The Struggle of Going Back to Dark Hair

25 January 2016

beauty

The Struggle of Going Back to Dark Hair

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional. I did not take any classes about hair. I am not knowledgable in  any field of hair. So, what I did for my hair may not work for you. I am simply going through the process I went through to go from red hair to dark hair. Also, please note that all hair types are different; what may not work for me may work for you, and what may work for me may not work for you. 
Also, I mean I really could have created a youtube video... which, I was originally going through. But, I was so frustrated with this hair process there were parts I completely skipped, and when it was time to edit the video clips I created... I realized I know nothing about editing and effects or sound effects... so, I just didn't bother. 

I think the most important thing you can do before doing anything to your hair is to do your research. Research all the questions you have AHEAD of time, and watch all the youtube videos you can with other's reviews. From there, you make the best decision (or guess!) of what you want to do next.
With all my research, I realized that red is extremely hard to remove. I never knew this, so I began to get worried and did more, and more researcher. Apparently red hair is so stubborn, you are practically stuck with it unless you cut it all off and start growing your hair all over again. Being that my entire head of hair was died red, I really did not want to cut it all off and be bald... having a round face and big head, I know that look won't look good for me. 
With my research, I read that it's best to remove the hair color first before just dying over the hair color. There were a lot of options to choose from: Color Oops, Ion Color Brilliance Color Corrector, and probably more depending on where you live in the world (i.e., ColourB4 Hair Colour Removal Removal in London!)

I chose to go with One 'N Only Colorfix that I bought from Sally's Beauty. From my research and youtube reviews, this product takes off permanent hair colour and brings ur hair back to your (almost) your natural hair colour (before dying your hair). NOTE: if you bleached your hair, then the the hair colour will be removed, just not the bleach. It will simply return your hair back to the bleach. 
I simply followed the instructions that were inside the box, mixing the 1st and 2nd bottles in equal amounts. Because I have REALLY long hair, I used the entire bottle. And, like what every review I read, it SMELLS. It really does smell -- like rotten eggs. So, I suggest you do not eat before using this product. I didn't eat and the smell just made me feel nauseous.. imagine if I ate beforehand... yuck

I ended up with this -- it did a REALLY good job on my ends. But, I think that is because my bottoms were bleached in order to get that ombre affect for the red. So, it did remove the red from there. But, as you can see from the top of my head, the red was there, still bright as ever.
I was beginning to get impatient, and I definitely did not want to walk around with red and blond hair.. just not the kind of look I like. So, I decided to dye my hair, like I said, I was really impatient and I just did not want to leave the house with my precious hair looking like a mess. 

So, I decided to just dye it brown. More specifically, I dyed my hair Dark Golden Brown from Ion Color Brilliance that I bought from Sally's Beauty. I followed the instructions provided inside the box, which is fairly similar to box dyes you would buy from stores. The only difference was that I bought developer to mix with the dye. In this particular case, I used volume 10 developer from Salon Care, also purchased from Sally's.
I applied the dye as instructed, waited the allowed time, and proceeded to rinse the dye out. I noticed that red was still bleeding from my hair (that stubborn red), and when I came out of the shower, my hair was noticeably different.
My hair looked pretty good afterwards! Although there was some red tint here and there, I really didn't mind. I mean, it was a better improvement from the red and blond hair I had. Also, my ends were MUCH darker than the top of my hair -- almost black. So, what I did, I just snipped 3 inches off from the bottom. And, now, my hair is back to dark! 

I won't lie, as much as trying to remove the red was a difficult process, I think if I was more patient and had time to do another 2 or 3 rounds of Color Fix, I probably could have gone a lighter shade of brown.  But, it does to be a different shade of brown depending on the light. So, you can really call it anything from black to dark brown.
But, looking in the mirror, I feel like I look different. I'm not used to seeing myself with dark hair. Personally, I really miss the red hair on me, I think it suited me really well. But, after all my research of how hard red is to remove, I don't really know if I would want to go back to red, and then go through the struggle of removing the red later on if I wanted a different colour. 
Who knows.. We'll see how things go!  Follow

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Book Review: How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern

22 January 2016

book review

Book Review: How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern

My Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: romance, contemporary, chick-lit, fiction

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Summary

According to Goodreads:

She has just two week. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love - with his own life. 

Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is separate - but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him she can show him that life is worth living before then. 

Despite her determination, Christine knows what a dangerous promise she's made. Against the ticking of the clock, the two of them embark onward escapades, grand romantic gestures and some unlikely late night outings. Slowly, Christine thinks Adam is starting to fall back in love with his life. 

But has she done enough to change his mind for good? And is that all that's starting to happen? 

According to the back of the novel:

Christine Rose is crossing the Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin late one night when she sees a stranger, Adam, poised to jumped.  Desperate to help, she talks him into a reckless deal: if he gives her two weeks - till his 35th birthday - she'll prove life is worth living. 

But as the clock ticks and the two of them embark on late-night escapades and romantic adventures, what Christine has really promised seems impossible... 

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My Thoughts

Where do I even begin?

This was my first Cecelia Ahern novel, and oh em gee, am I in love with her already. Her work is very easy to read, while descriptive enough to provide a mental picture. It's literally like watching Netflix for hours, but.. the reading version of Netflix.... get it?

Anyways, after reading How to Fall in Love, I think I've spent the last few hours online looking at all her other books to purchase. I feel like I need to experience all of her books. I LOVE IT. I absolutely loved everything about it. How to Fall in Love is not only a love story, but it is a story with an important message of life that will stick with you even after finishing the novel.

Right from the beginning, I felt like I had an attachment with Christine and Adam, I loved them as individual characters as well as a pair. Their story was as realistic it can get - they were both a bit broken from their own separate lives, but coming together, they learnt more about themselves than they possible ever imagined.

I finished this book in a period of 7 days, most reading for a couple of hours before I fell asleep.  And, when it was over, I literally sat in bed in silence, couldn't believe it was over. So much has changed from the beginning of the book til the end. But, I loved the ending; I just wanted to know more. Since I developed that attachment with Christine and Adam, I just wanted to know more!

Like I mentioned, the story was as realistic as it could get. And, it really made me think about my life during and after reading the book.

I wouldn't be surprise if a movie is made soon, in fact I HOPE How to Fall in Love will be made into a movie. Such a beautiful and well written story.  I loved everything about it. I fell in love with this book!

Favourite Quotes (in no particular order):

• "Where would we be without tomorrows? What we'd have instead are todays. And if that were the case, with you, I'd hope for the longest day for today. I'd fill today with you, doing everything I've ever loved. I'd laugh, I'd talk, I'd listen and listen, I'd love, I'd love, I'd love. I'd make everyday today and spend them all with you, and I'd never worry about tomorrow, when I wouldn't be with you. And when that dreaded tomorrow comes for us, please know that I didn't want to leave you, or be left behind, that every single moment spent with you were the best times in my life."
• "... you are loved because I love you."

