From My Vanity

Beauty, Skincare, and a bit of Lifestyle

Search Results for: label/Hairstyling with NuMe

The (Much Anticipated) FINAL ‘Hairstyling with NuMe’ Tutorial!

23 Comments

Yes! It’s finally here! I am so sorry that this post took over a month after my marriage, but…I won’t bore you with excuses. I promise you, though, I’ve been keeping super busy moving into our new home and settling on the other side of the United States with my new hubby. 😀

There’s going to be a lot of information in this post, so let’s just get right in with the final ‘Hairstyling with NuMe’ post!

Wedding Hairstyle Tutorial

First off, before we get into the fun information, let’s talk about my wedding hair. As those of you who’ve been following my blog for a while know, I styled my own hair for my wedding using the NuMe Titan3 curling wand set. And it turned out FABULOUS! So here’s how I did it. 🙂

Step 1: Curl!

As always, I like to start with curling my hair so that I have a lot of body in my style when I pin my hair up. 🙂 I used the smallest barrel out of the Titan3 set and it worked wonders at giving my awesome, long-lasting curls!

Step 2: Braid the Right Side & Pin

Okay, so what I wanted to do was combine both braids and twists into this curly hairstyle. So I decided to do a french braid starting near the front, right hairline and adding hair all the way back until I got just past my ear. From there, I just continued with a regular braid until I was almost at the end.

Then I laid my braid back against my hair and pinned it in place. I made sure to taper of the braid just before I got to the left side. Don’t worry about securing the braid with a pin — just leave it loose. We will cover the braid over with a curl in the next steps so it all looks very seamless. 🙂

Step 3: Twist Back the Left Side & Pin

Okay, so for the left side, I took the chunk of hair from my front hairline back to my ear and twisted it really tightly and distinctly against my head. Nothing special, at all, just try to make the twist really obvious and stand out. Pin it in place as you go.

Continue twisting your hair back until you overlap the braid that you pinned in the back. I twisted it till I reached about the middle of my head, then continue to place pins wherever I felt it needed more support.

Step 4: Tie on Your Pearls

Okay, so first off, let me explain how I made these. They are nothing pretty, and you could probably find them online already made for you, but since I had an old pearl headband that was falling apart…I decided to save the pennies and make them. All I did was use black string to tie the pearls onto a small elastic black band (like the kinda you can get at Sally’s Beauty Supply). Prest-o — you’re very own pearl ties. 🙂

Now is when you can let your creativity show! Just start tying those pearls sporadically throughout the hairstyle. My mother’s wedding dress had pearls on the front, and I really wanted my hairstyle to look like it had sprinkles of pearls throughout — almost like pearls were just magically floating. 😀

 

Step 5: Add Random Braids

I wanted more braids in the hairstyle, so what I did was randomly go around my head and add really small, thin braids. I secure these (of course) with the pearl elastic rubber bands and twisted them around the curling wand for a few seconds so that the braids blend easily into the curls.

Add as many or as few as you want — I think I did about 5 or 6. Whatever you’re feeling and however obvious you want it to be. Just make it our own!

AND YOUR DONE!

And you’re done! This is how it looks!!!!

Also, something I added right before the wedding, was to buy some pins that had pearls on the end and I slide them into my hairstyle along the twist and braid. So it kind of gave me a pearly crown on my wedding day, as you can see from this picture below 🙂

I hope y’all enjoyed this tutorial. And when I do my post on my wedding, I’ll be sure to add more pictures of my hair. NuMe’s Titan3 did an OUTSTANDING job at keeping my curls fresh. I did my hair at 10 o’clock Saturday morning, and at 8 PM — when we finally headed to the honeymoon — they all still looked awesome. The picture you see of me above was at least 6 hours from when I originally curled them — and they look awesome! I didn’t need to re-curl any strands at all throughout the day. Loved it!

