Monthly Favourites - September

I haven't done a favourites post in such a long time so I really enjoyed looking back at the products I had on high rotation last month or two.

Without a doubt, my most used favourite of all was, of course, the Urban Decay Naked Palette I asked a friend to bring back for me from her holiday in America. Having wanted this for so freaking long, I have used it non stop since. I recently did a review on this including my favourite shades from the palette.

For my lips favourite, it was kind of unexpected. I owned 6 Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains  when the matte versions came out and for some strange reason I just didn't feel compelled to look at the matte ones (I know, what was wrong with me?!). I was at Chemist Warehouse when they were having one of their 50% off sales and saw that they had the balm stains down to less than $10 so I figured I would try one out. I picked up the shade Elusive, a beautiful everyday pink shade and I've not looked back - I love it! I'll be doing a review on it soon.

For the face category it was an easy choice, going with Arbonne's Got You Covered Mineral Powder Foundation. I layer this on top of Garnier's BB cream and the two paired together work magically. They give the perfect amount of coverage and the Arbonne powder ensures that they last all day. I love the smooth satin finish it gives to the skin without looking powedery or cakey.

For nails this was a little harder to choose but eventually in the end I had to go for Revlon's polish in Siren, a stunning bright orange that is so summery and happy! I wrote a NOTD post on it and so many people seemed to like it too!

Last but not least is my 'other' category, and for September it had to be a new addition to my hair care products, the Garnier Miracle Oil Brushing Express Heat protectant. I never use straighteners or curlers so I didn't use it for its heat protecting properties, rather found that it was a gorgeous lightweight oil that helped my the damaged ends of my long hair. It made my hair silky and smooth, smell great and easy to brush through. I think it is under $15 as well so it is really worth giving a try.

Well there are my favourites for September, a bunch of products I am so excited about continuing to use over the next couple of months. Most of them are brand new to my collection as well and some weren't products I had planned on purchasing.

Have you tried any of these products?

The night time routine I wish I could follow...

I've been watching a lot of get ready with me and night routine videos on youtube and have been astonished to find that other people's lives appear to revolve around beauty and unrealistic glamorous routines. Honestly, these youtubers appear to spend hours on social media, making ten cups of tea and carrying out lush beauty treatments after they get home from work/school. I myself arrive home with exhausted eyes and change from my wrinkled school uniform into pyjamas and school socks, dump my ten kilo bag on the floor and collapse ungracefully onto my unmade bed in a bellyflop whereby I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I was thinking though, if I lived in a perfect world, had nothing to do but pamper myself all day everyday, I would have an elaborate night time routine whereby I undergo a ten stop process to moisturise, soothe and freshen from head to toe. This is what I would do...

Face
- Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Cleanser
- Arbonne RE Advanced Regenerating Toner
- B liv Shrink and tighten serum
- B liv Off With Those Heads serum
- Luminesce Night Cream
- Blistex Lip Conditioner

I'm already pretty good with my skincare and never go to bed wearing makeup however it usually stops at the simple steps of a quick cleanse followed with some moisturiser. Ideally I would chuck in a few other treatments too.

Body
- Luminesce Essential Body Renewal moisturiser
- My New Skin balm
- Bio Oil

In terms of beauty, my body is easily the most neglected area because I just forget! I have some great products listed above, I just need to use them more often and consistently!

Hair
- Vitamin E formula mascara
- Salon Confidential R:04 Repair Ends Mender

Last of course is hair, another area in which I am rather careless. My hair is in desperate need for moisture and focus on the split ends. I also won this lash treatment in a giveaway and feel that I should probably put it to good use because who wouldn't want better looking lashes?

But....I just can't see all of this happening! Life is too jam packed with a million other more important things to get done before completely crashing and I just don't think I could squeeze in this elaborate routine too.

For now I guess I'll be sticking to my dodgy ways...

2013's Most Loved: Part 1

I'm a little bit late on this post, but I couldn't transition from 2013 to 2014 without wrapping up the year through a favourites post (or two - my non-beauty related favourites will be posted tomorrow). I've absolutely loved reading everyone else's favourites and thought I'd do my own for those who were interested.

