Outre Premium Natural Indian French Kiss Wave - a review

It's Christmas Eve. I just prepared the Christmas meal in advance (to make room for church and rest tomorrow)  and I really wanted to put this blog out. I know most of you are exhausted from all that the season brings with it; but here's hoping that while you sip on some egg nog or your favourite wine, you'll be reading all the good stuff about my latest find - Outre's Premium Natural Indian French Kiss Wave.
 I have known about this hair for over a year - even recommended it to customers at a hair store I freelanced for but somehow I never saw it on me.
The women I recommended this hair to in the past all had curly hair and this weave was the perfect blend. It was also great for adding highlights for those with brown or black hair.
I chose this hair really on a whim. I have the packs in stock to sell for a friend who recently moved business and on the night before my office Christmas party I realised I needed fresh hair.
I picked up the pack, took out the hair and put it close to my face. My immediate response? Bleh! lol  It didn't look right to me -particular the colour. Then I remembered reading the words 100  percent human hair on the package. Since I am always up to a  hair challenge,  I took the hair out with  my heart racing with fear and excitement.
I ran my fingers through the hair and unraveled it from its bulk. That's when I started to see its beauty. But the burnt orange colour that masqueraded itself as my regular 4/30 had to go.
The next day I bought some brown hair colour and went to work. The hair sucked up the dye like a beauty. My plan was to dim the loudish copper tone of the 30 and maintain the brown of the 4. Mission was accomplished with that inexpensive henna hair dye I found that day.
To install the French Kiss Wave I used a combination of sew in and clip ins. I also used a stocking cap over my braid too to protect my own hair.
I have seen a lot of videos on French Kiss Wave and most of them give a bad review. Some of the wearers report that they only got two weeks wear and that was that. Here's where they went  wrong -- product overload.
Outre went through the trouble of inserting a  care guide of the hair on a small piece of paper that customers could easily carry in their purses. Among other tips it tells you how to wash the hair and most importantly it warns wearers against overloading the hair with product. In fact  the care guide was clear that wearers use just water  on  this pre-curled hair.
I have taken Outre's advice on the hair with great results. In one video on You Tube one user put a frizz free product, argan oil  AND a curl activator on the hair and was surprised when she ended up with a matted mess!
All this hair needs is a spray bottle of water and you can finger-comb it. I am wearing this hair in a 12 inch which really looks like 14 inches and I  have been getting a lot of compliments from friends, co-workers and the like about the hair; and I have fooled a lot of strangers too  into thinking its my own hair. Well they will know now. Right?  lolol. If  the hair is  too curly for you it's okay to try one of those loop weave brushes  on it . Those brushes make better detanglers anyway!

Another thing about this hair is that it can be pressed (flat ironed) straight. To bring back the curls all you have to do is add water. I tested this  myself on the left over pieces! Outre Premium Natural Indian French Kiss wave  is a hands down good buy. Just give her lots of water to drink ;) Hey Merry Christmas readers. Thanks for all your support!

Sensationnel Empress Bianca wig - a review

I was really in a hurry to get a wig for a work assignment last week when I stumbled upon Sensationnel's Empress Bianca wig. Initially, I had plans of getting that gorgeous Kay wig that Equal makes; but the store was all out.

My real hair was rebellious that day and so I had to leave the store with a wig - only I didn't know which one.

I tried on two wigs - a long wavy synthetic wig that I honestly wasn't feeling and a short human hair one which sold two for $100 and looked much better on the mannequin's head than it did mine.

I really asked the sales girl to try on Bianca based on the photograph of the model wearing the hair on the package and nothing much else. I chose the colour 4/30 which, as you know, is in my hair colour range since my hair is a number 4.

The feel of Bianca is like a doll's hair. only you can curl it up or press it straight thanks to the fiber it is made from - Futura. (Futura fiber looks and feels like human hair and can withstand heat up to 400 degrees.)

