How to Style a Lob + Video

About a month ago I drove my hairdresser nuts by texting her non-stop, begging to chop my hair off. You see I usually send Jamie a bajillion photos of 'how I want my hair' to be and then she kindly reminds me that I'm spontaneous and to think things through. So naturally I went in a week before our pre-ception party and told her I still wanted to chop it all off. So she finally gave in and I love it!

So as always, I went in with some photos to base it off of and we went from there (here are some of the photos I brought in.) I also wanted to darken my base since the fall was approaching and I've been rocking a bright blonde hue for a while now. Most people would think I'm crazy for doing such a dramatic change up right before our party but that's what I do, I get bored, antsy and stressed right before big things are happening. I also like change, unlike most, I like that uneasy feeling of not knowing my reaction, plus, hell, IT'S HAIR DUDE!!!

It's been a solid month of getting use to using less shampoo, extremely fast blow drying and learning how to style my new lob. I've gotten many many requests to show how I curl it now that it's shorter. For some reason people always think they can't use the same tools as girls with long luscious locks, and that is totally not true.  So I decided I would show you how I'm using my NUME wands, you know, the one I'm ALWAYS raving about, to show you how you can curl short hair! If you want to see me with longer hair using the wand, here is the video for that. PS. I know I'll get asked, so the lip color is Wet n Wild-Vamp It Up and it is super affordable and one of my favorites for the fall and winter!

NUME DISCOUNT CODES:

NUMEFORME- ANY wand + free trial size Shampoo & Conditioner: $26 (till 10/25)
GETMYJAMON-Curl Jam  + round brush: $89 (till 10/20)
BOGO39- Any 2 wands for $39 (10/31)
LUVMYWAND- All wands + Thermal pouch + Argan oil: $38 (till 10/31)
111OFF- All sets $111 off (10/31)
MEGAMEGA- Megastar Straightener + microfiber hair wrap + thermal pouch: $67 (10/31)
DRIESFAST- Blowdryer: $59 (10/31)

Don't forget to watch the video for a sneaky little giveaway!

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My Blonde Haircare + a Giveaway

We've all read the post about how my hairdresser hates me right? If not, here ya go, come back when you're done.

Okay, so you read it now and you're thinking how the hell hasn't your hair fallen out yet?! Well I'm just as surprised as you are, don't worry! With all the processing we've {because this is a team effort here!} done over the last few years I know how important conditioner and hair masks are so that is where I invest my money as well as in my amazing and talented hair dresser.

Over the past few years I've gotten a ton of questions on what products I use, what my hair color/cut is or how I curl my hair. I'm here to address it all because blondes have more fun right ;)

I shampoo and condition my hair every other day, sometimes every two days if I'm having a rather good hair day. I haven't found the perfect shampoo for me yet so right now I'm using Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy. It gives my scalp a good dose of moisture while still cleansing my hair. 

As I stated earlier, I like to be a little spendy when it comes to conditioners and hair masks. This my friends is what keeps my blonde hair healthy and in such great condition! For conditioners I swear swear SWEAR by REDKEN Blonde Idol {cool tones}. This bad boy tones my hair and makes my locks look and feel like I just stepped out of the salon even when I'm 8 weeks post hair color session! I'm not kidding when I tell you it's worth the money because it is a little pricy but SO.WORTH.IT! Now if you just can't justify the price tag on the Blonde Idol my other go to purple conditioner is from Sally's with a much better price tag; shimmer lights for blonde & silver tones.

Coconut oil is the other conditioner I use and you can find this at Trader Joes, Whole Foods and even Target I'm pretty sure. I use this in the shower as well as after in small amounts on my ends as a leave in conditioner. This is mainly used when my ends need a good condition in-between cuts and remember a little goes a long way. For a leave-in conditioning spray and a little more money than coconut oil, I use the Pravana intense therapy leave-in treatment. I spray this all over my hair which I follow this up by NUME's White Truffle Hair Primer using it from my mid shaft {ear level} and lower. This stuff smells amazing and I use two pumps and has lasted me MONTHS! {Use code WINTERSNOW for 40% off entire site!}

As I already mentioned I try and wash my hair every other day and this is usually Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, this is also because these are my gym days so it's very convenient for me to go to the gym and shower afterwards. I rarely wash my hair in the mornings anymore meaning I also rarely use a blow dryer {score for no heat days!} After I put my leave in conditioners on I then follow up with my Not Your Mothers kinky moves curl defining hair cream. This is a defining lotion which helps my hair keep that wavy, bed head look that I love so much the next morning. Ever since having kids my hair has a great little wave to it and this hair cream helps keep that great shape while I sleep!  Again, a little goes a long way and is pretty inexpensive as well. This is also a big time saver so a big deal for the working mother of two.

