Blogmas Day 17 - My Top 5 Hair Products For The Party Season

Being a girly girl, I love getting ready and getting myself glamed up, whether that be doing my makeup, hair or outfit building, I just really enjoy the whole process of getting ready. Maybe its because I love beauty products so much is my reason behind the love getting ready process. Sometimes I actually prefer getting ready to the actual going out; I've always found it really fun being with my favourite girlies and all trying to get ready around one mirror. Those 'getting ready' conversations are always the best right?

I've talked a lot about the makeup side of things in my Blogmas posts so far, but not enough about hair! Lets face it, if your having a good hair day or your hair is looking the way that you want it too, it just makes everything so much better. One of my go to hair styles and one that I'll always put my hair in when I'm going out is to wear my hair down in loose glamorous curls. I know it sounds like a pretty basic hair style, but its one of my favourites and I just think it works perfectly with every outfit.

Whilst it maybe an easy hairstyle to recreate, I always find that a lot can go wrong. For me especially I always find that my hair never wants to stay curly for very long because its just so long and fine. Another issue I have is that my hair lacks a lot of volume, so I always have to find those hair products that will give it a much needed boost. So today I thought I would bring together a selection of my favourite hair products that are essential for the party season, whether you're wearing your hair up, down, curly or straight! Basically there are four main hair products that I cannot live without!

Starting with an old favourite, the Envy Professional Stye Hero serum which I use every time before blow drying my hair. This serum not only smells divine, but it really makes my hair feel glossy, smooth and easier to work with and manage. I just use a few pumps of this serum on damp hair and work it through from roots to tip and it really does make such a difference. If I try and style freshly washed hair without this stuff I find that I'm dealing with a hair nightmare.

Another product that I swear by and one that I'll use also before blow drying my hair is the Matrix Hold Booster. This is the kind of product that would have scared me a few years ago as I would have assumed it worked like gel or something. Again this product has more of a serum feel to it and I only use this when my hair is wet or damp. I either use it on its own or mix it into my my favourite hair mousse and distribute it throughout my hair. I find that this product helps to create a lot of texture and movement to my hair, which it really lacks on its own. As it's a holding serum I find that whatever hairstyle I create lasts a lot longer when I use this, which is just what I need.

Whilst styling my hair, I love creating texture as it just makes my hair look a lot thicker than what it actually is. One hairstyle saviour I've found is the Charles Worthington Texturising Spay. I'm pretty sure everyone has gone crazy for this spray over the past year or so, its just that good. This spray is what I like to call my 'backcomb in a bottle' as it does just that. Whether I'm back combing my hair or not this spray really helps to create that backcombed effect. Again I probably love it so much as it adds so much texture and volume to my hair that actually lasts. It's also really handbag friendly and I often take this out with me instead of hairspray.

Of course no hairstyle would be complete without a trusty bottle of hairspray. I think investing in a good hairspray is worth while. I've bought so many cheap ones in the past that just ruin a really good hairstyle. One hairspray that is really worth investing in is the Matrix High Amplify as it really does an amazing job at giving my hair that much needed hold. What I really love about this is that it's really lightweight and doesn't make my hair feel crusty or hard! Ewww! My hair always has a lot of flexibility when I use this, which for me makes it a winner.

And last, but not least is my favourite hair styler... My GHD Curve. This curling tong really is my baby and I would recommend to any one who loves curling hair to pick one of these wands up, they're just amazing. I love big bouncy curls and this wand creates them in an instant, it really is the best curling tool that I've ever tried and I'm desperate to get my hands on the other three in the GHD collection.

I really hope this helps fix up your hairstyles for this party season. Please let me know what your favourite hair products are?

Lots of Love

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Secrets To Creating Big Bouncy Curls With Matrix Hair

As a girl who has long hair, I can tell you that good hair days can be one of those things that are few and far between. As a beauty blogger who loves experimenting with new hair products, I'm always on the look out for new holy grail hair products and style secrets that can give me more of those good hair days. If your like me and always make it your mission to have amazing hair than keep reading as a few weeks ago I had the chance to discover the best hair secrets thanks to Matrix Hair.

