Sexy Victoria's Secret Waves w/ the InStyler

I am a huge fan of Victoria's Secret! The underwear, the girls, the show, the hair, the makeup and those amazing wings. As ever this year's show was spectacular and my favourite angel Adriana Lima looked as beautiful as ever. Though I would not often want to put my picture next to hers needs must

for the greater good... good hair!

This week I have been experimenting with a new hair tool - the InStyler. I first spotted this styling tool in a commercial and was intrigued by it's innovative design, which features a rotating curling iron and a brush.

The InStyler is a multi functional tool that can both curl and straighten the hair, as well as adding volume and shine. The bristles separate individual strands while the rotating cylinder straightens and polishes. As the heat is spread evenly along the hair with the rotating motion the InStyler uses less heat than traditional tools, which is encouraging as I always worry about using too much heat on my hair! The three heat settings available are 196 °C (for thick, coarse hair),  157 °C (for thin to medium-textured hair) and 140 °C (for fine, thin hair).

To see how I used the InStyler to create sexy, soft curls and sleek, straight hair just watch the video below!


I really like the idea of the InStyler as it creates beautiful, soft curls/waves in an innovative way. However, I did find it a little tricky to use at first, especially as you have to be quite careful with the hot cylinder not to burn your fingers. This tool does come with a heat guard for this purpose, but I found it easier to remove it when curling the hair.

Being accustomed to my Babyliss Big Hair I did find it a little annoying that I could not control the direction of the spin, meaning that you always have to hold it in a certain direction to get the best results, which can be a little awkward if you are not ambidextrous. Though this is a tool that takes a little practice for me it is worth the effort as I absolutely love the shape of the curls created by the InStyler - the perfect big, bouncy, shiny Victoria's Secret waves!

The InStyler retails at £99 on their website here and is also available from Boots here... with 396 clubcard points too ;). For more information, as well as tips and tricks for creating a range of styles you can also visit InStyler's Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channel, which also has a great range of tutorial videos!

Have you seen the InStyler? Are you a fan of multipurpose hair styling tools? Are you tempted to try it? What hair style would you create with it? xxx

**This is a sponsored post.**

Look!

 The beauty brains behind Look magazine have developed their own beauty range in support of cancer charity Look Good... Feel Better, which helps ladies combat the visible side-effects of their cancer treatment. With over 100 beauty essentials including 32 eyeshadow and nail polish colours, lipsticks, glosses, foundation, bronzers and much more it is definitely a range that will make an impact with its imminent launch in Superdrug stores!

At just £4 each the single eyeshadows come in a great range of colours and finishes. I particularly like the fact that all the shadows have individual names and numbers too, which is not often the case with many affordable collections.

Left: Suede (no. 25). Right: Acid Wash (no.1).

The shadows have great pigmentation and colour pay off, though they are a little powdery, so I would recommend using them with a good base to prevent fall out.

Of all the products I have been lucky enough to play with the lipsticks (£7) are probably my favourite. I love the selection of fun colours and the creamy, moisturising texture that leaves lips feeling smooth and glossy. Pictured above is Toffee Cup (shade no. 4) a beautiful, milky and oh so wearable nude, which was kindly chosen for me by the lovely Zoe.

The Double Hit Lip (£7) is a clever double ended lipstick and gloss in a selection of bright, punchy colours. These lippies are extremely pigmented and they smell delicious too!

 Red Alert shade 4

L to R: Lipstick, Gloss, Combination.

I was also very much excited to see the selection of nail varnishes (£5) Look has an offer. A massive 32 shades encompassing some gorgeous brights, as well as bling glitters and modern nudes/ taupes. Of the two shades I received I was most drawn to Pearl Effect (shade 20).

I immediately applied this over my current nail polish (OPI Russian navy) and loved the subtle, multi dimensional effect it created. I can't wait to experiment with it as a top coat over contrasting colours!

Sophie Beresiner, the Beauty Editor of Look magazine, is such a strong, beautiful lady and an absolute inspiration. I highly recommend checking out her blog here and reading her story.


Are you a Look magazine reader? Will you be supporting Look Good... Feel Better and purchasing any products from Look Beauty? What products are you most excited about in the range? 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

All about eyebrows!

This is one of my most requested tutorials. I get so many questions from you guys about eyebrows, so I thought I would make a little video showing you my routine and some little tips and tricks for getting perfectly groomed brows.

Recently I have also enjoyed using Sleek's Brow Kit (£7.99 here). This comes complete with all the tools you need to groom those bushy brows ;) - it contains a wax to set, a powder to fill in (I use the shade light), two synthetic brushes and mini tweezers. It's a great set to throw in your bag for your travels too!

What are your tips and tricks for getting the perfect eyebrow? Do you maintain your shape or leave it to the professionals? What products would you recommend? xxx

Late night manicure

Crackle polish may be old news, but I must confess that I was never a fan of it in the first place. It looks worn and messy and I prefer an immaculate manicure, not a grungy one. So it somewhat pains me to say that while playing with my nail polishes one (very late) night I discovered a more sophisticated way of wearing crackle polish and have actually kept it on all week!

Nail polish: OPI Russian Navy (£7.99 here), Crackle Polish: 17 Nail Xtras Crackle Top Coat (£3.99 here), Top Coat: Seche Vite (£9 here).

By only using crackle polish on the 'feature' nail I think the crackle creates some interesting texture without overpowering the whole manicure. The gold is also a much more attractive alternative to the matte black that most brands have featured!

Are you a fan of the crackle effect? Have you tried any of the new magnetic polishes? Which ones would you recommend? xxx