For volume I use a little Guts by Redken on my roots. Guts is a very light spray giving my roots volume without making them stiff or greasy. Speaking of grease, when I'm rocking two or three day old hair I always follow up with my Batiste dry shampoo. I literally go through two of these a month, but guess who doesn't have greasy hair, THIS GIRL! As for hair spray, I swear by my TRESemme hair spray. 

Ever since I was little I hated brushing my hair. My scalp is unbelievably sensitive that 99% of all hair brushes have me in tears when it comes time to brushing my hair. If you have a little girl, or are like me and a sensitive sally when it comes to hair brushing you NEED this brush in your life! The tangle teaser combs through any tangle with easy and I no longer cry when I have a rats nest of a bun that I need to brush out!

Although you will rarely see me blow drying my hair and do pull out my Nume wands on the reg! I became obsessed with these bad boys and have gotten everyone I know hooked on them! I recently donated all of my other curling irons because I refuse to use anything else! I currently have/use the 19mm & 25mm and recently just got the reverse wand. These babes heat up and cool down extremely fast that I can throw a few waves in before work and it doesn't interrupt my morning routine. Below are some coupon codes that they have going on right now. All I can say is NEVER PAY FULL PRICE FOR THESE THINGS THERE IS ALWAYS A DEAL GOING ON! I post new coupon codes I find on my Facebook so follow along if you want to score a good deal too.

{currently rocking 11.5 week roots and loving it}

CODES for Nume Wands & products:
ALL CURLING WANDS ARE $29- CURL29

CUDDLEUP - $39 for Classic Wand + Argan Oil
SNOWGLOBE - $69 BOGO Magic Wand
CHILLYNIGHTS - $69 for Magic Wand + Silhouette
HOLIDAYLOVE - $69 for Pentacle + Free Shipping
FROSTY - $74 for MegaStar + Holder
SPARKLE - $99 for Sets
WINTERLOVE – 10% Off Holiday Catalog
WINTERSNOW – 40% Off Site Wide No Catalog
HONEYBEE60-60% off any curling wands
WHITEROSES- Any two classic wands for $68
CANDYHEART-Any two magic wands for $78

How often do I get my hair colored you ask, well I'm currently on week 11.5 to be exact {I went Nov 28th} and Jamie won't be back from her maternity leave until the end of February. This means I will have gone 14 whole weeks without color and it's safe to say that my roots don't look half bad!

I know that all this is able to happen because Jamie and I work together to achieve the color we want at every appointment. Jamie is fully aware that I want a natural but cool toned blonde that while in-between visits grows out beautifully and doesn't have a band of color peaking through every 3 weeks. I also know that if I use my products correctly I can really get the best bang for my buck.

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with Jamie here is her contact information, you won't be disappointed! Don't worry Jay I'm giving out your salon info, not your cell phone ;)

After all is said and done I want you to know that this is the healthiest my hair has ever been and it's also the most processed! That says something about the products Jaime uses on my hair and what products I'm using in between, doesn't it?! I've learned over the years that investing in a few good products will really keep the color that I'm paying to get worth it. This goes for any color, not just blondes!

I hope that answers any questions people have had about my hair, the products I use or what I do on a daily/weekly basis. If you have any other questions or comments on products that you think I should check out, I'm all ears, comment away friends!

Last but not least, since I can't buy you all your own NUME wands, because we were not one of the three people that won the power ball last night, I wanted to do another giveaway of the infamous wand that I'm always raving about! I had a giveaway back in October for a 19mm and it went over really well so as promised you have another chance to win *cue cheering* The giveaway will be open to US residents only and open for one week with multiple ways to enter. {Sorry but international shipping is hella expensive and this is NOT sponsored so it's all on me}

Happy pizza party Friday, now go buy a heart shaped pizza ya filthy animals!

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Why I Recommend Products + a NUME wand giveaway!

A few weeks ago I debuted our family photos and still haven't figured out what ones we will print and display in the house. Because I love a good selfie, I posted a picture on my Instagram and people seemed to really like my hair {the cut, color & the curl.} Like I've said before, the cut and color are ALL Jamie, my hairstylist. However the curl, that's me, or NUME rather.