Curl Jam Giveaway Winner

I know it’s been FOREVER since the giveaway ended, but I am FINALLY announcing the winner! As usual, I always use Rafflecopter to select a random winner — and I went through and made sure all the entries were legit. 😉 Aaannnnnnnddddddddd…..

……….the winner is………… ……….drum roll…………

*****     LORI BUTLER     *****

Congratulations! This lady tweeted a BUNCH over the course of the giveaway — wowza! As always, I’ve already emailed the winner and am waiting to hear back. So, if you’re Lori and reading this…check your email!! 😀

Sad you didn’t win?? Well, guess what — I have ANOTHER NuMe giveaway for you all! Yes, that’s right — another chance to win!!! Many, many thanks to NuMe Products for their continued generosity.

 

What’s the Mega Star? Well, it’s NuMe’s best and most popular flat iron! I personally own it and LOVE it! Trust me — whoever win’s this is going to LOVE it, too! It leaves your hair feeling sooooo good!

The Rules: This giveaway is only open to GFC follower of Legacy of a Writer, so be sure you are a follower! (And with the giveaway being this big a prize, make sure your picture is in my little GFC box — because I do check! 🙂 This giveaway will run for one month, ending on Sunday July 6th, at midnight.

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY — except for the countries NuMe does not currently ship to, which are: Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Colombia, New Zealand, Portugal, Morocco, Romania, Spain.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By the way, if you have been wanting to purchase a NuMe curling wand and were bummed that you didn’t win the Curl Jam, NuMe has a fantastic sale that you should totally take advantage of! If you use the code “71CLASSIC” when you check out, you can get any one of their classic curling wands for 71% off! That is an AWESOME deal, let me tell you!

If you do buy one of the NuMe tools, please let me know in the comments below! I love hearing from my readers!! 😀

Hairstyling with NuMe – My Review of Titan3

14 Comments

It’s Friday, and you know what that means, right?

Another new addition to the Hairstyling with NuMe series! 😀 for those who’ve been keeping up, we’ve learned how to do curls, twisted updos, and waterfall braids using the NuMe Titan3 Curling Wands. Check out the links below if you need to catch up…

 

For today, I’m actually going to take a quick break from the tutorial’s to bring you my review of NuMe’s Titan3 curling wand set. I’ve been able to use it a lot over the past several weeks, and I feel like I have accurate and honest feedback to give on this set now. (Don’t worry, I will resume next week with another hair tutorial 🙂

So let’s dive in, shall we? 🙂


My Review…

First Impressions… 
The NuMe Titan3 curling wands arrived packaged up very securely — definitely didn’t need to worry about anything getting scratched or broken on the way to my house. 🙂 Along with putting the wands inside of a heavy-duty, sturdy round box, they’re also all kept separate with foam dividers that gives each barrel and the base a place to sit without touching each other. I was impressed with the care NuMe took to package up their items, and loved the quality of the round box it came in — I put it in my closet to use to transport my wands when I move next month. 🙂

Packaging/Quality…
Everything about the Nume Titan3 curling wand just screams professionalism and high quality. The feel of the base is really neat — it’s almost soft… It’s really hard to describe! But it’s certainly not the usual finish and feel of a curling wand. It feels very luxurious. 🙂 The barrels are well made and, because they’re made with titanium, they’re really light. And I mean really light! Which is wonderful, as my arms easily and quickly tire out when holding a heavy item above my head for any length of time.

The cord is really thick and feels really strong and sturdy. The barrel of this wand is able to rotate all the way around, which is really nice when I’m using it — I never have to worry about the cord getting all twisted up on itself (which is often the problem I have with my regular curling iron). I’ve used it several times and have noticed the fact that I don’t have to sit and untwist the cord halfway through my curling, like I usually have to do. Definitely a plus, in my book!

