NOTD- Two-for-one

If I remember correctly this started with a base of Rimmel French Cafe, a nude jelly. Then it was Nubar Holographic on top. The tips were made using Nailene tip guides and Color Club Disco Dress which was then topped with Fing'rs V.I.Purple, a glass fleck with pink iridescence.

the polish is so glittery you need to wear shades

the glare is awful

This is all done over a base of Wet n Wild Spoiled Black Mamba, a grey glass flecked black. On the pinky it is topped with Orly Bubbly Bombshell, a fab fuchsia glitter. On the ring finger it is Pure Ice Wide Awake, a blue glitter. The rest have ncLA Sugar Fix, a gorgeous grey jelly with fuchsia and blue glitter. 

Tried hard to get a good picture of this but It's tough. This is super glittery and shiny and looks so much better IRL.

How to keep bangs/ fringe looking perfect with an oily forehead

Bangs and an oily forehead are generally not a good mix, having hair over your face can increase oiliness and result in greasy gross hair. With a bit of effort it is possible to avoid this.

don't let this picture fool you, my forehead could join OPEC

Start with your skin by applying an oil reducing primer or lotion. I'm fond of Clean and Clear Finishes Mattifying Moisturizer because it is not overly drying. After applying my makeup I finish it off with a mattifying powder like Fyrinnae Fluff, Mattify Cosmetics Mattify Ultra, Maybelline Dream Matte, etc. This will help keep the oil at bay for as long as possible.

Next, it's prepping the hair. If your hair is already greasy it's best to wash it, if not move along. My "secret weapon" of sorts is Fyrinnae Fluff, it's a silica powder for your face but I like to powder my bangs with it. It keeps them looking fresh ALL DAY with out the white cast that dry shampoo gives. Even when my forehead has become an oil slick Fluff helps protect my bangs from absorbing it.

Speaking of which, it is inevitable that your face will regain its oily shine eventually even after all this prep work. Blotting papers are one of the best solutions as they actually remove the oil from the skin. They are rather cheap and pretty easy to come by as well. After blotting away as much oil as possible I re-powder with whatever mattifying powder I have available (usually the now discontinued but amazing Hard Candy one since it lives in my purse).

While conventional wisdom says you can't have bangs with an oily face I say go for it if you really want them.

And now for something a bit different...

I haven't been blogging as much the past few months and I don't expect that I will be picking up the pace any time soon.

For the past year now I have found myself becoming increasingly more exhausted despite getting plenty of sleep, trying to eat better and focus on removing stress from my life. The past week or so my condition has worsened to the point where I become light headed after moderate work, I am losing weight, bruising easily and my upper arms feel sore and heavy. Typing has become the equivalent of a long bike ride up hill.

I am going to see a doctor... but I have to wait 6 freaking weeks for an appointment. Hopefully the doctor will get to the bottom of this quickly and I can get back to some sort of normal.

Ion Color Brilliance Powdered Lightener and 30 Volume Sensitive Scalp Developer Reviews

Previously when I bleached part of my hair I used a Manic Panic Flash Lightening Kit because it was what was available where I got my Manic Panic hair dye. I was never that fond of the MP bleach kits and I had a hard time lightening my hair with it. Since I had nothing left of it I decided to hunt for something better to do my roots with and touch up the parts of my hair that were still rather dark...

I turned to Sally Beauty this time and picked up two products from Ion, Color Brilliance Powdered Lightener and Color Brilliance 30 Vol Sensitive Scalp Developer in the giant sizes since they were on sale for like $5 a piece. I also got a giant bottle of the Ion Color Defense conditioner, which is a bit silicone-y but does seem to make my hair dye bleed a lot less.

The Ion Color Brilliance bleach and developer work so so so so much better on my hair than the Manic Panic bleach. Instead of being a slightly green light brown after a freaking hour my hair is golden after 30 minutes, roots are platinum in 15 minutes. Ion Color Brilliance makes my root touch ups much less daunting since I am able to be done in about 10 minutes.

These products are safe for on scalp use, but it's still bleach and 30 vol developer and this needs to be done carefully. I try to keep it off my scalp as best as possible because chemical burns are no joke. So far I have done 4 root treatments and I have not had any redness, flaking, weeping, burning, tingling or any other issues. My hair doesn't feel gummy or fried directly after rinsing but it is noticeably dry, this is to be expected with bleach though. After I finish with conditioning Manic Panic dye my bleached hair feels about the same as the virgin hair at the nape of my neck (this hair doesn't get dyed, teased or straightened).

Over all, I can't recommend this stuff enough. My hair typically resists lightening but the Ion products do the job and don't leave me with muddy and patchy results. I widened the red-orange section of my hair and didn't get any greenish or brassy bits down the length of my hair, it was such a pretty bright golden color I almost didn't want to dye over it.