♡Turn a Pixie Cut into A Long Bob with extensions! ft. My Fantasy Hair♡

Hi Loves! I'm back with another hair post!

If you've been following me a for a long time, or even just for a while you would know that I love hair extensions, and always wear them. Back in May I decided to do a super short pixie but since it has grown out a bit! I also have been wearing my My Fantasy Hair extensions now that it has grown enough to hide the tracks. (They were previously 14 inches long).

However, my set is a little old, about 3 years (still super soft!) but it was time to trim them. Instead of just giving a small trim I decided to turn my hair into a long bob which has been trending for a while now!

Since I have a pixie and would love to just have a "lob" RIGHT NOW, I thought it would be fun to give my extensions a cut and wear them short! Perfect change for my shorter hair until it grows and I need a longer set. =)

Here is my before and after of my now pixie cut, with my extensions chopped! 

My extensions were previously the "butterscotch" blonde color, which I dyed an auburn, and also 14 inches which I cut to about 12 inches. My Fantasy Hair has a great selection of lengths though and they offer a 12 inch set so if you are looking for extensions and have short hair, 12 inches would be great to follow this trend! 

So be sure to check out the My Fantasy Hair website to see their lengths and colors, and take on this trend, even if you have super short hair! I am loving the long bob and I think I'll be keeping it for a while!

My Fantasy Hair: http://www.myfantasyhair.com

If you would like some money off of your order, use code "samantha" 

If you have any comments or questions, leave them and I will get back to you! =) Thanks for reading lovelies!

xoxo

Samy Rae

*My Fantasy Hair occasionally sends me free products for promotional purposes, however it is a brand I 100% stand behind and have been supporting for years. Feel free to use the coupon code to get a discount on your set of extensions! xo

♡Influenster YSL Voxbox Unboxing - #YSLToucheEclat♡

Hi loves! I just wanted to share with you what Influenster sent to me to test out! MY FIRST YSL PRODUCTS!!!

I posted this picture on my Instagram of my box when I first opened it:

http://www.instagram.com/heyitssamyrae

They sent the full size YSL Touche Eclat Blur Perfector, which is a "balm to powder" touch up product you can use under makeup, to set makeup, or to mattify throughout the day! And a deluxe size of the YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer, which is a radiance boosting primer. It has flecks of shimmer in it and it blurs the look of pores, and leaves skin soft, more even and luminous. 

I am excited to try these out!! I will feature them in a haul on my beauty channel and let you know my thoughts, so follow my channel and subscribe to stay tuned on that!

http://www.youtube.com/user/glitterinmyveins7

Let me know if you have tried these and what you think of them!! 

xoxo

Samy

*Influenster was kind to send me these products complimentary, to try and test out! Sign up for Influenster at http://www.influenster.com

♡How I Keep My Hair Extensions Soft & Shiny♡

Hi Loves!
I know I just posted a products for dry & damaged hair and extensions post (see link below):
http://samyrae7.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-favorite-hair-products-for-dry.html

But I wanted to share the one main product that is holy grail for me in keeping my hair extensions soft and shiny!

I wear human hair extensions and have tried many different brands. All hair extensions have a life span and over time can get pretty dried out with constant heat styling, coloring (if you choose to dye them), every day elements like the wind, and just every day wear. Also, they don't have the oil production and nutrients that our normal hair gets which is why you really have to take care of them.

I have been wearing my My Fantasy Hair extensions for a long time now. I have a newer set that are amazing but because I like a lot of hair, I wear some of my older sets as well, including a quad weft that I love (because it is a super thick piece). All of my older sets of extensions are still in decent condition however, they can get pretty tangled if I don't keep them properly moisturized, especially my quad weft since it is so used and abused, and thick hair which can tend to get tangled more quickly!

I don't want to wash & condition my extensions all that often because washing dries them out, so for over about two years now I've incorporated the One n Only Argan Oil spray into my daily hair routine!

I love spraying this in my natural hair and my extensions everyday before and after styling! When I feel like my extensions are drying out, I just spray some of this in them, brush them through, and they feel amazing, are very shiny, and also smell really great too (which is a plus if you don't want to wash them all of the time). 

I highly recommend stopping and getting this if you see it! (I get mine at Sally's Beauty Supply). It's super affordable and works wonders on extensions!

(Wearing MyFantasyHair extensions in 18 (cut to 16) & 14 inches, Jet Black)

I hope this helped and thanks for reading lovlies!!

xoxo

Samy Rae

http://www.myfantasyhair.com

Use promo code "samantha" for 5% off your purchase!

