Review: Foxy Locks Clip In Hair Extensions

 

Hair extensions. They can be a hit or a major miss. They can either make you feel like a glorious mermaid or leave you looking like Mrs Twit. For a while, I was beginning to feel like the latter so I decided it was time to invest in a new set. I have been wearing clip in extensions for about eight years. I don't wear them every day (ain't nobody got time for that) but I love having extensions to wear on nights out or special occasions as they can make such a big difference to your look. I have seen my fair share, both good and bad, but Foxy Locks are a brand that I always come back to. There are four different types of extensions on the Foxy Locks website. Regular, deluxe, superior and luxurious. I bought the deluxe set which are 165g and contain eight wefts of 20 inch hair. Previously, I had been using the regular set but I decided to opt for the deluxe this time as my hair is quite thick even though its short. You can choose your set depending on how much volume you want but just bare in mind that the prices differ depending on the weight of the hair. The prices on the website are in British Sterling but my deluxe set worked out at €132.15, including postage. I know, this is an awful lot of money to spend on hair but good quality extensions are going to be expensive no matter where you go. These extensions took about four days to arrive after I ordered them. Although I love this brand, my only criticism is that the packaging looks pretty cheap. When it arrived I was thinking 'I did not spend over 100 quid for some rolled up Barbie doll hair!' I would prefer if they came in a box or packet that could be used for storing your extensions after you've worn them.

I have bought extensions from Foxy Locks about three or four times and I have always been delighted with them. Because I have brightly coloured hair, it's almost impossible for me to find a set of extensions to match my own colour. Usually I have to dye them myself so synthetic hair is out of the question. This is what drew me to Foxy Locks in the first place. Their extensions are made from 100% human hair so they can be dyed and styled using heated tools. I chose the shade Hollywood Blonde as I wanted a light blonde colour which would easily take to the red hair dye. If you have natural coloured hair then you should be able to easily find a shade to match as there are plenty to choose from on the website.

Dying hair extensions can be a stressful and messy task but unfortunately it has to be done. To dye my extensions I used the Revlon Nutri Color Creme in the shade 600 (Fire Red). This is the same colour that I use on my own hair and I can't recommend it enough. This hair colour acts as a deep conditioning treatment so it makes your hair feel so soft and smooth as well as giving a vibrant shine. I usually get mine from a local salon but you can also pick them up from most beauty supply stores or online on www.beautybay.com. The dye is meant to be used on damp hair so I washed my extensions with shampoo before applying the colour.

When dying my extensions, I lay them out on sheets of tinfoil and literally just paint the colour onto them. It's a messy process but this is what works for me. I would advise wearing gloves and old clothes while doing this as red hair dye just seems to go everywhere! After washing the shampoo out of my extensions, I brush them to get rid of any knots or tangles. I dye each weft separately so it can be quite time consuming but I find that it gives the best results and it ensures that the colour is evenly distributed. After laying down each weft on a sheet of tinfoil, I pour the dye into an old mixing bowl and start brushing the colour onto the hair using a root touch-up brush. (You can pick these up from Boots or Deals) Once I've completely covered one side of the weft, I flip it over and do the same on the other side. It's a good idea to separate the hair to make sure you haven't missed any strands of blonde hair. When the entire weft is evenly dyed, I then cover it with another sheet of tinfoil and set it aside. I then continue this process with each individual weft until they're all done.

I usually leave the dye in my extensions for about an hour to an hour and a half. You can wash it out earlier if you want but this is just my personal preference as I think it gives a more vibrant result. Once you've washed out the dye, you can either dry them with a hairdryer or leave them to dry naturally. I didn't have time to let mine dry naturally as I wanted to wear them later that day so I chose to blow dry them myself. If you are using heated tools on your hair, its always a good idea to use some sort of heat protection spray. I use the John Frieda Frizz Ease Heat Defence spray and to be honest I'm not sure if it actually works but I suppose it's better than nothing!

