1 Minute Wonder Ampoules and Quick Hair Tutorial!

As much as I love a luxurious pamper session, sometimes you need a quick beauty fix to get you looking your best and out of the door in minutes. This is why I love Pantene's new 1 Minute Wonder Ampoules. These little pods contain the highest concentration of conditioning actives from Pantene and are proven to leave coloured hair even stronger against styling damage than virgin hair in just one minute!

The whole Pantene Pro-V Strength and Shine range is designed to make coloured hair up to 70% shinier and stronger as its protein protection formula helps rebuild the protective outer layer that is damaged during colouring. As I have been dying my hair (on and off) since the age of 16 I was excited to try it to see if it would bring some lustre to my parched locks!

As timing is off the essence I thought I would share with you a really quick up-do that can be done in less than one minute! This style is so easy to do and is perfect for days when you want to get your hair up with minimal effort, but you want it to look a little more special. You could easily wear this on 2nd/ 3rd day hair and it would be perfect for festivals too!

To prepare the hair I used the Pantene Strength and Shine shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair, as well as the 1 Minute Wonder Ampoules.

The only accessory you need for this style is a hairband. I have chosen one with a little bit of sparkle to add some interest and texture. Once the hairband is on (with the stretchy side underneath your hair) all you have to do is take large sections of hair and twist them around the elastic portion of the band at the nape of your neck. I used one large section followed by 4 smaller sections, twisting them while weaving them in and out of the band and the hair already tucked in. I then fixed the hair in place with some Style and Protect hairspray. It's as easy as that!

I hope you like this super easy up-do style and please do check back for another 1 minute tutorial in the next few days!

*This is a sponsored post.*

Hair-Mare

This post has been a long time coming! A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to freshen up my hair with a few subtle highlights. However, my wish for sunkissed locks was not fulfilled and after an absolute disaster involving someone I can't believe is allowed to colour hair, too much bleach and (dare I type it) black hair dye I was left in an absolute panic. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with the right people to rectify some of the damage in the shade department, but my hair was still left feeling dry and ravaged. It has taken me the best part of a month to bring it back to life and get over the shock (I can't recommend Ojon and Philip B haircare enough!!). Yes... I know how melodramatic I sound, but hair is so important and when your hair doesn't look good you can't help feeling rubbish.

Enough of the preamble though, a few of you have asked me to share the new hair...

Frankly after many a wash and a treatment it doesn't look so different. It's a cooler brown tone all over with lots of thin caramel highlights throughout.

The initial post colour skunkalike photos are not making it on to the internet. Seriously.. think the worst hair in history... think *gasp* Tulisa.

So what do you guys think of the new hair? It's good to have a change every now and then, but I have been blonde, dark, mousey and I still think the red is my favourite. It just looked so much more glossy and no doubt I will be running back into its comforting embrace come Autumn ;). xxx

*Winners* John Frieda Salon Blends Giveaway

Thank you so much to all my lovely readers for entering my latest John Frieda Giveaway. The five lucky winners are:

• Dark Caramel Blonde - Chrissie Miss.Chris@aol.co.uk
• Dark Cool Pearl Blonde - MindyandRoo mindyandroo@googlemail.com
• Light Bronze Brown - Azra Ionlyponder@hotmail.com
• Light Amber Brown - Annabel - babybel_90@hotmail.com
• Lightest Cool Almond Brown - xoannie xoannie09@gmail.com

Congratulations my lovelies! Please e-mail me your details so I can arrange for your prizes to be sent to you ASAP.

The next competition is coming up in just a few days so if you didn't win this time you don't have long to wait till the next one... ;) xxx

*Giveaway* John Frieda Salon Blends

You all know that I am a big fan of John Frieda's foam hair colour, so I am excited to be holding a giveaway of their new Salon Blends range - a collection of five professional multi-blended home colourants. Precision Foam Colour Salon Blends has been developed alongside the experts to allow you to achieve the next level of salon-quality colour in your own home, as if a professional had mixed the shades together !

The colour range includes: 

   Dark Caramel Blonde 

Dark Cool Pearl Blonde 

Light Bronze Brown 

Light Amber Brown 

Lightest Cool Almond Brown

I have one of each box of colourant to give away to all my lovely UK readers. All you have to do to enter is:

1. Be a follower of this blog.
2. Leave a comment below letting me know which would be your preferred colour. (Please include your e-mail in your comment).
3. Check back after the end of the competition to find out the winners!

 The competition starts now and will end on the 14th of May. Good luck my lovelies!! xxx

Lisa Shepherd Makeover and Discount!

I was recently invited to the Lisa Shepherd salon in London for a mini-makeover. After being presented with a menu of looks, which included a 'Dynamic Dip Dye' and 'Posh Girl Pony' I decided to go for the 'Absolutely Fabulous Finish', as my hair was long overdue a little trim.

Unfortunately I don't have a before style photo taken on the evening, but here is one from the week before, which shows the full weight and length of my hair.

