The Summer Shopping List

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray  //  Tigi S-Factor Serious Conditioner  //  Jo Malone Cologne in English Pear and Freesia  //  By Terry Soleil Terrybly Hydra Bronzing Tinted Serum  //  Nars Multi-Protect Primer  //  Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder  //  Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels  //  Oribe Dry Texturising Spray

Hi everyone, can you believe how long the sunny weather is continuing in the UK? It's almost unheard of these days that there be an actual summer, but this July really seems to be going above and beyond - it's almost as if it's trying to make up for all the dreary washouts of the past few years. It does make me laugh scanning my Twitter feed though, as inevitably the same people who were complaining about the bitter cold just a couple of months ago are now feeling all hot and bothered in the warm weather. I think complaining about the weather is something quintessentially British - we are never satisfied, are we!?

Anyway, with the soaring temperatures in mind (it's still roasting where I am too), this week I have put together a little bit of a shopping list, consisting of a few products that would get anybody through a long hot summer, with no need to compromise on looking up to scratch.

First and foremost, I tend to reach for texturising hair sprays at this time of year, and I'm certain I'm not alone on that score. Fortunately, my hair has a natural wave to it when left to dry naturally anyway, so with a bit of a helping hand from something like the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray I'm well on my way to a laid-back, beachy look. For night time, the Oribe Dry Texturising Spray would be perfect - as well as giving it that tousled look, it claims to add incredible volume as well as absorbing oil at the roots - and let's be honest, who couldn't do with a bit of extra help in both of those departments when your hair is frizzing out and slicking itself to your forehead in a less than attractive manner? Speaking of which, it's impossible to get through summer without a good deep conditioning mask like the Tigi S-Factor Serious Conditioner. Spending long periods in the sun tends to dry out ends to the extreme, especially if you've got colour treated hair. I haven't tried this one yet, but it sounds like a really nourishing treatment that hair would drink up gladly a couple of times a week - and better still, it smells like strawberries, so it's pretty much a win-win.

Something else we could all do with is a bit of extra colour in our cheeks, and the By Terry Soleil Terrybly Hydra Bronzing Tinted Serum sounds like just the job for giving you a naturally bronzed-looking, sun-kissed complexion. Add to that a light dusting of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder for evening and skin should be glowing in no time without looking oily or shiny. Of course, to keep it all in place it's always a good idea to pop on a bit of primer first, and the Nars Multi-Protect Primer seems a good choice for both day and night, aiming to protect and soothe skin as well as keeping everything where it should be (it's SPF30, making it a great choice for summer, but it might be an idea to swap it out for a different primer at night to avoid the dreaded ghost face if you are planning on taking lots of photos!).

A pop of colour on the cheeks is a must, and I currently favour cream formulations, and having spotted Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels I am keen to add it to my shopping basket. I already own Flush, which is a bright coral pink and is an absolute summer staple. Head Over Heels is a slightly more delicate, peachy coral, and would look fabulous with a tan.

At this time of year, I find myself wanting to smell like summer itself, and that means whimsical fragrances like the Jo Malone Cologne in English Pear and Freesia. In fact, there are a number of fragrances in Jo's collection that to me are the absolute epitome of summer - light fruity scents merge with delicate summer garden florals to create that perfect balance, and with choices like English pear, fig and nectarine they truly do sound good enough to eat.

What's on your summer shopping list?

xx

Weekend Wishlist

Mini Shopper, Zara // Aztec Scarf, Topshop // Tigi S-Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray, Feel Unique  // By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder, Space NK  // Neom Happiness Organic Treatment Candle, Cult Beauty // Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder, Space NK

