Free birthday gift from Sephora

As promised, I am now beginning to post about my free birthday deals.  Sephora is the only non-food place from which I received one.  Well, one of two I guess, because there was also Boulevard Casino where I got that free pen and that $5 of slot play.  But that one was unexpected.  This one I knew I was going to get.

I had heard from people about the free birthday gift from Sephora in the past, but had never received on until now.  To claim it, all you have to do is visit your local Sephora or shop online during the month of your birthday.  It’s best that you register for their beauty insider rewards program before doing so.  It doesn’t cost anything and it doesn’t matter if you’ve shopped there before or not.  As long as you have a birthday, you qualify.

I had been told that you had to visit the store on your actual birthday in order to get the free gift.  But since I worked on my birthday this year, and wanted to go get dinner right after work, I didn’t want to spend any time in a mall that day.  And then I read somewhere that you could go anytime during your birthday month, not just on the actual day.  And since my birthday falls on the last day of the month, I had to go before.  So on July 30th, I walked into Sephora at Richmond Centre to claim my free gift.

The free gift is a Sugar Lip Treatment mini lip duo.  One is coloured and one is tinted.  All you have to do is go to the cashiers and tell them it’s your birthday.  I didn’t have a beauty insider card with me, but I did have the email.  And so the mini lip duo was mine for the taking.

And for the guys who think this deal does not apply to you, think again.  I’m pretty sure you could get a min lip duo for your girlfriend if you wanted.  But you can also get a free Anthony Logistics for Men facial cleanser.  So guys, you have not been forgotten.  Everyone deserves free birthday gifts.

I remember when I came home that day, I told my mom I got a free birthday gift from Sephora.  To which she responded, “Really, you shop there that often?”.  To which I replied, “No, I never actually shop there, you just get a free gift on your birthday.”  I haven’t really used it much yet.  I sort of failed because I took it with me in my purse when I went to the pride parade.  That was one of the hottest days of the year.  Consequently, my lipstick sort of melted from the heat.  But it’s not completely destroyed, which is good.  Plus it was free.  When I get another one next year, I’ll be sure to hide it from the heat.

Click here to join the Sephora beauty inside rewards program and get the free birthday gift email on your birthday.

I want a convertible dress

I love outfits that are convertible.  Versatility and convertibility are amazing qualities for a garment to have.  I remember when I watched Fashion Star, one of my favourite pieces was the convertible skirt that Orly made.  The model walked down the runway, and then undid the zipper around the waist to remove the top part of the skirt, creating a whole different look.  Unfortunately that was the first thing she made, and everything she made thereafter just wasn’t as good.  But the skirt was awesome.

I remember watching an episode of Dragons’ Den where this woman had created a convertible dress.  It was a while ago, so I don’t remember exactly what the styles looked like, but I remember that I thought it was a brilliant idea.  To be able to buy one dress and wear it multiple ways to achieve multiple different looks, who wouldn’t want one of those?

There is also a company called Wrap Magic Skirts which does the same thing.  They have various skirts and dresses which can be worn over 100 different ways.  Their newest creation is the convertible dress, which is the same idea as what I saw on Dragons’ Den, except it’s a different company.  The convertible dress looks amazing.  The website has videos which demonstrate the various ways you can change the look.  They retail for $250.

But as luck would have it, there’s an online deal.  Two actually, one on SwarmJam and one on Deal Getters.  The deal lets you order one for $49.  Taxes and shipping are not included though.  But it’s still a significant reduction from the full retail price.  I am so tempted to buy one.  I can justify it by saying that I’m not paying a lot for just one dress, I’m paying a lot essentially to get multiple dresses.  And a skirt.  Yes, it can also be transformed to be worn as a skirt.