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The Calm Before the Storm

18 January 2016

lifestyle

The Calm Before the Storm

Oh, January. How is it possible that you are flying by this quickly? Just yesterday I was starting my last semester of university. And, BAM, today I am entering the third week of January. With time flying, I need to really get out of the Christmas blues (or at least the mindset that I am still on Christmas break) and preparing myself for the storm. By storm I literally the flow of assignments, essays, and midterms that will pretty much take over the entire February and March. With January being a relatively "easy" month, it is fair to say that I have not kept up with any of my courses. I say "easy" only because it is a new semester, so the first 2-3 weeks of each course is pretty much an introduction lecture to the entire course, and then the first legit lecture - not much to it. Fairly simple. So with that, I've been doing my best to stock up on enough sleeping hours that I know I will be missing out over the next few weeks/months. But, being in university for 4 years now, I kind of already know what to expect - especially, from myself - I totally mean the fact that I pretty much leave everything to last minute. With it being my last year and all, I want to end it off on a good note. So, I've created a schedule in my lovely ban.do agenda that I will hopefully follow. By doing so, I am hoping either stay ahead or at least keep up with the readings for my classes - which, in turn, will allow me to worry about one less thing when it is time to study for exams. So, why am I telling you guys? Well, one of my 2016 resolutions was to better communicate - and, that includes communicating with my blog and followers. I am being honest up front. Although I may have a schedule with blog post ideas I want to publish on certain days (aiming at least 3 times a week), I may not necessarily have the time to actually write them down. Hopefully my new ways of organization will help with all that - the whole balancing school and my blog (oh, and my part-time job... but, that's something to talk about in a completely different post).Good luck to everyone going back to school! Or who's like me and is already back in school but realizing that it's time to actually get into school mode!Follow

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Currently in January

15 January 2016

currently

Currently in January

READING... The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern

PLAYING... Flow Free! (very addicting!)

WATCHING... Once Upon a Time on netflix!

TRYING... to finish this post so I can sleep 

COOKING... nothing at this very moment 

EATING... I ate spaghetti 

DRINKING... Water!

CALLING... Penelope to come over to me

TEXTING...  the "listen" group on whatsapp

TWEETING... nothing :/ opps

GOING... to work for 9 hours later today :(

LOVING... Jay

HATING... the stress of the future

DISCOVERING... new career opportunities

THINKING... Saturday

FEELING... tired!

HOPING (for)... positivity.

LISTENING (to)... Hands to Myself by Selena Gomez

CELEBRATING... nada 

SMELLING... the food my mom is cooking downstairs!

ORDERING...  a book from indigo! 

THANKING... God, for life 

CONSIDERING... between two different anthro courses to take!

STARTING... To get a headache

FINISHING... this post and schedule it for tomorrow!

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Snow in the City

13 January 2016

Snow in the City

Although I am not a fan of winter, I am a fan of pretty things. And, yesterday, the prettiest of snow fell onto the city. I loved it! 
It was the first time (well in my opinion) that it really snowed in the city. I think the last two times it snowed, it was merely just passing through, and there was really no evidence of snow on the ground. Yesterday, was different - different in a way where it brought back all sorts of wonderful memories. 
It was the type of snow that I fell in love with when I was younger. All these emotions came back to me, and reminded me of how much I used to love winter. How much fun I actually had when I (somewhat) helped my parents shovel the driveway, or into the soft snow with my sister , or the many fail attempts my cousins and I had when it came to making a snowman. The snow was too soft back then, we were never successful. But, sadly, we don't often see this kind of snow. And, I'm talking about the snow that is fluffy, and so white, and so soft, and not brown and slushy. 

I unfortunately didn't take as many photos as I wanted or envisioned. I'm trying to improve on my photography skills, and take more artsy or "blog-type" photos. It really is a struggle, but I'm learning and starting to get an idea of which angles to use to get the light.

I hope you enjoyed  the few well, 4 photos and 1 selfie, I took on my way to class yesterday. It's suppose to snow some more today and tomorrow. Maybe I'll start collecting photos and soon create a winter wonderland of photos in the near future! 

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30 Question Beauty Tag

11 January 2016

beauty

30 Question Beauty Tag

Oh, how I found this post ready and sitting patiently in my drafts. I decided, why not just publish it now?  I mean, there's really no use of letting it just sit there looking pretty and all. But, before I get into it, a huge shoutout to Liz from Lipstick and Confetti because I actually borrowed this tag from her!
I haven't done a beauty-related post in a while, so I thought this would be a good kick in the but for me to really start getting back into a few of my beauty posts! or at least, attempt to start more beauty-related posts... once in a  while. 

