Hair Heroes..?

My hair can be a handful at the best of times, but with the cold weather drawing in, my poor, dried-out ends are in need of an extra boost..or three. So lately, I've been concentrating my (minimal) beauty-related shopping efforts on picking up a couple of helping hands for my dehydrated locks, the first and most notable of which being the Charles Worthington Salon at Home Secrets Collection Moisture Seal Intense Rescue Melting Balm (phew! Longest name ever!?) Thick and waxy in texture, this emulsifies into an oil when rubbed between the hands, and is spread generously through dry hair. Leave for twenty minutes and then wash and condition as normal, and hey presto - soft, bouncy, healthy-looking hair. Yes, I'm fully aware that I sound like a shampoo advert, but this little pot of magic really is something.

Next up, I've been brandishing this little Bumble & Bumble duo when styling my bonce (!) The Bumble & Bumble Thickening Hairspray (£7.50 for 50ml) is spritzed on generously and combed through while hair is damp, while the Shine On Finishing Spray is misted over the hair once styled for a glossier finish.

Now I may be about to shock some of you, given the fantastic reputation this stuff has, but I'm not at all convinced the Thickening Hairspray is all it's cracked up to be. In fact, I can't determine any notable difference between when I have and haven't used it.  I'm definitely glad I picked up the miniature version rather than immediately splurging £22 on the full-size! Bumble & Bumble do, however, recommend that this is layered up over their Tonic Lotion for best results, so it's a toss-up between giving that a go or shelving my spray for good.

As for the Shine On, this one does the job and makes a lovely finishing spray with a pleasant scent.  Used sparingly, it gives me a polished look which is perfect for the party season.

Which products have you been relying on to get your hair ready for the Christmas festivities?

If you haven't entered my Christmas giveaway yet then there is still time - enter via the widget below for your chance to win gifts from Yankee Candle, Ren, Bumble & Bumble, Bourjois and M&S!

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xx

Lush Santa's Lip Scrub

Having missed out on Lush's Christmas offerings for the last few years, I was in there like a shot when they rolled out their festive favourites this time round. I'd been meaning to pick up a lip scrub for some while, as I do tend to suffer from dry, flaky lips at the best of times, so as you can imagine, the winter months are even more of a catalyst. Is there anything more annoying when you're keen to showcase the latest lippy to have joined your collection?? I think not, and with Christmas just around the corner, I'd say it's a pretty likely scenario.

After a thorough discussion with one of the very knowledgeable sales assistants, I made my selection, the first item being Santa's Lip Scrub. At the time, I was drawn in by the assistant's suggestion that it was made with fig, but upon closer inspection on arriving home, I noticed that it was actually cola. Is there fig somewhere in the ingredients? Not that I can see. Maybe I misheard her.

Anyway, onto the product itself. As with all Lush lip scrubs, it comes in a sturdy screw-top pot, which is handy for keeping it fresh, as well as ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Very much a coarse sugar-scrub in texture, I massage this into my lips a couple of times a week to leave them feeling smooth, soft, and ready for a vibrant lip colour. I was advised that there's a balm to go with this, which I may well pick up on my next visit. I wouldn't have thought I'd much enjoy any cola-flavoured beauty product, but it's actually quite pleasant, and more reminiscent of those gummy cola bottle penny sweets from back in the day. Remember how they actually were a penny!?? How times have changed - I saw them at 5p in the local shop last week.

Anyway, I digress. This does the job, and I'll definitely be using it up. But frankly, I didn't really see where the Christmas theme was meant to fit in. Unless we're relating it to the Christmas Coca Cola adverts, which really, I think is clutching at straws.

Are you a fan of the Lush Christmas range, or do you have another favourite festive beauty product?

Don't forget to enter my Christmas Giveaway if you haven't already!

xx

Cosy Nights and Festive Scents

Brrr! Winter has been on its way for a while now, and the switch on of the Christmas lights last Thursday and the arrival of the German markets in the city centre can only mean one thing: The festive season is upon us! Now, I've been seeing numerous gift guides and advent calendars popping up on my Bloglovin' feed for a good few weeks now, but only now that we are nearing the end of November has it really begun to feel real. The temperature has  dropped dramatically over the past couple of days, leaving me wanting to do nothing more than snuggle up under a blanket on the sofa, with a glass of mulled wine in hand and some Christmas candles burning. I can always rely on Yankee Candle to get me in the mood (for festivities, that is! How rude.) and with an array of delicious winter scents to choose from at quite reasonable prices compared to other brands, I haven't been able to resist picking up a couple in recent weeks.

Spiced Orange is a deliciously warming scent, reminiscent of juicy oranges, cloves and nutmeg - think the afore-mentioned mulled wine.When I'm in the mood for something a bit less heady and a little more dreamy, I opt for Fireside Treats, which envelops you in a bundle of cosiness, literally like toasting marshmallows on a roaring fire. Love.

What are your favourite Christmas scents? Are you in the festive mood yet?

Don't forget to enter my Christmas Giveaway if you fancy landing yourself some treats from Ren, Bumble & Bumbleand more.

xx

Video: The Christmas Tag

Hello lovelies, I thought it was about time I filmed something festive for you, so here's my Christmas Tag video.

Don't you just love how the thumbnails for these videos always capture you in the most flattering of poses? Haha. Never mind, when I become a more experienced Youtuber perhaps that will change.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this video and that you are all having a fabulously festive weekend!

xx

A Vintage Christmas: Pinspiration

A slightly different sort of blog post for you today.

Throughout the festive season, I've caught myself many a time trawling the likes of Pinterest and Tumblr in search of beautiful Christmassy inspiration for decor and crafts, and this inevitably resulted in the creation of my Vintage Christmas Pinterest board. At my parents' house, we usually tend to keep things traditional but classy, a theme which is more than fine by me. But I do sometimes like to think about all the pretty little hand-crafted decorations and displays I could create, should Christmas be held at my house one year. This year, I won't be in the country for Christmas at all, as I will be spending it in Brazil with my husband's family, but next year I am planning on getting really creative and making the house look marvellous, Christmas dinner or no Christmas dinner. 

I love the idea of mixing vintage elements with traditional, and getting crafty with wall art and table displays. I think these little patchwork stockings are such an adorable touch and would look fantastic hanging up over a roaring open fire on Christmas Eve.

Hand-made baubles and newspaper Christmas trees make a cute, kitsch addition to the surroundings, while filling jars and large plastic containers with colourful beads and marbles gives you some unique centrepieces for the coffee and dining tables.

You can also collect twigs or branches from the garden, pop them in a plant pot and adorn them with Christmas ornaments. Why not make use of an old, unused picture frame and spruce it up a bit with a lick of paint before attaching some lengths of string on which to display your Christmas cards?

Have you, or are you going to be creating any special decorations or displays for Christmas this year?

xx