Tips on How to Dip-Dye Your Hair

Hi Friends!

For this post I am going to outline instructions and tips, on how to dip-dye your hair at home. I am not usually one for using drugstore dyes. However, only dying the bottom of my hair seemed safe because if disaster strikes, I am do for a hair cut anyways. I used Splat Hair Colour in Lustey Lavender. And Overall, I am pleased with the result. Its such a playful look!

Dip-Dye Instructions

Note: I brought my hair forward to either side of my head. So that My hair was separated into 2 sections, and repeated the following process for each side. 

Note: If you already have lightly coloured hair you can skip the bleaching process.

1) Place hair on a piece of foil.

2) Using a brush or strait from the bottle, Apply bleach to the bottom 3-5 inches of hair. Make sure your wearing gloves to protect your hands.

  3) Fold up foil and let it process until it reaches a pale blonde. 

  

  Note: Double check your hair every few minutes. It’s important to not over-bleach your hair, or it will be left damaged or in severe cases, break off.

4) Shampoo and lightly condition bleach out of the hair.

5) Blow hair completely dry. If it’s still wet, it will soak up less colour.

Note: Now here is where things get messy. I found Splat Colour really drippy. So make sure your applying it over an area on the floor, that is coverd up with something you dont mind getting colour on...I managed to get it all over the floor of the hotel room I was in :s

6) Place hair on a piece of foil.

7) Using a brush or strait from the bottle, apply colour over bleached area.

Note: I would wear gloves again for this, because the colour takes a long time to come out of the skin. I would also suggest concentrating the colour towards the ends for a more gradient effect.

8) Fold up foil and process for 50 minutes.

9) Wash your hair again or rinse with cool water. 

Note: At this point I noticed the shower looked as if I had just murdered a Power Puff Girl (purple everywhere!). The dye came off easy enough with just water though, so don't panic. Unfortunately this is where things got really tricky for me, because my hair continued to drip dye every time it got wet for about two weeks! And blow drying it (especially the first time) splattered dye all over the walls. Now most of the time the dye washes out with just water. However, it is certainly a huge pain in the butt to have to clean up after yourself all the time. So be warned! The Colour went from violet to light pink in couple weeks. This is what the colour looked like originally (sorry for the blurry photo).

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

Outfit of the Day!

I went shopping at Zara recently and I was so excited to see the return of the Skort! This short/skirt fusion has been one of my favourite clothing items in the past, because you can rock a mini skirt without the chance of flashing everyone your Brittany. I also feel that this combo allows for an easy transition from day to night. So I got this gorgeous cream coloured pair, and it has quickly become one of my best-loved pieces in my wardrobe.

Shirt - Zara (June 2013)

Skort - Zara (June 2013)

Earings - Ear Curls (July 2013)

Necklace - I made this myself

Shoes - Vintage

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

Rainbow Makeup For Pride!

Rainbow Makeup for Pride

My Boyfriend and I are heading to Pride in Vancouver with a couple friends! So I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to don a colourful smokey eye. I decided to do make it a little more subtle then most, so the look would be accessible, and I wouldn't end up looking like a clown ;)  

The Gay Pride parade in Vancouver is on August 4th. So come down and show your support!

For This look

Face:

Smashbox Illuminating Serum

Laura Mercier oil-free foundation primer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation - 01

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer

Quo Bushing Pearl Cheek Palette -(Contour & Blush)

Mac Cream Colour Base - Pearl (Highlight)

Eyes:

Anastasia Brow Wiz - Medium Ash

Smashbox eye primer

Physicians Formula eye kohl - Blue & Purple

Urban decay eyeshadow - Ransom, Fishnet, Peace, Graffiti, Honey and Bootycall

Cinique cream eyeliner - True Black

Tweezerman Eyelash curler

Estee lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting mascara - Black

(I would normally use add false lashes to a look like this but I did not have any with me)

Lips:

Victoria Secret Lip liner - Blushing Nude

Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick - Magnolia

Brushes:

Sigma Flat Kabuki - F80

Sigma Large Angled Contour - F40

Sigma Eye Shading - E55

Smashbox Smudger brush

Urban Decay Good Karma Shadow/Crease Brush

Eye Tutorial

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

Outfit of the Day!

