How To: Care For Long Hair

Maintaining long and glossy locks is one of my daily tasks, after that second day hair is looking a little drab, there's something resembling a rats nest formed by the hairs at the back of my head and dry ends are starting to show. 

My haircare routine is constantly changing but there are three things that remain constant. My use of heat protector, hair oil and a hair mask. These three firm favourites have been helping my hair repair against damage and have proved to be quite a killer combination.

First up is the newest out of the bunch, L'Oreal Paris Elnett Heat Protect Styling Spray (post here). I'll always make sure my locks are protected from the daily dose of heat and this protects up to 230 degrees while adding that extra hold. There are three formulas that I'll mix depending on what look I'm going for that day, normally I'll lightly mist straight throughout my hair and volume at the roots. As well as protecting my hair they also help tame frizz and fly aways!

The weekly hair mask is a chore I've learnt to love, so many appear in my stash but none will ever compare to Philip Kingsley Elasicizer Extreme. I've got this to thank for my hair, it may not produce the same instant results as others but produces the best over time with constant use. One of my holy grails I will never be without! 

To tame frizz, add shine and gloss I'll douse my hair in hair oil. Not only is Ojon Rare Blend Oil beautiful and smells amazing it does its job and more. After shaking the bottle I'll run it though my ends on damp hair and again once blowdried. Even though I'm nowhere near finishing this I've stocked up on backups just in case. 

When it comes to hairbrushes there is only one that can get through the horendous knots that I come home to is the Michael Mercier Detangling Brush. Unlike the Tangle Teaser this has a handle making trudging through those knots much easier. It gets the job done (and fast) with minimal breakage. 

As hair is most sensitvie to damage when it 's wet I'll be sure to brush it when dry, I'll use a really gentle brush like Mason Pearson as it doesn't tug or pull. I've noticed bad quality hair brushes causing a lot of breakage on my hair so I made sure to invest in a decent hair brush.

How do you look after your hair?

The Launch Of Elnett Styling Sprays With Cheryl Cole @ O2!

A couple of nights ago, I headed over to the O2 centre for a very special event, Cheryl Cole's concert with backstage access thanks to the L'Oreal team, all in celebration of the new Elnett Styling Sprays. The very infamous Elnett, as seen on my Mother and Grandmother's dressing tables has recently brought out Styling Sprays which is the first time in 51 years Elnett has entered a new category! 

We were taken to a L'Oreal lounge where makeup was applied, hair was styled and drinks were consumed and continued to go and watch Cheryl's performance. Being a smokey eye lover myself, I did enable the zoom lense on my camera to spy on her gorgeous smokey eye, which no doubt was created by the L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows I always rave about (post here). See the get the look below...

Back to the Styling Range! There are three styles to choose from, Straight, Volume or Curls. L'Oreal state protect up to 230 degrees while also offering three day hold (!!!). On top of that it promises to give hair definition, protect from humidity and tame flyways all in all sounding like a fantastic all round product! I'm extremely excited about trying the new Elnett Styling Sprays and no doubt will be reporting back shortly!

L'Oreal Paris Elnett Styling Spray will retail for £5.99 and will be available from the end of October

The Back Ups

There are a few products that I adore so much I wouldn't even have to think about if I would repurchase them. In fact I love them that much I end up hoarding doubles, just incase that lipgloss or concealer comes to an end and I'm left running to find a replacement. 

Currently only two haircare products are worthy of the back up plan, Oribe Dry Texturising Spray, of which I have a large bottle for my dressing table and a smaller handbag sized. Whenever I opt out of using this in my hair the difference in volume is phenomenal. It provides lift in my hair like no other as well as adding texture. Not only is Ojon Rare Blend Oil the most beautiful hair oil around it's also nourishing, tames frizz and leaves hair smelling amazing. 

Three mascaras I couldn't see myself living without...

1. Dior DiorShow Lash Serum & Primer - I apply before mascara to lengthen, thicken and give the appearance of longer lashes

2. MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara - is an absolute drugstore gem, that manages to take my lashes from short stumpy lashes to long and fluttery. 

3. L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black - I normally add as a boost after any mascara as it adds the most incredible volume and seems to work well with any formula

For my chapped lips Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm For Lips does the trick for bringing cracked lips back to plumpy, it's a bit of a sticky ointment so reserves a place on the bedside table for overnight use. Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in Lucky is one I had to search Space NK stores desperate to get my hands on some back ups. It's the most beautiful peachy pink with a golden shimmer running through it that illuminates the lips making them appear fuller. 

Avon SuperShock Gel Liner is the most incredible gel eyeliner around, it lasts the better part of 8 hours on my waterline and has an unbelievably creamy formula that's easy to blend out but once set it won't budge. 