My hair mission started when I was invited to head down to a local hair salon in my town. The owner Christian was not only amazing but also happened to be one of Matrix Hair's Artistic Directors, so he so many hair secrets to share with me! 

I headed down to the Christian Wiles salon straight afterwork, as it's in town I had seen it in passing, heard great things about the salon and staff but had never actually booked a hair appointment there. I have to say I was so impressed with the place. It was so much more than your average hairdressers. Christian had a lot of style and was clearly on every bloggers wavelength as there was so much white which means everything there was so 'Instagramable' my fave!

I was treated to a consultation where I was given an overview of the new Total Results Matrix Hair products and was told what would be best suited for my hair. As my hair is long and dry, Christian thought it would be great to add some much needed hydration to my hair. We used the Moisture Me Rich Shampoo to wash my hair and followed with the Moisture Me Rich Conditioner for a deep conditioning treatment. Honestly if you've not smelt these products yet I urge you to as they literally smell so yummy and my hair felt so soft afterwards; It was just what my dry locks needed.

STYLE TIP

Ladies for those of you who have thin hair like me, it's really important to not condition your hair near the roots as it will only weigh your hair down. For lots of body, but super soft hair just massage the condition a few inches down from where your roots start. For an extra moisture boost, wrap your conditioned hair in a hot towel and leave for five minutes before rinsing. 

Once my hair had been treated to a pamper, it was time for the styling. When it comes to hairstyles having big bouncy curls is my favourite. It's a style that always makes me feel more glamorous and confident. However sometimes I find this hairstyle really hard to create due to a number of reasons

1. My hair is so long, so I find that curls drop really quickly and are weighed down.

2. I never know what the best products are to use to keep my curls looking big and bouncy.

3. My hair is thin, so I never have that much volume on top which is where I want my hair to look the fullest. 

It was great being able to talk to Christian about all my hair troubles and to pick his brain on how I can recreate my favourite hairstyle easily at home.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LAYERS 

To create volume to your hair it's really important to use a layering technique. By this I mean layering your hair prodcuts. The first thing Christian told me was that it was important to add plenty of volume to my hair before I started curling it; He used the Matrix High Amplify Foam Volumizer on my damp hair before drying it.

Once my hair was dry, Christian then used the Matrix High Amplify Wonder Boost on the root area  and repeated the process until my  hair felt dry again. This was the miracle product I swear as my hair never felt so thick! 

Once my hair had plenty of volume and bounce, he started styling it with a large barrel curling wand to create those super bouncy curls. 

CREATING THE PERFECT HOLD

I told Christian that I really struggled to keep my curls in place and he told me it was really important not to add loads of hairspray directly onto my hair, which I had always done in the past. Instead of doing that I should try spraying the Matrix High Amplify Hairspray onto the tips of my fingers and work this through my hair from roots to end. 

Not only does this give your hair plenty of hold, but also adds definition and stability to your hair and most importantly movement. So yes girls, you can actually do that sexy hair flick if you wish!

TIE UP ANY LOOSE ENDS

Once you've practiced your best hair flick a few times and are pleased to see your hairs still curly and bouncy (I did this too), Christian told me that to make my hair style look even more glam and polished I could easily clean up any fizzy fly always or loose ends by spaying some of the Matrix High Amplify Hairpray onto a clean makeup brush and gently pat them down. 

This is such a genius idea as this could be done with any hairstyle where you have flyaway hair and it sorts out the problem in an instant. Perfect!

I was so happy with the way that my hair looked afterwards. I felt so glam that I had to persuade my man to take me out to dinner after my appointment as my hair looked so good and needed showing off.

Its been a few weeks now since Christian shared his best style secrets with me and I've been putting them to good use as they really make such a massive difference when doing my hair. It's great to have more good hair days now than bad. I can't thank Christian enough.

