Hair week!! Hair care for my hair and extentions!

So this week we're talking about all things hair! My hair, my extentions, washing and caring for my hair, products I use, products I'm testing, tools I'm using to style etc! I can't find a picture of the back of my head before the extentions went in but this is what my hair looks like now, and I love it.

I've got my natural colour at the top which is a light brown, with a blonde ombré effect towards the ends where my extentions are, I didn't have to colour my extentions they just seemed to blend in really well. I've decided to go back to my natural hair colour because I don't want any bleach used on my hair, I really want to get my hair healthy again and bleaching it was just making it worse. My hair already looks so much healthier than it did even last week! 

As you know I've got REALLY fine hair that has been falling out in handfuls over the past two years or so due to stress and hormones and all that lovely stuff! But I have finally managed to control it, and for the past I would say 3 months, it's has almost stopped falling out and now is growing quite considerably!!!

Today I'm going to focus on what I use to wash my hair, I only have extentions on the lower part of my head so I don't need to wash that as often as the crown which gets very greasy.

I section my own hair on the crown from the extentions and wash the top part every day, I find my hair gets very greasy, sometimes I can get away with dry shampoo but if not it will be washed.

For this I use....

Shampoo - This is what I'm using at the moment and I love it, I tend to change up my shampoo and conditioner every few months but I never leave the loreal elvive family! There's always a shampoo or conditioner that I need whether it's to treat my coloured hair, smooth out my fine, frizzy hair, or repairing fragile hair loreal elvive has something for everything.

Treatment - TRESemme platinum strength, I can't praise this enough, I LOVE it!! This is my desert island must have! I am 100% convinced that this is the product that has stopped my hair falling out. I ran out of this product the end of last year and within a week my hair was falling out again. I haven't made that mistake again! Need to keep a stock pile. So if you are having problems with losing your hair I would definitely recommend this. I use a small amount every day in between my shampoo and conditioner.

Conditioner - Same as the shampoo I love loreal elvive and I tend to stick to their products for shampoo and conditioners. 

I then pat dry lightly with a towel ready for protecting and styling products which I will talk about tomorrow!

I wash my extentions every 2 days or so, depending on if they need it, but I find every 2 days is a nice balance for me. 

I start by brushing my hair so there are not tangles before it gets wet. I use my normal shampoo and conditioner, but not the TRESemme treatment. 

Once a week I use a treatment on my extentions that I leave on for about 5 minutes, this helps to keep the hair looking shiny and feeling soft. 

Treatment on extentions - 

I towel dry the hair and apply protecting & styling products as well as a nourishing hair oil, I will show you those products tomorrow.

Do you have a hair product you can't live without? 

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Brown Eyes!

Today we are looking at Brown Eyes. You can't really go wrong with brown eyes because they are neutral you can try any colours. There are colours I prefer with brown eyes though. If you want to have more of a toned down day look bronze and peaches will work well, if you want a sultry night time look navy looks great, or if you want a pop of colour try greens or purples.

Here's some celebrities trying some different looks...

Selena Gomez

Emma Watson

Nicole Scherzinger

Kim Kardashian

Also worth a mention is Rita Ora, I've never really paid much attention to her make up before, I've always just seen red lips and bleach blonde hair but I saw a look of hers that I loved and decided to have a look for a couple more. I also thought she look a bit like Beyoncé which I've not noticed before.

What's your favourite look from these?

Hannah x

Review Friday - No.7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care

When I was on holiday last week my lips were more chapped and sore than they have been in a long time, I get chapped lips quite bad over winter anyway but with being on holiday and drinking more than I normally would, mixed with the cold weather and swimming etc my skin and lips got really dehydrated!

My lips were so sore, cracked and bright red and everything I put on them from Baby Lips to Carmex to Burts Bees didn't do a thing!

So on Saturday morning I went to Boots in search of a miracle cure - but doubting I would find one. Mooching round I didn't see anything of interest so I went to my good old No.7 skincare counter and came across this...