Performance…
Once you know which of the three barrel you want to use, all you have to do is line up the holes and snap the barrel into place. It’s pretty easy and very quick to do. Then you turn it on, select your temperature setting, and give it about 10 or so seconds to heat up. That is seriously all it takes to heat up! I love that this can get hot so quickly. I can be pretty impatient at times, and too often I forget to plug in my curling iron ahead of time and then I end up waiting on the barrel to heat up before I can start. But with NuMe’s Titan3 Curling Wand, I can start curling almost the moment after turning it on. It’s wonderful!

It takes a little while to cool down, but when I compared it to my regular curling iron that I own, the Titan3 does cool down more quickly. Pretty sweet! One particular day I curled my hair with both the smallest and medium sized curling wands (to give a variety of curl sizes) and it actually wasn’t too bad, switching between wands. I had to give it a minute or two to cool down, but during this time I was able to section off the next part, so it wasn’t time wasted. And since I had the glove that NuMe includes with all their curling wands, I was actually able to get a pretty good hold on the wands when I went to take it off, even though it was still slightly warm.

Major Dislikes…

When I go to take a barrel off of the base, I often have a few moments of struggle as I try to click the two buttons on either side of the base and pull on the barrel. I’m not sure why I have so much trouble (maybe I need to work out? lol!), but it often takes me several tries to get both buttons pressed down sufficiently at the same time in order to be able to pull the barrel off of the base. I’ve watched several YouTuber’s use this set and haven’t seen them have trouble, so I don’t know if I’m just really weak, or this is a flux in this particular wand. But I just wanted you to be mindful of this fact — it really isn’t too big a deal, since I can just get one of my brothers or my dad to help pull it apart, if I needed to (though I haven’t yet. I’ve been able to pull them apart on my own, after a few tries).

Major Likes…

A lot of things! I love the feel of the wand. It’s so smooth, almost velvety, feeling. It makes me feel really professional and like I am pampering my hair when I use it. 🙂 I’ve also noticed my hair looks shiner once I finish curling (often, after using a normal curling iron, my hair looks dull and dry), so that’s an awesome plus to this wand that I really appreciate!

The fact that it heats up fast is a wonderful bonus! I’ve already explained my reason why I love this aspect of it, so I won’t repeat myself. 🙂 Another thing that I like about this set is that it’s so incredibly light — lighter than any other curling wand or iron I’ve tried before in the past. My arm still can get tired from holding it above my head, but it would get tired even if I was holding nothing, right. But the fact that it doesn’t start hurting right away (like it would before) is really nice. Saves my arms that awful ache!

Final Thoughts…

I really love my NuMe Titan3 curling wand set! Ever since I got this in, I don’t reach for anything else when I go to curl my hair. Even if I just want a bit of wave to my hair, all I have to do is grab the largest barrel and in a few minutes — bam! I have waves! It’s so easy and I love the versatility of this wand being interchangeable. It’s so nice not to have to have 3 different curling irons sitting around my room taking up space and getting their cords all tangled up together. The Titan3 is able to be broken down to shorter sections that are really easy to slip into a drawer and be put out of sight.

I can’t say enough good things about this wand! I’m really looking forward to experiencing the long-term benefits of using NuMe’s products! As some of you know, I purchased the NuMe MegaStar Flat Iron a few weeks ago. While I haven’t gotten a ton of use out of it yet, I have used it several times and love how my hair looks afterwards. I will be doing a detailed review of that tool soon, hopefully, so be on the lookout. 🙂

If you’ve been on the lookout for a good curling wand set or just need a new set to replace your old ones, I would highly recommend you getting the Titan3 set! Or if you want more variety with your curls, the NuMe Lustrum curling set comes with 5 different wands, making the possibilities almost endless! NuMe’s heat tools are an investment, but totally worth the money you put into it! And these tools will last you a long time if you take care of them. And — above all — it helps your hair stay healthier! Which, when you think about it, is a priceless quality to these tools.

I received this curling wand set from NuMe in order to review. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this product, which I have done. I only recommend products and/or services that I have personally used or experienced and like.

