Root-fixation + dry shampoo

I went to the hairdressers today to FINALLY get my roots done.  I haven’t had my highlights touched up since the middle of August and lately I’ve been subject to severe root-fixation!  Root-fixation is a stage I normally go through a few weeks before my highlights are due.  It consists of me struggling to do anything with my hair as all I can see are big brown roots.  Up-do’s look rubbish, having my hair down looks rubbish.  I’m reassuringly told by my friends that this fixation is “all in my head” (excuse the pun) but still my hair appointment can’t come a day too quickly once root-fixation kicks in.  During this time, dry shampoo is my friend and my saviour.  Everyone knows dry shampoo leaves a white residue, and for most people this is an annoyance.  For me, it is my most powerful weapon against root-fixation.  I find the white residue kicks out some of the stark contrast between the blonde hair and the brown roots – I swear by it.  I think it helps that I have white blonde highlights, but generally I know a lot of people who have blonde highlights complain that roots make their hair look greasier quicker.  The dry shampoo combats this as well, as it lifts your roots, making them look more freshly washed.

Batiste range

 

The dry shampoo I use is my old faithful Batiste.  I tend to use the “Blush” one as I prefer the smell.  Batiste now offers larger cans of their dry shampoo which are £4.99 for 400ml.  I’ve dabbled with other dry shampoos in the past.  I quite liked the Toni & Guy and Lee Stafford ones.  Both have a nice signature scent which makes your hair feel very fresh.  They don’t pack the same punch when it comes to white residue, so if you struggle with the residue Batiste leave then maybe try one of these.  My main problem with these two though was the price.  Both were around £7-8 for a standard size can, and I go through the stuff so quickly it was turning into a massive chunk of my cosmetic expense. 

For a cheaper alternative to Batiste, which does not pile on the residue, you can’t go wrong with Tesco’s own brand dry shampoo.  You’ll need to give the scents a try (I think I got the purple one) as some are a bit funky.  But for £1.50, they do the job well enough if you are after something to freshen your hair.  If, like me, you are a residue girl then I wouldn’t recommend anything other than Batiste.

My younger sister is a fan of Superdrug’s own brand but not necessarily for freshening greasy hair.  She finds their power lies in their ability to volumise and hold.  Apparently the texture it leaves in your hair isn’t ideal, but it makes your hair go quite rigid and voluminous, which is undoubtedly useful in certain hairstyles which would normally require excessive backcombing.  She uses the brown version though, so I cannot vouch for the other colours/types.  It sounds like they have a similar effect to the new “backcomb in a bottle” products that are creeping onto high street shelves.  I know Umberto Giannini definitely do one, and I was actually quite a fan.  I don’t have much call for backcombing because I rarely wear my hair up and it is naturally very thick.  But I did think the product produced an interesting, and workable texture in my hair.  Anyway, tangent...

So here is my freshly highlighted hair.  I have half a head of woven bleach highlights with the top section done with back to back highlights to get it as light as possible. Oh bleached roots it is so good to have you back...

Update on Hydraluron review

I posted a review back in September of a new (and rather expensive) product I had purchased called Hydraluron by Indeed Labs.

At the time of my original review I said the 'proof of the pudding' would come down to whether I was willing to spend the money to re-purchase the item when it ran out.

For the initial review see here,

UPDATE:

So, my Hydraluron has finally run out, which means it has lasted for 17 weeks of applying twice a day.  This works out at about 10p per application ... not too bad?

So it is crunch time ... am I going to buy again?  I was originally in two minds about whether I would re-purchase this, but now I have shifted to a definite yes.  There are two main things that contributed to this shift. 

Firstly, I was away at the weekend and forgot to take the product with me.  I didn't notice any drastic difference in my skin, but it did feel less 'well-behaved'.  One of the most noticeable differences was that my foundation literally melted into my skin within a few hours.  So on a review basis, I can definitely say that Hydraluron makes my make-up last considerably longer.  I guess this is because it creates some form of barrier which prevents my skin absorbing the foundation.  For information, I was using primer at the weekend as well, and my foundation still disappeared.  So the Hydraluron is doing something more than a primer.