No.7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care 10ml/0.33Fl.Oz. £9.95 Buy here

I felt instant relief when I applied it, the smooth cream texture went straight into my lips leaving them feeling moisturised for the first time in over a week. It smells nice, you only need a really small amount, there's no wax left on the lip after, so you can go straight to applying you favourite lip colour. I use it every morning, I apply it after my  face moisturiser and allow it to smooth my lips while apply the rest of my make up, when I put on my lipstick it has left a lovely smooth base with no cracks or lines.

I will continue to use this product even when my lips aren't chapped, as a daily lip moisturiser and base.

I love it, and will be repurchasing!

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Manicure Week - The 5 min manicure!

We're all in a rush most of the time, whether its work or family commitments we rarely have time to sit and pamper ourselves. A couple of years ago, painting my nails would be a daily occurrence, I would sit for ages at the weekends painting intricate designs on each nail, adding glitter and stones, a real work of art. I would paint them but not really give myself a proper manicure or allowing them anytime to breath or heal in between. Doing that, mixed with general life left my nails breaking, peeling, and my cuticles were a mess, just generally looking horrible.

I went for an emergency appointment to my friends salon and had a manicure with an OPI gel top coat. They looked so much better and now the length is getting just where I want it to be.

If you don't have the time or the money however I've done a quick DIY manicure that should take no longer than 5 minutes!!

What you'll need....

1. A nail file, I like a glass file rather than an emery board as I think its less harsh, but use what you've got.

2 . A cuticle pusher, you can use an orange wood stick if you prefer but I think this is quicker.

 

3. A good base coat - for what ever you need, a strengthener, a ridge filler, a growth stimulator.

 

4. Cuticle Oil - can be found at a boots or superdrug - don't miss this step!!

 

 

If you've got slightly more time and you want to add colour you will need...

 

5. A colour polish

 

6. A top coat - I like a chip resistant

 

7. Quick drying spray - again available at superdrug or boots.

 

 

 

Ready....Go!

 

1. File all nails, making sure you only sweep the file in one direction to get the desired shape

 

2. Use cuticle pusher to push back all cuticles removing any excess from the nail bed, leaving nail bed clean

 

3. Apply a very thin layer of base coat, this will dry very quickly if you have applied a thin layer.

 

4. Apply a drop of cuticle oil to the cuticle of each nail and rub into whole nail, this will leave your nails looking nourished and perfect!

 

If you have a little more time....

 

After step 3 applying your basecoat...

 

4. Apply two coats (if needed) of your chosen polish

 

5. Apply a thin layer of top coat

 

6. Spray all nails with quick drying spray

 

7. Finally apply a drop of cuticle oil!

 

And your done!!

 

If you keep practicing this technique your nails will look healthy and perfectly polished in no time at all!!

 

Hope you find this helpful, if you have any favourite products of any of the above let me know.

 

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Award Season - Don't be afraid of a pop of Colour!

I loved Kaley Cuoco's make up for the Golden Globes!! It's so different and refreshing to see a smokey eye with a pop of colour rather than the normal smokey blacks, grey, browns, nudes etc. Kaley's make up artist decided to go for a Emerald Green smokey eye to bring out the colour in her amazing gown.

I was really surprised to hear she used Avons Glimmerstick £6.00 Emerald (picture below in blue) to add the pop of colour to the eye, along with other products, but it shows how affordable celebrity looks can be. 

What's good about this product is that is so versatile, you could use it for the whole eye, or if you not feeling to confident with a full colour eye, you could use the Glimmerstick to add a colourful liner, either on the lid or under the eye.

I actually decided to go for a pop of blue last night to try out the new Soap & Glory liners I got. I was really pleased with them, really easy to apply and it lasted all night without irritating the eye!!

If you decide to go for a full smokey eye like Kaley and your not sure what colours will work use something like an eyeshadow quad like Loreal Colour Riche, it does all the colour selection for you for the perfect smokey eye. They are highly pigmented and you can buy from boots for £7.99 in a full range of colours, blues, pinks, greens. I'll be doing a beauty post soon on how to choose the best colours to bring out your eye colour.

Do you like to add some colour to your eyes?

