Havana Twists + What I Wore

I finally put some Havana twists in my hair on Sunday morning. I was in kind of a rush because I only had about 2 and a half hours before I had to leave to go to my niece's 1st birthday party, so I did them pretty chunky. I redid some on the top of my head a couple of days later and made every 2 or 3 twists into 4 twists. I added hair so the twists were still chunky, but I ended up with more of them. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result, even though it doesn't necessarily look like the picture on the package.

I ordered the hair from fingercomber.com, which claims that you need 5 to 7 packs of hair to get the desired look, "depending on the thickness of your hair, and the desired density and fullness of the look you are aiming to achieve." Um... lies. I ordered 7 packs because I love me some big hair, but only ended up using just 2 and a half packs. Maybe if I had a little more time to do them smaller and neater, I can see possibly using up to 4 packs. I would be mad about getting scammed, but I really like this look and can see repeating it throughout the year.

Now, this hair sheds a lot. You have to "finger comb" (ha--get it?) the hair before installing, and it makes the hair a little less rough and easier to twist. I did this style while sitting on my bed while watching several episodes of a show on my laptop to pass the time and OMG there was hair everywhere, even though I thought I was was being careful to put all the shed hair in my trash bin. It wasn't a big deal, but just something to be aware of.

As for the method I used, I followed this video by BlackOnyx77. In the video, she describes the Alikay Invisible Roots Method, which makes for a much more natural look by essentially hiding the installation with a thin later of your hair. If that sounds super confusing, just watch the video. I only used this method on the very top of my hair, because that's really the only place you see my roots. A good friend actually thought it was my hair, so it works! For the rest of my hair, I just did the  usual braided start, also shown in the video.

So far, I like Havana twists a little more than the Marley twists I had been rocking all winter. The length is perfect for summer, short enough to look realistic, and the twists are much much fuller. Also, sometimes Marley twists can look like locks which can be a downside if that's not the look you are going for, but these definitely just look like twists.

The other day, I met up with a friend for lunch, and she snapped a few photos of me before I had to head back to the office. I wore a new item: a denim, polka dot, sleeveless dress. I love everything about this dress, from the design, the light material (it was super hot and humid that day), and the cutesy polka dot print. I'm realizing I have a small polka dot obsession. Get ready for more! I paired the dress with a wooden statement necklace, my Diane Von Furstenburg sunnies (gifted to me by my wonderful mom), and a pair of white flats.

Outfit details:

Dress - F21+// Necklace - F21 (sold out; similar here and here)// Sunnies - DVF (vintage)

Which do you like best: Havana twists or Marley twists? What do you think of the dress?

Vintage Finds

I love vintage and vintage-inspired clothing. Anything that reminds me of a decade passed--whether it's as far back as classic 50s- and 60s-era clothing or as recent as 90s trends--makes me empty the contents of my wallet like its my job. But where to find good vintage clothing as a curvy girl? It's easier than you think! I've compiled a list of shops that carry vintage and vintage-inspired clothing that cater to women with curves:

eShakti
This shop, which offers a range of vintage-inspired 50s and 60s clothing, is best for dresses and skirts. They do a good job of incorporating recent trends with vintage silhouettes, like the denim dress you see below. They also have a great selection of classically 50s- and 60s-inspired creations, like the yellow print dress below.

Etsy: threadoverheels
I absolutely love this Etsy shop. There is a lot of variety in this shop and the clothing doesn't give off a costume-y vibe like so many other vintage clothing stores can. There's a great range of 60s, 70s, and 80s pieces and the model makes every piece look great.

 

Etsy: TheCurvyElle

TheCurvyElle is another Etsy shop I adore. This shop offers an array of midi-length dresses, vintage tops, skirts, jeans, and even lingerie. There's also a lot of diversity in the patterns and prints of the items and a wide range of sizes. This is a relatively large Etsy shop and there is a lot to choose from.

 

Ose (Uh-seh)
Ose (Uh-seh) has some really unique pieces from the 70s, 80s, and even 90s. One of my favorite pieces, a white and pink wiggle dress (with shoulder pads!) came from this site. Ose (Uh-seh) is great for dresses, but also has skirts, shirts, and jackets.

 

Domino Dollhouse 
This shop is for the vintage fashionista who has a little edge. Admittedly, I only have one piece from Domino Dollhouse; when browsing the site, I have a hard time figuring out how or where I would actually wear their clothing. BUT, they have adorable accessories and their clothing is perfect for when you're feeling particularly daring. I love that they embrace full-figured models and show that we plus-sized models over a size 12 also can be sexy.

 

What shops do you visit to buy vintage?

Straight Hair, Don't Care

Last month, I got my hair straightened for the very first time since February 2012. I had some pretty severe heat damage all over, but especially toward the front of my hair as a result of wearing straight-style half wigs and straightening the front of my hair to match.

Le wig.

I would usually wear my hair in flat twists underneath the wig and straighten just the front of my hair. I thought I was doing my hair a favor... until it was two completely different textures! The trauma of heat damaged hair resulted in me leaving the flat iron alone for over a year.

Since then, I have really committed to taking care of my hair and, as a result, the curl pattern of my hair has been restored. Over the past year, I've gone to a hair salon that specializes in natural hair styles a few times and actually got a trim from them back in November 2012. When I went to the natural hair salon for my trim, my hair wasn't fully blowdried and I felt like I lost some length as a result.

I've been needing a trim for a few months now and decided to go back to a stylist who has straightened and trimmed my hair before. She gently blowdries my hair straight and trims only what is necessary.  A couple weeks ago, I got a trim and got my hair straightened for the first time in forever. Well, here are the results!

My blown out curls. This was pre-trim!

The result!

Overall, I was very satisfied with the results. My hair was bouncy, shiny, healthy, and it GREW! It's hard to tell how much length I've retained when my hair is in it's naturally curly state, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the fruits of my labor--yes, labor; I put in work. I'm not gonna lie though--I did miss my curly/kinky/coily hair. To maintain the style, I learned how do pin curls (via YouTube).

Second attempt at pin curls. You don't want to see the first attempt.

Pin curls mastered! Thank you, YouTube.

My straight hair lasted almost 2 weeks until I got caught in the rain. I still pin curled my hair, but the result was more of a voluminous look than before. My friend said I looked like Marilyn Monroe, so I consider that a success. I might consider more straight styles for when it's less hot, humid, and/or rainy. I might even try pin curls on my stretched, natural hair in the future...

Do you prefer trims on blown out hair too? Do you straighten regularly? And when you do, do you also miss your curls?

Til next time, PompStars...