TIPS FOR GOING BLONDE

Recently, I decided to dye my hair blonde.  I have always dreamed of having long luscious silver locks.  The thought of being a seventy year old with long white hair delights me to the core.  Due to time and money constraints, I must admit that I am a box-job dyer.  I love the ease of going to the store and picking out a colour.  There are also those times when I get in a mama rut and the thought of changing up my look inspires me to make more positive changes in my life.  

With that being said, here is my little tutorial for going blonde at home from dyed dark brown.  Firstly, remember PATIENCE.  You will be removing colour from your hair.  In my case, I was removing all of the colour plus hoping to strip the natural colour as well.  This presents many problems if using a box bleach.  The hair is already damaged from colour dye.  Bleaching is very harsh.  The box dye also doesn't contain the bleach volume that is needed to whiten your hair in one go.  This essentially means you must strip the hair several times before achieving the look you want.  My natural colour also has reddish and brown undertones.  Achieving a silver, white look is nearly impossible (or so I've been told).

Knowing all these things...let's begin

Choose your hair bleach.  It has been suggested to me that you use the same brand.  This could be because the formulas they use to produce the product is created and tested in the same lab.  I chose Feria by L'Oreal (Note:  this is not a vegan product by any means.  There may be vegan bleaches, I just don't know of any.  So please, if you do know some, pass along the names.)

Prep your hair.  Do not wash your hair for a week or longer.  This is not a problem for me as I rarely add soap to my hair.  I'm a non-pooer really.  Allow the oils in your hair to naturally produce themselves.  Some friends have suggested melting coconut oil, allowing it to cool and then placing it on the hair, generously.  I skipped this step.

Leave your roots last.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  When I did my first bleach, I didn't read the box and did all of my hair.  It left me looking like a skunk.  The roots were bleach white and the rest of my hair an orange.  I had to wear a hat for 3 weeks.  

Saturate the hair with bleach.  I started from my roots down.  The tips are split and damaged from wear and dyeing.  Once saturated leave on for a generous amount of time.  Check OFTEN!  I looked every 5 minutes. Do not leave on longer than 40 minutes.  This is a process and you will do it again.  You will not get the desired result immediately so please do not fry your hair and end up with no hair.  YIKES!!!

Once at the desired lightness, WASH EVERYTHING OUT IMMEDIATELY AND THOROUGHLY.  After one of my bleaching treatments I woke up to find myself at three in the morning with the most dry, dead hair.  I forgot to get it all.  I raced downstairs to the sink and just worked at it until it was gone.

Condition and Toner.  A must!  Don't skip.

Wait 4-8 weeks between treatments, cutting the ends each time.  This entire process took me over two months.  In between bleaches I did not wash my hair at all, avoided heat and conditioned with a macadamia nut oil.  Coconut oil is the best!!!

And voila!!!

Stay tuned for my next hair post about adding vibrant colour!  If you want it you must achieve this look first or even blonder!  Hope it helped and please if you have any tips or vegan sources, I'm all ears.  Comment below.

WHAT THE MAMA WORE: MY 5 MINUTE EYE MAKEUP ROUTINE

Pictured above is my Maybelline eye shadow.  I honestly purchased these shadows because of their packaging, the fact that they stated they last 24 hours as tattoos and the colours are shimmery and metallic.   

Today I thought I would share my morning Eye Makeup routine.  I love to add a little pop to my eyes.  Being a tired Mama of 4 babes leaves me looking worn most days.  Adding brightness to my eyes makes me feel like I don't appear as a roaming aimlessly zombie.

I am working towards veganizing my make up, so please if you have any eye makeup suggestions.  Send them my way.  Environmentally, I do not like to part with something just to get a vegan substitute.  So these will remain in my collection until completely used or expire.

My Medusa Makeup brush and shimmery concealer was included in a Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials Kit.  It is awesome.  Well worth purchasing the entire kit to get this baby.

This is my vegan contour brush that I use.  I purchased it through Vegan Cuts.  A while ago I purchased the Beauty Box Essentials kit.  It was amazing.  I am working towards veganizing my entire makeup go to kit.  This contour brush is amazing, applies well and is smooth on the skin.  

My cat eye look.

This is my liquid liner.  It is also a Maybelline product.  It is fine tip and makes achieving a cat eye super easy.  Also pictured is my fat pencil liner.  I use it to fill in and for blending purposes.  (It is also of the Maybelline Master line).

More of the cat eye.

My Wake Me Up Foundation.  It really wakes me up.  I apply this to my entire face to reduce the dark circles.  It works wonders.

To achieve the cat eye look I have a few simple steps.

1.  First apply concealer to all parts of the eye, blending well and applying even over the eyelid.  Allow it to set for about a minute before applying the Metallic eye shadow.

2.  Using your finger, apply to the lid gold Mettalic Maybelline eye shadow to the eye lid.  Put a little of the silver eye shadow in the corner of the eye for brightness.

3.  Using the think pencil apply along the lower lid line and from the middle of the pupil outwards towards the edge of the eye on the line of the upper lid.

4.  Using your vegan contour brush blend from the outside of the lid towards the centre the black liner and gold.

5.  Finish with a cute cat eye.  I make it so the liquid liner comes out as far as the farthest point of my brow.

6.  Dust, using the Medusa brush and shimmer over the entire face and lid to conceal the look.

VOILA!

This is me all dolled up!  P

Please feel free to suggest any vegan options that would work for a winter, dry and oily summer face. I am willing to try new brands and vegan is always the best option for your face.

CARLY KMYTA'S BEAUTY PROJECT

This past week I participated in Carly Kmyta's "Beauty Project".  Carly asked women to submit a picture and note which physical feature they love the most (and why) and a non-physical feature.  Check out my post here.

Carly was inspired after being on Pinterest and noticing that women were pinning pictures of what they aspired to look like.  She didn't understand the tendency to want to change oneself.  While it is obvious that our culture (media and otherwise) creates a climate where women are to look anything but real and impressionable young women fall easily to this manufactured beauty, it was welcoming and freshening that she embarked on such a project.  Her goal, is to inspire others to love themselves by showing her followers the depth of beauty.