Henna Adventure

It's been a while.

A long while.

Since my last posts, I've run off, gotten married, and have been keeping occupied as a freelance professional pet sitter. But anywhoo, last year I had gotten into using henna for a natural hair color. I missed my bright red Loreal HiColor Highlights in Magenta, so at the beginning of 2014, I reverted back.

About a month ago I rocked dreads (using the twist-knot method) before thinking I wanted to go back to henna. I really wanted to try the henna from Mehandi but it was a tad too expensive than what I wanted to spend (we're on a budget due to buying a house!) so the hunt landed me online at Swanson's where I picked up two 100gm bags of Color by Nature henna in Red.

While this is not PURE henna, I figured I would give it a shot since the price was good, and if anything it would be a deep conditioning treatment if it failed.



The packaging

So the instructions clearly state to mix and use immediately, which is odd since most henna you mix and leave overnight to release the dye. Also, it says it should only be mixed with water, no teas or citric acid like you can with normal henna. So, I decided to follow their directions and let the water boil, and mix



Green goodness!

I had to use almost a cup and a half of water per the 100 gm bag.




I applied it and let it set for about four hours. You can leave it on as little as one hour, but since I love the smell of henna I just go about the house doing housework and rinse it when I so choose to!



So, I will show you the before and after pictures. I tried to take them in the same lighting at around the same time each day (henna takes 24-48 hours to fully oxidize, so the color you have after first washing will change....the epicness of henna!)

Before (HiColor Highlights in Magenta about 5 weeks of grow out)




After rinsing and applying only conditioner:


Outside:


My phone's camera is very odd with how vibrant it shows red...this is a bit more accurate of the color


24-ish hours later



note you won't have roots like I do, the old dye has a pre-lightener in which you don't have to bleach dark hair before hand, so I will have an almost ombré effect once my hair grows out.


Henna isn't exactly for the faint of heart. Being as it's a red plant-based dye, if you have highlights already, it is NOT meant to dye over all your strands for a uniform look--you will still have highlights! If you observe in my pictures, there are some strands that look really orange and some a cherry red. I love that no strands are identical, however if you want your hair all one color, this isn't for you!

Thanks for reading, I plan to become more active with beauty, health, and maybe some tutorials =)

posted from Bloggeroid

RAVE: E.L.F. Eye Shadow Brush

RAVE: E.L.F Makeup Brushes

There's a company I just barely found out about a couple of months ago during my hiatus. The company, called Eyes, Lips, Face (E.L.F.), has some of their line Target; I've seen them in Wal-Marts, as well as (gasp!) my local Burlington Coat Factory.

The first brush I ever bought was from the mineral makeup line: the eye shadow brush.

 It was love at first swipe. This has medium-stiff bristles and has yet to shed with regular cleaning. With the price of $1, it's GREAT for those on a beauty budget!

I love it so much I think I might have to go buy five (or 20) more for replacements in my brush roll up. They do carry a "Studio" Collection, which are a little more expensive (but not by much).

You can check out their site for the brushes they carry.

E.L.F. has not just brushes, but has a makeup line and nail polish line. From a quick glance upon their eyes hadows, they do put in Mineral Oil, Petroleum, as well as parabens, so I'm not interested in the makeup.

I think I'll stick to the companies I know of, and support the indie community of makeup madness.

Have you tried any of E.L.F's products?


You can order off of E.L.F.'s website, and they do offer free shipping right now over $25 with the code SHIP25 which ends MIDNIGHT.

Get your brush on, ladies and gents!

RAVE: Lavilin Deodorant

Greetings! I am back from my hiatus! In the next couple of weeks, I will be giving you an inside scoop of what I have been up to. There will be a rainstorm of pictures and stories from the past few months! Definitely stay tuned and keep looking for more posts by me!
Like me on facebook so you don't miss out on my posts!

Now, back to business.

Alright, so I have to tell you about this product I've found on the shelves at my store. This is distributed by NOW Foods, which is one of the biggest supplement companies most health food stores carry. Some of their line extends into grocery, as well as body care.

Did I Mention My Jewelry Line?.....

I DID! Only that was a few posts ago....


I am slowly adding different types of inventory, based on what mood I'm in and what I decide to make. What I'm working on right now is a more "earthy" line which will have braided hemp cords and wood accent beads, as well as jewelry that is more jewel-toned itself.

Hair Adventures and FOTD

So, I have been a redhead off and on for almost 2 years now. I decided yesterday that it was time for a change and I was going to go dark again. Most people would associate that as going dark brown or black, but of course I have to put my own twist on that so I tried to remember my last venture with brown and burgundy and what I mixed.

I think I came pretty close!