But I’m still debating as to whether I should get it.  I mean I don’t really have an event or occasion that I need it for.  I never really NEED these things.  But I’m sure I’d make good use of it somehow.  Chances are I’d probably find one way of wearing it that I like the most and then constantly wear it that way, defeating the purpose of its versatility.  Or even more likely, I would screw it up somehow, trying desperately to follow the steps from the video but ultimately being unable to achieve the desired look.  Then maybe I’d end up just wearing it as a skirt, unable to figure out the dress styles.  Because I tend to fail at fashion.  But it’s worth a try, right?

 

My main problem is I’m indecisive.  If I do in fact buy one, I have no idea which colour to get.  How do I decide?  If they had a convertible dress that also changes colour, now that would really be something.  That would be the ultimate in versatility.  But alas, there is no such thing.  It would make sense to get black, since a little black dress is an essential part of any wardrobe.  But I think I should get something colourful.  I think I look good in purple.  But I have a couple purple dresses already.  Though none like this.  The blue is really nice too.  Maybe the blue?  But what about the red?  Or the other shade of blue?  Or the green even?  I want them all!

Also, there are two different styles of the dress you can choose from to order.  The first one is really nice, but a lot of the styles are backless, which poses the problem of finding the right bra.  So perhaps the second style would be better.  But I like them both.  Chances are, by the time I make up my mind as to whether to buy it and which one to buy, the deal will have expired or sold out.  And then I will be left with non-buyer’s remorse, which is really an awful feeling.  Because I’m only going to buy one with the deal.  I can’t afford a $250 dress.

What do you think?  Should I get one?  And if so, which colour?

The beautiful blogger award

Yes, I have been nominated for another blogging award.  And in keeping with my usual timely schedule, I have once again taken an entire month to go ahead and accept it.  A month ago, I was nominated for the Beautiful Blogger Award by Resa, author of the blog Queen’s End.  I’m not sure if this means that I’m beautiful, or that my blog is beautiful.  Or maybe she just thinks that my shoes are beautiful.  But either way, I’ll take it.

I want to thank Resa for her comments and support of my blog.  I really appreciate it.  It seems that we both share of love of shoes, shopping, and humour.  She works as a costume designer and I feel like she lives this glamorous life that I wish I had.  Check out her blog to read about it.

I also wanted to post this picture of my shoe.  Random, I know.  But I feel like it’s similar to the shoe picture that she posted on her blog.  Although her shoe was nicer than this one.  But I still like my black Converse.  But I wish mine came with pink laces like her shoe did.

But enough about shoes.  There’s plenty of time for that later.  Let’s get back to what’s important.  Awards.  And receiving them.  In order for me to accept this award, I’m supposed to nominate 6 or 7 other bloggers to receive the award as well and notify them.  Here are my recipients…

Family Haikus

Childhood Relived

Looking for the Sweet Spot

Go Jules Go

F-Words

Sadie & Dasie

Mixed Gems

I would highly recommend checking out these blogs for their humour, ideas, style, and of course, beauty.  You won’t be disappointed.  And if you are, you can ask for your money back.  Oh wait, you’re not paying anything.  In which case you have no excuse.

I got a gelish nail treatment

So after a prolonged period of time where my nails were disgusting, I finally got them done.  Obviously because I bought an online voucher.  That was going to expire soon.  Cause you know I always wait until the last possible moment with these things.  It was a voucher from  The Red Pocket for a gelish nail treatment & paraffin wax treatment at Shi Nail in Richmond.  It’s literally right across the street from where my bus stop used to be.  Now it’s literally right across the street of the street that’s across from where my bus stop has currently been moved to.  If that makes any sense.

My appointment was the first of the morning, and so I got there a little before they actually opened.  And there happened to be a bench outside, where I decided to sit while I waited.  But then this stupid bee decided that this would be a good place to buzz around.  Very close to me.  They say if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you, but I was clearly minding my own business and it bothered me nevertheless.  And so I was forced to get up off that bench and stand outside the place in my heels instead.  Yes, I’ve been wearing heels lately in order to prove that they were a good purchase and that I will make good use of them.

