My Current (and very simple) Hair Care Routine

As suggested by the title, this isn't going to be anything revolutionary . It' just what I do to my hair to keep it looking nice :) I should tell you a bit about my hair type; I have normal to thick hair which is naturally wavy. Because my scalp gets quite greasy, I used to wash my hair every day however I found this made then ends dryer and more damaged so now I wash it every second day. I also used to style my hair every day with straighteners but because it was so dry, my hair became a little frizzy in places. When I realised this, I stopped using heat on my hair except for the occasional blow dry in the winter months and straighten/curl for special occasions.  

First off, I'll get the boring bits out the way. I use both the Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner for oily hair. I don't have dandruff at all as the brand would suggest however I have been using it since I was a child and it just gives a good thorough clean which is what I look for. 

Above are the products and tools I then use in between washes. When I get out of the shower from washing my hair I brush it through with a wide toothed comb. Your hair is at its weakest whilst wet therefore you need to be gentle and use a comb like the one above to minimise breakage. I then spray the  Tresemme Heat Defence. As I said before, I don't use heat on my hair regularly but I never miss this step because it makes my hair feel softer and more manageable. It's also a really good habit to get into so that you don't forget when you go to put heat to your hair. I then brush it through again with the comb (mine was from Primark) to evenly distribute the product. Depending on the situation I either blow dry it or leave it to dry naturally. 

On the in-between-washes-day I use the Tresemme Dry Shampoo through the roots of my hair. This takes away any oil and increases volume. I have tried a few other dry shampoos and this one is by far my favourite because of the scent and the fact that it doesn't leave any unattractive white marks in my hair. 

Around twice a month I will make a hair mask and leave it in my hair for a good hour to re-hydrate my hair and make it feel super soft. For this I just use a pure oil (such as olive oil) and run it trough my hair concentrating on the ends. It really helps to strengthen your hair and not just make it shiny and smooth on the surface. After the hour, I wash my hair twice just to make sure all the oil is out.

I hope this wasn't too much of a boring post for you :) I just thought it would be nice to tell you what I do to my hair. I think my next purchase for hair care will be a leave in hair oil and a leave in conditioner so any suggestions will be welcome!

Top 5 Spring Nail Polishes

Those eagle- eyed of you would have seen the title and expected a picture of five nail polishes not four however my first spring favourite is one that I have ran out of recently. It was a limited edition No7 polish in the colour Top Toes and even though it was a tiny 4ml bottle, I am rather impressed that I have actually finished a nail polish! The colour is a very natural, light taupe shade with no shimmer to it and I can safely say it is my all time favourite colour. It's appropriate for all year round and looks sophisticated on the nails giving off slightly different hues in different lights. If anyone can recommend me a similar shade based on my limited description please do not hesitate to comment below!

Anyway, on with the first polish in the picture above.. This infamous Barry M nail paint is in the shade #317 Blue Moon and looks almost matte however does in fact have really tiny blue shimmer throughout which is hardly noticeable. This shade is perfect for the spring as it fits the trend of pastels and makes blue a very wearable colour to sport on your nails. For an opaque colour two coats is necessary and I find it lasts a good four to five days with a good top coat which I think is pretty decent. 

My next pick of the bunch is another Barry M nail paint in #308 Berry. It's not at all a berry shade but more of a lilac which also fits in the the pastels trend. I find Barry M has an amazing colour range at a great price, the consistency and longevity on your nails isn't too bad either. Downsides of this brand include that some are hit and miss in terms of opaqueness with some having to apply 3 coats to create the desired effect. Also, the brush isn't for me. As I said in my 'Nails of the Day' post a few days ago, I prefer larger, flat brushes to apply my polish however these are small and thin.

I'll not go on too long about my next polish as I featured it in my last 'Nails of the Day' post which you can read here. Mango Madness by e.l.f. is the only bright colour I have featured but makes me happy whenever I look down at my nails and excited for the summer. All e.l.f. nail polishes are only £1.50 and great value seeing as this colour stayed on my nails for 5 days before a tiny chip appeared!

My last spring nail polish is Pinky Pure by No7 and I picked this up recently with a £5 off voucher that Boots give out when you make a purchase of £5 or more. Like Mango Madness and Berry there is no shimmer to the polish and it's the prefect pink to wear for a bit of subtle colour. It's really fast drying however a massive con is that you have to apply three or four coats to achieve an opaque colour. This makes the whole process of application really long as you have to wait til each coat is perfectly dry before applying the next or else it gets ruined easily. In saying this, the colour is lovely and does stay on your nails without chipping for a good six days if you're careful.

So that's my roundup of my favourite spring polishes, do you have any you'd like to recommend for me to try?

March Favourites

I know this is a little late but I thought it might be nice to show you my March Favourites. The Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake is my most recent purchase and has managed to wriggle its way into my favourites. I'm not going to bang about it for too long as I recently wrote a blog post all about it so go and check that out if you are interested.

