Monday, April 13, 2015

My New Favorite Way to Add Sparkle to the Gray! - Lilla Rose Hair Accessories!

Hi blog reading friends and silver sisters! I hope that all of you are experiencing a bit of sunshine like we are here in Michigan, with our new-found warmer weather and sunny days. (Although, I don't want to jinx it, so let's just say that I'm glad winter has finally receded in this neck of the woods). 

For the past twelve days, Noah has been on spring break and Jon was able to take some time off of work to spend together as a family. Such a change in pace is a really treat. Many years we mean well and talk about going someplace warm for spring break, but that rarely happens. This year again we started talking about what to do for spring break, and like most years, there were just a lot of springtime "to do's" that we could get done around the house and logistical issues holding us back. Like a puppy with endless energy. 

We were glad to stay home though. There was lots to do and one of my best friends from high school, who now lives in London, came to to stay for a night. Our week and a half included lots of un-rushed, easy-going days, visits with cousins, long dog walks, frozen yogurt and frequent roller blading in the park.


Also, a puppy playdate or two.


And then this morning, on Monday morning, we all got up and went back to the grind. Except for Josie. EVERYDAY is spring break for Josie.


Today I have something wonderful and fun and pretty to tell all of my silver sister readers and not-so-silver sisters about. It's........................ Lilla Rose hair accessories! 

Just for transparency's sake from the get-go, these hair accessories were simply a gift with no obligation of a blog post. All of my opinions about Lilla Rose are 100% mine and honest! I would never promote a product or service on this blog that I did not use and believe in myself, and I am not being monetarily compensated for this blog post.

Here is why the subject of hair accessories is so near and dear to my heart, especially for those of use struggling with our "silver identities"........

You may not have a choice over the fact that you're going gray or that you need to stop coloring your hair. You may not have complete over how you look during your transition or what other people say or think in response. BUT what you DO have a choice over with this whole gray thing, is the choice to be POSITIVE and make the best of it! You have control over the ways that you HELP your wonderful SELF to feel better during this huge change. And sometimes, the simplest things are the biggest ways to help! 

Like a beautiful, beaded hair clip that sparkles along with your gray for example. :)
Many a time as I was growing out my hair, I turned to a pretty barrette or clip or hair pin to pick-up my spirits, and still today I do the same. It can really make a difference.

I just recently learned about Lilla Rose from my new friend and fellow silver sister/blog reader, Kathy, and I'm so happy to meet both of them! Kathy is very sweet. She's a consultant for Lilla Rose. Kathy contacted me a couple of weeks ago, simply to thank me for the help that the blog has given her as she grows out her gray! I was touched by her email and honored that she wrote. Kathy had seen one of my recent posts and and noticed in my "hair accessory collection" picture from that post, that I didn't own any Lilla Rose! She wanted to send me a gift, just to say: "Thank you." Isn't that incredibly nice!?

I again, was honored and moved. I offered to review Kathy's hair accessories for the blog and she said that it wasn't needed, that she was just showing thanks. I have been LOVING my new Lilla Rose Flexi hair clips and Bobby Pins and felt that they instantly made me feel prettier and more confident about my gray hair. So, it was important to me to share this new find with you too.

I found this short introductory video on Lilla Rose's Youtube page. As you can see, most of the clips are based off of a silver color scheme with color accents and I personally thought this was perfect for gray hair like mine!


So, Lilla Rose....... Lilla Rose was started by a husband and wife team who have been making high quality hair accessories since 1992. At first they began selling their hair clips and other accessories at large retailers, but after many years, they realized that their unique, flag-ship product, the Flexi Clip, really needed to be demonstrated in person for people to appreciate it's ingenuity and usage! That's why they switched from a retail model to direct sales. Today, in addition to the Flexi Clip, Lilla Rose also sells gorgeous hair sticks, headbands and bobby pins to name a few.

To learn more about the whole Lilla Rose range, please hop over to Kathy's Lilla Rose page. You can find it by clicking on the link HERE and she would be more than happy to help you! Also, Kathy has a very fun Lilla Rose Facebook page with lots and lots of photos and tips on how to use her accessories. You can find that page HERE.

About a week ago, kathy's package arrived and I was super, super excited. It came adorably wrapped with the cutest black and white baker's string, and even washi tape!


What I found inside was a beautifully put together card with lots of information on how to use the Flex Clips, and three gorgeous hair accessories. What makes the Flexi Clip unique and unlike anything else out there, is that these string clips are made from PIANO WIRE and other very high quality materials. They flex and bend but won't break. You get a secure hold without any pinching or pulling!


There was an adorable pair of silver bobby pins with hearts and pretty rhinestones in the middle. There was also an extra-small size Flexi Clip for 1/2 hair styles and the"tails up" hairstyle, and a small size clip for ponytails and French twists, which I will explain more about in a minute. 
Aren't they pretty!? And these are just three of their styles, there are dozens and dozens more for sale at their online shop.


Before I tell you a little more abut my clips and the experience that I've had with them, I wanted to suggest that you take a look at Lilla Rose's website. They have a very unique sizing system and there's a helpful sizing video, so you can choose the right size for you! I feel like this is important, so that you get a clip that is the perfect size for you. One that's not too loose or too tight.


