Top Picks for Big Hair

I don't know about you, but I am forever in pursuit of big hair. I'm not talking enormous beehives, but I can't live without a bit of volume in my hair, whether I'm wearing it curly, wavy or straight. I just find that it suits me a zillion times better, and I will not be embracing the flat-to-the-scalp looks I have been seeing around of late for anyone.

So, without further ado, here are my favourite products for giving my hair that extra bit of oomph.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Everyone knows about Batiste dry shampoo. Some of you love it, some of you hate it, but there's no denying it gives the hair a boost as well as soaking up excess oil. What's not to love?

Just spray it into the roots of your hair, rub it in and leave it for a couple of minutes before brushing out any white residue. I sometimes spray it beneath the top layer of my hair so that I don't need to brush it out, and that way my hair stays all the more voluminous.

I'm yet to try the XXL version but it's currently at the top of my shopping list, so I'm sure that it will soon be replacing the normal stuff on my shelves.

Tresemme 24 Hour Body Root Boosting Spray

I like to spritz this into my roots before blow drying for some extra lift. This is great for when you want a more subtle look, rather than the enormous hair you might be after for a night out. There is also a mousse version of this, which I haven't got at the moment, but when I do I often scrunch some through my hair before using the spray. The two work together to boost your roots as well as leaving your locks looking well-groomed.

Tresemme 24 Hour Body Sky High Plumping Powder

This stuff really does the job. Sprinkle some into your roots and rub it in and big hair shall be yours. However, the unfortunate thing is that it is really rather sticky, and I do find that after a few hours my hair goes flat again and begins to look a little oily (probably from where I've been touching it and spreading it around). There's no getting away without washing your hair after you've used it, either.

Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Backcomb in a Bottle

Simply spray this through your roots and tease your hair into place. Personally, I like to give my hair a quick manual back-comb after use, and I find that that the two work really well together. The spray holds the back-comb in place as well as providing some good volume of its own. Again though, you can't go a second day without washing your hair after you've used this.

So there you have it, my top picks for big hair. If any of you have any holy grail root boosting products then do let me know your favourites in the comments below.

Hope you're having a great week!

xx

Beauty SOS: October

Another month, another Beauty SOS post. I'm afraid this one is going up a little bit later than usual, and if you read my October Agenda post then you'll know why, so I won't bore you with the details again!

So, last month, I must have been feeling unusually satisfied with my beauty issues, as I only asked for you lovely ladies to get involved with two little puzzles of mine. Either that, or I had already used all my other ones up the month before!

So, what did I ask you lovelies for your suggestions on last month?

1. A blemish-fighting product.

Last month, I was going through a bit of a skin nightmare, which I now believe was due to my over-zealous testing of a large number of new products in a short space of time. My t-zone became really oily and I found myself with some rather large blemishes popping up one after the other. I did freak out a little bit about this, as I usually have pretty normal skin, so I asked you lovelies to suggest something. Needless to say, several of you piped up with the Origins Spot Removing Gel/Pads. Other ideas were Alpha H Liquid Gold, Quinoderm, Sudocrem and Lavender oil. As I had some lavender oil to hand, I decided to give that one a go on a particularly unsightly spot that had chosen to pop up on my chin. I dabbed some on before bed and in the morning, voila - it had dried right out and diminished considerably in size. After my success with this, I decided to give the more expensive products suggested a miss (but thank you very much to those who suggested them!), as I am currently trying to cut back on my spending, and if something as inexpensive as an essential oil can do the job then I'm happy with that. A second discovery I made is that Propolis works equally well, so if you've got eiher of those in your cupboard at home then give them a go!

2. A good volumising product for hair.

Suggestions on this one were Sexy Hair Big Powder Play and Umberto Giannini Backcomb in a Bottle. I was very pleased to hear the latter suggestion as it reminded me that I actually already had a can of this, which had been squirreled away and subsequently lost and forgotten at the back of my cupboard. So I dug this out and gave my hair a good spray, and I must say, it does do the job rather well.

If you would like to hear more about my favourite products for big hair then keep your eyes open tomorrow, as there will be a post going up on precisely that.

So, with what do I require your assistance this month?

1. A great anti-ageing night cream.

I'm looking for something really moisturising but that won't clog my pores overnight. I've had bad luck with these in the past as they have often broken me out by morning!

2. A fantastic skin-balancing moisturiser.

My skin is mostly normal, but sometimes my forehead and chin are a bit oily, and sometimes I get dry patches on my nose. I'm after something to sort it out.

3. A good BB Cream.

I say a good one because all those I've tried have been a huge disappointment. Are there any that have really impressed you?

4. I know I have asked this before and gone on and on about it on Twitter, but.....

I am still on the hunt for something to banish my dark under-eye circles, preferably something to actually treat them but if you know of a phenomenal concealer then I would love to hear about that too. I'm sure you are probably sick of hearing me ask about this but if anyone is going to be able to suggest a solution then it's you lovely beauty bloggers and I refuse to give up hope! Whilst I have received some lovely suggestions so far, sadly, none of them have been able to make a difference, and I don't even consider my dark circles to be THAT dark. So, just throwing this out there. Again.

5. Your favourite pampering session products.

So, this one is not really an SOS as such, but I am looking to change up my weekend pampering routine as I am getting a bit bored with my own. I would LOVE to hear about what you do to spoil yourselves and what products you use in the comments below :)

If anyone would like some suggestions for some of their beauty ailments then let me know in the comments. I'm no guru but I'd be happy to share my findings with you, and perhaps feature them in next month's post so we can get some more ideas on the go!

Have a great week my lovelies!

xx

October Agenda

A bit of a late October Agenda this month. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but these past couple of weeks I really seemed to have lost my blogging mojo for a bit. I think it's probably something we all go through at some point or other, and I think in my case it was down to two things. One is that I had been so excited about the prospect of moving home next year - and I mean ridiculously so, as I have wanted it for so long - that after the initial burst of happiness had passed, I crashed back down to earth with a bump, as I realised that it's still almost a year until it actually happens. So that means eleven more months of 'this'. The second thing is that my anxiety symptoms have been really quite bad for the past couple of weeks, and when that's bothering me I really can't seem to sit down and get anything typed as it does get me down, and makes me feel really restless too.

I haven't really spoken about anxiety on here before, and I don't want to dedicate a whole post to it or anything like that, because I don't think it deserves the attention. The thing about anxiety is that the more you focus on it, the stronger its hold on you. But a quick explanation for you: I don't suffer from anxiety in the sense that I am constantly freaking out about everything, but I suppose the culmination of the fact that I have always been a worrier, coupled with the fact that I've spent so long living far from the ones I love, has led to this. Anxiety is something that affects me physically, so that means that on a day to day basis, I get this weird jittery feeling, pounding heart and shortness of breath, even when I am feeling fine and not at all anxious about anything! It's really frustrating, and when it first started I had a really hard time believing that that's all it was - I mean, who has anxiety without actually feeling anxious!? 

So anyway, that's that. Let's see how I did with the tasks I set myself last month, before moving on to this month's Agenda:

September

1. Save as much money as possible.

I'm pleased to report that I've been pretty well behaved on this one, and have stashed away a fair few pennies. I say this, but I suppose I'm slyly ignoring the fact that I might have had one or two Ebay mishaps - in other words, yes, I have spent money I shouldn't have. It's just so easily done when it's online, isn't it - it seems like it's not real money until you get the bill at the end of the month....not looking forward to that one!

2. Get back to healthy eating and exercising several times a week

So last month, I told you that, being someone who usually does eat healthily bar the odd slice of cake, I had fallen off the wagon somewhat and could not seem to stop eating sweet things. The evenings are my problem, as when I'm home alone I either boredom eat or boredom bake! Anyway, it took me until the latter half of the month but I do seem to have managed to rein it in a bit. I'm still baking at the weekends and having treats here and there, but in a much more controlled fashion. As for the exercise, I tend to go through phases of going for it and feeling good about it, and phases of not being remotely bothered about it (mostly the latter). However, after reading this week that exercise is the single most important thing you can do to help anxiety symptoms, I have got myself back into gear - I get  annoyed when people complain about things and yet do nothing to help themselves, so it's got to be done. I will let you know if I see any difference.

3. Get Skyping.

The idea here was to make sure Skype plans actually came to fruition. My friends and I are constantly making and breaking Skype dates and one way or another, our chats just never seem to happen. And because we are always saying that we must Skype, I never get messages telling me what's been going on in their lives, as it is always assumed that we will talk about that 'when we Skype'. Which never happens. Sadly, I am no further along on this one, although not for want of trying. 

Now, on to this month's Agenda:

1. Keep saving the pennies!

Self explanatory really, and must be done.

2. Stop being a hypochondriac.

I don't know if I actually am a hypochondriac, but I still get scared that my anxiety symptoms are something else, which in turn only serves to make me more anxious. Not fun.

3. Keep up the daily exercise.

Again, it's got to be done.

4. Blog brainstorming.

There is so much more I want to do with my blog, yet something always stops me. Outfit posts don't happen because I don't have someone patient enough to photograph me the amount of times necessary for me to get a photo I'm satisfied with. Or a tripod. Makeup (face) posts don't happen because I can never seem to get an acceptable picture for those either, despite the fact I can take them myself. Baking posts don't happen because I always bake in the evening and then the lighting for photos is awful. All of this is really starting to annoy me, as I feel that it's really limiting me and my blog, so my aimfor this month is to sit down and have a think about what I can do to make these things happen, as well as coming up with some new ideas for content. Usually, I just write about what comes to me, and I like to do it that way as I feel more inspired, but at the same time it's good to plan some bits and pieces for those days when you just don't feel like it.

Phew, that was a hefty post. If you made it this far then well done!

What'son your agenda for October?

xx

Weekend Wishlist

Dior Radiance Skinflash Pen -  Studded Jumper -  This Works Perfect Look Skin Miracle -  Peplum Tee   - Jumper -  Pyjamas -  Bralet -  MUA Cream Blush in Blossom  - MUA Pro Brow Kit  -  Anchor Earrings  -  Origins Make a Difference Night Skin Rejuvenating Gel Cream  -  MUA The Artiste Collection  -  Bonsi Stud Boot 

This week's Wishlist is all about chunky winter knits and cosy loungewear - in fact, much like last week's. Now that the nights are drawing in, I'm all about snuggling up on the sofa for comfy evenings in, with films, pampering and cake all on the cards (although not too much of the latter!).

I know you're probably getting bored ofstuds featuring on my Wishlists by now, but in my defence it's not as if I've bought everything I've wanted, and it just so happens that most of the nicest pieces in the shops at the momemt seem to feature them in some way or another!

There are lots of makeup goodies on my shopping list too. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I knew I was going to be wanting the majority of the MUA collection, and with their extremely reasonable prices it'd be rude not to really!

I think everyone's skin deserves a treat now that the weather is getting chillier, and we could all do with an extra hit of moisture, so the Origins Make a Difference Night Skin Rejuvenating Gel Cream is just what the doctor ordered. Add to that a good brightening concealer to banish dark under-eye circles (which are pretty much a given with the equally dark winter mornings) and I think my face will be thanking me.

What's on your Wishlist this week?

Hope you're all having alovely weekend.

xx

Memory Lane #3

Copa, Copacabanaaaa!

This in one of my favourite photos, taken when I was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the hubby and some of our friends in 2011.

We had already spent a week of partying together in Arraial d'Ajuda, Bahia, and it would have been a perfect holiday if the friends we were with hadn't had a huge argument on the second night and refused to make up for the remainder of the trip! Oh dear.

But regardless of the unfortunate falling out, this is still a special memory of mine, and we had fun exploring the city (although it was mine and the hubby's second time, there was still plenty more to see and do). We went to the zoo, tried and failed to have surfing lessons on Ipanema thanks to the lazy instructor repeatedly coming up with excuses to fob us off ( no idea how he made his money, and it's not like giving surfing lessons is exactly hard work for someone who loves it, especially in a place as beautiful as Rio!) and ventured into Santa Teresa, the oldest part of town which is filled with little shops selling handmade goodies and artwork, by tram, which made for a fantastic view of Rio, as it's very high up. The hubby and I didn't go up to see Christ the Redeemer or Sugarloaf Mountain this time, as we had not long done all of that with my parents, but we did spend lots of time enjoying the beaches and drinking Caipirinhas! Bliss.

Rio is a wonderful city and will always hold special memories for me.

xx

Nourifusion Multivitamin Clarifying Mask: Review

Just a quick review for you today.

I've been using the Nourifusion Multivitamin Clarifying Mask with vitamins A,C and E for a good couple of months now, so I thought that it was about time I shared it with you.

This is a clay-based mask, with a thick, pastey consistency. It's green in colour, and has an almost menthol, medicinal scent which I find to be really quite refreshing. 

I've been using this product as part of my weekly pampering sessions. It goes onto the face in a thick layer, and is left to dry for 15-20 minutes before being removed. I usually take it off with a muslin cloth as I find that this is more thorough and ensures that no residue is left on the face.

When I apply the mask, I do on occasion notice a gentle stinging sensation, but it has never irritated my skin and doesn't feel at all uncomfortable. For me, it's just a sign that the mask is doing it's job and is probably due to it's astringent properties.

One thing I have noticed with this mask is that if I have a spot brewing, the day after use it has come out in full force. At first, I saw this as a bad thing as I thought that the mask was upsetting the balance of my skin and causing blemishes to appear, but after a few more tries, I realised that it was just ridding my skin of the impurities that were already there. It's a shame that, as with all clay masks, you've got to suffer a day or two with a couple of spots, but in my opinion they are much better out than in - no one likes the threat of an impending spot on the brink of a special occasion.

This mask not only claims to remove impurities, but also to absorb any excess oil produced by the skin. While my face does feel lovely and clean and soft after use, I can't say that I have noticed much of a difference with regards to the oil. 

In terms of pores, I don't really have any open ones, but I do have some awful blocked pores on my nose. I say awful, but they are probably not all that noticeable to anyone else. I know they are there though, and I have struggled to rid myself of them for years now, so I was a little disappointed to find that this mask wasn't able to make much a difference there.

The mask comes in a big 125g tube, so it does last you quite a long time despite having to use a thick layer on each application. 

All in all, I'd say that this is quite a nice mask to include as part of a weekend pampering session. It feels pleasant on the skin and is enjoyable to use, but I certainly wouldn't brand it a miracle mask.

If you would like to get your hands on it then head on over to the Herbalife website now. Although you can browse through a catalog of their products on there, you can't buy them directly through the site. However, you can leave a message and a representative will contact you  pretty speedily to sort you out with your products.

If you would like any further info on this then please let me know in the comments below - I've kept this one fairly short and sweet because I've been suffering a fair bit from anxiety symptoms over the past few days, and it's making it really difficult to get anything done - or at least to give it my full concentration.  If anyone has got any recommendations on that score then please feel free to share those too.

Do you use face masks as part of your skincare routine? What's your favourite?

xx

Beautifully Superfluous Talks DIY Body Scrubs (Guest Post)

Hello everyone – I’m Helen and I’m the author of the blog Beautifully Superfluous. Mel has kindly let me write a post for you all today so I’m going to tell you how I make my own body scrubs.

Body scrubs are a beauty product that I couldn’t live without but seem to cost a fortune if I buy one from a shop. The ones that I personally like range from £8 - £15 in price which is obviously not purse friendly in the slightest.

It’s really simple to make your own body scrub, and a lot of the time the ingredients you will need are already in your cupboards - bathroom and kitchen.

 You will need:

An empty screw-top pot (I’ve washed out an old Soap and Glory Breakfast Scrub pot)

Coarse sugar (I’m using Demerara sugar as I have it in coffee but any brown sugar will do)

Shower Gel (I’m using my favourite at the moment: Radox Nourish)

Ground Almond powder (these little nuts are thought to eliminate toxins from the skin)

Take your empty pot and pour as much or as little of the sugar into it as you like. A lot of sugar will provide a really coarse scrub, which is the kind that I like, whilst a little will create more of a body ‘polish’ which is better for more sensitive skin or if you tend to exfoliate every day.

Add two heaped table spoons of ground almonds to the sugar in the pot before mixing the two ingredients together with a spoon. Mix them well.

 Add a good amount of your preferred show gel to the pot and mix well. It will be sticky and take a couple of minutes to mix together. Add more sugar if you think the consistency is too runny for you r add more shower gel if you think that the mixture is too coarse for you.

 Go and use it in the bathroom! Enjoy!

Yes, it really is that simple. However, if you feel like getting a little more creative and are using an unscented shower gel there are several things you can add to your mix:

Blended bananas – bananas are cited as having anti-aging properties whilst also helping to eliminate discolouration of the skin.

Rose water/essence- rose scents are always a hit but rose water also refreshes skin for a clean and carefree feeling.

Fresh Lemon Juice – adds a citrus zing to your scrub whilst helping to remove even more dead skin cells and lightening the skin tone.

Thank you to Mel for allowing me to write this for you all – it’s been a pleasure !