The good the bad and the ugly: Dry shampoo

Hey guys!

I'm sorry I've been MIA! I can't guarantee I'm going to keep up with two posts a week  but I sure will try.

I'm coming back with a new series, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. This week I'm starting off with dry shampoo.

Most of us are stuck in our ways with dry shampoo, heading straight for batiste. I love batiste but for those of us with dark hair the white caste is just so hard to get rid of, even the ones made for dark hair seem to make me look grey.

I have been searching for so long for a dry shampoo that gives me lasting volume and tames that pesky grease that just seems to come out of nowhere.

Before we get into the the good, the bad and the ugly, here are some of my honourable mentions.

Vo5: Isn't too bad, the white caste is minimal but even the one dedicated to volume weighed my hair down and definitely didn't give me any volume.

Trésemee: Another one that's not bad but not really that good. The white caste is a little bit more prominent compared to VO5 and no volume again.

Girls only: This one is made for those of us with dark hair and there is still an off colour to it. It does give me some volume but it doesn't last.

The Good: Co lab by Ruth Crilley aka A model recommends.

Extreme volume & Sheer Invisible.

I fell in love with this one the first time I used it! So much that I went out and bought the entire range just for this post. There are five scents, New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Rio. All of them smell like they advertise but Paris is most definitely not floral. I'm torn between New York and Rio they both have that fruity smell I love.

I bought Tokyo in the sheer invisible range just to see the difference ans it definitely is invisible even on my dark hair! There is a slight white caste but as long as you shake it well it's great!!

If you don't really care too much about volume the sheer invisible ones are pretty much the holy grail of dry shampoos.

The Bad: Aussie.

I only have one thing to say about the Aussie dry shampoo. It made my hair more greasy! How does that even work?!

The Ugly: Batiste

Now I know I'm going to get some hate for this but i just can't deal with the white caste that batiste gives me. Even though the tropical one is by far my favourite smell ever! I can't justify it now that so many brands are coming out with dry shampoos. I'm not saying it's bad at all it just doesn't give me what I want from a dry shampoo.



Quick Diet update.

It's pretty much gone out the window since Easter. Daytime is fine but the minute I finish work I get that Sainsbury's feeling and end up going crazy!

Give it a few weeks and ill be back in diet mode. Until then I'm not going to post anything health related just because I feel like a bit of a hypocrite if I'm blogging about things I don't fully believe in.




Until next time.

 R x

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Worth the hype? Seche vite.

Seche Vite has been hyped up by the beauty community for years, after finally finding a bottle I get to see what all the fuss is about.

I was lazy and neglected a base coat. First, I painted my nails with two coats of OPI's 'this gown needs a crown' and finished with a thick coat of seche vite over the wet polish. I have never had a fast drying top coat that actually does what it claims. Seche vite dried my nails in under two minutes! perfect for those of us who don't protect our fresh manicure like it's our only child.

Day one: Unlike most other top coats Seche Vite has kept my manicure looking fresh for 24 hours! usually by now the majority of my nails would either be chipped or completely ruined.

Day two: Today was supposed to be the real test for Seche Vite. When I'm at work my nails get abused, constantly coated in alcohol and harsh cleaning products. Work was depressingly quiet do I can't say yet how Seche Vite holds up against alcohol, however my nails did survive the excessive amount of cleaning I did. By the end of the night there are only two small, vaguely unnoticeable chips.

Day three: So today there are a couple more chips, but they're not really noticeable. Although, I'm putting that down to the distracting sparkly polish. Tonight was a relatively busy night at work and my nails are now chipped like normal. I can see why people love this top coat but for those of us in bar jobs it's not the miracle I was hoping for.

Verdict: If I wasn't working with products that naturally strip nail polish I would agree with everyone else, but it looks like I'm still searching for that miracle top coat that will keep my manicure for more that three days.

Until next time.

R x

Budget beauty: beautyuk.

I'm one of those people that rarely takes a glance at, let alone tries the really cheap beauty brands. I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for, but every now and then I will pick some up on a whim. 

I've been using the beautyuk face powder for almost a year now, and I love it! it's a great product and doesn't break the bank. On my last trip to SuperDrug, if you bought two beautyuk products you got a free posh pout,

Who says no to free stuff?! right.