If you happen to be in the Northampton area I definitely recommend checking out the Christian Wiles Salon (website here). I've already asked Christian to be my new hairdresser, especially as I'm going to be making some big hair changes next year (more on that another time). 

I would also recommend getting your hands on the new Matrix Total Result products as they are amazing. Not only does my hair look good, but I get so many compliments on the way my hair smells.

If you have any hair style secrets, then please share them in the comments below.

Lots of Love

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Umberto Giannini Scrunch Up The Volume Messy Texture Cream || Review

When it comes to hair, perfectly messy waves and big bouncy hair have always been my preferred styles. I think it's fair to say that the majority of us girls rarely use our straighteners to actually straighten our hair these days. When it comes to achieving that surfer girl hairstyle, sea salt spays are the go too product as they often do a fantastic job at making our hair that little bit messier and make your hair look textured and full of volume effortlessly. However sometimes I find that sea salt spays don't quite do the job for me and sometimes my hair just needs that little bit more umph when it comes to creating such a hairstyle. 

Naturally my hair is very straight, so it's really difficult for me to retain any curls in my hair, even with the best of hairsprays, curls will drop out of my hair within a matter off minutes. In the past I would curl my hair and use a sea salt spray to fluff up all of my locks and go for that messy hair look. However once my curls had dropped out, my hair was always left feeling a little flat and full of frizz from the amount of product I had used. With my hair causing me too many problems to create my favourite hairstyle I was always on the look for a product that could give me styled messy hair, but one that would hold my style throughout the day and luckily I've found a product that does just that!

The other month in Boots on a whim I decided to pick up a bottle of Umberto Giannini Scrunch up the Volume Messy Texture Cream and its amazing! This is the perfect product to pop in your hair for an even more messy textured look and it actually holds the style for hours. I find that when I use this in my hair, curls last longer and it gives your hair that lovely natural wave which is great for those of you who have dead straight hair like myself.

The cream is really easy to use, to apply all you do is pop a little bit onto your finger tips and work it though damp hair. At this stage you can scrunch up your hair a little bit and mould it into the messy style you desire. The more cream that you use, the more of a messed up hair look you get once you've finished styling. To complete your hairstyle just simply zap your locks dry with a hairdryer and your good to go with your messy textured hair! The bottle does say for best results to dry your hair using a diffuser, but unfortunately I don't have this attachment with my hairdryer and I do find that I loose some of that initial wave that was caused from all my scrunching. Having said this I quite like the end result and find that it works perfectly on my hair.

The only thing I think some of you may dislike about this product is that is does leave a residue in your hair and it does feel as though your locks have been coated with a fair bit of product. I put it down to this being a cream and one that feels incredibly sticky when its first in your hair. However once your hair has dried, your not left with sticky hair at all. For me, my hair is a little on the thin side and this product does a brilliant job at making my hair look and feel thicker, so I don't mind the feeling of product in my hair - its not uncomfortable or annoying at all. In fact this product smells really good and has that salon smell to it. Its a huge added plus that you can really smell it in your hair hours after application.

Another bonus to using this product in your hair is it makes any curls that you may style into your hair last for hours. Like I mentioned my hair never stays curly once I've used the straighteners to curl it. Yet when I use this product my curls last for hours, all I do is brush my hair with a wide tooth comb once its dried so its nice and smooth, curl away and I'm good to go. If your wanting loose curls add a little sea salt spray and you have that perfect beach hair look. You can even pop a little more of the messy texture cream in for a little more volume and lift.

Overall I really rate this product and is fantastic if your looking to take your messy hair look to the next level. I also adore the packaging, the cream is really easy to dispense with its twist lid at the bottom. I also love the black design of the bottle as it looks ever so sleek which gives it that salon feel to it.

I would love to know what your thoughts are on this product and what products you use to get beautiful big messy hair.