Its finally looking like spring in Calgary! And as soon as the weather gets warm enough, I love to don a spring dress. This gorgeous white dress is so light and flirty. And I love that it has pockets! I feel as if it adds a casual element, that makes this dress wearable on a everyday basis.  

Turquoise seems to be the colour of spring fashion this year. And I find the quickest way to update an outfit is with accessories. So I picked up this turquoise necklace from forever 21 to add a pop of spring colour.

For this look

Bag - Chicnova (March 2013)

Necklace - Forever 21 (May 2013)

Dress - Urban Outfitters (February 2013)

Shoes - Vintage

Bracelets - Bought while traveling in Costa Rica

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

Outfit of The Day!

The item I wanted to feature in this look is the Bag. I recently ordered it from http://www.chicnova.com. And I just love it. It looks so much like a Mulbery bag that I have always coveted. But a fraction of the price. It has a vintage feel to it, and it will go with almost anything. I paired it with a flowy top and skinny jeans. A perfect go-to outfit.

I would definitely recommend Chicnova. It seems to be a site of dupes and original pieces, for the fashion savvy girl on a budget. And they didn't even have to pay me to say that! Haha. The only downside is, the items I ordered took about 3-4 weeks to arrive. However, this was with the free-shipping option. And since I live in Canada, and Chicnova is based all the way in Hong Kong, I thought the wait was more than fair.


Outfit of the day

For this look

Jeans - Bufallo (September 2012)

Boots - Spring (october 2012)

Tanktop - Espy (September 2012)

Blouse - Purr (Febuary 2013)

Satchel - (March 2013)

Neclace and Braclet - gift

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

How to Use Hot Rollers

Hot Rollers give you soft bouncy curls, and add a ton of volume. They also don't tend to get as hot as a curling iron, so there is less heat damage. I like to use them when I'm a little short on time because they do most of the work for me. I can leave them in while doing my makeup or whatever I need.

 

For this look

Large Hair Clip

Goody Smooth Blend ceramic Hair Brush

Goody Fine Tooth Brush

Moroccan Oil

Herbel Essences Hair spray - Set Me Up

Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Ionic Instant Heat Hair Setter With Heated Clips

Tutorial

1) Prep hair with a heat protectant, and get rid of any tangles. It's best if you start with dry or slightly damp hair.

2) Separate your hair just above the ears, and clip it back out of the way.

3) Start by rolling the bottom section of the hair under. For a better curl, use pieces that are no bigger then the width of the roller. I used the the mid-sized rollers for this section.

4) Secure the roller with a pin or clip. And make sure the ends are tucked in. 

5) After you have applied rollers to the bottom section completely, separate another section just above the temples and clip it back.

6) Apply rollers to the mid section in the same manner as the first. At this point, I started using the large-sized rollers.

7) Unclip the top section and apply the rollers so they are facing  away from you. If  you have bangs, I would suggest leaving them out, because they will get a little to curly for most styles.

8) Leave the rollers in for at least 20 min, or until the rollers cool. The longer you leave the rollers in, the tighter the curl. When your ready to take them out, un-clip the rollers and let them gently drop into your hand. You want to avoid pulling on the curl.

9) Run your fingers through your hair to loosen the curls and set them with hairspray.

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

Outfit of the Day: Leather & Converse

This is an outfit I wore while walking to grab a cup of hot chocolate :) I love the look of Converse with leather. It gives a typical casual outfit a bit of a rocker twist.

Outfit of the Day

For This Look

Scarf - Jamesons Brewery (May 2009)

Leather Jacket - Fairweather (February 2013)

Hoodie - Sinful (February 2009)
Shirt - The Bay (December 2010)

Gloves - Gift

Jeans - Buffalo (December 2010)

Sneakers - Converse (January 2013)

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

How To Keep Coloured Red Hair Looking Like New!

I love my red hair, but keeping the colour looking fresh is pretty hard. Especially due to the comparatively large molecules in red hair dye, which prevent the dye from taking hold. So here are my "tried and true" tips for keeping colour Vibrant.

1) Get your hair coloured professionally. 

Besides a general lack of quality, most drugstore dyes contain Aluminium. Aluminium actually prevents your hair colour from lasting. A hairdresser can also help you get the exact colour you want. Because believe me, I have been through my share of drugstore brands that just turn out a weird shade of orange or pink.

