Coloured Hair? DIY Hair Chalking! Video Tutorial & Pictures

WARNING! This post is going to be quick pic heavy, but it kind of has to be to show the amazingness of DIY Hair Chalking!

I first saw this on Lauren Conrads website The Beauty Department  and i've wanted to try it out for ages, I eventually moseyed on down to my local arty crafty store (Riot Art & Craft) and found the Soft Pastels recommended for this look.

Let's take a trip down memory lane for a moment. When I was teenager; I loved having colourful hair I had pink, blue, green, purple, red... honestly, every colour under the sun. I trawled through my old photos, REAL PHOTOS...remember those? to bring you some of these doozies (bad eyebrows included!). Check out the last picture and my white nail polish, such a trend setter! 

So now you've seen my embarrassing photos, lets talk about how you do this! 

What you need:

• Soft Pastels (Not oil pastels...they won't work)
• Towel / Old Shirt
• Water if your hair is dark
• Gloves - Particularly if your using water. This does wash off your hands easily though!
• Hair Straightener / Curling Iron - something with heat
• Clarifying Shampoo (I've been using the Herbal Essences Drama Clean)

These are the Soft Pastels I used, I got a set of 48 for around $36 just check your local art/craft stores. They come in all varieties of sizes & colours.

How to do it:

• If your blonde just go straight ahead and rub the chalk/pastels on your hair where you want the colour to go.
• If you have darker hair, you need to wet the hair you'll be working with first and then rub the colour on.
• If you've wet your hair and put the colour on, let it dry off. The colour will intensify as it dries, then your going to want to add some heat either with a hair straightener or curling iron. (TIP: If your hair is naturally curly, straighten it beforehand it will make putting the chalk on much easier)

That's pretty much it really, I also did a video tutorial on YouTube if you'd like to watch below:

So now I have some final pictures, on my own hair and also on my friend Angela (click her name to check out her blog). She has dark hair so was kind enough to be my guinea pig in making her hair a rainbow mess... a cool rainbow mess :)

Hope you enjoyed this post! If you give it a go i'd love to see your results :)

Instaweek #2

Here are some snippets of my week as per instagram! Follow me at http://www.instagram.com/vulcanella

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• Afternoon snack! Rye Cruskits with cottage cheese, cinnamon and a little bit of honey..mmm mmm
• I'm part of a beauty blogger xmas card exchange and received this great card from Confessions of a Beauty Addict. I love it because the proceeds from the card go to the RSPCA.
• Penny Lane sure loves a tummy rub
• Penny & Minnie hanging out on the couch
• Ah-May-Zing breakfast from Circa Espresso as always - This was fruit & nut bread with ricotta, strawberries, honey & pistachios
• Equally amazing coffee from Circa
• My parents went away this weekend so I went over to the feed the pooches, this is Stella (or as I call her... Stella McBella with Cheese) isn't she adorable!
• Saw this skull at typo and my first thought was what an amazing makeup brush holder this would be (always a beauty blogger lol)
• Sunday dinner at a friends place! This lamb was amazing!

Hope you all had a good week! I'm off to Adelaide next weekend so this post will be up a little late but might also be a bit bigger... I'm sure i'll be instagramming like a crazy mutha fucker while i'm in Adelaide.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Darling & Sweetheart

FINALLY! They have arrived! You can find them at Priceline for RRP $17.95AUD a pop and i'm sure they'll start popping up around all the other usual Revlon outlets shortly.

I'm talking about the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I stood, swatched, looked at swatches on blogs until I finally decided on 2 colours; Darling & Sweetheart.

This product is not to be confused with the Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain & Balm...that product is a texta like lipstain with a balm on the other end, I reviewed one on my old blog if you'd like to have a squizz here. Way to confuse everyone Revlon.

This is what Revlon has to say about the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - It’s a pampering balm fused with a lightweight lipstain in an adorable chubby crayon. Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain gives softer, smoother lips with a perfect flush of color that lasts hour after hour.

