As you know I have curly hair..... Sharing these 10 commandments to all curly girlies!

Naturally Curly - 10 Commandments

October Glossybox Review and the end of

Dear Readers,

Well lots of people have been saying over the past few weeks on various blogs that Glossybox seems to have gone down hill and that is also my opinion too a little bit so this is my last Glossybox review as I have cancelled my subscription however not to sound completely doom and gloom I am on the look out for another similar type scheme so watch this space :-)

This months Glossybox for me had some Rodial facial products, Vichy moisturiser, Balance Me eye cream, Lady Gaga sample and a tiny bottle of Moroccan Oil treatment.

1. Lady Gaga Perfume. This is actually quite surprising this perfume  it's quite fruity smelling and has a unusual black colour liquid which when you spray comes out clear. I must admit the fragrance has grown on me but I wont be rushing out to buy it.

2. Rodial facial products. I haven't actually used these yet. I'm sure one of them is anti-wrinkle, great thanks Glossybox...

3 + 4. These two products are actually great! The Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream (RRP £20) is really good. I do think that it is a little pricey but I have used various eye creams before and this one is great as it doesn't sting and actually works on my eye area. Would recommend this product but not 100% yet sure whether I'll re purchase it purely on the price.

The facial moisturiser from Vichy is also a very good product. It too I think is a little pricey but it is from their new range of (anti ageing, cough cough Glossybox) and can be found here. It is a good moisturiser as it has hardly any scent and you only need a little bit which goes a long way.

5. Last but not least was this very tiny bottle of Moroccan Oil treatment for hair which even my camera can't focus on. I haven't used this yet.

*sigh* and it was going so well Glossybox. Oh well, I will be on the look out for a similar boxed company products for the future.

Have you had your October Glossybox or other similar company this month? How are your subscriptions going?

Lauren 

xxxx 

How To... Shampoo and Overnight Set Curl Hair

Hey lovelies, 

Today I wanted to write about how I shampoo and set my hair to get the true vintage look in the main photo on my blog and lots of other photos of me on my blog. 

I have naturally curly hair and so the curl does take really well but this works extremely well for dead straight hair people and lasts way longer than any hair tong will ever achieve. I promise.

I know you might be thinking, why would she want to curl her hair anyway then, well with a shampoo and set as you will see below the curl is more of an authentic vintage look in my opinion and is very versatile in what you can do with it. 

I learned a lot of my tips and tricks off You Tube videos and also this lovely blog from Retro Chick and with a little bit of practise (and winging it) I managed to get the look about right so here is how I do it.

Sorry about some of the rubbish pictures, lighting in my bedroom at night is always "mood" lighting as we use electricity saver bulbs, and the flash on my camera is really un flattering. 

Here are the bits and pieces you will need, along with a glass of wine for fun and about 30-45 minutes.

 Some medium sized foam rollers, I got mine for £1 in Savers, a rat tail comb, wide toothed comb, some pins and in the gold bottle I have setting lotion in which I got from Superdrug here. I put the setting lotion in the gold bottle as it is easier to use from a squirty bottle rather than the bottle it comes in. 

1) Yaaay scary picture of me out the shower, you lucky things. (p.s. no idea why I am cupping my boob)

I brush my hair through with the wide tooth comb and do not put any products on. Depending on your hair you may wish to put something on here but I don't as I feel it gives a better curl. This is on roughly towel dried hair.

2) Using the rat tail comb, part your hair. I always part mine a dramatic side parting to give the vintage effect. 

3) Scary eyes, I then spray lots of the setting lotion all over my hair. It is a bit of a granny smell but hey that all adds to the effect I think. Be careful not to get this in your eyes as it stings, from previous experience.

4) I start to use the foam rollers from the front of my head. The top two on the big side of the part are rolled front ways i.e. the hair sits on top of the roller, which ultimately will end up in the fridge/quiff. I do the same for the two side rolls. All of the other rollers I roll away from my face. I do this as my hair is naturally curly so I don't need as much volume.

I can usually get 5 rolls down the parting, then two rows of two either side. My hair is quite fine so you may need more.

5) Now this isn't enough rollers to cover my whole head, plus I am still not used to sleeping in them so the back of my hair I do pin curls. There are hundreds of Youtube videos on how to do these, I am really not that precise and is the part that I really wing so I will demonstrate below.

6) I get about a one inch piece of hair, I don't comb it at all or section it properly (my arms are aching by now) and I use my fingers as if they are the roller then I take the curl off and carry on curling it to my head, then use two pins to secure.

7) As you can see I am really not that precise at all.

