October 24, 2011

Prettia hair dye - some SERIOUS tips.

YAY laptop is back. First post I wanted to write was about my hair....again. LOL XD

For those who read this blog, you should know that...
1) I dye my hair a lot.
2) I am quite fond of Prettia hair dye (Japanese hair dye in foam)

I've used Prettia six times now over the past 2 years (roughly), and after MUCH experimentation with technique and what not, I think I've come up with a list of things that others should know when using it themselves. Of course, this might not work for you but it worked for me, so it may help for you to read through this if you're just starting out and experimenting with this brand.

Let's start by talking about the very last two times I've used it. I didn't document them because I used Chiffon Beige again for both times so I thought it wasn't necessary to review it again. I DID do some very different stuff this time around which changed my results drastically...

Chiffon Beige - used in end of July 2011
When I used it here, I decided to try and put the dye in for a shorter amount of time. Some people were saying you really shouldn't leave it in for that long....that the box says it should only stay in for 30 minutes, or else it "won't look right"...blah blah blah. Soooo, I went ahead and smeared the foam in my hair the usual way:
1) starting from roots of my usual divided hair line
2) worked foam into middle then tips of the "top layer" of hair that shows from usual hair line
3) worked foam into rest of hair underneath this top layer
4) wrapped tin foil around head

WHAT WAS DIFFERENT?
1) I never used tin foil. Before, I only used an old shower cap to keep the hair up but people said the tin foil traps heat better and it makes the dye process better
2) I left the dye on for 40 minutes from when I wrapped the tin foil. Before, I have it on for an hour.

RESULTS?
Hair had usual "two tones" that happened in my previous dye jobs. I had Prettia Natural Ash before this, so my roots were lighter than the bottom ones of course. Nothing new here
What was WEIRD was that the Chiffon Beige did not cover the Natural Ash!! I could clearly see the darker ashy brown near the middle to bottom of my hair, even on the top layer!
Also, when I grab my hair and checked the layers underneath my top layer of hair, I saw BLACK ROOTS, and barely any Chiffon Beige down there. Hair was still mainly Natural Ash colour.
It looks very ashy...but it's a dark brownish ash tone. It's clearly NOT Chiffon Beige -_-" By the way, these were taken after my hair grew out for about a month because I didn't bother to take pictures after I dyed it in July.
THIS. Come on, that shade is sooooo Natural Ash!
Lol these pictures are so terrible. Who knew taking a picture without looking in that direction was SO HARD? =( Anyway, you can see SO MUCH black roots underneath the top layer. Even though my roots grew out, you shouldn't be seeing black all the way down to my ears, so clearly it didn't dye so well the first time around...
Chiffon Beige - used in mid October 2011
Okay so fast forward to the time I dyed it this month. I really wanted that light ashy tone of Chiffon Beige so I bought another box. Changed my technique after doing some more research online:
1) starting from regular hair line, applied foam to roots ONLY
2) top layer, section hair and do roots only, from every layer to the bottom (er, that would be the back of my neck since I have short hair)
3) let hair process for roughly 5-10 minutes, then apply to middle (not the tips!) for each layer
4) after another 5-10 minutes, put rest of dye on hair tips and smother any leftover foam onto whole head
5) LIGHTLY massage foam into hair
6) used shower cap on hair, left it on for a bit over an hour

WHAT WAS DIFFERENT?
1) letting the dye process roots first, tips last. THIS IS SOOO important, especially if you have previously dyed hair! It helps to reduce the damage to the already dyed hair, especially your tips. Don't want to fry them now, do we?
2) I really took the time to gently massage the dye into my hair. I mean REALLY massage it. I dug my fingers into each layer underneath the top one and *massaged* lol.
3) left it on for over an hour (err...I forgot how long exactly but it was definitely less than 1.5 hours)

RESULTS?
Fabulous. Never saw true Chiffon Beige on my hair until now! Also, the "two toned" thing that always happens with this dye was barely noticeable.
Now that is Chiffon Beige. See the yellowish ash tone? Woohoo, success!
 
L'Oreal red + Prettia Chiffon Beige (last year) vs Prettia Natural Ash/Chiffon Beige + Chiffon Beige again (most recent)
This looks a bit weird, but the hair underneath is all completely dyed this time.
Sooo....what to conclude?
1) Leaving it on for the 30-40 minutes or whatever it said on the box? It really depends on your hair. Mine clearly is hard to dye, so leaving it on for longer is necessary for the dye to even show. I know it's risky, but you'll just have to experiment!
2) True-to-the-box colour really doesn't happen the first time from using the dye. You may get fairly close to it, but if you want that lightest shade (usually the one on the bottom of the three pictures they show on the side), which is also most likely the colour they show on the models on the cover...well, second time dying it is more likely to get you there.
3) Not so sure if there's a difference between the tin foil or the shower cap. I think both work equally well because I've used tin foil on others and it turned out good. I think time the dye stays on is more important than this.