And then the place opened and I was let inside.  The lady gave me a form to fill out, showed me where to sit, got me a glass of water, and informed me the technician would be right with me.  Right, she was the receptionist, someone else would be doing my nails.  How do land a job like that?  Receptionist at a salon or spa.  With perks of getting free treatments.  That’s the dream right there.  I liked her outfit.  It was loose and black and comfortable looking.  And she got to wear flip flops.  I envied her.

What I didn’t realize when I bought the voucher, was that it wasn’t for a manicure.  It was just for the gel polish.  The technician asked me if I wanted a manicure, which would cost extra.  I decided against it.  I would just go with what the voucher would cover.  They always try to upsell & add on things when you buy vouchers.  I always try to resist.

I didn’t need a manicure.  What is a manicure anyway?  I thought that was a manicure.  I thought it was all included.  I guess it just meant that she wasn’t going to use her various nail tools to dig underneath my nails or get rid of excess skin or what have you.  That was fine by me.  She did file them for me though.  Which was good, since they hadn’t been filed in a while, due to me misplacing my nail file and also being too lazy.  They always ask how I want them shaped, if I want them square or round.  It doesn’t bother me that they ask, it’s just that when they do they say it as if square nails are the obvious choice.  But I don’t want them square.  I want them round.  And then afterwards I feel as though I’m being judged for making that decision.

I chose a light blue colour, because it was the one that most closely resembled the colour on my toenails.  And I like blue.  She applied a couple coats, and then went over those with the clear top coat or whatever it was.  And then you put your hands under the lights to dry.  I’m always worried that I’ll touch my nails to something before they dry which will ultimately result in them being smudged.  But this time I somehow managed to avoid that.  Good for me.

After my nails had dried, I was told to wash my hands so I could get the paraffin hand wax.  No, this has nothing to do with hair removal, they do not wax your hands.  I imagine that would be awful and painful.  Paraffin wax treatment is meant to help soften your skin.  It came with my voucher, so why not.  I was led over to the container of wax and she took my hand and submerged it, removed it, and then submerged it again.  It was as if she was trying to drown my hand.  For my other hand, I dipped it in myself.  Probably too many times, she wasn’t monitoring it.  And then they put plastic over your hands and put them in these giant oven mitt things for ten mintues.  I felt like someone who had the chicken pox and was forced to wear oven mitts so I wouldn’t scratch myself.  Actually I don’t really know if anyone does that in real life, but I’ve seen it on TV shows.  At least I remember them doing it on Full House.

Even though I didn’t get a full manicure, I am very happy with the results.  Gel polish is amazing.  I feel like I should only ever get my nails done with that from now on.  I feel like the colour is more shiny and vibrant than normal polish.  And more importantly, it lasts.  It’s been about a week now, and my nails are still in good shape.  Normally by this time, they would be chipped, and probably badly.  But not this time.  And it’s not like I’ve been extra careful either.  I’ve been quite careless actually.  But it doesn’t matter.  I feel as though nothing will destroy the gel polish.  It’s like it’s indestructible.  Other polishes should cower in its presence.  I would go and purchase a bottle myself, if only I wasn’t so bad at applying it.

Your appointment’s at 12, but we won’t be open

So for every good experience, there’s an equal and opposite bad experience.  Or something like that.  Maybe I just made that up.  But yeah, yesterday I had a good experience with my pedicure.  So naturally, after yesterday’s success, today would be a complete fail.  Because that’s just how life is.

So I had an online voucher for Ciao Bella Studios from Dealathons.  Yes, I know I probably sound like some sort of spa junkie or something right now.  Trust me, I’m not.  I just jump on the opportunity to buy a good online deal and then they pile up and then I have to use them all around the same time before they expire on me.  I’ll admit it’s a bit of a problem.  But I’m dealing with it.

