L'oreal Professional hair products

The other week I received an email to my surprise that I had won a competition I entered with L’oreal. To be honest I had to think back and try and remember entering it as I do love a good competition so entered a few! But I was one of the lucky 10 winners that received a couple of products from the L’oreal Professional range. I loved this as I never win anything and usually just think I’ll have no chance of winning but I was wrong this time!

So I got the Tecni Art Liss Control (150ml) and the Tecni Art Volume Riche Mousse (250ml).

I was really pleased with the mousse as I usually just use a cheap one from Boots, mainly because I don’t use it often, but I will make sure I use this one. This mousse is designed to add lasting volume to the hair and add shine. Also everything from this range has a numbered system from 1 to 6 to determine the force of the product. This mousse is number 4 so I guess this means the strength of the product and that it has a pretty good hold. I have used this a couple of times so far and like the texture of it and it does add good volume. It also isn’t sticky like some other products. I apply it to towel-dried hair before blow drying and also have added a little afterwards to give an extra lift. I will definitely use this more often in my hair routine now.

The other product is the Tecnic Art Liss Control gel cream, which is to help control frizz and smooth wavy or curly hair. I do not have really frizzy or curly hair; my hair is pretty straight and quite flat. So I don’t think I will benefit particularly from this and it will probably be a product I use for a few weeks before it gets lost amoung all my other hair products! But I have used it a couple of times on towel dried hair and it smells very nice. If you do have curly hair or want something to tame frizz then this could be a good product for you.

I hadn’t really heard of these products before as they are professional products and are usually found in the hairdressers. But I like that I have been able to try these out, even better that it was for free! It may make me look into some of the other products in this range.

Have you used anything from this range? Or are there any other good professional hair care products you like?

August Favourites

So it is officially September! Where has the summer gone?! To be honest I am actually really excited for autumn and although I am not a fan of being cold, I love the fashion for winter, the chunky knits, thick scarfs and cosy nights! Not forgetting Christmas, which is my favourite time of year! I have already started writing a Christmas list. I know I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Anyway back to now, and I am going to share my favourite products for August with you.  I have already done an August empties post, but thought it was only right to show you what my favourite products have been this month. I have been using all of these products regularly and they have been my go-to products of the month.

·         St Ives Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub – I have been using this at least once or twice a week and love it. I hadn’t ever used a St Ives scrub before and now it will be a staple product for me. It smells lovely; it is a bit gritty but in a good way, and not abrasive. It makes my skin feel so smooth afterwards and I haven't used another product that has been as good as this.

·         Lee Stafford Sun Kissed Lightening Spray – This stuff is AMAZING and helped my hair stay blonde for so much longer. I wasn’t expecting much when I bought it but I am glad I got it. You can see my full review on it here.

·         Botanics Softening Cleanser and Rosewater Toner – These products are really lovely and such a good price. The cleanser is good at removing all make-up and the toner is a great spritzer to refresh your face, especially on the (few) summer days! I also have a review on these here.

·         Bourjois Dissolvant – For anyone that changes their nail colour regularly this is a godsend! It is so much easier than using cotton pads and getting fluff stuck to all your fingers! It smells really nice (unlike usual nail polish removers) and removes nail polish quickly. The only little niggle is that it doesn’t work well with glitter polish... but what remover does?

·         L’oreal Volume Million Lashes – This is my favourite mascara at the moment and I use it for day and night. It doesn't clump and makes lashes look really dark and adds nice volume. I had mentioned this in my August Empties and already have another one because I like it that much!

·         Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake - I am sure everyone knows how nice these are. They are just great for everyday wear and keep lips feeling moisturised and adding a bit of colour! I love this pink colour, it's so girly and nice and light. 

So these are my favourites for the month. Have you tried any of these or are these in your favourites too? Send me your links if you have done a similar post I love reading them!

August Empties

So I have been blogging for just over a month now and when I first started I noticed everyone seemed to be doing an empties post of what products they have used that month. I loved reading the posts as it’s a great way to see what people have used up and what they actually think of the product after using it all. So now that it is the end of the month I’ve decided to do my own!

·         Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical – This is probably a regular product I get through every month and have been using it for so long! I am sure many of you use this or some kind of dry shampoo and it is pretty much a life saver. I use it on my roots when they’re getting a bit greasy or for a little boost. I love love love this scent! It smells of coconut and fruits and is such a holiday smell! Repurchase? Always!

