With one more week left to the semester, the work load has finally
lightened enough for me to find some time to blog again... At least
for another month or so.
On October 3, I received the email from CCRI's Nursing program that I was "conditionally accepted" into the program. (It's conditional because you need to pass a background check, which I did.) A month later, I received the official letter in the mail.
As per usual, my anxiety is mostly focused around money. This coming semester alone is going to run me $807 just for books. I keep asking myself, "How the fuck are you going to make this work?" But, I'll find a way. I usually do.
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As far as this current semester goes - everything is done and I'm just coasting through the next week until finals. My portfolio for Digital Photography II turned out rather nicely, but much different than my original intention.
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| Paula Frenette © 2013 You do not have my permission to use any of the images posted on this blog. |
Just when I thought that Children's Lit might possibly be my most hated class so far and there was no way I was going to enjoy anything that came out of it, I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I loved it. I loved it so much, it has become one of my favorite books of all time. I know, I know, it's a children's book, but the story is interesting and adorable. The illustrations are amazing and have a cinematic quality, without them the story would be half as great as it is. I still haven't watched the movie, but it's on my to-do list. According to my professor, the movie came out decently. However, the characters in the books are French and the actors have British accents... Who does that? (Americans, apparently.)
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So, I've tried some new hair products recently.
Almost three weeks ago, I dyed my hair red again. I have been searching for the perfect red for years. Red that doesn't fade to brown, or worse, pink in a few washes. I had read some good things about L'Oreal Excellence HiColor HiLights, so I tried it. Originally, I was going to go with "Red," but after a trip to Sally's Beauty Supply and actually looking at the hair color swatches, I worried that my hair would be cherry-lollipop red. So, I decided on "Red Hot," which was a bit darker and a little more brown. The color happened to be buy-two-get-one-free at the time, so I bought three. (I only used two.) I called my sister for advice on which level developer to buy, but as expected, when I actually need to ask her something, she didn't answer. The girl at the counter suggested level 30, so I went with it.
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| The dye is crayon-red upon application. I happened to get some on my fingernail. |
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| The results. It was actually a lot more red than the photo suggests. My fingernail is still, as of right now, discolored from the dye. |
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| Coincidentally, my sister dyed her hair the same color (using different products and methods) the following day. This is the most alike we have looked in our entire lives. We also realized that we make the same impending-doom face. |
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| Today. Not as dark. Still quite red. The lighting in my kitchen sucks. |
What I Did:
- Mixed two tubes of color with an equal amount of level 30 developer.
- Applied to dry, dirty hair. Roots to end.
- "Cooked" for 35 minutes under a shower cap.
- Rinsed in the shower. Shampooed, conditioned, and styled as usual.
As far as the hair color goes, it's very true to the swatches shown in the store, which is impressive. My hair is pretty porous, so it tends to grab a lot of color right away and fade out rather quickly. (Which is probably why I've been hunting to the "perfect" red for so long now.) But, after almost three weeks, the color still looks really good. A few of the reviews I had checked out prior to trying L'Oreal HiColor Hilights had mentioned that there is nothing about the product that helps to moisturize hair while the color is processing. This turned out to be true. It is only intended for highlights after all. Since I used a level 30 developer, I only exasperated that problem.
After processing, all of the moisture in my hair and scalp was gone. GONE. My hair felt like hay and scalp was so dry that it ended up peeling and flaking the next morning. According to my sister, who is a licensed hair stylist and has been doing my hair since forever, I should have used level 20 developer. I guess that's what she has always used to color my hair and it has always worked out. The first week after coloring, I babied the hell out of it. I tried to wash it as little as possible and when I did, I only used conditioner. Reluctantly, I blow-dried as little as possible and used cool and low settings to diffuse my hair when I had to. Luckily, my hair is finally bouncing back.
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On a random, girly shopping trip with my sister and shortly after a newly acquired red heads, we found ourselves at a hair product store. I decided to splurge on DevaCurl Light Defining Gel. Even though it was on sale (I paid $10, instead of $18), I bought the 12oz bottle. I've made the mistake, more than once, in the past of trying to save money on a new product and buying the biggest bottle I could find. Only to discover that I was not in love with the products and occupies valuable bathroom space for-fucking-ever. (DevaCurl Low-Poo is actually one of these aforementioned products.) I'm glad I caught myself this time around before I bought a gallon of the stuff. I don't hate it, it's just not exactly what I'm looking for.
Product Review:
When you first pour the gel into your hands, it is thick. The consistency, gives the impression that it is going to make your hair feel like cement. However, once it is applied to wet hair, the gel becomes watery. While this makes it a whole lot easier to evenly distribute, I found that I have to use a lot of it. After diffusing dry, which doesn't take long because the gel dries very fast, the result is a very soft, "touchable" hold. (When DevaCurl says "light defining," they mean it.)
I can get one day of wear out of the product, by the end of the day my hair is looking a little rough around the edges. By second-day-hair, I might as well start all over. Normally, when a product doesn't have enough hold, my hair starts to fall straight. With this gel, my hair starts to frizz.
If the product wasn't so expensive, I wouldn't care so much about the amount of it I need to use with each application, but I can't start spending $20, or more, on hair gel every month. I also can't live with bad second-day-hair. My curls require a lot of work to make them look good. Typically, the bonus is that I get to slack off for a day or so after all the work is done. I'm not about to spend 20-30 minutes a day styling my hair - I don't have time for that. Even if I did, I'd spend that time doing something else.
While I will most likely end up finishing the bottle, I don't think I will buy another. For the price, the result isn't awesome enough for me. But, I am willing to bet that this product works better for tighter curls. If that applies to you and you like a softer hold, give it a shot.
Added Note:
Last night after applying copious amounts of DevaCurl Light Defining Gel to my hair, I started to diffuse dry. After a minute, I could already tell the hold was going to suck and I was well on my way to frizz-town. So, I decided to add little Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Gel (which has become my favorite styling product to date). I'm a huge fan of the results. (See above photo for the second-day-hair results.) I will probably continue to combine the two products until I run out of the DevaCurl.
Last night after applying copious amounts of DevaCurl Light Defining Gel to my hair, I started to diffuse dry. After a minute, I could already tell the hold was going to suck and I was well on my way to frizz-town. So, I decided to add little Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Gel (which has become my favorite styling product to date). I'm a huge fan of the results. (See above photo for the second-day-hair results.) I will probably continue to combine the two products until I run out of the DevaCurl.
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