Hello lovelies, I hope everyone has had a great start to the weekend! Mine isn't going to be all that exciting, as my husband is working more and more at the moment, so I'm spending a lot of time rattling around the place on my own. We already worked opposite schedules, as I get Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off, whereas he has two days during the week. But at the moment, he's been working even on his days off, both during the day and at night. It's not ideal, and I had been thinking that if anything, work pressures would be easing off now that we are getting closer and closer to our big move. But I suppose at least it's not going to be for tooo much longer, and it does mean all the more blogging time for me. I say that, but I've got plenty already, although it will help in terms of filming Youtube videos. I usually struggle to find any time with both the house to myself and the sun still in the sky to do those!
Anyway, moving on from that, today's wishlist is, unfortunately for me, a little bit high-end. Now, before I got into beauty blogging, I wasn't even aware of a great many of the brands that I am today, particularly those available from sites such as Space NK and Cult Beauty. Now that I am though, there are just so many beautiful products I would be thrilled to try, but I just don't know if I really want to open that can of worms as I tend to think that once you do, you don't really want to go back! I was a victim of this with skincare, as in the beginning I wouldn't have dreamt of paying over £20 for anything, being of the belief that lower-priced products were probably just as effective. However, since I discovered how much I like brands that use nice natural ingredients and give chemical nasties a miss and the difference this has made to my complexion, I now find it hard to bring myself to buy anything else. At least with skincare you really are doing some good for yourself, but with makeup? Let's be honest, it just looks pretty.
Now, don't get me wrong, I've been using brands like Mac and Clinique for years, and for me those that you'd find at the beauty counters in places like House of Fraser were about as high-end as it got. Their products are already on the pricey side, and I have to admit that I often favour them over the cheaper high-street brands found in Boots. But now I have found myself lusting after products from brands such as Kevyn Aucoin and By Terry, and I just don't know that I want to start spending £30-£40 on cosmetics - in all likelihood, I would probably love them and want to keep buying them, and then where would my purse and my bank account be? It seems it might be asking for trouble!
As for candles, I just can't see myself ever forking out £40 for a full-size Neom. As beautiful as they are, and as long as they last, I just can't help thinking what else could be done with that money. I'm quite pleased to have discovered that they do smaller sizes for £15 though, which while still less than cheap for 75g is more affordable for those of us who want to dip our toes in the water.
So, will I really give this gorgeous selection of products the swerve forever more? Probably not. But I think I'll probably wait for special occasions like Christmas and birthdays, as they would make lovely presents (famous last words?). When I am in a position where I am able to get my hands on all the things I need, it will be nice to reserve real treats for the Christmas list, and I also think people enjoy giving things that are going to evoke gasps and shrieks of appreciation!

Have you tried any of the brands above, and would you consider integrating them into your daily routine? Would you think twice about converting all of your products to such high-end brands?

xx

Favourite Hair Care Products: Conditioners and Treatments

Well hello lovelies, today it's time to continue with my 'Favourite Hair Products' series, so let me introduce you to my favourite conditioners.

I'm sure these first two will come as no surprise if you've already read about my favourite shampoos! For the record, I am in no way affiliated with Aussie and am featuring them because I genuinely enjoy their products!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner

(Approx. £4.48)

I like to use these in conjunction with my Aussie shampoos. 

Because I colour my hair, it is sometimes left feeling dry and brittle on the ends, and just generally in need of a good treat, so at these moments I slather my locks in Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner (above). You really do need to leave it on for the full three minutes to let it work it's magic, and it does a great job. On the bottle, it says: 'Safflower Seed Oil smooths rough cuticles, helps restore manageability and adds shine', and I can certainly see the evidence of all three of things after rinsing. My hair is much happier when I use this, which I do about twice to three times a week to keep it in tip top condition.

Aussie Luscious Long Conditioner

(Approx. £4.48)

Aussie Luscious long is more of an every-day conditioner, so this is what I use most of the time to keep my hair nice and soft and smooth.

Personally, I condition my hair every time I wash it, because if I don't, it's horribly knotty and difficult to brush through afterwards. It also dries frizzy, which is not a look I am ever going for! My hair is quite long, and I feel that these two conditioners are a really quenching treat for it.

You really have to leave it on for the full three minutes (both) to get the full benefit. As is expected, I think they smell delicious, but be warned if you are someone who does not like scented products!

Now, sometimes, if my hair is really, really in need of some extra nourishment (like, for example, when I had caramel highlights and it really dried out), I will splash out on Tigi Bed Head Chocolate Head.

Tigi Bed Head Chocolate Head Massive Hair Repair Treatment (£10.49)

I LOVE this stuff! It smells ah-mazing, like pouring hot chocolate sauce onto my head! Now, I am aware that this will not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is definitely mine, and it is worth the extra pennies if your hair is really in need of a little extra help in restoring it's lustre and shine. Unfortunately, it does come in a rather small bottle, but you only need to use a small amount of it, so it doesn't run out all that quickly, especially as it's only designed for once-a-week use.  Leave it on for ten minutes for a really deep treatment.

What's your favourite conditioner or deep treatment?

Let me know in the comments, I always love to try new things.

