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Sunday 30 June 2013

New Jewellery Box

I currently have rented a table from a local self-service flea market, so I go there often to tidy up my spot. I've been trying not to browse much while there to avoid bringing as much stuff back home as I'm selling off, but I've still bought a couple of small things I thought were great finds. So far I've gotten a pair of Alchemy Gothic earrings for 2 euros, two satin linen sets for 2 euros, and this lovely acrylic jewellery box for 2 euros.



It was really dirty and hiding in the darkest corner of one table when I found it.

The top part opens with a clear lid, and the lower part is a little drawer. All the sections
are adjustable, so I can create larger or smaller spaces for the jewellery.


The leftmost earrings in the middle row are the ones I got from the flea market! 




All of my jewellery doesn't fit in it, but almost half does, so I'm planning on changing the ones in this container to encourage myself to wear jewellery more. All except earrings have been tucked away in a drawer and I don't even remember to always check if there would be something to match my clothes or make-up.

Saturday 29 June 2013

Outfit of the Day

Yesterday was my last day of work before the holidays. To celebrate, my other half took me out to eat and we watched the Hobbit at home after that. I also wanted to do some shopping, and found a great skirt on discount, and even got a little something for Halloween. I'm preparing early this year ;D


Top - Tally Weijl (from Leipzig)
Belt - Spirit Store (or H&M, it's really old)
Bra - H&M
Label pins - H&M (they are small silver skulls with crossbones)
Skirt - Seppälä
Sandals - Spirit Store

I'm super happy with the skirt, I didn't own any long skirts before and tried to keep cool with maxi dresses, but they tend to have quite narrow cut at the hem and thus don't move around and keep me cooled. This one is made from a slippery fabric and has slits in the side seams, making it flow and feel cool. And it was on discount so I only spent a little under 12 euros on it, I feel lucky!



Thursday 27 June 2013

Outfit of the Day

This is what I wore last night. Thanks for the photos, Nina! It was very hot so I kept it simple and short, and opted for comfy shoes.



Dress - Lip Service
Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Necronomicon Look

Tonight I'm heading downstairs to a nightclub that hosts the goth club Discotheque Necronomicon. This is my last week of work before my holidays, and I got the permission to start a little later and work from home tomorrow. It was such a nice gesture, I almost never get to go to Necronomicon since it's always in the middle of the week and only starts at eleven. And it's basically next door, since it's two doors down from our apartment house's main door. But now I'm prepared and sipping some cava at home (which was so bubbly it burst all over the kitchen) and ready to do some dancing! Unless it's too hot, which it probably is, since it's 28 degrees Celsius outside right now. Anyway, I got a good excuse to wear a tiny dress and put on some loud make-up, that's enough for me :)



I'm actually wearing chicken bone earrings I made from old hoop earrings. They
have a few chicken spine pieces I saved from a fried chicken and soaked in chlorite
to get off the chicken smell and bleach them a bit.


I'm wearing:
Darling Girl Cosmetics Obviously A Wig (dark pink with a blue sheen, in the crease)
Evil Shades Suffocation (light pink with a blue sheen, on the lid)
Sugarpill Darling (medium shimmery turquoise/aqua, on the tearduct)
Sugarpill Bulletproof (matte black, and liner on the outer half of upper lids and on lower lash line)
Black mascara, also used as liner on upper lid 
Maybelline 10H Tint Gloss in Timeless Plum


Sunday 23 June 2013

400 Readers' Questions

When I had the last giveaway, I asked people to ask me things if they wanted to. This is a list of all the questions and my answers, sorry for being so slow to get this done! :)

Onko Kalma sun oikea sukunimesi?
Translation: Is Kalma your real surname? (Kalma means deathly in Finnish)
Valitettavasti ei ole! Mutta näemmä voisi olla, se on ihan oikea sukunimi. Nyt vaan etsimään sopivaa sulhoa... ;P
It's not! But it could be, it's an existing surname. Now just to find the right fiancé... ;P

Which beauty brands or products are your favourite ones from those available in local stores?
I think if I'd count, the brand I own most stuff by would be Lumene. I also like Isadora and H&M's cheapo stuff, their eyeshadows have surprisingly good pigmentation and they offer bright colours.

