Haircare Favourites

Alongside being more ambitious, one of my New Years Resolutions was to look after my hair more. Last month was the first time I had my hair cut in 6 months (don't look at me that way) and in 2012 my hair took quite a battering going from brown to orange, to red, to pink back to dark brown. Therefore I set myself a more generous budget for hair care products.

So, here are a few of my favourite things!

(not involving warm woollen mittens)

SHAMPOOS & CONDITIONERS

This past month, I've been LOVING the Toni & Guy Cleanse and Nourish Shampoo's and Conditioners (mine are for brunette hair)! I bought them on the 3 for 2 offer at boots which is still currently running so you can snap them up, along with all Toni & Guy products, here.

They leave my hair incredibly soft but still light! Some products that add high shine I feel weigh my hair down and can sometimes still feel like I have product in. I was so glad that these don't. They do exactly what the name suggests, cleanse and nourish.
I think the bottles will last me a long time too as you need a small amount and it will lather. They are without a doubt worth the price and I will be repurchasing.
After using these once I fell in love with my hair again. 

On the 3 for 2 offer I also purchased the Cleanse Shampoo for Fine Hair promising volume.
I do not in anyway have fine hair. However recently my hair has started to get greasy in-between washes, which has never been a problem for me. As I don't like washing my hair daily, I sometimes use shampoos designed for fine hair as they are very light weight and find them to really help.
This just simply does the trick, it leaves me with light fluffy hair that lasts.
The added volume is a cheeky bonus.

STYLING

It would seem in an attempt to destroy my hair, the majority of last year I don't think I used a heat protector. I know I should, in fact I should know better than most as I have a 2 hour hair styling lesson each week.
But because I stopped straightening my hair, I stopped caring.

Over Christmas I gained myself two heat protectors that I now use all the time!

Phil Smith SOS Rescue Heat Protection Cream.

I got this in a gift set for Christmas and although I'm used to using Heat Protection Sprays, I've really liked using this. I use a small amount on my hair when damp before blow drying. My hair still feels great afterwards and also I can't feel any trace of product in it.
I'm definitely going to buy this in a bigger size when it runs out!

Aussie Take The Heat Leave-in Spray, get it here.

I also this as an alternative to my cream as a spray can just be quicker! Slightly don't like that it's more of a direct spray than a mist so that I come it through afterwards so that all my hair is covered. It's very different to the cream and I can feel the finish it leaves in my hair. But it's really great to use when I want a smooth straight blow dry. Leaves my air smooth and soft.
I also love the smell of Aussie products, mmmm!

Treatments

Superdrug coconut oil, get it here.

As I mentioned in my Sister Suggestions post, I really love using Coconut oil as a conditioning mask! 

I take a small amount in the palms of my hands, run it through my hair (mostly the ends) and leave for 5 to 10 minutes then rinse off.

It works incredibly well at treating my damaged hair and it's just a miracle! I haven't yet found a reason to look for another product and for the price this is I highly recommend it.

What I didn't mention in my last post is that for £2.99 this will last you forever. It's 125ml tub and you need the smallest amount!

What are your favourite haircare products? Any recommendations for a recovering hair dye addict?
Let me know!

Handbag essentials and making them fit!

Handbag essentials that actually fit inside your handbag. 

I'm somebody that has so many handbag essentials that they no longer fit into my handbag.

To the point that it's tempting to carry round a separate bag filled with toiletries and another one for my purse and keys. Realising that was completely mad, I  recently experienced the absolute joy that is organising the crap I carry around daily after buying a new handbag. 

I thought I'd share with you my now shortened list of essentials, and ways of actually making it fit.

Deena and Ozzy Leather Handbag, urban outfitters.

Use solid perfume!

Solid perfumes are perfect if you want to avoid carrying round a glass bottle of perfume with you!
 Mine's in a tin from Lush in "American Cream". I've owned this for years and I mean years, these things last a life time! I've actually owned this for so long it's now out of date but I continue to use it anyway as I've noticed no difference. They've also now changed the packaging, haha!
I do highly recommend the lush ones though, they have such a variety and the scent lasts all day!

Samples/Smaller Sizes!

Benefit, Triple Performing Facial Emulsion (sample size).
Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector, 30ml, grab it here.
Benitint, Benefit (miniature freebie, from.. somewhere).

To make room in my handbag, I've replaced many of my essentials with the smaller versions. My Hemp Hand Protector is sold in two sizes and the smaller one is fantastic for popping in my bag. When smaller sizes aren't available I just carry round a sample in case of a beauty emergency.
The Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion is actually a product I don't own, a sales assistant was pretty generous with samples and gave me the equivalent of a bottles amount. I put some into a container and carry a spare with me!
Sample perfumes are also great to have in your handbag if you're not a lover of solid perfumes! I have tons from magazines that I never do anything with until now!

