a tale of 3 hair dryers...

Actually, sort of 4. FOUR hairdryers, ok?

Let me just start this little diatribe off by explaining that my hair? Is not manageable. We’ve touched on this before, but I just need to reiterate that…it’s curly…and frizzy…and two totally different textures on top and underneath so, I am not being a snob when I say I can’t use a Conair dryer from Target, I am speaking out of necessity….I mean, if you want me to be presentable, of course. And I ain’t about going to the stop n’ shop looking like Witch Hazel from the Bugs Bunny cartoons….even though we live in Ronkonkoma so does it matter? Really? I mean, really.

So here we go. Back in December, I decided that my old, trusty Hot Tools whatever dryer, which honestly, had served me well enough, was starting to die a slow, painful death. I cleaned out its lint trap, gave it a kiss….to no avail. It was still blowing lukewarm air, so, clutching my “20% off any item!!!” Ulta coupon (LOVE those things!), I marched right in and picked myself up the sparkly new t3 Veloce I had been stalking for Christmuhkwanzikkuh.

This dryer? Changed my life. and ruined me for other dryers forever. But I didn’t know that…..until it died …five months after I bought it. True story. A $100 hair dryer should have a life expectancy of more than 5 months, am I wrong? But the things it did to my hair…..oh man. It got super, scorching hot. Hot enough to straighten out any krink, tame any cowlick…even on only slightly damp hair! There are magic in those coils…but I was pissed.

Add to this, the fact that at around the 3 month mark, out of nowhere, the director nozzle just started popping off the dryer mid-blow out…so there I was trying to stick this thing back on the nose of my dryer to finish my hair, but it was the temperature of the earth’s core, so I was screaming and burning my fingers and trying to position it on the bathroom rug and just jam the dryer into it without touching it…..like, 8 times every morning, ok?

Sigh.

Whatever. So I threw it in the garbage in a fit of rage and marched right back to Ulta where I purchased this PIECE. OF. JUNK.

It looked like it had potential, right? And it came with a bottle of argan oil, which my hair drinks like a thirsty camel….I was optimistic…..until I got home and tried it out…..

Seriously, I have never in all of my life, used a blow dryer that poofed my hair out the way this one did. The high heat setting was warm, at best and whatever ionic nonsense it was supposedly blowing fluffed up my cuticle so bad my hair was curling in every direction.

I could not return it fast enough. I spent 3 days with my hair air dried (sorry world) waiting for the next hopeful to arrive from Folica.com. I spend lots of hours researching this bad girl….certain that she was the dryer for me…..

The Solia 1875 Thermal Ionic Dryer....

In a word? Nope.

The result was definitely better than that Argan Heat mess, but for a “professional” dryer that retails for over $140? My hair was still course, and poofy. And it did NOT a cowlick tame….

It sounds dramatic, which I have been known to be from time to time, I’ll just be honest….but truly, I felt like crying. It was then that I knew I was ruined for all other dryers and had no choice to march BACK to Ulta, AGAIN, with my tail between my legs, and purchase another t3 Veloce…..

Boy oh boy did it just grind every gear I have. This is SO against my principles. I hold grudges. I stay mad and I am MAD at this company….still mad….

But damn, my hair? Looks fantastic.

7 questions

Do you all know Gentri Lee? You must. She is an absolute doll, and her blog and her instagram just bring a little ray of sunshine to my day whenever she posts.

She hosts a weekly link up called “7 questions” that I just love to read, but for some reason, this is the first week I am participating….but, bring it on, I say!

Her first rule for the link up is that you have to post a silly picture of yourself…so, without further adieu…

And then you answer 7 questions from her...

These are her questions for this week....

1. What is your favorite day of the week and why?


well, see, my favorite day of the week is actually Friday night…I know “Friday night” is not technically a day, I mean, it is, but it’s not if you know what I’m saying? But hear me out…Friday has so much potential. Firday DAY is of moderate suck because of work, but there is still a glimmer of happy to it, since you know the end is near, right? I mean, it sure beats the hell out of Monday DAY. but Friday night….Friday night has a magic all its own. It is the furthest weekend time away from Sunday night, which I dread with a passion only second to that of the dread of Monday morning. Friday means letting out a deep breath, pouring a BIG glass of wine, kicking back on the couch with feet up. it means a little bit later bedtime and a little more sleeping in the next day. Friday night just plain rules.