Can you name me 10 of your fav songs or movies?
Sure I can! I'm listing movies later on in this post, so I'll do songs here. Right now my list would look like this in no particular order: Angels of Liberty - The Black Madonna, Merciful Nuns - Ancient Astronauts, The Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love, Skeletal Family - Promised Land, Sweet Ermengarde - Kisses, Musta Paraati - Peilitalo, Suruaika - Syysmorsian, The Upper Classes - The Disbeliever, The Merry Thoughts - Pale Empress, Murnau's Playhouse - Showreel, and Warsaw - They Walked in Line (sorry, I needed 11 spots on my list!). Bubbling under is a yet unreleased song from Murnau's Playhouse that doesn't even have vocals yet, but I love it :)

Haluaisin että esittelisit kodistasi lempipaikkojasi/lempi tavaroitasi.
Translation: I'd like you to show us your favourite places/items at home.
Laitan muistiin, kiva idea!
Translation: I'll add this idea to my drafts, it sounds like fun :)

Haluaisin kuulla vähän sun mielipiteitä meikkaamisesta ja suhtautumisesta siihen, ja varsinkin kovasta/"liiasta" meikkaamisesta. Onko meikkaaminen sun mielestä siis tapa korostaa kauneutta, luoda kauneutta vai mitä? Ja miksi sinä meikkaat? Ja mitä mieltä olen ns. "fantasiameikeistä"?
Translation: I'd like to hear your opinions and stand on doing make-up and especially bright/"over-the-top" make-up. Do you think make-up is a way of accentuating natural beauty, to create beauty, or something else? Why do you apply make-up? What do you think about "fantasy make-up"?
Mielestäni meikkaamisen pitää olla ennen kaikkea hauskaa. Mun mielessäni se rinnastuu piirtämiseen ja maalaamiseen, ja siinä saa ja pitää käyttää luovuutta. Hienoimpia lookkeja ovat sellaiset, missä kaikki osaset sopivat yhteen aina hiuksia ja asua myöten, eikä sellaista voi osata tehdä harjoittelematta. Luonnollinen meikki on ihan oma alueensa, enkä itse ole siitä niin kiinnostunut tai kovin hyvä siinä, mutta kaikki kunnia niille jotka ovat!
Translation: I think make-up should be first of all fun. I think of it as self expression, likes drawing or painting, and when you use creativity you get the best results. The greatest looks are the ones where everything fits together, even the hair and outfit, and that's something you only learn to do with lots of practice. Natural make-up is it's own specific skill, and one that I'm not so interested in or good at, but when it's done well it looks great and needs a lot of skill.

Do you have any problems with ordering makeup from USA (Detrivore, Morgana Cryptoria, etc.)? I want to try some new brands but I'm a bit affraid of the taxes and all that, I just don't want it to be super expensive.
Personally I've never had problems. The packages are small and they have never been inspected by the customs and companies usually mark the prices down. Shipping can be anything between 7-15 dollars (usually) but at least with Finland being so expensive, I think most times I would end up paying more for a lipstick in the department store next block than by ordering it from Morgana.

