L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes // Hair and Beauty

Hello lovely people!

So last month I briefly reviewed Rimmels new ScandalEyes Flex mascara here, which on first use I thought was pretty good, but after further use, I've decided isn't my new 'go-to' mascara. It goes on easily, and doesn't clump, but I feel like it never actually dries! I hate mascara that goes crispy, however, this mascara has no chance of that; it remains really easily smudgeable (is that a word?) but for some reason is still really difficult to remove! I really needed something different, because as far as I know, Panda Eyes aren't in this season, so headed to Boots today to find something new. When I got there, I found that they are currently offering 2 for 1 across all beauty products, and 2 for 1 on all hair products, score! 

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Excess 

After some serious deliberation, (I'm not joking, I really couldn't decide what I wanted!) I went for the L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Excess waterproof mascara. It has an anti-clump wiper which is great; it prevents any excess on the brush, and shouldn't clump. I wasn't blessed with long luscious lashes (tounge twister alert, sorry!) so I always look for a volumizing mascara to better what I've got! As it has Volume in the title, I'm hoping I'll be onto a winner here. I tried it on one eye when I got home, and can confirm that it is not overly crispy, but has dried nicely and doesn't seem to be easily smudgeable. It also has nicely separated my lashes, which again, is a good feature. I wouldn't say it creates a particularly dramatic effect that you might like to accompany a smoky eye, but really I think it makes for a good multi-use mascara. 

Seventeen High Drama Liquid Eyeliner 

I normally go for Collection 2000's liquid eyeliner. It does exactly what you need, and is great value for money, but for some crazy reason the Boots I went to did not have a Collection 2000 stand! I chose Boots '17' Liquid Eyeliner which was only £3.99. They offered another liquid eyeliner which had a Wet Look finish, but I didn't think that was really the look I was after, however if you wanted to find a Wet Look eyeliner, that could be one to try! The High Drama eyeliner has a pen-tip for easy application, and comes in 5 different shades. Pretty standard, and should do the job nicely! 

Schwarzkopf Got 2 B Glued Blasting Freeze Hairspray

This is my FAVOURITE hairspray of all time. It absolutely does freeze your hairstyle, and makes your hair stay put. You only need a minimal amount too, because it's so strong! If you use too much, it doesn't brush out particularly nicely, but if you don't go overboard, it's fine. It also has a nice smell, which I think is an important deciding factor for hairspray! Spraying essence of bug all over myself is not what I have in mind when finishing off my look. 

Also, I do love Elnett hairspray. That and this one are the ones I'd recommend. And I've tried amd tested a LOT of hairstyles in my time.

Botanics Intensely Hydrating Shampoo

I was very pleased to discover the 2-4-1 offer on haircare; I have to be really specific because of my hair extensions and can only use Shampoos that are Sulphate free, so with Boots' big range of haircare products, I was sure I'd find one that I could use. You'd be surprised at how hard it is to find a shampoo that is sulphate free! There are benefits for using a sulphate free shampoo even if you don't have extensions, and especially if you have curly hair. The sulphate in shampoos is a drying ingredient, and shampoos without it are designed to keep moisture in your hair. So, obviously not a good choice for anyone who has oily or greasy hair. But great if you have naturally curly or dry hair. I like the Boots' Botanics skin care range, so thought I'd give the shampoo a try. It has a really nice floral scent, and I'm looking forward to trying it out on my hair! 

What are your favourite mascaras? Is there one you think I should try out? I'd love to know if there is!

Sammy xo

HAIR EXTENSIONS...The Good & The Bad..

Hair Extensions...a topic I've wanted to write about for a long time! I'm going to waffle on for 5 minutes now about my hair history, I promise it's relevant!

In 2009, I cut my nearly waist-length hair off into a bob, and month later, went for a pixie cut with a fringe, (basically the same style as Frankie Sandford's was.) I loved it, I couldn't believe I'd waited so long to cut it off, I found like I'd finally discovered the style I was meant to have! I kept it short up until May last year. I did a ton of hair shows, and decided that after having it cut into styles I didn't choose (all of which were amazing I must add, and fabulous colours!) I would probably be more versatile if I grew it out a bit.

