. If you like the results, and want to try them out, please be aware results may vary and you play at your own risk! :D (image of the sign in Rocky Horror comes to mind ) tee-hee! Thanks guys.

So on with it then. This is what I've used this time:

1 tint brush

1 tint bowl

2 pair gloves

1 RGC packette

1 packette Prism Lights blue lightener (bleach)

roughly 3.5 oz 40 Vol creme developer (peroxide) *please be aware anything stronger than 30 vol should typically NOT be used on the scalp

1 box Feria #21

1 bottle SE Hair Dye Blue Velvet

My hair is naturally dark brown, and when I bleach out it pulls INSANE amounts of red. As I wanted my blue color to be blue and not turn purple because of the gold tones bleach pulls with my natural hair color, I took 2 steps to ensure I had a cool toned result. #1. I used a blue based lightner & #2. I used RGC in my lightening mixture. I first sectioned off any hair I wanted blue, and mixed up the lightener. I applied the mixture to the sectioned off areas and covered those areas with foil.  I did NOT use bleach on my scalp, I applied to about 1/2" above the scalp & covered the rest of the hair shaft down to the scalp with black dye. I like the way this blends the colors together.

Feria #21 Starry Night

While I was waiting for my bleach to develop I mixed and applied the Feria hair dye, as per the included instructions. The color I used was #21, Starry Night. I've used this shade many times before and really like the blue base it has. I think a blue based black looks totally unnatural, but gives a bit of a shinyness? to the color that I really enjoy. And .. I'm really not going for "natural" here .. so its all good.  It covers greys nicely (not that I have any... haha.. right!) and has pretty nice staying power before it starts to dull.

I left my color & bleach to develop for roughly 50-60 mins and rinsed the black until the water was clear, before removing the foils and rinsing the bleached sections out as well.

The blue color I chose was from a dye brand I adore. Special Effects Hair Dye in Blue Velvet. I've always had such WONDERFUL results with them. I think I have used nearly every color they offer in their line as well. I'm a pretty big fan, and the only other "primary" color dyes I will use are made by Fudge. Believe me, I've tried them all..Again.. please keep in mind, this is only what I have personally experienced. My hair .. it likes Special Effects dye.

A bit about the dye based on personal opinion: 1) when it fades, it fades to pretty colors. 2) stays in a decent amount of time, as long as you know how to deal with color treated (demi/semi perm) dyes. 3) vibrant colors, (omg the yellow.. is SICK I got so many compliments on it when I used that one.) 4.) NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS! Yay!

And here are the results I ended up with.

Blue Kitty

BEFORE

AFTER

So.. what do you think? Have you used Special Effects dye before? Do you feel comfortable coloring your hair at home, or do you get it done at a salon?

Locks of Love: Finale + EOTD

Hi there!
 So... today was the day! I went and donated my hair to Locks of Love today. I must say, it was a completely painless and wonderful experience. The people over at Absolut Hair, and specifically my stylist Nicolette was awesome. I went in with a very VAGUE idea of what I wanted and left with what I think is a super cute, totally everyday wearable cut. Yay!  Best of all, is all the hair I got to donate to such a wonderful charity! <3  Ok.. so here's the photos I'm sure you are all here to see.. so without further ado, heres my new doo. LoL *insert cheesy grin here*

Front View

Side View

Thats FOUR ponytails, 15+ inches long each!

Oh yeah.. I also wanted to share with you guys my EOTD for today! It was really neat, and I got quite a few compliments on it today. I wanted something bright and fun for my new haircut!

So that's it ladies & gents. What do you think?

Locks of Love part Deux

Hi there! 

So, I know I posted way back in December with questions about the Locks of Love program, remember that? :D Well I finally found a salon in my area who participates! Yay! I've set up an appointment for this Tuesday, and I'm getting ready for my first haircut in like ... ohhhhh.. 7 years or so. I use to keep my hair SUPER short, see like this: Yeah. That meant constant custom dye jobs and cuts every 2-3 weeks. I loved it!

My cute short hair

But I've been growing and growing it, I don't really know why. Maybe I just got lazy. Maybe it's because I moved out of the city and into a town with less than 300 population. Well.. I'm now back in the city again and It's certainly time for a change.

My long hair.

As soon as I made the appointment. I started getting butterflies in my tummy. I know I'm ready to get rid of my long hair, its SUCH a pain at this length, and honestly it gets pulled back in ugly pony's or buns most of the time anyway. (sadly). I'm also SUPER excited that my hair might put a smile on a little ones face. That makes me grin from ear to ear to think about.  On the other hand.. I also have to say I'm a little nervous about getting rid of all my hair. I've had it so many years now, it's kind of turned into some sort of security blanket for me.

So.. heres to all good things. A super cute short cut for me & a new wig for some little princess out there. Ill post the third part mid-week after my appointment. Showing you all the final resul!

Just as a little reminder guys, Locks of Love also takes financial donations too!! So don't feel like you can't do something great just because you don't really wanna or cant give up your hair! :D

Have you ever donated to charity before? What do you think about this program?

Locks Of Love

Hello 'true believers! I was talking to my mom tonight and she suggested we look around for salons that participate in a program called "Locks of Love" or something like it. I'm looking to get roughly 20-24" of hair cut off, and I know there are salons that participate in giving real hair to programs that make hair pieces for children in need. I've also heard that they will do the cut for gratuity..Does anyone know any good salons in the greater Seattle area that are a part of this program? Thanks for any information you may have!

Not the most flattering pic of me.. But you get an idea of how long my hair is :D

New Cut for Mr.KittyKaBoom

Jinkies! Lately.. I think my husband is turning more and more into Shaggy Rogers ... you know... from Scooby Doo. Anyway...  I've been bugging him for weeks to get a cut. Today, I finally got him sat down in a chair long enough for me to take my shears to him. *giggles* Here are a few "Before" pictures just so you know what I was working with..

Mr.KittyKaBoom Before

And here are the "AFTER" photos....

Mr.KittyKaBoom After

I think it turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. I am quite pleased with it.
Its a clippered blend of a guard #1 into a guard #2 blended into a scissor cut (shorter than usual) layered top. I figured, he's not gonna wanna sit and get it cut AGAIN before the holidays so I just cut it a little shorter than usual to allow for hopefully not too much grow out by then. :D Can you see what a difference a hair cut makes on your face shape and stuff.. its crazy huh?

Disclaimer & FYI:  I am not a *licensed* cosmetologist, however I DID go to school for cosmetology. I do all types of hair services/nails/facials/makeup & consultation for friends and family.