Tuesday 9 January 2018

My Hair Journey: How I grew my Hair Long

Growing up I've always had short hair. I'd have my hair cut monthly taking off about an inch every time. I'd always have my hair layered with a fringe and the back looking like a V shape. I washed my hair every other day and would blow-dry my hair as my layers kept flicking out and going wavy.

Year 9 (Feb 2011)
Year 11 (Jan 2013)
During Year 9 I decided to stop cutting my hair so often as my hair wasn't getting any longer than just past my collar bone. As my hair was so layered the longest layer was very thin. There wasn't much of it to grow out.
Year 11 (Oct 2012)

Feb 2013

I started colouring my hair in Year 8, so by the time I managed to grow my hair long the ends were blonde and damaged. They kept breaking and thinning out. As the dyed hair from 2011 started to grow I had a slight ombre as my roots grew out black. During 2012 I began to lighten my hair ends so that I had a light blonde ombre. I would constantly dye it a light ash blonde colour as it would get orange and brassy quickly. I dyed my hair at home with box dyes eventually my hair became very dry even though I had stopped heating my as my hair constantly dried straight due to how damaged it was.

May 2013
Aug 2011
Aug 2013











Ash Brown
Apr 2014
I decided to cut my long layer off in May 2013 with a straight cut so that my hair was all the same length. I then dyed my hair all over into an ash brown colour.  I wanted to grow my hair out thick and healthy this time hence the straight cut. I started to sleep with foam rollers in so I wouldn't apply any heat.

Throughout the year I kept dying my roots ash brown but the dye I used was ash blonde as I have dark hair so the ends of my hair kept getting lighter and lighter. 
July 2014
Apr 2015
Oct 2014
June 2014
Aug 2014
Oct 2015
Nov 2015
Eventually in April 2014 I stopped touching up my roots. I used dark brown dye to extend my roots to create and ombre look meaning I wouldn't have to constantly touch up my roots.

I would always towel dry my hair and apply serum to the ends. As the ends have been dyed blonde so many times they became damaged so it would always dry pin straight. I was happy that I had achieved the goal of thicker longer hair however I was upset with my addiction of touching up the blonde ends. I was making the blonde higher and higher every time I dyed my hair to make the tone more ashy.

Feb 2017
Nov 2016

The ends were starting to feel very dry again as I would only trim my hair once every 6 months. In October 2015 once again I did a straight cut, cutting off more than 24 inches. A year later and I've managed to grow out my hair avoiding temptations of using blonde dye. Now you can see my blonde is only at the very ends of my hair. My hair is now long, thick and shiny. 

In February 2017 I got my cut at the hairdressers as I was satisfied with the length and thickness of my hair. I had the Olaplaex treatment and got layers cut in. They used the L'Oreal Steampod and it made my hair feel so soft and silky. I was tempted to purchase a pair but it would defeat the purpose of healthy hair.

July 2017
July 2017
Oct 2017
Now I plan to get my hair cut every 6 months with long layers. One the blonde ends are gone I don't plan to dye my hair again. I'm very happy with the current condition go my hair. I wash my hair 3-4 times a week with Tresemme Platinum Strength Shampoo and apply Tresemme Keratin Smooth Conditioner just to the ends, comb it through and rinse put after 5 minutes. I leave my hair to air dry as luckily even though I have layers they still dry pin straight. My hair is very strong and shiny however I lack a lot of volume.

Tuesday 12 December 2017

Gran Canaria - Amadores

I had the pleasure of travelling to Gran Canaria again this year with my bestest friend Paula. We stayed at the Holiday Club Vista Amadores. It's located 140m about sea level overlooking Amadores beach, only a short walk from Europa.

As Paula had already spent the previous week at Gran Canaria with her family, I was flying out alone. Last year they managed to loose my luggage on the way back to the UK so this year I made sure my luggage stood out with it's bright pink straps and took plenty of pictures incase I had to describe it.


The flight was delayed by around 1.5 hours. No surprise to me, it was EasyJet after all. We were boarded on the plane and then told we weren't taking off for another 40 minutes...

We had problems with the door of our apartment as it wasn't locking and nobody was able to change our lock that night. We slept that night without locking the doors, they didn't offer another room to stay in. It's a modern self catered apartment and included a TV,  dishwasher, washing machine as well as all kitchen utensils.

The view was gorgeous and on our balcony we had sun loungers and tables and chairs however the sun never really shined on our balcony until after 5pm as we were facing West.

There was an onsite gym, sauna and pool, but we only got around to using the pool. 





We actually took a stroll down to the beach which wasn't too bad as it was still early in the day. (Obviously we took the taxi back)



We spent the first day relaxing by the poolside and already you could see a he difference in my skin!

 

Most nights we'd end up having dinner at Puerto Rico and then go for cocktails and shisha.
Other nights we'd eat on the Promenade along Amadores beach or in Europa. I love wearing Khaki and White as it makes me look much more tan.


We also visited Amadores Beach Club which is a private complex by the beach.


 By the end of the week I was probably unrecognisable. Lying in the sun for many hours made my skin very dry. 


We spent our final night drinking Rose wine watching the sun set. Across the sea we can see Tenerife.


Nuggets and Fries Everyday
Flight back to the UK


Away with my Boo

Poland - Bydgoszcz


Morocco - Agadir


Marrakech



Thursday 1 June 2017

GLAMGLOW review

SuperMud - Reduces whiteheads

ThirstyMud -

FlashMud - Broke me out instantly

YouthMud -

PowerMud -

GravityMud -

Saturday 21 January 2017

Upcoming: Pore Minimising Primers

Benefit - the POREfessional face primer (22ml) :

RRP £24.50

Smashbox - Pore Minimizing Photo Finish Primer (30ml) :

RRP £28

Upcoming: Foundation Comparison

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (6) :

RRP £37 (30ml)

Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation (4W2 Toasty Toffee, 3W2 Cashew) :

RRP £31 (30ml)

MAC Studio Fix Foundation (NC42, NC44, NC45) :

RRP £22 (30ml)

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation (NC35) :

RRP £26 (25ml)

MAC Face and Body Foundation (C5, C6) :

RRP £29.50 (120ml),  £22 (50ml)


Friday 20 January 2017

Concealer Comparison



NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer  (Custard) :

RRP £22.50 (6ml)

Coverage: Thick, Full

Applicator: Doe Foot

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NC42) :

RRP £18 (9ml)

Coverage: Thin, Dewy, Buildable

Applicator: Pump - Hygienic but hard to pump a small quantity


Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer (Warm, Medium-Dark) :

RRP £17.50 (5ml)

Coverage: Thin, Buildable

Applicator: Flat, Flexible Doe Foot


Conclusion:

I use the NARS concealer for a night out when I want a more highlighted, full face look.
I use the MAC concealer daily with a beauty blender for a natural dewy finish to hide redness on the skin. When placing the concealer under the eyes, I leave it for a few minutes to thicken before blending it out for more coverage on the dark circles.
I carry the UD concealer in my bag incase I need to touch-up on my makeup.
I set my face with the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

I'll be uploading before and after pictures of the concealer's coverage under the eyes.