So last week, I called them to make an appointment.  I made it for today because it was my day off.  When I asked her for the available times, she said 11:30am and later.  So I asked for 11:30.  And then she asked if I could come at 12.  So I said okay.  And then I thought, why tell me 11:30 is an option, when really it isn’t?  Why bother giving me a choice when clearly I don’t have one?  That should have been my first sign that there would be a problem.

Ciao Bella Studios is on Victoria Drive in Vancouver.  So it is sort of out of my way.  But it seemed like a good idea at the time.  A time when I bought more online vouchers than I should have and am now paying the price.  But nevertheless, I went there.  And I was early.  I’m always either super early or a little bit late for things.  But no matter, it allowed me time to scope out the area.  But when I found the place, it was closed.  Even though the times on the door and on the website said that they opened at 10am.  What the hell?  But I thought maybe that’s why she had asked me to come at 12, because maybe she wanted to just open the store at the time of the day’s first appointment?  But that’s still false advertising for anyone hoping to drop in.

They confirmed my appointment and then the store wasn't even open

So I gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited around the area until it was actually 12pm.  I went to a dollar store that was pretty crappy.  Didn’t buy anything there.  And I went to the SPCA Thirft Store as well.  Didn’t buy anything there either.  Though I was tempted to buy the Trump: The Game board game.  My family watches The Celebrity Apprentice, so it would have been a good idea.  I actually kind of regret not buying it.  Would it be worth it going back there to make that purchase?  There was no price tag and I didn’t bother asking how much it was.  Now I’m having non-buyer’s remorse.

Okay, maybe it's a good thing I didn't buy this

When I went back at 12pm, there was still no one there.  I had called them twice, which was pointless, seeing as there was no one inside to answer the phone so it went straight to voicemail.  I walked around a bit and when I came back there was another girl waiting outside.  She was waiting to go in for tanning.  She asked me if I was there for tanning as well.  I should have been like “Yes, because I’m so pale…”.  I think tanning is pretty much one of the only beauty regimens that I don’t need.  I was there for waxing, if you must know.

She said she’d been there before and they usually never open at 10, even though they’re supposed to.  Something about the person not being able to get up early enough to make it there?  But I mean come on, it’s a fucking business, you can’t just advertise your store hours and then not be there.  That’s kind of ridiculous.  And what’s more ridiculous is when you schedule an appointment for someone at a certain time and then don’t even show up to open the place.  I can’t even call it bad customer service, because I didn’t even get any service.  I don’t know even know what to call it other than complete unreliability.

The girl told me there were other places around there for waxing, but I explained to her how I had the online voucher so it had already been paid for and I needed to use it.  She thought about leaving, but she said the fact that I had an appointment must mean that the person would be showing up.  And so we continued to wait.  I called the Dealathons customer service line and explained the situation to a representative there.  He asked me if I was at the right place.  I assured him that I was.  He said he would try to contact them and then call me back.  The other girl remarked that he was probably just calling the store number, that no one was there to answer.  I agreed that she was probably right.

Because my phone is a piece of shit, somehow I missed his call back even though my phone did not ring at all, nor show any indication that I was receiving a call.  I checked my voicemail, called him back, and yeah, he had just been calling the store.  He said he would get in contact with them in the next few days and figure something out.  I told him I didn’t want to have to reschedule this, seeing as I’d come all the way out there and made the appointment in advance, and there was no way for me to guarantee that this wouldn’t happen again.  I’m hoping at this point that they will just allow me a refund, or at least a refund in Dealathon dollars so that I can make a different purchase.

So I completely wasted my time on my day off.  I could have slept in and not left the house.  But one good thing I got out of going all the way to Victoria Drive, was that one of the ways I spent passing the time before what I thought would be my appointment was going into Calabria Bakery.  All I bought was muffins, but they were good muffins.  The one I ate had walnuts in it and was really good.  If I’m ever in that area again, hopefully not because I’m giving Ciao Bella a second chance, I’ll be sure to buy some more baked good from them.