 

* * *    I mentioned purchasing the NuMe Lustrum Curling Set in my review above. I just wanted to let you know that if you are considering purchasing this tool (which I highly recommend! :-), make sure you use the code “FIVECURL” when you check out to get 61% off your order! ‘Cause who doesn’t like to save money, right?!    * * *

Question to My Readers: Are you on the lookout for a new curling iron? Are you the type to invest in good-quality tools?

Hairstyling with NuMe – Twisted Half Up-Do

4 Comments

Good Friday morning, everyone! It’s here — the second installment to my new series, Hairstyling with NuMe! Today I’m going to take curls to the next level with this fun half-up-do type of style. It would be perfect for a night out or even for a prom date!

By the way, my little sisters got so excited when they heard I was doing this series on my blog, and they all eagerly volunteered to be my ‘models’ for this series. So today I’m featuring one of my younger sister’s as my model for this easy — but fancy-looking — hairstyle. 🙂

Step 1: Curl

Since I already did a detailed blog post on how to curl your hair, I’m just going to refer you there to refresh your memory on how I curl my hair. For my sister, I only had to do two sections, since she has finer, thinner hair than I do. 🙂

And, just like last time, I will be using the NuMe Titan3 curling wands to curl her hair — and I’ll be using the medium-sized curling wand. 🙂 Make sure, if you’re interested in purchasing this set, that you use the code “NUMESPRING50” to get 50% off your order and free shipping on the NuMe website! Because who doesn’t like to save some money?! 🙂

Okay, so curls are all done. NuMe’s curling wands curl so well and make your hair super glossy and shiny! You could totally go out of the house like this and look fabulous! But for today, I wanted to show you a really quick and easy way to take it up another notch. 🙂

Step 2: Twist a section back & pin

Take about a 1 or 2 inch section at the front hairline, drape it around the forehead so it looks nice, and twist it lightly against the head before pinning into place. (If you would like tips on how to pin properly so that they’ll stay in for hours, let me know and I’ll be happy to go into detail!)

Step 3: Repeat once more on same side

Just like in the previous step, take the next section (the rest of the hair right around the ear) and twist it back. Take one or two pins and secure it in place. Very easy and quick — if you’re doing it on someone else or if you’re doing it on yourself!

Step 4: Spritz with hairspray

Secure those twists with a good spritz of hairspray both to smooth down any fly aways and to help the style hold up and last longer. (here I am using an older version of Kenra’s Platinum Finishing Spray 26 🙂

Step 5: Switch to the other side. Take a section near the hairline and twist

Now that you’re on the other side, you’re going to do the same steps on this side. Starting with that first section right at the front, take a one or two inch chunk and twist it against the head and pin into place.

Step 6: Repeat steps until you reach the other side

Keep twisting and pinning your hair, taking one section at a time, until you have almost reached where you twisted that side. (I left about a 2 inch gape there). Pin it in place as you go. Once you’re done pinning, check your work and see if you need to reinforce the hairstyle with more pins (it’s okay to use a bunch of pins! 🙂

Step 7: Decorate (if desired)

Now, if you’re me, you’ve gotta add a little something to finish the look off. So I dressed up my sister’s hairstyle with this pretty black flower piece that just clipped right in.

Step 8: Revive any curls if needed

Sometimes as you work in sectioning the hair and twisting pieces back, you can get some curls that go kind of wonky. Simply take your Titan3 wand and re-curl them very quickly.

Step 9: Finish with hairspray!

Take your favorite, strong-hold hairspray and give the whole hairstyle — pinned pieces and curls — a really good spray. That’s all! Presto — your hairstyle is done!

