1 Minute Hair Tutorial using 1 Minute Wonder Ampoules

So with the weather being its usual horrendous self I thought that the second instalment of the 1 minute hair tutorials should be completely rain and wind proof!

As before I prepped my hair with the Pantene 1 Minute Wonder Ampoules to ensure my coloured hair looked super healthy and had some added gloss. I tied the hair up into a tight ponytail, using a soft bristle brush to give it a sleek look. I then put a generic brown hair doughnut on the ponytail and twisted the hair around it in one direction covering the entire thing.

I then used the ends to wrap around the bottom of the doughnut and secured any strays with brown bobby pins. I finished off with a good spritz of Pantene's Style & Protect hairspray to keep hair in place. This is such an easy style to wear as it stays put all day with no effort. Let the weather do its worst!

If you try this out do let me know how it goes! I would love to hear your feedback :).

*This is a sponsored post*

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.*

How To Hair: 60's and Faux Bob

My two absolute favourite looks for hair are unashamedly decadent volume and a sophisticated, shapely bob! I was therefore super excited when Babyliss asked me to be in a video showing how to create these looks using just heated rollers!

The first look is big 60's volume and soft curls. I love the minimal use of products to create this style. I can't believe all that volume just came from a bit of back combing. Move over Cheryl Cole!

The second look is a fun, faux bob. I have always wondered what I would look like with short hair and was so excited to try out this style. I have to admit that I absolutely love it! It's so different from my usual look, but with none of the commitment of having to cut my hair. 

I am really happy with the looks created and will definitely be trying them out for a special occassion soon. I hope you guys enjoy the video! Let me know what you think! xxx

How To Get The Posh Pony - BaByliss Get The Look

A few months ago I had the pleasure of filming some Get The Look videos with Babyliss and the wonderful stylists from Percy & Reed. The first in the series - How To Get The Posh Pony is now live!


I absolutely love this look! It's so easy and quick to create and lasts well throughout the day as the crimps make sure that your hair stays full and voluminous in the face of wind and humidity!

I think this look very much channels Posh herself, but also the stunning Kate Beckinsale!

Are you a fan of the posh pony? Let me know what you guys think of this video and I would love it if you left a comment on it! xxx

Schwarzkopf Got2b Play it Straight

As much as I try to hide it my natural hair is wavy/ curly, which turns to frizz and unruly volume when it comes in contact with humidity. In my teens I was absolutely obsessed with getting straight hair and had to be surgically removed from my straighteners, which damaged my hair and completely ruined any natural shape it had. The wonders of modern science have made the straightening process so much easier and faster. The new innovation from Schwarzkopf is their got2b Play it Straight straightening blow dry kit, which is a semi-permanent solution to rebellious, unmanageable hair.

 

Play it straight contains a special protein that helps loosen the bonds that make hair frizzy. The formulation also contains keratin, silk and wheat proteins for caring and conditioning. These advanced formulas help to seal in lasting smoothness to create a weightless, humidity-resistant barrier to frizz. After only one application, this kit promises to leave you with perfectly smooth, straight and manageable hair, for up to 10 washes. 

To me this sounds amazing, but how exactly does it work? The video below shows you all the steps, including smoothing, sealing and blow drying your hair.



Got2b Play it Straight is priced at £6.99 RRP and available now from Boots, Superdrug, Asda, Savers and Amazon. For more information please visit www.got2b.co.uk or G2B's facebook here.


Do you prefer a straight style? Have you tried the play it straight kit? Would you use an at home straightening kit on your hair?  xxx

*This is a sponsored post*

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

MATH Collective

If you follow me on twitter you would have probably seen my very sulky tweets while being stuck at home with the flu this weekend. I was so gutted to be missing out on everything going on at LFW! Though at least I was able to live vicariously through everyone's posts while shivering under a blanket on the sofa lol. Luckily all was not lost as the lovely people from The Body Shop managed to organise a couple of tickets for me to attend the Math Collective show on Tuesday night once I felt better. Since The Body Shop were the official makeup sponsors of VFS I was able to get a fantastic look backstage beforehand too!

Inkeeping with the majority of the looks this season the makeup was kept really fresh, young and dewy. The look was inspired by long walks in the woods with clear skin, flushed cheeks and a beautiful, healthy glow.

