Twistband Beauty Bound

Twistband's are new hair tie phenomena slowly taking over the beauty world.  The product first hit the beauty scene in the US and it is slowly making its way to us Brits.

The unique selling point aka the difference compared to any other hair ties is that the Twistband's do not leave bumps or dents in the hair after you have finished using it.  The Twistband is simply a piece of elastic tied together to form a simple look hair tie. The band is basically made from the same elastic you'd find in your Granny's sewing box.

The simple Twistband

Unfortunately for me these are not a necessity... they are good but I'll explain my reasons for them being slightly impractical. First they are stretchy... well duh! Of course they are. They are too elasticated for my personally taste as for the second reason you see why they are a fail.  

I have thick heavy hair.  When I use these my thick hair stretches the elastic to the point my ponytail or bun is not as secure as I'd like.  If you have light to medium thickness hair then I can see this working for you.  However if like me you have an overwhelming amount of mane then this might not work as good for you.

The Twistband by Beautybound are available from Birchbox in an assortment of colours and come in packs of six or tweleve. Prices range between £10 to £15.

Do you think these will be a hit or miss?

Angela xox

Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Flattening Iron Serum

I've been shopping my stash and I came across something I used to love.  Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Flattening Iron Serum was something I used to use constantly, but when blogging took over I got into trying lots of different goodies and merely forgot about this.  After a good dust and polish of the can, I decided to give this an outing.

Firstly, lets discuss the subject aka the hair.  I have medium length thick hair.  Soooo thick I always get the comment of 'oh my gosh your hair is so thick' from hair dressers.  It is a bit unruly and I try not to style it too much with heat.  I usually try and blow dry with a big round brush.

In the left below picture I have one day old hair which I initially blow dried.  After a sleep and a quick brush it looks like that... a big poofy mess.

Let's bring in Mr Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Flattening Iron Serum to the rescue...

On combed hair, I spray Flatliner all over my hair.  I spray it whilst lifting and shaking my hair around like something possessed. Then taking hair clips I split the hair into layers. Starting from the bottom layer to the parting section.

I used wide GHD's to achieve my straighten locks.  After separating the hair into layers, I then spray again over the hair of each layer. Combing the section then running the GHD through the hair. Easy peasy.

This took me about 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish.  The key is not to take large thick sections of hair. If you do the harder to tame and straighten it will be.

Angela xox

Coconut and Sweet Almond Instensive Conditioner

When I reviewed the Macadamia Deep Treatment back in August here, I received a comment from Stephaniepomfrett. In her comment, she recommended the Superdrug Coconut Oil which was only around £1.50.

Her comment stayed in my mind, so when I finished my much loved Macadamia I had a search for it. Unfortunately i couldn't see her recommendation on Suerdrugs shelves but i did find something else instead.

Coconut and Sweet Almond Intensive Conditioner

When I found this in Superdrug it was on special....two tubs for £1.49. Strangely one tub alone was £1.49, so in affect I was buying one getting one for free! Oh happy days! I have seen this many times before and not really taken much notice, but now I'm pretty glad I did take notice as its quite nice.

Firstly it smells so yummy. I love the smell of coconut but nothing too strong, it just leaves a subtle scent. The feel and texture of this feels luxurious on the hair, with its thick and almost butter like consistency. It feels good to be using this on your hair. I leave this on my hair for 3 to 5 minutes, then give it a thorough rinse, as where it is that thick it takes a good scrub and rinse to remove all traces of it.

Once the hair is dried - the shine, softness and manageability is certainly noticeable. It isn't as soft as my Macadamia, but it is a close second place in the race. Bur for the price you're paying compared to the higher priced brands you don't mind taking a little while longer rinsing it.

What it looks like in the tub

I know in my Macadamia review i said i'd stick to using that from now on but I am quite liking this. Firstly it's cheap...we're all meant to be making spending cuts and as this is under £2, you cannot really moan about the cost. Secondly, it's from Superdrug. There are Superdrugs everywhere in the UK so it's easy to get a hold of where as Macadamia is not.

I will say one word of warning - try to not get this in your eyes as it hurts :-( just rinse your eyes with warm water if you do get it in your eyes.

What intensive conditioner do you recommend?