Remove packaging!

This may sound really patronising as it's so obvious but it's something I never really did. I'd just throw things in my bag on my way out. Now I look at it though some packaging is so bulky and unnecessary. 

I now cut up pill packets to only carry a few with me. I also now take one or two plasters (or blister plasters if your new nikes are a bitch) and keep them in a compartment in my purse. 

There you have it!

My favourites chop and change all the time, but here's just a few ways I've cut down my essentials!

I also always carry with me tissues, a lip balm, Kirby grips, hair bands and a nail file!

What do you always need in arms reach?

Winter Rescues

Just like to say, sorry for the stock images, my camera has gone walkabouts.

The weather in England has been bitter this winter.

I don't know about you guys, but my skin, hands and lips have become ridiculously dry - fantastic!

Here's what I've been using to rescue it!

Lips

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub,£5.25. Get it here.

This is something I've been using for years and over time I must have bought 5 or 6 of these.

They're sugar scrubs for your lips to exfoliate any dry skin. However your lips are sensitive so you need a very small amount. All you do is pop a little on your finger, rub over lips and lick off (it's mostly sugar based and completely vegan)!

Mines in Bubblegum and they honestly taste delicious.

(I quite often catch my boyfriend tasting mine, then denying it!)

Skincare

No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream for Dry/Very Dry Skin, £12.50. Buy it here.

I use this as a daily moisturiser and have done for probably 5 months. It's a thick consistency so takes a while to sink in but is great for my dry skin. However I still have small dry patches that show when I wear make-up and causes it to flake. 

No7 Beautiful Skin Dry Skin Rescue, £12. Buy it here.

I bought this and so far so good.

You need the smallest amount and I apply it after my moisturiser to areas that need extra attention. I'd say it's similar to a balm and it's made using shea and cocoa butters. It smoothes my skin and creates a great base for my make-up. Where the weather has dried out my hands too I sometimes pop this over my knuckles and it works wonders.

Hands

So I have two hand creams that I think have been fantastic saviours in this weather!

Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector from £5, buy it here.

Nothing about this smells good but your hands feel instantly better after using it! I really do love it and will be buying another one despite what I find to be a high price. It takes quite a while to sink in after use and feels slightly oily on your hands so I tend to use it before bed. It's made with Community Trade Hemp Seed Oil and it leaves my hands beautifully soft. 

For use on the go I've been using:

Garnier 7 Days Hand Cream, £2.99
You can currently buy it for £1.99 here.

It does as it says and sinks in (almost) instantly so is fantastic to use on the go! It's completely different to the Hemp Hand Protector but I think it's just as good (although I still need both in my life). I think they have a few different ones in the range as this one says "soothing" but personally I choose purely on the smell. 

I've also been loving the Garnier 7 Days Gel Cream which is a body lotion that's also designed to absorb instantly. Both products have been fantastic in this weather.

As an extra treat for my hands I've also been sleeping in cotton gloves after generously applying a hand cream. Personally I've been using the Botanics Bamboo Spa Gloves, sold here but as long as they're pure cotton it really doesn't matter!

Hope this was helpful and everyone cross your fingers that the temperature will start to rise now!

I realise that to those fortunate to live in sunny areas this might have been a bit pants.. 

but it's still important to give your skin a drink!

What are your winter favourites?

Sister Suggestions!

,

How do you know when a product is so good you must go out and buy it now? By reading a blog post on it, seeing it in a magazine, if a Kardashian tweets it?

For me, I know a product is ruddy amazing when my older sister texts me saying "Look what I just found in super drug" or me texting her saying "You need this in your life".

My sister is 20, lives in London and is at LSMT, therefore living the "student life".

 So the products we recommend each other are either:

•  Ridiculously cheap yet surprisingly good .
• So bloody good they are worth the money!

Rather than keeping these products a sibling secret, each month I'll write a "Sister Suggestions" post!

My suggestion to her this month:

Hair oils suddenly became huge this past year and some people are paying masses for it!

 Yes, I know Morrocan oil is amazing, I've tried it out lots in the Salon at College and it is fab. 

But is it worth the the £30.45 price tag that comes with it?

 Superdrug sell coconut oil (completely pure accept added fragrance) buy it here for £2.99 

It comes in a solid form in a tub and can be warmed up with your hands and run through your hair! I use this as a conditioning mask through wet hair and it does WONDERS! Every hair guru has raved about coconut oil this past year but have still been suggesting products of it that cost around £15!

How do you know it's good?
I text her about it, of course!

She's now bought it, and we're in love!

Last year my friend burnt off her hair lighting a cigarette of her oven       - nice one kim!
What rescued the damaged frazzled remains? Your basic kitchen olive oil! Don't fall for the price tags, ladies.

