I have a couple lovely friends who do amazing things with hair. In an alternate universe where I am not the matriarch of a family of seven, a starving artist and a teacher’s wife, I would visit them at least every six weeks, lay down my $85 (worth every penny, I assure you) and leave ready to conquer the world. In this universe, however, my budget covers one amazing haircut a year, and that appointment usually goes something like this:
Ok, I’m looking for a haircut that makes me look like the mother of one slightly frisky puppy, not five adorable blood suckers. It’s got to grow out well, because you know I won’t be back for 12 months. I don’t mind spending some time to make it look extra cute… I mean, I could manage, say, 3 minutes on an extra-special day. But mostly, it needs to look decent even if I do nothing to it, yes, including washing it – showering daily is out of the question. It would also be great if this magic haircut could make me look 15 years younger, 30 pounds lighter, and take the place of my very expensive anti-depressants.
It is a testament to the patience of these women that they don’t boot me out of their respective shops. But no, Kimberly Clo and Sara Plambeck pat me on the untended head, pretend to find me funny, spin me around, and get to work on a cut that, if not pure magic, at least gives the appearance of magic for a full twelve weeks.
Still, what to do for the remaining 9 months?
Well, honestly, I tend to rock the Ballerina Maid. You know, that crazy bun thing you do with a rubber band and a head full of unruly tresses. Practical, but not so pretty.
Enter Lilla Rose. Some time ago, a woman named Katrina Burbank contacted me and asked if I was interested in doing a review of Lilla Rose hair jewelry in return for a few free products. I was a little hesitant. After all, this isn’t really a product review blog and I’m certainly not a hair jewelry kinda girl. But I watched her little video and thought, well, her Ballerina Maid bun is certainly nicer than mine, what with those pretty sparkly doodads, so, what the hell?
I’m totally glad I did. Katrina sent me a large butterfly clip, a small butterfly clip and the the lovely bun pins (called open flower pins). When I opened the package, I was all, “Whoa. That’s a lot of sparkle,” but when I started putting them in all the hair (big girl and little girl) around here, I realized it was just perfect. Here’s a couple shots of Zoë modeling the two butterfly clips:
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- Large Butterfly clip
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- Small butterfly clip
See? They are really pretty, kinda vintage (a big deal around here), and super quick – think 5 seconds. They look oh so much more intentional than a pony tail. My favorite, of course, are the open flower pins. That’s what you use to dress up your Ballerina Bun. I’d love to show you a picture of those in action. But… well… here’s one:
The trouble is, they come in pairs. You really need two to hold that lovely bun. And I don’t have two. I did. Katrina sent me two. But I wore them a lot, and so I left them places – like my bedside table… and then this happened:
Yeah, she LOOKS innocent enough. Someday I’ll find that other pin. I swear I will. Probably at the bottom of a toy box.
So, overall, what do I think of these doodads?
I’m a fan. I will say that they wouldn’t be a good fit for people with extremely thin hair. I’m losing my hair – thanks kids – so I’ve now got medium thick hair, and I feel like the large clip is a little iffy if I want to fix it and forget it. On the other hand, redoing it takes about 3 seconds, so that’s not a big problem. The bun pins are lovely. They hold pretty well – I went a couple hours before feeling like they were slipping. I used them a couple of times with the regular ol’ rubber band and it gave my ballerina bun a pretty intentionality that lasted ALL DAY.
If you’d like to see what you can do with these things, I suggest you check out Katrina’s video. It hooked me, after all.
And of course, if you’d like to order some for your own self, check out Katrina’s link, here: http://www.lillarose.biz/burbankhomestead.
There are all sorts of goodies there. At around $8-$11 they deliver a lot of bang for the buck. Maybe not as magical as a badass haircut – but a close second.
I’ll invest if they work on Miss J’s hair!!! LOL
Well you should check the link and see if they have baby sized head bands.
This is also a grad school student issue. Please invent the solution and you will be greatly appreciated. Not rich, mind you. But greatly appreciated by the many poor women who want cool hair.
Aw Susan, you already HAVE cool hair!
I also never go to get a hair cut. I have had some very bad ones in the past. and I rarly go anywhere nice. so I just sot of forget that hair cuts are a thing. and that I despretly need one until it is abit to late. currently my hair is down to my belly button. in fantasy films that is fine. they have makeup and hair people to make it look majestic. I do not have these people. I need a hair cut. I also need one of these little clips to pull part of it back took look nicer. I can combine a clip with afew tiny braids or bands sence it clearly wont hold ALL my hair. but man. these look awesome and I plan on getting afew.
They have large and XX large clips that will hold super long hair. I’ve been wearing these clips for years. I love them.