Angela xox

 

Goldwell Rich Repair Leave In Hair Tip Serum

Wow that is a mouthful for a product name!  An item I picked up with my feelunique.com haul a few weeks back, this item headed straight to my gym bag as that is the place where I mostly wash and dry my hair these days.

This serum is made with pashmina silk proteins which sounds mighty glamour for a hair product ingredient.  What you do is after washing your locks is remove the excess water from your hair then just before you start to blow dry and style, apply this to the tips of your hair.

This will strengthen the tips of your hair and help keep the dreaded split ends at bay.  Obviously it will not get rid of split end you already have - its not a miracle worker but it help you not get them in the first place. It also helps smooth and give hair a silky shiny look which we all love don't we girls??

At just over £7 on feelunique.com I would say this is definitely worth looking into but it's not an essential in my book if you don't suffer from split ends.

Angela xox

Friday Favourite # 1

I thought I’d do a quick post regarding my Friday Favourite.  I keep seeing lots of bloggers showing their favourite items on a Friday so thought i would tag along for fun. 

Ever since I started using my Macadamia Healing Oil Spray at the beginning of the year my hair has been nothing but soft and smooth and just so lovely.  The kind of hair which you just want to touch constantly!

This product is a miracle in a bottle.  It is a ultra fine mist which rejuvenates, moisturises and makes hair more manageable.  It just makes your hair feel more healthy and nice basically.  What I love the most is the shine and softness of the hair.  Every time I use this I feel like I have been to the salon to get my hair professionally done.  It feels luxurious!

Even though it is an oil your hair will not feel oily after using it.  The mist is so fine and it is absorbed into the hair very fast – there is no lasting residue. What I usually do is when my hair is towel dried I spray over my hair concentrating on the mid-section and ends.  I then blow dry and style with my GHDs.  Once I’m done I spray over the hair again.  I also spray it into my hands and rub it into the tips of my hair so they get a little extra TLC as that is where my hair tends to suffer with heat damage.

 

You can buy Macadamia products on Feelunique.  Hope you liked my first Friday favourites :-)

Angela xox

Macadamia Deep Repair Masque

If like me you love to give your hair TLC now and again then you might want to keep reading.  If you have dry or damaged hair which needs some va va vroom then you might want to invest in the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque.  I have been loving the Macadamia products recently and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

The Deep Repair Masque is a combination of macadamia and argan oil plus a whole lot of other magic ingredients which makes dry, damaged, dull hair rejuvenated and feeling soft and nourished.  Once you've started using this, you won't want to go back!!  The masque itself is a thick creamy consistency which is has a nice fragrance, nothing too strong.

The masque is used after regular shampooing and conditioning.  I apply mine to my hair after i have combed the hair through, as it makes it easier to apply.  I then apply it all over the hair concentrating on the end more than the roots.  I then relax for around 8 to 10 minutes to let the masque get to work.  Then I rinse firstly with warm water the a short blast of cold water to seal the hair.  I then do my usual drying and styling and end up with ultra soft, constantly-wanting-to-touch-it hair.

The masque is a little expensive depending where you buy it, you can purchase it from Feelunique or various other online stores.  It comes in two different sizes either a 250ml or 500ml pot or in sachets.  I would recommend using it perhaps once a week or maybe twice, depending how many times a week you clean your hair.  As it is on the expensive side, I'd say don't use it too much just when you feel like your hair needs that extra something special.

Once this run out I'd certainly repurchase it without a doubt, I'm interested in trying other brands like Moroccanoil.  Do you have any deep treatment masque you love to use on your hair?

Angela xox

Shopping haul at feelunique.com

I'm always a sucker when I'm sent an email which says if you spend blah blah you'll get blah blah off your shopping.  Well this is one of those shopping experiences with feelunique.com

I've had a imaginary shopping list for a few items I've wanted to pick up and when I was sent to offer by feelunique.com I thought to myself why not.  So here's what I purchased.