Honestly, if you really don't mind waiting a bit like me and you really really want a certain colour, dye it twice with the same colour. Not only does the colour come out more like "what it's suppose to", it also helps to know how well your hair takes the foam dye. I didn't know my hair doesn't take the foam dye for less than an hour until I tried 40 minutes in July o.O!
Also, I dye my hair no less than 10 weeks apart to prevent damaging my hair too much, so I patiently waited 2.5 months before I got a true Chiffon Beige colour. But if you do some serious conditioning and stuff, then you can probably dye it two times in less than 10 weeks. Again, depends on your hair and its current condition.

Oh, and for people who are wondering if your hair changes if you use the same colour twice, YES IT DOES. It will get lighter! It happened for Chiffon Beige, and it also happened for Natural Ash. If you want to sort of maintain the darker tone you get from dying it the first time, you might want to alternate with a darker brown.

Whoa, what a long and tiring post x_x. Ok if you have anymore questions, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading ;)

October 18, 2011

Busy Busy Busy...

Sorry for being MIA for so long...but life seems to be rather busy even after I graduated from university ><" (though this is probably a good thing I guess xD).

Anyways, like San said in her last post I started a new part-time job (and it's actually only one job, not two) but I did go in for an interview the other day for "another" job, which is why she probably got mixed up about it. With this new job I work three days a week and one of these days is Saturday, so it's making me starting to dislike my weekends -__-". And other than that, I'm also taking an online course which is why I'm busy busy busy and have not been updating this blog of ours. Oh and yes I'm lazy too :P

So for this post, I wanted to post up a few beautiful pictures (that I took..hehehe) of my dad's garden back when it was still warm and sunny. By the way, I'm seriously hating how fast the cold weather is coming and that it is already getting dark outside when it's only 5pm. Thus, posting these photos will only make me miss the summer weather even more, but since I really like these pictures I wanted to post them up LOL :)



This is my favourite one! :D
Rock statue! Hahaha xD
Hmm...so that's it for now. But heads up for a long overdue haul post that I shall make myself finish as soon as possible!

---pearlie.

October 8, 2011

Alive and Well?

No, I'm not dead and neither is Pearlie. What is dead however, is my laptop! Argh. Seriously, the WORST time for it to die...I need it to do my assignments! SO STRESSED OUT. And I'm so behind in blogging, I knowwwwww! Pearlie is doing great though, she's got 2 jobs and a new offer on the way~! WOOHOO PEARLIE. Well, those are the details I know so far, I'm sure she'll clarify eventually.

Which reminds me, I really should find myself a part time job too -_-". But I'm worried if I do, it'll be a distraction for me and I REALLY don't need that this year, since I have to do a thesis/research thing...T-T. WHAT TO DOOOOOOOOOO?

Anyway, will come back when my laptop is fixed, meanwhile I'll let Pearlie take over (oh no, our blog is going to be dead...LOL!! Just kidding Pearlie, I have faith in you!)

See you all again soon.
---San
(ugh, yes Pearlie I LOST our signature jpg...you'll have to send it to me again -_-)

September 15, 2011

Shoes and books and books and shoes.

It's funny how I complained about how grossly hot this September is, and yet today (and yesterday) I nearly froze to death in a light sweater and jacket. The weather guy this morning said it should be around 22 degrees at this time of year...well it was 15. And felt like...12?! -_-" Weird...

OH MY, the funniest thing happened today. This lady rang the door bell with a pile of flyers (for elections) and I'm guessing she had this huge speech prepared because when she looked up and saw me she froze for a sec and said, "oh, you aren't old enough to vote yet...right?" And I said "that's right, m'am." Of course, I'm just LOLing inside wondering how I could possibly look like I'm younger than 18. It was truly amusing and not as flattering as you'd think because she then continued to talk to me in a very "aww what a cute little kid" tone. At least it saved me from hearing her explain why I should vote for whoever. She just asked "you know who your mom and dad are voting for, dear?" Which I replied with "this guy on your flyer!!! *gives her a big smile*" and then she went away happy. We all had a good laugh at the dinner table tonight about me being 17 again. Next time I want to look like a kid again, I'll be sure to pull back my bangs, wear cateye glasses and silly cartoon pyjamas.
This is me at the door. Do you see high school kid? I just see lazy and oily adult. LOL
Anyway, this blog post does have a point...let me get to it XD. I present you with September's book for the library challenge!
Uncanny X-Men: Sisterhood
I can't help but feel like I cheated, because it's another comic book. And only one this time, thinner than the first two! Lol...oh well. It was a good read XD. I ordered a cool book for Pearlie off Amazon...if it turns out as awesome as she claims, then I might get another one for myself because the artwork looks really good. Bleh,  I really don't know what book to buy for next month T-T! I just know it cannot be a comic book, no matter how tempting it is...