 

After my extensions were completely dry, I then clipped them in and styled them with my own hair. You can style them separately if you like but I prefer to do it with my natural hair as I think it makes it a bit easier to blend them together. Clipping in the extensions is fairly easy and even though they are quite heavy I didn't feel like the clips were pulling on my natural hair and weighing it down. When clipping in the extensions I usually section my hair and start with the longest wefts at the bottom and the shorter ones more closer to the top. It's pretty hard to explain in writing but there are some great YouTube tutorials which show how to clip them in properly. (Because I'm probably clipping them in arseways to be completely honest!) When I first put these extensions in I was genuinely amazed by how thick and soft they were. I had previously worn the deluxe extensions from Foxy Locks but they definitely weren't as thick as this. These extensions are on another level! To style them, I just added a few loose curls using a one inch curling iron and brushed them out with my fingers.

Overall, I am absolutely delighted with these hair extensions. The quality is amazing and they feel so thick and full and really gave my hair a new lease of life. I may have to bring them to a hairdresser to have them trimmed a bit to match my own hair but other than that they are perfect. I know, they are pretty expensive but I definitely think that they are well worth the money and, when it comes to extensions, you get what you pay for. I would highly recommend Foxy Locks to anyone interested in buying clip in extensions. I know, some people might think that they're a bit much but I personally love having the option to have long hair and change it up a bit whenever the mood strikes me. Whether you plan to wear them every day or just save them for special occasions, there is so much that you can do with these extensions and they really add an extra bit of glamour to your look. See more information at www.foxylocks.com

Executuve Ariel Cosplay

 

 

 

I have always loved dressing up. I love creating costumes and I live for Halloween, fancy-dress parties and any other excuse to dress up like my favourite characters. For a long time, I have been really interested in cosplay and have followed lots of different cosplayers on social media. I was blown away by their skills and creativity and I always thought that I would love to do it myself. I suppose my main worry was always the amount of money it would cost to buy and make costumes. It goes without saying that some of the materials and wigs can be pretty pricey. However, cosplay doesn't always have to be expensive and some of the best cosplay ideas that I've seen have actually been quite simple looks. I decided that there was no point in holding back anymore and I may as well give it a try and see what I could come up with.

 

There are so many characters from films and TV that I love and I'm always looking out for new costume ideas. For this look, I chose my go-to Disney gal, Ariel. I suppose my initial interest in doing this look stemmed from the fact that I wouldn't have to wear a wig as my hair is already red! However, I have seen so many unique Ariel cosplay looks and I think she is a character that you can really have a lot of fun with. Disney princesses are so well-known and I always love when cosplayers take these traditional looks and put their own unique spin on them. One of my favourite cosplayers Ashlynne Dae has done a whole collection of Disney princess/Princess Leia crossovers which have been absolutely fantastic. (Check her out on Instagram @ashlynnedae)

 

For this look, I was inspired by my love of vintage style. I had initially planned on doing a pin-up style Ariel but decided to try something a bit different and go for a more sophisticated business look as it's something I had never seen before. The style of clothing for this look was heavily inspired by the character Joan Holloway in the TV series Mad Men. I love Joan's office looks and I thought it would be really fun to mix this up with Ariel's purple/green colour scheme.

 

 

The outfit itself is pretty simple but I think the colours really make it stand out. It was so hard to find a green pencil skirt so I had to settle for a jersey midi-skirt which works just as well. For the top half, I went for a purple peplum-style blazer with a purple vest top underneath. I really like the peplum look as it looks a bit like mermaid fins! I wore nude heels with this but seeing as Ariel doesn't wear shoes, you don't have to stick to one colour and you could wear any shoes that you like!

 

For my accessories, I kept it pretty simple again and tried to stay in keeping with the whole office theme. My glasses are retro cat-eye glasses that I got on Ebay a few years ago and I thought these gave the outfit a quirky touch. I didn't want to go over the top with jewellery, as Ariel doesn't wear any in the film, but I did throw on a fake pearl necklace that I found in one of my old jewellery boxes. To complete the look, I added my beloved holographic shell bag as well as Ariel's trusty dinglehopper!

