Well, I splurged on toys and tools. Actually, it wasn't particularly splurgy. Hardly spent any money at all. I bought a purple Salong Elite TT and two flexi-8s, XS and S. I took the liberty to slightly alter one of them, because I'm hopelessly addicted to aurora borealis sapphire beads. I'll pass on the EGW clear glass stick for now, I'll get it some other time. I have a few custom Mega flexis thought out, but I'll wait a bit with those too.
Ficcare has been hinting that the Jewel Collection might be released soon, and I'm on the Maidenlike waiting list for 3 of those. Though 'soon' in Ficcare terms could mean next year. And I'm pretty far down on the waiting list, so I may not get any clips right away. I'm not even sure if I want more clips, because I'm so thrilled with the collection I already have. Pretty sure I'd regret it if I didn't get any though, because Amethyst, Royal Blue and Emerald sound amazing. I'm confused.
In other news, I went into Glitter (Norwegian store full of shiny, pretty jewelry and hair stuff) for the first time in many, many years, and discovered that it's actually pretty awesome. They had all kinds of fun stuff that other shops don't carry here, like Hair Scroos. I bought two pairs, and last night I used them to do a sloppy cinnabun. Great success! I was so excited that I stayed up much later than I had planned, because I didn't want to take the bun down. I need more of those.
I also did a successful scalp wash today. I made a loose braid, tied a plastic bag around it, and held it up with one hand while I washed the rest of the hair. I wasn't in the mood for sitting around with sopping wet hair the entire day, because I've got stuff to do. Like baking! I've made cranberry buns with custard filling twice this week. Delicious. I make my parents and my boyfriend eat most of them.
And picture time, because I wore a Mega flexi in a disc bun today.
I've put myself on a hairtoy-purchasing-ban, but there are a few items I'd really like to buy after I get my paycheck. I'm very pleased that I haven't bought anything for my hair after I imposed the ban, despite seeing a lot of things that were very tempting. I'm not able to stay away from Etsy, and I'm adding stuff to my lists almost every day, but not buying anything. Willpower! Apparently I have lots of it. It also helps that I already have lots of sticks and clips. Ah well, back to my tiny little wishlist.
1. Another Tangle Teezer. I love the Hot Pink one I have, and I've decided that I need at least one more in a different colour. What if I accidentally broke my TT? What would I use to keep my hair tangle-free until a new TT arrived?? That's an easy one, I would just use my wooden comb, but that's not the point. I need a colourful, glorious backup TT! I'm leaning towards an orange or a blue one..
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| Pretty!! |
2. A plain hairstick from Emergent Glassworks. I adore EGW sticks and have quite a few already, but I'd love a clear spiral stick too. Those never really caught my eye in the shop, but I saw one in action on LHC a while ago, and it looked magnificent! So beautiful. It would be good for the days when I don't want the hair toy to get all the attention.
3. A Flexi-8 or two. The flexi was actually the only toy I would be allowed to purchase during my ban, because they're fairly cheap. This was just in case the Flexi-8 of the Month was stunning and something I just had to buy. The March 2014 FOTM has been delayed a week, so I have no idea if it's something I want or not. And I'm not buying anything until my payday, so if I love it, I can only buy it if there are any left by then. I'd love to get the Daisy flexi too. I didn't like the design in the beginning, but it has grown on me. I'd love to wear that one during the summer. Such a fun clip.
And that's actually it. Only 3-4 things, approximately 87 euro if I buy two flexis, only 63 euro if I only buy one. That includes shipping as well. Not bad, compared to what I used to spend on hair stuff every month *shudder*
Here's a bunch of buns I've done during the last month. :)
Honey Marble is here. I'm in love!
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.
.. 1" from my ponytail circumference. I measured it out of curiosity on Wednesday, and it was 5" at my nape. It might have been slightly thicker if I had measured on the top of my head, but I didn't feel like doing that. My pony was 6" when I joined LHC two years ago. Last winter/spring I noticed that I seemed to be losing more hair, but I didn't think much about it. I attributed most of it to length, because long shed hairs naturally make the pile look bigger. I measured my pony sometime in the summer and by then it was down to 5,6".
I guess you know you're a thick haired gal when you lose 1" of thickness, and barely even notice it. My buns were still big and the braids were still fairly plump and bulky. I could feel that my hair was slightly thinner when I sectioned it before braiding, but I didn't think much about it. The shedding appears to be back to normal now. I don't usually count my sheds, but I did one night after combing with my TT. I got 20. I had also combed my hair that morning, and that pile was smaller. I guess the total was 30-40 strands? Perfectly normal, and not something to worry about.
I do wonder if the shedding may have been because of my iron deficiency. I got my blood work done right before Christmas, and the doctor said that I had a small deficiency and that I needed to take supplements. I don't know if that would make my hair fall out, but I think it's a possibility.
Losing that much thickness is much less devastating for a person with very thick hair. I still feel sad that I'm no longer the girl with crazy, insanely, impossibly thick hair. Now I just the one with thick hair. =/
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.
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