Skincare: Arbonne RE9 Advanced Generating Toner
It astounds me that of all my skincare, a toner was my favourite. I've never shown any interest in a toner in my life (primarily due to the fact that all past experiences with them have been bad ones) but when I was given the opportunity to try this out, I fell in love with it. It is the best.

Hair care: Batiste Dry Shampoo - Fresh
I can be lazy at the best of times, but when it comes to my hair I am lazy to the extreme. It is for this reason that my favourite hair care product was easily a dry shampoo, in particular one by Batiste. Maybe I'll have a hair product that is a little classier in 2014, say a lovely hair oil or serum or something, but for now I'm content to rely on the lazy girl's hair wash.

Fragrance: DKNY Be Delicious
I was given a tiny little bottle of DKNY's Be Delicious perfume for Christmas in 2012 and wore it non stop in 2013. Along with Marc Jacob's Daisy Eau So Fresh, I think it will be a perfume I continue to use for a long time into the future.

Body: My New Skin Multipurpose Balm
A super late addition to the family, the My New Skin Multipurpose Balm practically saved my life. Okay, perhaps not my life but certainly my horribly dry skin around my feet and elbows. I has a super heavy duty formula and works like a charm.

Brush: Real Techniques Stippling Brush
I had heard so many magical things about Real Techniques brushes and took the plunge myself, purchasing a face set and Stippling brush. Then came my obsession with cream blushes, and in turn I came to use the Stippling brush everyday thus appreciating how darn amazing it is.

Tool: Eyelash curler
It was a toss up between the humble Q-tip and eyelash curler, but in the end I realised it is the eyelash curler that has the truly magical touch.

Nails: Red Nail Polish
I have no overall favourite polish, but my most worn shade was most definitely red. Red, red, red, I acquired so many gorgeous polishes all in...red.

Shower product: Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel
Though this is the most sugary, intense flavour I have ever come across, I did use this regularly in the shower and I came to love this more than when I had first received it as a gift. Some days it is too sweet, but most of the time I am a big fan.

Base makeup: Garnier BB cream for oily skin
I rave about this all.the.time. so I'm not going to make you endure yet another ramble. Just take my word that for light, everyday coverage this is the best of its kind.

Foundation: Rimmel Wake me up foundation
For a cheap foundation (in comparison to both other 'drugstore' foundations like Revlon and higher end ones too) this is pretty impressive. It's glowy and youthful, healthy looking and easy to work with. My only complaint is its shimmer which can, at times, be a little too much, but other than that it's excellent.

Setting powder: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
I hit pan on this in 2013 which shows you just how much I loved it. If there weren't so many cheaper options out there I would get it again, but I'm currently in the middle of three other adequate powders and (sadly) won't be purchasing this anytime soon.

Concealer: Face of Australia Stick Concealer in Neutral
I played around with a couple of concealers in 2013 but the best all rounder and the one I turned to most often was the cheap little stick concealer by Face of Australia.

Bronzer: Maybelline Bronzer in Forever Warm
I'm not really a bronzer person, nor do I have that many in my collection. Though I wouldn't purchase this bronzer if it disappeared from collection due to the fact that, well, it's just not that good, I did use it often in 2013.

Blush: Australis Creme Blush in Flirtatious Pink 
Choosing my favourite blush for the year just about killed me. Honestly, I am such a blush junkie that I have enough to use a different one everyday for two weeks...which is basically what I do. In the end I had to give the award to a cream blush, specifically Australis' Flirtatious Pink. Perfect in every way, it is the gorgeous colour that pulled it over the line and onto the winner's podium.

Highlighter: Essence Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 Shimmer Powder in Bella's Secret
Despite that it has the most awful name I have ever heard of, this is stunning. It's a warm toned golden powder highlight that catches the light exactly how I want it, looks subtle enough not to make me resemble a disco ball but not too subtle that you can't even see it. Oh my, it's so frustrating that it was a limited edition product (like all of Essence's best products have been!)