Secondly, my skin is having a bit of a nightmare generally.  I think it is due to the change in the weather as I tend to get this every year.  My eczema is playing up, my skin is dry, I'm itchy and I've got lots of angry red patches on my arms and legs.  Noticeably though, I haven't had any problems with my face.  I'm putting this down to my new power partnership of Hydraluron and Body Shop Hemp Face Protector.  My skin is notoriously difficult in this weather, so the fact my face is coping well this year means Hydraluron must be packing some kind of punch in the hydration department.  Now all I need is a similar product for my body.....

Essie 'Luxedo'

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!  Now Christmas Day is over (boo) the only way a girl can console herself is by trying out any new goodies she got in her christmas stocking...

I was lucky enough to get a new nail varnish from my sister for Christmas, which is a shade I have been dying to try...'Luxedo' by Essie.

You'll know from my previous blogs I have recently turned into a bit of an Essie convert, and am slowly building up my collection.  So far I own 'Mink Muffs', 'Skirting the Issue' and 'Lilacism'.

I'm a fan of Essie nail varnishes because at £7.99 they aren't horrifically expensive, they are easy to apply and quick drying, the don't go gloopy quickly and they sell them in my local Boots store which means I can peruse the colours much easier than OPI (which I have to do online).

The only shade of colour that (so far) had kept me true to OPI is their 'Lincoln Park After Dark'. 

As you've probaby guessed, these aren't my nails!  But this photo gives a really accurate representation of the colour.

I love this shade, I have been through over 5 bottles.  It is notoriously hard to get hold of because I would imagine it is up there with some of OPI's best sellers. It is a deep purple colour which almost looks black when applied but has just enough purple pigment to make it look slightly softer than black, and (in my opinon) more luxe.  Black can sometimes look a bit cold and harsh, especially against winter skin.  The only colour I have found to match it is Rimmel's Black Cherry, although this goes gloopy so quickly.

My mission has therefore been to find an Essie that matches the OPI 'Lincoln Park', and I would say 'Luxedo' is sufficiently close.

The first thing that struck me about this shade was how dark the first coat went on.  You will know from my previous reviews of Essie that I find their darker colours do take a few coats to really get going colour-depth-wise, but this was quite dark for a first coat. At this point you can get an idea of the purple undertones and this purple is definitely a colder purple than the 'Lincoln Park' shade.

First coat (please excuse my nails!)

I found this shade only needed 2 coats of colour to get really deep and dark.  This is a bonus as it takes less time drying-wise and you can really load on the clear top coat to make the nails super glossy (which is a must with darker shades).

After second coat

After clear top coat

You can see from the last photo that a hint of the purple still comes through when the nail catches light (in this case the flash, but you get the same effect with sunlight, artificial light etc).  I like that you still get this hint of colour, as again, it keeps this a softer alternative to black.

That said however, I do feel this fails to fully match the 'Lincoln Park' shade.  Don't get me wrong, I love this colour and think it will become a staple of my nailvarnish collection, especially because of how quickly the colour builds which is a bonus when short for time.  I think the problem with this is that it lacks something of the luxuriousness I feel with the OPI shade.  The 'Lincoln Park' shade seems to be a slightly warmer purple which gives it a richer, more full-bodied effect.  The Essie shade does look quite black when not getting picked up by a flash or by light, whereas the OPI one tends to maintain the colour pigment a bit better despite how dark it gets.

There's a possibility my reluctance to announce Luxedo as a bona fide alternative is down to me being such a die-hard fan of Lincoln.  I've used it for years and it is always hard to tear yourself away from your holy grail product.  I can see myself wearing Luxedo for everday use and Lincoln for special events.  All that said, if you want a cheaper alternative to OPI's Lincoln Park after Dark, you could do a lot worse than Luxedo...

Samantha Chapman Expert Face Brush - A review

On a recent shopping trip to Norwich, I came across a new make-up brush range in Boots by Samantha Chapman.

Of the collection on display, the brush that caught my eye was the Expert Face Brush.  It didn’t really look like any brush I had seen before; it looked like a large version of the Mac 227 ‘large fluff brush’ for eyes, but this brush was for your face.  That was my curiosity officially aroused.

