Blonde Hair Care - Getting Rid of Brassy Tones

I love love love being (bottle) blonde, but a big problem I suffer with is brassy tones and dull/dry hair. This month I've been trying out a couple of new products to get my hair looking ashy and glossy.

The first product is  ‘BlowTones’ by Pimps and Pinups which is exclusive to ASOS and helps to eliminate brassy tones. This product is multipurpose - not only is it a heat protector spray but it also has a non-permanent colour toner (in a light purple to combat those yellowy/orange tones) as well as conditioning the hair and adding shine. What I love about this range is that they are ammonia free, affordable, and the bottles are a pretty good size at 150ml each so that will probably last me a couple of months.

Blonde Hair | Dry Hair | Forever Long Hair

I've got that awkward 'dirty blonde' hair, which in winter just looks mousey as it isn't lightening in the sun.

I used to dye my hair dark brown (very dark!), and about 18months ago I decided to go blonde again. A little worried my hair would entirely fall out, but desperately wanting to be blonde, I bought loads of packs of B4 hair stripper, and did a few treatments over the course of a week - then went straight in with the bleach.

Thankfully, my hair is in tact - but I definitely notice it looks a lot drier now that it is blonde and doesn't reflect the light in the same glossy way as when I was a brunette. So I need to start taking care of it a bit better.

I bought this BB quenching shampoo and conditioner for terribly thirsty hair, than when combined with a good blowdry seems to do the trick! (If only I had the time/patience to blowdry my hair everytime I wash it).

Available to purchase from http://www.foreverlonghair.com/ - pretty awesome site as its always free delivery!

New Home | Beauty Storage

So I have fiiiiinally moved in to my new place, and I love it.

I've got so much storage in my bedroom, perfect for beauty products!

Warning. Photo heavy post.

Oh and I had my hair blow dryed on Monday. I wish it was naturally wavy.

Hair Splurge | Philip Kingsley Elasticizer | 1000ml

Well, if it's good enough for Audrey Hepburn...

Featured in Harpers Bazaar Beauty Hot 100 2012 and InStyle Best Beauty Buys 2012. Elasticizer is suitable for all hair types and was originally created by Philip Kingsley for Audrey Hepburn, who wanted a super-moisturising treatment that would repair her hair and keep it in great condition after the frequent colouring and styling done to her hair on movie sets. 

I bought this in the Sale last year, and it ran out about a week ago. So I've treated myself to another bottle. Sounds like a lot of money, but seeing as it lasts a full 12 months I don't think it is too bad as a cost per use!

Have you ever used Elasticizer before?

I'm quite tempted to buy the Philip Kingsley Paddle Brush too... I couldn't find it in Harrods, but I've seen on the QVC site that it gets 4.7 stars out of 5. Think that one is going on my birthday wishlist.

I just got Bloglovin. 

BIG Hair

Although I have a LOT of hair, the actual strands themselves are very fine and a little limp. I’ve always been desperate to get that amazing volumized hair on nights out, but have struggled with the standard technique of hairspray and backcombing which leaves my hair tangled and flat again within the hour.

However, at a press event a few weeks ago I was talking to one of the hairdressers there and he said that the best way to get big hair is to use dry shampoo rather than hairspray, section the hair and spray like crazy then back comb like mad. Then run the hairdryer over and brush smooth.

I tried this technique with the original Batiste dry shampoo and it worked a treat. But then I saw  Batiste's big and bouncy XXL Volume dry shampoo, so I’ve tested this one out too. I didn’t even need to back comb my hair, I just sprayed a bit on the roots and gave the hair a little bit of a rub and BOOM big hair that even Cheryl would be proud of!

I don’t think that Batiste's big and bouncy XXL Volume dry shampoo works particularly well as a dry shampoo, but it is utterly amazing at giving my hair durable volume, so looks like I’ll be buying both from now on.