Could you tell me your favourite shops in Helsinki, this if you have some? I'll be in Helsinki this summer and I'd like to have some opinions from a finnish girl.
There's two nice goth stores in the top floor of the Kamppi shopping center. There's also a nice cafe and it's usually pretty quiet up there, even when the lower floors are full off people. I also like to visit Lush in the Asematunneli, it's underground near the railway station, and I like the H&M Home store on Aleksanterinkatu near the Stockmann department store. Lush and H&M Home are not unique, but the don't have shops in my home town, so I visit them in Helsinki. If you are into modern art, check out the Kiasma art museum right in the center of the city. Especially if it's hot, they have heavenly air conditioning ;P

I`m sure you get fashion questions all the time, but would you mind telling us some more about where you get inspiration from?
I like to read fashion blogs and browse tumblr every now and then. I also enjoy just going to stores and browsing what they have to find new, interesting cobinations :)

How did you get interested in video game design?
I've always played games, the first I can remember is SkiFree that came out in 1991. I can't remember when I played it, but if it was -91, I've been seven years old. I guess that's really the starting point :) I've liked games for a long time, and when I figured out becoming an artist was not likely to be a good career choice, I applied to study graphic design and found my love of games again. Not many of the graphic design students were into games, but the programming students in the same school needed some graphics done for their projects and I was the go-to person. I did my internship at a mobile game company testing games, and have continued on the same track from there on, doing graphic design and finally game design.

If you could only use one eyeshadow for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A though one! I'd have to say The Pointy End by Geek Chic Cosmetics, it's just lovely and fits my eyecolour well.

I'd like to know if you can really wear your many high heels during the finnish winter. I can walk in such shoes on flat ground, but you ought to have snow and ice right noch, am I right?!
My New Rock heels work pretty well in winter, and some of the Pennangalan boots have a rigid foam sole that has a good grip. I have leather wedge shoes that I usually use, and then a pair of flat boots for very cold, very slippery days or if I know I have to walk very fast. I live in the city center, so there's snow but not these knee-deep piles like further away from the center, and streets are regularly tended and gravel is put on icy places. And my walk to work only takes 10-15 minutes, so that helps too :)

How you stay fashionable AND warm?
It's tricky! I have invested in a stylish and warm coat and a few scarves that go well with it. Thick stockings also help a lot, or wearing several pairs at the same time.

Oletko pelannut Saints Row'ta? Entä Dragon Age: Originsia? Jos, tykkäsitkö? Jos et, pelaisitko?
Translation: Have you played Saints Row? Or Dragon Age: Origins? If you have, did you like them? If you haven't, would you?
Saints Row'ta en ole kokeillut, mutta DA on koluttu läpi huolella! Pidin siitä tosi paljon, mun sydämessäni on aina paikka tietokoneroolipeleille ja erityisesti sellaisille missä saa pelata ihmissuhteitakin :) Valitsin naishahmon, ja välillä tarina näytti aika jännältä koska se oli selvästi kirjoitettu miespäähenkilölle, mutta siitä tuli lopulta ihan hauska efekti. Ostin lisäosankin, mutta se on vielä pelaamatta. Kakkososan pelasin jo läpi!
I haven't tried Saint's Row, but I have played DA through and through! I really liked it, I'm always fond of computer roleplaying games, and especially ones that let you roleplay relationships :) I played with a female character, which made the story look a bit interesting at times since you can see it's written for a male protagonist, but in the end the effect was quite nice. I even got the expansion pack, but haven't played it yet, but I've played the sequel already.

Do you like perfumes? What kind of perfumes?
I do! I like musky, earthy scents and usually try to order from small businesses around Halloween when their Halloween themed collections come out. I like oils and solid scents the best. My current favourite is "Quoth the Raven" by the Morbid the Merrier, but sadly the company has closed it's shop since.

Could you show us some of your drawings?
Sure thing! I'll take a few pictures or scan a few to show you :)

I was wondering how you got into bright makeup and indie companies?
The first company I ordered from was Lost in Makeup Land. I think I came across them while browsing blogs, but to be honest, I really can't remember! I had been using make-up for years, but I'd had only a few eyeshadows for a long time. For me, finding colourful, unique shades was part of my journey in getting to know myself and how to take care of me properly. Apparently I need colour in my life!