As ever I wasn't going for a dramatic difference, but I wanted to get rid of the dry split ends that have been creeping up on me over the last few months and also add some shape to the front. I have mentioned many times that I am fearful of hairdressers who can be overzealous with the scissors, but my stylist was very attentive and concerned with giving me what I wanted. He took a couple of inches off the length, added more layers throughout and much shorter pieces at the front. He then gave me a gorgeous blow dry with a bit of bounce and curl at the ends.

So what do you guys think? We tried a slightly different parting on the night, but as my hair naturally falls into a side parting I have maintained it that way since. The new layers and long fringe make it so easy for me to play around with different shapes and I feel that my hair is much lighter and healthier, yet still full.

Before the styling we had a little presentation from Jason Cocking, the director of Lisa Shepherd London, who showed us some of the hottest trends for the season. LS is all about working runway trends in a wearable way, making it the perfect salon for the fashion conscious. The trend they are currently concentrating on is a wearable dip dye effect. Many of the girls attending chose this option and I have to say they all looked fabulous. You can check out Lina's blog here for pictures. Jason has made the dip-dye effect more subtle, by taking various sections and blending the dye up the hair, making the transition of colour look seamless!

If you are interested in checking out the salon, or want to try out the new wearable dip dye you can get 25% off any treatment and also get a complimentary shampoo and conditioner if you mention this blog when you call to book your appointment on 0207 467 9560!! The Lisa Shepherd London salon is located at 24 Mortimer Street, London, W1T 3JP.

Are you due a little makeover? Have you been tempted to get a dip dye? What style are you currently lusting after? xxx

The House of Rush

New Year, new you? I would never be so dramatic, but it's nice to update your look a little every now and then. So I was excited when I was given the opportunity to review the newly opened House of Rush in the heart of bustling Picadilly. With it's ultra glamorous decor, and a team of top stylists it makes a great flagship for the RUSH chain of salons.

With a list of treatments that ranges from the usual cut and colour through to eyelash extensions, facials, massages, waxing, tan and even permanent hair reductions I was spoilled for choice. However, when I think of Rush I think of hair, so I decided on a half head of highlights to give my hair a new lease of life.

 The before:

My lovely stylist Amanda met me on arrival and gave me a full consultation about the look that I wanted to achieve. After dying my hair a deeper red/ brown earlier in the week I felt that my hair colour was looking a bit flat, and wanted to add some vibrancy and shine. What I was hoping for was to have a variety of tones throughout my hair and achieve a look that would make someone say "oh, your hair looks nice" rather than "oh, you've had highlights".

I have to admit that I was a little worried about getting highlights as often red can turn into streaky orange/ brassy sections if bleached or stripped. So instead I was delighted that Amanda chose to add slightly lighter, more vibrant red highlights throughout my hair, which would catch the light and add dimension and shine, rather than bleaching or lifting my existing colour. The highlights themselves were placed just under the line of my natural parting, so that they looked more natural.

As many of us find the hairdressers can sometimes be a bit of a stressful experience I have to point out that I felt very relaxed during my colour. Amanda was absolutely lovely, extremely friendly, bubbly and thoughtful. It was an absolute pleasure to meet someone who was genuinely excited and enjoyed their job! The mood at the salon was also very calm and it was refreshing to see that due to the longer time slots allocated for each appointment care and time was taken over my hair, unlike at other salons where I have previously felt rushed out of the door, or handed over to a junior because my stylist had run out of time.

So here is my after shot, though unfortunately this was taken after I had come back from dinner (in the drizzle) so my hair had lost some of its volume and bounce.

As you can see the change is very subtle, but the freehand placement of the highlights adds some lovely tonal variation to my hair, without making it look 'stripy' or unnatural. I absolutely loved the final results and will definitely be going back to the House of Rush and particularly Amanda, who was absolutely wonderful!

Have you been to the House of Rush? I'm so excited to have found a salon that is a one stop shop for all my beauty needs and can't wait to try some of the other treatments they have available! xxx

Schwarzkopf partnership with LIVE Salon Style home hair colour

Remember Louise Redknapp from Eternal? The gorgeous yummy mummy and wife of equally yummy Jamie Redknapp has been announced as the new face of Schwarzkopf LIVE Salon Style.

 Her blonde locks have been transformed into a gorgeous, rich chocolate brown shade using LIVE Salon Style’s Chocolate Brown.

If you want some tips on choosing the right shade for your the video below is really helpful! It shows you some of the colour results you can expect, lists the selection of colours available as well as recommending different colours, or colour families for different skin tones.


You can also check out the the Live Salon Style Colour Booth Ap, which allows you to upload a picture of yourself to try out different hair colours. This is my before and after (using the dark brown shade). What do you guys think?

Schwarzkopf LIVE Salon Style is available nationwide now from Superdrug, Tesco,
Boots (where it is currently on offer for £3.99 here!), Sainsbury's and all leading pharmacies. Plus at RRP £5.99 it makes an affordable treat to get your tresses ready for the party season.

