Tape In Hair Extensions - Self Application Tutorial.

In my last hair post I was going from dark to light, in this one I'm going from short to long. The bleach really ruined my hair so I decided to just chop it all off and ended up looking like a 12 year old! I've always loved hair extensions, even with my longer hair, so while I was searching the internet for a way to get my locks back I found tape in hair extensions. I've tried the micro-loop ones before and found them to slip quite easy, so I thought I give these a go.

Tape in extension come in 1.5 inch sections and attach to the hair with double sided sticky tape designed for hair. You can have them done professionally for around £300 but I always like to try things out for myself first. I bought  2 sets from eBay for £27.99 each - bargain!!!

There are professional tutorials on YouTube, I followed BabeHairExtensions video when doing my original application, but here is how I did my re-application. Please note that I am quite clearly not a professional, this is just how I found it easier to do.

STEP 1:  Firstly equipment wise you will need - Hair extension (obvs), a comb, scissors, a hair clip and hair extension tape (included with extensions).

STEP 2: Part a small section of your hair at the bottom. The parting is where the extension will be applied to ensure that there is enough hair underneath to cover the extension if you were to wear your hair up.

STEP 3: Take the extension and apply the tape (some may already have the tape attached) and peel the back off as in the pictures above.

STEP 4: Take a section of hair that is the same width and thickness as the extension and place the extension underneath.

STEP 5: Take another extension and apply the tape as before. Then place this extension directly on top of the one you just applied, so that your hair is between the two extensions. 

STEP 6: Repeat the process leaving around 1cm between each extension. 

STEP 7: Take down another section of hair thick enough to cover the previously applied extensions. 

STEP 8: Continue application until you have the desired look.

Here is the pattern I applied the extensions in:

And here is the finished result!!!

                                  BEFORE                                                                   AFTER

BACK

Tah-dah! I have long hair again! I think that it looks quite natural as well. Like I said above, this was a re-application. I originally applied them around Christmas time and found them to slip quite a lot, I was finding myself re-applying one every couple of days. I've worked out how to make them last longer by keeping conditioner away form the roots completely and not brushing hair while wet. It's also better to leave your hair dry naturally. You can also purchase more tape from the eBay store here.

Each packet contains 20 individual pieces however each piece gets placed on top of another therefore you only have 10 extensions which is why I purchased two packs.

Hope you found this helpful. If you have any comments or questions please leave them below.

xo Shannon.

Long time, no blog!

Heyyy guys, I know I've been AWOL for the past few months but I'm back!! Missed me?

I won't go into huge detail about why I've been gone as I might get a little teary but here's a quick update on my situation. I've been really ill recently and so has my grandfather but both of us are on the mend. I've also changed my career plans about 498565 times and decided to drop out of university and look at my other options. I've basically spent the last couple of months finding out what I really want and focusing on myself.

I'm aiming to do at least one post a week, probably on a Wednesday, and perhaps an outfit post on Fridays. I feel like the new kid again! I'll start out with baby steps and hopefully I'll get back there!

Shannon xo

Christmas festivities and New Years resolutions...

Heyy lovelies!!! How was everyone's Christmas? I had an amazing time, I've been ridiculously stressed with uni work and everything so it was so nice to just chill and spend some time with my family. I have also had a few other things on my mind but I'll update you when I know more about it.

So my Christmas festivities started with a little trip to London. I had to get some last minute presents and I also wanted to catch up with my friend from Cambridge. I got to meet some of his uni friends, which was pretty nice. I went to see Rock of Ages AGAIN (I'm actually obsessed!), it was just as amazing as the first time I saw it. They also do front row day seats for only pound. Absolute bargain! I highly recommend seeing it if you haven't already. It's i the middle of moving theatres atm but it'll be showing in the Garrick Theatre from the end of January. I'll post my review of it soon!

I then had the joy of baby sitting my cousins. They are 8 and 11 so I had to find something to keep them both entertained. So we did some baking. It was a lot of fun and we got to eat them afterwards (result!)