*This post is not sponsored by My Fantasy Hair. Some extensions have been sent to me in the past for promotional purposes, but I also own sets that I purchased myself. Just showing you my hair loves and sharing my favorite brand with you all! :)

♡NARS Contour Blush "Paloma" Dupe♡

Hi loves, 

I wanted to make a quick post on a dupe I found tonight while going through my collection!

I have the NARS Contour Blush in "Paloma" and picked up a Wet n Wild Contouring Palette a couple months back, and realized tonight that they are basically identical!

Here is a picture (I posted this one on my Instagram - link on the side of my blog):

So in the swatch picture; the Wet n Wild Contouring Palette in "Caramel Toffee" is on the top, and the NARS Contour Blush in "Paloma" is on the bottom. (In the other picture, the Wet n Wild is the round pan, of course).

So the lighter colors were a bit harder to get to show up, but the NARS as you can see, shows up a tiny bit, where as the Wet n Wild didn't at all even with a heavy swatch. 

Texture wise, they are both pretty similar, although the NARS feels just slightly more smooth to me. Both pretty pigmented, but the lighter color in the NARS is a tad lighter. 

Overall, I think this is a great affordable dupe if you've been wanting to try the NARS Contour Blush in Paloma!

Hope you liked this, and I will post more dupes as I find them! 

xoxo

Samy Rae

♡Planner of the Week: March 8-15, 2015♡

Hi loves!

So this is my planner for the week. I figured I would start doing weekly posts just to go over how I organized for the week. I might combine weeks if I feel like I don't have much to show but wanted to post this week because I added a new meal plan feature which has helped me a lot!

I like to focus on my tasks for the week, usually consisting of beauty routines, errands, school, and home tasks such as cooking, cleaning, etc. 

However, I have started writing down my meal plans for each day, or the possibility of meals I can make. This really helps in utilizing all of the food I already have, and narrowing down my grocery lists to make sure I'm not going over budget. I don't do anything special, but I do make a list outside of my planner on meals I can make, then I decide what days I can make what then write them down. 

This has really made my weeks easier in terms of eating out, cooking, cleaning, etc. I can fit my meal planning around my other plans so that I can make sure I have plenty of time to prep, cook, defrost anything from the freezer, and so on. 

So here is a break down of this week's planner and how I decorated. I hope this helps give you some ideas on organizing your time and having some fun while doing so! :)

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram to be the first to see my planner each week!
http://instagram.com/heyitssamyrae

xoxo

Samy Rae

♡All About My Planner♡ | Planner & Scrap-booking Ideas♡

So this week's post, at least the first one, I wanted to focus a little on something home/life related! I wanted to show my planner and explain it, and how I organize each week. 

If you want weekly pictures of my planner and full shots of each week's layout and monthly pics, follow me on Instagram! I post a new one every Sunday or Monday!

https://instagram.com/heyitssamyrae/

After everyone started talking about the Erin Condren planners I really wanted to get one! But after seeing the price of one, I was just not going to invest that into some paper in a notebook! So I looked around and really only having Walmart as an option, I ended up with a planner from there! It is a bit bigger, but I actually like it (the standard size of a normal spiral notebook)

Here is the planner (They had one other color choice, and the price was around $7)

 The brand is "mint green" and it is 60% recycled with soy-based ink, which is always a plus! It has plenty of room for notes in the front and back, plus extra features like; contact information, yearly goals, a world map, and more!

Here is how I have mine decorated so far, for January, February and March! I use an array of washi tape, decorative duck tape, magazine cut-outs, metallic pens, sticky notes, sticky paper, and really anything I can find that is in the color scheme I want for the month!

 I absolutely love my planner and planning for each week! I write down all of my errands, "to-dos", meal plans, shopping lists, and other ideas before I put it into my planner. I just make a small list according to each day, then put it in my planner in a way that I like. I like to leave some space as well in case I need to add anything. 

The last picture which is this week for March, is my favorite set up I think! I thought I liked the more busy look, but I find that leaving more white space but using metallic hearts as bullet points makes it look more organized and pretty. 

I buy all of my stickers/tapes, etc. from places like Dollar Stores and discount stores such as Big Lots. I basically look everywhere I can to find new things. I had a ton of old magazines that I cut up into monthly cut-outs to fit each months color schemes. It took forever, but it was worth it, and I just keep the cut-outs in labeled envelopes. 

The planner is fun, it helps me un-wind at the end of the week, while also keeping me organized for the week ahead. I definitely recommend if you are an artsy person but lazy, to get one and start planning! It has really helped me to stay on track with my weekly and monthly goals!

xoxo

Samy

♡My Curly Hair Routine | How I Achieve Heat-less Curls | How to Enhance Natural Curls♡

So to start, I don't have what most would describe as "curly hair", because my natural texture is mostly wavy, although I do get ringlet curls around my hairline when my hair air dries. However! My hair is very coarse and thick, and I do like to enhance my waves, making them into curls without heat!

Anytime I wear my hair using my heat-less "curls" method, I always get complimented on my "natural curls" which is why I am calling this a curly hair routine. lol

I am going to go over my routine of how I do my heat-less "curls" and the products I use in my hair along with my extensions. Whether you have straight dry hair, or very curly/kinky hair, most of these products should work for you, along with the technique I use! I'm still experimenting to try and find the perfect products, but I love what I have found so far. 

I hope this can help some of you out that deal with any hair that is not pin straight, that is frizzy, dry, and just unmanageable!

My Natural Hair Texture:
To start, I want to show what my hair does when it is washed and it air dries, along with what my extensions do when they dry naturally. (I am wearing My Fantasy Hair extensions in all pictures in this post)

My natural hair texture like I said, is thick, frizzy, and naturally wavy like you see here. This is just with some product in it. 
















How I Achieve Heat-less "Naturally Curly Hair" + Products I Use
So this is where it gets tricky. So I am going to be explaining this in steps:

•  I wash my hair like normal (for a list of products I use in and out of the shower, see my previous post on my favorite hair products). I then towel dry my hair and let it air dry for a bit. If I had washed my extensions, I also let them air dry.
• Next I use a spray bottle of water to dampen my hair, and my extensions separately. I then put these products in my hair and in my extensions:

I like the Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie to start out, because it gives hold without crunch. The Suave sleek anti-frizz cream adds softness, and keeps frizz away even with humidity! 

• I then braid my extensions in medium sized braids, or smaller depending on how tight I want my curls: this is the size I normally go for though:

I leave the braids over night to sit and completely dry. 

I braid my hair in two french braid pigtails, and leave them over night as well.

• The next day I really don't have to do anything with my hair besides add a little product to piece together or add definition/shine if I want any. I usually use these two products when I need a little bit of shine and softness:

 

Here is the result I get from an overnight braid-out, if you would like to call it that. lol

 

How I Touch-Up Second/Third Day Curls:

So now comes the time when I have slept on my hair, and it hasn't been brushed. Mind you this whole time, I never brush out my hair besides out of the shower and right after a wash, & before the braiding just to distribute product (I only use a wide tooth comb, or a wet brush)

If my curls have lost definition, have gotten frizzy, or have lost their curl, here is what I do:

• If my hair has lost its curl, it normally goes back to looking like this (this is one of my extensions after being braided, worn, and on its 3rd day, being sprayed with detangler and combed out.

 

 As you can see, there is still some wave but if I want it curly, I just re-spray with water or these spray products, and re-braid over night again:

 

The Herbal Essences Spray Detangler smells great and helps re-moisturize, and the Mane n' Tale helps prevent breakage, so I like to combine both to get the hair damp if it already has product from the previous days, then I re-braid.

•  If my hair has plenty of curl but just needs some taming, I use these products to re-enforce curl and fight frizz/add shine/add softness:

 

I usually will add the One n Only argan oil spray if I just need a little bit of help, but always use it as a topper with any product to boost shine and add a nice scent. If I feel like I need more definition or to fight frizz, I will add the Organix coconut milk serum, along with the Herbal Essences "Tousle Me Softly" styling cream and "scrunch" with my fingers. If I need even more definition or feel like I don't want to use the styling cream, I will spray a little de-tangler in my curls and add just a little bit of the Herbal Essences "Tousle Me Softly" mousse, which does the trick!

A LONG post, I know! But getting perfect and tamed curls does often take product. I do like using different products when touching up as opposed to when I start right after I wash my hair, because it seems to keep my hair a lot softer. 

Let me know what your favorite curly hair products are and I really hope this helped you out some! Leave any questions below, or email me or follow me on my social media! (Links on the side of my blog page).

Thanks so much for reading loves!

xoxo

Samy Rae


Extensions I am wearing:
http://www.myfantasyhair.com
Jet Black: 16 & 14 inches

Use code "samantha" for 5% off your purchase!

*This post is not sponsored by My Fantasy Hair. Some extensions have been sent to me in the past for promotional purposes, but I also own sets that I purchased myself. Just showing you my hair loves and sharing my favorite brand with you all! :)