Violet Dreams

My new size L flexi-9 from Cultmate.de. It's like the Emerald Dream, but in purple! No action pictures this time, I haven't gotten time to take one yet.

Daisy

My Daisy flexi-8 in size L arrived this week, and it's so pretty! Here are a few (only slightly photoshopped) pictures of it. :)

The Sapphire Collection

It's no secret that I'm crazy about the blue Flexi-8s, so here's my tiny Sapphire collection. I clearly need more! ^-^

Roman Stone Lite Sapphire

My newest custom flexi-8 arrived today, and it's wonderful! Lite sapphire and clear AB beads.. <3 
I put off ordering this one for so long because I couldn't figure out how to make it more "me", but at last I got it. I'm glad it took me so long, because otherwise I would probably have gotten it in XL or XXL, which means that I wouldn't wear it much right now. L is currently my go-to flexi-8 size, because it's perfect for sectioned buns. I've also discovered that it can be used to secure nautilus buns. Flexi-8s are obviously magical!

First I made a nautilus bun and secured it with the Roman Stone. Then I re-did the bun and secured with Roman Stone and Emerald Dream. I figured those two would look pretty together. The bun is comfortable and secure with just one flexi, but it's even nicer with two. Also, it's much more flashy and blingy, and I like that!

Ficcare, flexi-8 and spin pins

Sectioned buns work with L Ficcares too! I was worried size L would be too big, but it fits perfectly. I do need to make the bunning section slightly bigger though, but not much. There's still plenty of hair left to twist around afterwards. This may even be more comfortable than with flexi-8s, simply because the Ficcare holds my bun in a death grip. It does. not. move. at. all! I tried shaking my head and jumping up and down, and the bun remained glued to the back of my head. I'm amazed. In fact, so amazed that I kept my hair bunned the entire day, even though I only stayed inside after work and could easily have gotten away with just a loose braid.

Speaking of flexi-8s, I purchased a new one. A custom, of course. The new FOTM was very pretty, but I would have preferred it in gold. I almost always prefer gold, which makes it pretty ironic that my new custom is in silver. I'm getting the Roman Stone Lite Sapphire in large, with both lite sapphire and clear Aurora Borealis beads. Steve at flexi8.com sent me a picture to make sure they got my instructions right, and it looks gorgeous. I can hardly wait! 
I've also decided to part with one of my XL flexis, simply because it doesn't look that good in my hair and I almost never wear it. A fellow LHCer mentioned that she was interested in it, and I think it's better to pass it on to someone who will appreciate it. I have looked through my collection, and there are a few other pieces I'm not loving anymore either. Not sure if I'll be putting those up for sale too, at least not yet.

I purchased a super cheap 12-pack of spin pins on ebay, and I was a bit disappointed, but not surprised when they arrived. They didn't have the little bump on the tips that my Hair Scroos have, so the tips were quite sharp and not very hair and scalp friendly. Otherwise the pins seemed fine, but obviously I couldn't put something like that in my hair without fixing it first. I experimented a bit with one if the pins today, and tried to make ' end bumps' by adding several layers of clear nailpolish. It appears to be working, because the ends aren't sharp anymore, they seem more like the Hair Scroos. A bit time consuming to do this to 11 more pins, since the polish has to dry between each layer, but I've got next Tuesday off and don't have anything better to do. I'm happy that I will be able to use my pins after all. The seller also included a few telephone cord elastics, and I'm very skeptical. I know of other LHC members who use them without any problems, but they look hazardous to my hair. 

Lite Lavender Silky in a sectioned bun, as the sun sets.

Something pretty..

.. to start the weekend with. I used my L Ruby Bouquet yesterday, because it's so pretty. Size L is perfect for half-up buns, so now of course I wish I had more than just 4. Ah well, maybe the next FOTM will suit my tastes? Or I could always just make do with what I've already got. ^-^

New bun method

Last Saturday I did a sectioned bun for the very first time. I'm not the first person to do this, but it's so new and wonderful to me, so I feel like a genius. I made a high nautilus bun with two thirds of my hair and a XL flexi-8, divided the remaining hair in two, wrapped around the bun and secured with spin pins. It was marvelous! I've never been able to do anything other than low buns because my hair is so thick and heavy, but this worked so well. It felt great to secure the bun in a different spot for once, as I was getting a bit sore where I usually secure it. I suddenly started wanting more XL flexi-8s, but I'm holding off for now. It's almost April, which means a new FOTM will be released. If it's pretty, I hope to get one in XL. 

Itsy Bitsy

My teensy weensy flexi-8s are here! As usual, much sooner than expected! And my oh my, they are so pretty! I have never seen clear AB beads in person before, but I sense a new addiction.. I'm hypnotized by them, by how they sparkle, all the colours.. Amazing!
I've also tried out matte AB sapphire beads for the first time, because Steve said that these had more AB in them than the regular AB sapphire beads did. I quite like them. They're not as sparkly as the ones I'm used to, they're darker and more muted, but very pretty. They go really well with the gold flexi.
I had to try them on immediately, so I took down my bun and made a quick fishtail braid. I tried the Lovely Circle Stone-set Aurora Borealis flexi first, this one is size Extra Small.