The Best Beauty Buys for Winter

Not only does your wardrobe need to accommodate the sudden drop in temperature, but so do your skin and haircare routines.  Here are my top 5 products to take you through the winter months:


1. An intensive moisturiser for your face- an absolute must!! My skin dries up like a prune when I go from blustery winds to the hot office day in day out. My (beautifully smelling) night time miracle cream of the moment is Yes to Blueberries Intensive Moisturising Night Repair Cream. Formulated with moisture-retaining shea butter to help smooth and hydrate skin, blueberries to give your skin a powerful dose of anti-oxidant goodness while you sleep and noni fruit, an exotic fruit to help soothe and calm your skin from the day's wear and tear. Priced at £19.99.

2. A deep conditioning hair treatment. Keep your hair lustrous and soft with an intensive deep conditioning treatment that has been specifically formulated to revitalise hair. My favourite at the moment is by Racoon and priced at just £10 it's a bit of a beauty bargain too. Tip: The conditioner has a thick texture which doesn't drip when you are leaving it on for longer to get a deeper condition, if you put some cling film over the conditioning treatment and leave on for around an hour your hair will warm up which is supposed to let the conditioning treatment work deeper into the hair shaft.

3. The Quick Fix. Party invites are ubiquitous this time of year, cue the quick fix - Nanoblur. What the experts say "Nanoblur is not skincare. It is quite simply tomorrow’s high technology, today. It is not a cream. It is a suspension of millions and millions of particles that reflect light perfectly in billions of directions to make the skin’s surface appear completely   flawless. " It's true, this is like wall putty for the face. Within seconds your skin appears to have been resurfaced, pores are minimised and even the colour tone of the skin appears more even. Priced at £19.99. Tip: Less is more with Nanoblur, I just use Nanoblur under my eyes if I'm going out because I get quite dark circles... but I always mix it with a little moisturiser to ensure a perfect finish.

4. Party Nails. What better way to decorate your nails this season than with these polkadot Children In Need Inspired nail wraps?! 25% of the purchase price is given to the charity - so you can look good and feel good this festive season!

5.  Bouncy locks.  Quickly transform your hair from straight and lifeless, to bouncy and wild with a pair of hair tongs. Tesco have just brought out a range of Twilight hair stylers. "Get Bella Swan’s waves with Twilight Tongs or Alice Cullen’s poker straight style with the Twilight Straighteners, which also come in a convenient mini version if you’re travelling to see the penultimate part of the Twilight series." I've not tried any of these twilight hair products out yet, but they're sure to make great Christmas presents as they're all priced around the £25 mark.

What are your top beauty tips for winter?

Speed Weft from Windle & Moodie - Blogger Event

I'm one of the biggest beauty fad sceptics around, it's always like I'm trying to seek out faults in products to stop myself from purchasing! Due to my (overt) scepticism of everything I really do have to see it for myself before I believe it...


Introducing to you the new 'Speed Weft' from Windle & Moodie - at home hair extensions that actually work, and are undetectable to the naked eye... thicken and lengthen your hair in a matter of seconds!

I was lucky enough to go to a blogger event where we got taken through step by step how to use the product, and the history of how the product came about.  We then got to try out the hair pieces to see which colour suited us, you can also get a speed weft fringe, which I think is a brilliant idea to purchase if you've ever considered getting a fringe, this way you can see whether or not it'd suit you! 


Interestingly, if you've ever watched Pushing Daises staring Anna Friel, you'll have noticed how her hair changed a lot throughout the programme (the dream sequences etc and going back in time). Anna Friel's hairdresser on Pushing Daisies used a similar product to Speed Weft that they created especially for her so that the hair pieces could be quickly and precisely put in place.

"Made with non-human hair, the weft looks, feels and behaves like your own locks. You can apply heated tools to style your Weft up to 170C. The hair is 18 inches long and has 5 rows of hair stitched together invisibly, plus additional 2 layers of hair that drop 3 inches below the Single Row. We suggest you take your Speed Weft to your hairstylist to cut to your own style, or if you are feeling brave, you can cut it yourself."

