Hair 101: How I grow my Hair long

Good evening all, I hope you've all had a great Monday, as good as any Monday can be anyway. Last week was quite the week for me, but I'll talk about that in a diary post, but I'm glad to be starting a new week. I actually came across an old "Grow my Hair" list that I had written a while ago and was reminded of how my hair was a year ago. It's been through quite the journey, which I've written all about in my post here, and so having finally got it to a length I'm happy with, I am keen to share the tips and tricks that got it here.

The key things to consider when growing your hair

• Damaging Treatments
• Heat
• Washing
• Cutting
• Nutrients

All the things above a contributors to the health and condition of your hair. You may not think that altering small habits will make a difference to the length and condition of your hair but it is the combination of good habits that results in long hair. Trust me, I've found out the hard way.

Damaging Treatments

I have had my fair share of treatments on my hair (that rhymed, not intentional!) and even knowing how damaging they were didn't stop me going ahead with them. As I mentioned in this post Here I have dyed my hair for 2 years, bleach bathed it, highlighted it and stripped it of dye. All of which left my hair in pretty rubbish condition. Naturally, my advice is to leave out damaging treatments, which is what I'm doing now. However, if you're dying your hair and want to keep it that colour, this isn't an option for you. 

So my advice to those of you that are going to be bleaching or dying your hair is firstly, go a little longer between treatments. When I was dying my hair, I would count 10 weeks before I would do it again. Regardless of how bad I thought it looked. Second of all, whenever I would do a treatment, I would balance it out by using a deep conditioner or hot oil treatment. I found this helped in reducing the damage to the locks. 

Heat

Although countless "How To" posts will tell you not to use heat, if you're anything like me, this isn't really an option. On a night out I want to curl my hair and do something with it to make it look nice. What's the point of having beautiful hair if you can't do anything with it? I've also stopped hairdrying my hair and letting it dry completely naturally. I've taught myself how to do some up-dos in order to reduce how often I use heat on a daily basis and this has helped. Here are some links for how to do a messy bun, knot braid and my personal favourite heatless wavy hair! 

Next of all, if you are going to use heat (which we both know you are) always always always use a heat protector. They actually do work when used correctly and make a such difference. The one I swear by and cannot live without is my  Loreal Studio silk & gloss Straightening cream. I've done a full review here and as you can see, I'm in love with the stuff. I've been using it six years now and can 100% say it makes your hair silky soft and it smells amazinggggg. 

Washing

Obviously, washing is a big part of hair care. All I really need to say is firstly, when my hair needs washing, I'll put it in an updo and try and go another day. I know it's a little gross but the hair is never really that dirty but reduces the amount of times you're messing with it. Second of all, use good products which I know, obvious. I'm currently liking TRESemme colour protect shampoo and conditioner and throw in the Aussie 3 minute miracle hair reconstructor for when I have time to really give it some moisture. You can see my full review on it here. 

Cutting

I think of all the steps I took to grow my hair, this one was the hardest. I just felt that cutting my hair was counter productive when I'm trying to grow it. But, it's that classic saying of quality over quantity. Without cutting it, I had longish hair but it was unhealthy at the ends and never really grew any longer. If you want to keep your hair the same length, cutting it every six weeks will keep it that way. However, I've found that getting my hair cut every ten weeks has kept it in perfect condition, but has still left it long enough for it to grow. Now my hair is just past my boobs and still has healthy ends. So bite the bullet and get it cut! 

Nutrients

You've heard countless sources tell you to have a healthy diet, so you don't need me to tell you that having a healthy diet will give you good hair, among other things. I've found perfectil hair and nails supplement worked great for giving my hair an extra kick. I've also heard that pure biotin supplements are available to buy. In case you didn't know, Biotin is the nutrient that your hair and nails need most to grow. As with any supplements, always check with your GP that it's safe for you to take! 