What are your holy grail beauty products, Indie and otherwise?
Urban Decay Primer Potion is my absolute favourite. I've been using it for somewhere around five years now. The new tube version doesn't work as well as the vial one, but it might be that my skin is just a bit different then five years back. It's still the best eyeshadow primer I've ever tried.

And I was wondering, how you manage to wear your hair in such lovely up-dos?
I think most of my up-dos are just messy piles of hair full of clips to hold it in position ;P I'd say the key is to get decent ponytail bands (the ones with no metal clip preferably) and small clips with teeth. My clips are transparent, so they will always fit my haircolour.

How often to do you craft? And if you'd ever consider showcasing some in your blog, if you do?
My crafting frequency depends a lot on how much time I have at hand. Right now I'm pretty busy with work and I'm trying to complete one course and read a book for another. And then there's the CD cover and a few other little things... I've been trying to show most of what I manage to complete and will continue doing so!

You have a lot of awesome high heeled shoes. Do you use anything (like gel inserts) to make them more comfortable to wear?
Yes, gel inserts are the best thing since sliced bread! I bought several pairs the last time I was in Germany, since they are a bit cheaper there. They are lifesavers on long nights in clubs where there aren't many seats.

What is your skin care products, your skin always looks so nice?
Thank you so much! I dutifully wipe off my make-up with some toning water and apply gel moisturiser and eye cream (Dermae Vitamin A Wrinkle Treatment Moisturising Gel and a Lumene eye cream) at evenings before going to bed. I usually use a scrub once every two weeks.

Lempparituoksusi? Pidätkö enemmän tuoksuöljyistä, perinteisistä hajuvesistä, kevyemmistä edt:sta, vai oletko testaillut jopa kiinteitä purkkituoksuja?
Translation: Your favourite perfume? Do you like perfume oils, light eau de toilets or have you even tested solid scents?
Suosikkini tällä hetkellä on Quoth the Raven The Morbid The Merrier -kaupasta. Itken verta kun se joskus loppuu, koska kauppa on lopettanut ja tuoksu oli Halloween-spesiaali, joten sitä ei varmaankaan löydy enää lisää. En ole varmaan ikinä ostanut täysihintaista hajuvettä kaupasta, mutta mulla on muutama kirppikseltä ostettu tuoksu ja Tigerin halpistuoksuja, jotka ovat mukavan kevyitä käyttää eivätkä niin imeliä kuin monet halpikset. Käytän mieluusti kiinteitä tuoksuja jotka tulevat huulirasvatuubissa, ne ovat tosi helppoja ja näppäriä kantaa mukanakin. Erityisesti pidän tummista, vähän myskisistä maa-tuoksuista, joita olen haalinut One Hand Washes The Other -puodista läjän.
Translation: My favourite so far is Quoth the Raven from The Morbid The Merrier. It was a limited edition Halloween scent so I'm using mine sparingly. It's a perfume oil and a drop or two is enough for the whole day. I also have two traditional perfumes, and two really light scents (from Tiger, their cheap-o perfumes smell really nice). Then there's a pile of solid scents from One Hand Washes The Other, most are musky, earthy scents that I really love. I'd say solids and perfume oils are my favourites!

What are your main style inspirations?
I like to browse Tumblr and goth clothing catalogues for inspiration, and Etsy is a great place too. I like making stuff, so I'm looking for things that I could make with a twist.

If you would have to wear only one lipstick shade for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I have to say a plummy purple, those look good with my skin tone and I just love them!

Which alternative cosmetic brand would you recommend the most?
I'm not sure by alternative you mean indie, but I'll say Fyrinnae. They do amazing eyeshadows, really nice liquid lipstick and their blushes are also good. They also have pressed shadows these days, but I haven't tried them yet.

