Pretty New Headband from SuirenWaterLily

I recently ordered a beautiful knit headband from Emi at SuirenWaterLily. It looks great with long hair and instantly makes ones hairdo much more exciting. Emi has different colors and designs to choose from and also makes other knit accessories. I’m eager to try her parandis as well, which especially look great in braids.

Emi is planning to make some headbands in a darker, gothic style in the near future. Definitely something to look forward to! Keep an eye on her Etsy site or her blog if you’re interested.

The headbands keep ones head warm (the thinner ones are also perfect for summer) and help to cover up oily hair, a big plus for someone with my hairtype! The wool is of good quality and the knitting flawless. The headbands can be closed in the neck with a button of ones own choice.

I haven’t worn headbands very often before, so I still need to practise different styles a bit. This is my first, simple attempt. I think the headband looks great with updos!

The pictures are a bit blurry, because they were taken at dusk. My boyfriend says the headband gives me a bit of a 1920's look. What do you think?

Wine red headband: SuirenWaterLily

Hair fork: Ravenslair (Etsy)

Lace top: Vive Maria

Cardigan: H&M

Key necklace: SIX

Skirt: don't remember

Shoes: Clarks (New ones! So glad to have found wine red shoes in my size!)

Beach bbq outfit

Tonight I'm going to Scheveningen for a barbeque at the beach with friends. It's also Joyce's (Beauty & Metal) birthday,  so I felt I had a good excuse to put some extra effort into today's outfit. :) I wanted to look dark, but a little exotic and beach-proof at the same time. The weather is all right but not good enough for a bikini, so I chose lots of laces instead. They are always pretty and not as suffocating as other black fabrics. The flowers in my hair are meant to look a little Mexican. I don't know if I succeeded, but I like the result anyway. :)

In case it gets colder at night, I will be wearing the scarf from the third picture, which I made from a lovely sheer fabric last week. There are a lot more flowers in my hair than one can see from the front. It's fun to add lots and create a really big hairdo. I need more of them!

-top: Vive Maria
-bracelet: Noosa
-skirt: Hema
- flowers: H&M
- legging: V&D
- nail polish: 'scorn' by Illamasqua (matte black)
- earrings: Alchemy Gothic
- scarf: hand-made

Long hair videos

Last year I made my first 'hair video', to see how much it had grown. I'm planning to do this every year until I have reached my dream length. The progress of one year is clearly visible now: (Yay!)
My videos are pretty crappy by the way....I've only just started experimenting. :)

May 2011:

May 2012:

Shoplog

Last week I went to the Kruidvat (a discount drugstore) because all make-up was 'buy one, get one free'! I didn't really need anything, but I couldn't resist buying nail-polish. These green colours are from Catrice. I have no doubt the dark green polish will please me, but the lighter green/grey is an experiment. A review will follow later!

Then I bought two pairs of silver coloured hair slides, with roses on them (30% discount with my customer card). I think they're going to look great in updos. 

I also got a free shampoo worth more than 5 euros, which I saved for with customer points. The brand is Syoss and this product does not contain any parabens, silicons or paraffines. Just what I'm looking for! 

Discount shopping with deals such as these is so much fun!

Natural hair products

I recently placed an order of various hair products and make-up at Yves Rocher. Both my mother and grandmother used to be big fans of this brand in the past, so it always feels a bit outdated and granny-ish to me. But when I heard that they have a line of products without parabens, my interest grew. When I also had the opportunity to buy a discount coupon, saving me a lot of money, I decided to go for it. My first impression is a very positive one! Although the packaging of the products is a bit cheap and sometimes even difficult to open, I have no complaints about what's inside.
For my hair, I bought the following items:
- Pureté Clean shampoo (for oily hair)
- Démêlage detangling styling water
- Nutrition hair mask oat (for dry hair)
- Nutrition repairing balm for dry ends
- Éclat radiance raspberry vinegar
So far, I've tried the shampoo, the detangling water and the balm for dry ends. My hair feels really soft and clean and the detangling water made it easy to comb. It left no greasy layer, which is really good news for my type of hair. The balm for dry ends also makes a considerable difference, since the ends now look shiny and healthy. If they are really better protected will become clear in time, I guess. The products do not seem to contain SLS either. As an effect, the shampoo doesn't foam as much as regular shampoos do, but this simply takes some getting used to.
I'm really curious to try the raspberry vinegar. I've never tried anything like it before! The stuff smells great and I wonder if it works well to get rid of build-up left by various hair products over time. A review will follow!