1. Do you remember your first makeup item? It was a red lipstick from Clinique! I remember my mother having a lot of Clinique products, and one day I went shopping with her, and found myself selecting a red lipstick. 
2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one that fits your specifications? Oh, YAS. It's the Sky Rise Lengthening Mascara from New York Color. For an inexpensive mascara sold at drug stores, it really does wonders! I love how they lengthen my lashes without clumping effects. Super in love with this mascara! 
3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?  Uhm, to be honest I really do not mind the coverage of my foundation. As long as it gets the job done of staying on my face and matching my skin colour, I'm happy! 
4. Favourite high end brand?I used to love MAC, but recently I've been on the path to purchasing more animal cruelty free products. I know N.Y.C. mascara (from question #2) is not entirely animal cruelty free, no worries, I'm currently in the process of finding a new mascara. 
5. What domestic brands have you always wanted to try but still haven't?Does the Kylie Lip Kit count? 
6. Favourite drugstore brand? E.L.F. is recently my new favourite drugstore brand -- also animal cruelty free!
7. Do you wear fake eyelashes? NOPE. I tried once, and failed miserably. Plus, the entire process took way too long for me. 
8. Is there any kind of makeup you can't leave the house without?If I had to choose one, I would pick my liquid eyeliner. 
9. What is your most cherished beauty product? Ahh, I really cannot pick one :/ I cherish them all!
10. How often do you shop for makeup? Do you like to pick up an item here and there or get loads of goodies at once? I mean, it really all depends. If I'm running out of foundation, then I would go and pick it up while refraining myself from purchasing other items I don't need (yet). 
11. Do you have a beauty budget or do you spend freely? It can really be both.. like if I'm buying a few items, then I would have a budget in mind. But, that does not necessarily mean I'll stick to that particular budget. 
12. Do you utilize coupons, reward cards and sales when you shop for cosmetics? Coupons? No... I should look into it though..Reward cards? YES. There are always benefits to reward cards, I definitely take advantage. Sale? YESSSSS. Sales is when I take out my credit card, and not look at the total amount I spent! 
13. What type of products do you buy the most? Lipsticks! Obsessed with having reds and pinks! And, lately neural and browns.
14. Is there a brand you absolutely cannot stand? Not really to be honest. 
15. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics like paragons or sulphate? Nope, never crossed my mind before. 
16. Do you have a favourite place to shop for makeup?I love shopping for makeup at the actual stores. But, because my favourite brand of makeup is no longer sold in Canada, I rely on online shopping. 
17. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you keep a certain routine? I like to keep a routine. But, now and then I will introduce a new product into my routine.
18. Favourite bath and body brand? The Body Shop.
19. If you could only buy from one brand, which brand would you choose? E.L.F.
20. What brand do you think has the best packaging?ooo... I don't know :/ I like them all! 
21. Which celebrity always have great makeup?Kim K. of course. 
22. Do you belong to any online makeup communities?No, I don't
23. 5 favourite beauty gurus? Kandee Johnson Ingrid Nilson Vivianna Does MakeupZoella Karissa Pukas
24. Do you like multifunctional products like lip and cheek stains? They aren't bad products.
25. Are you clumsy when putting on makeup? Not really!
26. Do you use base/primer for the eyes? When using primer for my face, I usually spread some onto of my eyelids. 
27. How many hair products do you use on a typical day?none
28. What do you apply first, concealer or foundation?Foundation
29. Do you ever consider taking makeup classesNot really
30. What do you love about makeup? I love the feeling good myself when I wear it.
Your turn! If you decide to do the tag, feel free to leave your link in the comments below! 
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Cyber Monday: The Body Shop

08 January 2016

beauty

Cyber Monday: The Body Shop

First off, I know my title says Monday, and today is obviously Friday.... sorry but, this is a late post as I made this purchase on Cyber Monday, a really long time ago, oops! Regardless, I saved a lot on this purchase, and I thought that I would take the tim  e to share it with you all.

