SALON SCIENCE HAIR PRODUCTS REVIEW*

A little while ago I was asked if I wanted to try out these Salon Science hair products. I jumped at the chance as I'm trying so hard to find the perfect products for my hair. Because my hair has been bleached (One too many times I must admit), it's hard to make my hair look and feel healthy on a daily basis. When I was sent a few products, which were lovingly picked out for my hair type, I couldn't to dive in, and I was secretly hoping that these would be the answer to all my hair prayers.

I actually hadn't heard of Salon Science before so I was super excited to see what they had to offer. I was kindly gifted the Retextuluxe Shampoo and Conditioner partnered with the Hydrasorb Intensive Masque to try as my hair is dry and lifeless. I gave the products a fair few weeks to really put them to the test, but the beautiful thing about trying hair care is that you see instant results! Hurrah!

First off, I'm one of those people that sniff the bottles on the shelves. I don't want anything chemically or overpowering, and these were very delicately scented which I loved. For some reason overly perfumed hair products puts me straight off at the moment! I started off with the shampoo first by popping a two pence sized amount into my hair. It lathered up beautifully and washed off great too. I found this was gentle on my hair and didn't leave my hair feeling stripped of moisture like some other shampoos can. Because it's a gentle shampoo you could easily get away with skipping the conditioner if you were in a hurry. The matching conditioner is also just as brilliant. I need a small amount to cover my hair, focusing on the ends. The conditioner is light too, which is perfect. I find that some moisturising conditioners can be heavy on my hair and leaves it looking lifeless, but this conditioner was moisturising as well as light on the hair which gives my hair body and bounce,

Even though the shampoo and conditioner are divine, the stand out product for me is the Hydrabsorb Intensive Masque. It's perfect. It tingles on the scalp which I really, really like. I leave this on for about 20 minutes while I'm shaving and all that great stuff, and after rinsing my hair feels cleansed, moisturised and ready for the day ahead. I've never come across a hair masque that focuses on the scalp, so I'd definitely recommend giving this a go. I'm trying to grow my roots out as bleaching my hair as ruined my hair, so this is great for helping grow your hair out and give your scalp the foundations it needs for healthy, happy hair!

If you're looking for a change in your hair care, I'd recommend checking out Salon Science. I wasn't let down at all by their products, and I was completely blown away with the Hydrabsorb Hair Masque! The products are all affordable and are available from Boots!

You can see the full range from Boots here

or on their own website here.

You can grab the Retextuluxe Shampoo here for £11 here,

The Retexuluxe Conditioner for £12 here.

And the Hydrabsorb Hair Masque here for £14.

Thanks for reading!

*Sent for review purposes

CHRISTMAS MAKEUP - SILVER GLITTER LOOK

I love glitter - especially at Christmas! I've made a promise to myself that glitter needs to be in my look everyday for the whole of December - and I've done that! Adding glitter to your look is super easy to do and is also very affordable. You can add a little in the inner corners, layered on top of winged liner or eyeshadow, on your lips - or as I've done. All over the lid! I use the Stargazer glitter glue which is only a couple of pounds. I'll do a review on that very soon when I grab another tube - Mine's looking a bit dirty and well loved!

When doing a glitter eye all over the lid, I don't always do a transition shade. However this time I decided to as it tricks people into thinking I have a crease! I used a orange toned brown for this look to transition to bring out the blue in my eyes. I did this first so I was able to put the glitter on top. I used the applicator from the glue all over the lid, and popped on a mixture of glitters with a flat eyeshadow brush. I never stick to one glitter as I feel mixing glitters together creates dimension and makes the look a little more interesting. When I wore this to work, I had countless compliments on where I got my glitter from! I never buy expensive glitters and they're usually stuff from the pound shop. I'm not condoning this as they're not eye safe - So do use this at your own risk!

I topped the look off with some lashes, my brows done with the NYX Tame & Frame (review here), and the MAC Rihanna lipstick (review here). I added some lashes, mascara, then Revolt from the Electric Plaette by Urban Decay (review here) under the lashes. The amazing thing with glitter is that you can achieve a beautiful, eye catching and professional look without having to have precision and money! I find it really easy and quick to do also, as I find throwing on glitter onto the lid easier and faster than blending shadows and applying a winged liner!

Thanks for reading!

CHRISTMAS MAKEUP - GOLD AND GREEN METALLICS

I rarely sway from my winged liner or basic looks, but I'm trying so hard to wonder outside the box, and Christmas seems to be the perfect way to do that! I'm getting through so much glitter it's ridiculous! I've made a promise to myself to wear glitter everyday, or go for something I don't usually do. I rarely do smokey eyes - especially anything with green! I was inspired by the green Christmas trees for this look, with deep greens, soft golds and a pop of red colour.