In short, it's Revlons take on Clinique's popular Chubby Sticks... I don't own any but the packaging etc is very very similar and i've heard reports the formula is even the same.

So how do these wear? I've only tried them out each for a short time as I only got them yesterday but Sweetheart certainly worked as a stain, there were even remnants of it on my lips this morning after I put it on for my swatches yesterday afternoon. Darling is a little sheerer and won't stain as much but it's quite long lasting.

They smell of peppermint when you first apply them and they feel nice and moisturizing. So far I think they are pretty rad!

Update! I wrote this post the day after I purchased these, now i've worn these babies for almost a whole week I can give a better update...sometimes it's good to draft and update :) Darling wears nicely and through 1 cup of coffee but will be gone by lunch time. Sweetheart is an absolute trooper! Still going strong after lunch with a slight pink stain to the lip. If your lips are dry, keep a good lip balm on hand to keep it from looking cracking and crappy.

Darling is a lilac pink and unlike anything I currently own, I can imagine it looking amazing with a smokey eye!

Sweetheart was a no brainer for me, a bright pink it's actually quite different to the other pinks I own. I thought it would be a dupe for Sweet Tart from the Lip Butter range but this is a little darker and brighter. I love this colour! You'll see below how it just brightens my face up. Loves it!

Have you tried these out yet? What's your favourite colour?

I can see myself picking up more of these in the future!

P.S. Because I love you guys, if you head into Priceline they currently have BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) on all lip and nail prodz, so grab 2 of these for $17.95...BARGAINOUS! (Valid to 3rd December 2012...soz if you're reading this a little late) 

Product Disclosure: Bought with my own moola, plus I had a Priceline voucher because i'm a bit of a Priceline Ho!

Top 10 Lipsticks - Video & Swatches!

Want to see my favourite lipsticks, well 10 of my favourites.

Watch the video below!

Here's the lineup -

Swatcheroo's -

Let me know if you'd like to see anymore top 10 favourite type videos/posts! 

Manicure Monday - Innisfree Glitter!

Just a quick Manicure Monday post, this polish was gifted to me by my lovely friend Michelle. She recently went on a trip to Hong Kong and very kindly bought back a few pressies, including this amazing glitter....she knows me all too well!

Innisfree isn't a polish brand i've ever heard of and they don't really name their polishes, this is just numbered 106. However it has the most amazing multi coloured glitter embedded in it with the main focus colour being orange. The application is amazing, you get a really good coverage of glitter over the nail. You could use this on it's own but I layered it over my favourite black Illamasqua Scorn. 

Instaweek #1

This is a new thing i'm going to try and start doing on my blog hopefully of a Sunday each week.

If you already follow me on instagram you would have seen these pictures, but for those who don't it's a fun way to get a glimpse into what happens in the life of the girl behind the blog. I'll also give little explanations of each picture as well.

If you want to follow me on instagram, my username is vulcanella

• The week started off with a Starbucks fix, my usual order Iced Caramel Machiatto (no cream) woot woot.

• Hanging out with my Boston Terrier, Penny Lane. She loves sitting watching tv with me...she sleeps I watch.

• It was 7/11 last week which meant FREE SLURPEE'S!! It was tiny and gone in minutes but boy it was what I needed after a long long day cleaning out my grandma's unit while she moved to a new one.

• Snuggling up with Minnie, she's my bayyyyy-beee.

• I attended an event this week checking out all the new Christmas goodies at The Body Shop, they had this amazing candy buffet.. so good! The new Christmas range smells as good as this candy buffet looks. Reviews to come!

• My lovely friend Angela posted a picture of her youth in cd's on instagram and I thought it was a rad idea so I copied. Funnily enough these are still some of my favourite albums of all time. 