Eyeshadow: Bloom Eyeshadow Duo in Waikiki
Like blush, this category was very near impossible to narrow down to a single shadow. In the end I had to recognise the incredible champagne golden shade from the Bloom duo that accompanied me on every trip and was the base shade for every eyeshadow look I wore. It really does deserve to win 2013's best shadow although it does pain me to leave out my much loved Inglot Shadows...

Eyeliner: Face of Australia Liquid Liner in Black
This liner is the best, no doubt about it. It's jet black, sticks like glue and easy to use for even the most useless eyeliner appliers. I turned to it time and time again and even wore a cat eye look for the first time in my life. Thank you FOA!

Mascara: Covergirl Lashblast length waterproof
The tube of this mascara that I own is honestly a magic mascara - there is no other explanation for the fact that I have used this every.single.day. for two years and it has still not yet run out. It lengthens like crazy, defines every lash and gives a gorgeous natural look. Sure, it's not at all suitable for you if you want a bit of drama but for me it is just perfect.

Eyebrows: Essence Clear lash and brow gel
I had many empties of this and raved about it all the time. It's super cheap and makes my brows somewhat acceptable, so who could ask for anything more?

Lipbalm: Blistex lip conditioner
I share the most complicated love/hate relationship with this product, but the bottom line is that it saves my chapped lips and works better than anything I've ever tried. I apply this every night and at the rate I'm going it will be a 2014 empty for sure.

Lipstick: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic
I deliberated about this for twenty minutes, no exaggeration. I narrowed it down to ten lip products, then five, then three, then two and final to one. Lip products are my favourite makeup products so it's no surprise that I own about ten billion of them. 2013 was the year of the lip crayon, and I wore this red beauty non stop.

Overall makeup brand: Face of Australia
Face of Australia is affordable, Australian (obviously) and comes out with some incredible products. Their lip crayons, nail polishes and face products were all favourites of mine throughout the year and it was an obvious choice to nominate Face of Australia as my overall brand winner for 2013!

Phew...that is a lot of products for one year! I'd be amazed if you actually made it to the end of this post! My makeup collection certainly expanded significantly throughout 2013 but I had a lovely time, and it was all in the name of blog reviews...right?!

What was your overall favourite makeup brand for 2013?

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Fresh

It is no secret at all that following my discovery of dry shampoo, my hair suffered as a result. Suddenly I could extend the days between washes quite significantly, and I found myself sacrificing super clean hair for a little extra sleep.

Though I am no dry shampoo expert I have tried out a few, and the Batiste Dry Shampoo is by far my favourite, superior in every way except for perhaps price.

I think Batiste is the most well known brand of dry shampoo. I love that they have such an extensive range of products, all catered to different hair types with fragrances too. Fresh seems to be the general one, suitable for all hair types and needs. It smells, as described on the can, 'cool and crisp' and is fairly inoffensive.

I have to use quite a bit of this for it to be effective, but when I do it works a treat. It eliminates a huge portion of grease from my hair and makes it look so much more acceptable for the public eye!

Unfortunately you do have to be careful to spray it evenly otherwise it will leave a white cast to the hair. It feels a little powdery but I usually run my hairbrush through it once of twice before putting it in a ponytail or braid and it feels fine.

Of course, this is never as good as actually washing your hair, but for those days where I don't need to look absolutely amazing, I will most definitely choose this incredibly easy option over having to wash and dry my hair.

I really like the design on the can. It is eye catching and easily remembered, which is handy when I get to the shop and can't remember which one I wanted to pick up. It's quite a large can, at 200mL which isn't problematic as I use it and store it at home, but it would be a nightmare to travel with. As far as I am aware you can pick up mini cans though, which solves everything!

I am such a fan of a hair wash in a can (ooh, that rhymed!) and I am happy to be a bit gross every now and again and sacrifice the time it takes me to wash and dry my long locks and replace it with some other considerably more enjoyable activity! For $9.99 it won't break the bank and you get quite a lot of uses out of a single can. I will most definitely be looking into some of the other variations of this in the range.