Goldwell Rich Repair Leave-In Hair Tip Serum - £6.85
I’ve notice that my hair has been getting a few split ends. I had my hair cut yesterday, so i have picked this up with the intention of using it to prevent the split ends from appearing again.  I find it quite frustrating getting split ends especially when I hardly use any heat on my hair these days :-(  I've never actually heard of the brand before, but the bottle says it's salon exclusive - so this could be why.  This tiny 50ml bottle promises to give healthy shine and silky smoothness to dry damaged hair.  I'll let you know how I get on with this.

Bare Minerals Ready SPF15 Touch Up Veil in Translucent - £18.70
I’ve been on the hunt for a new powder to make me look pretty for a while now.  I’m trying to steer away from heavy powder, as for me I feel like the caked-on face look is so last year. I’ve completely gone off the heavy foundation/powder looks.  The Touch Up Mineral Veil is a ultra light mineral powder which diffuses the look of imperfections whilst reducing shine - certain a bonus for my oily prone skin.  


Caudalie Eau De Beaute Beauty Elixir - £9.90
This 30ml bottle or 100ml if you feel like pushing out the boat, is a cult favourite amongst the beauty world.  It also has celebrity and royal fans, including the Victoria Beckham and the Queen of Hungary.   What you do is spritz this on to the face and neck and it reduces the size of pores, smooths and gives a fresh feel and look to the skin.  You can use this in many ways; firstly on clean skin or to set makeup or to freshen your self up throughout the day.  Full of good for your skin ingredients like mint, orange blossom, grape and essential oils from rosemary this is definitely something I can't wait to use.

Macadamia Natural Oil Nourishing Leave In Cream - £15.95
I have been using  Macadamia's  healing oil treatment and the deep masque which I picked up in the US.  So far I have been having good results from using them, so I thought i’d treat myself to some more Macadamia.  The bottle is so huge I had to lay it down, you get 300ml for your money.  This leave-in conditioning texture cream is infused with nourishing oils that tame unruly hair.  It makes hair soft and shiny and very manageable, as they say this is the ultimate hair rejuvenation.

Essie - Cute As A Button - £8.99
I remember seeing this on Bright Town Girls blog a while ago and thinking I might add this to my Essie wish list.  This is one of those polishes that you're not quite sure what to call it.  Is it a red, coral, peach or pink??? I wasn't after a coral-pink as I own a few of those, I was looking for more of a creamy peach-pink tone - which I think this is.  If you google this colour, lots of the pictures look so different - it all depends on the lighting.  Surely I will show you my own picture in a up coming blog post.

So that's it for my haul!  Have you been shopping recently?  What have you picked up - anything exciting!?!

Angela xox

Tangle Teezer Review

I have a new toy, thanks to my Mum.  Long story short, we were in Boots waiting for prescriptions from the pharmacy.  They usually tell you to make yourself busy for 10 minutes while they prepare it, so my Mum and I browsed the beauty aisles.

We were in the hair accessories section when Mum spotted the Tangle Teezer.  I explained to her what it was as she'd never seen one before.  Cutting the story short, my lovely Mum bought this while my back was turned then gave it to me later on as a 'I love my daughter' gift.  Sigh! I love my Mum for things like that.  Mums are the best!

So whilst the sun has been out shining today I thought I'd take a few pictures on the green grass of my new hair gadget.  I've seen so many posts about the Tangle Teezer and often wondered what the fuss was about when it came to the fancy looking space age hairbrush.

Now if you don't know what the Tangle Teezer is, it is a unique brush invented by Shaun P.  He has around 30 years experience of dealing with manes of all shapes and sizes.  After lots of research and development he invented the Tangle Teezer as the ultimate detangler.

With the bristles or teeth at various different heights this is meant to brush through your hair with ease.  No pulling and tugging, there is not knotty mane this cannot handle . . . apparently.  It can be used on wet or dry hair.  As I've only had this a day, I have just used it on my dry hair and so far I would say I'm quite liking this.  I have thick hair and it can get tangled very easily.  I've handle no problems so far and it goes through smoothly.

When it comes to the shape and design I'll be honest, when I was a little girl I used to ride horses and groom them at the weekends.  This little gizmo could quite happily be amongst my tack box brushes for the horses. The whole hand held design is very similar to a horse brush.  It is very light and isn't difficult to use but I think this is a stay at home hairbrush.  I wouldn't want to take this out and about in my bag.  It's just a bit chunky.  the biggest plus is . . . it's pink! 