I am not skilled in the styling department but Ariel's look is fairly easy to recreate. For the hair, I loosely curled the ends and then swept my hair over to the side to create Ariel's signature side fringe. (I wear clip-in hair extensions but they were not co-operating with me on this occasion!) For eye makeup, I kept it simple as the main focus of this look is the red lip colour. I wore a coral colour on my lids with a very slight cat-eye liner and a highlight on my brow bone. The eye shadow wasn't really that important as I ended up wearing massive false lashes so you could barely see it anyway! For the lips, I used Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in the shade Santa Sangre to achieve a vibrant red pout. This look is super simple and there are no specific products or materials that you need to create it. There are lots of great makeup tutorials on YouTube that can give you some inspiration but this look is open to interpretation so use whatever you have and whatever you think looks good on you!

What I Wore:

Blazer: Ebay
Vest: Boohoo
Skirt: Boohoo
Glasses: Ebay
Bag: Skinnydip London



 

Glad I'm Not a Teen in 2017

 

 



I am a self-confessed social media addict and have no shame in admitting that I am never off my phone. I like to think that I am fairly aware of whatever the current internet trends are but recently I heard a term that I had never come across before, 'Instagram Baddie'. Most of you have probably heard this before but I was genuinely clueless. Upon further inspection (i.e. trawling through Google and Urban Dictionary) I realised that I did know what an Instagram Baddie was, I just didn't know that there was an actual word for it! To break it down (in my wildly uncool language) an Instagram Baddie is a term used to describe the beautiful people on Instagram who have perfect hair and makeup, designer clothes and pretty much everything else that vaguely resembles a Kardashian. If you use social media, there's no doubt that you have come across people like this before. Scrolling through my Instagram explore page, amongst my suggested posts of chihuahuas and drag queens, I see photo after photo of beautiful young girls, some of who are only fifteen or sixteen.

This got me thinking about how influential social media has become in recent years and how different things are compared to when I was a teenager. Although I'm not exactly the Crypt Keeper (I'll be 24 this year!) my teenage years can be summed up in an array of choppy layered hairstyles, smudged black eyeliner and Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse. Compared to teenagers nowadays, my style seems like an absolute shambles but I can't help but feel glad that I got to live out my awkward teenage years in a slightly more simpler time. Here is why I'm glad that I'm not a teenager in 2017...

 

Social Media

When I was a teenager (I'm talking fourteen or fifteen) social media was still in it's early days and certainly was not the glorious hub of communication that it is today. Before the days of dog filters and Whatsapp groups, Bebo and MSN were the big ballers of social media where friendships lived and died by the prestigious ranking of the 'Top 16'. Self-image was portrayed to the world in an over exposed webcam photo which was edited beyond recognition with sparkly writing and flashing frames. Although these seem like Mesolithic cave markings compared to the Vogue-style selfies that dominate the internet today, there is a part of me that is thankful that my spotty teenage self has not been preserved in any sort of HD image.  

 

 

 

Nowadays, teenagers have a world of communication at their fingertips and there is an app for almost everything. Back in the day, before everyone had mobile data and more than 15 cent credit, MSN instant messenger was the most high-tech form of communication that we had. Hours were spent thinking of the most perfect tagline (usually some sort of cringey song lyric) before you heard the familiar 'ping' sound as your crush came online and you waited like a shark in shallow water for them to write to you.

 

 

 

Although the internet has progressed so much since, I couldn't be happier that my teenage years happened before Snapchat came on the scene. There was a pleasant sense of simplicity as you chatted with your friends using actual words (and those little MSN emoticons) as your spot covered, hormonal little ass was hidden behind a computer screen. These days, those awkward back-and forth conversations are exchanged through selfies and somehow I don't think that the old 'can't talk, my webcam is broke' excuse would cut it in 2017.