Now this is a good business

I finally stopped waiting and left around 12:40, and the other girl left shortly after.  And I’m pretty sure that no one showed up and that they’ve just continued to stay closed for the day.  Yeah, that’s good for business.  Because if anyone had bothered to show up and open the place, they would have received the two voicemail messages I left them and would have hopefully called me back to apologize.  But they didn’t.  So I can only assume that the place is still closed.  What a fail.  For them and for me.  And for the girl who wanted a tan.  Maybe this was a sign for me that I should only be redeeming one online voucher per week?  Or a wanring to stop buying them because bad things can happen?  Who knows?  All I know is I won’t be going back, regardless of whether or not they’re open.

At least I got some good muffins out of this

I got a pedicure

After a long day of working and volunteering, I decided to treat myself to a pedicure.  Well also, I bought a voucher from TastyGo a while ago that I had yet to use.  I tend to have a bit of a problem when it comes to purchasing online deals like Groupons, Indulge Living deals, SocialShopper deals, and so on and so forth.  I mean, I forgot I even had a TastyGo account.  And then I always end up checking my accounts at the last minute and realizing that I have a voucher that will soon expire.  This particular one expires in June.  However, I have another pedicure voucher from TeamBuy that also expires in June.  So I had to use one of them now.

The place I went today was Illusion Studio and Spa on West Broadway.  It was nice there. I picked out my polish, and then made my way over to the chair.  In the past I’ve often opted for red polish, because it’s just so classic, but lately I’ve been opening up my colour choices.  I thought a bright blue would be nice for spring.  And I think it was a good decision.  I tested a few shades of blue on my nail, only to realize there was a piece of paper sitting on the counter designated for colour testing.  Oh well.

I think I picked a good colour

I liked the set up they have there, because my chair was faced in good view of the TV.  At first I was disappointed because I thought that the chair was not a massage chair.  And then I noticed the remote carefully hidden at the side and retrieved it as soon as I made this discovery.  I love those massage chairs, pressing random buttons even though you’re never really sure what exactly they’re going to do.  Do they sell those things to normal people, or only supply them at salons?  Because I want one.  At some point the massage chair stopped massaging and it took me a while to notice before starting it up again.  But I did stop it while she was doing the nail art, as the vibration may have caused some disruption.

The TV was on the Food Network.  I think if you’re going to have the channel on the Food Network, you should also have some food available for the people watching.  It’s the decent thing to do.  The show that happened to be on was Family Cook Off, a show I had never watched before, nor will I ever watch it again.  It’s basically two families cooking an entree and a dessert and then the two judges give them points and whichever family has the most points wins the “coveted golden frying pan” and $1000 worth of groceries.  I don’t know why but that seems like kind of a lame prize to me.  I mean I’d rather have the $1000 so I can go buy my own groceries.  Cause I’ll bet the $1000 worth of groceries they get weren’t on sale.  The host of the show is super annoying.  She just keeps bothering the contestants as they’re trying to cook and asking them stupid questions.  The episode I saw was a family of kids against a family of old people.  The kids won.  That’s all I have to say about it.

Pretty nail art that I could never do

So back to my pedicure.  I usually don’t get nail art, but the voucher I bought included it.  Score.  I am quite happy with the outcome.  I don’t get pedicures very often, but in the past I’ve had some where they didn’t look that much better than if I had attempted it myself.  Okay, that’s not true, any attempts of mine would be far worse than anything a professional or a normal person could accomplish.  Or anything a drunk or otherwise incompetent person could accomplish.  But some were never really anything special.  This time, they came out pretty and professional looking, and like they’ll last.