What was the worst beauty product you have ever bought?
I'd have to say the Evil Shades mixing medium, because I still haven't come up with any uses for it. It's a medium to mix with loose shadows to make them into liner. The thing is, the mixing medium never dries, it just stays moist and my liner transfers like a mofo! Otherwise I do like Evil Shades, this was a rare miss :)

A lot of the indie brands you purchase from are US based, are there any indie brands native to your country that you're digging, anyone we need to drool over?
I haven't found anything in Finland yet. I think our laws for cosmetics might be so strict that it's impossible to have a small company. It's even illegal to sell handmade soap, I tell you! Well, not illegal, but in order to do it legally the soap would have to be tested so that it's safe to use, and the tests are very expensive, so it's not economically possible to make small batches of soap and sell them. Finland is very weird sometimes. It's also illegal for a night club to have guests wearing outside clothing, and when buying a drink from a bar, it's illegal to sell more than one drink to a person at a time. I'm pretty sure the government will soon pass a law that everyone must wear helmets outside or something about as crazy ;D

Mitkä ovat mielestäsi kauheimmat meikkausmokat mitkä tiedät?
Translation: What are the worst make-up goofs you know?
Liian tumma meikkivoide, ehdottomasti! Erityisesti yhdistettynä hyvin vaaleaan huulipunaan. Mun silmään ei vaan sovi että huulet on vaaleammat kuin iho, enkä keksi missä lookissa sellainen ikinä voisi toimia.
Tranlation: Too dark foundation! Espacially when combined with a very light lipstick. I can't come up with any looks where lighter lips than skin would look nice.

What specific tips could you give to mantain a so beautiful and shinny hair as yours?
Well, I don't do anything special with it, but I do always use a heat protecting product before blowdrying or curling. I think it helps a lot!

What are your top 5 favorite films?
Princess Mononoke by Miyazaki, Mulholland Drive by David Lynch, Melancholia by Lars von Trier, Anti-Christ by Lars von Trier and Prometheus by Ridley Scott. I generally like movies that give you room to imagine and make your own conclusions.

When did you first shave your eyebrows off?
I used to have only the innermost parts for a few years and drew the outer wing every day, but I shaved them fully off two years ago. I'm still happy with the decision, I think drawn brows make my face look a lot more bright and open-eyed, my natural brows grow quite low and don't have an arch.

I think you should do a post about your cats! I am curious to know what breed they are.
I totally should! We have five cats, two are good old housecats, and three are oriental shorthairs. The orientals were mine and the housecats my other half's but when we moved together the kitties have slowly become accustomed to each other. They have some communication problems at times, since they seem to speak a different dialect of cat, but usually things go easy. The oldest one, Nivek, is now nine, and the youngest ones are five. That would be the housecats, who are from the same litter, and Möttönen. Nana is soon nine too, she's only a bit younger than Nivek since orientals are so active that they need to have another cat companion, so I got Nana shortly after Nivek.

If you could only pick two brands (indie or big name) to use for the rest of your life, which two would you pick?
Fyrinnae and Femme Fatale. Fyrinnae is just great, and Femme Fatale is a new find of mine, they do killer duo-chrome shadows!

Who is your favorite goth style icon?
I'll go with with Carl McCoy of the Fields of the Nephilim. He has impeccable style throughout the years! Peter Murphy of Bauhaus is the runner-up, I'll never get over the red rose petals he had stuffed inside his shirt at Mera Luna festival, it takes a genius to have such a surprise in store for taking off you shirt ;D

Here's a picture of a cat just to give this post a nice thumbnail ;P

Nivek likes sunny spots!

Friday 21 June 2013

How To Do Syrup Nails (Easy Ombre)

I came across this manicure on one of the Facebook groups I belong to, and it looked so gorgeous I wanted to try it myself. I've tried to grow my nails, but one still broke yesterday even when I had been very careful :(

But on to the manicure, colourful nails always cheer me up! I used Sinful Colours Daddy's Girl, it's a purple jelly polish with some lavender glitter and shiny flakes. Since I had to google this up, I add that a jelly polish is nailpolish which is sheer. I think ones with glitter work well for this look, since the glitter particles help to hide the lines between layers.