Lots of Love

Hair Tutorial || Boho Bun

The summer months are just the perfect time of year to allow us ladies to be a little more carefree with our hair and wear it a little messy. With the summer being festival season, I think big loose curls and messy boho buns are the perfect way to style your hair. I always find it a little funny how us ladies can sometimes spend ages tweaking and adding products to our hair just to make it look messy. However styling your hair a little messy doesn't have to be time consuming and today I want to share with you all a completely fuss free way to achieve a simple boho bun.  I am a huge fan of the messy bun but sometimes I want a bit more umph and volume to my buns and the hair donut is a fantastic hair tool that can be used to achieve quite a few looks. If you would like to recreate the look in the top picture then read on...

A hair dounut - 

(Choose a size on your hair length and how big you would like your bun)

Kirby Grips/Bobby Pins 

A hair bobble

A hairbrush 

Your favourite hairspray

Step One: For maximum volume and for easy styling I find that creating this hair style works so much better on second or third day hair. This way your hair isn't as soft and it makes wrapping it around the hair donut so much easier. I thought I'd pop a picture in of my sexy just got out of bed hair... I did whack in a load of dry shampoo just to freshen my hair up before hand and just give my roots a bit more volume.

Step Two: Take your hair brush and comb your hair into a ponytail, I find it much easier to comb the hair back neat and tight as it makes messying it up a lot easier before trying it up. To achieve more of a boho look I tend to go quite high with my ponytail so that the bun will sit quite nicely on the top of my head.

Step Three: Before tying my hair up with a hair bobble, I will always use my fingers to loosen up the hair at the front - This way my ponytail wont look too perfect once its held in place with the bobble. 

Step Four: You just want to place the hair donut around your ponytail, so that it's ready for the hair to be wrapped around it.

Step Five: For a more messy bun I like to backcomb the hair at the very top of the ponytail. This step is not essential, but I find that it creates a little more volume and gives your bun a more boho look to it for the finished result.

Step Six: Wrap your hair evenly around the donut - Keep twisting the hair around so that the donut it completely hidden and out of sight. For a a neat ballerina bun a hair bobble could be used here to secure the hair, but as this is a messy bun I use plenty of bobby pins/kirby grips to hold the bun in place. As I don't want to bun to look too perfect, I pull out little stands of hair as I grip and go along just to give it that boho look. I find that the more flyaway hairs you have, the more it looks as though your not even using a hair donut - When I wear my hair like this people often think that its all my own hair underneath that bun which is always a nice little plus.

Tip: Don't worry about being too perfect when placing your pins, it's a messy bun!

Step Seven: Once you are happy with the way your bun is looking, you will want to hairspray it to hold it all in place. When it comes to hairspray the Schwarzkoph Got2Be Happy Hour Hairspray is one of my favourites - It's a great hairspray for keeping your bun in place all day; It's not too heavy on your hair either, nor does it coat it so much that the hair feels crispy or hard. If your not wanting to wash your hair the next day, this hairspray is easily brushed out so restyling your hair is ever so easy. I also love its purple and blue ombre packaging - Amazing!

Step Eight: If your really wanting your bun to look cute, girly and summer ready then add some accessories - When it comes to hair styling I'm forever reaching for flowers as they just because I love them. For this tutorial I've added an elastic floral headband from River Island around the bun and secured it with some grips. I think this just completes the look and gives your hair festival boho look... and it is as simple as that!

I am forever reaching for this hairstyle ladies, not only does it look good, but it is so easy to do and takes me no more than five minutes to style - Perfect for those of you who are on the go in the early morning. I love how this type of hairstyle doesn't have to be neat or perfect which is what makes it so easy. Each time I style my hair this way, my bun always looks a little different and I'm forever adding different accessories to jazz it up a little. If you decided to give this ago please let me know, I would love to know how you get on. 

Are you a fan of big messy buns or the hair dounut? I would love to know your thoughts!

Lots of Love