Hair care: Monoi Miracle Oil

I love The Body Shop's 'Spa Wisdom Polynesia' line, which has a great tropical and seductive scent. Originally, Monoi oil is made from soaking petals of Tahitian gardenias (tiare) in coconut oil.
Last year Spa (the Belgian company selling bottled water) won a lawsuit against The Body Shop though, claiming that the latter had no right to use the long-established Spa name. All products were offered with huge discounts and now they can't be found anywhere in the Netherlands anymore. I managed to get hold of three bodybutters of the Polynesia line though, so I can still enjoy the scent for a while to come.
I do however have a resolution for when I've used up all my body products. From now on I only want to buy bodybutters and lotions without parabens and SLS, because I'm a bit uncomfortable with the idea of using so many toxics on my skin. I don't want to throw anything away unused though, so I'll have to finish my stash first.

Anyway, during The Body Shop sales I also managed to get hold of a bottle of Monoi Miracle Oil. The bottle said it could be used on both skin and hair, but I forgot about this later and only used it on my skin. Now I was reminded of its other application and this morning I gave it a try on my hair. I have to say my hair is liking the product a lot! It's super shiny (not like any other oil I've ever used) and soft, but the greatest thing of all is still the wonderful smell. Too bad there are so many chemical ingredients in there as well. Otherwise I would certainly try to get hold of another bottle from the US, where they still sell it. Maybe I should look for the original Monoi oil from Tahiti and see whether there's a pure version, without all the additives. After all, the oil has a good reputation as a natural hair softener and has been widely used by indigenous women from the Polynesian islands. I hope there is a good brand on the market that is not overly processed. If anyone knows about this, please tell me! 

Went to the hairdresser this morning...

..and I have bangs again! I'm really happy with the result too. The girl that cut my hair said I can have my bangs cut for free every once in a while, so that's perfect.
Before going to the hair salon, I had told myself that I only wanted about 2 centimeters cut from the length of my hair. The hairdresser was okay with that, but did ask me if I wanted to grow out my layers. Having no layers makes it easier to grow your hair long, since the ends are thicker and better protected. Therefore I am trying to get a straight hemline. In the past this has also worked best for me. The hairdresser showed me in the mirror that my ends were really not in such a good condition and I had to agree with her. I could either let the layers grow out gradually - which was fine to her as well - or have a bigger chop and already get rid of most of them. Despite dreading the loss of length, the second option appealed to me more. Fortunately I don't regret it now...my hair actually looks extremely healthy now. I'm still not rid of all the layers, but I'm going to have that taken care of during my next trim.
Yesterday I made some 'before' pictures:

 

 And a lady that walked by asked my boyfriend and me if we wanted a picture of the two of us :)

  

 And this is today, after my haircut:

Apart from the layers- problem, I also still have some faded black dye in my hair. Although I really loved the blonde-black combination, I noticed that the dyed parts are in a horrible condition and therefore I won't dye my hair anymore. The dyed parts are extremely dry and always tangled. It's going to take a long time before this too will have grown out, but I'm patient. The dye is visible in this close-up:

And two final pictures, to show the improvement (color differences are due to flash):

Hair last month:

Hair today:

 

Two years of growing my hair long

It's been two years since I decided to grow my hair really long. In the first year the progress was really good and I did not have any haircuts. Judging from the photograph I made recently however, the second year clearly shows less hair growth. For some part this can be explained by the haircut I had six months ago, but that only cost me a few centimeters. I don't know why there was less growth this year, since I took care of my hair so well. It's a not a disaster, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Once you've decided you want long hair, things just can't go fast enough I guess. :) I'll have to be patient!