·         L’oreal Elvive Nutri-gloss, Light - I usually use Aussie shampoos but was unable to get it recently so tried this instead. It is suppose to give hair a “mirror shine” and “weightless feel” and after using this I did notice my hair looked shinier and healthier so was impressed as I didn’t think much of it when I picked it up. Repurchase? Yeah I would get this again but probably wouldn’t use it all the time.

·         Clynol Hair Shine – I have had this for ages and it was a half used bottle I needed to use up. It is a conditioning gloss spray that is supposed to add shine to your hair once styled. A friend persuaded me to get this as she thought it was great but I really wasn’t impressed with it and can remember it costing a fair bit. I didn’t see any difference to my hair and it smells like cheap hairspray. Repurchase? No

·         Lancome Eau Micellaire Doucheur – Basically this is cleansing water for eyes and face. I really like this and it works well to remove all makeup. I often use cleansing wipes for eye make-up but I have been using this too. It is also a toner as well which is good if you can’t really be bothered with using too many products at night. Repurchase? This cost £21 for 200ml which is really expensive and there are cheaper alternatives so probably not.

·         Body Shop Body Scrub in Coconut – This was from a set I had so only a small pot but I love this stuff and it made my skin feel soft afterwards. Also Coconut is such a nice scent to use in the summer! Repurchase? Yeah but probably not a large tub as I often forget to use scrubs in the shower.

·         Escada Ocean Lounge, Eau de toilette – I love all of the Escada fragrances, especially for summer as they always have a really fruity smell. They are not too overpowering either and great for everyday. I also have a travel sized one in a different scent for my handbag! Repurchase? Yes

·         Natio Clever Stick Foundation - I used this up at the beginning of the month and you can see my post on it here. When I first used this I wasn’t so sure about it but grew to love it! Repurchase? I do want to repurchase this again but also want to try a few other foundations so will probably hold off for a bit or wait until it is on offer.

·         L’oreal Volume Million Lashes – This mascara is really nice and actually one of my favourites now. I have used many different types of mascara from Givenchy Phenomen Eyes to Benefit They’re Real and this one does just as good a job for me! This is cheaper than them at £11 and it adds good volume and lengthening and doesn’t clump up. Repurchase? Already have as I found same one at boot sale for £4!

Hope you like the post and I look forward to reading everyone else’s soon! 

Top 5 summer nail colours

If there is something I have a lot of its nail polishes... I think I’m a bit of a hoarder! I also think a nail polish and its colour can show what mood you are in and your personal style. I was going through my collection deciding what colour to change my nails and thought I would share some of the colour I have and what my top 5 summer colours are.

1.      I picked this colour up recently when I was at Westfield at a makeup store called KIKO and this colour was on offer. It’s a lovely coral/red colour with tones of orange, which is nice and bright. This polish goes on really well and has a great glossy finish to it. It also lasts a long while without chipping so I am impressed and now want to try another from this brand. 

2.      This next one is from Beauty UK that I got in Superdrug. It was really cheap and to be honest it isn’t really a great polish as you have to apply a fair few coats to get a decent colour and it takes ages to dry. But the colour looks great afterwards and is perfect for summer.

3.      This Barry M is one of my favourite as the colour is gorgeous and reminds me of being on holiday. The colour is called Peach Melba and the pastel colour looks really nice when you have a tan as it is quite bright. The only thing I don’t like about Barry M nail polishes is they chip very easily. I have only had this nail polish on a day and it already has a small chip – Bad Barry M! Although they don’t cost much so what do I expect?

4.      Next is my L’oreal polish in number 602 and it’s the first nail polish I had tried from L’oreal and I have to say it’s not bad. I was after a turquoise/mint colour for a while and was struggling to find the perfect one, until I found this beauty. The colour is a really cool mint green and the colour paints on quite strong. I have had a lot of compliments when wearing this one and it is another nice pastel colour.

5.      The final colour in my top 5 is this Nails Inc polish called Exeter Street. I only have a couple of Nails Inc nail polishes but they are definitely my fave in terms of how they apply and how well they last! This is a really nice nude shade with a hint of beige/mushroom. This colour is really nice to wear everyday when you don’t want a colour but don’t want bare nails!

Have you tried any of these colours? What are your summer favourite colours – I’d love to know!