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Cheetah, Grrrrr! – Sally Hansen Salon Effects Review

I got a little bored one evening, so I dug out a box of nail decals that I’d purchased many moons ago and forgot about. I followed the instructions shown in the video below, and the entire process took me less than 15 minutes… with NO DRYING TIME! I was pretty much sold on that fact alone, but overall I thought the leopard look was pretty cool. My manicure lasted about 4 days before I got tired of it (the look isn’t exactly subtle), but I could easily have seen it lasting a whole week.

Final Verdict: Two thumbs up! I don’t have the patience to do fancy-schmancy nail designs on my own, but these are pretty fun and easy to apply for festive occasions or a night out on the town. Next time, I’m going to try the black lace version. If you want to give them a whirl, you can probably find them at your local drugstore or get them online here.

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Beauty

I Whip My Hair Back & Forth: HANA Professional Flatiron Review

{Tommy Hilfiger Dress, Jessica Simpson Shoes, H&M Hat}

Hey Gang!

Notice anything different?

When the lovely folks over at Misikko.com contacted me about doing a review of one of their flatirons, I jumped at the chance. I wore my hair chemically straightened for yeeeeaaaars but decided to return to my coily ‘roots’ and grow out my relaxer a little over a year and a half ago. Once I made the switch, I never looked back, and it’s been almost a year since I’ve used any sort of heat styling tools (including a blow dryer). While I love my hair’s natural texture, I thought it would be nice to try something different.

Enter my new HANA Professional Flatiron…

For those of you who are interested in the prep work that went into this style, here’s how the whole endeavor went down:

To make sure my hair was squeaky clean and free of all product buildup, I did a clarifying mask using pure bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar.
Next, I deep conditioned my hair for 30 minutes with Miss Jessie’s Super Sweetback Treatment.
After detangling my hair in the shower, rinsing out the conditioner and allowing my hair to air-dry in 4 sections for ~15 minutes, I applied a heat protectant and straightening balm.
I then proceeded to blow-dry my hair on the Medium/Warm Setting while carefully using a comb attachment.
At this point, I toyed with the idea of stopping here and rocking a pretty bossy-looking afro..
After 15 minutes of stylin’ and profilin’ with my ‘fro, I began flatironing my hair in small 1-ince sections starting in the back and working my way forward. And this is where I started to notice the difference between my new fancy-schmancy ceramic iron and those dinky drug-store irons I previously used…

Having an adjustable temperature dial (as opposed to the rather limiting hi/lo options on my old flatiron) was a welcomed feature. I started out straightening on 270 degrees or so, and was able to drop down to ~230 while still achieving the effect I wanted. I also really liked the fact that I didn’t have to pass the tool through my hair multiple times to get my desired straightness. After passing the flatiron through each section, I did a quick flip of the wrist to achieve the feathered look you see above. Right off the bat, I noticed that my hair had a sheen and bounce to it. And overall, I’d have to say I’m pretty pleased with the product. Alas, I did have one major issue…

HUMIDITY!

Dang-nabbit if my hair only stayed straight for about 15 minutes after walking outside. I was able to keep the look going for a few more days by pin-curling my hair at night, but that was about as far as I could push it. Despite my battle with the elements, I definitely like this flatiron and will probably use it again this year around the holidays (once the humidity and dew points are at bay).

In addition to the HANA Professional flatiron, Misikko.com also carries fabulous hair goodies like the Chi Iron, Moroccan Oil, and a whole slew of high-quality blow dryers and curling irons.

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