I Got My Wave On With Conair's New You Wave Ultra! Plus Win A Conair Gift Basket!

Conair has a new styler in town called the You Wave Ultra for girls who like to have a little fun!

The Claim: 
Soft beachy waves are an easy way to create a bit of volume. The Conair® You Wave Ultra™ helps create long-lasting waves quickly and easily.

Features:

•  Unique three-barrel ceramic styler
• Creates long-lasting, soft waves
• Tourmaline Ceramic technology prevents hot spots, reduces frizz and helps eliminate static
• 30-second instant heat
• Professional high heat
• LED indicator 
• Auto off
• 6’ professional swivel cord
• Limited five-year warranty 

Even though I'm not generally a fan of crimpers and wavers I wanted to see if this one lived up to the claims so I went for it. The end result didn't leave me feeling like I had just left the beach however it was really easy and pretty fast. I have long, somewhat thick hair and it took me about 25-30 mins to wave my entire head!

I loved the volume and thickness it left in my hair and can totally see me and my girls using this at the crown of our hair under a layer to add volume there. I also really liked the way it left my hair feeling, soft and well... kinda cool!

Here are my results shown with the Elle Gold Flower headband featured here. (excuse the stunned look in these pics)

I'm all about having styling tools on hand that can change up a look in a second (or 25 mins) so the You Wave Ultra will make a nice addition to my "tools" drawer for the times when I'm feeling a bit funky!

Ive teamed up with the folks at Conair to make sure one of my readers gets a chance to win.....

Prize: A Conair basket filled with an assortment of Scunci & Conair hair accessories some of which I featured a few days ago as well as your very own You Wave Ultra PLUS an amazing Conair Infiniti 1875 Watt Salon-Performance AC Motor Dryer PLUS a EyePop Hard Makeup Case!!!

A Value of $145!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Open to Canadian residents only.

*Contest closes on midnight Aug  30st 2012 at 11:59pm EST

*Only activated email subscriptions will count towards an entry

Bye Bye Messy Bun, Hello Cute Hair Accessories from Elle & Scunci!

Are you sick of hairbands that either give you a headache after 20 mins or that slip off so easily there might as well be no point in wearing them?

Well join the club!

I hate my hair in my face but still like it down but because of the above problems I had petty much given up on all headbands which resulted in me tying up my hair pretty much 24/7. Cute sometimes but  a messy bun all day everyday gets old!

There is a solution ladies I promise!

Check out these Elle and Scunci hair accessories which come to you from the makers of Conair and can be found at Rexall/PharmaPlus stores around the city.

Scunci's no slip grip technology makes sure it stays in place! Each piece has a rubber coating along the area that touches your hair to make sure it doesn't go anywhere.
Check out their chunky claw for instance, you can see the rubber dots that line the inside to keep it in place without damaging or pulling hair.

Pretty genius if you ask me!

I've been testing out these hair accessories and headbands and am happy to report that not only do they hold up on their claim to stay in place but they also don't give me the dreaded headband ache.

The Elle fashion headbands (seen at the bottom of the first photo) are so pretty and really allow you to dress up your look in seconds. I love the gold flower band ($15.99) it has already spiced up a few of my outfits and made this preggo feel more put together even when nothing fits and she cant be bothered to really style her hair!

See?!! It just adds a little something something ;)

I'm so happy I've found these products... So happy in fact I want to share them PLUS more with you all ;) Stay tuned because on Friday you will have a chance to WIN one seriously amazing gift basket from Conair including the above items and a few surprises too ;)

4 Easy Summer Hairstyles From Our Friends At John Frieda

(Click to Enlarge)

Im a fan of all these super easy styles but for some reason my "poof" just never looks that good! *Sigh*

Have you or will you rock any of these trends this season?

My Curly Hair Secret Revealed!

I have been asked many many times how I curl my hair and what I use to do it and so I thought I'd share my current tool of choice the Corioliss Ceramic Curling Wand.

I got mine via the folks at Misikko a little while ago and have been using it quite often since. It arrived with a few accessories like the heat proof glove (which I never use because its too big for me) and the heat proof pad which is great and can come in very handy. I also got a cute Misikko sleep mask which I can use when I travel.

There is only 1 switch on or off. No fussing with different heat settings or dials which I actually like. Its incredibly simple to use and while you do need to be careful (the wand gets super hot) once you get the hang of it you can finish pretty fast.

How I curl my hair:

I always start off with a heat protectant spray on my hair then I grab 1-2" sections at a time and hold the iron with the wand pointing down. I always curl away from my face and its more flattering and gives you a nicer curl, hold for about 5-7 seconds and release. 

Its really that simple. 5-7 seconds per section and I'm done my long thick hair in 20 minutes. Just be sure you start with hair that is blow dried somewhat straight and completely dry.

There you have it my secret, its all in the tools ;)

Right now the Corioliss Ceramic Wand in on sale at Misikko.com for $99. It comes with the wand, Heat heat proof pad & glove and a travel pouch too. They also sell other amazing curling irons, flat irons like the Chi hair straightener and they even have the new Hana pro hair dryer.

Be sure to check out Misikko's Facebook and Twitter pages for more great hair styling tools & tips.

* This product was sent by the company for consideration however all reviews are based on my own opinions.

Love it or Hate it? Tie-Dye Hair

The latest hair trend that's sweeping Hollywood is tie-dyed hair. Celebs like Lauren Conrad, Nicky Minaj and Katy Perry have been spotted sporting this new trend so what do you think?

Love it or Hate it?