2. If you decided to change your name, what would you change it to?


you guys are going to think I’ve done lost my mind but you know what? I am really, really feelin’ J. Simps’s baby girl’s name….Maxwell Drew! I know it is a boy’s name, but I love boy’s names for girls. If Benny was a girl, he was going to be Hailey James…I just love the quirky, cool factor, and the irony…so today, I pick Maxwell Drew.

3. What is one product you use (it can be for anything) that you feel is a miracle worker?


I don’t know about miracles, but I am sold on the Orofluido I got in my birchbox a few months ago. Moroccan oil is the bomb.com and this one is better than any I have tried. I love the way it smells, I love the way it feels and it tames my hair better than anything. I use it after I blow dry. Before I blow dry, I use the “It’s a 10” miracle leave in, which is also, somewhat miraculous!

4. High heels, flats, sneakers, or boots?


flats. Or sneakers. Or flat boots. Just as long as I am low to the ground. I bust my ass in anything over 1’’.  Sad.

5. You see your favorite celebrity (it can be any kid of celebrity- movie star, singer, writer, political leader, blogger) walking down the street, what do you do?


oh….heeeeere we go….well, my answer to this question depends on a) which celebrity happened to be walking down the street and b) how many drinks I had consumed before running into said celebrity. Let’s go through the options, shall we? And follow that up with a true story example…..

Lately, I’ve got a wicked crush on Zac Efron. I already know, ok? I should be embarrassed. But I’m not. He’s a stone cold fox…there, I said it. Can we all move on?

Ok, so if I saw Mr. Efron walking down the street, I would get those crazy heart palpitations that come with a panic attack and make your chest sting, and then, like a total creep, I would dart into an alley and just watch him….and then, if he went into any stores or anything, I would probably go into those stores too, once I caught my breath, and pretend like I didn’t even see him, all the while peering at him creepily from behind the racks. I would never talk to him. I suck.

If said celebrity were a blogger…like…oh…say….Ree Drummond, KelleHampton or Beth  Anne I would die on the spot. Once I was done being dead, I would scrape myself up off the floor, pull myself together, tackle her to the ground and smother her with kisses walk up and muster some composure, politely introduce myself, let her know just how much joy her words and ideas and thoughts and stories and pictures brighten my days and bring joy to my life, inspire me, feed my soul with a sense of solidarity… and then I would beg them for pictures, you know, so I could blog about it, and then I’d just mention that the bottom line is I think she kicks ass. Cuz I do….I think we all kick ass. Bloggers are the coolest.

Now….if the celebrity in question is Mr. David Cook, all bets are off….and if it just so happens to be around 1:00 in the morning on a hot, sexy, summer night in Virginia Beach, and I’ve been throwing cocktails back for the last 11 hours…well then….the result might be 5 minutes worth of awkward & absurd flirtatious conversation, a lot of laughs, a kiss on his cheek with one of his whiskers getting stuck in my lipgloss (fact.) and, well, something like this…

Because let it be known that even though the burner is just set to simmer right now, I still love this man and he loves me. We love each other. Forever.

6. If you could pick one item to never have to pay for again, what would it be?


I’m taking a cue from Gentri here and choosing gas. I drive a LOT and it gets expensive and it’s an expense that we’ll have forever, so….gas. that’s my final answer.

7. what was your favorite tv show or movie growing up?

The Brady Bunch….does that make me old? God, I used to love Peter Brady. I would sit in front of the t.v. and kiss his box when it popped up during the opening credits. Dork.