So, from June to September, I left it, so it just looked a bit messy. By December, I could tie it into a tiny little ponytail! (Top Tip, if your hair doesn't grow as fast as you'd like, definitely invest in Lee Staffords Hair Growth Shampoo and Conditioner...You'll thank me later! ;]) In January I went to the Caribbean for my 21st birthday present with my boyfriend Rob, so from February I was back to normality and needed to seriously sort out my hair, because 'mullet' isn't a good enough description for what my poor hair looked like! 

I decided that I definitely wanted extensions, to get me through the worst of the growing out process, and settled on a brand called Easilocks. I would like to point out now that this is just my opinion and I am expressing my experience with them. In case you decide not to read on, I'll say it now, please DON'T get them! It's been my biggest waste of money, and caused me so much stress! A friend of mine is qualified to fit Easilocks, Great Lengths, and some others I think, but she was very excited about EL's as they are a really tiny version of Microloops, and were reusable for about 3 times. You can leave them in for 3 months at a time before you must have them redone, so I was looking at about 9 months of wear. Brilliant! Or so I thought... 

Here's some photos of me before, and once they were in for the first time:

 

So, 3 months later, it was definitely time to have them redone. My wonderful friend spent about 5 hours, painstakingly removing each one, and replacing it. But, it was made longer by the fact that once you had used the section of hair, it didn't fit into a new Lock...so they hair had to be trimmed to fit back in. We both agreed that for the amount I had paid for the hair (£360 smacaroons) there should be a better method. However, they all went back in, and I left, very pleased with the results. This, though, is when the nightmare really began! 

4 days later, I scratched my head, near a lock. And out came a whole piece of hair. I lightly tugged on the bit next to it, and it came out easier than plucking a grape off of its stalk! I thought it was bit odd, because for the whole 3 months previously, not a single one had fallen out (until the 12th week, but that was expected.) A week after, 20 strands were out. 

2 weeks after, and over 60 were gone. There were now less on my head than I had in my hand! I was devastated, I looked ridiculous, I'd paid so much money to have them all fall out, and I couldn't see what to do next! 

I rang my friend straight away, and she was mortified. I 100% do not blame her, she spent so long trying to make sure that each strand was the right shape to fit back in to be reused, but the fact of the matter, is that the hair is NOT reusable. She has tried to contact them, but no one will give her the time of day. Absolutely appalling. She will no longer be using the Easilocks method!

This all happened at the end of April. I didn't want to spend out on clip ins, as I already have some, but I needed something a little easier to contend with, so purchased a half wig. I LOVE it! So easy to quickly change your look if you fancy it! Mine is made of synthetic hair, and I purchased some fibre conditioning spray to keep it looking good! I now save it for certain jobs, or if I just fancy wearing it ;)

It looks so real, even one of my closest friends didn't realise it wasn't my own hair!

But obviously, I really needed to sort out my actual hair. Since I last saw her, my friend had taken the time to make her own bonds using a technique from Great Lengths and my Easilocks hair. This took her HOURS, but she was so cross with what had happened, she spent loads of time to fix the problem. Great Lengths works by using ultrasound technology, virtually no heat, and the bonds are flat and clear. I'm SO happy with them!

Here's the before and after...

One very happy customer! 

Do any of you have any hair horror stories? What's your opinion on hair extensions? My experience has definitely been a learning curve. If you choose a good brand, they're so great to change up a style, add some length, some volume. With mine, I can dye them too, which is handy! 

Do you guys prefer clip-ins, or do you think permanent ones are better? Let me know! 

It feels really good to have finally got that off of my chest, so thankyou, and well done if you stuck with me all the way through that! 

Sammy xo

SATURDAY - INSIDE MY MAKEUP BAG

Hey hey!

So I thought I would have time yesterday afternoon to post my makeup regime, but before I knew it, my afternoon had vanished and I had to get to rehearsals for a job I was doing that evening! However, better late than never eh? 

 I know I'm not alone in saying that I have certain skincare and beauty items that I couldn't do without! Every morning, after removing the traces of mascara that I clearly didn't get rid of well enough the night before, I absolutely have to use my Beauty Flash Balm from Clarins. It makes my skin feel awake, and keeps my skin hydrated all day, but doesn't make it greasy or oily. I have very dry skin, so it's a great one for me. It also provides a great base for my make up; it can definitely double as a primer!