I have made the decision to only use paraben-free and SLS-free hairproducts from now on. It causes less damage to the hair and I have more faith in natural products anyway. All those nasty chemicals really aren't necessary to keep your hair in good condition. As long as you pamper your hair enough with natural hairmasks and oils, you'll have a good chance of having super healthy looking hair. Right now I am using Rainforest Balance shampoo from The Body Shop, which is a gentle but very well cleansing shampoo...just perfect for my oily scalp! But I'm also a big fan of Sabon's hair mask, which has a wonderful smell.

 

The only hairproduct containing SLS that I'm still using is the Jumping Juniper solid shampoo from Lush. I only use it once a week, to thoroughly clean my hair. Sometimes SLS can be good to get rid of any build-up from other products. Plus the shampoo bars are just so easy to bring along when you're travelling!

 Another change in my haircare routine is that I've started to wear my hair up quite frequently. While I do love the sight of my loose hair much better, it can be a nuisance when it's windy, when cycling or while doing anything physical really. It also damages the hair faster. Updo's can look really pretty and it gives you the opportunity to change your look a bit more often, which is always fun. I really like to make my hair look victorian, but with a dark twist. Adding black roses for instance is an instant success. I'll dedicate a topic to such updo's some time soon!

 I'm planning to have a small haircut again next week, since the ends of my hair are getting brittle. I also want to get rid of the layers gradually. And last but not least, I want to have my bangs cut again. I had this done last summer and even though I'm always in doubt about having bangs or no bangs, I really kind of miss them. So, back to bangs it is! Next week I'll post some pictures.

 

Long hair video

It's been oh so quite on my blog lately... But I have to say it's a good sign! My thesis is coming along and soon I'll be finished at last. Which means I'll have a lot more time to update my blog and even make some positive changes to the lay-out. I have many plans for improvement! Also, I will have more time to spend on my sewing projects.
I won't be updating my blog for a while until I've graduated, but from June 5-10 I'll post my daily outfits since I'm participating in the Red & Black Week of Sophistique Noir. A great initiative!
For now, I have a short video to post which shows the length of my hair....still growing until I reach waist length! Another movie will be added a year from now, so one can clearly see the difference. I might also have a trim and a dye-job soon (adding black streaks), so this is a nice caption of the state of my hair at the moment:

One year of hair growth

This month it's been a year since I let my hair grow and below you can see the result. Not bah, eh? I guess I do really need a trim now, after staying away from the salon for a year. The ends of my hair are pretty dry and although it's hardly noticeable, I don't think it's a good idea to just leave it like this. I'm also thinking of getting side-swept bangs. I used to have straight bangs for quite some time, but they tend to make my face look very narrow. Side-swept bangs will make my face look less 'boring', but at the same time avoid the disadvantage of the straight bangs.

  

2010, with straight bangs:

                                                                             2011:

Then, I'm curious to hear your opinions on the color of my hair! I now have the lower layer of my hair dyed black, but it's not always very well visible because I have so much hair in my natural color covering it. Do you tink I should add some black streaks, perhaps? I've actually found an example of what I mean, after a long search. Avril Lavigne's old hair-style comes closest to what it would look like:

 

I would leave some blonde streaks at the bottom though, because when I'm wearing black (which is 90% of the time) my hair doesn't stand out anymore against the background. 

Some other examples, which show what it would look like with bangs:

[I couldn't find the second picture in better quality]

 

What I would also like a lot is to have some bleached streaks near the face, like this:

(I would leave the rest of my hair in my natural hair color, more like the second pic)

 

 What do you think would look best? I need some advice here! :)

Long hair care

If I ever want to succeed growing my hair really long (for me that would be 'classic length', reaching my buttocks - or perhaps just waist length) I'll need to keep it in perfect condition. Considering I tend to dye my hair once in a while (mainly black streaks), conditioner and hair masks are an absolute necessity. Of course I can't speak for anyone else here, but the products that work really well for me in keeping my hair healthy are:

- Jumping Juniper shampoo bar by Lush: this solid shampoo might appear a bit weird at first when you're used to washing your hair with liquid shampoo, but works great! You just rub the bar against your wet hair and it starts to foam considerably. I'm especially fond of this shampoo because it really combats oily hair; I can go by with one extra day of not washing my hair now, which is a great time-saver! Lush has shampoo bars in many variants, so there's always one that will fit your requirements. Another positing thing about the bars is that they last really long. Plus one doesn't have to throw away all those shampoo bottles all the time, so it's better for the environment too. I'm hooked now and don't feel the need to try anything else soon!