I've also found that gently massaging your head with my fingers has helped speed up growth, I imagine this is due to more blood being brought to the scalp and so increasing growth. And finally, my last tip is not brush your hair when it's wet and if you absolutely have to, do it very gently as harsh brushing when it's weakened will cause it to snap. So that concludes a very long but hopefully helpful "How to" post. I've followed all of these steps in combination with one another and that is when you see the most results. I actually tried on my old hair extensions and was thrilled to discover my hair is now the same length. Proof they really work. Hope you've found this post helpful and let me know your tips in the comment below!

Laura. 

2014 Beauty Wish List

Evening all! I've been thoroughly enjoying my free time post exams. I was sat watching 'Some Like It Hot' with Marylin Monroe and couldn't help but think how beautiful and how classic the women looked. It then got me thinking about makeup, now change there then! Unfortunately, when buying my post exam treats as featured in my last post, I ended up browsing the makeup stores and have an all new lust list. Many other blogs have done such posts, so here is my 2014 Beauty wishlist!

1. Benefit They're Real Mascara

I am always on the look out for that holy grail mascara. I think they are quite a personal item as everybody has different eyelashes and things they want from a mascara. For me, I love long, curly eyelashes that look natural. I know this mascara is included in the Glamour Beauty Edit beauty box and I intend to get it when I have a spare £15 lying around. 

2. Benefit Porefessional Primer

Ever since I first heard about this primer, I have been dreaming of owning it, sad. I have heard nothing but good things about this product and I can't wait to try it. However, it has such a large price tag that it's unlikely i'll be calling one mine for a while, hence why there are two primers in this wishlist.

3. Loreal Made for me Naturals 

I haven't picked out a particular colour but they have such a good range. As I have already said so many times, going blonde requires lighter lipsticks. As I only have two natural looking shades, I'm looking into some more neutral lip colours.

4. Loreal Nail polish in Marie Aintonette

During my free time, I've developed somewhat of an obsession with watching Gossip Girl. I love everything about it, especially the fashion! The character Serena Vanderwoodsen (played by the stunning Blake Lively) has not only the hair colour I want, but the whole look I want to go for. Part of her look is she wears really pretty, girly shades of pink. This one is perfect for what I'm going for. 

5. Sleek Neutral Eyeshadow Palate

I'm actually having to look into makeup storage as I already have a growing collection of palates. This one caught my eye because of how warm the different shades are. After having a full blown love affair with the Sleek contouring palate, I am eager to try some more Sleek products as the pigmentation is the best on the highstreet in my opinion.

6. Collection 2000 Primed & Ready Primer

I have read several reviews that this primer is great and at only £5.99, I am eager to giv e it a go. One of my close friends Laura has recently given me a Primer to try out, so I will leave a review and let you know what I think.

Well, I'm going to finish watching Some like it hot and then no doubt end up watching another dozen episodes of gossip girl, it's an addiction! I'm also really excited because I do long distance with my boyfriend of nearly four years and tomorrow I get to visit him in his university accommodation for a whole week! I'm going to be spending all day tomorrow pampering myself, providing this hangover goes, I celebrated end of exams last night so I'm worse for wear. Anyway lovelies, it's goodbye from me!

Haul// Hair Related Beauty Haul

 

Evening gorgeous readers! I have been at it again, buying beauty products I've convinced myself I need. That being said, as far as excuses go, I've sorted a pretty solid one for this lot. So back in October I did a post called 'Hair - Making a Change'  (Found Here) where I talked (quite a lot) about going back to my natural colour/blonder. To avoid an even longer introduction than I have already, I've decided to go ahead and do it. So my excuse to buy this lot is that I'm going blonde and I need some new makeup to go with it. So here's what I brought...