Two let downs however is it states on the packaging is you cannot use it with heat.  So obviously blow drying and straightening is a no no whilst using this.  You don't want it to melt now do you?  The other let down is the price.  At about £10 a pop it isn't cheap.  Perhaps shop around online if you can find it cheaper?  Besides the price though I would recommend it completely.

Have you ever tried the Tangle Teezer?

Angela xox

My current hair products/routine

Whilst I was having a my bubble bath last night  I got to thinking about doing a post about the products I use on my hair.  This will be a simple post as I don’t use tonnes of items, just a few bits. The post will show the items i use to clean and when it comes to styling. . .

Lush, Aussie, Macadamia, TRESemme and Aveda

As I said I don't use many things in my hair.  I try not to because my hair gets greasy quite easily so I don't like putting tonnes of chemicals into my hair.  Using less products helps my hair a lot I think.

So for starters I like to use this duo:

Lush I Love Juicy Shampoo ~ This tiny bottle has lasted me a good long time.  When I first picked this up I chose the smallest bottle 100g (they also sell 250g and 500g)  as my hair is a bit blah sometimes.  So I didn't want to spend lots money if i didn't know what I was getting.  Now I've used this for a while I love it so much.  It smells yummy like a fruit smoothie you can drink and when I apply this to my hair it just feels like it's stripping every last bit of dirty grime out of my hair.  This is full of tasty fruits from the likes of kiwi, papaya, mango and pineapple.  If you do have oily hair . . .  give this a go.  Your hair will literally be squeaky clean.

Aussie Take The Heat 3 Minute Deep Treatment ~ To make your hair soft and beautiful I have been using this as my regular conditioner as supposed to a deep treatment.  I still wear it for over 3 minutes but I opt for the Macadamia Mask for my deep treatment.  After I Love Juicy has made my hair so squeaky clean this adds a luxury feel to my hair making it soft and silky.  The 'Take The Heat' also helps for heat treated hair whether it be blow drying, curling or straightening.

And for the drying and styling phase:

Macadamia Healing Oil Spray ~ I love love love this product it has become a holy grail item.  I'd heard so much about Moroccanoil and the Macadamia and how everyone says it has helped them so much.  I picked up a small bottle in the US and I love this so much it was worth the entire trip.  After washing I spray on my damp hair (not dripping wet, just damp) I concentrate most of this on mid to the bottom of the hair, I do not add to the roots.  It smells nice and your hair is instantly manageable.  Then after the blow drying and straightening step, I spray it into my palms, rub them together and apply to the end of my hair.  I also spritz it over my entire head to add shine.  I told you i love this!!!

TRESemme Iron Style & Hold Spray ~ A heat protecting spray which I spray on my towel dried hair then blow dry.  It helps against heat damage which we all get at some stage.  It smells lovely and smooths my mane.  Only use this on wet/damp hair.  

Aveda Volumizing Tonic ~  I suffer from a case of flat roots, when I blow dry I do have volume however literally a day or two after cleaning my hair is just flat. . . rather annoying.  I think it was Fleur who I first heard mention this so I thought I'd give it a go. I've had this for a while and used it but it seemed like it wasn't quite doing it for my hair.  But after a little googling I discovered I wasn't using it correctly.  I had been using too much and on wet hair so it was making the situation worse by flattening and making the roots greasy.  So to use this now I spray about three spritz into the roots after I have partially blow dried my hair and I use a round brush to to style.


What do you use in your hair?
 
Angela xox

Lets tame that crazzzzzy mane with Mr Freida!!!!

I am one of many people who suffers for frizzy hair.  I struggle with the glossy sleek look.  When I say 'glossy and sleek' I mean the non-greasy kind of mane which is luscious and you don't want to stop touching your hair because it is so soft.

I read about this wonder product on the gorgeous Milly aka Pearls and Poodles blog right here.  She completely recommends it on her post. 

John Frieda Frizz Ease - Serum Finishing Spray Glossing Mist

The name is such a mouth full but who cares, the job it does it amazing.  When I use this I do not spray it directly onto the hair, I spray to into the air and wave my locks into the falling mist.  The doubly good thing about this is that your hair doesn't feel greasy afterwards....just silky and glossy.