There you go! After you curl your hair, it just takes 5 or 10 extra minutes to get an elegant and easy hairstyle that will really glam up your look! And it will look like you had to spend  a lot longer on it then you really did, which is a big plus. 😉

REMEMBER: NuMe is sponsoring a giveaway on From My Vanity! If you didn’t see last week’s post where I did a tutorial on curling, make sure you go take a look…and check out the end of the post to see how YOU could win a curling set from NuMe! (Worth over $200!!! :-D)

Question to my Readers: Do you like to amp-up your hairstyle with a few quick twists or tucks? Let me know your go-to quick-and-easy ways to take your hair up a notch! 🙂

Pretty Journal’s made from Recycled Materials! (Giveaway & Review)

5 Comments

Hey strangers! I am so sorry that I have been away much longer than I ever imagined. Being married has kept me much busier than I ever imagined, but it is starting to slow down a bit, so this next week I hope to get back into my normal blogging routine — and do my last Hairstyling with NuMe post where I show you how I did my hair for my wedding! 😀

But for today, I just realized that I have two reviews due this week. So I’m going to be sharing one f them with you today. I also have, on my ever-growing “To-Post” list, to do a post with pictures from my wedding and also let y’all know what I’ve been up to since my wedding on April 26th. Would y’all be interested in seeing some pictures? If you would, I’ll definitely get it up ASAP. 🙂

I’m so glad to be “almost” back into blogging again. I really missed interacting with you guys on here!

Anywho, let’s dive into this review!

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

  
About Lavishy Paris Journals…

Paris journal made with recycled wood free paper

Designed by LAVISHY to match our unisex bag and accessories
collection Viaggio–Italian for Travel, this journal is made with
recycled wood free paper.

-Material: Recycled wood free paper

-Size: 21 x 15 x 1.2 cm / 8 x 6 x 0.5 inch

-144 lined pages

-23 lines per page

-Elastic closure band

-Handy internal pocket

From Lavishy — “Our designs are our points of view how the world and our life can be. Be good, be beautiful, be creative, and have fun.”

My Review…

Packaging & Appearance…
I really love the look of these journals! Lavishy sells many different designs, but this is the one that stood out to me the most, and seeing it in person is even better. I love the warm tan/brown/black color of the background and I think the bird (a swallow, I believe) is so pretty! And there are other cut little decorative items randomly sprinkled on the front and back cover — from a 10 cent stamp to the tips of a leaf. I love everything about the look of this journal!

Ease of Use…
The journal has a really nice strap around it that helps keep the book closed. I like that little”protective” touch to the journals. I know it doesn’t do a whole lot (it’s not like it locks it away from prying eyes), but I always like some sort of closure on my journals. And the strap/band isn’t super tight or anything, letting you easily slip it on and off whenever you want to open the journal. The spine of the journal is pretty tight, so this definitely isn’t the journal that will just flop open and stay open, so keep that in mind. I don’t mind that fact at all.

Any Likes & Dislikes…
There’s a little pocket included in the back, which is really neat. I like the idea of being able to put little pieces of paper back there and know it’s secure. I always tend to stick random papers in my journal, so this aspect of Lavishy’s journals is definitely a plus! I am not sure how well the spine of this book will hold up over time, but that might be the only negative part to these journals…maybe. 🙂 The price is pretty good — $12 for a journal. But the fact that they are journals made from recycled wood-free paper is pretty neat. Especially if you like to buy more Eco-friendly material — this journal would definitely be something worth checking out.

Final Thoughts…
I really like Lavishy’s journals! I have always enjoyed keeping a journal, and even if you don’t you’d probably find these journals very helpful and handy. Such as for taking notes in class, church or a meeting. I like that they’re made from recycled materials, too. All in all, I give these two big thumbs up from me. 🙂

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The Giveaway…

This giveaway is hosted by Tomoson.com, and there’s only a few more days left to enter. So if you are interested in winning one of these journals, make sure you enter TODAY!!!! Don’t miss out — anyone can enter!!!

