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Sally Hansen Barely Blue Bell, Sally Hansen Tidal Wave + Wet N Wild Power Outage

Sally Hansen Gray by Gray + ILNP Mega

I already owned a holographic nail polish so immediately after purchasing ILNP’s Mega I was like “Oh, you turd. Why’d you waste your money!?” Then I painted my nails with it and completely changed my tune! It is AMAZING. This paint job doesn’t really do the polish justice, although you can kind of get an idea of how colorful it is on my pointer finger. It’s just such a wildly colorful polish, especially in direct sunlight. You have to go look at the review photos. I’m hooked already. I can’t wait to buy some of their other colors (especially Cameo! The best way I can describe how it looks is the prettiest beetle you’ve ever seen…)

China Glaze Concrete Catwalk, Zoya Kelly, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Slick Slate, Nature Republic Karu, Layla Mercury Twilight + Scotch Expressions washi tape

OBSESSED with these nails. This was my first time in a very long time using taping as a design element. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Doing something different on each nail is easily one of my favorite things. It’s just so relaxing to kind of play around and freestyle like this.

Palate Polish Eggplant, Nature Republic White + scotch tape

xoxo

I’ve got a hashtag over on instagram – #kaylahsfancynails – if you’d like to see some peeks before my round up posts go live.
Check out my last nail round up here.

I’ve written more than a handful of posts about dyeing your hair. My guide on maintaining dyed hair remains number one in my popular posts even years after first hitting publish. Hair dye is kinda my thing (…or at least one of my things.) I’ve had the idea for this post for a while now, even had multiple drafts of it going. I can’t imagine myself without fun colored hair but it definitely has some annoying quirks. Here’s a list of things I’ve learned along the way, and things you might want to consider before making the leap…

Nine truths about having dyed hair…

▴ Everyone has an opinion. Is it always a good one? NOPE. The first thing that comes to mind upon typing this is “you were prettier with ~insert color here~ hair.” Of course, unwanted opinions aren’t something exclusive to dyed hair but I genuienly think some folks are clueless how much those comments hurt.

▴ It never lasts that long. There are lots of things you can do to help your color last longer (I wrote a post about it here) but the fact of the matter is those amazing dye jobs you see on instagram don’t last. Hair dye fades with every single wash. Dyeing your hair is more like a journey than a destination. The color will always be changing. You have to learn to just roll with it, and embrace the fade.

▴ It might not turn out as planned. You can swoon over pretty hair photos on pinterest forever but there’s a good chance that even with the same dye that person used your hair won’t turn out the same color. There are so many variables that effect the color your hair will turn out.

▴ You’re probably going to hear dumb jokes. “Lemme guess, you’re Irish!” Someone at the grocery store the other morning even said “Are you SURE it’s not for St. Patrick’s Day?” Orange hair is automatically for Halloween, and for some reason when I had blue hair I was asked multiple times if it was for New Years Day.

▴ You WILL get stared at.  Point blank. Don’t think you’ll be blending into the crowd anytime soon! You’ll probably even get shouted at too. Can’t count how many times someone has screeched at the top of their lungs how much they liked my hair. Sounds nice… until everyone and their momma is staring at you.

▴ You look like everyone else. Well, not really but with your pink hair as an identifier to strangers, you definitely look like that other person with pink hair. I can’t even tell you how many times I got strangers claiming I looked like Katy Perry when I had blue hair… except I literally look nothing like Katy Perry.

Me or Katy Perry? The world may never know.

 ▴ You’re going to stain things. Your pillow case, towels, probably the collar of your white shirt and definitely your finger nails. That’s just life. It washes out, most of the time. Some brands are worse than others but even the best dye will still inevitably get on things other than your hair.

▴ It’s a conversation starter. People will want to tell you about that time they tried to dye their hair pink but it “didn’t work” or their cousin with purple hair. They’ll want to know who did your hair, and maybe if you’ll do theirs too. Also, I’ve been asked multiple times, each time by a dirty old man, “does the carpet match the drapes?” Ick!

▴ “Semi-permanent” doesn’t mean it washes out. Dyed hair is a commitment. Your hair will never be the same again. I’m not saying that to scare you. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. But just know that without the help of professional your hair isn’t going to be brown or blond after a few washes. Sometimes it’s really just smarter to buy a wig or colored extensions.

Fellow candy colored hair people, anything else you’d add to this list?
xoxo

If you’re looking for some tips on bleaching and dyeing, check out my hair master post!