Tag: Salon

My Ombre Manicure

I learned about Ombre Manicures also known as Baby Boomer Manicures on Pinterest.  I have been intrigued by them for a while now.  I just love how they look.  At first I didn’t even know what they were or how the look was accomplished.  I wasn’t sure if I could get a Baby Boomer manicure on natural nails.  I thought they might be press on nails that came out of a package like that.

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I’m fairly frugal and wanted to see if I could do the manicure myself.  I am pretty good at home manicures and I have some experience with using acrylic paints so I thought I could do it.  I failed.  Nail polish doesn’t blend the way acrylic and oil paint does.

I found a You Tube video on how to give yourself an Ombre Manicure but it looked messy and I think it would take several attempts before it came out right.  When I factored in the time and cost of materials to give myself the manicure I decided it would be easier to go to a salon.

 

When I walked into the salon I asked if they knew how to do a Baby Boomer manicure and if it can be done on natural nails.  They didn’t know what that was at first so I described it and they said “Oh Ombre Nails”.  The nail technician filed my nails with that  small, round, drill like filing tool that they have.  She put some sort of a base on my nails.  She dipped my fingers in pink powder.  Then she dusted the tips of my nails with white powder and put a top coat over that.

I don’t think that the powder that was put on my nails will come off as simply as it is to remove nail polish.  That will be a pain.  I went through that with the gel nail polish trend from around 2011.  What a racket!  You have to go the the salon to get the polish removed so you end up just getting your nails done again and probably a pedicure and your eyebrows waxed too.  It’s hard to jump off that train.  But it looks like I’m going to board it again and ride a while.

During the gel nails wave I eventually had to scrape the polish off with a pair of scissors.  I scraped the top layers of my nails off along with the polish and I just had to wait for them to grow back.  But my nail polish rarely chipped off so there was a benefit to it.  It just got to be expensive.

The nail tech filed my nails into the coffin shape which I’m not comfortable with.  It’s hard to pick things up off of tables now and my nails just feel funny now.  But overall I’m happy with my manicure.  The next time I get my nails done I will ask for a darker pink powder.  I wanted a subtle and natural look so I asked for a light pink but I think I would like a little more contrast.  The manicure cost $45.  I also got my eyebrows waxed for $10 and I left a tip of $6 or $8 I don’t quite remember.  It was money well spent.

 

I’m getting my hair did tomorrow!

Tomorrow is pageant day.  That’s what I call beauty shop appointment day.  I am getting a relaxer on my hair and a style; nothing very different.  I would love to grow my hair out natural.  It would be great to try it out for a while.  I’m not afraid in the least bit to shave my head bald and watch it all grow back natural.  I just want time to do it.

The problem with changing your hair drastically are the shocked reactions to people that see you regularly.  I don’t want to have to explain myself over and over to people about why I made the decision.  I also need time and space to decide if I like my hair au natural myself.  I have not worn my hair in it’s natural state since I was a toddler so I don’t really know what it’s like.  The same can be said for many Black women.

I love how my nappy roots feel.  My hair is very spongey and super curly.  Curly probably isn’t the right word.  I really prefer nappy even though I don’t think that word is widely understood either.  But I must admit it is very difficult to get a comb through my hair in it’s natural state.  That’s another reason I wish I had time to grow my hair out naturally.  I don’t really have the time to rake through a nappy afro ever morning.  I would have to figure out a new maintenance routine which would take some experimenting with different finishing products and styling tools.  I want a good month to myself to watch my hair do what it naturally does.

One of these days I’m going to do it.  My hair has been should length, short, shorter and super short but always chemically process to give it a straight texture.  It’s been it natural super dark brown (now with gray tinsel) , lighter brown, copper, reddish, fire engine red and streaked with blonde.  I think it’s kind of a shame that it’s been everything but it’s natural nappy self.

Natural hair is the trend right now.  But what’s funny the fashion bloggers that right about natural hair are often promoting a White standard of beauty.  The models they use often have curly hair and not nappy hair.  The hair falls to their shoulders instead of standing up on their head.  The models are often people that don’t even have two Black parents.  I call bullshit on the current natural hair trends.  When I grow my hair natural it won’t be because I’m following a fashion trend.  It will be because I reached a point in my life when I’m able to better control my own time instead of punching someone else’s time clock 45 hours a week.  Until that time off to the beauty shop I go.