THE HAIRCARE REVAMP

As I have recently been getting more and more into hair care, I thought it'd be a good time as the seasons are changing to show what has been making the cut (excuse the pun) for my locks recently.

The first thing isn't exactly a product, but these hair bands have been reached for quite regularly. I don't know what they are called, but basically they are designed to keep your hair secure in a ponytail, without leaving any kinks or damage once removed. They make having my hair up look a little nicer too, as the tied ends style seems to make my hair look quite cute and sweet.

My hair had a rather dry phase recently so I was itching to get my hands on a hair mask that would add in some moisture again. The Wen Pomegranate Re-Moist Intensive Hair Treatment* is literally the thickest hair mask I have laid eyes on, and it definitely adds some sort of nourishment there.

For days that I need to blow dry my hair, of course I don't want to add to the dryness, so I have been opting for the Toni & Guy Prep Heat Protection Mist in order to keep my hair protected from the heat from the hair dryer. Before drying (whether this is naturally or with a hair dryer too), I like to use the Wen Sweet Almond Mint Replenishing Treatment Mist* from the mid-lengths to the ends of my hair as I really like using this as a de-tangler. My only issue is the extremely minty smell but it goes away after a few minutes.

Finally, I have been really enjoying twisting my hair up to create heatless curls overnight, which Megan explains well here,  and so on the days that I want them looking a little more beachy and wavy, I have been spritzing the L'Oreal TXT Volume Supersizing Spray to the curls and scrunching them a little until I have the desired effect.

The real question is though, will I finally cave for the bloggers' shoulder length cut?

CURRENT HAIRCARE FAVOURITES

Recently, for me, haircare is where it's at. I never used to care about what I used, but due to the fact that I am way too many weeks late on my regular cut (I'm going in two weeks though), I have been paying more attention to what I use on it.

My hair is very thick, and so it often gets dry at the ends, so whenever I use heat on my hair I will always go for a protectant prior to the curling, blow drying etc. and that is where the Lee Stafford Blow Dry Your Hair Faster Spray comes into play. This detangles, protects from heat damage, and supposedly allows your hair to dry faster, and I really, really like this.

Sometimes my hair can look a little on the greasy front in between washes, and so I need to use something to banish the oil. I used to love Batiste, but I just fell like it is very powdery and whenever I touch my hair in the day I have the powdery residue everywhere. But, the Toni & Guy Cleanse Dry Shampoo is brilliant, and I would like to purchase the full size when this is finished. Full marks for the sleek packaging too.

I'm not a hair spray person really; I don't like the smell, and I hate the crispy look, but when it comes to styling my hair I need some sort of hold in there to get me through the day without my hair going cray. This Toni & Guy Extreme Hold Hairspray gets the hold on point, but without and crisp of crunch, and doesn't smell like stereotypical hairspray either. This is another that I would love to get my hands on the full size.

FInally, to banish my pesky dry and lacklustre ends, I use the got2b Oil-licious Tame & Shine Styling Oil religiously and it makes my hair feel like silk. I either apply this on damp hair after towel-drying it, or when it's dry, and sometimes if my hair is feeling extremely dry, I slather it on in both situations. This also has a lovely scent to it, and is a thin texture so your hair soaks it up, and you aren't left with any residue.

My next item on the wishlist? A good, deep conditioning hair mask, and a dry texturising/volumising spray...

TRIAL-SIZED TONI & GUY

I have never been one for hair care products, but over the winter break I went a little but cray for all things hair, and craved all the hair care things, ever. I obviously didn't buy them all, but in the boxing day sales I managed to find this perfect little set.. The Toni & Guy Matthew Williamson Hair Meets Wardrobe bag came home with me, containing 3 rather generous trial-sized products at 75ml each, and I couldn't wait to spritz them all over my locks.

The first item you get is the PREP Heat Protection Mist, basically, a heat protect spray. I rarely use heat on my hair, as when I do, the ends go incredibly dry and frizzy, and look horrible, but on NYE when I curled my hair, I used this and no damage was shown to my ends, and I will continue to use this whenever I blow dry my hair (which is a rare occasion).

Next up, is the CLEANSE Dry Shampoo which I generally use on my second day hair when it is looking a little greasy, and this does the job of a dry shampoo so well. Gone are the days which I would use Batiste and end up getting powder on my fingers every time I touched my hair throughout the day, or being told that my roots are white, because this stuff leaves no residue whatsoever. I can imagine that once I have gone through this mini, I will be buying the full size product.

Finally, is the CREATIVE Extreme Hold Hairspray. I usually avoid hairspray, because I always have those visions of 'crispy hair at the primary school discos', and it makes me cry a little bit inside. But, this bad boy is brilliant. No crisp, a good hold and I am loving it at the moment. Best thing? It doesn't smell like hairspray at all! I wore my hair up to school, and generally after a good hour, I will have flyaway sections all over the shop, but this didn't give me any of that for a good 5-6 hours. *claps*

After trying these items, Toni & Guy is definitely a brand I am going to be looking out for more in the future. I have noticed that quite often they have offers on, so I am hoping a 3 for £12 comes up at some point again soon and I can stock up on some more products.

 

BOXING DAY SALES HAUL | BEAUTY

For the first year, I got up slightly earlier in order to make my way to the local town centre to grab some beauty bargains (the Boots half price sale was where I was headed first, of course). I got a few bargains, as well as some great fashion and clothing bargains, so if you were interested, let me know in the comments if you would be interested in seeing a post on those bits. 

The first item I got in Boots was the Soap and Glory Once Upon A Lime gift set, which was halfprice from £18 to £9, which is a bit of a bargain, considering you get a full sized Sugar Crush Body Buttercream, a mini of the Sugar Crush Body Scrub and also a half size of the Sugar Crush Body Wash, along with a shower puff, coming in at a value of around £19.75 so even at full price the value was there.

Also from Boots, I got the Toni & Guy Matthew Williamson for Toni&Guy Hair Meet Wardrobe set, which was £6, containing what I would say are deluxe travel sized/mini products, one being the Prep Heat Protection Mist, another the Cleanse Dry Shampoo, and the last being the Creative Firm Hold Hairspray and the packaging and bag are just gorgeous. 

Finally, I got this Charlie Set which has 2 body sprays, and a Revlon Girly Nail Polish which I have been wanting to try for ages, and the set totalled in at £4, which is 2p over half the price of the polish alone, so another bargain there. 

Moving onto Lush. I got 3 induvidual products (well, 5, but 2 of them were for Megan), and a boxed set containing 3 more products. The Snow Fairy Box Set was £6.25, which included a 100g Snow Fairy Shower Gel, a Shimmy Shimmy Shimmer Bar and a 70g Angels Delight Soap all of which smell incredible. 

I got the Shoot For The Stars Bath Ballistic (x2), which smells like fresh, uplifting citrus, and I cannot wait to plonk this in my bath. I can't quite remember the price, but it was 50% off in the sale, so was most probably a bargain. The other which I got 2 of was the Christmas Eve Bubble Bar which is a calming, slightly floral (I would like to say subtle lavender), which is going to be something I use a lot at night to relax. Finally, the Melting Snowman Bath Melt made it's way into the basket, and is a creamy, slightly spicy and cinnamon scented melt, and I cannot wait to use this one also. All 5 individual products, and the box set came in at £13.35 which is bargainous.