In March I had lots of events coming up, I ended up out 4 times which is around ridiculous for me. But as I had grown me hair out slightly (more as I was too lazy to cut it) I didn't know what to do with my hair. I had 2 x hen do's, wedding and an awards ceremony to attend.
After using Pinterest for some inspiration (I'm obsessed), I decided to curl my hair. Normally I would use my GHDs but due to length and that my GHDs are thick I wanted something else. That's when I took to blogs to get some ideas of what was good. After looking around I settled on the EnraptureTotem Styler.
Here's what they say,
'Perfect for creating ringlets, bohemian curls or soft waves by encoding your look and adding style to short, medium or long hair. This next generation curling tool features a unique totem barrel that allows you to set the three zones to different temperatures using the encoder dial, resulting in an array of different curls.'
It's quite straight forward to use as it said above you have 3 heating settings and three dials so you could change up the setting. For example use a 1,2,2 and 2,3,3 etc with 1 being coolest and 3 the hottest. This helps to creates different types of curls from loose waves to ringlets.
The styler came in a lovely box with a guide to what different settings to use to achieve different looks.
It heats up really quick and took me about 20mins to do my full head. I have been using 3,3,3 and I'm really liking how it comes out. I've included some pics of my hair recently (apologies for the hubby in the first pics and that I'm in my pjs). The curls have last quick and it's so easy to do.
I love this for the money and am really happy that I got it.
The Enrapture Totem Styler retails at around £59.99 (though there are offers around if you look).
So in 2012, Herbal Essences turned 40! To celebrate Herbal Essencestook to Facebook to ask fans to vote for on a name for their celebratory collection - and the winner was......Herbally Ever After! Such a cute name.
It's packaged beautifully in a limited edition design and the range is targeted as Breakage Defender - to help prevented combing damage. Definitely a plus for anyone with thick, naturally curly/wavy hair like me! Herbal Essences state that 'the result should be soft, replenished, stronger-looking, gorgeous birthday-worthy hair'. The back of the packages gives some tips on how to achieve this. Finally I have to say that the scent is gorgeous but when isn't it.
Now to continue it's celebration Herbal Essences have re-invented some of their old favourites and added to some new products to the ranges as well. I have to say over the years I have used a few different ranges given my hair type and I tend vary and mix between them:
*Hello Hydration - Hawaiian coconut and orchid flower Beautiful Ends – red raspberry and silk extracts
Tousle Me Softly - Wild Violet and juicy Pomegranate fragrance *Seductively Straight - Pink Lily and Asian Silk Smooth & Soft - Mandarin and Pearl Extracts
*must haves for the frizzy, curly girls out there
Absolutely love the scent of the Beautiful Ends and it's definitely my favourite of the collection.
Finally to include everyone in their continued birthday celebrations there are running a competition with some fantastic prizes:
1st Prize- Cut & Blow Dry with Ben Cooke, Herbal’s celeb stylist, at Lockonego Salon (worth c. £300) in Central London
·2nd Prize- a year’s supply of Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner
·3RD Prize- a Herbal Essences Hamper
· To be in with a chance of winning Herbal Essenceswant you to think about your favourite ranges or scents or memories of Herbal Essences.
Now my memory of Herbal Essences is definitely their 90's advert - The Yes,Yes, Yes waterfall one! This has actually been updated recently to include the fairy tale theme and you can check it out below.
Oh and when we were younger I remember that my little sister used to be obsessed with sniffing the shampoos and conditioners in the supermarket - especially Herbal Essences, and managed squirt the Herbal Essences one up her nose.
Anyway to be in with a chance of winning, include your favourite memory/scent/range along with a contact email address below!
Competition open till 13th March 2013.
Good luck!
*please note that the giveaway is also running on other blogs
Herbal Essences 40th
Birthday Competition
Terms and conditions:
Open to all residents in the UK aged
18 years or over only, excluding employees of Procter & Gamble UK and its
affiliates or agents, the families of such employees and any other person
connected with this promotion.
The Prizes : 1st Prize
covers: Cut & Blow Dry with Ben Cooke, Herbal’s celeb stylist, at Lockonego
Salon in Central London (worth up to £195) to be booked by 30th
April 2012. Travel, accommodation and other costs are not included. 2nd Prize- a year’s supply of
Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner – 200ml bottles across one of Herbal
Essences ranges. 3RD Prize - a Herbal Essences Hamper of products
worth up to £11.05.
To enter leave your comment on the
blog stating your favorite Herbal Essences moment. Comment must appear by 13th March
2013.