DETAILS

Date of purchase: November 30, 2015 

Where? Online at The Body Shop 

For cyber Monday, the Body Shop offered 50% SITE WIDE. As a frequent shopper at the body shop, I thought that this was a great deal, and I didn't stop myself from stocking up on some of the favourites. On top of that, they were offering free shipping for purchases over $60.00, and offered free samples for purchases over $75.00.

Along with the site-wide promotions, I am a store member, which entitles me to 10% off of my purchase.  Also, I had a store promo code (at that time) that took an additional $15.00 off of purchases over $65.00. So, I ultimately decided that it was time to pull the credit card out of my wallet, and make the purchase! 

Items Purchased:

1. Camomile Range Muslin Cleansing Cloth (reg: $5.00; sale: $2.50) x2
2. Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash (reg: $12.00; sale: $6.00) x2
3. Paddle Hairbrush (reg: $12.00; sale: $6.00) x1
4. Skin Primer Matte It (reg: $16.00; sale: $8.00) x6
5. Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser (reg: $13.00; sale: $6.50) x1

I'm happy with my purchases! I'm even happier at how much I ultimately saved ;)

Original Price: $155.00 (before taxes)

Total Spent: $45.75 (before taxes) 

Total SAVINGS: $109.25

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#GirlLove

06 January 2016

#GirlLove

#GirlLove

If you haven't heard of or seen #GirlLove around twitter, or instagram, then you clearly haven't sat down on youtube for long enough to see this video. 
How about we watch the video before I continue with this blog post. 

Youtube star, Lilly Singh, aka iiSuperwomanii, has launched an exciting campaign called #GirlLove. This campaign is focused on putting an end to girl-on-girl hate, and instead focused on spreading love.
As perfectly stated in the video, girl-on-girl hate is a common act among women almost everywhere - whether it occurs in schools, in the workplace, or online - it is constantly happening. And, as the other youtube female stars share in the video, this really needs to stop.  Especially as women, it makes no sense for us to constantly bring each other down whether it is through jealousy or hate. Women around the world already, and still (unfortunately) experience sexism, and as girls, together we need to stand against this. 
As Mr. Norbury (played by Tina Fey) perfectly said in the movie Mean Girls, 

"... but you all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whites. It just makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores."

Some words for thought. Why? Because, you know it is true. Guys are now calling women names, and what to women do... join along by calling each other names whether it is in front of a crowd, or one-or-one confrontation. This just does not help the stance of ending hate on women in general. And, what I absolutely love about #GirlLove is that it focuses on US.  I don't want to say it, but us because woman are the root of the problem. If we take a stand together, then we can stand up against other women, and men. 
Why should you care? Well, as youtube stars shared in the video.... Women are:

• STRONG
• Influential
• BEAUTIFUL
• Empowered goddesses 
• FUNNY
• Graceful 
• POWERFUL
• Endure so much
• EQUAL TO MEN.

I DECIDED TO JOIN THIS CHALLENGE. Although, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and decisions, I think it is important as women to not only encourage each other, but to also help one another out. One way to start out in this challenge, is to simply compliment one another. A compliment can go a long way, not only to their self-esteem, but to you feeling better that you are one step closer to ending girl-on-girl hate. 

The biggest challenge is to practice what you preach, especially when you are alone. True character is when no one is watching. So, let's spread the #girllove this year, whether you are alone or in the company of others. 
Will you join the #GirlLove Challenge?  Follow

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2016 Word of the Year

04 January 2016

personal

2016 Word of the Year

Last year, my word of the year for 2015 was 'happy'. My main focus was being happy with my body, having happy thoughts, and having a happy heart. I'll admit it, it was difficult at first, but throughout the year, I found the different things and way that allowed me to feel happier, whether it was the way I saw myself, or the way I felt in general. Overall, being happy is still a working progress that I intend to continue on this year, especially in accordance to the word I chose this year. 

This year for 2016, my word of the year is peace.

Peace 

     noun

1. Freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility
2. Freedom from or the cessation of war or violence 

So why peace?