I did the usual, and stood with it in my hand for about 5 minutes trying to decide if I needed yet another make up brush.  At £9.99 it wasn’t expensive enough to immediately discount, but wasn’t cheap enough to warrant an “oh go on then”.  My will power won and I put it back.

However my curiosity continued to niggle and I found myself checking out reviews on the beauty blogs.  I couldn’t find a single bad review.  I then went on the Samantha Chapman website where she gives video tutorials of how to use the brushes.  I got 11 seconds into the tutorial for the Expert Face Brush and then found myself clicking “add to basket” on Amazon.  Expert Face Brush...purchased.

So what’s the verdict?  I love this brush.  I normally apply my liquid foundation with either my fingers or the Mac 190 foundation brush.  I have dabbled in the past with the Mac 130 stippling brush, but never quite worked out how to use it properly.

This brush is like nothing I have seen on the market before.  It has shorter bristles which are densely packed and graduated to make a smooth ‘bulb-like’ shape.  The bristles are soft, very soft. They are synthetic but you wouldn’t guess.  And the bristles are so dense and tight that it feels like a very expensive brush.

Application is so easy.  Watch Samantha’s video and you’ll see she literally just brushes her foundation on with little care.  This is all down to the brush.  The head is small enough to give good control, but big enough to allow quick coverage of the whole face.  It requires barely any blending as it leaves none of the pesky brush strokes that you get with a standard foundation brush.  I also like the way it almost buffs the foundation into the skin.  I find some foundation brushes just push the foundation around your face, but this seems to buff and apply at the same time.

It feels very luxurious on the skin, which is potentially one of my favourite things about it.  Even my Mac foundation brush can get scratchy at times and gets very loaded down with the product.  The Expert Face Brush stays light and soft whilst still giving great coverage. 

The effect this brush creates is also impressive.  I don’t think I have ever used another brush that could rival it in its evenness.  I definitely see what other bloggers mean when they say it gives a very flawless finish.  I also found it didn’t accentuate my pores quite as much – I’m not sure why but it didn’t seem to make the foundation cling quite as much.

For £9.99 this brush is a steal, and has become the staple of my make-up collection after just a week of using it.  I need to clean it soon, so I am hoping it cleans up nicely.  If it does, I am definitely consigning my old foundation brushes to the bin.  I doubt it will be long before the big make-up brush names will be bringing out a copy.  Samantha Chapman, I salute you.

Essie Mink Muffs - A Review

I have long been searching for a nail varnish which is in the taupe/mink/slate type family.  I always think these nail colours look really nice, but the key seems to be in getting a shade that suits your skin tone.

I’ve so far failed to find one where the colour suits me.  My hands are not my best feature, they are quite wrinkly for my age, and get very red and sore in winter.  They can therefore be quite unforgiving when it comes to the more unusual nail colours.  I had tried No. 7’s ‘Beanie’ a few years back, but I hate the consistency of No.7 nail varnishes, and the brush is too thin.  The colour wasn’t bad, but the application was too difficult. 

I’ve found this family of colours tend to only pop up in the higher-end nail varnish ranges.  You’ll struggle to find a decent taupe-based shade in any varnish under the £7 mark. 

On a recent girly shopping trip with my Mum, she randomly ended up buying Chinchilly by Essie for her Christmas parties.  Both of us were a little surprised at how nice the grey shade looked on her nails – my Mum because she thought it would look too “young” on her, and me because we share a similar skin tone and normally the grey based colours look awful. 

Following her success, we then started having a play with different colours and I then ended up purchasing Essie’s Mink Muffs... (on an aside, I recommend playing with colours when you have the time and are with an honest companion.  Like in this case, you often find colours suit you which you weren’t expecting)



Mink Muffs is a pinky-purple based mink colour.  The colour reminds me of one of the colours offered by the Impress press-on nail range, which I have always liked.  It looks a completely different colour in the bottle, almost terracotta-based.  I’d never have picked it off the shelf in a million years, but it looked completely different when I tested it on my finger nail.

The application is typical Essie.  The desired depth of colour is easily achieved in two applications, although it always leaves me hankering after a third application to really give the colour some punch.

After 1 application

After 2 applications

I struggle to describe the colour.  It definitely has warm undertones which I think makes it look a bit less harsh against my skin tone.  It also changes quite drastically in different lights.  In my bedroom last night it looked very taupe based, but when I was walking through town on my lunch break today I noticed it was very purple! (Hence why I had to take a photo – ignore the sainsburys bag!)