1. Use a base coat if you like, or paint your nails with an opaque light colour to use as a base. If your jelly polish is very sheer, you might have your natural tips showing through a bit like I did. If that doesn't bother you, you can skip the base altogether.


2. After the base is dry, paint a rough tip with the jelly polish. You should leave the edges of layers rough to avoid having stripy nails. Ideally you should paint the nails so that you swipe the brush from the nail bed towards the tip to get the darkest colour close to the tip.


3. Wait for the tip to dry, then add a layer on top of it but closer to the nail bed. How many layers you can do depends on how sheer your polish is. Mine is usually opaque after three layers, so I'm aiming for three layers of gradient. In the last stage you will paint the whole nail so keep that in mind when deciding how to divide the nail for layers.


4. After the second layer is dry, add a third one in the same fashion. You can see here how my polish is pretty much opaque on the tips now after the third layer.


5. Fourth and final layer is added after the previous one is dry. When it has dried, you can gently pat polish on top if there are places that look too light. Keep in mind that adding polish always makes the colour deeper and darker, so be careful not to end up with spotty nails. If your nails look almost like you want them to, try adding a top coat before any touch-ups, because the top coat will soften the transition a little bit and might just be what your manicure needs. If you are unsure of your skills, avoid touch-ups and just go with the top coat.


6. All done! I applied top coat first, then did a few little fixes, and put on another coat of the top coat. The layers are quite thick at the tips of the nails, but look neat enough for me.


Wednesday 19 June 2013

Outfit of the Day

This is what I wore today! After lugging a ton of stuff to the flea market today (for anyone in Tampere, visit Bonus-kirppis and table 131), doing a full day at the office (including a sushi lunch with friend) I went to have a look at some DJ'ing equipment with my fellow organizer of Club Underworld. We are now the proud owners of a CD-deck and a mixer, so putting everything together for a night of great music should be even easier :)


Top - Lip Service
Hotpants - Second hand
Bag - H&M
Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell


I went to bed last night with damp hair and braided it, but for some weird reason only one side kept the waves. Well, at least my bangs dried nicely and not pointing towards the ceiling like on some nights ;D


Tuesday 18 June 2013

Outfit of the Day

On Saturday was the Club Bella Morte release party for Pohjola compilation. What a great night, both Flux Fin and Murnau's Playhouse were great, the audience seemed to enjoy them too, and there were so many friends I hardly had the time to say hi to everyone!





Tiara - Made by me
Necklace - Glitter
Top - Lip Service
Corset - Second hand (Deadlygirlz)
Skirt - Queen of Darkness
Heels - Second hand (Demonia)

I love my new Deadlygirlz corset, it has such a dramatic waistline! In these pictures it isn't even tightly laced (it was such busy night, I didn't have time for pics after lacing it properly!) And once again I opted for the Queen of Darkness skirt I bought from their stall at WGT, it just moves so nicely when I dance. A friend told me I looked like the queen of the dancefloor with the clock hand tiara and the skirt, what a lovely thing to say :)

Sadly there wasn't much time for DJ'ing, since two bands take up a lot of time, but I managed to play the few songs that I wanted, so it's fine. The venue was gorgeous, it's in a harbour area right next to a lake, and has a large terrace area and a pavilion where the bands played. It wasn't very warm, but no rain and no wind, so a nice weather still! A big thanks for everyone who came, and especially my fellow organizers and all the volunteers, so glad you made this happen!

Monday 17 June 2013

Pohjola Look

Here's my make-up from Saturday!

