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Blonde Hair Maintenance

I recently decided to change my hair colour up a bit again so I've now had a full head of blonde highlights from my lovely hairdresser Gary Hellman. I thought I would do a little post about how I keep my hair in tip-top condition after a lot of bleach!



During the dyeing process he used Olaplex 1 and 2 (1 in the bleach and 2 in the toner). Olaplex is a three-step process includes a patented active ingredient that works on a molecular level to seek out broken bonds in the hair that are caused by chemical, thermal, and mechanical damage. You can use Olaplex to restore compromised hair, or add it to another service to provide the ultimate breakage insurance. As a follow up I bought Olaplex 3* which is a homecare product that is a  Hair Perfector that works to help repair damage to all hair types, and it can also be applied once a week between chemical services to further lock-in the results of any given salon treatment.




The next things I use to keep my hair bright blonde is the Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes range. I have the Bleach Blondes Shampoo* and Bleach Blondes Conditioner* and the Everyday Blondes Shampoo*. I really like the smell of these products, I've been using these products since I first ever got blonde in my hair and found it didn't affect my natural brunette colour on the top but kept my blonde looking bright and not brassy. They're really reasonably priced for the product and often have offers on when I purchase them at Boots.




The third thing I use on my hair is more of a general hair care product but I found its helped with my bleach hair a lot. I bought the Moroccanoil Treatment Light* from FeelUnique on offer a while back so I got an extra 25ml than the usual 100ml bottles. This product smells so amazing and the smell seems to last all day. I apply this after washing my hair and letting my hair air-dry. It really smoothed out my hair and softens the ends to make it look silky smooth. It is a more pricey product but with it having a pump it means you don't get any wastage.



If you have any more hair suggestions let me know! I love trying out new products out and hearing other peoples opinions on how they get the best for their hair.

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Garnier Micellar Cleansing Gel Wash Review

I just picked up the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Gel wash in Boots this week after being an avid user of their water formula. I am so impressed by how quickly it removed my makeup including stubborn eye makeup. The product is a all-in-one rinse-off gel wash not only cleanses but also soothes and removes make-up, even on eyes and lips.



There is a very slight smell but not anything unpleasant just a clean scent. I follow this up with my usual toner and moisturiser which varies between the Origins Ginzing Energy-Boosting Moistiser or Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream. It has such a soft texture that really feels like its doing its job just as quick as the Micealer Water however I feel this was a deeper cleanse. I picked this up in boots but I have found it hard to find recently I assume because it so popular!

Bigger and Bolder Brows by Benefit Cosmetics

I have my brows done by the lovely ladies in Benefit Cosmetics and I'm in love with their brow products! So when they brought these kits out I had to get my hands on one. I purchased the Bigger and Bolder Brows Kit in shade 3 (Medium)



The kit contains ka-Brow which is a eyebrow cream-gel colour which is perfect for filling in your brows with the little angle brush contained in the lid of the product. You can use this quite subtly or you can go full bold brows with it depending how you apply in.

You also get High Brow which is a eyebrow highlighter, I love this product; it blends so nicely and really makes a difference to the shape of your eye area by lifting it with the brightness it gives.

The third product in the kit is ready, set, BROW, this is a clear brow gel that will keep you brows in place all day.

You also get an eyebrow mapping tool in the kit with two styles one is more angled and the other is a soften angle to the end of the brow. you simply hold it below your brows and follow it with ka-Brow.

What I got for Christmas

Just thought I'd pop a little post up about some of the brilliant beauty things I received this Christmas.

The first thing I received was some Charlotte Tilbury goodies. I got the Legendary Party Eyes Kit which has a mini Rock 'N' Kohl in Bedroom Black and a mini Legendary Mascara. I've been trying out the mascara this week and just one coat makes such a difference. I also got a Colour Chameleon in Champagne Diamonds. I wanted this shade to go along with my other on in Bronzed Garnet as a highlight shade.

 

The second thing I got was the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Surreal Light. First of the packaging is stunning and has a really great mirror. I've used this a few times now and it such a natural collection of powders and just adds a glow to your skin. None of these colours are available separately and its a limited edition palette.



