Hey guys! So today we are gonna chat about a totally new topic: hair. Now I have no expertise in this area what so ever but I thought I would share my experience in searching for the solution to create the perfect loose wavy curls in case anyone is struggling with figuring it out like I was.
Now that I am older, my hair has a natural wave to it. Sometimes it looks amazing and other times not so much. My current hair routine is daily shampoo and conditioner (I am a super oily person so if I don't wash my hair daily, it gets disgusting quick), I also apply Mac V Oil from ends to roots while my hair is still wet, combing through and air drying. If my hair is a hot mess after drying, I just throw it into a bun most days but if it comes out looking amazing I will wear it down.
Natural Hair
My hair coming out looking like that is far and few in between so if I want to make my hair look amazing, I use hot styling tools to create the curls/waves I want but again, sometimes it comes out beautiful and other times a hot mess because I am not hair stylist. I have tried learning the flat iron curling technique and I suck. It has only came out the way I like it once or twice in the two years I have tried to master it so I gave up on that technique (my wrist just won't do the twisting thing) and now I have been trying to experiment with the curling wand. However, I did not want to spend the money on a wand so I just turned my old Conair curling iron into a curling wand by simply removing the clip:
So the iron I have been using, is a 1 inch barrel and while it does the job of creating wavy curls, I feel it is too similar to my natural hair.
Conair Iron
I want more of the big loose wavy curls, they just look more natural to me although the small barrel actually matches my natural hair. Anywho, I just prefer the big look. The first tutorial I watched to try to achieve the look I was aiming for was Jaclyn Hill's Big Voluminous Waves hair tutorial. I loved the loose look she has and one thing I noticed she mentioned in her tutorial that she does that I don't is alternating the direction of how you wrap your hair around the wand with every piece. A tutorial I watched a few months ago when I first started trying my make shift wand only said to curl the left side of your hair over the wand and your right side under the wand. I also noticed the difference in the size of the barrel Jaclyn was using compared to mine and she did mention the iron she uses which is the Bellami 6-in-1 Curler Set. I really wanted to purchase it but umm, $300? No, thanks. So I was back at square one kinda, I knew I needed to try this technique of alternating the direction but I needed a bigger barrel. I decided to check out the Small Things Blog because, well, she is a professional hair stylist and probably knows more than Jaclyn when it comes to hair (no offense Jaclyn, I just can't fork out $300 or even $140 with your discount) and Kate might have better recommendations for which irons to use.
I went to Kate's YouTube channel and watched her Curling Wand Waves tutorial:
While the wand Kate uses in this tutorial is expensive as well, she does give a more affordable option. Which luckily, I got an Ulta gift card for Christmas and used that to purchase the Hot Tools 1.25 inch Curling Wand. I have only used it once and my hair came out perfect plus it only took less than 30 mins. I got the exact look I have been wanting for years. #winning
Hot Tools Wand
I will say that I think the results have to do more than just the size of the barrel although that was the biggest factor. The Hot Tools wand allows my hair to easily glide around the iron whereas with the Conair Iron wasn't as smooth during the styling process and my hair wasn't as smooth afterwards either. So all in all, you do not have to spend a huge chunk of money on a curling wand to get those perfect curls you want. You can still buy a budget friendly option just keep in mind the barrel size and barrel surface.
I decided to document our pregnancy as a way to get all my feelings and emotions out and to later look and remember this beautiful time in our lives. I hope you enjoy if you decide to follow along on this life changing journey. Well, hello 3rd Trimester. It definitely is a pleasure to finally be at the finish line. I cannot believe Little Love will be here in about 12 weeks. AHhh. So excited and nervous and joyful all at the same time. As I doubt I will want to post when the third trimester is over because, well, Little Love will be here and I plan on soaking up all her beauty and enjoying her. So here we are, I will start doing weekly bump date post that will include my everyday bump style as well. After a two week vacation, it has been difficult getting back into the work routine but it helps keep me busy so time can fly. This week has just sped by, we went to our first Bradley Method class (hubby didn't enjoy the birth video part, it was kinda gross not gonna lie) but I enjoyed learning new relaxing techniques and exercises. I have already been doing pregnancy yoga poses although I didn't do them during my vacation because lets get real, vacation is about relaxing. Anywho, I can now incorporate both to help my body get ready to deliver this baby and now Anthony joins me during my exercise/relaxation time so it is a great bonding experience for us. I think it is safe to say, I am still enjoying pregnancy, if not more.
In the beginning of pregnancy, I really struggled with how to stay fashionable while incorporating my new growing accessory (the baby bump). I was able to continue wearing my normal pants for a while by doing the hair tie trick around the button until about 14 weeks. My friend was kind enough to allow me to borrow some of her maternity clothes while I slowly built my collection.
I would definitely say my must was investing in good quality maternity pants. Unfortunately, that means spending money but for me it was worth every penny purchasing maternity pants from Maternity Motherhood instead of Target. I have worn all four of my pants from Maternity Motherhood countless times and have only worn the Target pair like twice. They just are not comfortable to me whereas the Maternity Motherhood pants fit me so perfectly. As for shirts, I have been able to continue wearing most of my normal shirts until recently. I think it was around 25 weeks where only two or three of my normal shirts fit so now I am strictly in maternity besides those few. I have purchased most of my maternity shirts from Goodwill or Ross and I wear the ones my friend is letting me borrow and another friend let me have quite a few.
Of course, I continued to add layers such as cardigans, vests, jackets, statement necklaces, etc. to help create each outfit (thank God my pregnancy has been during the fall/winter season) while I found my pregnancy style. Let's take a look at memory lane of my outfit choices during the second trimester and excuse me while I get emotional seeing my baby bump.