Hannah x

Beauty Tip of the Day - Award Season - Barely there Make Up like Margot Robbie

Award season!!!! Yey!!!! This is my favourite time of year for looking at all the celebs and getting inspiration for make up and hair. I thought overall for the golden globes, the celebrities had gone really chic and classy with their make up, concentrating on flawless, glowing skin, and paying attention to the lashes.

My favourite make up was on Margot Robbie, so simple and elegant, paired with a sleek bun and fabulous dress she got a 10/10 from me. And of course that meant I had to know everything about her look.

Her make up artist Jenn Streicher who's other work includes make up for Selena Gomez, Emily Blunt and Clare Danes said that Margot wanted a 'Clean & Minimal look to compliment her Gucci gown', and that is exactly what she got, this make up is perfection!

So how do you and I get this look...?

Thankfully for us Jenn used products that we can pick up and try ourselves at affordable prices. 

She used to following -

Loreal Rivitalift Miracle Blur on the T Zone - it doesn't look like you can get this in the Uk yet unless you buy on the internet and pay high p&p charges.

Loreal's One Sweep Blush Duo in Flush - again something we need to wait for in the uk, looks gorgeous though! You can actually buy this on eBay in uk but check post and packaging.

Loreal's Voluminous Butterfly Effect Mascara - this I have recently bought!! It's amazing!!! It's sooo pigmented, my lashes look super dark. All Loreal's make up is on offer in boots for 3 for 2 so I would say get in there ASAP!!

The mascara is £10.99, it comes in Black, Extra Black, Midnight Blue and Midnight Purple. The brush is so different to anything I've ever used before, it curves to the natural shape of your lashes to make sure every single lash gets covered. 

Here's what it looks like on me...

If you look at the picture above my natural bare lashes compared to two coats of the mascara!!! Wowsers!! It's easily doubled the length of my lashes, it's amazing!!!!! I will definitely be repurchasing this mascara, I think i will also try the extra black as well, although I'm so happy with how black my lashes are here I don't know how they would be able to improve.

It doesn't say what Margot had on her lips but the nude colour suits her skin tone so well. I would recommend the nude Privee collection by Loreal that I've recommended before for the perfect nudes to match everyone's skin tones. As you know Julianne is my favourite. 

The other thing about Margot's look that makes it stand out is her glowing sun kissed skin, to start with they used St Tropez all over her body, I've got the wash off one which I love, you can buy that at boots as well for your face and body, starting from about £10, or if you want a professional to do it, you can get a full body St Tropez tan starting from around £30.

Hope this helped to get an insight into Margot's look, if you've got any questions please leave a comment and I'll do my best to help!

Who was your favourite celebrity on the catwalk of the Golden Globes?

Hannah x

Saturdays Face of the Day - FOTD

Today's face of the day full list of products - 

Face 

Soap & Glorys feel good factor moisturiser

Max factor miracle touch liquid illusion foundation in creamy ivory 40

Benefit Boi-ing concealer

Maybelline 24/7 Powder in ivory

YSL Touché Éclat in 1 rose lumiere

No. 7 mineral perfection blush in 05 rose pink

Eyes

Urban Decay primer in Eden

Urban Decay Naked 3 in Strange, Limit, Nooner & Factory

Maybelline Falsies Mascara

Lips

Soap & Glory FABU lipstick in Matte Pom Pom

, 

What's make up product couldn't you leave the house without this morning?

Hannah x

Review week - Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Mascara

Today's review is on a new mascara I've been trying for the past couple of weeks. I don't think I've used a maybelline mascara before but I've heard good reports on this one so I thought I'd give it go.

I got mine from boots for £7.99 with my advantage points - don't you just love that! Free make up!!! :-)

I like the packaging, love the colour and the lace look, but I would say the shape seems a little strange and chunky, bit strange to get used to at first.

The thing I really like about his mascara is the spoon curler brush, it's great for making sure every lash gets coated. 

This is what it looked like on me after one and two coats.

I would say you couldn't apply more than two coats without it looking clumpy, I think that's because as the formula dries it's harder to work with, it is recommended that you don't wait In between coats for it to dry.