I then spritz some more setting lotion on and then blow-dry it slightly all the way over just with the warm and slow option just to get rid of some of the moisture. Then I go bub-byes :-)

And here I am in the morning, with make-up on.

8) In the morning I would give yourself another good half an hour so you don't get stressed too much with this. If all fails, just pin it up which I do very often. So I usually start with the back pin curls as It's slightly easier than having all the front hair to then move to get the back ones out. As I do it I gently tease some of the crispyness out and smell the odour Granny :-) Till I look Like this...

Next I just want to rave about this brush from Kent which I use to brush out the set. This brush is amazing, I use it all the time for either straight looks, or curly looks and it adds shine and I never feel it breaks the hair at all. It has boar bristles in the brush which sounds yuk but let me tell you, you have not used a decent brush until you have used one of these. It is an investment piece at about £8.50 I think, I got it from Boots but I keep it clean and none of the bristles fall out and none of the little studs come off. Its amazing and you should by it now! Plus its lasted me ages, and Made In Britain!!! Ok moving on.

9) So using my super amazing Kent brush I start to brush. This can be a little bit scary but be patient. The brush does all the hard work for you, adding loads of shine and smoothness.

I start to form some curls, and mould the fringe, this hasn't actually got any pins in at all.

When I am happy I do start to pin, and this is the look I went for today.

10) For the back parts of my hair I curl them all under, using my hands to form a bun sort of shape, then pin.

11) For the quiff I also curl under and pin at the front of my face.

12) And here you go the finished look, I also added this pretty pin from Primark (bought ages ago) to add a little something. Then use Elnett hairspray which I buy tonnes of from Savers to keep it in place.

At the end of the day when I am ready for bed, I brush it through again and fall asleep. The next day it is a little easier to manage and I can do much more styles with it. Overall the set will last about 4 days with a bit of clever brushing. 

So I hope this was helpful, let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them. Again I apologise for some of the rubbishy pictures.

Have you ever tried to set your hair? How did it go?

Lauren xxx

New Hair and Superdrug Own Hair Dye Review

My Guide to Home-Dying

To some of us dying our own hair is a total doddle to others it is a little bit scary. From my own experience if you are dramatically changing your hair colour I would recommend a visit to the hairdressers however like myself I refuse to pay the prices at hairdressers when I can get the same result at home :)

I left my hair quite a while this time before I decided that it really did need doing. Whilst packing up my house I found in the bathroom this Superdrug hair dye which I bought a couple of months ago and thought I would use it up.

 It is Colour Preformance in 5:0 Natural Medium Brown, permanent = £3.49 - bargain!

I have coloured my hair numerous times over the years (that makes me sound really old but I started dying at about 14) and I have been everything from disastrous blondes to vibrant reds. But as I was saying this colour was in my bathroom and I thought I should use it up before the big move.

 

Ewlll yukky gingery colour before hand....................................and a close up shot :)

Every box of hair dye recommends a strand test, I am stating here that this is my own review and it is up to you whether you do your own strand test or not. I have coloured my hair lots and lots of times and had various henna tattoos over the years and haven't fingers crossed touch wood had any issues dying my hair but please conduct a strand test for yourselves. 
Ok so the important part over.....

So here are the bits and pieces from the box, if you have dyed your hair before you know the drill. Put the conditioner into the shower for later then put on the plastic gloves.

Oh I forgot to mention above that I always brush out my hair completely and have to hand various clips and combs for use whilst dying the hair. And also remember to put a towel down and wear an old t-shirt.

Mix them up to a scary looking orange colour....

 So this is my tried and tested method for home dying, on yourself with no assistant (husband, boyfriend, any friend, mum etc)......

Parting the hair in the middle do a squirt along the hair line then rub into the roots, I always do the roots first regardless because I always have growth. oopps please ignore the washing in the background. At least it weren't pants, ewl yuk sorry please keep reading....... 

Giggle at yourself once you have roughly done the roots all over, including as best as you can the back. I use a clip to hold the front forward whilst I do the back.

Ohhh a bit scary, I apologise. Once I have done all the roots I use the rest to rub together really well and comb slightly the rest of the hair. I then start to time when I am confident it is all over. This was 30 minutes. I usually clean the bathroom in this time, wipe my face, drink some wine etc etc.

And the result was..............

Quite a nice dark brown ish colour with some red included. I do have a lot of natural red in my hair and the colour always regardless of what I do take more to the ends for a week or so until it has calmed down a bit.

I was quite pleased overall with this product, as good as the leading brands and for the price the colour and amount of product you get is good value for money. It has quite a strong ammonia smell like most hair dyes, comes with the home dying I suppose.

So do you home dye, what would you recommend? 

I hope you like it!

Lauren 

xx