- Rainforest moisture mask, Brasilian nut moisture mask and Poppy seed oil reviving mask, all by The Body Shop. All three of these are great for giving your hair that extra treat every week! I don't really notice much of a difference between them, but I have only started using them for a couple of weeks now. They smell wonderful and leave your hair really soft. I'm usually very happy with products from The Body shop and its hair masks are no exception. Definately worth the money!

- Gliss Kur oil nutritive wonder-serum for long hair. This stuff is some kind of  leave-in conditioner and it protects the hair from damage. Personally I use it only to combat frizz and to add moisture to the ends of my hair.

- Guhl vochtbalans. A great spray to give a little extra moisture to your hair. It leaves my hair softer and healthier looking, at least for the day.  Also great in summer after a day at the beach!

-  Andrélon perfecte puntjes. This creamy liquid is to be rubbed on the ends of your hair. I have to say it really works miracles for me. My ends are pretty dry and damaged at the moment, since I haven't visited a hair salon in more than a year. This prevents my hair from getting even more damaged, so I'm using it every day. Even though it's a creamy substance, it doesn't make my hair much heavier.

I'm thinking of getting a small trim soon, just for healthy ends. I also have many ideas about dying my hair again or getting side-swept bangs, but I need to make up my mind about what to choose first. I might post some of the options on my blog soon.

Changes

 Happy New Year to all of you!!!

As you can see, I’ve decided to continue writing this blog in English. I guess it will attract more readers and I had my doubts about writing in Dutch from the start anyway. Since this blog is also about long hair (despite no entries about the subject yet, but I promise they’ll come!), long hair lovers from different nationalities can now read my blog as well.

During the holidays I’ve done a lot of reflecting on 2010, which I guess is what most people (are forced to) do…:) Since I still have very little money to spend, not having a job just yet and still working on finishing my studies at university, it’s really not a good idea for me to reward myself with new clothes from time to time. I’d better focus on my sewing projects instead and on finding cheap solutions for any purchases, whether it’s food, hair products or other things I really enjoy buying. I don’t think it’s going to make this blog boring now, but rather more interesting! So stay with me and read about my creative solutions, I’d say…:) In order to stick to my promise to stop spending money on things I already have aplenty, I’ve made a decision; I’m not going to buy any new clothes for a whole year! I’m starting my personal challenge in February, so I can still profit a little from the January sales and buy some things that I’m really lacking. But after that it’s going to be tough…I’m really curious to find out how I’m going to react to this. Will it be extremely difficult, or not as hard as I’m expecting? I’m hoping it will not only help me cut down my expenses but also avoid the kind of consumer-oriented behaviour that I rather dislike when I really take the time to think about it. I have a closet full of pretty clothes and really don’t need anything more. Perhaps I will also be forced to become more creative with clothes and accessories and that is a very nice and entertaining prospect. I will not include lingerie, shoes and accessories in this challenge by the way…but I’ll try to limit buying those things as much as I can as well. Wish me luck!

On my wishlist for the January sales are mainly practical things:

-         longsleeves

(I have a shortage of them and wear them a lot underneath sweaters and t-shirts)

-         pants!

(I have only 2 wearable pants. I do wear a lot of skirts, but they’re not always comfortable or warm enough. I don’t like skinny jeans much, so I’m hoping to find some pants or jeans in bootcut-style…unfortunately this is very hard with the current fashion.)