So far so good, it's a good price, it does the job and it doesn't flake off during the day, I did find that this stays on until I remove it with eye make up remover of wipe. It does also come in a waterproof version which I might get for when I go on holiday so I'll let you know about that.

Also worth mentioning that it does say it is contact lense safe so if that is something you look for I would definitely give this a go.

What's your mascara of choice at the moment?

Hannah x

Men's Beauty Tip Monday - Shaving Series 5/6 Sssooooooothing......

Last weeks tip (Instagram only sorry! @princesshannahs) was to be careful about any irritants that you may be applying to your face, if they're stinging or sore to apply then they are not working for you!! 

So what will...

I've been doing some research online into different products, reading hundreds of reviews etc and I've picked 2 of the most highly rated, both quite pricey, but users said they lasted for months so well worth it for people struggling with sore skin.

First Up, One of my Favoruite skin care brands Clinique. I think when you buy any facial product from Clinique your on to a winner. This is their Post Shave Healer...£18.00 75ml

What Clinique Say -

* lightweight

* comforting

* provides relief for redness and razor burn

What users say -

* one bottle lasts a long time

* not too scented

* leaves skin soft

* good for sensitive skin

Second product that have amazing reviews online is an American brand called Menscience, you can't buy it direct from them as they only ship to America but you can go to mankind.co.uk and buy their products there.

This is the Menscience Post Shave Repair Spray...£24.30

What Menscience say -

* calms redness & razor burn

* combats ingrown hairs

* softens! refreshes & tones

What users say -

* helped with acne, razor burns & bumps

* helped with irritation from shaving

* easy to apply

* no residue

* very calming

Also what I thought was great about this is that it comes as a spray which is quite unusual, normally for a soothing product you think of creams or balms that you massage into the skin. This product was also recommended in GQ magazine, high praise indeed. 

Obviously everyone's skin is different, I haven't tried these products so can't recommend which one would be the better option, however, I have researched this subject quite in depth, looking at what the industry says about both the company and the product, and what actual users have said about them, I've just put it all together so it's all in one place for you.

I really think spending money on facial products that you use daily is well worth it, especially if it's helping to lessen irritation and pain, and not make your dread  when it's time to shave again!

Also worth a mention mankind.co.uk is a great website for you guys to check out!!

Hope you found this helpful, please let me know if you have tried these products or if you are now planning to, would love to know what you think about them.

Hannah x

Review Week - Mark Hill Professional Hair Dryer

So I finally decided to upgrade my hair dryer, my last one, the Babyliss Elegance was the best hair dryer I've had, my husband got it for me a couple of years ago, but the attachment snapped, and I could only have it on the coolest setting so it didn't burn out every 2mins. So it was time for an upgrade! 

I just got this Mark Hill professional hair dryer for 1/2 price on the boots sale. I'm so happy with it so far and I haven't even started using it properly yet! It came in 2 different colour options, or should I say animal print options, you could have leopard print or zebra print. I preferred the zebra print.

First thing I noticed was how powerful it is! Wowsers!! It has 3 speed settings and 3 heat settings, as my hair is so fine though, I have it on the medium heat and medium speed, still dries my hair is rapid time!

It also comes with three separate drying attachments,

1. Concentrator Nozzle - more precise styling

2. Volume Nozzle - to straighten, add volume, lift and movement

3. Airflow Concenrstion Nozzle - fast drying, no frizz

So far I've only used the 2nd attachment and I love it, still trying to get the hang of it though. What's great about this for me as well is that even with the attachment it still fits in my hair dryer holder on my desk, I used to hate having to take the attachment off when it was hot so it would fit back in the holder once I'd finished using it.

Another thing I like about this is the metallic grill on the back, I find that on most hair dryers I've had they have been plastic, and they break very easily, but this one seems very sturdy!

One of my Favoruite features of this hair dryer though is the looooonnngg cable. That really annoyed me about my Babyliss dryer, the cable was so short I used to have to sit to one side of my desk, with this one I can boogie around my room while drying my hair! Perfect!! :-)

I've still got a lot to learn with this but I'm really happy with it so far, and I would highly recommend if your in need of a new hair dryer. I would say especially if you've got thick hair, you'll be done in minutes!! 