Also, go to Lilla Rose's webpage linked HERE to watch a bunch of fun styling videos on how to use their  Flexi clip. Click on the "Hair Styles" tab in the upper right hand side. I could watch these forever! I kind of did. ;)

So far, my favorite style to wear has been the "Tails Up" style, which is basically the start of a French Twist with the tail ends of your hair flopping over. It's pretty!

Oh! I just found this style video on Youtube. It has lots and lots of ideas. If you search Youtube for "Lilla Rose Styles" so many videos will come up. Enjoy!


OK! As usually I have rambled longer than I meant to. I just have so much fun with this kind of thing. Since I've been wearing or playing with my clips and pins for a week now, I really wanted to share with you a few of my thoughts and a couple of pictures too.

First, this is me wearing my size small Flexi Clip in the "Tails Up" hairstyle. (I just wish the bottom layers of my hair were also gray. Hurry up hair, become all gray!) I can not tell you how EASY the flexi Clip makes this or French Twists to style. I am the WORST with traditional bobby pins. I never get them in right, they poke out all over and they don't hold my fairly thick, slightly coarse hair. The Flexi Clip fixed this! I just pulled back my hair, rolled and clipped. It was a piece of cake!



Here is a little clearer photo of my small size clip in a half-up hairstyle. Do you agree that the colors go so nicely with gray!? I think these clips take what could be viewed as an aging hair color to something more youthful, fun and soft!



This is a full length shot of my size small Flexi in a half-up hairstyle. As you can see, I made it a bit of a looser style. In a minute, I'll show you my extra- small Flexi clip which gave me a bit more secure hold for half-up do's. You can find lots and lots of styles in the size small Flexi HERE!


This is my size extra-small Flexi-clip. It was the perfect size to hold my hair securely back when I wanted it out of my face. I've been using the small clip for ponytails and when I want to put all of my hair up, and this extra-small for half-up styles. 
I love, love, love that they don't pull or break off my hair like many rubber bands do. That's one of the best parts!
Find ALL of the extra- small Flexis HERE!
And....did you know, that for people with thinner or thicker hair than me, these clips also come in Mini, Medium, Extra Large and Mega!? More HERE!


And here is an oddly cropped photo (sorry) of my beautiful bobby pin set! Aren't they cute!? These are not your normal bobby pins. They're beautiful and heavy duty made. I can't see them breaking and they hold my hair strongly without becoming loose. Lilla Rose has a whole slew of sweet bobby pin sets. See them HERE!


So that is Lilla Rose in a nutshell. A beautifully simple and fun way to brighten up your gray. :)
I had a great time poking around on Kathy's Facebook Page and on Kathy's Store Page and I think you will too! In fact, have you seen the "dangly" Flexi clips? They're so pretty! I might need to go back soon for one of those.  Fun, fun, fun!


Thank you so much again Kathy! Remember my friends, be kind to yourself, especially if you're struggling with having gray hair. Even I, who has had gray hair for nearly four years now, still struggles from time to time. Like just this weekend when I looked around and saw girls my age with gorgeous brown hair. It's only US who can choose to take a deep breath, remind ourselves that it's just a hair color, and then move ONWARD in positive ways. Like pretty hair clips or learning fun new hairstyles (Have you seen THESE FABULOUS hairstyle tutorials) and take each day with a brave smile on our faces. 

Until next time, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!! \(^-^)/
xoxoxoxoxo,
Lauren 



8 comments:

Janet said...

Wow, these are brilliant! I have curly hair & so many of us 'curlies' can't get clips big enough to accommodate all of our curls. I'll be sharing this post on the curly hair Facebook page I'm a member of. Brilliant!

Lauren said...

Hi Janet, oh fabulous, thank you!!! :)
I bet your hair is GORGEOUS.
After pregnancy my hair's texture change a little, it used to be curly and now it's wavy-curly if I just let it air dry or use a diffuser, which is almost never. I miss my old curls!
All of the Lilla Rose photos that I've seen with curly hair are beautiful!!!!
xo

Loulou said...

I was just talking to my friend about doing more with my hair. She always has hers in such cute styles and I usually have mine in the same style all the time. So this post came at the right time. The flexiclips are ingenious! Now to choose which one to have.

Pinky said...

I LOVE my Lilla Rose Flexi clips! They definitely stay in better than a traditional barrette. Great post today!

Lauren said...

Oh yeah Loulou!!!! \(^-^)/ I'm so excited for you. Glad that this post came at a good time. I'm loving my clips! :) You have gorgeous hair, no additional sparkle needed, but you'll look great! <3
xoxoxoxox

Lauren said...

Hiya Pinky!

Fabulous!!! Thank you for your input. They do seem great. I'm a new #1 fan!!! Thanks for reading along! :)
xo

Kathy Yates said...

Lauren, I am so glad you like your clips! I just knew they would look beautiful in your gorgeous hair! :) Thank you for your very kind words! Kathy

Lauren said...

Oh Kathy, you're so welcome, but thank YOU for the gorgeous clips and just as much, for your kind words about the blog. xoxoxoxox :)