- a long, comfortable skirt

( to wear during my future trip to Morocco, since short skirts are not always appreciated there)

-         a red top

(I love red, but I have very few items in this color...maybe I’ll come across something nice)

Last week I’ve already looked around a bit and I saw the discount is about 50% now. Besides looking for clothes, I’ve also paid a visit to The Bodyshop since they always have major sales there! This is what I took home with me:

Two very large versions of the regular shower gel bottles (now 9 euros a piece); 'olive' and 'moringa'! I’ve never seen these so large before, so I guess it’s a new addition. Then a normal sized almond shower gel (now 4 euros) and a 'wild cherry' body butter that I got for free (for sale for 10 euros) with my ‘Love your Body’ card. Including the 10% discount with the customer card, I ended up paying only 20 euros for all this. Since I already have three other body butters, I’m not going to buy any shower gel or body butter from The Body Shop for another year as well. We’ll see if my stash lasts that long, but I’m also using a lovely Lush shower gel that I got from my friend Joyce and it seems to be very long lasting. So I’m positive that I’ll be provided for a whole year!

Nieuwe aanwinsten

Afgelopen week heb ik een aantal aankopen bij de Etos gedaan waar ik erg blij mee ben. Ten eerste heb ik een conditioner ontdekt die je de hele nacht in je haar laat trekken: 'Nachtwonder' van Andrélon. Als ik tv reclames keek had ik hem vast al veel eerder ontdekt, maar aangezien ik daar een gruwelijke hekel aan heb bereiken dit soort nieuwe producten mij altijd pas een tijd later. De conditioner laat je de hele nacht intrekken en de volgende ochtend spoel je hem weer uit door je haar op de gebruikelijke manier te wassen. Je kunt hem dus beter niet gebruiken wanneer je de volgende dag je haar droog wil houden, want dan loop je gegarandeerd met een vette massa op je hoofd rond. Misschien ga ik de conditioner nog wel eens alleen voor de puntjes van mijn haar gebruiken wanneer ik mijn haar opgestoken heb, zodat het beschermd en gevoed wordt maar niemand ziet dat er iets vreemds mee aan de hand is. Verder kan ik zeggen dat het spul 's nachts goed lijkt te werken...ik werd wakker met zachte haren en na het wassen voelden ze ook nog gezond en minder droog aan. Andrélon is gelukkig ook nog eens een heel betaalbaar merk; de conditioner kostte 3,39 euro.

Verder heb ik nog een aankoop voor mijn haar gedaan, namelijk droogshampoo van Schwarzkopf. (3,69 euro). Heel handig om af en toe wat te smokkelen wanneer je vet haar hebt en geen tijd om het te wassen. Een beetje droogshampoo erin wrijven (wel heel grondig, anders heb je witte klonters in je haar!) en klaar is je 'pas gewassen' haar. Ik heb zelf heel snel last van vet haar, dus ik was heel blij met deze ontdekking. Normaal gesproken ziet mijn haar er het beste uit wanneer ik het net gewassen heb en is het op de tweede dag al in een veel mindere staat (vetter, minder volume, rare vouwen erin), maar nu kan ik af en toe een keer een derde dag met ongewassen haar over straat gaan zonder dat ik het gevoel heb dat mijn haar er vies uitziet.
Tot slot heb ik de zoveelste aanwinst voor mijn Bourjois oogschaduw verzameling gekocht; een lichte oogschaduw die uit het assortiment ging en dus met 50% korting verkocht werd. Op dit moment wordt de oude verpakking van het product bij de Etos langzamerhand vervangen voor de nieuwe (die overigens amper veranderd is) en dat is natuurlijk een buitenkansje als je net zoals ik gek bent op het merk. Ik heb nu al heel wat tinten verzameld die ik allemaal regelmatig gebruik. Mijn favorieten zijn Prune Captivante, Noir Précieux, Noir Emeraude en Kaki Étonnant. Die laatste is een mix van groen en bruin en komt bijna precies overeen met de kleur van mijn ogen. Helaas is hij nergens meer te krijgen, dus dat wordt balen wanneer hij op is! Met de lancering van de nieuwe verpakkingen van de oogschaduw doosjes heeft Bourjois er ook een nieuwe kleur bij die ik helemaal geweldig vind voor de feestdagen of avondjes uit. Het is een aubergine achtige kleur met subtiele glitters. Zodra ik hem een keer met korting heb weten te scoren, krijgen jullie het zeker te horen!

Mijn verzameling Bourjois oogschaduw: