InStyle Your Way- The Braided Up Do

It's not a very frequent occurrence for me to wear an "updo", even more so a braided one unless I'm at work or having a seriously bad hair day, but in the name of fashion, with braided hair do's being spotted all over the runway for SS13, I have put together this style for InStyles "InStyle Your Way Challenge".

InStyle recently approached me and asked if I wanted to join them with a few other bloggers for their new line up of challenges, which will take place on Twitter and gives you the opportunity to win a goodie bag made up of some of their personal beauty favourites which includes products from Dermalogica, L'Oreal and Morrocan Oil. To enter, simply tweet a picture before the 25th February, of your twist of The Braided Updo to @instyle_uk with the hashtag #instyleyourway.
 Excitingly for me, I get to help pick a winner and I'm so excited to see what everyone comes up with.

I'm no expert when it comes to hair but have so much fun playing around and seeing what styles I can come up with. I have quite fly-away hair and I often find delicate hair styles quite difficult, so to achieve this look I made sure that I had a small amount of product blow dried into my hair to give it a little bit of hold. I used the V05 Plumping Mousse*, but I think a styling spray would have worked well too. 

I combed my hair from the ends up to ensure it was completely tangle free, and starting on the opposite side to the side I want the most part of the style to feature, I separated my hair into three sections (roughly about 1.5inches each), working from front to back. 

Once I had my three sections, I began to braid towards the opposite side. On every sequence, similar to a french plait, I added a little more hair into the plait and continued to do so until I got to where I wanted to the braid to finish, making sure I didn't pull it too tight as I personally like a much looser look.

Like I said, I'm certainly no expert when it comes to hair and wasn't too sure how I wanted the overall look to play out but after playing with it a little, I decided to continue the braid all the way around until I had very minimal hair left to work with. I secured it with a few Brown kirby grips and a little bit of L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray to finish, but if you wanted to do a similar style with more of a ponytail, a snag free elastic would work beautifully.

I'm really excited to see what styles you come up with. What's your favourite braided up-do look?


Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

Ojon Full Detox Spray

Last year Ojon products were a firm favourite of mine in terms of their Shampoo and Conditioners and so I was extremely excited about this Ojon Full Detox* spray and was hoping that it would be a go to for me for those days where the thought of washing my hair just seems like a nightmare. I'm hoping I'm not alone, but sometimes the thought of having to go through the process of washing my hair is just awful and so to have a cleansing spray or a dry shampoo as they're more commonly known as to reach for, give a few sprays at the roots and go is a dream.

This Ojon Full Detox is a higher end dry shampoo, with Pure Ojon Oil and purifying ingredient Soap Bark Tree Extract that works to clean, refresh and revive without water. 

In terms of doing a good job, this is a wonderful product and it really is up there with the best dry shampoos I have tried; it doesn't leave any White talc-like powder residue in my hair and it doesn't leave my roots feeling sticky or too built up. It certainly leaves my hair looking a lot fresher than it did before, whilst adding a little bit of volume too, but unfortunately the scent of this product really isn't for me. The scent of a product really can be a decision maker for me and the smell of what I think must be the Bark Tree Extract is far too overbearing for my taste and although I can cope with it for a quick spray, I'm much happier to pick up a cheaper alternative that I might have to be a little more careful with, but smells delightful. 

If you're into more natural, woody, smokier scents and I know some people are, then this is totally for you. It is a very good dry shampoo and really does offer great results but personally the smell is a little off-putting for me. 

This 185ml spray costs £18 and is available from Ojon online, John Lewis, Boots and House of Fraser.  

Have you tried this product? I would love to know your thoughts.

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

Headmasters Headmasters Blow-Dry Collection 2013

Each year at Headmasters, a blow dry collection is launched and this year, 2013 sees this beautiful selection of six styles hit the salons.

I was lucky enough to be invited down to Headmasters in Mayfair to preview this beautifully put together collection and to have a blow dry of my own and it was such a lovely treat. I was fortunate enough to have had my hair blow-dried by the very lovely Headmasters Art Director Ollie Blackaby, who talked me through all of the products and styling techniques he was using.