Bianca is a full-body wig that would work well for you if you're into big but manageable hair. The wig will be a great choice for those female movers and shakers in the corporate world since it instantly gives the wearer a professional and groomed look.

Bianca also has a swoop bang and a lace edge that you don't really get to use. Still, it makes for a believable hairline. 

Did I rock it or what? 

I like that she (Bianca) is manageable and lightweight as well.  
I wore Bianca right out of the store that day. I was grateful that one of the beauty shop's salespersons
was also a cosmetologist. She was the one who cut the lace around the edges.

This wig can be styled as a side or middle part and honestly I don't foresee any tangling in the distant future. Worth a try. 

The photo on the wig package that caught my eyes.

A sit down with Oscar James - Emmy award celebrity hairstylist

Ten minutes. That's all the time I was given to interview Emmy award winning celebrity hairstylist Oscar James. That was all I needed anyway. When two people with a love for  hair and hair extensions  have a sit down, honey that 10 minutes stretches out like an elastic band!
And so it was.
I was wearing the heck out of my Janet collection Reagon lace wig - and not in a good way.  This is the second time I was wearing Reagon and I decided to keep its 18-20 inch length.
Let me tell you, between product buildup, the wind and rain that day, I looked as though I rode to see Oscar in the back of a pick up truck. I was a hot mess and I knew it !
To make bad matters worse when I sat down with the man they call the hair mastermind, he leaned in close , pulled out a twig from my wig, showed it to me and that charming smile never left his face!!
"Just like a shoemaker pays attention to the shoes of the people he meets, I pay attention to the hair," he told me.
james loves it when a woman can strut her confident stuff because her hair. Whenever he meets a woman he also has in mind what hairstyle would suit her best.
He told me I was hiding my face with my long wig and that a short layered cut would better complement my features - particularly my high cheekbones.
"You'd be surprised!" James said. "Try it and be confident with it."
The man who  is responsible for Nicki Minaj's fierce  new wig with the black roots and the platinum ends , has had a love affair with hair since he was in high school. It was while still at high school  that the South Carolina-raised James pursued beauty. He graduated with a diploma and got his  cosmetology licence.
 James  immediately started working at salons and  found himself in the right industry circles. A friend introduced him to former Miss America and singer, actress Vanessa Williams and the rest, as they say, is HIStory!
James has styled the hair of Iman, Halle Berry (for the 72nd Academy Awards), Beyonce and Tyra Banks. In fact it was James who appeared on the Banks' talk show when she did the big reveal of her real hair.
James' Nicki Minaj wig has been the buzz of hair blogs and magazines alike . He told one magazine that he never did a platinum blonde hair with "super dark roots. But that he was happy that he did."
James, like me, is a big fan of hair extensions - particularly wigs.
"Wigs are accessories," he said, adding that he much prefers them to hair weaves since they can easily be taken off and styled away from the wearers head.
James has a lot of wigs he's working on at the moment and would next work with Jennifer Hudson;  but he doesn't seem ready to put out a wig line just yet - as is the norm with hairstylists and celebrities.
"I'm having fun" he said.

                                                      Hair mastermind  Oscar James

                                                     The new look he gave to Nicki Minaj

                                   Here he is on Tyra Banks'  show when she revealed her real hair.   

How to rock a short hair weave

I always have to explain to my friends who don't know much about hair extensions that not every weave is detectable. Hair weaving has evolved from the days when you could spot the bumps created by weave tracks from a mile away.
Another thing I tell my non hair extension wearing friends,  is that ridiculously long hair  is NOT a  tell tale sign of a hair weave.
 For your information, the hair stores sell hair extensions as short as 8 inches!
I wanted to show you my 10-inch clip-in  install as an example of  just how natural  and undetectable a hair weave could look. The hair I used for this look is Sensationnel

                                                     My hair with the 10-inch clip ins  I made.

