Bottle Blondes: Tips and tricks for achieving and maintaining colour and condition.

I am a notorious serial hair dyer. After nagging my mum for months and months, I started dying my hair when I was around 12 and have been every colour imaginable. Red, purple, pink, black, brown, green, blue... you name it, I've had it. So when I decided to go blonde I was prepared for the long process of going from my natural medium/dark brown, maintaining the blonde and repairing the damage. I've successfully kept my blonde for over a year now (minus a month when I had a lilac semi) and have impressed everyone I know for keeping a hair colour for so long! Naturally, throughout this time I've learned what works and what doesn't.

• First thing's first, don't attempt to go blonde if your hair is damaged. It will break and look horrible. Not chic at all.
• Go to a hairdresser. If you can't afford it (I know how expensive it can be!) go blonde gradually instead of sticking a box bleach on, having an itchy scalp for 40 minutes then orange hair. Get your hair to the desired blonde by lifting it 2-3 shades every time you dye it, leave it a few weeks between dying to minimise damage. The process is longer, granted, but your hair will thank you for it.
• 'Ash' blonde dyes are best as they contain lilac undertones which will help counteract any brassiness.
• Invest in quality conditioners and shampoos. I love Aussie products, their 3 Minute Miracle Constructor is a God-send. I use this once a week and leave it on for a bit to maximise it's hair healing potential.
• Purple/lilac shampoos are now your holy grail. The best I've tried are the Pro:voke Touch of Silver line. I use their Daily Maintenance and Twice a Week Brightening shampoo. 
• Once a week I use Superdrug's Colour Effects wash in, wash out conditioning colour in 8.1 cool blonde. The violet pigment is a lot darker than what you get with standard purple shampoo/conditioners meaning that it counteracts orange tones and brassiness quickly and effectively. As this is not a shampoo or conditioner I don't recommend using it more than once a week. I usually do it before I leave the Aussie conditioner on for a while. (Usually on a Sunday when the only thing on my agenda is eating a roast dinner!)

As I've blonde for such a long time, my hair is no longer damaged as the only parts that now get dyed are my roots. But obviously when you first take the plunge, it does need a little bit of extra care.

• Get your split ends off. Just do it, no questions.
• Redken Extreme CAT will be your best friend for a while. It contains protein and ceramide which will genuinely help with repairing, just don't overdo it.
• Ease up on the heated tools. I always let my hair air dry, and only use straighteners once a week, using heat protector!

Finally, do not go blonde if you're not committed. It's an investment, a process and a lifestyle.

Clarins Moisture Rich Body Lotion: Review

So after having such a great experience with the Clarins cleanser, I decided to invest in the body lotion. Much more pricey than what I usually spend on moisturiser (I'm usually a palmers cocoa butter kinda gal) at £30, I was again anxious. Clarins says: "Soothing comfort every body loves! Clarins’ moisture-replenishing lotion—with Peach Milk, Shea, Candlenut Oil and Orange Blossom—visibly minimises the signs of ageing caused by sun, cold, heating and air-conditioning. Helps smooth dry, rough patches and improve skin tone. Gently removes dull, flaky cells for a youthful, all over glow. Quickly absorbed. No need to wait before dressing." I have pretty dry skin, and I also fake tan so I always need a good moisturiser before applying that, and at £30, my expectations were high. The lotion itself is rich, and a little goes a long way, perfect as I moisturise twice daily, and have a fair amount left after around 6 weeks of use. It sinks in pretty quickly and doesn't feel sticky like some moisturisers do, and keeps my skin hydrated. This lotion does what it says on the tin, what impressed me most was the firming factor. I've never really bought into the idea of firming lotions, but I definitely notice my thighs aren't so jiggly when using this. All round it's a great product, I'm slowly becoming a loyal Clarins fan!

Clarins One-Step Facial Cleanser: Review

A skincare fanatic with a meticulous routine, it takes a lot for skincare product to impress me. I am always cautious about my buys as not to be disappointed since I spend a fair amount of my little money on keeping my skin ship-shape and (not) shiny. Clarins is a brand that comes with a good reputation, but history has taught me that the brand is not a guarantee on the quality of a product, so as usual I was skeptical. Clarins says: "A cleanser and toner in one time-saving step! Clarins’ dual-action, anti-pollution formula—with gentle Orange and Moringa Seed extracts - removes every last trace of make-up, impurities and skin-dulling dry cells, while reviving skin’s natural radiance. So pure and refreshing, there’s no need to rinse." Usually I steer very clear of products promising a two-in-one, but I continued with the purchase regardless, even though I was a tad nervous. After one use, I was kicking myself for not getting it sooner! I'm not one to jump to conclusions based on one or few uses of a product but this seriously impressed me! Every scrap of make up was removed, my pores looked better than usual and my skin actually didn't look dull for a change. Since then I have used this product religiously and I've never been let down, it's around 2 months down the line and I still have a good third of the bottle left, another plus! 

L'Oreal Wrinkle Decrease Collagen Lip Filler: Review

This product may be aimed at an older market than my mere 20 years, but I love a perfect pout à la the beautiful Lana Del Rey, so I was willing to buy into this product. I've toyed with lip plumping glosses and sticks, and every tip trick I could find on the web for years, but nothing has ever had dramatic results (perhaps I expect too much?) so I thought there was nothing to lose and gave this a go. L'Oreal says: "L'Oreal Wrinkle De-Crease Collagen Filler Double Action Lip inspired by advances in dermatological science designed to rejuvenate lips; the L'Oreal Laboratories have combined 2 specific creams to visibly rejuvenate appearance of lips and the lip contour.
Step 1 - To smooth wrinkles and redefine the lip contour area, apply the lip contour smoothing cream with collagen biospheres around the edge of the lips.
Step 2 - Apply the lip plumping cream with the hyaluronic acid to both the upper and lower lip for increased lip volume." 

So, after using this product, I'm by no means making Lana Del Rey envious of my pout, but I did actually notice a plumper result than with other brands and methods! The plumpness lasts for a good part of the day or all night on nights out, which is perfect because that's when I use it! I can't really comment on the wrinkle decreasing claim but for plumping purposes this is perfect for me! At under a tenner at Boots, I'll definitely being investing again. 

Credit: Blush Cosmetics

Rimmel London Apocalips

I've had this product pretty much since the day it debuted but haven't got around to throwing my 2 pence in, so here it is. Rimmel says: It's the End of Colour as you know it! The intense rich colour of a lipstick, enhanced by a satin smooth shine. It's neither a lipstick nor a gloss... It's BIGGER than both! 
I was so excited to get this product as I'm always looking for lip colour that packs a punch and has staying power. I got it in number 400 'Big Bang', a sultry red perfect for nights out. Whilst I wasn't overly impressed with it, Apocalips has it's pro's and con's. The colour is definitely vibrant, even with with one coat, which is where a lot of lipsticks and glosses fall down. It definitely has staying power, in fact it's quite difficult to remove completely which can be a pain in the backside! I find it a little sticky at first, not exactly how a gloss is sticky, but certainly a stickiness. This also makes it prone to transferring so if you're planning on kissing anybody, the rest of the world will know! Bearing all this in mind, I would rate it a 6/10. It is a good compromise between lipstick and gloss, worth buying if you like colour like myself, but best to avoid if you're a lipstick die-hard who hates the stickiness of glosses.