 The products used to create this look were: 

-Vitamin E cream, £10 (on sale for £4.50)
-Moisture foundation, £13
-Radiant highlighter all over, £11
- Bake-to-Last Blush in Petal, £12
-Brows brushed up with Brow & Lash Gel, £10
-Light application of Define & Lengthen Mascara, £10
-Matte & Shimmer cheek colour, lightest one on eyelid.
- Highlight with Baked-to-Last Eye in Moonstone on brow bone and top of cheeks, £10
- Lips stained with Lip & Cheek Stain, £5
- Finished with a spritz of Vitamin E Mist, £7

The MATH collective is designed by the lovely Shahzad Mohayudin, who has also recently created a fashion line for ASOS. Shahzad comes from a graphic design background and this was definitely evident in the cut and colour placement of the pieces, with blocks of reds mixed with neutrals and inventive, angular skirt hems. Inspired by his hometown of London Shahzad's urban ready-to-wear collection featured an innovative mix fabrics and textures.

The Math Collection was incredibly innovative, yet absolutely wearable. I especially loved the pencil skirts and tweed-esque jackets! The makeup and hair accentuated the clothes beautifully and really helped to set the tone for the whole show. I had such a wonderful time and am so happy that I was able to attend and sample at least a little bit of LFW this season!

For more information about VFS and some behind the scenes footage, ‘get-the-look’ features and an interview with Lan Nguyen outlining what make-up trends are set to be big for AW12 please check out the video below.

 

What do you guys think of the fresh makeup on the catwalks this season? Do you like the pieces featured in the MATH Collective show? Do you have any favourites? xxx

OOTD: Paris

Back in January I whizzed over to Paris for a short (work) trip. As I was travelling solo I was able to choose my own accommodation and decided to stay at the newly opened Le Pavillon des Lettres, which is an amazing boutique hotel near Madeleine. Each of the 26 rooms corresponds to a different letter of the alphabet, encompassing the spirit of a poet, a writer, an impassioned virtuoso or a genius, with extracts of each chosen artist printed on the walls. My room was X for Xenophon.

Despite the drizzle and cold I took full advantage of the few hours I had spare between meetings to wonder the streets and do a teeny tiny spot of shopping. In the evening I made a quick dash back to the hotel to freshen up for a client event. My experience last year taught me that this was quite a formal affair, less like the cocktail party described on the invitation, and more of a corporate networking evening. Rather than opting for the same grey/ black suit I decided to wear a lace dress accented by a formal, well fitting tuxedo style blazer.

French Connection Angela Lace dress (On Sale £55 here).

Despite my lack of sightseeing time during the day as the event was held in the enchanting Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine museum I was lucky enough to have an amazing view of the Eiffel tower on my stroll back to the hotel.

Bisous xxx

L'Oreal Hair Expertise Review and Competition

L'Oreal's new Hair Expertise range of premium, non-sulphate hair products has been designed to provide a gentle cleansing system with a myriad of botanical oils to nourish and protect even the most over processed hair. I was lucky enough to be invited to try out the range prior to its release and have been faithfully using it ever since!

If you want to be one of the first in the UK to try the range scroll down to the end for details of a competition to win 1 of 1000 full size shampoos and conditioners!

These non-sulphate shampoos and conditioners smell amazing and surprisingly lather really well to leave the hair feeling clean, smooth and silky. I am often wary of products that claim to be sulphate free as they can sometimes be difficult to use (due to the lack of lather) and can leave the hair very tangled and coarse. This range feels very gentle on the hair - foaming and being easy to rinse out - without leaving behind any unwanted residue.

The Hair Expertise collection is made up of a selection of shampoos, conditioners, serums, mists and masks grouped into three main categories:

• EverPure - Colour Care and Moisture/Smoothing/Volume, infused with rosemary, juniper and mint botanical oils. EverPure protects the hair's hydrophobicity making it more resistant to external aggressors, like water, which help to maintain colour vibrancy.
• EverSleek - Smoothing and Intensely Nourish/Moisture, infused with botanical sunflower extract. EverSleek is designed to combat coarse and frizzy hair and provide it with 48 hour anti-frizz protection.
• EverStrong - Reinforcing and Vitality, infused with rosemary and juniper botanical oils. EverStrong is designed for fragile and brittle hair to increase strength and leave it feeling full of life.