Looking back at 2015, I had my fair share of good and bad days. I think there were more good then bad, but nevertheless, the bad days were.... really bad. There were times where I felt they would take a toll on me, which then took a toll onto other aspects in life. Reflecting back, I realized there was just  so much conflict - internally and externally. 

This year, I'm focusing on peace in 3 broad categories:

+ Peace with my thoughts 

+ Peace with others 

+ Peace with my beliefs/spirituality 

Last year was really eye opening. I learned a lot about myself, about others, and about my spirituality. It is a lot to take in myself, so I won't spend time talking about it here, as I clearly do not understand it fully myself.

Peace with my thoughts is focused on being at eased with how I see life, and more importantly myself. I don't want to have internal incongruence between my thoughts and what I see. This year, I want to focus on being free from the negativity in order to have a peaceful mind. I truly think that with a peaceful mind, it can lead to a peaceful heart, allowing you to live a peaceful life. 

Peace with others is focused on freeing myself from those who bring me down and from those who do not encourage me in life. Not only focusing on how others treat meant, but peace in how I treat others. Like peace with my thoughts, I don't want to have internal conflict with my thoughts on others. I want to confront them and move forward.

Peace with my beliefs/spirituality is more of a personal goal. Something I have yet to figure out myself. So, talking about it now will just continue to be as confusing as it is in my head. I know what I believe in, there are just other aspects I still need to figure out. And, this year I am devoted to being at peace with my beliefs. This is going to be a tough path, but it is definitely a path I need to figure out on my own. 

All in all, I think it is fair to say that the focus is at being at peace with my thoughts, words, and actions with not only myself, but with others. I want to surround myself with the positive, and free myself from the negative.

What is your word of the year? 

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! + 2016 Goals

01 January 2016

goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR! + 2016 Goals

It just hit 12:00am! Do you know what that mean???? No really, do you???? You probably do, I'm just adding the hype for effect.....
It's a new year! So, Happy New Year to you all :)
And, before you think I am blog obsessed, no I am currently not sitting in front of my laptop posting this... common I'm not that silly. I actually wrote this post few hours ahead and scheduled it so that it would be posted the exact moment it turns 2015 here in Toronto! See, I guess one of my blogging goals are already coming into play ;) Have no idea what I'm talking about?? Well, with it being a new year and all, of course, like in the past, I have a bunch of goals set for myself for 2016. Like I said last year, sharing my goals in public actually makes me more accountable for me keeping my word. So, hopefully it works this year, and hopefully 2016 will be a successful year for moi! Like last year, I categorized my goals to make it more organized. That way, I know what goals I have for different aspects of my life.2016 Goals:
Blogging Goals:

• Blog consistently 
• Make blogging friends 
• Plan my posts ahead of time, and not the night before or day of
• Keep my blog personal
• Engage more with other bloggers 

Fitness and Health Goals:

• Start and finish a 30-day diet 
• Exercises consistently and regularly 
• Lost 40 lbs (by the end of the year)
• Walk and take the stairs more
• Sleep regularly!

School and CareerGoals:

• GRADUATE THIS YEAR! (#almostdone)
• Apply to Post-Grad programs AND get into accepted into post-grad 
• No only maintain my grades, but improve them
• Join a club 
• STUDY ahead of time
• Start looking for volunteer experience in the field of abnormal development
• Volunteer at a hospital 

Personal Goals:

• Stay positive 
• Get out of my comfort zone 
• Smile more 
• Take more photos of life 
• STOP BUYING SO MUCH COFFEE
• Stop using my credit card 
• Write in my journal 

I mean, this is just the gist of my goals. I'm sure as the days go by in 2016, I'll realize I have a lot more goals to add onto this list. 

Happy New Year to all of you lovely bloggers, internet friends and all of your families! I hope 2016 will be great for you all! Let's start of the year positive and with some love!

Cheers, 2016! Let's do this! Follow

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