Happy Monday!

xx

Favourite Haircare Products: Shampoos

Hello pretty ladies, hope everyoneis well today!
I thought I would talk to you today a little bit about my favourite haircare products. Now, I don't want to make this into a ridiculously long post, so I thought that I would do this in three parts, today's being about my top shampoo choices. I will then do a couple more posts for you later on (one a week?), which will encompass all styling and finishing products. I  hope you enjoy this little hair mini-series, and do let me know if there are any other hair-related topics you would be interested in hearing about.

So to start with, a little bit about my hair type.

                                                                (Sorry, same pic again!)

 My hair is reasonably 'normal', I would say. It is long, gets a bit dry on the ends if I go overboard on the heat styling/colouring/sunshine, and tends to become slightly greasy in the fringe area and the roots on day two after washing. I usually wash my hair every other day, because doing so more often seems to do it more harm than good. Don't worry though, I do have have a shower every day!
I have been dying my hair since I was about fourteen, and have tried various different shades. Naturally, I am a brunette, and the closest I have ever been to blonde was having lots of caramel highlights, which I did really like, but it reeeally dried out my hair, especially on the ends, and it also seemed to lose it's shine. In fact, this was only last year, so I am now trying to give my hair a chance to recover and have been using only semi-permanent colours for about the last six months, as I'm trying to grow out whatever is left of those highlights.
Currently, I have L'oreal Casting Creme in 'Brownie' on my hair, which is about my natural colour, and I'm really enjoying being back to that shade, so I intend to keep it like this for the foreseeable future.

So first of all, let me introduce you to my favourite shampoos.

I LOVE Aussie's products, and I think they are really reasonably priced. For me, they are streets ahead of other shampoos and conditioners in the same price range, and for this reason, they have become my 'go to' products.

I am always looking to create a bit of extra volume in my hair. It's long, and is reasonably thick, but not hugely so. I often backcomb the crown to give it a bit of extra 'oomph', so Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo was an obvious choice for me. This stuff smells absolutely amazing, so much so that I caught the Mr. sneaking a little use of it on more than one occasion! I'm not sure he understands that he can just enjoy the smell of it on my hair, rather than lathering up his own!
I'm not really sure how to describe the smell, but it always seems to make me think of sweet berries and custard! Yum. It leaves a nice scent on the hair after washing too, but nothing overpowering. You can only smell it if you are trying to, if you know what I mean!
I do think that this shampoo helps boost volume, but to my mind, a shampoo can't do that job alone, so how you style your hair after washing and what follow-up products you use is key.
Aussome volume leaves my hair feeling nice and soft, and looking shiny.

Another favourite of mine is a close cousin, Aussie Mega Shampoo. The Mega Shampoo is designed for everyday cleaning, and doesn't leave any build-up on your hair, so I use this about three times a week and exchange it for the Aussome Volume for the other washes. The Mega Shampoo leaves my hair feeling really soft, clean and shiny, and like all Aussie shampoos, lathers up brilliantly, which I feel makes for a better, more thorough wash. This one also has a pleasant smell, though it reminds me a bit of Calpol....remember that? (For anyone that doesn't know, Calpol is a sweet, purple medicine for children to take when they are feeling under the weather). I know that some of you won't be Calpol lovers, but I can remember actually looking forward to having a cold so that I could have some! Haha.
Now, I don't currently have any of Aussie's Miracle Moist, but it really deserves a mention, because I have been using it for several years, on and off, and am always satisfied with the results. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a 'miracle', but it definitely leaves my hair feeling supple any shiny. The only reason I have bought different shampoos from the range instead more recently is because I wanted to try out the new additions and see what I thought.

Tigi's Catwalk Honey and Oatmeal shampoo is absolutely amazing, and when my hair has been over-coloured and is in need of a real treat, I like to splash out on this. It's not cheap, but you can buy it in huge industrial-sized bottles, along with the conditioner, which saves you a few pennies in the longrun. Now, I have to tell you, this is the most delicious smelling shampoo I have ever, ever used! It is just delicious, good enough to eat!

This shampoo is described by Tigi as 'comfort food for your hair', and is designed especially for damaged or chemically treated hair. When I use the shampoo and conditioner together, my hair is left wonderfully silky and smooth, and again, the gorgeous scent remains on my locks, which is absolutely fine by me!

Something I really love about the jumbo-sized bottles (did I just say jumbo!?) is the pump dispensers, which make them ideal for when you are in the bath or shower. Fiddling around with shampoo lids with wet hands is not my favourite thing to do.

So, there you have it. My all-time favourite shampoos.

Which one do you use? Would you recommend it?

xx