I give this 8/10.

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Split End Protection Mask

I recently came to the realisation that neglect is not an effective approach for luscious hair. Who knew? But honestly, I had never bothered with more than the cheapest shampoo and conditioner and it seemed to work well for a couple of years until now, and I have been finding that my hair is getting a little dry and scraggly. No one wants dry and scraggly hair, so off I went in search of a solution.

I am an absolute sucker for pretty packaging and scented products so it really was no surprise to anyone when I came home with the Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Split End Protection Mask. Having used their 'Long Term Relationship' shampoo and conditioner in the past I was familiar with Herbal Essence's magical ways, and I appreciate the humour they often incorporate into their product 'spiels' so this was a goer!

This is the first hair mask I have ever tried and I am without a doubt a fan!

Upon first opening this it seems just like an everyday, plain-Jane conditioner - except that it comes in a cute (although kind of inconvenient) little tub. It has that really distinct 'hair product' kind of smell that I adore, and so already we were on good terms and I hadn't even used it yet!

According to the packaging, "Soak me in for 3 minutes. Rinse out and love the ending." Easy enough! I use this as directed once or twice a week applying about the same amount as I would a normal conditioner and it leaves my hair feeling better than ever. Naturally it has quite a significant immediate effect, leaving my hair detangled and silky. After drying my hair remains in a more nourished, luscious kind of state for longer.

Being a hair mask newbie I honestly can't comment on how this compares to other products but for someone like me who just wants a little extra moisture and livening for their hair, it works a treat.

As far as I understand, this really isn't a long term kind of solution for split ends, but in my opinion the only real answer for that is a haircut! I wouldn't rave about this product to the world, it's not groundbreaking, but it is just a darn good product to have handy when your hair is in a bit of a sad looking state. I don't recall how much this cost me, but it's cheaper than many and a worthwhile purchase.

I give this 7 out of 10.

My Hair Routine

Today's post is a result of Nivedita's request and she asked me if I could post my hair care routine. Well here it is, but I'm telling you - it is so very boring!

Just quickly, I have long, straight, relatively thick hair that generally does what it is told and requires little effort and attention. As a result, I give it very little effort and attention. I have always wanted super curly hair but it takes so long to do and doesn't last. The photos to the left show my hair both naturally (straight) and having been curled. Only in the past couple of months have I noticed split ends being a bit of a problem but a quick trim would solve those issues.

So basically I wash and condition my hair every second day. I use whatever shampoo is in the shower at the time, which this week turned out to be a Sunsilk Expert Perfect Straight hair shampoo and an Organic Care Balance Conditioner. Basically the shampoo and conditioner that I use comes down to whatever was on special at the supermarket. I have no thoughts or opinions regarding these, because in my opinion all shampoos and conditioners work the same (though some do make my hair greasy).

When I condition my hair I brush it through using a wide toothed comb to make my life easier once having gotten out of the shower. My hair due to its length can get unbelievably knotty so I do everything that I can to avoid that.

Now here is where the big decisions come in. At the end of my shower I rinse my hair thoroughly in freezing cold water. It completely ruins my shower, gives me this crazy kind of brain freeze and leaves me shivering and cursing but it makes my hair super shiny. I always have to weigh up whether shiny hair is worth the trauma but usually it does win out.

If it is summer I just brush my hair and leave it to air dry, but in winter I blow dry it. I then chuck it up in a ponytail or plait, the only two hairstyles I ever wear (I am ridiculously boring). 

The next day I don't bother washing or conditioning it, but I do put some kind of product through it . If I am having trouble with dry, split ends I'll put my Salon Confidential Repair Ends Mender through it. If it is a matter of frizzy, knotty hair then I'll put my Herbal Essences Dangerously straight leave in cream through it to calm it down a little. 