The picture doesn't do it justice at all, because it's amazingly gorgeous in real life! I'm so happy I got this one. The size is pretty perfect for securing braids.

I didn't feel like removing that one, so I put the other flexi above it. The more, the merrier! This is the Prominent Dragonfly in antiqued gold, customized with matte AB Sapphire beads. The size is small, which is also good for securing braids, though this size does tend to start sliding downwards after a while.

It's really weird, but.. I have a feeling that the people over at flexi8.com like me..

Maybe I'm just imagining stuff =D

Buns

Here's a bunch of buns I've done during the last month. :)

Honey

Honey Marble is here. I'm in love! 

Braided Cameo Bun

I wasn't going anywhere today, so of course I decided to do a fancy-ish updo. This isn't a new flexi-8, but at last I got some good pictures of it. I thought it would be perfect for a braided cameo bun. Cameo buns are usually a cinnamon bun with an English braid wrapped around, but I didn't want to do a cinnabun. I did a centerheld rosebun with a fishtail braid wrapped around instead.

Hairtoys - collecting, or simply hoarding?

I've been doing some thinking about how much I spend on hairtoys, and how it always seems to be something new I need. I don't have the most impressive collection, but it has grown significantly over the last year or so. I almost always have a package or two on the way, or a custom piece in progress. For example, now I'm waiting for 3 Ficcares, 2 sticks from EmergentGlassworks, 1 custom stick from TimberstoneTurnings, and 2 samples of Panacea from Nightblooming. I think that's all. I certainly hope that's all.

When the next shipment of Ficcares arrive, my collection will be at 13 (actually 14, but the acetate doesn't count imo). The Jewels and Lotuses are most likely coming out later this year, and I'm definitely going to buy some several of them. I was even thinking of getting a few more Silkys, but seriously, I don't need any more. I don't need to have all the Silky colours and all the Classicals. I'm happy with my little collection, and if I don't get any more Ficcares, I will still be happy. 13 clips is actually a lot.

I will soon have my 4th TT stick. That's enough for now.
I have 5 EmergentGlassworks sticks (though I managed to break one of my purple roses. I think I can glue it though), and a Teal rose and a Red rose are on the way. EGW sticks hold well, especially the twisted ones, and I don't have to worry about getting them wet. I'd like pink and yellow roses as well, and maybe another dichroic stick, but I can do without. My little EGW collection is still most excellent!

I've been lucky with the Flexi-8s recently, as none of the last 3 "Flexi-8 of the Month" have suited my tastes. There are some new styles I like, but nothing that screams "Buy me! Buy me immediately!!!". I have 22 Flexi-8s. 2 of them are smalls and I only use them to decorate my braids every now and then, but there are still 20 Flexis that can be used for various buns. 20 is definitely a lot!

I counted all my toys, and my collection stands at 52. Some are pairs and some are currently missing, and there may be some I have forgotten. There are some members on LHC who have hundreds of toys, but to me, 52 is still a big number. I don't want to over-do my collection, even though a part of me kind of wants to have one of those awe-inspiring, completely insane collections. 
My spending feels like an addiction right now, and I don't like it. I really don't need hundreds of hairclips and sticks. I need to stop hoarding pretty, sparkly things, enjoy the hairtoys I currently have, and save my money for the Jewels and Lotuses. And I definitely don't have to buy every single one of those either.

Let's finish this wall of text with a pretty picture. This is one of my EGW sticks, an 8" long twisted dichroic one. 

Creme

My Pink and Lite Lavender Silkys have arrived. Unfortunately I haven't had time to pick them up at the post office yet. To be completely honest, I'm dreading it, because both packages got horrible custom and handling fees. I could buy two more ficcares for the money I have to pay to get those clips home. Urrgh! Sometimes I hate online shopping.. 
I also ended up buying two sticks from EmergentGlassworks, one Teal Rose stick and a Single Stalk Rose. Don't ask me why, I'm not supposed to buy more toys at the moment. There are still a few Silky ficcares left on my 'Want' list, and with the Lotuses and Jewels coming out later this year (hopefully), I should start saving up money already. February isn't far away either, which means that there will be a new Flexi of the Month that I might need. Oh dear.

I'm increasingly enamored with the Creme Silky. Such a pretty, elegant piece. I've worn it two days in a row. Here it is in a disc bun.

Lite Blonde

This is one of my favourite Ficcares in my collection, only beaten by Dark Blonde and Opal. I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it, because it doesn't look particularly nice in pictures, but I wanted to have both Lite and Dark Blonde. I'm certainly glad I bought it, because it's absolutely gorgeous in person. I've actually placed the clip next to my laptop today, so I can admire it while I'm online. Yes, I may be a bit weird.

Click for bigger pictures!

 

Opal

My Silky Opal Ficcare, it's so pretty. The colour is just incredible <3

Jet Black

  
Pearlized Jet Black, one of my first enamel Ficcares. I love it. I'm starting to get a hang of doing buns with Ficcares, it's completely different from sticks, forks and flexi-8s.

Snake Jewel Fuchsia

My first Ficcare, hopefully there will be many more. Size L. I like this one :)