I wore:
Seedless by Madd Style Cosmetics (light pink with strong green shift, on brow bone and inner corners)
The Nightmare by Femme Fatale (blueish purple with a green shift, on the lid and crease)
Don't Teal Me You Love Me by Darling Girl Cosmetics (purple with a strong turquoise sheen, on the lid padded on top of The Nightmare)
Elise Individual Lashes (these are lash clusters with mixed lash fibers in red, pink and blue)
P2 100% Black waterproof gel liner (as lipstick)




I decided to try gel liner for the lips when I couldn't find my black lipstick (it must be in one of my millions handbags!) and tried to think of a product that would be black and last well on skin. I left the liner coloured lips matte, and they stayed looking good the whole evening. Only once I added a little bit in the center of the lips, but other than that, they didn't need any touch-ups. With a gloss on top the liner could have been more messy but for matte lips I can definitely recommend it!

The lashes were surprisingly hard to capture on the camera, but lasted the whole evening and looked very nice.



Sunday 16 June 2013

How To Use Bumpits With A Back-Combed Goth Do

A hair tutorial! I got a pair of Bumpits from a Claire's in Leipzig. They are little plastic things meant to give your hair more volume. For sleek, classic hair dos they might be a bit hard to use, at least with my skills, but they are excellent for the back combed styles I prefer. Basically Bumpits give you a lot more volume with a lot less back combing = a lot less stress on the hair and a lot less hair to untangle the morning after!

There's tons of pictures, but the actual hair do isn't that complicated, I just wanted to cover the whole process in detail. This tutorial shows you how to do a back combed look with curl ends. The style suits mohawks and undercuts with long hair, but you don't need to have any part of your head shaved to do it. Just pin the undercut section close to your scalp or comb all the hair to one side and backcomb that part too.

A big thanks for Nina for taking the pictures :)

Finished hair do. This one was taken by Niina at Mustalahti in the evening.

Stuff needed.

What you need to achieve this style:
  • Hair spray (I only have a spray with strong hold, for best results you should use a light hold spray first and only finish the hairdo with the strong spray)
  • Powder texturizer (not obligatory, but gives roots a good boost)
  • A pair of Bumpits (the package comes with three pieces, but I've never used the tiniest one)
  • Heat protecting spray (only if you want to have curly ends)
  • Curling wand, hair straightener, curling tong or any device you like to use for curling hair
  • Comb, brush or something else for back combing. I use a Tangle Teezer (partly because it comes in a sparkly purple colourway ;P)
  • Bobby pins
  • Clip-in streaks in a contrasting colour (optional, but they do make the curls really pop! Make sure you use human hair clips if you plan on curling the ends)

These are the Bumpits I have. See how they have arrow-shaped pins sticking out? That's how they stay in hair so well!
They come in two colours, if I remember correctly, one for light hair and the other for dark. Mine are the dark ones. They are mahogany brown but don't really show when in hair, so it's not too big of a deal if they don't match.

My hair before. Please excuse the lack of eyebrows, I do my make-up after my hair :)

I washed my hair the same day and dried it. Your hair should not be damp when you start.

1. If you wish to use clip-in streaks, put them in first. Keep in mind which way you will comb your hair and place the streaks accordingly. I have some tape hair highlight in. Start by combing through your hair and separating a section where you want the poofy part to start. My section is slightly too wide, you should aim for something like 3-4 cm wide section (1-1,5 inches).

I always start with the main hair mass, I do my bangs later, so don't worry about those yet!


2. Apply hair spray lightly to the section to prepare it for back combing. If you have a light hold spray, use it here.


3. Add powder texturizer to the roots and gently rub it in with your fingers to activate.



4. Back comb! Gently slide the comb or brush from the ends toward the roots of the hair. Your aim is to back comb the hair mostly at the roots and leave the ends freely flowing. If you have clip-in highlights or tape highlights like me, just handle them with the natural hair to make them blend in well.


5. When your section is nice and poofy at the roots, grab the smaller Bumpit of the two. Place it right next to the back combed section on the side where you will be combing your hair over. Press it down and nudge gently to make sure the little arrow pins get a good grip.

Take a Bumpit...

Place and nudge...