Superdrug Colour B4 Hair Colour Remover 'Extra' £9.99

So as mentioned, I have decided to go blonde but from brown I needed some help. I had heard that this was good at removing built up hair dye and so decided to give it a go. I've been dying my hair brown for years now and was a little worried this wouldn't work. I have since tried it and I was relatively pleased. My hair is nearly back to my natural colour, with slight brown shades still running through it. I think this isn't actually to do with the product and more to do with my hair. It's quite long now and naturally very thick and I ignored the advice to buy two boxes for thicker hair. Overall though, it has got the majority of the dye out. It has dried my hair slightly, but only on the ends of the hair. My plan is to wash my hair with head and shoulders shampoo (notorious for removing dye) until I get as much out as possible and then dye it blonde. I will include before and after photo's in a later blog post, exciting stuff!

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in Shade 3 £5.49

So my excuse to buy this was that with lighter hair, you can only get away with darker eye makeup if you balance it with nude lips. This is the most beautiful nude shade and my new favourite. It gives a nude matt finish that has hints of both pink and coral shades. I can't really explain how nice it is but when I show 'New hair' images I will wear this in the photograph so you can see it. I haven't really even thought about the Kate range from Rimmel before, but I will definitely be paying more attention now.

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Snob £4.99

I've been using these lip glosses for a while and love them. I already own Pin up, Keep a secret and Lovesick. Snob is a really dark pink with almost brown undertones, though it doesn't look it in the photo. When on, makes the lips look a lot fuller and has a beautiful shiny finish.

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde £2.99

Before I dyed my hair brown and started using MUA Brow palette (£3.50 from here), I always used this pencil and it was a perfect match. For only £2.99 it is fantastic quality and I would not consider going blonde without using it. I considered it an essential purchase when buying it, but then again when is makeup not essential to me!

MUA Eyeshadow Palette Undress Me Too £4.00

I already own quite a few eyeshadow palettes by now but considered this the perfect excuse to buy the next 'Undressed' palette. For everyday eyes, I thought this would be perfect to create a lighter smokey eye makeup look (may do a post on a look soon). I also love that there is a matte black as this is great for lining the lids before you add liquid eyeliner. I've only used it once since buying it but I love it already.

So you have seen my 'Hair related beauty Haul' which I must admit sounds a little strange before you read what I'm going on about. If you've lasted this long, a big thank you. I cannot wait to go back to my natural (maybe a little lighter) blonde shade for spring and summer beachy hair.

As always, thanks for reading!

Review// Loreal Studio Silk&Gloss Hot Straight Cream

 

Hello all! So once again it's review time! This time around it's one of my all time favorite products, the Loreal Studio Silk & Gloss hot straight cream. I first heard about it back when I was in college (yes, I have used it for that long!) from one of my friends. Her hair always was in such lovely condition so when she suggested I try it, I decided to grab a bottle. It is designed to protect hair from heated hair styling products while maintaining healthy condition. For once, I can say that a product does what it says on the tin.

You can apply this to your hair wet or dry before styling. For me personally, I prefer to put it in while my hair is damp and then hair dry it straight. I do section by section and then comb through and I've found this makes your hair super soft and silky. As for putting in the product dry, I don't do it too often but I would say it can make the hair feel a little greasy so I tend not to. As for how well it protects the hair, during periods when I was straightening my hair everyday, a hairdresser commented on how good the condition was and was amazed that I had used GHD's on it everyday. So I would go as far to say that the protection you get from it is rather good.

A big plus, but not necessarily an essential quality, is the smell. Some heat protect products I've used in the past have not smelt all that nice, if anything a really chemical smell. With this, it literally smells amazing and the smell stays in your hair. Having nice scented locks is just another perk that makes me feel feminine. As for price, from bodycare it's just £2.99 and it lasts ages. Other than how it works on dry hair, which isn't bad, the product is flawless. I haven't even bothered looking at other heat protect products for straightening as I can't see another highstreet product beating it. 

My last comment is that because this works so well at keeping your hair straight, you can't curl your hair with it in. They look amazing but fall out within an hour because the hair is just too silky. That doesn't bother me too much as I don't often curl pre-straightened hair because I don't really see the point. There's always heat protect products that I use especially for curled hair anyway. Well that's it for me blabbering on. I hope you've enjoyed reading.

Lots of love,

Laura.