No Purchase Necessary.
One entry per person.
After the closing date the winner will
be chosen by a panel of judges including Ben Cooke and an independent adjudicator
based on the best comment. Winners will be notified via
the blog within 14 days of the closing date and they have 7 days from date of
notification to confirm their win and provide details of their name and
address, otherwise the promoter reserves the right to select an alternative
prize winner.
The 2nd and 3rd
prizes will be delivered within 28 days of prize claim being received.
Winners may be required to take part
in reasonable publicity associated with the promotion.
There is no cash alternative in whole
or in part.
The Promoter will not be liable for
entries not received, incomplete, delayed or damaged.
Promoter reserves right to provide
prizes of equal or greater value if prize is unavailable for any reason.
Your personal details will only be
used for the purposes of administering this promotion and for no other
purposes. For more information on our privacy policy, please visit: http://www.pg.com/privacy/english/privacy
notice.shtml.
The promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered
into. Promoter: Procter & Gamble UK, Weybridge, Surrey. KT13 0XP
I’m a massive fan of SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) and Paraben free Shampoos and Conditioners. I have a love/hate relationship with my hair and scalp! But both seem to behave so much more when I go for more natural products.
I’ve seen the Happy Hair Days range in both Boots and my local Sainsbury’s for sometime but haven’t really got around to picking any up till recently. I’d not really heard much about the range and have actually even struggled to find a website. But despite this when I saw that they were on offer in Sainsbury’s (half price so only £2 instead of the usual £4) I thought I’d just give it a go.
Given my naturally frizzy, dry Hair I thought the Smoothing range looked the best. Also it looked as though it might smell the best – it’s Blueberry & Pear, whilst the Moisturising in Pomegranate & Ginger and the Colour Care is Marshmallow & Coconut.
So I’ve used the Shampoo and Conditioner a few times now and I have to say I’m loving them. Definitely the best SLS free shampoo I’ve used so far. My hair is much less frizzy (I don’t kid myself – there isn’t a product out there that can get rid of all my frizz!) and the conditioner has left my hair feeling silky soft. I would go as far as to say that the conditioner is one of the best I’ve tried regardless of it being SLS and Paraben Free.
Now I use my GHD's almost everyday - not always a an all over straighten (I have naturally curly/frizzy hair), but at least a quick tidy up in the morning. So this set was a great addition to my hair routine. Firstly the brush is brilliant, I've used a paddle brush for as long as I can remember. I find it just tames my hair so much easier than any other type of brush. I also feel it works will given my hair length (medium to long) when straightening.
Now on to the spray's, I have to say I was impressed. Strangely despite my GHD addiction I've never actually tried any of their hair products.
STRAIGHT AND SMOOTH SPRAY
What GHD have to say,
BEST FOR... Creating long-lasting straight hair without frizz or flatness.
TO USE... Apply 4-6 sprays into damp hair before blow-drying, or apply to dry hair before using your styler.
STYLE TIP... Refresh your style in-between washes with a spritz of Straight & Smooth Spray before using your styler to straighten.
I followed the instructions and applied to hair whilst damp, however I don't really blow dry my hair so I just wait till dries naturally and then straighten. I found that the end result was a lovely straight and smooth finish - just as promised. It really got rid of a lot of my frizziness which was fantastic.
FINAL SHINE SPRAY
What GHD have to say,
BEST FOR...Adding shine and gloss while calming static and flyaways; creating a polished salon-style finish; giving light definition to curls and waves.
TO USE...Mist over your finished style from 30cm.
STYLE TIP...For an even lighter touch, spray on your brush or hands and then work through hair.
Just use as advise and your left with just a lovely glossy* finish to your hair - simple.
*just don't spray to close or you can end up looking a bit greasy and not the desired glossy!
Overall I think it's a lovely set which would make a great gift for someone. At £39.99 it's a little steeper than I would like but it is a great set for a GHD/Straightener addict.
So this is more a a rave about a life saver products rather than a review. I also go back to this is if I'm having issues with scalp and after trying the Percy & Reed Splendidly Silky Moisturising Shampoo my scalp was in a right state. It just wouldn't stop itching - it was on fire!
Now whenever I have any issues with my scalp I turn to Neutrogena and in particular their T/Gel Range. They're advertise as Gentle, Effective and Complete Scalp Therapy,
"Neutrogena T/Gel® Therapeutic Hair Care is a line of dermatologist-recommended shampoos formulated to treat itchy, flaky scalp, caused by conditions ranging from mild dandruff to seborrheic dermatitis. Gentle and pleasant to use, T/Gel® products leave hair shiny and manageable and relieve itching for hours after rinsing. The complete T/Gel® line offers different active ingredients and benefits to treat of all kinds of scalp symptoms."
