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Beauty: Garnier Olia Haircolour Experience

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After chopping my locks last September, I’ve been itching for another change. My hair was looking dull, lifeless, and in the words of le boyfriend – wiry. Yikes! So when I was offered to try Garnier’s new Olia haircolour, I jumped at the chance as it couldn’t have come at a better time!

I arrived at the L’Oreal Academy in Toronto ready to update my look for spring and learn about Olia. And though my colour experience wasn’t very traditional (every step of the way was filmed), after dying it, I am a total at-home haircolour convert!

Since I haven’t had much at-home colouring experience, Garnier’s Nina Farrauto kindly answered all of my pressing questions and calmed my nerves. Is my haircolour going to look like the picture on the box? Yup. What’s so different about Olia? It’s an ammonia-free and powered by oil, “which visibly improves the quality of hair to reverse roughness and dullness for more brilliant, dimensional colour and softer, shinier hair with bounce”. Will it make my hair look shinier and healthier? Yes and yes!

After my consultation, I picked my favourite shade (light ash brown) and began colouring. Mixing the colour was super easy: twist, squeeze, mix, shake…kind of like a cocktail…and it smelled great too! And the pretty (ergonomic) bottle made it quick and easy and added to the fancy factor of the kit. I also loved Olia’s no-drip formula — it was nice not having to constantly wipe my face and neck. Oh, and did I mention that it smelled fantastic?! The usual chemical odour was replaced with a fruity fragrance instead.

Thirty minutes later, with my hair rinsed and conditioned, I peeked at the mirror for the final reveal — and squealed with joy! My new hair was vibrant, shiny and healthy. And boy, was it soft! Someone even told me that it feels like a bunny! And weeks later, it’s just as soft.

Thanks to Garnier Olia, I went from dull and blah to shiny and vibrant in 30 minutes and for under $13! I’ve since recommended it to a few friends and family and have only heard great responses! So if you want to get rid of dullness, greys or just update your look, Olia won’t let you down.

So tell me, have you tried the new Garnier Olia haircolour yet? Share your hair stories in the comments!

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Garnier via Glam Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Garnier.

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Style Blog, March 13th 2013 | Tags: Beauty, Garnier, Garnier Olia, Hair, Olia, Shopping
Posted in Beauty, Shopping

Beauty: Chopping it Off

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I’ve been staring at this photo of Keira Knightley for at least 10 minutes now, and I think I’m in love…with her hair and makeup. Of course, it helps that she looks the way she does, but also, I’m totally into those highlights, layers, red lip, lined eyes…so good! Well done, Allure! Well done!

And though I don’t have Keira’s stunning face, I am still loving my new shorter do, which was originally cut by the uber-talented Alain Larivee of John Frieda during TIFF, and then most recently by Fouad at the Tony Chaar Salon. I went from “past the boob” hair to “past the chin” cut, and I have never loved it more. There’s something really kick-ass about having shorter hair, and it feels really good, and fun, and free. It was almost as if I got a boost of confidence the moment my long locks hit the floor.

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More after the jump!

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Style Blog, November 15th 2012 | Tags: Alain Larivee, Alexa Chung, Allure, Beauty, Celebrity Fashion, Hair, Hanneli Mustaparta, John Frieda, Keira Knightley, Miroslava Duma, Olivia Palermo, Tony Chaar Salon, Trends
Posted in Beauty, Celebrity Fashion, Trends

Beauty: Girls’ Night In With John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

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I don’t know about you, but colouring my hair at home is not one of my favorite things to do. It’s messy, and the usual at-home hair colour kits don’t do a very good job. So when John Frieda hair care challenged me to try their new foam hair product, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The new John Frieda Precision Foam Colour promised to provide “salon-quality results” in 24 flattering shades, without the annoying drips and stains the usual home colouring kits leave behind. Luckily, my friend Aleyda wanted to freshen up her hair, and was up for the challenge.

After selecting her perfect shade, Al was ready to get started. Having coloured her hair at home for a while now, I knew she’d be able to tell me how good (or not) the product was, and I couldn’t wait to find out.

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The John Frieda Precision Foam Colour kit included a pair of salon-quality black gloves, a bottle of developer and colour agent, as well as a handy (and generous) bottle of after-colour conditioner, along with glossy (and very thorough) instructions. It was clearly stated what we needed to do to achieve best results, and what actions we had to avoid altogether. I watched as Aleyda mixed bottles #1 and #2, tilting bottle #1 exactly 5 times (I’m telling you, the instructions were very specific). She then applied some lotion around her hairline, put on her fancy gloves, and we were ready to get started!

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Once the solution was mixed, it was time to foam it up! Instead of pumping, the instructions advised us to squeeze the bottle, and like magic (ok, not magic, but still pretty cool), the foam came out nice and foamy…and it smelled great too.