What are you using to dry your hair at the moment? 

Hannah x

Review Week - Soap & Glorys Crazy Sexy Khol

Another sale purchase for me was this Soap & Glory Crazy Sexy Kohl. I have been looking for a couple of colour liners so when I saw the aqua, blue and purple in this I really wanted to give them a whirl. I wasn't really interested in the shadows that came with it and they're not amazing but I will try them because I've never used any of their shadows before.

So here's what you get...

5 x waterproof liners

* super black

* cocoa bean

* aquabat

* blue my mind

* grapevine

3 x lid stuff eyeshadows

* aubersheen

* smokin

* dandy plum

Here's the swatches of the liners....

How gorgeous is that aquabat!!! Wowsers!! Really cream as well, very similar consistency to urban decays 24/7 liner. 

Here's the swatches for the shadows...

As I said nothing too special about them, the black isn't very pigmented, so can't see me using that one. But I will try the others out on the lid and let you know what they're like for staying and not creasing etc.

Can't wait to try some looks with those liners though! 

Do you like a colourful liner?

Hannah x

MEN'S Beauty Tip Monday - Shaving Series 3/6

3/6 The Razor!

Obvious tip but make sure your shaving head isn't blunt. It's recommended that you should change you razer after 5 uses. Using a blunt shaver won't cut down the hairs but it will be enough to irritate the skin.

Another thing regarding the razor is not to press too hard. Pressing harder will not make a closer shave but instead will drag on the skin. Lighter short strokes are better for your skin than long strokes that cover a whole strip of your face. 

How often do you change your razer?

Hannah x

Beauty Haul & First Impressions

Well what can I say, I've had a very exciting weekend of beauty purchases! ;-)

On Friday I got Benefits Boi-ing concealer, and yesterday I went to Urban Decay and got Naked 3 and my first 24/7 liner.

So I thought I would do a first impressions post so you can see what all the fuss is about! I will be doing a proper review after using the products for a couple of weeks.

So my first purchase...

Benefits Boi-ing concealer! Loved the packaging for this, same high standard as all of the benefit products. I used this today for the first time and so far it's living up to the hype, so lovely amd creamy to apply, and great match for my colouring. £17.50

Next is my Urban Decay mini haul.....

24/7 liner in Bourbon. It really does glide on, so soft and pigmented! It was so hard to choose my colour but I'm glad I went with Bourbon, it's more dark bronze than brown on my skin with a metallic finish. Wore it all day to today, was quite surprised after nearly 9 hours, and getting soaked in the rain it's still on, no touch up required, really is waterproof. £12.50

And finally, my most exciting purchase NAKED 3!!!!!!! £37 Its in a lovely light pink tin case with rose gold lettering. Really love the packaging! And I was quite surprised how good the closing mechanism is for a tin, no way that baby is popping open in my make up bag! :-)

Here's a close up.....

You can't see just how beautiful some of the colours are there, they really are beautiful and sparkly!

Here's the comparison between Naked 1 & 3! I loved the packaging for naked 1, the brown velvet with gold writing, it was so original. I think for my skin tone Naked 1 will be more evening shades now, and Naked 3 will be my every day colours, except for Blackheart which I can't wait to wear on my next night out! 

Overall my first impression of all 3 products is that they are all great! I always do my research and read/watch product reviews anyway so I knew they all had great reviews but I like to test things out for myself as well and give an honest opinion. So after a couple of weeks I'll do a full review when I know how the products wear etc. 

What make up was your favourite or most exciting buy?

Hannah x

Winter Make Up - My Winter Nails Wishlist!

I was going to tell you about my favourite nail products that I'm currently using and show you what they looked like on etc, but my nails right now are hideous!!!! I'm currently having a bad hair and nail situation where my hair is falling out and my nails are breaking off, lovely isn't it!! So rather than ruin the lovely products I was going to show you I'm going to show you what my Winter Nails Wishlist is......