I really like the selection of blow-dries available and would settle for any of them as they really are all so pretty, however I chose the Mayfair Grunge look as it was pretty fitting for the day in London I had ahead of me. I was really impressed with it and even more so that it stuck around all day. Normally any curl or style in my hair drops pretty quickly, but Ollie used the perfect products and tools to keep my hair looking great all day.

These styles are all available in Headmasters salons nationwide and cost from just £27 which I think is a great price point. I know where I'll be heading next time I have somewhere special to attend!

You can find your nearest Headmasters Salon online here.

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

Gielly Green Boutique Collection Nourish Mask

For as long as I can remember, my mum and I have loved to indulge in a hair treatment and there is an ever growing queue of new ones sat on the side of the bath waiting to be used. The latest one to grace our locks is this Gielly Green Nourish Mask*. 

I'm not sure who wins the prize for my favourite mask ever, but I know that this one is certainly up there, if not taking the winning title. It's not a brand I had heard of previously to trying it, in fact even when I was using it I wasn't sure on the brand nor where it sat in terms of high or low end, but I did know that the results were excellent and every single time I have washed my hair for the past couple of months I have reached for it.

Since looking into repurchasing this, I have found out that it is actual fact one of the priciest hair masks that I have ever tried at £29.50, but is it worth it? I think it is.

I tend to wash my hair before my bath and massage this into my newly washed wet hair from root to end and leave for the duration of my bath time, which is usually around 20/25 minutes. It's a very thick rich consistency which I think you can see from the photo above and just a small amount leaves my hair feeling so nice and soft. It definitely helps to give my hair a shine and without feeling heavy in the slightest, my hair feels and looks so much glossier and healthier.

The packaging is pretty massive for the 200ml of product, surrounded in a very chunky squared Plastic base which is probably my only negative. It does take up a little more room than necessary and there is just no way I would be able to take it away with me on trips as it is also quite weighty.

Gielly Green is a boutique salon in Marylebone and for a stand alone salon, this is a really fantastic product. I'm really keen to try the other masks and the volume range next, as I'm sure you know, volume enhancing products are always my go-to in any hair care collection. 

This product is available for £29.50 on the Gielly Green website and Beauty Bay. 

Do you use a hair mask on your hair? Have you tried any of the Gielly Green Boutique Collection?

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

What I'm Wearing- Daily Mix Launch

Collection Lasting Perfection Medium

MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC30

Nars Laguna

Benefit High Beam*

MAC Melba

HD Brow Palette Dark Brown

Pixi Shades of Nude*

NYX Le Frou Frou Mascara Black*

Pixi Lip & Line Pale Petal*

Last night I was invited down to the Daily Mix Launch party, 31 floors high at Paramount, Centre Point and it was an absolutely incredible night. Daily Mix may well be a new YouTube Channel, but they sure know how to put on a party. 

YouTubers and Bloggers alike, joined on the dance floor until the early hours and socialised over ever flowing delicious cocktails, pic-a-mix and even shots from the Ice Luge. It all got a little crazy and today I am very much suffering a massive hangover, but it was well and truly worth it.

I picked up this dress from H&M on the weekend and I really love it. I was after a Cream t-shirt style shift dress and this fitted in with what I wanted perfectly, it was only £19.99 too, which was a bonus.

I really love the Pearl Peter Pan Collar, so I decided to wear my hair up to show it off, similar to how I was shown at a Remington event I recently went to, which I will blog about very soon!

I added a few curls into the style with my Enrapture Totem Styler and although it's pretty prim and proper, which isn't my normal hair style of choice, I really like it.

The lighting in the photos isn't great, but I'm really pleased with how my make up looked. I decided to use my Pixi Shades of Nude Quartet Palette, to create a fancy little eye and used the Dark Brown from my HD Palette on my eyebrows and even added a touch of it as a very fine eye liner.

Liz, Sabrina, Milly, Jessica, Jen, Lucy, Kate, Lily, Leanne, Lena 

Daily Mix can be found here, featuring videos from Pixiwoo, Tanya Burr, Jim Chapman, Ruth Crilly and Wayne Goss.

More snaps of the evening can be found over on my Instagram. 

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

Babyliss Elegance 2100

After putting up with a hairdryer that had tendencies to switch off after around five minutes and not come back on, it is such a relief to now be the owner of a beautiful, lightweight and super speedy hairdryer that works a treat. With The Babyliss Elegance 2100*, blowdrying my hair is a pleasure and I can take my time whilst enjoying the high power functions that allow me with its super light weight, to blow maximum volume into my hair with such ease.

I would say in the last five years, I have probably gone through 2/3 hairdryers and to date, this is easily the nicest one I have used. I must admit, it has pretty much the same functions as the others I have used previously, though this is certainly the lightest and it seems very powerful and fast drying.

Having a swival cord is something I have on most of my hair tools, but have never had on a hairdryer before. This honestly makes it so much easier to use, especially when you have a massive brush in one hand and the hairdryer in the other. It saves getting all tangled up and so makes the process, which lets face it can often be a bit of a chore, a lot more bearable.

I really enjoy using this hairdryer, it works super well to blow dry my hair nicely and the cool shot button works brilliantly to add a final bit of shine to my hair after blowdrying and to help set any style, especially after using heat on my rollers, to speed the process up a little. 

This hairdryer is exclusive to Boots and costs £27.99 though it is currently on offer for £17.99.

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

Lauren's Way Dream Rollers

 

If you have been reading my blog for a while or have browsed through any of past posts, you may well be aware that I am slightly roller crazy and have been for the past year or so. 

Up until the beginning of this year, I had been using standard velcro rollers and I actually continue to do so when I'm styling and setting my hair throughout the day, but on the occasion where I want to prepare my hair for the following day, soft sleep in type rollers are most definitely what I go for.

They are very much the same as a standard roller, though rather than velcro on hard plastic, they are soft materials filled with foam which are soft to the touch and more comfortable to lay on.

For the past ten months or so, I have been using the Boots own ones which I blogged about here. I originally had my eye on a similar set to these Lauren Goodger Dream Rollers, but I didn't rely on Rollers too much at that point thus spending more money than necessary felt slightly crazy.

I have been a fan of some of the Lauren's Way tanning range for a while now and when I was recently given the opportunity to give this Dream Rollers 20 pack a go, I was thrilled and couldn't wait to wear the Pink rollers in my hair. The Pink finish to them is definitely what caught my eye and although the colour of a roller shouldn't really matter, it is definitely a nice girly touch. 

20 rollers is by far more than enough to cover my whole head and although I don't tend to use more than about 6/8 surrounding predominately my parting area for lift and volume at the roots, it is nice to have more there just in case I do decide to go all out. It's also nice to have all matching rollers for the first time. I know rollers aren't made to be worn outside, so it's not necessary to be matching but it is nice and whilst I have them in I'm left feeling all 1960s Barbie Doll like.

I apply these either after blowdrying my hair or just before bed with little bit of heat (usually a run over with my ghds) to ensure they set better and attempt to have the best sleep possible with them. Now, as comfortable as these are meant to be, be aware that they're not going to give you a dream sleep. If you struggle with getting comfortable they are more than likely not for you, but I love my sleep and so tend to manoeuvre my pillows a little and then I'm out for the clouds. I secure these with a little grip, just to ensure they don't move about and unroll as such, because other wise I would be left with a curl towards the end of my hair rather than volume at the root, which is where I like it and what I use my rollers for.

I really like using these and they work tremendously at giving me a little bit of lift at my roots to give me bigger, bouncier hair with more shape, especially towards the front of my hair, which can be a little flat and lifeless without any attention. 