A Purifying Mud Mask that Treats Acne, Exzema, and Psoriasis! (First Impression Review)

4 Comments

The count down is drawing ever closer to the 26th! It’s only 19 days away now, and things are starting to get a tad more crazy and busy for me. With that in mind, I am afraid I’m going to have to be more absent from the blog from now on. Just until after I return from my honeymoon. I will still continue to bring you the weekly Hairstyling with NuMe tutorials, but unless I have already schedule posts, I won’t be posting on Mondays and Wednesdays like I normally do. I hope you all understand my absence — I’ll miss interacting with you all! But I’ll be back in full swing, Lord willing, once I’m settled in my new home. 🙂

One more thing before we dive into today’s post. Sometimes companies send me products that they want me to then review right away. They’re looking for more of a ‘first impression and ease of use’ kind of review then a review after I’ve thoroughly tested it. So, to keep it fair to everyone, I’m going to start calling these reviews “First Impression Reviews” so that you know I’m only bringing my thoughts after trying it out a few times. If you ever want a more in-depth review after I’ve used something for a few weeks or months, all you need to do is let me know in the comments and I’ll be sure to do an updated review for you. 🙂

Okay, on to the first impression review for today!

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

About Adovia Dead Sea Mud Mask…

This Dead Sea Mud Mask contains 30 Treatments which lasts for 3-4 Months. Each treatment provides the ingredients and results of a $120 facial at a high end dermatology spa! Made with Pure Dead Sea Mud with the highest concentration of minerals – vital for facial skin treatment glow. This mask is made in Israel – by the Dead Sea experts and contains the highest and freshest concentration of Dead Sea Mud. Reduce Oil and Blackheads and get more clear and radiant skin. Works great for Eczema and Psoriasis as well due to Dead Sea salt and mud known properties that help relieve Eczema, Psoriasis and acne symptoms.

 

 

Apply a layer to clean, dry skin once per week or as needed, as a facial mask for the whole face or as spot treatment for blackheads or pimples.

My First Impression Review…

Packaging…
The mud mask is packaged really professional looking and the design on the tube is simple, yet attractive. Initially I was under the impression that this Adovia Purifying Mud Mask was rather expensive. But while it is $30 a bottle, you get a little over 5 fl oz of product in this tube. Which will last you quiet a while, as you don’t need much each application. And even less if you’re just spot treating a few areas.

Product & Ease of Use…
Because I already have a routine for my weekly face mask and I didn’t want to change it up so close to my wedding 🙂 I decided to try this mask out as a spot treatment. I’ve used this about three times so far, and really like the results I get. It’s a thick consistency, making it easy to apply over your face without making a mess.

I give it a good 20 minutes to dry, then wash it off. I get some cystic acne every now and then, and that’s where I used this mask. I noticed that it helped the redness go around and my pimple didn’t look as inflamed after I washed off the mask. And it resulted in the pimple going away faster than my cystic acne usually takes to run it’s course. 🙂 This, of course, is an awesome fact that really makes me like this product!

Any Likes & Dislikes…
Nothing really stands out to me as a dislike. The mud mask is a really dry, thick consistency, so it’s not as obvious when it’s ‘dry’ as some of the masks I’ve used in the past. There isn’t a big change of color. So I just tap it and see if any transfers onto my fingers. There’s no distinct smell to this mask — at least, none that I could detect. So that’s a great plus! I can’t stand to put stinky stuff anywhere near my nose. 😛 I really like the fact that this helps to draw out the impurities in my cystic acne, helping my skin to recover faster than it usually does. 🙂

Final Thoughts…
I really like the Adovia Purifying Mud Mask! I have very oily/acne-prone skin, so masks have always been a must in my skincare routine, and this is something I’m thrilled to add to my regimen! I’m really looking forward to seeing the long-term benefits of using this mask.

The company is great to work with. Really quick to ship, too, as I received my product in less than a week from when my order processed. I was impressed! This mask is recommended for people who suffer from acne, oily skin, blackheads, exzema, and psoriasis. So if you are issues with any of these, I’d encourage you to give this mask a try!

 

perruque

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.