And it stays!
6. Don't put the back combed section on top of the Bumpit yet, let it hang on the other side for now. Separate another section next to the Bumpit you just placed. This one should be roughly the same size. Your other Bumpit will be placed after this section, so try to find a position where it will lift the hair well.

The already placed Bumpit hangs on for dear life.
7. Add some hair spray (light hold) on the section and back comb it like the first one. Then take the larger Bumpit and place it next to the section. You should now have looking from the shaved side (or the side where the hair will be brushed to the other side) a back combed section, then Bumpit, a backcombed section, another Bumpit, and hair falling free.



8. Gently fold your hair on the side you want it to lay on and pat it on top of the Bumpits. Make sure they grip your hair. I feel the Bumpits always feel a little loose, but they do stay on well despite the feeling. They are not supposed to pull your hair but rather just lighty grip it to stay in place.

Use your fingers to spread the hair evenly on the Bumpits and nudge them to make them attach better. If a section looks or feels too flat, just back comb it a bit more.


Fixing a small section.
9. After you like how the hair falls on top of the head, smooth the top layer with your brush if you want a sleek look. You should not use a comb, a natural bristle brush or a Tangle Teezer would be best since they don't pull hair so hard and won't snag on the Bumpits.

Have a look at the rest of the hair, if it's lacking volume, back comb gently on the underside to make it look big and still sleek and straight.


10. Time to pin everything in place! Grab your bobby pins and secure any loose sections. My main problem area is in the back, where loose hair likes to stick to the short stubble on my undercut. Pinning the sections on the back of your head higher makes your hair look bigger, since the sections will then rather lay on the side then just down the back.

Mah pins. And a few safety pins and a pair of earrings, apparently.


11. Now is the time to get the strong hold hair spray out! Spray your roots liberally and comb the hair with your fingers to make sure it stays poofy. With a strong spray, you can easily style your hair when the spray is drying, just place the hair the way you want and let dry in place. 



12. This is the time I usually finish my bangs. I use (my other half's) tiny straightener and hold it at an angle when I pull it through the bangs to give them a curve.


13. Time for curls! I like to add curly ends to this do to make the ends look neater. You can also use a hair straightener to make big waves if small curls are not your thing. First, apply some heat protecting spray on the ends. Then grab your curling thingie (I use a curling wand, I love it!) and curl small sections at a time until all the ends are done.




For more texture, curl a few sections of the top layers too.
14. Let the curls cool and brush them open. The curling wand is very effective and I know the curls will stay even when combed, but if you are unsure, add a little bit of hair spray first and let it dry before brushing the curls. If you like the look of defined curls, skip this step!


15. Finish it! The final step when you are happy with how puffy the hair is, how it lays and how the curls look, is to add strong hold hair spray to keep it all in place. My way of applying is to put quite a lot on the roots to keep the back combing intact, very little on the lengths (just a little bit to keep the hair from becoming frizzy) and a light but even coat on the curly ends. The trick with curls is that you need to spray them from below to get the spray into the inner part of the curl as well, a friend taught me this! If your hair doesn't hold curls well, you should try to use the light hold spray on the curls to make sure they don't become heavy and cause the hair to straighten. Less is more when dealing with hard to curl hair and hair spray! 


Curls should be sprayed holding the bottle under them and spraying up, to get the
spray inside them.
All done! My do lasts the whole night nicely (this specific one managed 7 hours of DJ'ing and dancing and an after party, and then I went to sleep) with not added spray. If the hair looks deflated, just tease it with your fingers a bit. Or if you are not as lazy as me, put a comb in your purse for quick fixes.

Here are pictures of my hair from every angle after it's done. I do my hair by myself, or sometimes as my other half to help since there's just so much hair. He's killer at back combing! My hair is thick and there's a lot of it, so thinner hair might need more attention to Bumpit placement and pinning.







And the finished look, with eyebrows and other posh stuff ;D


This is the same cut and hair do, only on a different day.


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