 

Hair & Makeup

In 2017, when everyone and their dog claims to be a 'MUA', it seems like makeup has taken over the world. There is a constant stream of new makeup trends and just when we think we know it all, a new product comes along and we wonder how we ever lived without it (I'm looking at you Beauty Blender). There is no denying that social media has played a huge role in the evolution of makeup, with bloggers and YouTube gurus sharing their skills through online tutorials. Nowadays, anyone with internet access is able to get beauty tips from the pro's and teenage girls, who should be in their peak stages of spotty, greasy awkwardness, are going around like contoured, cut-creased goddesses. Throw it back to when I was a teen, when makeup consisted of black-lined eyes, spider leg mascara and foundation that was either too light or too dark for your skin tone. Highlighter was unheard of and eyebrows had not yet achieved the social status they hold today. When it came to brows, you either rocked a uni-brow or over plucked them to the point that they looked like sperm cells.

 

 

 

 

It's not only makeup that has witnessed a revolution in recent years, hair has also seen a dramatic change with long, shiny locks replacing the once prestigious style of the spikey mullet. What was it with the early 2000s and layers? Seriously, it seemed like every hairstyle consisted of some formation of layers and/or highlights. When I was a teenager, the coveted hairstyle was the 'scene kid' hair or 'mullet', identified as either depending on what sort of group you were in. This style was made up of a mass of short layers on top with two thin pieces of hair hanging down either side. People backcombed their hair until it looked like a dead animal and it seemed like the more unnatural  it looked, the better. These days, layers have been tossed in favour of long, Kardashian style hair and teenage girls look like the just walked straight out of a L'Oreal ad.

 

 

 

Looking back now, we really didn't have a clue and, without guidance from beauty gurus, our makeup tutorials came in the form of watching our equally clueless friends smearing on their dream matte mousse in the school toilets. There is no denying that teens look a lot better now than they did then, but there is a part of me that's slightly relieved I missed all of this. Although I am eternally grateful for the technique of contouring, which has made me look less like the moon face emoji, I am glad that I didn't have to worry about all that when I was a teenager. As far as we were concerned, we slathered on our foundation with our fingers, straightened our side fringes and that was as good as it got. I long for a time in my life when I didn't feel obliged to apply twenty different products to my face before I left the house. My white foundation and black lined eyes may have made me look like Michael Myer's Halloween mask, but I lived in blissful ignorance.

 

 

Fashion

I know that every generation looks back at their teenage fashion and asks 'what the hell were we thinking?', but seriously, what the hell were we thinking?! Unlike today's fashion, which is dictated by social media and it's trend-setters, we really just wore a mish-mash of shite. Remember those weird slip on shoes and colourful beads? What was that all about? Where did these trends come from?! I know that some of them stemmed from the early days of social media, like the whole 'scene kid' look, but there were some fashion styles that really just existed in a league of their own. Ra-ra skirts with leggings underneath, hair bows, Ugg Boots, the 2000s really was an absolute dog's dinner when it came to fashion.

 

 

 

Flash forward to the present day, where fashion bloggers reign supreme and celebrity endorsements dictate the latest trends. Scrolling through my Instagram feed, I see photo after photo of beautiful, stylish young girls who look like they just stepped straight off a private jet from Paris Fashion Week. These days, wearing designer labels is considered the norm whether it be clothing, shoes, jewellery or makeup. Social media has broken down the barrier between celebrities and us common folk and now their lifestyles don't seem like something that is completely out of reach. With the likes of Kylie Jenner and Ariana Grande as the teen idols of today, keeping up with the trends can end up costing a fortune. When Yeezy runners, Gucci watches and YSL bags are what's on trend, it ain't cheap to be 'on fleek'!