I belong to a mommy group on Facebook called Mommyhood 101. People post pictures of things for sale, they post stories of crazy family members, they ask questions at 4am in need of help, advice or someone else who is up and wants to chat! It's a really nice community and although some posts don't always apply to me, I answer things when I see fit. As a mom of two I noticed a lot of moms talking about be strapped for time and how do people do it.

When an email from NUME came across my inbox for a deal that only lasted 3 days, I posted this:

 A curling wand that retailed for $169 and was on sale for $28 was something that I could not keep to myself! So I posted it on my personal Facebook page and Instagram as well. It's no secret I love a good deal and I love a good deal on something that works! I've used a ton of different curling irons and wands over the years and I've realized, you pay for what you get. But with NUME and their coupon codes and packaged deals you always score a great and affordable deal!

After I posted the picture and answered some questions people had on what size to get {I have the 19mm and ordered the 25mm using the coupon code} I went to bed, feeling good that so many other moms were scoring the same great deal I was.

Fast forward a week and I'm on Facebook and come across this picture on my news feed:

A few days later I see this post:

Do you know what its like to post a picture of yourself and like what you see or get over 238 people liking a photo of your face or what its like to feel like a sexy mama or what it's like to have mostly strangers, tell you that you look amazing, cute and beautiful. It's a damn good feeling and this isn't even me or my photo! I just love that these other women are feeling good about themselves just from me thinking that maybe I'll post a photo of my hair, because I also, like these women, like what I saw that day and I love to share deals.

Last week I posted a video of my makeup on my Youtube channel from our family pictures and as promised to everyone that comment on my hair on my Facebook and in MH101, I did a tutorial on how I personally use my NUME 19mm wand to get the look you saw from the very first photo above. Because I love this wand SO much and I know a lot of people weren't able to score the deal I decided that I would do a giveaway of one of the NUME 19mm wands that I bought with the coupon code! I also emailed NUME and asked for any coupon codes I could let people in on as many missed the great $28 deal and they were so kind to send me over some to use. I stated this before but anytime I get promo emails I'll post so you are the first to know about these offers! So without further mumble jumbo you can watch me do my make-up HERE and my hair curling tutorial HERE using the NUME 19mm wand! The giveaway will be open for 1 full week and is NOT sponsored in any way!

COUPON CODES for NUME PRODUCTS
INSTASPECIAL- $49 for the 35mm special wand PLUS the Silhouette Straightener for $49!!! {You have to add both items and THEN add the coupon codes at the checkout for the discount to be taken, just and FYI!} --This is an AMAZING DEAL!!!
NUMEFALL50- 50% off entire website PLUS free shipping to US & Canada
HAIRMASTER- Titan 3 in 1 curling wand PLUS In Vouge Straightener- $99 {normally +$250!!}

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Empties #1 Products I Have Used Up

I've been saving up products as I use them up for one reason and one reason alone. To blog about it, duh. Some products I've finished because I told myself I wasn't opening another mascara until this one was gone and others are because I use them on a daily basis.

Lets recap on what ones I would/do repurchase and what products can stay in the recycling bin:

Big & Sexy Hair Spray- This is a holy grail product and is worth every penny. I repurchase this ALL the time.
Big & Sexy Tease Spray- This baby cost $15 at Ulta for a whole 4oz. That's a lot of dough for a small amount but I will be repurchasing this as well. It is the ultimate in hold when teasing and even great for the boys hair.
Pravana Leave In Treatment- My Hairdresser got me hooked on this after we started to go blonde and I repurchase this about every couple months, it's amazing!
Euphoria Purfume- I got a roller ball of this to keep in my purse and ended using it on a daily basis. I don't like buying large perfumes because I like to rotate too often but I'll be repurchasing this in the future.
Covergirl Lashperfection Mascara- I got this because of Youtube and wasn't really impressed to be honest. I won't be repurchasing it as it wasn't something special.
Blow Dry Conditioner - This was a impulse by at Target one day and I hated finishing it up. It weighted my hair down and did nothing for me. I usually like Garnier products but I won't be buying this one again.
Tanning Lotion- This was actually my third tube of this. I love mixing this in with my daily moisturizer. It leaves the most amazing glow without streaking and no orange tint.
Purity Cleanser- I got a sample size of 3oz at Ulta because I wasn't sure if I'd like it and I'm not about to pay $23 for 8oz if I didn't like it. I loved the way this left my skin, so smooth and pure I will be buying the 8oz now.
Primer- I got this in a box set a long time ago and recently started using this up because I had 5 other primers I needed to use. I didn't see a difference with my foundation like I do with other primers, there was no wow factor to it. This will not be a repurchase.
Face Lotion- This stuff is expensive for a drugstore facial lotion! But this is also my third bottle in the last year. I have very sensitive skin and this works great and does not leave a weird residue.
Facial Scrub- This stuff is the jam! If I have a breakout coming up or it is already in full effect this scrub cleans my face impeccably! This is my third tube I've finished off in the past two years. I don't use it every day as it's too harsh for a daily scrub but twice a week will do.