So....go on!!!! go link up with Gentri!

hair products i'm lovin'

Ok, so you probably know me well enough by now to know that I don’t really toot my own horn much, and if I do, it sounds more like a sick, howling moose than a parade on Main St. I’ve been suffering a bout of the old blogger’s block as of late. I feel like the dead of winter is such a rough time for creativity. I don’t want to go outside and take pictures because it is so cold and I’m a California girl and do not tolerate this New York weather crap very cheerfully. I’m most inspired by sunshine and the smell of a charcoal grill cooking up some hot dogs, fireflies at dusk and night blooming jasmine. To each their own, but I just don’t see the romance in muddy week old patches of icy snow and  4 layers of uncomfortable, scratchy clothes. Autumn I can handle. Winter is for the birds.

So, while I am working on my recap of Ben’s party and wracking my brain for inspiration, rather than leave my little space on the internets to the crickets, I thought it would be nice to share with y’all what is working for me this winter as far as hair products go! I have been on the search for the perfect “recipe” for as long as I can remember. My hair is naturally curly. Unmanageable at best….downright nightmare at worst. I bring you,  Roseanne Roseannadanna.

love you, Gilda.

I’ve tried product after product hoping to emerge from the shower with Carrie Underwood hair too many times to count.

Failure. Always.

As far as shampoos and regular conditioners go, honestly, besides Kerastase which makes my hair feel like silk and costs as much as my car, I don’t notice a difference between the Pantene I buy at Target or the Aveda my husband brings home from work. I really don’t. I’m sorry. But lately, I’ve been getting a lot of pretty dramatic compliments when I manage to drag my ass to the shower and actually wash my hair (the days are few and far between folks, sad to say)….At first, of course, I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about, but then I saw this picture my friend took at Ben’s party and honestly, it’s not Carrie hair, but for me, I think it came out pretty ok…who knew??

I guess it’s been looking like this whenever I do it lately?…so…yeah. That’s my horn toot/sick, wailing moose howl.

so what has changed, you ask? a few things. Here is what is working for me...

1. Bumble & Bumble Creme de Coco Masque

2. It's a 10 Miracle Leave in with Keratin

3. T3 Veloce Featherweight Hair Dryer

4. Redken Real Control Slim Supreme

5. Orofluido

The B&B Creme de Coco Masque was a sample I got in my November Birchbox and I fell in love immediately. Luckilly, the hubs works for the Estee Lauder Companies which own Bumble & Bumble or else that little hair snack would be out of my budget, but let me tell you something girls, it is worth every penny of the retail price. It smells like summer and makes your hair feel....well...healthy. it's awesome. Once a week.

I was using the regular It's a 10 Miracle Leave In and I loved it....till I tried the one with keratin. The regular stuff is great, the keratin will blow off your socks. and it smells like candy. Bonus!

My new hairdryer, the T3 Veloce, was a little splurge, but I got it at Ulta with my 20% off coupon as a Christmas present to myself since my rickety, 5 year old Hot Tools dryer was jam packed full of lint and dying a slow and tortured death. It has made a HUGE amount of difference.

I read about the Redken Slim Supreme on The Small Things Blog, which i found, like everyone else on the planet, through Pinterest. It's a cute blog with about a million great hair tips and recommending this stuff was one of them. Of all the "ingredients" in my hair “recipe”, I think this one probably the one I would omit first if I had to cut something out, but I still like it so for now, it stays.

And finally, Orofluido. Another Birchbox find. This stuff....this stuff....is the nectar of the Gods. It is. I preach the truth. Of all the things on this list, THIS is what seals the deal. Really, I hate to be a pusher, but buy this stuff right now. I'm serious. I used to use the Moroccan Oil and it was fine and everything, but this random Orofluido stuff that I had never heard of before Birchbox dropped it into my lap wrapped in pink tissue on the wings of an angel, has changed the way my hair will look forevvvvar!!! And i lurve it.

So. Try this stuff if you want to, I love all of it. And if you use it too, or try it and love it, or try it and hate it, or use something else you want to tell me about that you think will work better, or if you just think my hair looks like shit and I should shut my piehole, go ahead and tell me about it! I'd love to hear!!

p.s. This is not a sponsored post. I received no compensation for pushing these products on you. I just wanted to share stuff I like.