2) After colouring, do not wash your hair for three days, and at least every other day after that.

Nothing seems to fade your hair colour faster then washing it. especially right after you colour. If you do not give the colour time to set, you can risk undoing your dye job. So do not wash it for at least 3 days. 
After that first wash, make sure you do not wash your hair every day. this will preserve the dye, and prevent your hair from drying out.

  

3) Use colour safe shampoo and conditioner.

Look for sulfate free cleansing products. Sulfates are a harsh detergent that strip your hair of dye. I would suggest looking for a shampoo and conditioner that is specially formulated to colour treated hair. The ingredients in these will help prolong your colour. And generally make it more vibrant.

4) Rinse your hair with cold water after conditioning.

After rinsing the conditioner out of your hair, finish of with a cold rinse. This will close the hair cuticles and seal in the proteins from your cleansing products. I also find this makes my hair a little shinier.

5) Protect your hair against the effects of heat styling and the sun.
Heat styling will damage your hair. To help prevent this, use a heat protecting product before hand. The more damaged your hair is, the harder it is to hold on to colour. 
Exposure to the sun generally lightens even non-colour treated hair. And like skin, can cause severe damage. So I use a UV protectent spray when I know I am going to be out in the sun for awhile.

About my Hair colour

I get a full colour every 3-4 months by the lovely and talented Mackenzie, at the Curious Salon in North Hill Mall (Calgary, Alberta). The colour is 1/2 45RO, 1/2 5WC, 15 volumes and 5 orange shots. However, It has been a month since I last dyed my hair. So the initial colour you get, should be slightly richer then the colour shown in the photos above.
The products I use on a regular basis to protect my colour are: John Frieda Radiant Red Colour Protecting Shampoo and Conditioner, Moroccan Oil (For thermal protection), and Joico K-Pak Sun Therapy Protective Sun Milk (For UV protection).

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com

How to get Bella's look from Breaking Dawn Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 came out on video a few days ago. And love or hate the Twilight series,  Kristen Stewart's makeup in the film was lovely. A smokey eye that is just subtle enough to be an everyday look. Makeup artist Stacy Panepinto 

used Chanel's eyeshadow quad in Variations, to bring out the red in Kristen's eyes(I picked up this beautiful quad myself). Along with her makeup, Kristen's clothing changes quit a bit in the last film. Her outfits are more form-fitting. And the colours in her wardrobe have gone from beige tones and pastels to royal blue, greys and black. Her hair was a touch more glamorous, with rich colour and voluminous curls.


Source

<http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/general/photos/0,,20237332_20646023_21237345,00.html#21237324>

Bella's Vampire Hair and Makeup

For this look

Hair:

Moroccan oil
Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Ionic Instant Heat Hair Setter With Heated Clips

Herbel Essences Hair spray - Set Me Up

(Make sure you tousle your hair a bit once your finished, to give you that I-just-awkwardly-ate-a-mountain-lion-look)

Note:

For how to us hot rollers, Check out this post:
lhttp://imonesmittenkitten.blogspot.ca/2013/03/how-to-use-hot-rollers.html

Face:

Smashbox Illuminating Serum

Laura Mercier oil-free foundation primer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation - 02

Smashbox Bronze Lights Duo - Fair/Light -(Contour)

Mac Cream Colour Base - Pearl (Highlight)

(Skip Blush...Vampires don't blush)

Lips:

Smith's Rosebud Salve

Eyes:

Anastasia Brow Wiz - Medium Ash

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

Chanel Eye Shadow quad - Variations

Tweezerman Eyelash curler

Estee lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting mascara - Black

Debu Eyelash Adhesive

Quo False Lashes - 806

Eye Tutorial

Brushes:

Sigma Flat Kabuki - F80

Sigma Large Angled Contour - F40

Sigma Eye Shading - E55

Smashbox Smudger brush

Urban Decay Good Karma Shadow/Crease Brush

Bella's Vampire Outfit

For this look

Dress - Forever 21 (February 2012)

Tights - Ardene (February 2013)

Boots - Spring (October 2012)

Charm bracelet - Gift

Please Leave your questions, comments or requests below.

Or send me an e-mail at beautybysmittenkitten@gmail.com