 

 

 

Body Image

Every generation has its trends and the concept of the 'ideal' body shape is something that has changed a lot over the years. In the 50s, they had the voluptuous curves of Marilyn Monroe, the 90s saw Kate Moss and her supermodel posse flaunt the 'heroine chic' look and in 2017 the coveted body shape seems to be that of a bloody cartoon character. I may sound like such an old witch when I say this, but what is the story with the bizarre tiny waist/big arse combination that seems to be so on-trend right now? The Kardashians brought big bums into mainstream fashion and they make no secret of the fact that they use waist trainers to achieve their hourglass figures.

 

 

 

 

 

I know, people can look however they want and I'm not condemning anyone who chooses to do this. It would be incredibly naïve to think that everyone should be happy with how they look and shouldn't want to change their body shape but all I wonder is how safe all these new 'weight loss' techniques really are? You can't go through your newsfeed without being bombarded with  advertisements for these new 'skinny minny, big booty' diet teas which claim to give you your dream body. Now call me sceptical, but somehow I don't think that sipping on a cup of green sludge is going to give me an arse like Kim K.

 

 

 

I wouldn't say that I'm 100% happy with my body (hardly anyone is) but, on some level, I like to think that I have some sort of cop on. I have no desire to run the guts out of myself by drinking magic weight loss potions but there are plenty of people who feel that this is something they need to do. I don't want to tar everyone with the same brush but it is an unfortunate fact of life that teenage girls can be very impressionable. It's a time in your life when you feel so awkward and everyone is trying to figure out their own self-image. So if you're feeling like a boiled shite and some beautiful toned fitness model flashes up on your Instagram telling you that if you drink this tea you can look like her then of course you're going to be curious. I'm incredibly lucky that I managed to make it through my teenage years without ever having to worry about a 'thigh-brow' but unfortunately things are very different these days. I wish I had some divine words of wisdom to end this post with but, after writing this, I feel even more confused than I did before! Looking back on my teenage years, we really did think that we knew it all. Our mullet hairstyles and patchy tan were the centre of our universe and our selfies lay untouched by Instagram filters. Every generation has it's trends and while most of them fizzle away into the past, there are some that manage to stick around. I'm sure that some day, when I'm eighty five and my wrinkles are highlighted to the max, I will fondly look back on when I was in my twenties and realise that I looked just as shite as I did in my teens, only with better eyebrows.

 

 



Six Lessons I've Learned From Having Red Hair

Apart from the dreaded question of “What are you going to do with your degree?”, my most frequently asked questions are usually regarding my hair. “Is it hard to keep?”, “How often do you dye it?”, “Does it cost a lot of money?” (Someone even once asked me if this was my natural hair colour…) As anyone who has dyed hair will know, maintaining bright colours can often be, for lack of a better phrase, a pain in the arse. As the great Dolly Parton once said “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap” In my case it costs a lot of willpower and dry shampoo to look like a Disney character at the ripe old age of 23. Here is a list of six things that I’ve learned from having bright red hair…

1. For the love of God, don't bleach your hair at home

Like many other millennials, most of my hair and makeup skills have been acquired through the glorious beacon of YouTube Beauty Gurus (You know, those beautiful people who make everything look sooo effortless and give you hope that your ratchet ass could one day be as fantastic as they are) This has resulted in many tried and tested home hairdressing jobs which usually left me wallowing in self-pity as I realised I would never turn my Mia Wallace bob into a pastel pink unicorn mane (no matter how easy the tutorial looked!)

 

 

Unlike Pinterest boards or Kylie Jenner would have you believe, it is almost impossible to dye your hair from black to blonde in one go.  It is a gradual process which involves burning bleach and various shades of sludgey orange. Bleaching your hair is serious business, especially if you have fine or damaged hair. Although it can be pricey, it’s definitely something that should be left to the professionals unless you want half of your hair to disintegrate and fall out (believe me, I’ve been there)

