Update: 12/19/14

Update: 12/19/14

Dear Sam, 

WTF have you been doing lately? Where are you? Why you actin' like you have things going on?

-Everyone.

Yeah, about that... I feel you.

I'm so bad at being a human lately. If I'm not at work, I've been hiding out in my house- reading books, practicing gel nails and nail art, and just generally being a hermit.

I AM WRITING THOUGH, just not on a blog format. I've been tinkering with a book here and there and really nothing will probably ever come from it- but it's nice to just get the writing bug out of my system.

AND SPEAKING OF BUGS IN MY SYSTEM, I am very sick today. I think I've got a flu or cold going on and just generally I'm pretty snotty. I feel like a mucous factory.

And really, I have been taking pictures of things I've been up to and things I want to review but I haven't really been in the mood to write beauty things lately because generally- I'm just not feeling amazing right now. 

Between the acne flare up (which, good Lord, am I ever going to be rid of acne?) that has taken over most of my jaw/chin area, and the constant watery eyes from allergies and now a cold- I'm just like, ugh, no. I can't deal with this.

...Which kind of explains why I'm so attracted to nails right now.

I do like doing them, I just never get too many opportunities. Nail art for me is kind of a way to blow off steam and create something that isn't really a big whoop if it doesn't go well. You can literally erase everything and start over if you don't like something.

So I bought myself a gel light on Black Friday.

I was going to review this, but what do I even say? It works and I like it. Full price at cosmo is like $90 I think? I got it for $40 which is perfect. So basically what I've been doing is using a gel base and top coat and then my regular polish and nail art stuff in between and so far so good, actually. Now I know using gel polishes will make it last longer and has a better chance against chipping- but this is perfectly fine for now until I get a proper set up and more nail clients. (Ain't a good plan to buy a bunch of expensive supplies only to never have clients. Business 101 right there, you're welcome.)

I've been experimenting with nail art that isn't super literal. So this is actually a Christmas inspired look using all glitters, rhinestones and cool toned colors. I really really really love the rhinestone french manicure (bottom left) and the frosted cranberry look at the top. Rhinestones by the way, are really fun to play with. Some of the layered glitter looks (like the grey in the top right) are actually 2 or 3 glitter polishes and a handful of rhinestones. 

Next step I think is to make my own glitter polishes. I think I can make some really cool combinations of things. I'll let you know if I ever get that far.

Remember Dakota and her wild blue hair? Well I PUT PURPLE ON IT and it looks amazing. It's so hard to capture the color (especially since we did it on a rainy day and the natural light was not helpful). It's actually a deep, deep amethyst color that has a high purple shine. It's very attractive in person and kind of a nice way to give her hair a little break in between lightener and blues.

Then Katey (my cousin) asked if I could do her hair and makeup like Elsa from Frozen to wear to a little girls birthday party. I was like, "Uhhhh, yeah. I can probably do that."

Well, obviously it went well and I ended up doing it again today for another event she got asked to do at one of the elementary schools. In hindsight, I wish I could have just gotten a grey wig because I really, really didn't want to dye her hair icy grey/blonde- but I know the wig would have clashed with how naturally golden tan she is. OH WELL, HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 AM I RIGHT?

However, I think it looked amazing and from the far-away shots it looked even better. 

The lashes I used, by the way, are from a company called KISS from Walgreens and they are the most amazingly soft and comfortable lashes I've ever worked with. I'll have to do a video review on them just because pictures don't do it justice.

Kateys brother, Corey, actually took and edited the pictures for me so they look absolutely stunning. So then I was like, "Hey... can you do some weird coffee art for my house?"

And because Corey is a chump and doesn't understand that working with me is a nightmare was like, "Sure."

So 6 hours later and a lot of editing- we have some amazing shots. Here's one that he printed up for me to see where it'll look best in the house. I can't wait for the others. I'll be sure to post them when I get them. They're absolutely amazing.

The books I've been reading are also really awesome. If you're a reader like me and enjoy things with fun plot lines but you don't have to think too hard- you'll like these:

The Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising.