Like I mentioned, I only tend to use around 8 Dream Rollers at a time and they are available in sets of both 8 and 20. This set of 20 would definitely be necessary if you have more hair than I do or you want a full head of curls rather than just volume on the parting area. 

They are available to buy here on the Lauren's way site for £7.95 and £16.95.  

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

Limited Edition Metallic ghd Collection

I've always been a huge fan of ghds and have had numerous pairs in my life since I was about 15.

Though they have never failed me and I have never needed to purchase a new pair through them being broken etc, I was always intrigued by the Limited Edition Straighteners and have consequently received them for many Birthdays and Christmases through the years.

The various colours and styles are always so eye catching and a lot more fun than the original Black ones, which were in fact the last ones I had in replacement for a Pink Breast Cancer Awareness pair that my mum "borrowed" one day. 

Limited Edition styles are released into the ghd Collections quite regularly, though the latest on the market are the glamorous Metallic ghds. They come as a part of a beautiful gift set, which features the classic styler in either Shimmering Silver, Sahara Gold or Rich Ruby* along with a quilted case that also works as a very useful heat resistant mat. Before this, I was forever burning surfaces or bed covers which is extremely dangerous, so this is a very handy addition!

I've never actually tried any other brand of hair straightener, because quite frankly I don't need to. I'm really passionate about ghd as a brand and haven't ever felt the need to use anything else. The quality of the straightening irons are excellent and they work on my hair incredibly well, leaving my locks beautifully straight with a professional finish and shine with minimal time and effort. I know there is often quite a worry about using heat on coloured hairstyles, but I have never experienced any problems and my hair is always left looking shiny and feeling soft, although I would highly recommend using a heat protectant spray as always.  

  The appealing features are also what make ghd second to none. The high temperature Ceramic plates are very smooth and so run through your hair with such ease and no snagging what so ever. They are also contoured in shape, which makes it a lot easier to create curls and waves. The swivel cord adds to making this function easier. I can be a little clumsy at times but having a 360° function in the cord is a huge help. 

Something that I was quite late into finding out about ghd, though when I did find out I was very pleasantly pleased, is the universal voltage function and the fact that hidden underneath the standard plug is in fact a European plug which makes life a lot easier for me when going on trips with work.

The overall experience with ghd is really lovely and if you're interested in this sparkly gift set, it is available here and costs £135.

Are you a fan of ghd like I am? What pair do you have? 

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Range

Yesterday I attended a Science lesson-like launch for the new range of Umberto Giannini hair products, all aimed towards banishing the effects of the enemy- Frizz! 

The range is called Frizzi and is made up of eight hair transforming products, to suit the needs of all hair types that suffer with a touch of frizz every now and then or in my case- most days. 

Unfortunately with any type of humidity, damp or moisture in the air, frizz is never going to disappear all together but with the right products and the right care it can be tamed and controlled. 

Umberto Giannini have used lots of science and trials to figure out the best ingredients to put together this affordable range and the final eight products that the range consist of are;

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Bad Hair Day Smoothing Shampoo- £5.29 

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Make My Day Smoothing Conditioner- £5.29

Umberto Giannini Frizzi  Miracle Worked with Argan Oil- £6.99

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Transformation Fluid Silicone Serum- £5.49

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Rebel Without The Coarse Dramatic Results Styling Spray- £5.99

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Frizz Off Blow Dry Cream- £5.49

Umberto Giannini Frizzi When Nothing Else Will Do Intense Recovery Mask with Argan Oil- £5.29 

Umberto Giannini Frizzi Day After Day After Day 3 Day Extreme Taming Spray- £5.99

I was very kindly gifted these products, so I will definitely give them a go and let you know how they work for me. This is quite a huge range, so to get through them all may take a while, however if you are after a more speedy review of any particular product, do comment below and I'll try to get one put together for you as soon as possible. 

I must say I am most excited by the Intense Recovery Mask and the 3 Day Extreme Taming Spray, is there anything that stands out to you?

These products are all available in Boots and Umberto Giannini Salons.

Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram

Read more