Another thing I bought which I shouldn't have are these shoes.
WHY? Why did you have to have a sale, Aldo? And with free shipping? And have my size for these two very much reduced clearance shoes? *Sigh* it's impossible to escape Aldo...T-T

Can you spot the cat hair? LOL
I'm already thinking I'll use fabric paint to darken the second pair from white to dark brown or even grey sometime in the future. I already foresee the white getting dirty lol.

WHICH PAIR DO YOU LIKE MORE?! Tell me, I'd really like to know. ;)

Okay, we have come to the end of my very interesting post. School starts horribly early tomorrow =(. Hopefully I can get some shopping done afterwards, because I have some...COUPONS!!!! Lol my friend from school said I'm such a thrifter hahahahaha. SO TRUE, SO TRUE.

Good night, all.

September 12, 2011

Hot September.

I am sweating while typing this -_-". WHY is it so freaking hot? Geez. Well, tomorrow is my second day of class (lol, feeling like a part time student right now hahaha), and I'm not looking forward to the rain + heat! School's been okay so far (hard to tell with just 1 day of class so far LOL). I survived the 6 hours of non-stop classes last Friday. THANK GOD there were friends who were there to keep me company! Not so lucky for tomorrow's class though, it's outside of my major =(.

Oh yes, before I forget...happy mooncake day (aka autumn festival)! I feel so stuffed from the mooncakes and fruits...good thing I can sleep in since class doesn't start until 4:30 tomorrow XD.

MMMmmm another thing, I'd like to apologize to those who gave us blog awards ><"! We're sloowly making our way through the questions. Plus, joint posts usually take us forever to finish lol. BUT, thanks for giving us those awards, we're not snobby girls who are ignoring you...just lazy bums who fuss too much over what to write for stuff like that XD.

Alright, that's all for the boring update. Will try to blog again in a few days.

Me clutching on to Pearlie during her birthday celebration. WHEN is that girl going to show off all the awesome gifts she got?! Sheesh!!!
So long.

September 7, 2011

My Take on The Fall Trend of "Polka Dots"!

Yup, polka dots are back for this fall and winter...even though they were never out of style to begin with! From the 2011 F/W runways, polka dots were seen on a variety of different items ranging from dresses to blouses and even on shoes and accessories. The best thing about this trend is that it is extremely versatile because polka dots comes in many different sizes, colours and styles such that it is nearly impossible for one to ever run out of ideas about how to mix and match them.

Here's how a few users on Lookbook included polka dots in their outfits:
I want a bow like hers :D (Click here for the original source)
Big and small polka dots together! (Click here for the original source)
I really like her outfit! (Click here for original source)
I want a leather jacket too T-T (Click here for original source)

With this trend in my mind, I went to take a look in my closet and I am quite surprised that I don't really have anything in polka dots (or not that I can remember for now at least :P)...so this is what I decided to do instead :)

POLKA DOTS NAILS!!! This is my left hand with two coats of red and white polka dots (made with the rounded end of these pins I have.)
And here's my right hand! LOL...the red is Essie's Like Me and the white is from Sally Hansen (I can't find the name, sorry ><")

And what's my inspiration for this nail design you may ask?
It must be Minnie Mouse of course! (Credit: http://dreager1.files.wordpress.com)
So how do you like the trend of polka dots and what are some other upcoming trends that you like for this fall and winter?

---pearlie.

September 4, 2011

Random Buys and Freebies (super pic heavy)

Wow okay, new blogger layout is quite overwhelming o.O! Still trying to get used to it. Sure takes a longer time to make a post now though since I have to find where the buttons are lol. Anyway, have gathered photos of all the stuff I've bought and small gifts I've received. I'd call them freebies but gifts sounds better ;).

Stuff I've bought...
"Free" glasses again! I swear shipping price increased -_-". Oh well, I love them, they look so cool =D!
 

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