Other products I use occasionally are the Girlz Only Dry Shampoo for when my hair needs a bit of a clean but I'm too lazy to do it properly, the PPS leave in moisture spray for when I want a change from my Repair Ends Mender and my Toni and Guy Casual Sea Salt spray for when I want to pretend that I have curly hair, even though the product doesn't work one bit on me. 

So that really is the extent of my hair routine. I am absolutely shocking when it comes to different hairstyles - I literally wear a boring ponytail or plait every single day, and I never, ever, ever wear it down (because it just gets in the way!). There really is no point in me having such long hair because I just don't do anything with it!

Thank you so much for the post request Nivedita, I wish I could have made it more interesting for you!

My go-to summer hairstyle

In summer I think there is nothing worse than having long, sweaty hair getting in the way of everything and hanging limp around your face. I like my hair to be up and out of the way, but still look somewhat interesting too. I don't like spending much time on hairstyles which is why I keep turning to this style when I don't know what else to do.

Basically all I do is create a simple plait/braid (depending on how lazy I am feeling) from the front of my head, around the side then to the back. Where the braids meet I simply tie them together. Either I leave my hair down or take it one step further and twist my hair into a simple bun. I like it in a bun because the braids give it extra texture and make the look a lot more interesting, but my hair is kept back. 

It takes me between three and five minutes and I think it looks quite nice. I do apologise about the horrible photos though - it is really difficult taking photos of your own hairstyle! I also have no ideas as to why my hair appears to be different colours in each of the photos.

Salon Confidential R:04 Repair Ends Mender

When you have long hair it is really important to pay special attention to it and look after it. This is something I have learnt the hard way. My hair was (note the term was) so long that when I sat down it would touch the seat of the chair. Yes, it was actually that long. Despite that, the amount of love and attention that I gave it totaled at zero. All I did was wash it and brush it and then tie it up in a ponytail every.single.day. Boring? Absolutely. The thing was, I didn't even like how it looked and I was so sick of not being able to do anything exciting with it but I was just too attached to it and I couldn't bear the thought of cutting it.

Anyway, back to the point of the story, a couple of days ago I realised that the ends of my hair were so dried out, split and broken that the only option I had left was to chop it all off. My hair is now about 15cm shorter and whilst I'm still getting used to what feels like the equivalent of a pixie crop (but is actually still quite long hair), it is so much healthier.

I had been using this product quite erratically for months, but since cutting my hair and having a fresh start I have decided to make it a regular step in my pathetic 'hair routine.' I thought I'd let you know why I've chosen this to do the job.

First up is the packaging. For some reason I love the look of this product! It has a matte white background with glossy print, it looks expensive to me. Speaking of expenses, I picked this up because it was cheap - $9.95 in Price Attack! That, in comparison to many other products, is a total bargain.

"So what does it actually do?" you might be thinking. Well, this product instantly makes the hair feel so smooth and silky without any feelings of greasiness or sticky sensations. It smells amazing (like most hair products) and I think the smell is enough to make me use it regularly! As it states on the bottle, it 'enhances shine' which I have to agree with completely - my hair looks so much healthier and glossier after having run this through it.

Another thing that it claims to do is eliminate frizz. I use this on the mid lengths and ends of my hair and it does a good job at minimising frizz, but I will admit that isn't really a problem for me anyway.

The main purpose of this product, however, is to 'seal the ends' and help fight against split ends and breakage. If I'm honest with you, this product is pretty useless once you already have split and damaged hair. It did very little to my dry and damaged ends, but now that they are all healthy again I'm going to use this to prevent breakage because it does a pretty good job. It does emphasise on the back that it does repair hair, but I'm not convinced.

Other information that you may be interested in is that it is Australian made and owned, not tested on animals and 'is a powerful combination of healing extracts: rosemary for antioxidant action, macadamia as a natural moisturiser, pearl for lustre and shine, and ginseng root to increase hair elasticity.'

Basically, when it comes down to it, I really like this stuff but it isn't the most incredible thing I have ever come across in my life. I give it 8 out of 10.