In daylight!

Thus far I am a fan of this colour.  It is taking a bit of getting used to, because it isn’t as dark as what I normally use at this time of year.  However it seems to go really nicely with cream clothing, and also offers a less harsh alternative when wearing a lot of black.  I also think it will come in handy for the xmas season.

As usual I am impressed with the actual Essie varnish – creamy application, good shine, good colour depth, decent sized brush.  You can't go wrong for £7.99!  They are also buy one get one half price at the moment in Boots. 

Essie 'Skirting the Issue'

I posted a few weeks ago about how impressed I was with my first experience of Essie nail-varnishes.

Following the success of the pastel lilac colour I bought, I have been itching to try out the rest of their range.  I caved a few days ago and bought “Skirting the Issue” – a deep burgundy colour from their new ‘Stylenomics” range.

I am normally loyal to OPI, but seeing as they do not sell them in any shops in my local town centre, I struggle when picking colours as they look so different on swatches on the internet.

Normally before I purchase a new cosmetic, I have a scout around the beauty blogs to see what kind of buzz is surrounding the product.  In this case, I did it the other way round – I purchased then searched the blogs.

Several of the blogs criticised the varnish for needing several coats to get an even finish.  The colour (when photographed on people’s nails) also looked a lot lighter than I expected.

Oh dear.

Anyway, seeing as I had bought it, I had to try it out.  Here’s my opinion....

The first thing I noticed was that the consistency is quite runny.  It is easy to overload the brush and it was difficult to control it around the base and sides of my nail where I found it tended to run or collect.  I think there is a fine line with nail varnishes between them being runny enough to glide on the nail and dry quickly, but thick enough that you still maintain some control.  This erred on the runny side.

These are my nails after the first coat. 

 

It did ‘glide’ on quite nicely, which is the same experience I had with the lilac shade, but you can see on my thumb what I mean about the product ‘collecting’ and you can see on the edge of my ring finger where the product has started to run.  However, it was generally quite even for a first coat of a darker nail-varnish. 

These are my nails after the second coat.

I expect a nail varnish to reach its intended colour after two coats, as I find anything more than 2 coats makes it tricky to dry properly.  I found it quite difficult to get an even covering with the second coat.  I tended to get a bit of a ‘dip-dyed’ situation going on, where the tips of my nails were darker than the base.  My thumb nail gives the best representation of how even the colour ended up.  You can also see where it has run again on my middle finger.

The colour was definitely lighter than I was expecting.  It is a nice burgundy, but not as deep as I would have liked.  The flash on my camera makes it look lighter....the photo [below left] is without a flash and you can see it looks considerably darker.  The photo on the right gives the truest representation of the colour I achieved.  Some of my nails are definitely darker than the others...there is a definite lack of consistency in the depth of colour.
 

Having said that, I love the finish.  Both this varnish, and the lilac I previously bought, both have a very luxe, shiny finish. I did apply a top coat of cheap clear nail varnish but after a day of wearing it my nails have not dulled as much as they do with other brands of nail varnish.  It is also the kind of nail varnish, both in colour and finish, which makes your hands looks quite ‘groomed’. 

Overall I do like this nail varnish, once I accepted the colour was not what I was after!  I maintain that the consistency is difficult to control – I doubt I will be able to use this if my nails are shorter as you need enough nail space to be able to even out the colour and the brush carries too much product.  It will certainly not be a ‘quickie’ nail varnish that I can apply in a rush.  It needs a steady surface, concentration and time to apply.  But if applied with care, it does produce a good, glossy end result in a colour that is very ‘this season’.

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UPDATE:  In a pang of boredom the following day, I decided to paint another coat of colour and clear polish on top.  I do have a tendency to do this.  I find that 3 coats of colour, plus a base and top coat, never dries properly if all applied at the same time.  They give the illusion of being dry but will still smudge or pick up texture patterns.  This may be my lack of skill in application!  But often I find if I do the generic 2 coats of colour and a base & top coat, they dry easier.  Then the next day if I apply again I find it dries a lot more robustly.