Her suggestion to me:

Have trouble with your Make-Up staying in place all day?

On clients that really need their make-up to stay (brides, for example) I'd use Kyrolan Fixing Spray - That's something that won't change when doing my professional make-up!

However I love face mists, I own MAC Fix+ and Vitimin E Face Mist from The Body Shop! Both are refreshing face mists that also promise to help give a slight fix to your make-up! But for a student?

My sister swears by this and says it holds your make-up like nothing else. For £5, what's to loose?

Proof that it works?

(it was a mock audition and she was 1 of only 3 that got a call back, snaps for my sis guys!)

Let me know if you enjoy this post and I'll continue to do one each month!

What are your cheap must haves?

No7 Cleansers for all skin types!

With the money off vouches and the 3 for 2 offer this month, I'm in No7 heaven. At the start of the year I picked up a gift set (a gift to myself!) in the Boots Sale to try out some products in the Beautiful Skin range. 

I was pleasantly surprised and purchased some cleansers from the range. 

I decided to review for you a selection of their cleansers aimed at different skin types. All No7 are hypo-allergenic and just plain dandy really.

All products from the No7 Beautiful Skin Range
Top to bottom:  No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser £9.95,
 Cleansing Water for normal to oily skin £9,
 Cleansing Balm for dry/very dry skin £9.

So I'll start with the Cleansing water for normal to oily skin. I'll say now that this is not my skin type. So although I have tried it and find it nicely refreshing as a cleanser, I'm reviewing it on how it's transformed my boyfriends skin. (Yes, yes, I'm a pushy girlfriend that gets him to look after his skin and no he doesn't know what a cleanser actually is).

He is a typical oily skin type and I can say that I have noticed a difference in him using this. From what he tells me he uses this at least once every day followed by a toner. A pump or two onto a cotton pad to be wiped over the face does the trick. It's definitely reduced the appearance of excess oil on his skin (less of a shine) and it's now also softer to touch. As I said I've used it too, I think it's a refreshing alternative to the usual cleansers you find but I don't think it removes make-up as well (hopefully not a problem for Laurence).

His personal review on it - 

"This one smells nicest" and "I like it". 

Maybe I should suggest him to start a blog too, where he can say if products are "alright" and fellow men can say "cheers" and "mate".

Next up: The Cleansing Balm for Dry to Very dry skin. So I'm a typical bloody combination skin, I have very small oily areas such as my chin but mostly my skin is dry as a bone. I always look for products for very dry skin hoping it will change my life forever. 

This does everything a cleanser should do. It removes make-up very well and it leaves my skin beautifully soft. I don't find that there's anything in particular that I can fault with it. In fact it's pretty high up there when it comes to high street cleansers. What I can say about all the No7 products I've tried is that they do feel luxurious and my skin thanks me every time I use them.

However, I still don't think this is the best.

It's very thick when on the skin rather than one that sinks straight in, thus alluring me into believing that it can only be a saint for my dry flaky skin. I don't think it's any more hydrating than a cleanser intended for normal skin would be. Oh well, maybe it's just me. It does remove make-up very well and very quickly though which is a sneaky bonus.

Luckily for me the search for a cleanser that changed my life is over.

Lastly, the Hot Cloth Cleanser.

- ta dah!

This is a cleanser that comes with a Muslin Cloth. If you haven't used a cleanser designed for this purpose I highly recommend that you do. Right now! They just feel soooo beautiful during use and after! This one especially. 

It's rubbed in over the top of make-up on dry skin, and removed by dampening a muslin cloth with hot water which is then draped over the face leaving the heat to do the work. You can then use the cloth to slightly polish off any left over product, which also gives a slightly exfoliating effect. 

This does not feel more laborious than using a cotton pad!

                                                                                           - excuse my sister used earlier this week for not giving it a go!

It feels wonderful and as sad as it sounds, I look forward to it. It's intended for all skin types and I think it does fit that but is so moisturising on the skin it leaves even my dry skin very soft to the touch after use. It removes make-up very well, even eye make-up such as mascara. 

It comes in a box, like so! And it contains a 200ml bottle (actually larger than the other cleansers) and one muslin cloth. I wash the cloth with just warm water and a little soup after use and hang to dry for the next day. I love the feel of it so much that I sometimes reheat the cloth with water and drape over my face multiple times. This isn't necessary and can be considered mad, but I just love it.

I've already re-purchased this item!

I love a pump dispenser me. This might seem like an odd thing to write about in a review but because of the size it dispenses the perfectly right amount in one pump. Exciting right? No.. just me?

Last but not least I'd also recommend this, the No7 Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner for £8, to use after any of the cleansers listed above as it's just a very good toner for all skin types. 

How much can one person write about cleansers? Good lord! 