Toni and Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray - The quest for curly hair

It is no secret that we all want what we do not have, especially when it comes to hair. It is practically a law that those blessed with curly hair want it straight, and those with long straight locks (like myself) make it their mission to get it curly at all costs. Before you all ask, I have tried curling wands before (every friend and their dog has begged for a shot at curling my hair!) but the curls last approximately half and hour to one hour and they are limp and hideous. I wish I was exaggerating.

It seems like I have always been on a quest to get curly hair, though after trying one too many ineffective sprays/gels/insert other fancy word here, I couldn't see the point in spending money on such things any longer. I went a while, accepting that straight hair was all that I could wish for, until I spotted this little beauty.

I literally could not resist it. I went home and googled several million reviews on the product, and they were actually quite varied. Some claimed it was the most amazing spray they had ever come across - others not so much. I saw it for about $12 in Coles so I went for it. Curly hair, here I come!

Unfortunately, as is to be expected, I didn't get my dream hair. No, there was no magical transformation where I woke up sporting gorgeous voluminous curls, instead I found myself with straight hair, a little more limp and certainly stickier than before.

Despite this little disappointing episode, I decided to continue pursuing my dream hair, giving the product a little assistance. I left my hair in a damp braid overnight and in the morning applied the spray, scrunching and twirling my hair accordingly. It looked awesome...

For about two hours. This is better than past experiences I have had, I will say that, but two hours really doesn't fulfill my perfect-hair desire.

Moving on...I love the packaging of this product. The bottle is this strange texture with glossy print, very much my taste. The spray smells awesome but does leave my hair feeling sticky.

The pump isn't the greatest I have ever come across - it gets jammed and the spray comes out in a gloopy sort of fashion as opposed to an even, fine spray.

All up, this spray really didn't do much for me, even though I desperately wanted it to. I give it 4 out of 10.

 

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo - Party Nights

This dry shampoo is terrible. Why? Because it encourages even more laziness in my beauty routine. Yep, this dry shampoo can squeeze another day out of my already filthy hair in the spray of a can. Another reason why it's terrible? Because it costs only $2 (last time I checked they were on sale at Target for $1.40) so I always have a spare can handy.

I going to say now that this review is probably not going to be as accurate as it could, simply because this is the first dry shampoo I have ever tried. I never felt compelled to purchase a Batiste one because I didn't want to pay such money to fix a problem that could be resolved by simply washing my hair. However, when you walk past these shiny cans of goodness in Target, you really don't have an option to resist.

My hair has natural tendencies to get really oily in the scalp and terribly dry at the ends, I guess that comes with having long hair. I wash it every second day, but since this product has come into my life it stretches to two days between washes way more often than it should.

Prior to trying this, my knowledge of dry shampoo was minimal. I knew that some made your hair go white, I knew that some were greasy and that some contained properties that could only be described as magical. I didn't realise how much I needed this product either!

This dry shampoo is very effective and does its job well. I don't really know how well because I have nothing to compare it to, but let's just go with well. It doesn't leave any white residue, it doesn't make my hair go crunchy and it doesn't look strange. I will admit, it isn't as good as if I just washed it and the greasiness of my hair is still questionable, but significantly better than without the dry shampoo.

I love the smell of this spray (it was my favourite out of the three different ones) and it's rather tempting to use it even when I don't have to, simply so I can make my hair smell nice.

I hate the packaging, but even more I hate the brand name. I don't know much about marketing and advertising, but I can guarantee more people would give this seemingly dodgy brand a chance if they just had a half decent name. Girlz only? Honestly? You could have at least spelt it correctly.
I do like this product, but as I said - sometimes it's worth to stop being lazy and just wash your hair. I would suggest you take this and guard it with your life when going on holidays, because it is then that you really appreciate the hair wash in a can.

I give this product 7 out of 10.

The big chop - My terrifying haircut!