Monthly Favourites // October

 

Good Afternoon blog readers! I have seen a lot of blog writers doing these sorts of posts lately and I thought that I would jump on the bandwagon. I love these sorts of posts because they highlight products that are better for the different seasons. Sometimes your usual moisturizer in summer just doesn't cut it in winter and so a different product is needed. They are also really handy for doing short reviews on a lot of items all in one go. So here's my monthly favorites for October!

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Wash

At university, whether you are the most chilled out person or not, you will get inevitably stressed. I stress about work, money and all sorts of things when at uni. That and all the partying you do as a student takes it's toll on the skin. I usually have quite clean skin (Thank you mama for that!) but I am no stranger to spots around stressful times. This wash is really creamy and makes the skin feel so smooth after use. It even gives a tingly, clean feeling after use which makes me feel super clean. For winter clean skin, it is a must and at under a fiver there really isn't any reason not to buy it. 

Garnier Moisture Match Illuminating Light lotion

For all of the reasons mentioned above, my skin becomes lack lustre in winter so when this was on offer I picked up this one. They come in a colourful range with each one specifically tackling one skin problem. This is the only one I've tried but I love it. I wont say too much more as I will be doing a full review soon.

Loreal Studio Silk Gloss Heat Protect Cream

My hair gets really dry and brittle in winter and as I use a lot of heated products this is a must for me. It smells incredible, costs £2.99 (depending on where you get it from, I buy it from Bodycare) and is the best I've used. Some heat protectors make the hair a little sitcky and feel limp. This product makes hair shiny and oh so soft. It's perfect for people who straighten their hair on a daily basis like me. Again, I will be doing a full review so I won't say too much here.

Paco Rabanne Lady Million Perfume

I love love love this perfume. It is the perfect scent for everyday use and the packaging is oh so slick! I went on a cruise earlier this year (I did a 'What I wore on Holiday' blog post) with my boyfriend and his family and had a great time. My boyfriend made use of the on board casino and won. He treated me two bottles of this so whenever I smell it it always takes me back to my holidays. The other perfume I adore for everyday use is Christina Aguilera By Night, it is my all time favourite perfume, I just didn't have any bottles to photograph as I have exhausted my supplies (come on Christmas!)

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 'As You Want Victoria'

This is my new favourite 'going out' lipstick. It's bright and comes with a matching nail varnish by Rimmel called urban purple. I have done a full blog post on both last month so check those out. However, I am still obsessed with it and wear it whenever I can to go out. Simple eye makeup and this lipstick is great for a colour pop makeup look. Not going to be chucking it out anytime soon!

Loreal Privee Colour Riiche Nude Lips in 'Eva'

My last blog post was all about this lipstick. Whilst the Rimmel lipstick is very much a 'going out' lipstick this is the one I'm using for everyday. It's moisturizing, covers dry skin and gives a really healthy colour to the lips. There is also a whole range of nude lipsticks to match all skin shades and eye colours. What's not to love?

So, there you have it, my October monthly favourites. I will hopefully remember to do a November favourite post so keep your eyes peeled for that. Hope you enjoyed reading and please leave a comment if there is a product you would like me to try.

Much love,

OOTN / MOTN// Halloween as Little Red Riding Hood

 

 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'm currently snuggled up in my armchair hibernating from the horrible wind outside. So I thought, what better time to do my first ever outfit of the night (OOTN) and makeup of the night (MOTN) post. I absolutely LOVE to dress up and Halloween provides the perfect excuse. I'd been thinking about what to dress up as for quite a while and had been scrolling through lots of blog posts getting ideas. Then I saw a post (here) talking about little red riding hood and I knew I had to do it.This costume was actually being sold by a lot of sellers on Ebay for £25.00 and then one lovely seller put this dress on for just £8.00 so I snapped it up. I also purchased some over the knee white socks to give a girly look to the costume. They also kept me warm as it is getting colder and they were the warmer alternative to braving bare legs!