I use this a long with my VO5 Miracle Concentrate Elixir With Argan Oil I did a review here if you want to have a little read.  I wash my hair blah blah then leave my hair to dry natural.  When it's still damp I use the VO5 on the ends of my hair then a bit of Tresmee spray for the hair drying.  Once I've finished the hair drying and styling then I spray this and then brush it through.  As simple as that ...honest!

So do you suffer from the frizz?  I would recommend you give this little miracle in a bottle a whirl!  At £5.59 (in Boots) it is a complete miracle worker available from other places like Superdrug and your local supermarket.

Angela xox

VO5 Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil

These days a lot of people think you need to spend mega bucks to get great hair.  If you're a celebrity...then you can.... but for us normal folk - it isn't so easy on the purse strings.

One of the latest trends is Moroccan Oil, which has celebrity fans along the lines of Katy Perry, Rachel Bilson, Taylor Swift , Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood. ...even Russell Brand is said to be a fan.  I've seen and read that quite a few beauty guru's are starting to use M.O. also.  The only thing about M.O. is it can be ever so slightly expensive.  So my next best alternative is the V05 equivalent...

Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil

This 50ml bottle came in at £5.00 from good old faithful Tesco.  Completely accessible to most people in the UK.  It can also be found in most other supermarkets and Boots and Superdrug.  Prices do vary, so have a look around before you hand over your pocket money so to speak.

V05 have been around for quite sometime and they know their stuff.  I have always been a fan of their shampoos and conditioners and would total recommend the brand. When it comes to hair the boys and girls at V05 know what they are talking about.

The pipette and the oil

You can either use this on towel dried hair or the other way is to use it on dry hair as a frizz tamer and to provide a bit of extra shine.  I love using this on my towel dried locks. I just comb my hair through and into the palm of my hand - drop about 4-6 drops.  I then apply this to the ends of my hair and any excess i have left over I just run my hands through my hair.

When I have finally dried my hair it is so smooth and silky.  And it's very soft too and I just want to keep touching it.  Sometimes it is so nice i don't even bother to style my hair with the GHD's.  This is very conditioning and makes my hair feel lovely.

The obvious thing with this product is that it is an oil.....sooooo if you have the tendency to get oily scalp/hair don't use it near your roots.  It's not an oily/greasy product any way and you don't need to apply this to the root area as its more the body and tips of the hair that need an Argan oil special treatment.

If you want to check the V05 website for this product and any others they sell.  You can click right here. 

My final thoughts of this product are - it says miracle in the name.  They must of forgot to add worker after that, because this certain is!  At £5.00 is a completely bargain.  A little goes along with this all depending on the length and thickness of your hair.  The packaging though I'm a bit hmmm ahhh  about.  It has a little pipette is distribute the product and I'm not too sure if a spray bottle would be better or not.  I'm still debating so in my head as I write this post.  But a side from the packaging this is a winner for me...hands down!!!!

Have you tried this or any other Argan oil treatment?  What are your thoughts?

Angela xox

Lazy Locks

Happy November everybody!! This is my guide to lazy locks, so easy you hardly have to do anything - honest. We all have to admit we have evenings where we wash our lovely locks then cannot be bothered to style them afterwards. If this is you all raise your hands and say aye.

Usually I’ll just wash my hair on a Sunday then just wrap my towel round my head and be done with it.  Or I’ll plait and braid my hair and let it dry.  But last night I chose differently.  Ages ago I picked up this from Claire’s.  I introduce you to...

The Rageaze – Price £ 5.50

Ragging your hair definitely isn’t a new trick; it’s been about for years.  I remember my lovely Mummy putting rags in my hair as a child...then I used to look like a raggy doll.

To make myself sound really old by saying this...but in my day ragging was done by wrapping hair around a piece of rag i.e. t-shirt, cloth, cotton sheeting...then tying the ends in a knot.  Simples.  Rageaze have changed this hearty tradition by changing the rag for a piece of thin canvas paper kitchen towel like material.  Strange.  It also contains ingredients – even stranger!  The ‘rag’ is damp with alcohol and other weird chemicals.  Not quite sure if it helps the curling process...who knows.