I tend to use the T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo the most, as it's easy to get hold of in the Supermarket and saves a trip to the Boots/drugstore, but also it seems to cover all my main issues - dry, itchy scalp and dandruff.
I just use in replacement of my normal shampoo and my scalp feels so much calmer within a couple of washes. One downside - the Coal Tar Extract gives the product what can only be described as a 'funky' smell that does remain on her hair, but by the time I've used some leave in conditioner and frizz control serum it does die down a bit!
Overall if you have any problems with your scalp this is just the best thing our there to fix it.
So a lot of you will know that the Percy and Reed Hair Care Range was available as a Free Gift with last months Glamour magazine. Now I know this is a late review, however the products are now available to purchase form ASOS, which is fab!
Now the range is created by Paul Percival and Adam Reed of the glamorous salon Percy and Reed. With Glamour, you were able to try out the Splendidly Silky Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner, the Totally TLC Hydrating Mask and the Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish. For just £2.00 each I purchase four lots of the magazine to give the range.
Totally TLC Hydrating Mask
Now this is lovely. Not only does it smell great, it leaves your hair silky soft. Just follow the instructions and leave on your hair for around 5mins – the instructions recommend that you wrap your hair up in a warm towel once it’s on giving the product a warmer temperature to work it’s wonder on your hair.
Now I have very dry, frizzy hair so this is a definite treat for me.
Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish
Like I said above my hair is amazingly frizzy and dry so I always have a lot of products on hand to help with this. I tend to use TiGi Bed Head Control Freak Serum followed by the TiGI Bed Head After Party – they’re not the cheapest thing out there but it works for me. Now I like this, it smoothes out the ends of my hair after I’ve straightened it without leaving a greasy feel and that horrible sort of finish where you can feel the product there. Lovely product thats become a regular fixture instead of my After Party.
Splendidly Silky Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner
Now I was looking forward to trying these out, but I have to say I was disappointed. These didn’t do anything for my hair. If anything it was drier than after using my usual shampoo and the shampoo itself seem to irritate my scalp and I had to stop using it. I do have a sensitive scalp but it’s usually flared up by products and hair dye – not usually shampoo! It was that bad that I had to start using Neutrogena’s T/Gel for sensitive scalps to calm it down. The conditioner is nice but nothing amazing if your hair is very dry, given that it retails for £16.00. Now as these were just free with Glamour I don’t know if I just got a bad one. Anyway I was disappointed and it was such a shame as I love the mask and finishing polish.
This is a lovely little treat of a product from Liz Earle.
We've previsouly tried the Botantical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner, which has become our mums favourite products. Now this is a exact treatment within the range to help tame and smooth your hair. It's states that is for Frizzy, Coarse or very Dry hair, but it would easily make a nice treatment mask for any hair type.
As with all Liz Earle products, it contains a number of naturally active ingredients,
"including red algae to help enhance the hair’s natural barrier, cotton extract to improve smoothness and sumac wax to smooth and tame even the most unmanageable hair, plus apple and orange extracts to boost shine"
How to use:
After applying shampoo, massage into your hair and leave for around 10mins or 30mins if your hair needs a lot of love! and then rinse.
It leaves my hair silky smooth, which is a definite perk with my hair type (my dad once described the texture like wire wool - charming!). It's a lovely little treat to use when your hair feels over styled etc. Overall a great treatment.
Priced at £14.00 for 150mlm - a little goes a long way.
We were recently sent the John Freda Foam Colour range to try. Now we're both redheads and do tend to keep our hair natural. However our younger sister Hana, loves to try out different colours on a regular basis.
So in steps Hana,
But first some info,
"Like the rest of the Precision Foam Colour range, the new products offer salon-beautiful colour results from the comfort of your own home. The revolutionary non-drip foam spreads easily from root to tip and delivers 100% grey coverage, to leave you with nothing but shiny, natural-looking results."
The new shades are:
Black
Medium copper brown
Ash brown
Ash blonde
Burgundy
And because I like to be a bit bolder with my colour I went for the Burgundy.
This is my starting colour,
I'm a natural blonde, but at this point I had been growing out a coffee brown shade.
So on to the application,
1. Mix 1 and 2 together, and wait for it to start foaming up,
2. Make sure to use the gloves, 3. Apply all over and ensure an even coverage,
End result,
Have to admit the coverage isn't great, but thats more down to me. Really should of striped my hair first! There was a lot of different colours built up which has affected the application. However the application was quick and easy, with very little mess and the colour left my hair very soft!