                                     

Below is the No7 Translucent Pressed Powder and due to the warmer weather at the beginning of the month I have used this every day since. I have normal to dry skin so in the colder months I don't feel the need to powder however as it gets warmer I like to take it just through my T zone to take away any shine. This compact is brilliant for that and as you can see from the picture I have severely hit pan. I will be repurchasing this once it runs out after I've tried the Rimmel Pressed Powder as I have heard many good things.

My last make-up item is the Sleek Storm eyeshadow palette. For my brows nearly every day I use a tiny bit of black mixed with the lightest matte shade on the top row to create the perfect ashy colour. I dont wear eyeshadow on my eye lids day to day however on a night out I always use the browns and champagne colour to create a smokey eye. They are so easy to blend and are so pigmented which is why I love them!

For my brows and to add definition to my eyes I always use the e.l.f. small angled brush. It distributes exactly the right amount of product and because its not still like a lot of angled brushes, you are able to smudge eyeshadow across the lash line really easily. 

I think dry shampoo is the products that almost everyone owns. I used to wash my hair every day but felt it was getting too damaged so I tried the Tresemme instant refresh dry shampoo and I have never looked back! It gives loads of volume to the roots, smells great and doesn't leave white patches in your hair (*cough* Batiste).

Lastly, as I said before I have quite dry skin and I keep this Avon hand and nail cream in my bag/ on my desk/ wherever I go. I really like the smell because it isn't too strong and it's really moisturising as it contains glycerine. It sinks into your skin really well and makes your hands feel baby soft :)

 That's it for my March favs, I'd love to know products you've been loving this month  :)

Nails of the Day #1

                                    

As I change my nail polish up fairly regularly I thought 'Nail of the Day' pics would be a nice and quick post that I could put up on weekends. Here I have on an e.l.f. nail polish in Mango Madness. By the swatches on the website I thought it would be more of a muted, coral colour but it is in fact a bright orange. This scared me for a while as I bought it a good 6 months ago and I felt it was more of a spring/summer colour. However, the other day I saw it in my collection and thought I would give it a go. The polish is really opaque and you could definitely get away with only one coat  but I always apply two just for good measure. All e.l.f. polishes are only £1.50 which is great value however as expected, they do not come without flaws. Personally I prefer thin, flat applicator brushes and these come with thin, circular ones (similar to Barry M) which is a bit of a downside. Also, they take fooooreveer to dry. I am not sure if it just this one because the two others that I own do not take as long which is a bit strange. If you can find a bit of time or a brilliant topcoat to seal the polish then I don't think you can beat the value for money.

My next post will be 'My Favourite Spring Nail Polishes' so keep your eyes peeled for that. Do you own any e.l.f. nail polishes? If so, which would you recommend?

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters

So, with the newest Revlon lip product release being such a hit across the beauty community worldwide I thought I better have a go. I went out, cash in hand, on the release day a few weeks ago but my local Boots didn't have any of them stocked. However, a couple of days ago I was in another town and picked up the Revlon Lip Butter in the colour Strawberry Shortcake. I went for this colour as I thought that by picking a more everyday colour, I would have more chance to wear and test it out. Here are a few quick snaps.

Firstly I love the packaging. The see through quilted design is fun and you can clearly see which colour you have picked up as the colour of the packaging is coordinated with the lip butter colour. There are 14 shades to choose from which I think is pretty good and I love the formulations and the way it doesn't cling to dry patches (I have dry lips). The pigmentation is not the best but that's what the whole idea is about; a buttery, sheer, moisturising lip product. As you can see from my swatches below you can apply is very sheerly for just a tint on your lips or apply it more heavily for a bit more colour.

One downside which I have found is that the become a little 'squished' when you twist  the stick back down as the formulation is so soft so I wouldn't recommend taking them out into the sun or into a club :P

Overall I love these lip butters and I have my eye on a few of the other colours. Especially lollipop which is said to be a sheerer dupe of MAC's Girl About Town. They currently retail for £7.99 and are stocked in most Boots stores. Do you own any of the colours?

TAG: 7 Deadly Beauty Sins

GREED

What is your most inexpensive beauty product?

That would have to be my e.l.f. nail polishes. They are only £1.50 and I believe when I bought them, I had an amazing code for 50% off. Here are the colours Purple Pleaser (which is more of a raspberry shade) and Medium Red (which is errrr...a medium red :P ) Truthfully, they aren't the best quality nail polishes however with a good base and top coat, I can get them to last about four or five days without chipping which is pretty good for 75p :)

What is your most expensive beauty product?

I am assuming perfume counts as beauty here so that is my Miss Dior eau de parfum. For only 30ml, the bottle was around the £50 mark from what I can remember but I just adore the scent for in the evenings. 

WRATH

What product do you have a love/hate relationship with?

This one is easy and I am sure I will have a lot of people who agree with me on this one. The powder 'chocolate' bronzer by Bourjois is no doubt my go to bronzer for every day, however the pigmentation some days is awful. Some times I feel that is gives the right amount of warmth in my face but other times I feel that it is too orange, and not pigmented enough for it to be easily blended out.

