ThePurpleBees Headbands {review}

 

Good afternoon, ladies! How have y'all been lately?

So you may be wondering about the BeTheLightTees giveaway. It ended last night and yes, we have a winner! And that winner is.....*drum rollllllllll*

 

Anna Mosley!

(Anna, congrats, and check your email!)

 

Now on to the main event of today's post! We have yet another hair accessory review.

I was sent an adorable homemade hairband from The Purple Bees!

 

 

This is the rose garden turban hairband. (Click to see the Etsy listing for it!) Isn't it darling? I love the feminine, floral retro look! The turban tie style is cute, too.

 

The headband itself is very comfortable to wear. It's durable and well-made, and I like the elastic scrunch-back. Super comfy! I'm actually wearing it now and I kinda forget it's even there!

 

 

As to the price, I think it's reasonable, considering the quality and cuteness plus the fact it's hand-made!

 

On the Etsy page:

"ThePurpleBees is dedicated to making quality, hand-made accessories that are both fashionable and comfortable to wear. We are a small but growing business, so stop by often to see what's new!"

 

Overall, I totally love this hairband! I know I will be wearing it a lot. You should visit The Purple Bees and take a look at all that they have available! There are hair bows, bun wraps, even boot cuffs! Lots of super cute designs!

 

Check out the shop for yourself! | Like on Facebook! 

 

Note: I was sent this item in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed remain mine and mine alone.

Manda Bees Fitness Headbands {review}

 

Hey ladies! Today we have a review from Manda Bees Headbands!

I was searching for some cute work-out headbands a few months back and found this awesome shop on Etsy. With the inexpensive prices and adorable designs it was love at first sight!

 

Here's what the shop description reads:

 

The BEST yoga fitness headband EVER. Guaranteed.

Our Best Seller - The FLAWLESS headband - is a barely there to-and-from yoga headband that will keep up with you on the mat, and is guaranteed no-slip.
At Manda Bees we make durable, perfect-fit headbands for every head, every hairstyle, and every occasion. From running headbands to bohemian festival style headbands, our designs are original, high quality, and fairly priced. 

 Always handmade. Always made in America.

 

I was sent an off-white lace headband from the Vixen Collection. (I don't really care for that name, but I just liked the lace look so xP) It's so cute and feminine! And white goes with just about everything, which is nice.

 

 

 If all the Manda Bees headbands are like this one, I'm definitely buying myself another. Actually, I'm doing the Color Run in September so thinking I'm gonna get me this lunar one from the FLAWLESS collection. <3

 

 

It truly does match the shop description. Extremely lightweight and comfortable!

 

// Adorable meets functional. //

 

As of now, I hereby declare this shop my favorite fitness headbands place. After a bit of investigating other similar Etsy shops, I found the Manda Bees has the most inexpensive selection by far.

 I'm willing to pay $7 for a good quality hair accessory, but not $27...which is the typical range for most other fitness hairbands on Etsy.

 

 

So overall, I love this shop and this headband. No complaints whatsoever!

 

You should totally go check out Manda Bees for yourself. I mean, need I even say any more?

 

 | Visit the Etsy shop | "Like" on Facebook |

| Follow on Instagram: @mandacrystal #MandaBees |

 

 

Hope y'all are having a blessed week!

Note: I was provided this item from Manda Bees in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed remain mine and mine alone.

Summer Accessory + Natural Beauty Haul!

 

Hola, mi amigas!

 

It's August! Can you believe we're already more than half-way into this year? School's about to start for a lot of kids, summer will soon be coming to a close, and time just seems to speed on faster and faster!

 

Well, to celebrate some of the awesome summer moments we've had so far, today I'm going to do a haul post - 3 different reviews all in one!

 

We'll start out with.....

 

An adorable JoHanna Martinez Coral Headband .  

 

This is a darling handmade accessory and perfect for summer. It's a metallic orange color. I don't usually wear a lot of orange but I have to say this is one I really like! It is a nice, bright summer-y hue and goes well with my hair color.

 

The design of the headband is very unique. It almost has a vintage feel to it.  The headband has an adjustable strap in the back, making it a comfortable one-size-fits-all. It stays put well in my hair, as I've already worn it numerous times, doing various different activities.

 

My new favorite thing to do with this hairband is to wear it with braids.

 

Overall, I love it! It's a very unique, chic piece and I enjoy wearing it as it's both practical and pretty.

 

 (Click the link above to go to the Etsy listing where you can get one of your own!)

 

 

 

Next up, a very charming vintage fish necklace from Iris Jane . 

 

Oh my goodness. This is such a cute piece! I have nothing bad to say about it. Nothing at all.

I simply adore the fish pendant. From the turquoise/gold color scheme to the little intricate details of the fish scales, tale and eyes, it's definitely a favorite piece. Once again, it's an accessory perfect for the summer months, or family vacation at the beach.

 

The chain is a gold color, and has it where you can adjust the length. I like wearing it semi-choker-esque, where the pendant just barely drops beneath my shoulder blades.

 

It's an eye-catching necklace and I love everything about it. The uniqueness of the fish pendant is the main draw for me since I like fresh, different-looking things.

 

Sadly since it's vintage I'm not sure where you could find one like it of your own, but you could check out the Iris Jane shop above anyway and maybe inquire about it if you were really interested.

 

 

 

Last but not least we have some awesome natural hair products from NightBlooming.