Have you tried out any other products of the No7 range? Let me know what you thought.

MAC Red Lips

Top to Bottom: MAC Viva Glam 1 (£14), MAC Cherry Lip Pencil (£11.50), MAC Russian Red  Tinted Lipglass (£13.50).

So I've been using this trio a lot lately, they're not all exact matching shades but I've fallen in love with each product and they work beautifully together! What you need to know about me is that I only wear bold lipstick and it's mostly reds. So for me I look for high pigmentation, clean lines and most importantly one that lasts!

Let's talk about the lipstick!

Firstly, I don't remember what my life was like before I started using MAC Lipsticks (dramatic, I know). But it's true, I will never buy another brand of lipsticks ever again. I used to use Maybelline 24 Hour Lipstick (I still highly recommend this, I've worn it before for a two day drinking bender and woke up with it still in tact) and although it lasts longer than a lipstick, it doesn't have the same texture and will dry out your lips. MAC lipsticks last better than any other lipstick I've used whilst still hydrating your lips -  what more could you want.

Viva Glam 1 is a matte deep red. This lipstick was actually part of my 18th birthday present from my gorgeous sister, she knows me too well! I'm pale skinned with dark hair, as is she, so she went into the store asking for a colour to suit our complexion and I think it just looks beautiful. - keep that in mind because that's a really good way of buying make-up as presents! 
I tend to apply it with a lip brush as I find it difficult to get a even line with just the lipstick however I invested in a Lip Pencil for when I'm on the go.

As you can tell, they are not all matching colours. The lip liner is close to Viva Glam 1 but a slightly lighter shade and I would say a slightly pinky red too. I bought this because it's a colour that goes well under ALL of my red lipsticks, bright or dark. It's also really smooth to apply. 

I'm not normally one to wear a lipgloss (they're sticky and annoying) but I thought I'd give it a go, make a change, be ambitious even. I can tell you now, it is sticky. I would not recommend this for an event where you are eating or even drinking much actually. It does transfer onto glasses, although magically stays on your lips too, and without a lip liner I suspect it's very likely to bleed. However they do a huge variety of lipglass so maybe a Pro Longwear might be the one for me! What I love about it is that it's extremely pigmented, as you can see on my hand swatch! So far I've only worn it over my lipstick but I'm sure you could wear it without too. What you see in the tube is what you get! It has a beautiful high shine too it and I find it's fantastic for parties.

All 3 of these shades are beautiful and I could not recommend MAC lipsticks enough to you!
What's your favourite MAC product? Let me know!

Be more ambitious this new year.

So, a new year is here and another one has passed. The last year held many great things for me and I can only think that some of it was down to the new years resolution I set myself last January. I'm not normally one to set silly tasks just because it's a new year on the Calender but last year I felt it would be good to set myself some personal goals. I was in my first year of studying to be a Make-Up Artist and there was so much I wanted to try but I was too afraid to try in case I wasn't ready. Just little things like booking a photographer to get some Portfolio shots. So for 2012 my resolution was to... "Be more ambitious".

I am so glad I stuck to it and here is what I achieved!

Photography: Bruce Cleghorn
Models (Top to Bottom): Natalie De Luna, Charlotte Connolly.

 I worked with a Photographer for some Portfolio pictures the following month and here are my favourite pictures! It may not be my greatest work but it gave me the confidence I needed in my skills, and for that I am so proud of myself!

Model: Ciara Baron, find her here.

 With this new confidence I started taking any opportunities given to me (which is crucial when going into this industry) and started using my skills to help out other students at college. I did make-up for the photo-shoots of fashion and photography students as well as creating zombie make-up for a short film done by the media students too! 

I also qualified my first year of college, overall achieving a Distinction! This also required entering a body art competition at The Anvil Theatre as well as producing more photo shoots displaying my Make-Up.

Model: Tia Holland

All the hard work started to pay off towards the end of the year. In August I created the Make-Up for Nic Dawson Kelly's new music video, "Old Valentine" which you can view here.

I was also asked to do the Make-up for BBC South Today presenters in August for the live show of BBC Children in Need. I don't think I can even begin to describe how exciting this was for me! It was an incredible experience as well as an amazing insight into the industry! 

I also met Pudsey. woohoo.

Inspired by what I achieved this year I have decided to carry this on into 2013, starting with this! A blog! I  spend a LOT of my time reading beauty blogs and I wanted to try it out myself, being ambitious and all! However I have never done anything like this before and am quite frankly pretty clueless so please bare with me while I get to grips with all the techy wizz, which has never been my thing. I'm hoping to start posting reviews and tips on products soon but please do send me a tweet or get into contact if you would like to see anything in particular!

Thank you if anyone has read this, I hope it's inspired you to be a little more ambitious this year.