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Al parted her hair, and began to apply the foam to her roots first, moving on to the rest of the hair as she coloured.

Continue reading after the jump!

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Style Blog, March 8th 2012 | Tags: Beauty, Hair, John Frieda, Shopping
Posted in Beauty, Shopping

Beauty: Feather Hair Extensions

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This summer, I got to try the latest hair trend that everyone seemed to be crazy about – feather hair extensions. Though I was initially skeptical, I let the pros from Donato Salon do their magic, and just like that, 5 minutes later, I had a bird in my hair! Ok, not a bird per se…but a couple of fun turquoise feathers peeking out from my mane. My extensions were bonded to my natural hair, and lasted the entire summer – through many washes, cuts, etc…I could even curl them with a curling iron if I wanted to. How awesome is that?

Now that the summer is over, you can still rock those pretty feathers in your hair, but perhaps for the cooler months, it’s best to stick to more subdued colors (I’m think of adding some brownish-yellow feathers to my hair for fall). The cool thing is – you can change-up your look as much or as little as you want. A couple of thin feathers attached to your hair could give a quick and easy update to your do, without having to resort to something as radical as actually coloring your hair. And if you are handy with the tools (or even if you’re not), it’s actually pretty simple to DIY too!

Here are the quick steps to adding some flair to your hair:

1. Place feather extension bead onto your loop tool.

2. Part out at the location at where you want your hair feathers to sit and grab about ten strands of hair and thread through the loop tool. Remember that the feather stem and your strands of hair have to fit through the bead.

3. Slide the bead off of the loop tool onto your hair and hold bead in place very close to scalp.

4. Place your finger under the bead to make room for your feathers.

5. Place stems of hair feathers into bead.

6. Clamp down to flatten bead around feather stems.

7. Gently tug on your feathers, they should not slide off. If the feathers are sliding, clamp harder to assure a tight bead fit.

8. If needed, trim off excess feather stem above bead so it doesn’t poke scalp.

9. Voila! You’re done.

For more info on feather hair extensions, or to buy the necessary tools, check out www.featherhairextensions.com.

Photo Credits: 1 – Vivid Salon Spa; 2 – Feather Hair Extensions; 3 – A Little Girl Talk; 4 – Fashion Toast

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Style Blog, October 27th 2011 | Tags: Beauty, Feather Hair Extensions, Hair, Shopping
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Shopping

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…?

The above picture is sheer horror. I mean, not everyone would even know what the hell that even is. But to the savvy few, I am sure this sight will give nightmares for nights to come.

If you’re into my polling obsession, please take the poll below to see if you know what the above thing is. If you hate polls with a passion and they make you want to stab at your eyes, jump to find out without the annoying voting.

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Style Blog, July 21st 2010 | Tags: Britney Spears, Faux Pas, Hair, Polls
Posted in Celebrity Fashion, Fashion, Faux Pas

What I Wore: On Top Of The World

I absolutely LOVE weekend brunch! Which could be one of the reasons why I’m in such a dire need of hitting the gym lately. Last Saturday, my girlfriends and I checked out a new brunch spot on Church St. that served yummy Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast…ahhh…so good (Foodie post is coming soon)! And after the gluttonous, but oh-so-delicious get-together, shopping was in order. So Al and I hit up a few shops for some shoes and office clothing (yeah, we like to live on the edge!). I’d say that shopping was a success, with 2 pairs of Aldo shoes in the bag, some Sephora goodies, a Jacob dress, and a couple of small canvases to paint something for my newborn nephew – probably a baby Tigger!

The weather was somewhat cool, and that was probably why I kept getting hot and cold throughout the day, having to take off my coat, only to put it back on in a few minutes. And now, I am rewarded with a major pain in the butt cold! Well, not literally pain in the butt…more like pain in the throat, head, eyeballs, chest, and everywhere else, including hair! I love spring as much as the next person, but this flip-floping has got to stop! Sounding like a man really doesn’t work well for me. Happy Tuesday, from my couch!

I Wore: Denim Shorts, Striped Shirt, Tights, Scarf, Shoes – H&M; Leopard Coat, Boyfriend Blazer – Zara; Bracelet – The Bay; Earrings – Chanel

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Style Blog, April 20th 2010 | Tags: Braids, Chanel, H&M, Hair, Organic Style, Street Style, Stripes, The Bay, What I Wore, Zara
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Organic Style, What I Wore

Hair Love

Today, I decided to put my hair up and wear it in a milk-maid braid, sort of like this Oscar de la Renta model, except more messy and without a scarf tied in. I really want to learn how to incorporate a ribbon into my braid without ripping out all of my hair in frustration. Perhaps I’ll do it this weekend and will post later on. Any tips would be appreciated. Happy Friday, lovelies!

Photo Credits: www.bellasugar.com