So dividing your towel dried hair into pig tails and selecting hair and pieces of rag you you’ll soon end up looking like this....

Excuse the pjs and lack of makeup.

Wrap it up with a towel to stop your pillow getting damp.  Also remember you get used to the discomfort of the buns of hair sticking in to your head.  Then all you need to do is catch your beauty sleep and fast forward 8 hours ...tadda!!  The morning after and pretty much in one piece!  

Rags in and rags out!

With a little teasing with my finger tips and a few quick sprays of Cheryl aka Elnett.



You get this finished article!

Love it!

I’m really impressed with this product, the fact that there is no heat, no styling products 


involved and just beauty sleep used to create this is brilliant.  Basically you have to put 


hardly no effort in at all!

I have to be honest, I am a little puzzled with two aspects of this product.  Firstly when I picked this up in Claire’s I thought it would contain pieces of cloth/cotton rag – not something that wouldn’t look out of place whilst cleaning your kitchen or bathroom.  The ‘rags’ do have the resemblance to Flash disposable kitchen bathroom wipes (See the close up pictures).  Secondly, they do have a chemical smell.  Why they contain chemicals is a mystery to me, luckily the smell doesn’t transfer to your hair.

The Rageaze pack contains 25 individual sheets and I used approximately 8 to 10 in my hair to achieve this look. I wouldn’t say they are reusable, but if you take them out carefully then maybe you can.  Cotton cloth rags would be more Eco-friendly though.  Worth a thought when you’re going to throw out an old T-shirt.

Long story short I would definitely try the ragging technique again!!!!

Have you ever tried ragging or this products???

Remember to enter my Eyeko give away!!!

~ Angela xox

Me bad :0(

Right .... I was very bad...ages ago I was going to tell you what was inside this box and envelope...

See post back on the...erm 22nd July. Oopsie!

I admit, I completely forgot to post the follow up and have only just remembered. Silly me.  But my live and die by saying is 'better late than never'.  That's my motto!

I bet you want to know what's in there right...??? Both these purchases were from online.  The white box is an order from a Texas based company called Hair Boutique Market Place.  I'd eyed up this gorgeous nail polish and this store seemed like the only place to sell it.  Inside the box is...

L-R : Zoya's Felicity, CHI's Keratin Mist and OPI's Apricot-cha Cheating.

I was mainly after the OPI polish as it's a pretty apricot colour, I never seen a to die for polish colour like this before...so I knew I had to have it! Hehe.   The others items were spontaneous add into my basket moments.  And I'm pretty glad i did add them.  

The CHI product I've heard lots about it being great for strengthening your hair and giving a shine.  Well I can vouch for the reviews ...it totally is the best item I've ever bought my hair!!!  I've basically used it every time I've washed my hair since July and my hair is showing the benefits.  It's just so ..nice!  It's a huge bottle too, 300ml.  This baby is going to last a while.  All I do is spray it into towel dried out and then blow dry.  It's lush.

The little polish on the left of the picture is a pretty baby pink shimmery polish by Zoya.  I've never had Zoya before but this polish is totally girly.  I'm hoping to do nail polish swatches for my nail polish collection post.  Coming soon.

In the teeny weenie brown envelope was these 3 amigos;

.

L-R: OPI's Jade is the new black, Samoan Sands, Royal Rajah Ruby 

These are all purchased from the Ebay shop Enchanted Beauty Spot.  I found this place via Lollipop26 aka Laura.  It seems to be her place to shop for OPI polish as they are cheaper than the sky high UK prices.   Samoan Sands I heard is the PREFECT nude polish.  At the time I ordered these, I was going through a nude phase hence my purchase.  The Jade is the new black.  Now I only got the Ruby colour, because I couldn't decide which Lincoln polish to get.  After dark or After midnight hmmmmmmmm? Undecided, I opted out of getting any and went for the Ruby instead.  I am a fan of the dark sexy reds, especially on my toes :-)

So that's what I got.  Just to let you know I didn't pay any UK Post Office rip off Import fees for these, they were pretty light weight :0)  That's just in case you fancy ordering for yourself.

See you later alligators ;-)

~ Angela xoxo