These are very much in the vein of maybe Hunger Games or Harry Potter. This is the series for you if you like fantasy, female lead characters, or if you just really like Russian history- this is kind of up your alley.

If you like romance-ish novels that aren't cheesy and stupid, you'll probably like anything written by Rainbow Rowell:

Attatchments, Landline, Fangirl, or Eleanor and Park.

If you like realism and romance, or just hearing realism from a woman- these are awesome. They aren't hard reads, but they ring true and they're fun situations. Like, Landline is about a woman who is having problems with her husband and ends up calling him from a landline phone at her mom's house and reaching him in 1998. Kind of Quantom Leap, but the idea is cool and it kind of brings up real questions like: should she convince him to break things off with her so they both have a chance to be happy, or is their life together and their kids important enough to try being married again?

Or Attachments is about a guy who's job is email surveillance at a newspaper right before the Y2K scare and falls in love with one of 2 girls who's email conversations keep getting flagged- but he can't really approach her because he knows too many intimate secrets about her.

SUPER FUN READS.

Or, if you like saucy things, Secret Diary of a Call Girl or really any of the books by Belle du Jour are pretty great. Mind you, these are pretty graphic so if you're under 18, uhhhh, I don't know, don't let your mom catch you reading it I guess. (I'm not going to tell you what to do, I know better than to tell teens what to do.)

I actually like Belle du Jour's writings (I think her real name is Brooke Magnanti). She's very direct and doesn't beat around the bush. She even says her experience was incredibly lucky and that most girls don't have the same experiences being women of the sex industry- so you shouldn't take her view as the truth as a whole and she doesn't encourage women to be prostitutes. 

Anyway, it's just an interesting read. And she holds college degrees and doctorate in....biology, I believe, so her point of view is very smartly written.

So really, I promise I've been doing a lot of stuff lately. I've just been off and on sick and also kind of hermit-y. Forgive me, readers. 

-SamanthaK

Review Time: BaByliss PRO V2 Volare Blowdryer

Review Time: BaByliss PRO V2 Volare Blowdryer

HI EVERYONE.

Fun fact: I have either a cold or the flu. So since I'm laid up in bed, I figured I'm gonna do a blog-a-thon day and finally build up the posts I feel like I owe you guys. GOOD THING MY PHONE IS LOADED WITH PICTURES OF STUFF I'VE DONE.

So let me tell you a little story.

When I went to school, I thought my Paul Mitchell blowdryer was the end all be all. They give every student their traditional silver Express Ion Dry Turbolight.

And honestly, I just thought like, hey- I like Paul Mitchell, a lot actually, so this should be fine when I get to the salon.

Ok, here's the deal:

As great at this dryer is, it's slow. It's really slow. I didn't realize it really until I finally came to the conclusion that I needed a new one.

The Turbolight has 1875 watts, with 3 temps, 2 speed settings, and then has a cool-shot button.

Now this is kind of perfect for a student. The wattage isn't too high, theres a couple nozzles to play with so you have a little more control over the airflow and heat, and because it takes a little longer the dry the hair, a student is going to have more fluctuation time. 

Now Paul Mitchell makes some other really nice dryers- the new Hot Light for example is very nice, as well as their Neuro blowdryer. The problem though, is none of them go over the 1875 wattage- which may be an advantage for the consumer, considering they aren't a professional who blow dries 8 times a day.

The other issue I have with PM is the pricing. 

Now, every pro dryer is going to be pricey. That's just what it is. You're paying for the high wattage, the speed, the temps, the nozzles- all the bells and whistles. It's like buying a KitchenAid mixer compared to the lesser models. KitchenAids are going to last you for your entire life. Black and Deckers will probably break after a few times making mom's cheesecake recipe. ("That was very specific, Sam". Yeah, cause I've done it before.)

And here's the rub, I'm not rolling around in hundo's and making it rain every time I go to Cosmoprof- and very very rarely does Paul Mitchell ever go on a steep enough discount to make me shell out for new tools. Their blowdryers average between $85 (good luck finding those) to $120 from cosmoprof. Consumer average is A LOT higher- more like $200, even on amazon.