For some reason, the woman beside me got a nail dryer after her pedicure to speed up the drying process.  I did not.  I was just left to sit there and let them air dry in their own sweet time.  But I didn’t complain.  It allowed me more time to sit and watch TV in my massage chair.  No complaints there.  I’m pretty sure the staff there made fun of me in another language, but I think that happens to me pretty much at any salon or spa I go to ever.  Or maybe I’m just paranoid.  But she painted my nails so pretty that I don’t care either way.

Not a weather appropriate footwear choice

I brought flip flops to wear after, as you’re supposed to do.  But unfortunately for me, I was taking public transit and it was cold and raining outside.  I probably looked like an idiot with my rain coat, umbrella, and flip flops.  Not exactly weather appropriate footwear.  But whatever.  Why hide a good pedicure?  And it wasn’t terribly cold.  Although my last bus was late so I was standing outside longer than I had expected.  But I figured that if my toes were to turn blue from the cold, they would at least match my toenails.

I am wearing socks right now, so I can’t see the beauty of my toenails at the moment.  Because it’s cold.  And tomorrow I will likely wear boots because it’s supposed to rain.  And the day after that, closed toed shoes of some kind because it might still be cold.  But damn it when the sun is shining and the weather is nice, I will wear my flip flops proudly once again.  Also, the Army & Navy shoe sale starts next week, so at least my feet will look good as I’m trying on shoes.

My feet will look good in so many shoes now

How not to hit on a girl at a bookstore

I work at a bookstore.  In case you didn’t already know.  After graduating from UBC last year, I longed to get away from university life.  And so naturally I continued working at the UBC Bookstore and am now on campus more often than I ever was as a student.  Because you know, that makes perfect sense.

Last Saturday, I was working a the information desk.  It was fairly quiet, as Saturdays in February tend to be.  I question why people even come in on a Saturday.  If you live on campus, maybe, but even then.  Don’t you have better ways to spend your weekend?  I think anyone who hangs around there on a Saturday has to be at least a little weird.  I work there, so at least I have an excuse.

I was sitting at the desk looking up a book on the computer.  I had the fan on beside me because despite being cold outside, it was very hot inside the store, especially in my area.  It felt like I was in a sauna.  Or hell.  Whichever’s hotter I guess.  I had it on a low setting, so it wouldn’t blow away the papers at the desk, or bother me if I was too close to it.

As I was working, this guy walked up to the desk and started to say something.  At first I wasn’t sure whether or not he was talking to me.  But he came over and said “You know what?”.  There was a slight pause as I looked up at him, and he continued, “The way the wind is blowing against your hair like that, it looks really sexy”.  Or something to that effect.  I’m not sure if I responded or just looked at him stupidly.  And then he asked, “How is that happening?  Is it from the computer?”.  And then he looked around confused as to where this wind was coming from.  I pointed out to him that there was a fan right beside me.  Yeah, if you couldn’t tell from his first comment, he wasn’t exactly the brightest person.

He also asked me what my name was, where I was from, and then shook my hand and said it was nice meeting me.  And shortly after, he wandered away from the desk.  I think he could tell that I wasn’t interested in any further conversation, unless it was to help him find a book.  Maybe if he was young and hot, my reaction would have been different.  But he wasn’t.  They never are.

There are a few people who will tell you that for some reason weird people tend to be drawn to me.  I don’t know why this is.  But at least I end up with stories that other people can laugh at.  And I guess a compliment is a compliment.  At least now I know that my hair is working for me.  I just wish I didn’t have to hear it in the form of a bad line from a creepy guy.

The fan that made my hair look sexy.

With great hair comes great responsibility

My hair after washing, blow drying, some straightening, & some product.

In case you’ve been wondering, I have washed my hair.  Twice since getting the keratin smoothing treatment.  Waiting five days to wash your hair actually isn’t bad at all.  Since my hair is smoother and neater now, it still looks decent on the fifth day.  Or maybe I’m just imagining that it looks decent.  Either way, it’s good enough for me.

My hair later in the day, after being exposed to the outside & being on the go.