The lovely Chris Appleton (BBC3’s Young Hairdresser of the Year) from the L'Oreal Professionnel team was kind enough to assess my hair and recommend the right products to suit my slightly overprocessed, long, coloured and frizz prone locks. He said that despite all the abuse my hair was quite healthy and strong, but due to its length needed an extra infusion of moisture. He therefore recommended the EverPure Colour Care and Moisture range, which is designed to leave hair nourished, smooth, soft and shiny. I was then allowed to try the products straight away to see how they would work for my hair...

 The charming Chris and I after my wash and blow dry.

As you can see the shampoo and conditioner worked wonders on my hair leaving it smooth and soft, yet bouncy and full. I absolutely loved this range and have been using it ever since.

Given that the Hair Expertise range falls into L'Oreal's premium products I was pleasantly surprised at the price. The shampoos and conditioner retail at RRP £5.99, while the indulgent masks are £6.99, the UV filter protective mist is £6.99 and the serums £7.99.

Hair Expertise will be launching in Boots later this month. However, if you can't wait till then and want to be one of the first in the UK to try the range you can enter their Facebook competition here to win 1 of 1000 full size shampoos and conditioners.

Will you be entering the competition? What do you think of the new Hair Experise range? Do you look out for non-sulphate products for your hair? xxx

Big Bouncy Curls with Enrapture Totem Styler

The Totem Styler from Enrapture is a unique, versatile tool that lets you create a myriad of styles with it's three separate heat settings in one barrel.

The Totem Styler is beautifully packaged and has a weighty, sleek design. It is the first ever styler to feature three independent heat zones that can be set to different temperatures using the encoder dials. Its titanium plate technology helps it to heat up quickly and evenly to create smooth curls in seconds! The mini flipper also allows the styler to be used as a traditional curling iron by clipping the hair securely in place, but it is also flat enough for the styler to be used as a wand!

I have been playing around with this tool for a couple of weeks to see what kind of curls I could create. So far I think my favourite is achieved on the 1-2-3 setting, which gives looser waves nearer the root and tighter curls towards the ends.

To see how I created this style please watch the video below:


For more information on the Enrapture set of tools please visit their website here. The Totem Styler can be purchased here and retails at £74.99.

Have you tried any of Enrapture's innovative tools? What do you think of the Totem Styler? What kind of hair style are you desperate to recreate? 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

New Year's Eve Outfit

A few of you have requested that I post some pictures of my Christmas and New Year's celebrations, especially as I took a little break from the internet over the festive season. Since my Christmas was pretty low key there are no pictures to speak of, but I did manage to convince the bf to take a few snaps before heading out to celebrate the beginning of what will hopefully be an amazing year!

On the night itself I chose to wear an old dress from French Connection (circa 2005!) with opaque tights and the most obnoxiously glittery shoes that I had picked up in the Ted Baker sale a few days earlier.

They may not be for everyone, but I absolutely love them... they make me feel quite the modern Dorothy ;). If you are looking for a glitter shoe that is just that little bit more sophisticated (and I use that term very loosely) than the chunkier versions all over the high street then I highly recommend you check these out. They are currently available in red, black and my favourite rose gold colour on sale for £67 on the Ted Baker website here.

Continuing on the rose gold theme I also wore my new Folli Follie rose gold Heart 4 Heart key necklace. Unfortunately this is no longer available for purchase alone, but you can still find it as part of a special edition set here. I wear the plainer key for work by shortening the chain, and keep the crystal one (worn above) for occasions that require a little more sparkle!

I styled my hair with a new curling iron that I have been experimenting with over the last couple of weeks - the Enrapture Totem Styler, which has three separate heat setting for different areas of the barrel. I set mine at 3-2-3 for defined curls and back combed my hair at the root to create lots of volume.

Makeup wise I wore a smokey eye similar to the one I created for my birthday party. The main focus was MAC's reflects antique gold glitter applied over the lid, with a shimmery brown eyeshadow smoked into the crease and below the lower lashline. I then brightened the lower lashline and inner corner using Urban Decay's heavy metal glitter eyeliner in baked. I completed the eye look using the You Complete Me mink lashes from Velour.

On my cheeks I used a mix of NARS Angelika and MAC Well Dressed blush with MAC's Perfect Topping MSF to highlight. On my lips I applied MAC's Hue lipstick, followed by my favourite gloss, the absolutely delicious Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in No.2 Apricot Shimmer (£12.15 here).

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and celebrated the beginning of the New Year in style!! xxx