So eventually the time came when my school dryer wasn't cutting it anymore. It had been through too many beatings and seen too many things. (Rattling around in my kit and being dropped on more than one occasion probably messed with it a bit.)

And then when I talked to other people- Kaylene was like, "Dude. The Ferrari dryer from BaByliss is the most amazing thing on earth- and they're doing a Black Friday sale- 50% off".

So like any good hairdresser, I called the Cosmoprof girls at my local store and was like, "Ok, what's the deal on this dryer."

"It's amazing and it's on sale for around $100 on Black Friday. I can put one on hold for you, so you just have to come in and pick it up."

Did I mention my Cosmo girls spoil me like crazy? Treat your Cosmo girls right and they will reward your good behavior.

So I thought, you know what- I'll look this bad boy up online and if it's better than my PM dryer, I'll go for it. I figured, it's the same price- might as well get the better deal here.

Ok, here's the big whoop:

BaByliss teamed up with Ferrari and made a blowdryer that has an intense airflow.

This is what their description says, "The Ferrari designed, V12 engine has a 12-bar rotor system that offers smooth run and high torque for superior engine performance. The world’s first ball-bearing blow dryer engine gives a smoother, high-performance operation and a 300% longer life than typical dryer motors."

Now, BaByliss makes a V1 and a V2 and they are literally exactly the same except for the nozzle size. One has a longer barrel than the other- but the wattage, airflow, etc is exactly the same. So I opted to buy the V2 with the short nozzle in case I need to travel with it. Plus, short nozzle=less weight on your hands. (I ain't getting carpal tunnel! You think I'm made of money?)

So looks wise, this is a pretty handsome dryer. It also comes in a Ferrari red, which is pretty sweet- but I'm a solid black girl. (Looks hella pro.)

On both sides of the dryer, the logo is printed and has the little Italian flag. There are 3 speed settings, 3 heat settings and instead of a cool shot feature, the button is actually a turbo blast of air- which is sooooo nice if you have stubborn ends like mind that don't like being shaped. It comes with 2 nozzles with different shapes, and my favorite feature of all you ask?

2000 watts of high powered airflow.

Urghhhgwrkauhflaiwurhflwa, have you ever worked with 2000 watts before? It feels like your whole body is running, well, like a damn Ferrari.

So I know most of you guys are cosmetologist and you're like, "ok, can you just sum this up?"

AND I WILL, THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT.

This blowdryer, despite it's smaller size has the air flow and heat so dialed down that it dried my entire head from sopping wet to bone dry-

-in under 3 minutes.

In the time it took for a Taylor Swift song to start and end- my head was dry.

Do you know how insane that is?

It normally takes me so long to do ANYTHING. I have to towel dry, blow dry my roots, walk away to cool off for a minute, come back to blow dry, take another break, and then blow dry ONE MORE TIME to make sure it's completely dry so I can use my curling iron. Most of the time, it takes so long I have to take breaks to keep myself from sweating to death.

(If you are a chubster like me, and blow dry you hair in the same bathroom you took your shower in- you know my plight. You know how hot it gets in there. It's like boob-sweat central.)

I can't believe how fast this was, considering how thick my hair is and how frankly, stubborn it is. 

So I used it on a few other people just to see if it was just me and IT'S NOT. It dried hair longer than mine, thicker than mine, etc in about 5 minutes. 

My Paul Mitchell dryer on a client was like a 20 minute issue of round brushing over and over again where my BaByliss dryer was like a 2 pass and done situation. 

All in all, if you want to spend some good money on a good dryer, this one is amazing. Regular price at Cosmoprof is $200, but if you can get it on a sale like I did, or if you have a hairdresser who is very nice to you and maybe won't sell it at full retail price to you- it's worth it. This dryer is absolutely amazing. If nothing else, not having to spend your whole morning blowdrying is worth it. 

You could always ask for Christmas too,

-SamanthaK