Hana Flat Iron

Hair.

We have it, we love it or we hate it, most people want the type of hair they don't have. I have spent years trying to work with my natural texture. Thousands of dollars on styling, products and accessories to try to make my hair look decent. I have dry, coarse, frizzy hair. I tend to liken my natural hair to resemble Mufasa from The Lion King. Yes, my friends, my hair is THAT good. ;)

 This is actually a BETTER "dried" hair day!

When the kind marketing team at Misikko reached out to me to try their 1.5" Hana Flat Iron, I could NOT pass up the opportunity. I mean, I get to try a top of the line product and tame my beast! Done and Done!

I have spent the last three weeks using this flat iron and trying my hand at different styles. The flat iron heats up SUPER fast and gets up to 400 degrees which is SUPER important in my book. I need the heat to really make a difference on my hair. I love that the plates are wider (my last flat iron was less that an inch wide). You may laugh but my favorite thing was that the iron came with a heat resistant carrying case. I tend to be on the go and have been taking a ton of weekend trips so being able to unplug and pack it immediately has been huge. I have forgotten to grab my flat iron numerous times because it was cooling down. 

I want to show you three ways that I was able to style my hair. 

First, I obviously did the basic and straightened my hair. It took me about 6 minutes and was sleek and straight ALL day. I have to say that I don't care for my hair straight and you won't see it straight often!

 See the outfit post here

Second look, my go to hair style is waves/curls. I LOVE that I can use a straightener to get my hair to look exactly like I would with a 1 1/4 inch curling iron. It takes me about 12 minutes to do my hair like this. I wore my hair in this style the third day of Stagecoach in Palm Desert and it stayed all day and night (I did have the desert, dry heat on my side. My hair always looks best in the desert!)

Dress from Target

Kendra Scott 'Danielle' earrings in turquoise

My third look, is true beachy waves. I only half curled, large pieces of hair with the straightener. I then used Bumble and Bumble beach spray to give it texture and make it look piecey. This look took me about 5 minutes.

 Sorry for the grainy iPhone pic.

Earrings: Kendra Scott 'Joyce' in Gold

Necklace: Kendra Scott 'Nasha' in Gold

I feel like I won the lottery being given this straightener!

If you are in the market for a new Flat Iron I would highly suggest checking this one out.

I was given the flat iron for the purpose of the review. All opinions are my own.

Sunday Share {10} ...on Monday

Well folks, after a month off, I am back at work today. Bittersweet. I have to work. Plain and simple. I'm not married, I'm educated and I like to live a certain lifestyle. I used to live to work. It was my life. It consumed me. And for many years, I LOVED it. I wish I could say that I still had that fire. The passion. But I made a big work change in January and I have honestly felt a little lost since. I'm trying to figure out what I should do and what I am passionate about. It's taking a little longer than I had hoped but I think I am on my way. So today I am working a job (no longer a job that is my career) until I find something that means I get to "work to live".

Ok that was heavy for a Monday...but I have one more heavy thing that has to be documented.

Osama Bin Ladin. Is dead. While I feel relieved and that many families now have justice it is hard to rejoice in someone's death. It feels wrong. I know he did the most horrendous thing possible, that he continued to plot and plan to destroy Americans and our safety, that he has trained many people to continue his plan and that he is pure evil. He got what he deserved. But we are not out of the woods. We still aren't "safe". I want to THANK the men and women who have served and who continue to serve. This is YOUR moment. And I am forever grateful. I will continue to PRAY for the lord still has his hand on our Country.

This is a fashion blog, I will get back to the "fun" stuff now. Thank you for hearing me out. This series is about sharing my thoughts, feelings and findings. So I feel I'm within my right ;)

So...who checked out the Calypso St. Barths for Target? I did. And there was some cute things. I wasn't super impressed with the clothes, I did pick up the crocheted, tye dye tunic. The lingerie was darling and I bought a cute lime green set. And I LOVED the kitchen ware. I bought some plates, bowls, tumblers and the darling elephant tea pot. I love how the line had something in every area. I really wanted to buy the pouf but I don't have any idea where I would use it. So I passed. And I will probably be upset with myself later. What did you get??

