Style Your Hair with Conair Curl Secret

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happy monday, friends!  i wanted to start the week with a fun post showing some super easy hair styles that i have been keeping in rotation lately.  these are styles that are great for work days when you missed a wash or even for a night out.  and with the holidays quickly approaching, i always get more inspired to get creative with my locks.  the Conair Curl Secret gives me great hair everyday!  my hair is much more manageable when it's curled and has a little texture to it.  using the Infinit Pro by Conair Curl Secret lets me get through the curling step quickly & easily and leaves me with perfect, healthy curls. (and i apologize in advance for the length of this post.  i got REAlly excited using my new tools)

most of you know by now that i love my Rock Your Locks clip-in extensions.  they give my hair such amazing volume & length, making hair styles so much easier!  the left picture is my natural hair, freshly washed and dried....and straight as a board... the middle picture shows my natural locks + the help of my extensions.  and the right picture is the amazing outcome of 10 minutes with the Curl Secret.  amazing, right?!?  i could never get those curls with a curling iron!

here's how i prepped my hair to get stylin'....

to say the Infiniti Pro by Conair 3Q Brushless Motor Dryer is a lifesaver might be an understatement.  this hair dryer is definitely an investment piece, but you guys - it's worth every penny!  i can dry my hair in half the time of my old dryer.  and since i'm using less drying-time and lower heat, i can minimize the damage to my locks.  plus, the brushless motor has 10x the lifespan of a regular hair dryer! (more info here - Infiniti Pro by Conair 3Q dryer )

the Infiniti Pro by Conair Curl Secret is so so so so SO easy to use! (and perfectly safe to use with extensions!)  i gave up my hot rollers a year ago and switched over to a basic curling iron.  we have good days & bad days together.  but with the Curl Secret, all of my hair days can be good.  every curl comes out perfect.  every one.  and they are tighter and shinier curls that what i can create myself.

both of these fun tools can be found at your local Walmart.  mine were on the Hair Care aisle.  and again, they are both splurges.  BUT, your hair will thank you every day by looking amazing.  feeling reluctant to spend that much on yourself?  both the Pro 3Q and Curl Secret would make excellent Christmas presents!

The Dutch Side-Braid has become one of my favorite hair styles as of late!  once i concentrated for more than 3 seconds, i figured out how easy this style is ..even though it looks intricate. simply start a dutch braid (Dutch means braiding under the strands instead of over) on one side of your part and continue down the length of your hair, incorporating new sections in as you go.  i like to keep pulling pieces from my hair into the braid to keep it flush with my hair the whole way down.  i tucked in a few stray hairs with my Conair curved bobby pins & secured with a clear elastic.  the curls i created with the Curl Secret make the ends of the braid gorgeous!

i am a massive fan of the Half-Up Hairstyle.  if i don't keep my hair out of my face at work, i end up touching it all day and making it oily.  just keeping the top section of my face makes a huge difference!  this simple style looks so much more amazing with the pile of curls at the back.  and while i usually clip it up with a claw-clip for work, on the weekends or for special occasions i secure the style with only bobby pins for a more fluid look.  simply pull back the top section of hair (i do this part facing the mirror so the front looks good) and secure with as many bobby pins as necessary.  insider tip:  spray your bobby pins with hairspray before using them for a better hold!

the Double Ponytail is such an easy hair trick to use for work or play.  it's hard to see in these photos, but i actually have two ponytails.  one is where my left hand is on the bottom and the other is the top one being held up by my right hand.  leaving another section of hair lower than the other actually makes your hair & ponytail look longer and sleeker.  and if you have thick hair like i do, it divides the weight of a normal ponytail.  simply take the top half of your hair and secure in a ponytail.  once you have that in place, wrap the bottom half into a separate ponytail under the first.  boom, done.  for extra chic points, hide the top rubber band by wrapping a thin section of hair around it and pin the ends in place.  