When Christmas finally came, I was a spoiled little girl and had some amazing presents. I had some Thomas Sabo charms for my charm bracelet, it's filling up quite nicely. My sister bought me a huge amount of Barry M nail varnishes. I think I actually own every colour now! I bought her a Claireabella shopping bag, which is customised to each customer, I couldn't resist treating myself to one as well. You choose the skin colour, eye colour, hair colour, hair style and outfit so it looks like you. How adorable are they? They cost £39.99 for the large and £34.99 for the medium and are available at Toxicfox.co.uk

Moving on to the new year and I've vowed that this year I will actually do the things I wanna do instead of just talking about them. I found this cute picture on Pinterest (follow me!) which basically sums up what I plan to do this year. It's also my screen saver right now to keep me inspired.

What are your New Years resolutions guys? I'd love to know what you hope to achieve this year. Leave a comment below :) xo Shannon.

Gift Guide For Women

Last week of shopping, time to get finished up now guys! I've still got a few more left to get. Off to London tomorrow to get some bits and pieces and then I'm gonna spend the day wrapping on Wednesday. Might even put a couple of Christmas films to on the get me in the festive spirit! Here's a few ideas for the ladies in you life! :)

1. Thomas Sabo Charm Bracelet - Charms from £19.95, Bracelet £34.95 - Thomas Sabo - Available Here

2. Cream Shaggy Earmuffs - £13 - River Island - Available Here

3. Wall Art - Urban Outfitters - £40 - Available Here

4. Tan Ankle Boots - £30 - Fashion Union - Available Here

5. Ipad Case - £25 - Accessorize - Available Here

6. Briefs - £4 - Topshop - Available Here

7. Bra - £14 - Topshop - Available Here

Gift Guide For Men

Guys it's almost here!! Only 14 more sleeps! I really need to get a move on with my Christmas shopping, I have literally bought 2 presents, uh oh! Luckily my friend is home from uni for the holidays so we've planned a last minute trip to London next week, so hopefully I'll get sorted then. The hardest part is thinking of ideas for everyone, especially men, the strange creatures that they are! I've put together a little guide to help you if you're a little low on ideas. Girl's guide coming soon :D 

1. Ralph Lauren Rugby - £115 - Ralph Lauren - Available here

2. Nandos Extra Extra Hot Gift Set - £12 - Nandos - Available Here

3. Scratch Off World Map - £12.99 - iwantoneofthose - Available Here

4. Wide Angle and Macro Lens - £24.99 - Play.com - Available Here

5. Brown Heritage Rucksack - £30 -Topman- Available Here

6. LA Printed Wallet - £10 - Burton - Available Here

7. Doodle Phone Case - £6.65 - Zizytoys.com - Available Here

DIY - Denim Shorts

Yet another DIY post. I don't post anything for the best part of a month and now you get three posts in one night you lucky devils! ha. I was on the hunt for a pair of short shorts and I didn't have to look far as every high street shop had racks of them. I found a perfect pair in Topshop but couldn't justify spending £40 for so little material (scrounging student alert!) So when I strolled in to my local charity shop and found an uber sexy pair of 80s jean, similar to these, for a mere £3 I had to snap them up! Although I thought they were adorable as they were, I just didn't think I'd be able to pull them off. So out came the scissors again and....

Jeans - Similar to those pictured above - Charity Shop

This attempt with the scissors was a bit more successful! I didn't want to sew on denim as I didn't want the stitches to show so I used hem webbing to add some roll ups for a vintage look. They are VERY short, but everyone loves a short short right?

DIY - Skater Skirt

I've been searching everywhere for a black skater skirt for months but everyone I try on is either too long or too poofy (is that even a word?). I'm so fussy it's unreal! I bought a skater dress similar to this one ages ago, but for some reason only wore it once or twice. I thought since I hadn't worn it in ages, I probably wouldn't wear it in the near future, so I grabbed a scissors and sliced the bottom half off. I was left with a wonky piece of fabric that sort of resembled a skirt. This was gonna require some sewing (ughh). Using the sewing skills I vaguely remember from Year 8 home economics class, I managed to rescue my poor little skirt and ended up with this.

My dress was from Topshop but it's not longer available, but you can get the one pictured above from 

Ustrendy 

I'm pretty pleased with the final result regarding the fact that it looked like a rag when I first cut it! I'm hoping to wear it out on Saturday night so I'll post photos so you can seen what it looks like on :) I might  make a cute crop top or something out of the top half I have left and I;ll be sure to post that if I do.