For the eyes I used two colours from the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette. Damaged is a pretty deep ivy shade and Strike is a super sparkly yet soft gold. I popped Damaged on the outer lid blending it out and then blending it into Strike on the inner lid. I then used a little of Rewind from the same palette to blend out the shades in the crease for an easier transition. On the lips I went for the classic Ruby Roo by Mac. It's one of my favourite matte reds, and looks gorgeous on any skin tone. I went for a very matte/satin finish on the skin with powder, and a little highlight in the corners of the eyes. I then popped on some pretty lashes, winged liner and some mascara. I used the NYX Tame & Frame on the brows which I love, you can see my full review for that here.

It's an easy one to recreate, and surprisingly easy to wear. To bump up the level of festive, some added gold glitter would look beautiful on the gold section of the lid, or some gold highlight on the cheeks. I really hope this inspires you to try something a little different with your Christmas makeup, evening if it's adding something little to get into the festive spirit!

Thanks so much for reading!

MAC VIVA GLAM RIHANNA LIPSTICK SWATCH AND REVIEW

This has been sitting amongst my Mac lipsticks for a while now, but never thought to use it. Now I've started using it, it's my to go to Christmas red. I never really shy from matte lipsticks, but recently I have been loving sheeny lipsticks, glosses (Who would have thought it?) and metallic finishes. I never thought I'd stray from a matte lipstick, but I have, and I am in love.

Because of its frost finish I wasn't expecting it to last long on the lips, but this Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick has exceeded my expectations. It provides beautiful pigmentation, and because of it's frost finish it keeps my lips looking plump and fresh, with no pigment clinging around my dry areas. It's so easy to apply, and I rarely use a brush to tidy the edges. Because the formula is smooth it doesn't tug around the lips like some matte shades, so it was easy to get a clean line straight from the bullet. It wears so well too. Later in the day it dries down to more of a satin, but it doesn't loose it's colour. I cannot express my love for this lipstick any more! 

As you can see, it's the perfect red for the holidays, and it'll be in a few of my up coming Christmas looks without a doubt. If you stumble across this and debate whether to buy it - I promise you wont regret it! It's no longer available from Mac, but it tends to crop up on the internet every so often.

What's your favourite red lipstick for Christmas?

Thanks for reading!

NORWICH BLOGGERS CHRISTMAS MEAL AT WARWICK STREET SOCIAL

As one of the 3 organisers of the Norwich Blogger events, alongside Courteney and Justine, we had been organising this event since June. A Christmas meal being organised in June?! That's right - These Norwich Blogger events take a lot longer to organise that people realise! Making sure we have the best place, the best food and the best company doesn't happen over night. After having a few ideas on who to have our meal with, we settled on Warwick Street Social with its fantastic food, lovely and attentive staff and a beautiful venue. Previously to this event we held a cocktail evening to find the two best cocktails to compliment the Christmas Meal which turned out to be the Gingerbread Man cocktail and Candy Cane cocktail. 

We were lucky enough to have the lovely people down at Neal's Yard send us over some beautiful Wild Rose Beauty Balm for little party favours, which I adore and will review properly soon! Me and my mum (Thanks mumma!) Spent a fair few hours making the table names too, which looked lovely on the tables. We made sure the table looked perfect with candy canes!

 Gingerbread Man Cocktail

 Prawn, Crayfish & Mango Martini Cocktail & Avocado Puree.

 Modern Ham, Egg and Chips – Crispy Ham Hock, 

Cured Egg Yolk, Spiral Potato & Pineapple Salsa.

 Pan Roast Hake Fillet, Crushed New Potatoes, Wild Mushroom Cream & Buttered Leeks.

 Crispy Spiced Buttermilk Chicken, Home Slaw & Tomato Skinny Fries.

I started off with the Modern Ham, Egg & Chips which was lovely! I loved how cool the knot of fries looked. I've never seen anything like it! I then went for the Buttermilk Chicken, which isn't actually on the festive menu, because I am the pickiest person alive! I've had this meal here before and I always love it!

 My secret Santa!

 Chocolate Fondant, Salted Caramel Puree & Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

 Prosecco Jelly, Red Berries, Dehydrated Raspberries & Strawberry Sorbet.

 Cinnamon Doughnuts, Star Anise Poached Pineapple & Crème Fraiche Sorbet.

Because I'm greedy, I managed to have a taste of everyone's dessert. I actually chose the Cinnamon Doughnuts which were utterly incredible! I loved the Creme Fraiche Sorbet as well - Oh my goodness! What I'd give right now to devour that. We then finished off the night with some adorable Candy Cane cocktails which finished off the night beautifully. A massive thank you to my secret Santa too! I have my diffuser going in my room and everywhere is constantly smelling of beautiful coconut! Overall I had the best night with the most loveliest girls! I've met some amazing people which I can now call friends, which is such a lovely thing to be able to say. I'm constantly proud of being part of the Norwich Bloggers and I'm always overwhelmed by what we achieve.