Me and my university flatmates  went out to clubs dressed as Goku (A Character from dragonball Z shown in the photo above), two zombies (one in the photo above), a gothic doll, a man with half a face and then myself as little red riding hood. We made quite the sight. Some people's costumes were incredible, one girl had used what I assume was liquid latex and painted a zip ripping open her skin.I actually love seeing everyone's ideas and that people have made an effort.

 Makeup: Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid, 2 True False Eyelashes, MUA Undressed eyeshadow palate (Shades 1,3,5 and 11), Miss Sporty Studio Lash liquid eyeliner and Miss Sporty Red Lipstick shade Dream 055.

I wanted my eye makeup to be reasonably simple because I think this costume was all about red lips. I had shade one of the Undressed eyeshadow palate on the insides of my eyes, Shade 3 lining my lid crease and shade 5 darkening the outermost corner of my eyes. Shade 11 was used to line my eyelash line so that the eyeliner didn't have a harsh line. Overall, I really liked it! I can't wait until next time I can dress up again so I have a project to be getting involved in. 

Hope you liked my costume. Did you dress up for Halloween? If so post your costumes in the comments below, I love hearing about them!

Lots of love,

Hair// Making a Change

“A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” ― Coco Chanel

Every now and then us women get bored of how we look and want to change things up a bit. Unless you live in Beverly Hills and surgery is an option (not one I'd go for but hey), hair is what most girls turn to for a change. I am at a point where I have been dying my hair brown for three years now and I'm debating going back to my natural colour. 

I am no stranger to hair extensions, fake tan and false nails for a night out. I love getting all dolled up, but I am wondering whether it is time to go back to my old hair colour, the real me. So I've created this post just to discuss options and generally bore most people so apologies. The hair collage above is one I created (using images off google images, I do not own) to include all the women I class as icons, obviously there are more but these were the ones who have fantastic hair. 

My mother is a very glamorous woman, she used to participate in beauty and dance competitions (most of which she would win but be too modest to admit) and was always someone I saw as beautiful. To me, I always thought of darker haired women as really feminine and womanly. When I moved to university, I found myself changing and growing and I found myself needing this change, almost as a symbolic gesture of me growing up. 

So as far as the colour I am now, I would say I am Miranda Blooms hair colour in the image above, not a dark brown but not blonde either. It has been very dark in the past but I always go a little lighter for winter as I ease up on the fake tan. You can see what my hair looks like in the about me section to the right, though I have got hair extensions in, it's more for thickness as my hair is pretty long anyway. As for the colour I want to go, my natural colour is a mixture between Alessandra Ambrosio and the gorgeous Rosie Huntington-whiteley. I think it's a really natural looking shade that you can glam up or glam down. My father always says a woman can't beat her natural hair colour.

The main reason I haven't gone back before now is that firstly, I had some foxy locks hair extensions (which can be found here) in Chocolate Brown #4 and I hadn't had them long. Now I've had them around a year I feel they have had decent wear. I will keep them so if I do decide to go back, it's a case of picking up superdrugs own dye that matches (found here) and dying it back. As for getting it lighter, I have only used semi-permanent to dye it so Superdrugs colour B4 (found here) will hopefully remove it. As for new hair extensions, my 21st and Christmas are coming up so I will ask for Sunkissed Brown #8 and hopefully that will match. 

One of my reservations about going back is that I won't look or feel as nice as I do now. I think the only way to resolve this is to just go ahead and do it and find out. The other factor that is making me reluctant is actually makeup. I absolutely adore makeup, if you can't tell already! I love trying out new looks and shades of lipstick. My fear is that lighter hair tends to limit the makeup you can use. I feel that some looks I've been doing with brown hair will look too made up with blonde. 

As of yet I am undecided and I think if I do change back, it wont be until new years. The quote by Coco Chanel perfectly sums up how important hair is to a girl. Perhaps I will go blonde, if I do you will be flooded with yet more pictures and another essay no doubt.

Thanks as always for reading and please let me know what you think I should do, I need help deciding!

Much love,
Laura.