I’ve stocked up on shampoo and conditioner to last me for the next couple months while my hair stays smooth.  Together with my new hair dryer, we’ll be unstoppable.  Even my crappy flat iron can contribute now that my hair is more manageable.  In the past I would get fed up with it fairly quickly.  I’m happier with it now.

Keraline aftercare shampoo & conditioner.

I thought I would be smart and buy some aftercare shampoo.  I did and I used it.  But after, I realized it was for Brazilian keratin treatment.  And I wasn’t sure if that was the same thing I had done or something different.  And then I started to worry that I’d damaged my hair by using an aftercare treatment for a treatment that wasn’t the treatment I’d had.  So I went out and bough more shampoo, this time sulfate free and for colour treated hair.  There is still colour in my hair, highlights that are fading and growing out.  But I refuse to get them redone or touch up the roots.  Who can be bothered?  I’ll just wait til they grow out fully.  This shampoo was buy 2 get 1 free, so I also got conditioner and a hair mask.  The hair stylist told me I should use a hair mask once a week.  Or some such frequency.  I’ve yet to do so.

Orgnx shampoo, conditioner, & hair mask. Buy 2 get 1 free.

The problem still remains of my hair being dry.  After blow drying it, it looked very dry, even after putting a little product in it.  And flat ironing it some more only made it more dry.  But it only appears this way the day that I wash it.  Somehow, the day after, I can make it look better.  At least I think it’s better.  When I was buying the shampoo, I asked the girl at the counter if it would be good for this.  She was not very knowledgeable.  I don’t think she knew what keratin treatment was.  When I told her it made it smoother, she was like “Oh, yeah it looks really smooth”.  I think she was just trying to be nice.  It was kind of dry looking that day.

Conair hair dryer that's fast & efficient.

At least I can now spend significantly less time on my hair.  But time is still time.  I was hoping that I’d be able to just wash and go.  That’s the dream.  A dream that I suppose is unattainable.  Alas, we can’t have it all.  But having more manageable hair has made me more motivated to make sure it actually looks good.  When my hair was just a frizzy mess, putting in effort was in vain, because it still wouldn’t turn out looking great.  Now that good hair days are achievable, I may as well do what I can to make them a reality.  At least until the treatment wears out in a couple months.  At which point I will either try harder, or just give up completely.

My hair after 2 washes & less straightening.

To wash or not to wash?

Don’t worry, I shower everyday.  Personal hygiene is important to me.  And yes, I am talking about my hair YET AGAIN.  I do realize that I have some sort of problem here.  Why am I so obsessed with my own hair?  I don’t have an answer for that.  But please just allow me one last blog about my hair and then maybe I’ll shut up about it for a while.  Okay well maybe two more, because I’ll need to blog about what happens after I finally wash it.

My hair 5 days after keratin treatment and yet to be washed

It’s been 5 days since I washed my hair.  Well no, that’s not actually true.  I mean my hair was washed 5 days ago, but not by me.  They did that at the salon.  Right before applying the keratin smoothing treatment.  Am I the only one who’s always had a problem with the hair washing process at the hair dresser?  I mean when you have to rest your neck against the sink for the duration of it and it begins to hurt after a while.  And you hope it will be over soon but then they just keep on rinsing while you lean your head back in pain.  It’s not just me, right?  It is uncomfortable.

My hair is pretty flat right now.  And sooner or later my scalp will itch, at which point I will definitely have to wash it.  But I just love how straight it is.  I mean it will be nice to finally wash it, but not so nice once it dries and loses its straightness.  I don’t know what to expect.  It’s supposed to remain smooth.  And somewhat straight?  But not completely straight?  I guess I’ll have to wait and find out.