Most of the products mentioned I've actually enjoyed using up while the few that I haven't I was glad to be done with!

My hairdresser hates me.

So really, I hope my hairdresser does NOT hate me because we've been friends since I was six. But I am pretty sure she's been frustrated with me from time to time!

If you live locally in the Metro Detroit Area and need someone to save your hair, this girl is it. If she can put up with me and my antics, she can do anything! You can find her at the chic salon of H2O2 in downtown Birmingham, where the mood is inviting and the lighting is perfect.

I may be bias but she does amazing work. 

So here's the history of my hur.

I was born bald. I mean like bald bald. I then grew a few hairs and they were real blonde.  As I grew up they turned to this really mousey, dirty mop-water brown. Not cute.

Flash forward to high school and everyone was using Sun-In. Yeah, I was one of those girls with orange hair because apparently that shit doesn't work on us brunettes very well! So I started dying my hair around the time I was 16. At first it started with high lights, nothing too crazy and then when I went away to college and couldn't afford to keep up with the high lights I started dying my hair myself.

The box dye slowly started getting darker and darker and before I knew it I was picking up the color Jet Black. This all started because I had people tell me I looked like Megan Fox. I really never saw it but I guess it was because of the light blue eyes and dark hair.


By about sophomore year in college I was dying my roots every 4-5 weeks because I couldn't stand the regrowth or fading. I was always trying to keep a tan to make sure I didn't look like I belonged in the Adams family with such dark hair.

I graduated college and a year later became pregnant with Tracen. Shortly after having him I went to get my hair colored and dropped a bomb on my hairdresser. "I think I'd like to go blonde" I said.  It's safe to assume that these were the hormones talking but I was never questioned so we started the bleach washes as we wanted the least amount of damage to occur. I think we did 3 in one sitting and it pretty much didn't do anything. For a few months straight we did these bleach washes and low level stripping to get the YEARS of build up off. I also had this unrealistic idea that I wanted to have blonde hair for my girlfriends wedding I was going to be in, in California, In August.  So I basically gave her about 6 months to make this happen with over 6 YEARS of box dye to get out. She should have told me she just couldn't do it with out making me go bald and I probably would have stopped asking. Or maybe not, who knows. We started to really strip my hair and then tone it. In May I got my job now and started with a dark red hair color. (I interviewed with black hair so they kind of confused when I started!)

I slowly had what I tried telling myself was strawberry blonde hair, and then finally blonde. I  made her make me blonde and regretted it.  I don't even have pictures of this color because it was so short lived.  Here's the thing though, my hair was F-R-I-E-D. I tried pretending it was okay but I knew I had rushed everything. I was being impatient and it wasn't Jamie's fault, it was mine. So after seeing the wedding pictures and hating what I looked like I did what any normal person would do. I bought a box of dye and proceeded to hide from Jamie and not make appointments to come see her.  I was just so embarrassed that I had rushed her along this process. One day I got a text that went something along the lines of:

J: So that picture of you and Tracen on Facebook is cute...how long have you had that box dye on your head?
Me: uhhh....you caught me. I honestly don't know what to say...don't hate me??
J: I thought so. When you are ready come and see me let me know.  I'm not mad but don't ask me to go blonde again missy!

I later went back and got my hair cut and had her dye it with proper hair coloring. Thankfully she allowed me back in the salon and still wanted to be my friend.

Can you guess what happen a few months before I got pregnant with Skylor? I sent her a picture of Rachel Zoe and said, "I think over this next year I want to get to this, can we make it happen?"

Her response was something like, "Chelsea, you are out of your f****** mind again aren't you? Fine... but you KNOW it won't happen right away...what am I going to do with you dude!?" Or maybe she cursed me out, I can't really remember.

Over the past year I let her do her thing, I trusted her fully. We have done everything slow and I've walked out of the salon happy with every stage. Between being pregnant and how I've taken care of my hair, it's been the thickest and longest it's ever been and I owe EVERYTHING to Jamie. I get compliments at work all the time on the color, cut and how beautiful it looks. I get asked if I'm wearing my extensions because it looks that good! I'm thankful that she has stuck by my side even though I may have strayed a time or two.