The posh pout is basically a knock off version of Clinique's chubby stick and I'll tell you a little secret... I think I actually prefer the beautyuk version. 

I picked up the shade 'power to the purple', a berry (Swatch: second from right). The colour pay off is very good albeit slightly misleading, looking much deeper in the tube. It feels so creamy and actually more moisturising than the chubby sticks, and for only £2.99!! 

It claims to have a minty flavour but I can't really taste anything, there is a hint of mint behind that plasticy smell that's common with cheap lip products. But that doesn't even bother me I just want to keep applying it! I can't really comment of its staying power because I've just been constantly applying it. Although, when I have neglected to reapply it fades to a more natural berry shade.

This is definitely one of those staple, everyday lip products that is doomed to get lost in our handbags, this little freebie had me running back to the shop in less that 24 hours to get more colours.

Until next time.
R x

Hair care on a budget.

My hair is in horrible condition. But hey, thats what you get for having red/ pink hair for five years.

Ive been searching for so long to find the best repairing hair products. Believe me I've used everything. The Macadamia and Organix ranges are my favourites, if you have the money to spend but if not, I've found a crazy cheap range that works almost as good as the more expensive ones.

If you live in the UK you need to try these out.  The Argan Oil range is available at savers, B&M bargains and a few other discount stores, for a £1 a pop. These are the such good value for money, especially the deep conditioning masque. 

Deep conditioning masque: I've been using this for the longest, I love it. Unlike how some other masques don't really feel very conditioning, this one feels so moisturising and leaves your hair feeling soft even after being rinsed. I've been using this intermittently alongside the Macadamia deep repair masque and my hair is slowly but surely starting to look and feel healthy again.

Shampoo and conditioner: I picked these up after falling in love with the deep conditioning masque. and while I wouldn't say they are the best products I've ever used, I do believe that for the money they are the best products in their price range. I usually interchange the organix argan oil, keratin oil or macadamia oil shampoo and conditioners. and I love these but every now and then I will switch it up and throw these argan oil products in the mix. The ingredients list is virtually the same and the results are not that much different.

Argan oil also a couple of other products in the range.

Serum: The argan oil serum, is heavy and sticky, the bottle doesn't come with any form of dispenser and I always end up with way too much. While I do think it has improved my hair, I would much rather just pay that little but more for the VO5 Miracle concentrate.

Heat defence spray: I've been using this for a while and don't really have much to say about it. It's just sort of there. Oddly, it doesn't feel very defensive, but on the other hand it smells good and does leave your hair feeling extra soft.

Face Oil: The only thing I can compare this too is a knock off version of Estee Lauder's Advanced night repair. It's very oily so really it depends on your taste. I only really use this when I'm really dry just because it feels so much more moisturising.

Until next time.

R x

Time for tea.

Who doesn't love a warm cup of liquid sugar?

Now I'm not a massive tea drinker... I know, I know I'm British I should live off the stuff but it's just not my cup of tea. (Excuse the horrific pun) 

Whittard's of Chelsea have a range of deliciously sweet instant teas that can either be served over ice for a refreshing summer drink or warm for that comforting beverage.

I've been searching for the perfect apple tea forever based on a childhood memory of a family holiday to Greece. Anyone that's ever tasted authentic turkish apple tea will know the love for the sweet liquid goodness. Finally I have found the one, Whittard's Turkish Apple.

Some may find it a little sweet but I've just been putting less in my mug than they reccomend. 

I couldn't just buy one, I decided to pick up their dreamtime tea aswell just to help me relax in my night routine. I can't really say I've stuck to that though, working unsociable hours means my night routine is usually put on the back burner. This tea, like the Turkish Apple is also really sweet, flavoured with vanilla, apricot and honey It's that 'perfect' rush of sugar you need before bed. I'm not quite sure how they live with themselves marketing this aa a night time tea when there is almost 20g of sugar in each cup! 

Nutritionally these teas are deceiving. Each recommended serving only has 79 calories but their sugar content is through the roof. All of the teas in this range have nearly 20g of sugar in each cup! This is more of a treat now than an everyday drink, especially at £5.50 a tub. 

Even with that being said I do recommend the range especially in winter. They're wonderful winter warmers for those of us that don't really care for hot chocolate or fancy something a little different. 

Until next time.

R x