I went out and bought a new hair dryer for the occasion.  Yes, apparently washing my hair has now become something of an occasion.  Don’t judge me.  Isn’t “I have to wash my hair” one of those excuses you use as to why you can’t go out with someone?  Or you know, one of the excuses they use in TV shows at least?  I’ve never used it before.  But seeing as I have a new found obsession with my hair, if I do end up using it in the future, chances are I won’t be lying about it.

My new hair dryer. Hopefully it's good.

I like it dirty

Again, I’m talking about my hair.  It’s been almost 4 days since I last washed it.  I know that some people will find this completely gross and unheard of, while to others it’s no big deal. My excuse is that I really want to make sure that the keratin treatment I got completely sets in before I wash it.  I was told to wait 48 hours before washing it.  But then I read somewhere that you’re supposed to wait 72 hours.  And then I read somewhere else that you’re supposed to wait 4 days.  So I thought, better safe than sorry.

I read a few accounts from other people who had keratin smoothing treatment done on their hair and some of them stated how they felt like a grease ball having not washed their hair for a couple days.  And because before you wash it, the hair can be rather flat and limp, and in some cases, appear greasy.  I don’t feel this way at all.  I love my straight hair, even if it’s really flat looking at the moment.  So what if it may even look lifeless, it beats the alternative of being massively frizzy.  I will take greasy hair over that any day.

Whenever my hair is straight, I like to put off washing it for as long as possible.  Because I want to hold onto that and cherish it while I still can.  My hair straightener cannot achieve the look that professional salon flat irons can.  Especially if I’m the one using it.  It just won’t happen.  The combination of the flawed straightener and my flawed skills is nothing to be proud of.  I may as well just not attempt it at all.

I remember one time in high school, I got my hair done for grad and she straightened it at the salon.  I waited several days before washing it, because I knew I would never achieve that look again, as I did not own a flat iron at the time, not even a crappy one.  I remember people trying to convince me that I should wash it and that it was gross that I hadn’t.  I t’s not like I waited that long.  Maybe it was 4 days?  5 maybe?  Less than a week I’m sure.  But I caved and washed it and then I was unhappy.  I think the day that I washed it I fell down a few stairs and failed a test and felt ugly.  And I blamed it all on the fact that I had washed my hair.

I’m still wondering how my hair will turn out once I do wash it.  I will have to blow dry it and attempt to straighten it, despite working with a below average straightening tool.  This will be quite a stretch, considering that lately my hair regime has consisted of washing it, tying it back wet, letting it air dry, then putting it down and hoping for the best.  I don’t suppose doing that would be conducive to achieving the results I would like with my newly straight hair.

Despite what some people think, dirty hair is better.  It’s easier to style, and I’ve been told this by a hairdresser, so it’s not just me.  And washing your hair too often can cause it to dry out and if it’s colour treated, the colour will fade out faster.  Same with smoothing and straightening treatments.  I remember seeing a commercial for some shampoo and the voice over said “Going out tonight, with hair you washed this morning?”, as if that was a gross and unheard of thing to do.  I do it all the time.  In fact I go out with hair I washed the morning before, or even two mornings ago.  It’s not a big deal.

Perhaps I will wash my hair tonight.  I don’t have time in the morning.  I mean I have time to wash it, but my time ends there.  Blow drying and styling are out of the question.  And I really need to get myself a better hair dryer.  The one I own is about as crappy as my straightener.  It takes forever for my hair to dry and I’m pretty sure it’s causing damage to it as well.  I should get one of those ionic ceramic ones, I hear those are better?  But I really have no idea.

I thought about going out today to buy myself a new hair dryer.  But it’s raining.  And I don’t want to get my hair wet.  Yeah, it’s quite a dilemma.  I could always wait until tomorrow.  One more day couldn’t hurt, right?  Or is that pushing it?  I imagine a lot of you are disgusted right now.  But often when my hair is dirty, no one can tell (unless I decide to broadcast it on my blog).  In fact I think the times when it looks best and gets me compliments is when it’s at it’s dirtiest.  So I’m not the only one who likes it dirty.