My favourite thing about this product is that by adding these hair extensions in, you have transformed your look in a matter of seconds, it's the easiest way to get extra volume and thickness in your hair without spending hours with volumizing mouse and the blowdryer. 


For more information, or to watch the tutorials visit the Windle and Moodie site here!

New York Fashion Week – NYFW Hair Bargain!

If you’ve watched any of the shows at NYFW you’ll have spotted some truly spectacular hair and make-up on show. One of the easiest looks to recreate on a budget is the hair from Marc by Marc Jacobs and Victoria Beckham’s SS12 collections.

Marc By Marc Jacobs: ‘It's a bit of a departure for Marc’, says Guido, ‘it's more grownup this season with an actual up-do instead of leaving it loose and or just a simple pony'. To achieve the desired look, Palau folded the lengths of a ponytail upward, securing it with a silver Goody Barrette. The lengths were then flipped back over the  base and secured around the mid section with another Goody Barrette. “It’s girly but sophisticated,” said Pala

Victoria Beckham:  Guido created a Catherine  Deneuve inspired half up-half down  style, which he secured using a Goody Barrette. The look channeled elegance with a masculine twist. The simplicity of the  Barrettte perfectly reflected Victoria Beckham’s sophisticated collection.

The best thing of all? These Goody Barrettes are just £2.19 for a pack of 3 at Morrisons!

Wayne Rooney Hair Transplant - a good idea?

I'm sure you've all seen the photos of Wayne Rooney's hair transplant in the media this week - how painful did that look!!!! (see below!) I do understand why Rooney had this done, and he has the money to so I guess it probably was a good idea. A full head of hair certainly does make a person look more youthful. However, thinning hair isn't just a problem for men, women can suffer too - which I'd imagine would be more embarrassing as thinning/balding is seen as far more common and acceptable on men.

Give thinning hair a boost with Michael diCesare's Thickening Hair Builder (21g). To use, wash and dry your hair, then expose the area that you'd like to look thicker. Hold the container 6cm - 9cm (2" - 3") from the head and sprinkle the Hair Builder on to the area. Then brush hair back in to place.

To sum up this product, it's a great quick fix, it uses a similar principle to dry shampoo. I don't have thinning hair, but I did have very bad roots last week (my roots are a lot lighter than my dyed hair... so it can look like my hair is thinning!) this product was amazing for covering up roots between dying!! I would definitely buy this product again just for using as an in between colouring fix - and if I do ever start to get thinning hair this product is going to be a god send!

Check out QVC here as the product is on at a lower introductory price.

SWIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!!

Want your hair to swiiish like Cat Deeley (would you believe she's 34!!!!) then take good care of it! I've been dying my hair since I was about 12/13, so that's a good 8 years... as you can imagine, with this much dying, it's essential to keep that moisture locked in to avoid the scraggly scarecrow look. I do like Pantene Pro-V products but my hair product love lies elsewhere.

My four steps to well conditioned swiiiiiiiiiishable gorgeous hair:

Step 1: A great shampoo
Step 2: A rich conditioner
Step 3: A heat protection product (I use tresemme heat defence spray)
Step 4: (If you've wild hair - or just a lot of it!) A gorgeous taming serum or shine spray

I'm currently using the new Paul Mitchell range.  Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi has been around for a long time now, but it's the brand's 30th anniversary and so to celebrate they launced the new Awapuhi Wild Ginger range which contains keratin to strengthen the hair from root to tip. It's quite pricey but blimey it's good!


I use the moisturizing lather shampoo, the keratin cream rinse and the shine spray. The shampoo is especially good value because you just have to use a pea sized amount as it lathers up loads!! I used quite a large amount the first time I washed my hair with this and spent about 10minutes trying to rinse away all the lather!!!