The third thing I got was some Pixi Beauty products; Pixi Glow Tonic, Multibalm and Fairy Dust Favourites. I've been wanting to try out the Glow Tonic for a while now and finally have my hands on it. I also got a Multibalm which is for lips and cheeks and the Matte Fairy Dust Favourites.



And finally I was very lucky to have gotten an Olivia Burton watch! I'm so happy with the colour and design with the bee. Over the last year I really got into wearing a watch after being frustrated on checking the time on my phone constantly so I decided to get a watch that was a statement and I think this one fits the bill!




FeelUnique Haul

I had a little splurge on FeelUnique after getting a £200 voucher from the Glitter Squad with my makeover so I thought I'd show you some of the things I picked out along with the samples from my order.

First up I ordered a Sigma Spa® Express Brush Cleaning Mat. I had been using the B. Makeup Brush Cleanser but I did find that deeper in the bristles on more compact brushes just weren't getting cleaned properly so I decided for a more substantial clean I would invest in the mat. I used it with some Johnsons baby shampoo and it certainly was quick at cleaning the brushes and didn't flair them at all. If you have a lot of brushes I would really recommend this.

  

The second thing I picked up was Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don't Stray Stay-Put Primer, I had this used with my FeelUnique Makeover and I fell in love with the pigmentation and the lightweight feeling of this product. It works as a primer for both concealers and eyeshadows but I've found with the pigmentation I have managed to use it as a concealer without having to put further product on top of it. It blends super easily and I really recommend you give this a shot.



The third thing I bought was the Origins Original Skin and GinZing Set. I had a Origins Facial in the new store in Cambridge and she used all the products on my skin and I loved how soft and glowing my skin was so I had to pick up the set. The price was £32 which covers the cost of the serum so you effectively got the other three products free! It also came with a little bag to store them in which was a nice touch.



 The fourth item I bought was the Estée Lauder Colour Portfolio gift set. I thought seeing as I have never tried the products out it would be a good way of experimenting. It has 28 Best-Selling EyeShadows, 6 Pure Colour Envy Blushes, 9 Pure Colour Envy Lip Colours, 1 Pure Colour Envy Gloss, 2 Smoky Kohl Eyeliners.


The two samples I got to choose was a Burberry Lips Lip Velvet in Military Red and a Vichy Normaderm Anti Blemish Care sample.  The Burberry lipstick is just a thing of beauty and I haven't yet brought myself to use it because the pattern is so beautiful.



The Unique Beauty Gift that came with my order with it being over £100 was a huge haul of goodies:



Feelunique Vanity Case

Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional Mask













Tanya Burr Mini Marshmallows Nail Polish

So far I've tried the Bed Head Shampoo and Conditioner and the Caudalie make-up remover and I'm pretty impressed.





















ESPA Lip Oil Christmas Crackers

Just thought I'd show you my favourite little beauty cracker from 2016. I picked up the ESPA Nourishing Lip Oil cracker from Liberty during my quick trip after working with the products previously I decided to splash out! I think these would look really sophisticated on your dining room table at Christmas.

 

For just the cost of the one original lip oil being £19 to get three oils for £29 was a steal! The two other oils are red and pink. The colours are nice and festive and good if you are looking for hydration in the cold winter months.



I think this would be lovely for people of any age, it even says that it helps minimise the appearance of fine lines and keeps lips supple, perfect for those mistletoe moments! It contains Omega Oils, collagen-boosting Indian Gentian Leaves, plumping Hyaluronic Acid and Konjac Root to deeply condition lips.

Christmassy Baking - Mince Pies and Gingerbread House

To get myself into the festive sprit I deicide to whip up some quick Mince Pies, why by a box when you can make them in a couple of minutes! I simply took some shop bought short crust pastry and filled it with Waitrose ready made mincemeat and to make them look a bit special I cut the tops of the pies into little stars. I did follow a BBC good food recipe for the temperatures and timings which is here.




A Voila!




No one would ever know that you didn't make them from scratch!


I also decided to make a gingerbread house from scratch.... I did not feel this was worthy of a full blog post as Pinterest had raised my expectations over my gingerbread skills! So I just thought I'd add it to this post in case you wanted to try and also make your own gingerbread house! The recipe I used was also from BBC Good Food which can be found here.