the final look i wanted to share with you is an Easy Messy Bun that i actually found on pinterest.  i find that when i try the hardest to create a messy bun, it always comes out looking way too sleek & structured.  one thing does curb this is having your hair curled prior to styling.  it provides texture and shape that is easier to work with.   for this style, separate your hair directly in half vertically.  i like to do this step facing the mirror so i am happy with how the front looks.  (if you are not very handsy, you can use bands to secure both sections of hair)  then tie your hair in a knot.  yep, a knot.  just like if you were tying your shoes.  then repeat that knot again, and again...until the remaining hair is too short.  take the ends that aren't knotted up and pin them around the bun you have created.  the result is so effortless and you can tailor the messy bun by rearranging the pinned ends.

again, sorry for the lengthy post.  i hope you discovered at least one new everyday hairstyle to try today!  and don't forget - all of these styles started with my Conair 3Q dryer and Curl Secret!  I included a mash-up below of these hairstyles styled in blog posts.  #HeartMyHair #CollectiveBias

#ad Unconditional Love & Nudges - FDA Dog Treats

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Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was quite busy with work, dance recital and one of our favorite weekend activities - playing with the pups.  You have seen my two furbabes on the blog before, but today Grady & Mako are completely taking over.  And they are pretty happy about it.  They wanted to tell you about a few of their favorite things:  hanging their heads out of the car window, going for a boat ride, hunting frogs, chasing balls, running wide open on the beach, and of course - treats.  A new favorite around these parts?  The fda dog treats Nudges. 

These yummy jerky treats are available in beef, chicken & duck and can be found at Walmart in the puppy treat aisle (see picture above).  This was Grady and Mako's first timing trying Nudges and believe me, they did not disappoint...  and these two know their treats!  My nuggets may love Nudges treats because of the flavor, but I love them because I know they are safe, healthy and made in the USA.  Nudges help me return all of the unconditional love these two give by keeping them healthy and safe enough to enjoy their favorite things.  

These two live for the beach & boat.  LIVE for it.  And while it's common to see a big dog like Grady enjoying a dip in the ocean, it's rare to see a 10 lb shih-tzu so happy about swimming and going for boat rides.  Mako is such a tough little guy and will do just about anything to keep up with his older brother.

How exactly did we wind up as a family of four?  Grady was my college graduation present.  You can imagine how much I love animals to ask for nothing other than a puppy for graduation.  I have always loved "critters."  I mean straight up obsessed with animals.  And after living for four years of college pet-free, I was determined to have a dog of my very own.  And it was perfect ..well, depending on who you ask.  Grady was a very VERY energetic pup... Perfect until I met my husband and he stole my best friend.  It was inevitable really.  From day one they decided they would be best friends.  Why?  Because I was a vegan at the time and Matt ate steak.  Grady had never had steak before.  Grady found a new best friend.  Now they sleep on the same side of the bed, share ham sandwiches, and Grady gets to go to work with Matt every day.  

And after four years of trying to get my best friend back (I would have accepted either of them as my bff at that point) I finally convinced Matt we needed a second pup.  A lap dog just for me.  When we first brought Mako home, he was 1 1/2 lbs and had kennel cough which quickly developed into pneumonia.  I have never seen the two of us so worked up over a pound and a half of anything.  He was adorable and pitiful all at the same time.  But with the help of humidifiers, steam showers, chicken broth and antibiotics, Mako got better and bigger.  And now he brings so much more love into our home.  He is feisty, spunky and  the ultimate lap dog.

To return the unconditional love these two show me and the hubs on the daily, I make sure we squeeze in at least two boat/beach days a month and keep the house stocked with their favorite healthy treats #CollectiveBias.

Grady & Mako want to thank you for reading all about their story & their new favorite treat.  They also want you to know that your pup will LOVE Nudges.  Make sure to share your #NudgesMoments!  #cbias

I hope you have a wonderful Monday!