2. It doesn't last long

It may sound silly but that maintaining bright colours can sometimes feel like a full-time job. Having red hair can be tough as it is one of the hardest colours to manage as the dye starts to fade after just one wash. Luckily for me, I manage to get a few days out of my hair before it starts to get greasy which suits me perfectly as I am lazy af and can usually only commit to washing my hair once a week (twice if I’m feeling particularly energetic) This does help my colour to last longer but I still have to touch it up about once a week. As I have better things to be doing than washing my hair every day, like doing Buzzfeed quizzes that tell you what type of tampon you are, dry shampoo has become my lord and saviour. I rely on it so much that I should genuinely have shares in Batiste at this stage. People often compliment me on my hair and tell me it looks so vibrant and fresh, little do they know it hasn’t been washed in days and if you get too close you can get the faint smell of the Dominos garlic dough balls I had the other night. 

 

3. Your bathroom will look like a crime scene

Applying your colour at home is a process that does get easier after you’ve done it a few times but if you’re anything like me, by that I mean a complete slob, then it is inevitable that you will wreck the gaf. Red hair dye does not agree with white tiling and I have stained the grout in my shower so much that it permanently looks like the bathroom in Cabin One at the Bate’s Motel.

 

 

 

The same goes for your pillows, bed sheets, white clothes or pretty much anything that comes in contact with your newly coloured hair. If I was a superhero (or more likely a super villain) my calling card would be a little red patch on a white pillowcase.  I do not consider myself a perfectionist when it comes to anything other than consuming an entire spice bag in under ten minutes, so when it comes to dying my hair I pretty much just slather it all over my head and hope for the best. Because of this I usually have red stains all over my neck, ears, arms and any other exposed body part. This is a problem that could probably be easily solved by taking the proper precautions and covering myself with a towel or something but that would require way too much effort for my lazy ass.

 

4. The elements are your enemy

When you have red hair, getting caught in the rain without an umbrella is no longer just a mild inconvenience. It will have you running and cowering in fear like the Wicked Witch of The West when she sees Dorothy coming with the bucket. Holidays become a lot more stressful as swimming pools, water parks and any other water based activities suddenly seem like nuclear war zones.  Paddling around with your head above water is about as much fun as you’ll get unless you’d rather rock a rubber swimming cap.

So now that water is out of the question, you turn to your old (and rarely spotted) friend, Mr Sun. So maybe the swimming pool is out of the question but you can always relax by the pool and sunbathe, right? WRONG! Sun exposure is damaging to all hair types but it especially does not agree with dyed hair at all. As Ireland hasn’t seen the sun in 1000 years, this doesn’t pose a problem but when travelling to hotter climates, your luxurious red locks will be pulverised to peach fuzz.


5. Your colour palette is limited

The whole concept of matching your hair with your outfit sounds like a good idea on paper but red clothes usually do you no favours at all. This depends on what shade your hair is in comparison to the colour of the outfit, and many beautiful red heads have slayed this look on the red carpet. However, when I wear red I look less like Jessica Rabbit and more like that Snapchat filter that turns your head into a giant tomato. The same goes for pink and purple. Some daring fashionistas might be able to pull off this look but I personally just end up looking like that dog in the stripy onesie. Not only clothes but pink/purple lipsticks are also a no go area for me. I’m sure there is a way of creating some sort of complimentary red hair/pink lips look, but I have the makeup skills of a caveman so I will save myself the disappointment.

6. People love a good chat

It goes without saying that having brightly coloured hair does attract attention when you’re out in public. Although a lot of the time this comes in the form of compliments from nice old women and curious kids, you do get some obnoxious assholes who single you out like you’re in a freak show. Red hair also seems to act as a flashing neon sign that welcomes strangers to you when you’re out in the pub. Honestly, I don’t know what it is but people seem to think that when you have bright hair that you’re up for all sorts of divilment. You get people striking up conversations with you by calling out “Howiya redzer!” or the more straightforward “Looka her hayor!” as they mosey on over to you like they just spotted Ronald McDonald handing out free balloons. In these cases, a gesture of well-intended craic often ends up with them spilling their life story out to you in the corner of a beer garden at two in the morning while you sit and contemplate becoming a brunette…