Okay, I'll give you a bit of background information about my hair. Earlier today it was long, very long, 80cm long in fact. (If you are wondering about the accuracy of this measurement, I pulled out three hairs, measured them and they were lengths of 80cm, 80cm and 79cm) It wasn't styled with layers, although there were some slight layers framing my face at the front. When my hair was down, when I sat on a chair it just touched the seat. It's pretty thick, so it gave me headaches when it was pulled back in a ponytail. There was too much for an attractive looking bun, and it would get too knotty when I wore it down, so my hairstyles were as follows: ponytail, plait, ponytail, plait, repeat. Was my hair particularly attractive? No, not really. So why did I have it like that?

Because when you have long hair you get ridiculously attatched to it.

It took months of convincing myself that a chop would be a good idea. Months of of friends telling me that it wouldn't look any different, and that I should cut 20cm, 30cm off!

I only cut about 10cm but it feels like half my hair is gone! I will miss the 'Wow you are like rapunzel!' 'I wish I had hair like yours,' and 'I used to have hair like that but then I cut it all off and it never grew back ever again - never ever cut your hair!' kind of comments. Even the ridiculous 'you have long hair' comments, to which I responded with 'Really?! Thanks for telling me, it could have been dangerous had you not informed me of that!' I will miss. A long haired friend of mine, who recently cut it off to shoulder length in fact (and sold it for $1000) said the comments I will get now are 'Oh wow you look so much better, seriously you looked disgusting before but now you look great!' and 'Did you cut your hair?' (to which she responds with 'No I just grew it shorter.')

As you can see in the pictures, my hair looks soooooo much nicer now. Admittedly, in the before photo it was half wet so it looks a lot scrappier than it actually was, but I am so glad I cut it.

Before

After

Maybe you don't think it is much of a change, I get that I am being a little ridiculous and exaggerating slightly, but seriously, to me it is as if I have shaved my head bald!

I do like it much better - it feels thicker, healthier and really does look more attractive, but honestly, it's so strange. Everytime I touch it it stops so early, and brushing it does my head in! It is still a little too blunt for my liking - a little bit harsh and bleurgh, but it's alright.

Anyway, I would love to hear about any of your hair stories. Are you precious about your hair, or are you the spontaneous 'How about we colour it bright red and hack it all off!' kind of person?

Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner

I don't consider my hair to be particularly difficult to handle. Sure it's long and can get into the most horrific knots you will ever see, but generally it is pretty good. Still, after using the two dollar supermarket shampoo for years, I found that it just wasn't cutting it. It was time for me to switch to another shampoo and conditioner.

The awful lighting in my bathroom



As you walk down the supermarket aisles you are greeted with a lot of options. Why did I buy Herbal Essences? Three reasons:

1. It was the cheapest option

2. The colours were very eye catching
3. I had seen a lot of magazine advertisements and they had worked their advertising magic - I wanted it!

I purchased the red one, Long Term relationship in both the shampoo and conditioner. It was love at first sight! I used that for about a year perhaps, and then found that it wasn't really working anymore.

I don't know, that probably sounds really stupid that it was brilliant for a year and then useless after that, but that is truly what happened.

I then moved onto the pink one, Dangerously straight, and found that it worked magnificently. About a year later, it ceased to work. What?!

So, still wondering what this was all about, I moved onto the orange one, None of your frizziness, and of course, found that it was brilliant.

It hasn't been a year yet (!) and it is working well, although I am currently using Dangerously straight for shampoo and None of your frizziness for conditioner. It seems to be effective so far.

I've had a look around on their website, filling in their little questionnaire to determine which product is best for me. Apparently I want the blue one called Hello Hydration. Well, when stops working I'll give this one a shot. Before you know it, I will have tried every single one of them!

Would I recommend this product? Absolutely! They smell amazing, work so well (for a year at least, haha!) and I have the giggles every time I have a shower. Seriously, have you read the back of those bottles, it's so clever and entertaining.

I might have to try their leave in conditioner and split end protector. I'll swap to a new product every year.

If you have tried this and found that it no longer seems to get your hair clean, I would suggest swapping to another product in the line. Maybe it is just time for a change...

I give this product 8 out of 10, after all it really should work for longer than a year!