Need to try it out again, but strip my hair first!
There is a selection of videos now up on the John Frieda You Tube channel which shows you how simple the hair dye is to use http://youtu.be/_BIpxljmLLY
Also six lucky women are already sporting these new shade; you can see their transformation in these videos and pics over at www.facebook.com/johnfriedauk. As you'll see the results are stunning!
Finally keep your eyes peeled this week as we have a little giveaway with John Frieda going up!
Today's post is on the Instyler hair tool. Both myself and L have a love hate relationship with our hair. It is naturally wavy/curly and doesn't ever seem to do what we want it to do. So when we were offered the chance to try it out we jumped at it!
The Instyler is a rotating hair iron that has a rotating cylinder with a brush attached to help glide through your hair. Here's what Instyler say,
'When you run the InStyler rotating hot iron through your hair, the first set of bristles gently sorts and separates your hair strands. Then the rotating heated polishing cylinder gently glides over your hair, smoothly polishing, straightening, and styling each strand. Finally, the second set of bristles provides the finishing touch, leaving you with shiny, silky hair.
The InStyler does so much more than any hair styling tool out there. You can get lift and volume, sexy flicks, individual style and amazing, long-lasting curls, whatever your hair type – even the coarsest hair can be straightened without the need for extreme heat.
Find out more about the different hair styles you can enjoy using InStyler, why not see our range of hair styling tips.
Buy InStyler, the 3 in 1 rotating iron, right now and start styling your hair the way you want to!'
Here's my hair before and after using it.
I liked using the Instyler and after a bit of practice I think I mastered using it for straightening, not so sure about curling but I will persist. As you can see above my curls weren't great.
Now for the likes and dislikes. I really like the Thermal Shield, I onced burned my face with a hair tong so I welcome this feature. The bristled brush helps to really helps to finish the hair off, it seems to leave my hair a lot smoother. I have sometimes thought my own straighteners would be better with a little brush attached. I sometimes go through my hair with a comb first to help smooth it out. The curls that I hot after a quick use would be prefect for an updo as they were loose and bouncy.
Now for the dislikes, its actually a little noisy when its rotating (it made me jump the first time). Though my hair feels smoother than using my GHDs I don't feel it straighteners and gets rid of my frizz like my GHDs do. It certainly gets hot I ended up burning my thumb. It takes around 3 to 4 minutes to get up to temperature for you to use, which isn't a bad point but I like how my GHDs beep when ready.
I will certainly keep practicing on how to use the product. If you have any hints or tips please let me know. I have actually been using the help section of the Intsyler web page.
You can find out more information on the Instyler and purchase on their website http://www.instyler.co.uk/products/instyler. The Instyler retails at £99.99 and is available via Instyler, QVC and Boots.
I love my GHD's but unfortunately my hair is really not loving them as much at the moment. So with that in mind I've been trying to find ways to style my unruly hair - it's naturally curly with LOTS of frizz.
With that in mind this how I've been styling my hair at the moment.
And this is how I've been doing it (please ignore the hair colour change, dyed it after taking the above pictures),
I rarely dry my hair with a hair dryer, as it just goes a little crazy and it's difficult to style afterwards even with GHD's, so instead I loosely tie my hair up after washing it in the evening.
And then to achieve the wave,
Before I go to bed I run a little mousse through my hair with a comb and the separate the hair into three sections
I then twist each section into a bun and secure.
in the morning I take the buns out and lightly run my fingers through and I'm done
Now I do sleep fine with the little buns but you can just put in two to be more comfortable. Now this works fine for me, due to my hair type, but I know others my struggle with no styling tools etc.
I have also tried this with using tools - when I wash my hair in the morning, I run some mousse through when damp and then twist into three buns. I then use the hair dryer to dry the buns and top of my hair. I end up with the same effect.
I will start this post by saying I hate my hair, so much so that I just wear it up most of the time. My natural hair is frizzy and and wavy, so to be able to style it I have to use my straighten which can be a bit of an effort.
As much as I dislike my hair I also hate getting it cut as I never really like what I get done. But this weekend I popped along to have my 5 mouth cut and I was really pleased with the outcome for once. I really like the length as I can wear it up easily but the hairdresser has made it feel a lot lighter. She layered it and then chopped into when it was dry.
I have still got the length to weigh it done but its shaped better and thinner around the ends.
Hopefully I can actually be bothered to keep the style up and wear it down more often.
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