Once the miracle Flash Balm has soaked in, I like to use Bare Minerals PRIME TIME. It's a really velvety texture and makes my face so smooth! I like to allow a fair amount of time for my make up; I can do it quickly, but there's no point rushing it if I don't have to..

As I've said before, I suffer from eczema, which I used to get all over my face when I was younger. I've finally got it under control, but it's still very important for me to use the right make up, or it all comes back. Not great! Last year I fell in love with Bare Minerals for foundation, bronzer, and it's mineral veil. I would recommend this brand for any girl who suffers from dry, or patchy skin! Honestly, definitely invest, you won't regret it!

(Bare Minerals Primer, Foundation, Bronzer, Mineral Veil, Brushes and Concealer Brush. Benefit Blusher, and Body Shop Brush.)

The Bare Minerals foundation is a powder foundation, which you swirl, tap, and buff onto your skin! Do any of you use Bare Minerals? If you're interested to know how to apply the foundation and bronzers/blush/veil, let me know and I'll do a post on how-to!

I use the Medium Beige colour. When I first purchased it, I was surprised as I have very pale skin, and thought Light would be the match for me, but Medium Beige was definitely the best choice. I use Medium when I have a tan! 

(Benefit Big Beautiful Eye pallet, Collection 2000 Eyeliner, Rimmel Kohl Pencil Eyeliner, GOSH Eyeshadow Pallet, and Rimmer Scandal Eyes Mascara.)

These are my normal every day products for my eyes. I will definitely review each of these a bit later on! I'm going to focus for now on the Scandal Eyes Mascara from Rimmel. I ran out of Mascara and needed something quickly, and unfortunately my local Boots is a small one, and only stocks Rimmel and No.7! Luckily I love both brands, but obviously the price range is quite different! I didn't have much time to spend choosing, so I went for Scandal Eyes, which was only £6.99 and one I hadn't tried before. 

Well, it definitely kept its promise not to clump your lashes, which is always a big tick from me! I can't bare clumpy lashesand it does capture and separate every lash nicely! However, you do need to apply about 3 coats to make it look like you have mascara on! But it does nicely for a casual, every-day look. 

(One eye with Scandal Eyes Mascara, really lengthens my non existent lashes!)

So, make up on, it was time for me to have a hair overhaul! I can't wait to show you what I had done, I've been waiting for a few weeks, and it's a good story I promise! :)

Before I go, what are your beauty and skincare must-haves? I would love to know what you all recommend! 

Sammy xo

FRIDAY - HAIR CRAZY

Cue party poppers, it's FRIDAY!

I don't know about you, but this has felt like a really long week.

I started my day using my new Aussie products after washing my hair with the last of my Bedhead shampoo and conditioner..(cry)

(Aussie, currently 3 for £10 at Boots)

I've been growing my hair out for a year, and had it cut for the first time last week! (Sounds gross, it's honestly not, it's managed to stay in such good condition, considering it's been dyed about 6 different colours, forced into a hair piece for 6 weeks solid, and then hair extensions for 3 months!)

The bottom right is where I am now, it's ALL my own hair! The long one was when I had my extensions in.

I have naturally very frizzy hair. Whilst it was short, frizz wasn't a problem - I suppose it was being cut off before it got out of control - but now that I've got more length, I'm pulling out all the stops to tame the frizz! I like to use Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance, it's a leave in conditioner you spray on after washing. I really recommend this, it really helps keep my hair hydrated after blow drying and straightening. 

You really should already, but if you haven't, PLEASE make sure to invest in a good heat protecting spray! The leave in conditioner helps keep it soft, but isn't actually protecting against the damage your straighteners can do! I'm currently using Aussie Take The Heat, which you also spray on, and comb through your hair before drying. It really does the trick!

Finally, after straightening, I pump a coin sized amount of Aussie Shine Serum into my hand, rub between my fingers, and work it through my hair. For me, mainly at the ends because that's where my main frizz is (damn split ends) but all over too. Try not to go too near the root; this can give the impression that you have greasy hair! Yum.. 

Tomorrow I'm having my hair extensions put back in. Not all over, just to even out the length, as the front is still a tad shorter than the back, and I'd like it all one length. Watch this space for advice on extensions...

Sammy xo

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