• OOTD Yo! Just a casual shopping day rocking some Sid & Nancy :)

• I played with the new Lush Fun soap/shampoo/playdoh/multitasker and it was FUN! I made a little cupcake for the facebook comp...cross fingers $100 worth of Lush goodies would be pretty awesome. I picked up one of these as well in Pink, it smells amazing and is so fun! (hence the name)

• I have pastel hair! temporarily though.... Can't wait to do a tutorial on this for you guys, just wanted to test it out first to make sure it worked and get the hang of it before I film a tutorial. Probably will do that next weekend. Stay Tuned!

Have a great week everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's talk about Dry Shampoo

Whoever invented dry shampoo in my opinion is an absolute bloody legend!

If you've never heard of dry shampoo (blasphemy!) It's one of my "cant live without it" products, it's a product you spray into your hair to dry up any excess oil to make it look fresh and washed again. Being a "sometimes gym junkie" it's an absolute essential for me.

I have tried many and thought i'd give you my thoughts on each one i've tried, the good the bad and the ugly!

Tresemme' Fresh Start Dry Shampoo (RRP $11.49AUD) - I don't particularly like having to start my post off with a negative but i'm going in order of the picture. This dry shampoo did absolutely nothing for my hair, it made it feel sticky and worse then it being dirty. I've tried it as much as I could (different distances for the spray etc) and it's never improved. Now i've done the photo this can go where it belongs...in my bin. HOWEVER! I have heard some people say they like this, it could just be my hair it doesn't work for.

Garnier Pure Volume Dry Shampoo (RRP $8.95AUD) - I had high hopes for this product, I generally really like Garnier products (skincare especially). I haven't used their hair range in awhile but I've always loved the smell of their hair products for some reason. I was super excited to try this out and sadly it fell short. Similar experience to the Tresemme dry shampoo, it didn't feel like my hair was clean. So another one for my bin.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush (RRP $9.95AUD) - One of the first brands to do dry shampoo and in my opinion one of the best. I love this because my hair looks like it's been freshly washed once I use it and it soaks up any oil I may have and it keeps my hair soft. This is one of the brands I keep coming back to time and time again. They stock a fair few different scents and I have tried them all, the scent doesn't linger so don't worry if you don't like it. They also have versions for darker hair!

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo in Party Nights & Hazy Days (RRP $2.00AUD) - I am not kidding about that price either. This brand with a crappy name is found in Target and can I just say this stuff is amazing! It's very similar to Batiste & actually gives my hair more volume then Batiste. Plus for $2 a bottle you really can't go wrong! It comes in a few different scents, and they aren't particularly incredible smelling but for the price point you kinda forget that. This is my number 1 dry shampoo now mainly due to the price point and the fact I go through a lot of this stuff. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!

Klorane Extra Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (RRP $12.95AUD) - My one in the picture is a sample size from one of the sample boxes I received but I have also purchased this in full size. It's nice like the Batiste but due to the cost of it i'd purchase the Batiste or Girlz Only over it in a heartbeat. Nothing different really and would rather save my $$'s :).

I hope this may have helped you, I know there are plenty more brands out there now doing dry shampoo and i'd love it if you could tell me your thoughts on them.

Product Disclosure - All these products were purchased with my own money, yep i'm a certified dry shampoo addict.

Links & Loves #3

Here I am with another edition of my links & loves, as usual this is a post to showcase some blog posts that i've enjoyed reading recently and post some inspirational, pretty, cool whatever pictures that i've found along the way on the interwebz.

It's an easy read for you all and fun for me to do! :)

If you have any blogs you think I should read, please let me know! 