I am pretty much obsessed with all things royal. And like 2 billion other people I stayed up all night to watch the Royal Wedding (I have a separate post for later this week. I'm excited). First let me say that I about DIED when I saw Kate's dress. Amazing. And the fact that it was designed by Sarah Burton for McQueen means so much. I am the biggest dork and went out to buy the Essie nail polish that Kate wore on her big day. Yes, yes I did. It is called "Allure" if anyone wants to go buy it too! I know I'm not the only one...

I haven't shopped much. Hard to believe, I know. But between the surgery, Cabo and recovering I haven't been out much. And being on disability does not help with the cash flow. But I found to new hair products that I have to tell you all about. They are at your local drugstore and cheap. Both under five bucks.
- Garnier Fructis nutrient spray. It nourishes and shines. I use it with the Garnier leave in conditioner (I mentioned it in my beachy waves post) and my hair has NEVER been softer.
- Aussie 3 minute miracle. This is a conditioner that I use once or twice a week. It smells like vacation in a bottle and I swear I saw a difference after one use.

Well that about sums up my week. Happy Monday!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Hair: Beachy Waves

Hi Friends!

I have had a few of you ask me what products I use on my hair. I am sure my tweet, "I never used hair products but I finally gave in and think I mastered the Beachy wave look", probably prompted the questions. Lol. I want to make it clear that this is NOT a hair tutorial. My curls are done the same way as every other girl has shown us how to do them on their blogs (curling iron pointed down, not using the clamp, hair wrapped around the barrel) so I have nothing new, innovative or exciting to show you. BUT I love finding new things that make getting ready easier.

If you are a close friend you will know that I HATE TO SHOWER. Yes, I said it. Please don't mistake that phrase that I like to be dirty. I just hate getting wet, shaving and then the whole HOUR process that happens AFTER the shower. I like the way I feel afterwards but it doesn't outweigh the process. I also shower before bed. I go to sleep with my hair in a wet bun.

With that confession, I am going to share my "getting ready" process for when I do my hair. I have loved the results lately and they last for a few days. I have coarse, curly/frizzy hair. The underneath is curly, but the top of my hair is frizzy. Getting it tamed is challenging.

{personal image}

I use Pureology shampoo and conditioner (not pictured) to wash my hair. I have to deep condition once a week to keep my hair soft and manageable.

Step One

Deep Condition: I use Aussie's 3 minute miracle. It smells AWESOME, like coconut and works really well. I really like to use this when I am going to be using my hair dryer, curling/flat iron and exposing my hair to heat or the sun.

Step Two

Leave in Conditioner: After I shower I brush my hair and use about a quarter size drop of Garnier Fructis and use a comb to work it through my hair. I then pull my hair back into a bun and go to sleep.

Step Three

Mousse: When I wake up in the morning, I take my hair out of the bun and have a lot of natural texture. The top of my hair is 95% dry which stays pretty straight. I soak mousse into the bottom half of my hair. I then use my fingers and add a small amount of mouse to the dry, top part. I scrunch my hair and let it dry for about half an hour. If I don't have time I blow dry on low for about ten minutes. I do not use a diffuser, although it would probably help. I then use a 1 inch barrel to curl/wave the top half of my head. I divide my hair into five sections. I make two curls in each section. Ten curls total. After I take each curl off the curling iron, I pull it taut for ten seconds so its not as bouncy.

Step Four

Moroccan Oil: Since my hair is curly and I have touched it a lot, it is pretty frizzy. I have a ton of fine, baby hairs and broken hairs from when I used to bleach it. The Moroccan Oil is amazing and takes away 98% of my frizz. I put a dime size on my palms and rub my hands together. I then divide all of my hair into four sections and rub the oil in.

Step Five

Surf Spray: Now that my hair is curly and frizz free I use the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray to set my curls. This spray smells amazing and leaves my hair texturized, slight  clumpy (like when you get out of the ocean) and holds it all day.

After this step I try not to touch my hair. I let the breeze and my car air conditioner blow it around. And I am done.

I never used products before because I thought they made my hair "greasy". That was when I wore my hair straight. Since I have embraced my natural curl I have realized I need products and my hair doesn't have to be redone for days. That made me super happy.

(I hardly wear my hair straight and I can go maybe two days with straight hair without it looking limp, thin and greasy. Hate that.)

The Aussie and Garnier products are cheap and can be picked up at Target. The Moroccan Oil, Pureology and Bumble and Bumble products are pretty pricey and have to be bought at a beauty supply or salon. Email or tweet me if you want exact prices.

Happy Hair Styling.