 

I first discovered NightBlooming by way of their fabulous hair sticks, but little did I know they also made some fab hair treatments and the like!

 

We'll start with the Panaceas Sample Salve Trio. Each of these salves above can be used on the tips of your hair to help strengthen the fibers and even help repair split ends and other damage.

 

I tried each of the three and didn't notice a very big difference between the three. You only use a very small amount each time, and it's always after you shower. I look forward to seeing long-term effects of using these salves! It looks like a promising concept.

 

 

 

I was also sent a Triple Moon Hair Annointing Oil , a beautiful handmade hairstick, and Moondust Herbal Dry Shampoo from NightBlooming.

 

To be honest, I'll admit I was a little skeptical of the hair oil in the beginning. For one thing, my hair is already VERY oily so I doubted this oil could really benefit me in any way.

 

I'm still testing it, so it's a work in progress so to speak. So far, I've been trying to follow the directions listed on the Etsy listing.

 

You rub a small amount into your scalp, an hour before showering. It is supposed to help strengthen the roots of your hair. (Of course, you wash it thoroughly when showering.)

 

I haven't been able to see any difference "before and after" using this, yet, but as I said I'm still testing it. It could be more of a long-term result for all I know. 

 

The hair stick was absolutely gorgeous. I really loved the colors - a bright, cheery blue base and mesmerizing transparent/milky blue fixture at the end. Very, very pretty. Also it's a good length - almost too short for my amount of hair to fit in, but it still worked. It came tucked primly in a felt case which I thought was a nice touch.

 

The Moondust herbal dry shampoo really interested me. I'm always curious to find out natural shampoo/conditioner alternatives.  However, the dry aspect of it doesn't thrill me too much. Mom tried it, and didn't really like that it was to be used in that way. She thought it was too messy.

I'm going to try it in more depth but so far I have to agree with her.

 

-

 

Thank you to these wonderful businesses for providing the products for today's haul/triple review.  

 

On a random note, next month I'm going to the Great Ozarks Mountain Shindig with my family for four days! I'm really, really, reallllllyyyy excited about it. I found out the other day that there will be a line dance on one evening, and that the dress code/suggested dress attire is semi-dressy/long dresses etc. I really would like to dress a bit more formally for it, but can't decide whether to go with a vintage/retro/'50s theme or a Western/country girl theme...eeek, help!

 

I've been looking for retro/50's style party dresses, but it seems like everything is either too expensive, not modest in some way or the waistline is incredibly small. Does anyone have any advice? 

 

Hope everyone is having a very blessed summer!

 

Note: I was provided these items from JoHanna Martinez, Iris Jane and NightBlooming in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed remain mine and mine alone.

SecretCityHandmade Headbands {review}

 

So, a while back I received a package from SecretCityHandmade,  a lovely shop on Etsy.

 

This shop first caught my eye with their adorable winter hats - they had this super cute turquoise/green one which was featured on the Etsy homepage. But, as I checked around the rest of the shop, and noticed the gorgeous headbands; when contacted further about the review I thought a post on these might be better, since it's summer and generally people don't wear knitted hats during this season!

 

SCH generously sent me two different bands to review - and each is equally delightful, in my opinion.

 

 

Each came in a separate paper bag. Included in the package, a handwritten note from Gwenivere, the shop's owner and crafter. I know I've said this before at some point or another, but I adore hand-written notes and letters - don't you?

 

Here is the Sparkle Sahara Gold headband. (Click the link to see where you can get one of your own!

I'm not a girly-girl or a HUGE fan of sparkles, but I do like a moderate degree of blingy for jewelry and hair accessories. This headband is SUPER sparkly/glittery. It reminds me of Hollywood somehow actually...bright, city lights mainly!  Yeah I know, that sounds random. 

 

 

The photos do not do this headband justice for showing the sparklies. Even Gwenivere's original photos don't. So, if you get one of these, expect EXTREME glitter/sparkle.

 

 

 

I like this headband a lot. I feel classy wearing it, and it adds a little jazz to even a simple outfit/hairstyle.

 

 

Now. This headband.

The Brown Bear is another that instantly caught my attention while browsing the store's contents. I mean, how could it not? The bear-print ribbon just is do darling!

 

 

I thought about wearing this one "hippie" style, but tried it and, well, it doesn't look as cute on me as it did in the original SCH store photos. I guess everybody is different and some things look better on some people than others! (I'll stick to wearing it the 'traditional' way.)

 

So, I feel like both headbands are very "me", especially the bear one. I love the design of how they were crafted - as you can see in the first several pictures, they are composed of ribbon fastened by felt triangles to a piece of elastic. Ingenious, no? Such a simple yet brilliant design.

 

 Both bands are very lightweight. Being mainly made of ribbon allows them to slip from position in your hair more easily, which is a negative.

 

However, I wouldn't let that stop me from wearing these cute hair accessories! I love headbands for keeping loose bangs/strands of hair out of the way.

 

The bottom line? I really like what I've seen of SecretCity so far. Gwenivere was a pleasure to work with, and her items are cute and unique.

Like I said before, she has both hairbands AND hats. I'd definitely suggest taking a look at her shop.

 

Thank you SCH for providing these items for review today! 

 

And now a question for all you wonderful readers! How do y'all like to wear headbands - the 'traditional' way (as pictured above) or, 'hippie' style?

 

Note: I was provided these items from SecretCityHandmade in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed remain mine and mine alone.