Starting with butter London's Horse Power Nail Fertiliser! It uses a herbal ingredient called Horsetail, which is meant to have amazing effects on strengthening and repairing your nails. Which is exactly what I need, however it comes with a £17 price tag so for now it goes on the Wishlist!!

Second is a product that's been out for a while now, Revlons Scandalous nail enamel. How beautiful! I've tried to buy this a couple of times now but it's never in stock! As you know I'm a bit of a magpie and I tend to be especially drawn to pink shiny things, so I would like to add this to my collection! It's around £6 so great price for such a pretty thing!

Essie, Essie, Essie.....I'm in love....with a nail polish....again!!! This is Essie's Sole Mate, a rich deep plum perfect for this time of year! Of all the colours I'm showing you today this is number 1 on my list!! Total perfection! 

Just read this description from Essie - 

I created this intoxicating, rich plum shade as a love potion for women who were looking for true love. I had found my soul mate and hoped that every woman in the world would find hers too. What can I say? I’m an eternal optimist and a romantic.

Gorgeous. You can now get Essie in super drug and boots which is great, and they are around £8.

And again! This is Belugaria, one on the new polishes from Essie. It's described as a jet black nail lacquer laced with highly textured matte glitter with flashes of rainbow holographics. Enough said!! Absolute beaut and I need it in my life! Not a fan of a plain black nail varnish, but a black GLITTER nail varnish - I'm all about it!!!

And last but by no means least - the perfect red carpet RED!! Dior Rouge 999, This iconic red has been perfectly designed to fuse to the nail to prevent chipping, and create intense colour and shine. As this is a little special it's around £18 and can be picked up from a Dior counter in selfridges or debenhams.

S

D

So those are the products that have made my Wishlist this winter, what's on yours?

Hannah x

Winter Make Up!!

I've have been asked a lot recently what lipstick or eyeshadow I'm wearing, or what nail varnish I've got on so I thought this week would be all about my Winter Make Up Bag!

Today will be my go-to lipsticks of this season so far. I will however start with apologizing for the lighting in these pictures, I've been trying to find a good light all day to do these lip products justice, and bad lighting paired with taking pictures on my iPhone means they are not great! A problem I will try and fix ASAP!!

I thought I'd break the products down into the following -

Favourite :

Lip Balm

Nude

Party Lips

Gloss

Lipstick

My favourite lip balm at the moment is the Baby Lips by Maybelline, and I'm using Hydrate. Which I love, and always carry round with me to keep my lips hydrated on cold winter days. These are available in most drugstores and supermarkets, for around £2.99

My favourite Nude at the moment is Loreal Collection Privee by Julianne. This really is the perfect nude for me, and it's a really creamy formula that feels great on the lips. I think it's great they have a nude for every skin tone, they have six shades and they are around £8 from a drugstore.

My favorite party lips! This is my Ultimate favourite from Mac's dazzleglass range called Bare Necessity. This picture really doesn't do this product justice, it's so SPARKLY!!! You can wear it on its own like I have on the picture, or layer it over your favourite lipstick to add that extra special pop! It's £17.50 so you have to love it to buy it - which I do!!!

My favourite winter gloss. I've really been into deep berry shades recently so this gloss by Rimmel has to be my favourite. It glides on your lips, it's lightweight, it's not sticky and it smells GORGEOUS! Technically it's not a gloss it's a lip lacquer, but I would compare the high shine and applicator to a gloss. It comes in 13 colours, and this one is called Galaxy, and is around £6.50 in most drugstores.

My favourite winter lipstick! No surprises I've gone for a Soap & Glory product in this mix but this lipstick is my fave!!! Not normally one to go for a Matte but when I swatched this in boots I knew I had to have it!! It's their Super Colour FABU lipstick in powder coat matte in the colour Pom Pom for £9.00 in Boots, it only comes in 3 colours :-( but I love everything about it, including it's very stylish packing!

Those are my winter favourite lipsticks, what are some of you must haves for this time of year?

Also please check out my instablog @princesshannahs

Hannah x