If you want to try this look without actually dying your hair why not try  Put on Pieces Clip-In Color Strips ($8 each at extensions.com). They come in fun colours like Amethyst, Blue, Gold, Pink, Purple and Red so its easy to achieve this look.

I Got Blo'd & I Liked it! - Bayview Villages NEW Blo Blow Dry Bar!

Blo'd as in treated to a special VIP day at the NEW Blo Blow Dry Bar at Bayview Village!

I arrived to Blo's signature hot pink coloured carpet and the VIP mood was set. I entered the cozy salon and was greeted by a ton of smiling faces, cupcakes, pink lemonade and a pink truffle tower which I loved!

I was introduced to my Blo Pro, stylist Britney who washed my locks with the most amazing smelling products followed by a briefing of the "Blo Menu" of hairstyles. I decided to go for the Holly Would look which is described as a "fun and flirty with plenty of curl and bounce."

 Britney had the pleasure (or pain) of blo'ing my long long hair and added some curls at the ends with a 1 1/2" barrel curling iron to add glam. We decided on a middle part and voila!

Britney and I after I got Blo'd

Even the humidity and rain couldn't ruin my day because I left feeling like a red PINK carpet hottie!

Thanks to everyone at Blo Bayview Village for making my first Blo experience so special :)

If you or the men in your lives (yes they even have bro blo's lol how cute) havent experienced Blo Blow Dry Bar now is the time to do it because this opening weekend at Blo Bayview Village you can get $21.00 Blo outs, enjoy some cotton candy and walk out feeling like a celeb!

My go to hairstyle these days the side rope braid fast and easy!

Ive been so busy lately that just the thought of washing, blow drying & styling my hair exhausts me so ever since I came across some hairstyling videos online and learned just how simple and easy a rope braid is its been my go to hairstyle.

While it does look better when done on dry hair it does work on wet as you can see in my pic above. Its amazing how many comments and compliments I get on this style. People always ask me how long it took me - my response "2 minutes". This usually raises an eyebrow and is followed by "can you teach me how to do it too".

Ive searched all over the net for a good video that shows you how to do this and this is the best one I have found.


As you see in the video its a fabulous style for those with bangs who want the option to wear them up.

Have you tried this look?
What do you think?

How to go from Frizz to Silky Smooth with the Ping Ceramic Flat Iron

How to go from Frizzy to Silky Smooth with the help of the Ping Ceramic Flat Iron.

What you will need:
Ping Ceramic Flat Iron, Any Blow dryer,ABBA Pure Moisture shampoo & conditioner, Argan Oil, large tooth comb, hair clips.

Step one: Wash hair with ABBA Pure Moisture shampoo & conditioner
Step two: Towel dry and apply small amount of Argan Oil (Moroccan oil treatment) throughout hair.
Step three: Use large tooth comb to detangle hair and comb out.
Step four: Blow dry hair upside down, using fingers. Dry completely.
Step five: Split hair in half horizontally and clip top half.
Step six: Take small 1"-2" sections and run the Ping Digital Ceramic Versatile Flat Iron over the section. Repeat if necessary and continue around bottom half until section is done. Clip bottom out of way and repeat same process on top section.

Results:
Before:


After:


To achieve a flipped out front section as seen below take small section place Ping Ceramic Flat Iron near roots, turn iron 90° away from face and slowly pull down.



Add a little hairspray to the front and you're ready to go!

Thoughts:
ABBA Pure Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner is probably one of my most favorite items to use when washing my hair. It smells like mint which I love and deeply hydrates my locks. They retail on fabove.ca for $16.95 & $18.95.

The Argan Oil is something I have wanted to try for a long time. It is derived from Moroccan Argan trees and is an oil treatment that provides shine, smoothness, frizz control, color protection and is alcohol free. I have been using it after every shower for a week now and really enjoy it. It doesn't leave my hair feeling greasy at all and instantly absorbs into my hair. It retails on fabove.ca for $19.95 which is $10 less than I saw it in stores for.

Because I have a lot of hair (as you can see above) and because my hair has a wave/curl to it I find it sometimes difficult to get the finish I want with some flat irons. Normally I use a 2" because I have longer hair but because the 1.5"Ping Ceramic Flat Iron heats all the way up to 220°c/428°f it works really well for my hair. I really like that I have the ability to curl out the front section of my hair with this iron, and although I haven't quite mastered the technique of curling my whole head with a flat iron bit I'm going to work on it because I'm sure its ME and not the iron! It retails on fabove.ca and is on sale for $139.95 (reg. $250.00).


If you are looking for a great site to get all your hair care needs I suggest taking a look at fabove.ca. They have a wide selection of products at a very competitive price and have unbelievable customer service.


* These products were sent by fabove.ca for consideration however all reviews are based on my honest opinions.

Practicing Hair.. What do you think??

When I was in school we had literally a week of hair training. We would learn a few styles a day and had a hair exam at the end. I chose to do hair bows for my final project here's how it came out. The theme was "Little bow peep meets high fashion"...




I added bows to finish off the look and hide the barrel curls.


I loved the idea of hair bows even before I knew Gaga did it lol. Anyways so that's about all the hair training we got which really wasn't enough to help me feel confident in bridal and occasion updos. I have been doing well since graduating not offering hair services but Ive decided to slowly practice on my dear friends to get a better idea of what I'm doing when it comes to hair.

Last night my girl came over and let me curl, tease and spray the heck out of her hair and for that I owe her a BIG thank you. Here's how it came out.

(Click to enlarge)


I would have defined the curls a lot more if it was for a special occasion but since we were just practicing I left it.

So what do ya think? This was my first updo ever on a human head other than mine LOL...

I was actually pretty proud of myself with this one :) Way better than working on a mannequin head!