Have you tried the new shades from LIVE Salon Style? Are you thinking of changing your hair colour? xxx

*This is a sponsored post* 

Cast Yourself: Please vote for me!! :)

Many of you have probably heard about the L'Oreal Cast Yourself Competition on Facebook to be the face of Casting Creme Gloss alongside Cheryl Cole. I have unashamedly entered and with only a few days left to vote I am so excited to be in the top 60 entries for my colour (red!) so far. Voting closes in two days so I am hoping for one more little push to get me into the lucky few who will audition for the part!

I would absolutely love the opportunity to meet the gorgeous Cheryl and it would mean so much if you could vote for me on facebook here!!!

Thanks so much my lovelies and fingers crossed! xxx

John Frieda UK: Selected by You!

The question I am asked most often is what hair colour I use and I am so excited to finally be able to share the answer with you after months of secrecy!!!

After careful consultation with their customers John Frieda have added six new shades 'Selected by You' in their Precision Foam Colour range. I was lucky enough to have a sneak peak of the shades a few months ago and have my hair coloured at the John Frieda salon in Mayfair with the new 5RV - medium burgundy. Check out the video below for some behind the scenes footage, tips for getting the perfect at home colour to suit you and some shocking hair flipping on my part ;).

To celebrate the launch of the new Selected by You shades John Frieda are giving away 100 sets of my new 5RV hair colour on their Facebook page here.

Let me know what you think of my new hair colour and hair flipping technique ;), and don't forget to enter for your chance to win! xxx

John Frieda Teaser...

A few weeks ago I took part in a fun shoot for the launch of a new product from John Frieda.

Can you guess what it is yet? ;)

Keep a look out for the full details of the launch and a video from the day to come. xxx

Superhero Hair - Live Color XXL Cool Scarlet

Feeling more than a little lacklustre last week I decided to freshen up my hair colour. While browsing through the isles it hit me that I had tried all too many dyes and often had the same result. This time I wanted something more bold and striking so I chose Live Color XXL in the shade Cool Scarlet.

Perhaps the girl in the promo image swayed me, but I just think this colour is absolutely gorgeous. Honestly, if I could get away with Rihanna red in the office I would go for it, but I have to stay sensible. Of course I knew my hair would never match the shade above, and I made sure it wouldn't be too bright by only keeping it on for 20 minutes (versus the 30 mins recommended time).

So here it is - my super hero hair! 

It's pretty red isn't it! I used two boxes of dye, and still managed to miss a few areas, so I have to warn you that this isn't the easiest dye to work with, and it is very drying. However, I love the colour!

It's 'just' dark enough to sit on the right side of wearable, but still very full and vibrant. I know it won't stay like this for long since every time I wash it the colour runs atrociously and makes the water a rather frightening shade of dark pink.

So for now I will just have to make the most of being a red head! Look out Miss Amy Childs ;) hahaha.

Are you tempted to join the red brigade? Have you ever tried Live Color XXL? xxx

New Hair

I love long hair. I have always loved it. I play with it constantly, until people tell me to stop. I think I will be 60 and still have long hair, I can never imagine getting to that stage that all women seem to go through in their 40s when they decide to go for the chop. I have always wondered why that happens!

When I was 12 my hair was so long I could actually sit on it! To be honest it was pretty horrible and a nightmare to wash and dry. I didn't give it that much thought until I went to boarding school. I definitely couldn't fit my super long hair washing ritual into my schedule and didn't want to annoy everyone with my hour long showers each day! So I got it cut to just below my shoulders and since then it has been getting long and then being reigned in for the last 10 years. I'm not very exciting when it comes to hair. Long soft waves, volume at the crown and a side parting (ie. playboy bunny hair) is what I love. If only I could transplant Cheryl Cole's hair, plus her numerous extensions, on to my own head, then I would be forever happy.

Enough of the rambling, I really should not be allowed to post at 1.30am. I just wanted to share with you guys my new hair :). As you may have noticed when I came back from Thailand it was very long, which I loved. However, I did not love all the nasty split ends and the fact that the colour had really been bleached by the sun, so it was turning somewhat coppery, and very orange on the ends. It was time for a trim, and as much as I hate having my hair cut I could not put it off any longer. In the end I was right to be scared as the initial promise of "I'll only take off an inch" turned into 4 inches! I hate it when hairdressers do that! Luckily my hair grows like wildfire and there are always extensions meanwhile.

As for the colour, I decided to go darker for autumn and more red. I always dye my hair at home as I find it a lot easier, cheaper and I like being in control of what I am doing. Sometimes I add my own highlights, but this time I decided I wanted to keep it dark throughout.
Before:

I used my favourite hair colour (usually 5.3), but in a deeper red shade. I chose L'Oreal Couleur experte in 3.54 a dark copper mahogany. Unfortunately this photo has bleached the colours somewhat and it looks much more red in real life.

I can't decide whether these photos make me look like the girl from the ring, cousin IT from the Adam's Family or the little hair creature from those 'don't break up with you hair' adverts. What do you guys think?

Have you been brave enough to ever do anything drastic to your hair, or do you experiment within limits like me?  xxx