So anyway!  Here is a photo of my nails after a 3rd coat of colour and a further clear top coat.  I definitely prefer the depth of colour this extra coat has given and the colour is now much closer to what I was originally after.  Quite a long-winded process though to get this nail varnish to work for me...
 

Boots Simply Sensitive - gentle on the face and your bank balance

I have always struggled with skin care because my skin is so sensitive and very dry.  I suffer from eczema and if my skin disagrees with a product, the skin around my eyes will quickly flare up.

As a result, I have had limited success with facial moisturisers and cleansers.  I have reacted to products ranging from Liz Earle's much-raved about hot cloth cleanser, right through to moisturisers specifically designed for sensitive skin, e.g. E45 and Avene.

The only two facial moisturisers I have had success with are Aderma and the La Roche Posay Toleriane range.  Both are specifically designed for sensitive skin and definitely kept my flare-ups at bay.

But I had niggly issues with both - Aderma was very thick and had a rather unpleasant whiff to it and La Roche Posay was (in my thrifty opinion) quite expensive for a daily moisturiser.  At £16 a tube (a small tube) I was shifting through a lot of it as I moisturise at least twice a day.

The products I now use were definitely a bit of a miracle find for me.  It is the night moisturiser and face cleanser from Boots Simply Sensitive range.

I am guessing this range was brought out as Boots answer to the incredibly successful 'Simple' range.  I use Simple's eye make-up remover and would never switch, I love it.  Boots had their range on offer when they first launched it, so I decided I'd try it.

Boots Simply Sensitive Night Moisturiser

The night moisturiser comes in a little pot which is easy to store and use, and being a pot rather than a tube, you can make sure you get every last bit out of it.  It is fragrance and colour free and contains typical sensitive skin ingredients such as aloe vera and mineral oil.

It is completely fragrance free, there is no scent to it at all other than a basic 'cream' smell. For a night moisturiser it has quite a light consistency and I find it rubs in very easily.  No stinging at all.  Sometimes if I apply loads it can leave a bit of a sticky residue but that doesn't last long.  I find it to be a good base for my foundation, and my skin feels soft all day (despite working in an air conditioned office!)  I use it both mornings and evenings, despite it being designed for night only. I did buy the day moisturiser but it just didn't provide enough moisturisation, it was far too light and thin. 

I have been using this product now for over a year and, although my skin isn't perfect, it is definitely calm and moisturised!  I haven't (touch wood) had any skin breakouts or reaction to this product and it has seen me through wind-induced chapped skin in the winter and sunburnt (naughty) skin in the summer.  At £3.79 (and regularly on 3 for 2 or 30% off offers) I'd highly recomment it to any dry, sensitive skin types out there.  The price tag means that if it doesn't work you haven't wasted too much money, but if it does, you've discovered a very cheap way to moisturise your skin!

Boots Simply Sensitive Cleansing Lotion

For your £2.79 price tag you get a big bottle (200ml) of this stuff.  The neck of the bottle has a plastic stopper so it is easy to control how much you pour out, and again I find you can use all of the product up.  I squeeze a bit onto cotton wool pads and wipe over my face until the pads are clean.  I wear quite a bit of foundation and this cuts through it easily.

Because it is a lotion, it doesn't dry my skin out at all.  If you suffer from greasy or combination skin you may not like this product as it does feel as if it is leaving a slight film on the skin.  I wouldn't say I get that 'squeaky clean' feeling you get with some cleansers, but then I find the cleansers that make my skin feel clean, also dry it out. So it doesn't bother me that this cleanser doesn't leave me with that clean feeling.  Don't get me wrong, you feel you have lifted the products and 'muck' of the day from your face - it just feels fresh rather than squeaky clean.

Again, I have used this product for over a year and have had no reactions or flare-ups.  I still get spots, but not on a regular basis, which makes me confident that the cleanser is removing my make-up etc.  Once again, for the price, it is worth a shot

Overall
I love these two products and it will take something pretty impressive to drag me away from them!  For the price, I think you couldn't really ask for much more.  Is my skin glowing and flawless? No.  I still have prominent large pores, I still get the odd spot and angry blemish and my skin tone is generally still pretty uneven.  But based on my previous experience with skin care, it's the best results I have found so far.