What was your most hard to find product?

Generally, that would be avon products. My favourite is this lip cream of theirs which I use all through the day, every day. I am dreading the moment it runs out as  you can see by the packaging, it was limited edition to the christmas collection and I haven't seen it since. So if anyone comes across it, please leave a comment!

GLUTTONY

What are your most delicious beauty products?

I received the Marc Jacobs Daisy luminous body lotion as a gift and I just love it. The packaging is amazing and the lotion smells just like the Daisy perfume which is delicious in itself! To add to this, it has a tiny bit of shimmer to it which is great in the summer on a night out. It is just beautiful :)

SLOTH

What products do you neglect due to laziness?

I could go on four ages on the products I neglect. Some days I just opt for some moisturiser and mascara but the products I really rarely reach for are lipsticks and lipglosses. I love wearing them for short amounts of time but I hate having the hassle of reapplication. I do wear lipstick way more than lipgloss in saying that but for every day, I usually just reach for a lip balm. I am thinking that maybe the Revlon lip butters will sway me. Anyone else excited about their release in the UK next week? 

PRIDE 

What product gives you the most confidence?

I have pretty good skin but dark blue/purple tones under my eyes so I would say a corrective concealer would give me the most confidence. In saying this, if I was to walk out the house with just concealer on I would never feel complete without mascara. I feel that mascara just makes me more awake and ready for the day when used with eyelash curlers so I think it would have to be mascara :)

LUST

What attributes do you find attractive in the opposite sex?

As everyone has been saying, this is such a random addition tot he tag. However I do like a man who can make me laugh (cliche I know, but so important). Physically, I like a nice smile and someone with a nice upper body to hug me and keep me safe :)

ENVY

What products would you like to receive as a gift?

Oooo where do I begin?! I would love to receive MACs harmony blush becayse it sounds great of pailer skins. I would also love the Bourjois highlighter as well as maybe a few essie nail polishes thrown in for good measue :)

My Every Day Make-up Bag

So, what is in my everyday make-up bag? I thought I would do this post to give you a little insight into me and what I put on my face every morning all bleary eyed and half asleep :) This is one of those if-you-buy-many-no7-products-then-you-get-a-free-make-up-bag-filled-with-make-up bags and as you can see it is fit to burst. I switch up the content from time to time but this happens to be what is in there now.

First of all I start by giving my face a good moisturise which the Olay day cream with SPF 15. I have incredibly dry skin, especially in the winter months, and i find it really helps my foundation to glide on as well as giving me a little bit of sun protection. The foundation I am using at the moment is Bourjois healthy mix serum in the colour Vanilla and it describes itself as a semi-matte finish. I find it is perfect for a nice light coverage used with my elf powder brush. In conjunction with this I use the healthy mix correcting concealer which really helps to cancel out the blue tones under my eyes. I seem to always neglect powder which I probably shouldn't do. I haven't found one that copes well with dryer skins to help set my base. Any suggestions?

To the right are the tools I use. The elf powder brush for foundation, the elf stipple brush for a light dusting of bronzer (as I am so pale I find this brush really helps to deposit a small amount of product) and the elf complexion brush for blusher. The one item I could not live without are my eyelash curlers (RED at Boots) which just help to give me that wide eyed, fresh faced look.

You've all seem this bronzer before. It's the Bourjois powder bronzer aka the chocolate bronzer. I have been using this for years and some days I love it but some days I hate it as it can look a bit orangey on my skin tone. As i said this before, I use it will a stippling brush to apply minimal product. I often skip blusher as I get very very rosy cheeks and I don't like to emphasise it. However on that odd occasion when I do reach for it, I usually go for more peachy/coral colours such as the elf mineral blush in coral.

Up to now my daily make-up routine is very similar, however when I get to the application of eyeliner, it changes daily as I never seem to be satisfied. One day it is no eyeliner, then its just eyeliner on the top water line, then its Kohl smudged into both top and bottom lashes. For the water line and winged liner I love the elf cream eyeliner as it glides on effortlessly and hasn't dried up in the four or five months I have owned it. For pencil, I regularly use the Bourjois eyeliner- black with purple reflections. I find the hint of purple really brings out my brown eyes.

Lastly is mascara. If there was only one product I owned it would be this. Maxfactor masterpiece max is the best mascara I have found to date. It really volumises whilst holding curl which I really look for. For my bottom lashes I need something more waterproof so at the moment I am using Loreal waterproof telescopic. I really don't rate this mascara for top lashes because I find they go spidery however it doesn't budge, even when I use make-up remover which can be quite frustrating. To finish my face off I use the MUA clear mascara just to brush through my eyebrows as they don't really need any filling in.








I love to read blogs about a persons daily make-up as it gives me inspiration to use different things. Comment if you have any views on any of the products I use or if you have any recommendations :)