Magazine Makeover - Day 7

Today's magazine is called 'Young, Hot and Famous.' I have only ever seen it at one Newsagent, which indicates how popular it is here! I don't know anyone who has ever heard of it here in Australia, and I don't know where it comes from. The magazine itself is alright, not too bad, but it's just a mystery where on Earth it came from!

Today's challenge was one about hairstyles, and I chose to do the look named 'Romantic up-do,' shown on Taylor Swift.

I expected this to be difficult, but not impossible. Because my hair is so long, I find it difficult to recreate looks that aren't specifically done on long hair. Usually buns are hard because they are so huge, but I thought that maybe this would be okay.

My hair is naturally really straight, so in order to create the waves as shown, I tied my hair into a damp plait the day before. When I woke up I had beautiful crinkly hair. I wasn't able to brush my hair because it would have brushed the crinckles out, so I had to gently pull any knots out with my fingers. The more I fiddled, the straighter and straighter my hair became. Oh dear, I could tell this was going to be a disaster.

I didn't even bother following their instructions. Boby pins would never ever hold my hair up.

As I tied my hair up into a ponytail, it was looking disastrous. My hair was not doing what it should. I tried pulling bits out of the ponytail in order to create a looser head of hair. Bits flew out everywhere and I looked very lopsided. I fiddled and fiddled, and of course by then most of my hair was looking scraggly and limp. So much for the crinckles. As I tried to twirl it up into a bun it fell out everywhere, pieces flying in every direction. The bun itself was bigger than my actual head. This was awful.

So, as you can imagine I kind of failed today's magazine makeover. Hmmm.

I think I'll stick to the styles I can do well and have grown to love. I know my hair best!

Whilst today's challenge was not my favourite, it has inspired me to find some more hairstyles that suit my hair. It is really difficult to find ways to do my waist length hair (when I sit down it just touches the bottom of the seat). I have contemplated cutting some of it off, but I just cannot do it. I am very much attached to my hair! I don't want it any longer, if fact, I honestly do think it is too long now...a couple of centimetres must go! I think I shall go and book into the hair dressers...

Magazine Makeover - Day 1

 Day 1 of 'Magazine Makeover' and I have decided to kick off the challenge with a hair tip from the June 2011 issue of Dolly.

On pages 116 and 117 is an article full of hair ideas - in fact, a whole weeks worth of hair ideas. Now, usually, as my hair is so long, none of the hair ideas work for me, but the 'Wednesday' hair idea caught my eye. It showed a fishtail braid which I had never tried before and thought looked interesting.

Of course, I was not nearly skilled enough to manage it myself, but with a little help from my lovely Auntie I was able to get my hair done in a fishtail braid. Now, warning you right away, it does not look NEARLY as good as the one the girl in the magazine has. For a start, mine is way tighter than hers (which I am aware could be easily fixed). And of course, my hair is brown!

Anyhow, here is how it went!

Wednesday's hair!

 So, to the left you can see that the model's hair is is a fishtail braid on the side. I did mine from the back which made a big difference, and it was a lot tighter than hers.

My hair on the side (just like the model)

So, obviously they are quite different, but I think it turned out okay...

Did I enjoy this challenge: Well, I didn't actually do my hair myself, but I know my Auntie enjoyed doing my hair. I enjoyed trying something new out with my hair. That was good...

Was it hard or easy to do: I found it very hard to do it myself - I attempted it and gave up within two minutes, but my Auntie knew exactly what to do. I think it depends on who does it whether it is hard or not.

Would I do it again - Yes, but I wouldn't make it so harsh. I would soften it and make it looser. I would try to wear it on the side, but I'm not confident that it would go all that well.

Was it successful overall: Yes, I suppose it was fairly successful, although it was definitely not my most favourite hairstyle ever.





At the back - wow my hair looks dark
the photo on the side is my real colour!



The whole page

By the way, the photos of my hair were after a day of wear - hence the reason that it is a little scruffy and there are pieces of hair flying everywhere!