You can read the full WSS Festieve Menu here.

Thanks for reading!

Candy Cane cocktail.

NYX TAME & FRAME - BRUNETTE REVIEW AND SWATCH

I've always used eyeshadow for my brows, and I've never strayed from that. I'm very late on the pomade train but I felt like it was now time to switch things up a bit and give new products a try. I tend to stick to what I know and love, so I was unsure of how this was going to pan out. Before we dive into the review, I can say that I will no longer go back to a eyeshadow for my brow again!

The pot is small and portable and has a standard screw-on screw-off lid. I use a normal eyebrow brush for application as this doesn't come with a mini one like some others. I don't usually care for travel sized brushes so this wasn't a fault for me. I picked up the Brunette as it matched well with my roots. When I had no roots and all blue hair I'd tend to go for something darker. The product is smooth and easy to apply, gliding onto the brows well. It's easy to blend if you're into the ombre look which I tend to go for, but it's equally good at creating a bold shape if that's what you like. When swatched onto my arm it didn't budge at all, and needed a serious scrub with a makeup wipe to get it off. On the brows however it can rub off a little with contact, but it's barely noticeable. It lasts all day and my eyebrows always look as good as it did when first applied! It's easy to get off at the end of the day with a face wash and needs little scrubbing that way.

Overall, I wont be going back to a shadow again! The NYX Tame & Frame provides crisp lines and bold colour, while keeping it natural or as prominent as you choose. It's now a staple in my makeup back!

You can grab this from Feel Unique for £5.50 here.

How affordable is that?

Thanks for reading!

CHRISTMAS WITH CLAIRE'S

I adore Christmas. This is my forth year working in a shop and I still love Christmas in retail. I love helping people find the right gifts and brightening peoples day when I can. I walk past a teeny tiny Claire's on the way to work each day, and I've been eyeing up a lot of pieces, but due to a retail wage, I obviously had to budget myself, which I 1000% didn't keep to. Claire's have some amazing Christmas items this year! Last year most of my festive accessories were from Claire's and I received many compliments during the Christmas season. I had to show you what I got this year (so far), as I know they'll feature in future festive looks. All the links and close ups are below!

 Christmas Food Earrings here for £8.

I wanted to grab as many earrings as I could, but on a budget it can be hard. I fell in love with this glittery set, and for £8 for the lot, these will keep you going all the way through December (Or November - No judgement here!). I love the glittery ginger bread men - They're super cute!

 Knee High Christmas Lights socks for £6 here.

I'm actually obsessed with these. As soon as I saw them I actually gasped - They're so beautiful! I love a good festive sock, and my favourite socks are knee highs so these are going to look amazing. I'm going to pair them up with the light necklace as well for double the festiveness. 

Christmas Lights Necklace (Which I'm going to use in my hair somehow) for £8 here.

And the most gorgeous Rose Gold Reindeer Antlers here for £6.

The Christmas Lights Necklace is of course for your neck, but I usually think a little outside the box and I'm going to do everything I can to get this in a hair look. Around a massive bun or in some kind of braid. This is going to look super magical and I know costumers are going to ask where this beauty is from! For when I'm feeling a little more subdued and classy, I picked up the Rose Gold Reindeer Antlers. They're a perfect alternative to the usual massive antlers, and these will look pretty at a Christmas meal. I'll be wearing mine at the Norwich Bloggers Christmas Meal this weekend for sure!

You can see all the amazing Christmas things at Claire's here.

Also keep checking in store or online for deals!

Thanks for reading!

BATTLE OF THE DEODORANTS - SURE MAXIMUM PROTECTION REVIEW

If you read my last post you'll know that I'm going to try as many deodorants as I can to find the perfect one, so I wont keep this introduction long. You can see my previous review on the Mitchum Ultimate Gel deodorant here. At the end of trying everything I'll do a round up and I'll have hopefully found my favourite deodorant on the high street!

This deodorant is everywhere, and recently blew up on major bloggers and vloggers channels all over the internet. This was one of the main deodorants that got me through my University struggles, but I recently haven't been using it - and I'm unsure as to why.

PROS -
All day protection
Hardly any scent
Dry armpits
No sweat smell

CONS -
White marks pretty much everywhere
Not a huge amount of product

Overall this is a great deodorant, and a big contender for the 'Battle of the Deodorants' series. When I've put it on for work at around 8am, I'm usually good through until 5:30 when I finished, and even through to after work drinks if I need too. It says on the product to apply before you go to bed as it's waterproof - but I'm yet to try that! I don't doubt for a moment that it wouldn't work. I can trust this product and it's currently my to go to, I just wish I didn't have to worry about the white marks! I'm still battling many other deodorants, so maybe this one will get knocked off the top spot soon...

You can grab this from Boots for £4.99 here.

Any deodorants that I should try out?

Thanks for reading!