Sensationnel Premium Too hair

Premium Too Human Hair  in the number 4 colour to blend with my hair colour.
The  weave hair  was tangle free and easy to manage, perhaps given the length. I liked this hair too because it had that just-relaxed texture rather than a silky one.
I tend to rock my short  hair weaves on hot days, when I get tired of length  and when I don't feel like standing out in a crowd with  glamourous hair - like church! LOL.
My own hair is this length,  it's just  that the hair extensions have a more polished and sleek profile.

For Naturalistas - switch it up with a wig!

There's been an increase in the number of women who are cutting off their relaxed hair and going back to their roots. We all know that I am a hair extension lover right? But  I do respect my sisters who are embracing their natural hair.
 Having gone natural before I know that it takes a lot of commitment. Natural hair is high maintenance hair and is not for the impatient!  But this is not a natural hair blog is it?
So now that you're wearing your cute natural hair you have ditched the wigs and hair weave pieces. Hold on. Who said you can't enjoy the best of both worlds???
In this video I am  at the  Glam Xpress hair store putting on the Evony half wig on natural hair wearer  Candace known for her popular No Fine Teeth Comb blog.
 Candace, who was recently featured in Essence Magazine for  her beautiful natural mane, was so much  fun to work with as I brought her into my world.
A true naturalista, Candace doesn't like wigs and weaves preferring to braid her natural hair.She was a good sport and laughed her way through the experiment. Tell me what you think of her final look.
  Wigs and even full weaves are great  for protecting your natural hair and for switching up your hairstyle when the occasion calls for it . Remember you  don't have to settle for the first wig that you see. The wig must look like you and feel like you before you make any purchase.
It is also  advisable that you put your natural hair in cornrows and cover with a stocking cap before putting on your wig so that it could lay flat.
Half wigs aren't supposed to be worn the way you see it in the video. It is supposed to be worn from the middle of your head so that you hair combs over it. I broke the rules a little since Evony is such a curly wig and covers the rim of the wig.  Lastly, be open to  differe

nt looks . Have fun, have fun and last but not least, have fun.

Making that wig yours!

Gosh, I know I haven't blogged in a minute. Time people,  time. Apart from working my 8 to 4 job , taking care of the fam and of course shopping for hair in between , I haven't had much  time to sit down and  blog. Better late than be a no-show right? So here is my earnest attempt at reviving my blog.
For the record,  it's not that  I haven't been thinking about you dolls.  Thanks for the support and comments you all have left. I really do appreciate feedback so keep it coming.
Right.
This blog, just as it is titled, is about making store-bought wigs your own.
You know  I always tell you that you don't  always have to wear your wigs as they come straight from the package.  Sometimes you may love the style of the wig but the hair might be too long. A lot of times, I have found, the hair is a crumpled mess in need of some TLC.
So here's what I do.
I try the wig on at the store and pay attention to what I like about it  (the colour, the curl pattern, how it makes me look)  rather than what I don't like about it.
I take the wig home, cut out the lace (who wears full wigs anymore?) and then I try it on again in front of my mirror.
 Every woman knows what she wants her own hair to  look like. When I am wearing curly wigs I tend to go for an Oprah like look rather than a long flowing  one. I save that  long look for straight hair wigs.
I take my scissors and bit by bit I take off the length of the hair - starting at the side near my ears.  If I cut the wig too short there I could always swing a layered look (trick of the trade honey).
When the hair is too bulky I borrow the shaver from my sons and I go into it to thin it out. Of course the thinning shears is the right tool for the job;  but for me the  razor works faster!!! Watch how you use this tool if you decide to try the razor. Remember if you thin out the wig's hair too much there's no turning back!
Don't take off your wig until you are completely satisfied with the way it looks and the wig starts to look more like you! Good luck!

Recently I got the Reagon Lace Front wig by Janet Collection. A little beauty,  she was in the colour 4/27 ( my colour) and curly. I just didn't like her length but I got it anyway because I saw the potential in her.  Here are the before and after photos of Reagon . Some of my friends think I look better with her long; but I am good with Reagon   short and Oprah-ish. Would love to hear your take on the cut folks.