Never fear. If your hair is more scare-crow at the moment than Cat Deeley and you've not got the money to buy the new Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger range then why not pop down to the nearest chemist and grab yourself an intensive conditioning treatment! I love Aussie Hair Care 3 minute miracle :), you can also buy it in sachet form for about 99p. Use this weekly and you'll notice your hair is much easier to control and looks shinier... (and the rest of the time follow steps 1-4 to avoid such a hair disaster in future)

What's your top tip for gorgeous tresses?

Recessionista from Tesco

Having a little weep when you check your bank balance? Fear not, Tesco have a new hairstyling range out, and all the products are priced at just £2!

I've tried the hairspray and my Mum has tried the mousse (for a scrunchy curled look) - both good products especially for the money - pretty similar hold to elnett hairspray but you get a bigger can for the same money! Other products in this range include a hairspray gel and sculpting putty.

(I had planned on posting pictures of my hair with this one from New Years Eve - however I ended up in hospital until 5am, a friend fell over -don't worry they're fine, so I don't think it'd really be fair to show what my hair looked by this point!!)


P.S. I can't see it written on the can anywhere, but the mousse smells gorgeous, like sweet apples! 

Dove Hair Damage Therapy Range

Oooooh soft soft soft! 

With my recent ASOS order (lots of knitwear!) I got a free sample of Dove Intensive Repair Express Treatment Conditioner... what can I say?! That was my own little Christmas miracle! 

I'm not one to normally fall for all the scientific jargon associated with beauty products, but whatever is in the Micro Moisture Technology that Dove boasts about, it really does work. [The patented Micro Moisture Serum technology works in conjunction with the Fibre Actives to restore and replenish hair from the inside out. Rather than just masking the damage as some products can do, the Fibre Actives actually penetrate into the hair’s fibre to repair, protect and condition at the deepest level, while the Micro Moisture Serum technology works to nourish the surface of the hair, from root to tip.]

"Celebrity stylist and Dove Hair Ambassador, Christian Vermaak, says: “My Clients range from A-List stars to women working nine to five, but they all have one thing in common - damaged hair.  The new Dove Hair Damage Therapy range allows women to carry on with their everyday hair-styling habits, whilst giving them much stronger, healthier and protected hair.  It’s a very easy recommendation for me to make!” and me!!"

Not only is this product literally a God-send, but it won't break the bank either:
Intensive Repair Shampoo (250ml, RRP £2.69) 
Intensive Repair Conditioner (200ml, RRP £2.69) 
Intensive Repair Express Treatment Conditioner (180ml, RRP £3.29) 

So, give your hair a treat in 2011. Enjoy.

Baby, It's cold outside...

In this freezing cold weather getting out of bed is hard enough as it is – hitting the snooze alarm too many times and over sleeping for me often means leaving the house with damp hair (which is so not good if trying to avoid the dreaded winter cold!).

If only there were a solution? Sometimes hair just needs a little refreshing rather than a wash and blow dry – the products I tested were talcum powder (Simple - baby talc), dry shampoo (Batiste Boho dry shampoo), and dry foam shampoo (Tresemme dry foam shampoo).

The results:

Simple Baby Talc

I’ve heard that you can use normal talcum powder on your hair as the talc soaks up excess moisture, however I was left with a grey tone to my hair (great for granny fancy dress) and little shine. If you’re desperate though – better than a greasy mop! – (£1.99 for 100grams) I'd rate this product, if used as a dry shampoo with a 4/10.

Batiste Boho dry shampoo

My favourite of the 3 products,  it had a lovely smell, and it was much easier to apply an even coating of the product without making a mess! (£2.30 for 150ml) – I'd rate this product a 9/10.

Dry foam shampoo

A very interesting product! A bit more expensive than the other two, but I think worth it. Especially if you oversleep after a night out and have a bit too much product in your hair! It really gets rid of any excess hairspray so you can avoid the dreaded crispy look. (£4.29 for 200ml) I'd rate this product a 7/10.

Not quite as good as a proper wash and blow-dry, but a hair must have all the same (would be great for camping!)