BLOG LOVE

• Chelle from Cosmetic Cupcake uses one of my all time favourite polish shades to create a mermaid inspired gradient manicure
•  Angela from Beauty Blogged shares some products that she won't be using again, I love these sorts of posts!
• Tina from Chasing Elixir writes a heartfelt blog post to her blogging besties, I related so well to the words she wrote in how I have found amazing friends from blogging. They know who they are and how much I heart them :)
• Tara from Keeping Up With Me recently got hitched! I was lucky enough to attend the ceremony via the wonder that is the internet :) Congratulations Tara!!! xxxx
• Dee from Year of the Tight Arse/Miss Prissypants posted a guide to some Etsy sellers, I love Etsy but sometimes find it hard to know what to look for so these guides really help/enable me.
• Claire from Clare De Blog shows a kick ass zombie halloween look. I met Claire at IMATS this year, and she's so lovely so go to her blog kthxbai :)
• More Nail Polish swatches the new Ulta3 glitter polishes, I have my eye on that rainbow glitter for sure!

IMAGE LOVE

Source: welcome-to-the-fishbowl.blogspot.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: pinterestingdubstep.blogspot.com via Doreen on Pinterest

Source: silvertallest.deviantart.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: thefancy.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Source: cache0.bigcartel.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: fashforfashion.com via Susan on Pinterest

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: behance.net via Marina on Pinterest

Source: mayraamatal.tumblr.com via Danielle on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Ginny on Pinterest

Source: peoplestylewatch.com via Zara on Pinterest

Source: fuckyeahpurplehair.tumblr.com via Ginny on Pinterest

I love Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters!

This post is a long time coming, i've had these for months! In fact I bought them on Ebay even before they were released in Australia. They've been out for a few months now and I thought i'd still post this because they really are amazing and one of my favourite releases this year.

Revlon Lip Butters are in the same vain as the sheer/moisturising/glossy lip colours that the higher end brands were all bringing out.. think Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks with a fraction of the cost (well if you buy outside of Australia ;) ).

Let's talk packaging and how much I love it. I was already a fan of the packaging of the regular Colorburst Lipsticks but these are quite cute with a sheer matte case in the corresponding colour to the lipstick. This makes it easy to find the colour your after in the morning unlike other nondescript lipstick packaging (Looking at you MAC).

The formula is lovely, it's smooth and gives a little shine to the lip. One thing I will mention though is that these are VERY soft so be careful. Maybe chuck them in the fridge on hot days if they seem to be melting at all.

As mentioned before I bought mine as a set on Ebay entitled brights included Cherry Tart, Candy Apple, Tutti Frutti, Sweet Tart & Lollipop (I love the names of these shades too!) these were all the colours I wanted to try anyway so it worked out well and I think I paid around $50 including shipping. FYI These retail for $21.95AUD in Australia. 

Out of all the colours I have, Sweet Tart is my most used and most loved! 

Revlon are absolutely kicking it out of the park with their recent lip released, and I heard on the grapevine (twitter...) that the new Just Bitten Lip Stain Balms are rolling out in Priceline stores. I can't wait to get my mitts on those and I'll be sure to let you know what I think.

You can find the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in the usual department stores and pharmacies that stock Revlon products and of course Priceline.

These items were purchased by me.

Daiso Everbilena Pure Color Cheek in Light Pink

Recently one of my local shopping centres has been having a bit of a redevelopment and the new section opened a few weeks ago, one of the new additions was Daiso! If you haven't heard of Daiso basically it's a Japanese style $2 shop, everything in the store is $2.80. I was most excited and though the crowds were cray cray I picked up one little beauty item that I wanted to share with you.

Everbilena Pure Color Cheek in Light Pink (RRP $2.80AUD) is a blush, well i'm pretty sure it's a blush the images on the back of the packaging lead me to believe it is anyway. I got this because of the unusual packaging of the product, you basically apply it straight from the packaging with no need for fingers or brushes (although I do suggest using your fingers or even a brush to blend it out).

This sucker is pigmented, like WOAH! Hence the need for blending. The colour is pretty and it wears well throughout the day.

The packaging is all in Japanese except for a few one English translation "Attention of the use: If something happen the trouble on your skin using them, please stop use them". It also has some handy images of how to use the blush...

I really like this blush and am looking to try out some more products from Daiso since it's now so local to me, if you have any recommendations i'd love to hear them!