For concealer my two couldn't-live-without favourites are, By Terry Touche Veloutee and Collection Lasting Perfection, nothing beats these. Touche Veloutee gets swept under my eyes for concealing bags as it has the most lightweight formula and invisible texture. Lasting Perfection anywhere else like covering redness as it's pretty full coverage and blendable. 

So there you have it, my backups. Favourite products, these truly ones I could not even dream of being without. 

Do you own any backups? What would yours be?

Beauty On Location: Formal Lunch

Formal lunches can be a two to three hour affair, iPhones are left unattended, emails get disguarded and running to the bathroom for a touch up isn't an option. In terms of makeup, of course lunch means little lip action going on, there's nothing worse than a ring of pink lipstick on your glass. I kept my makeup pretty simple, my routine when-in-doubt face with nothing too fancy going on. Same goes for my hair, no poofy volume or ringlet curls, just good old simple blow-dry.

Skin

- I wanted my skin to look as natural as possible so started of with Estee Lauder Matte Perfecting Primer as a base to ensure shine stayed at bay. I then followed with Dior DiorSkin Airflash Foundation for a luminous finish that provides coverage.
- Under my eyes I used a combination of L'Oreal Lumi Magique with Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
- To define my cheeks I used the Une Healthy Glow Mineral Powder and a touch of Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in Lush Nectarine

Eyes

- The shade Pale Barley by Burberry is the perfect all over the lid shade that doesn't crease, is really pigmented and lasts throughout the day. I added a little colour to my socket with Mac Cork and smudged some of the darker shade Mac Carbon along my lash line.

- Pixi Lash Line Ink added some extra definition as I lined my eyes and finished off with Origins Ginesing Brightening Mascara

Lips

- I left my lips pretty nude throughout the lunch but before I arrived swept a coat of Benefit Ultra Plush Gloss in Dandelion as it doesnt last long on the lips and isn't sticky at all

What's your routine face?

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Gel

I know in my last YouTube video about how I self tan, I said that I didn’t really see the point in face tan products. I've always just used my regular St Tropez Mousse. That was before I discovered this little beaut, completely by accident.

My boyfriend came to bed with this on his face one night, and I was all like 'ooooh your faaaace smells nice'. Turns out, it was Sublime Bronze. (Check him out, sneakily tanning before bed!)
Crazy because as we all know, normally tans don’t smell great. I'm so funny about the scents of things too, I hate using products that smell too strong and perfumed, particularly on my face.
So, believe it or not, I actually pinched this one night from my boyfriends’ side of the bathroom sink, and kinda fell for it!

I really like the colour this developes into, it's so natural and not orange in the slightest. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous constitancy, a gel formula so feels really cool and refreshing to apply. It's really moisturizing too, if you wanted to use it before you apply your make-up in the morning it would totally work. I've been applying it before bed, and I have to say, it's impossible to get streaks or look patchy. Fool-proof.
This would be perfect to try if you are quite pale, or scared about trying out fake tan for the first time, because it's not too dramatic, but still noticable. I think it's definitely worth checking out.

It's really good if you can’t be bothered to tan your whole body and just want a bit of colour of your face, and it really perked me up. It's so strange, it's such a small change, but a couple of the girls I work with noticed the difference it made to how my skin looked. One thing I really liked about this tan, was the fact that you can apply it with your hands. The gel washes straight off, so no need to use a mitt, and nor orange hands, wooo! I also really like the fact that it's in a squeezy tube, and you can see exactly how much tan you have left, which most of the time, is not the case with pump bottles.

I'm not sure how many 'body' applications you would get out of this, as I have just started using it on my face, but I will say, a little goes a long way on my face, so if I just used it for my face, it would last a long time. It's pretty purse friendly too, at about £13 a bottle.I would reccomend applying once every 4(ish) days, I did apply for a couple of days running, but I turned out to be a little darker than I wanted.

Have you ever tried L'Oreal Sublime Bronze face and body? What fake tan would you reccomend to use on your face?

My Makeup: Issa SS13 Inspired

After being backstage at Issa last week (post here) and drooling over Val Garland working her makeup magic, my front row seat enabled me to analyse her feather light hand movements, swift brush strokes and precise cat flick up close. To say I was totally mesmerised would be an understatement! After noting down all her tips and techniques I got a little inspired to try and recreate the look myself, however, something a little more suitable for my everyday life.
Now I'm an eyes girl, it's the feature I always play up - there's rarely a red lip or just some skin action going on with me, but the makeup at Issa had it all, which on myself I wouldn't be too fond of, so I adapted it by toning down the lip from a bright opaque colour to a sheer wash, a less defined eye and a smaller cat flick.

Skin

- Val Garland used the L'Oreal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer as a base to ensure glowy skin, which I personally haven't tried, so instead I applied Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone all over my skin, followed by YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat.
- Under my eyes I used what Val used as a highlighter, L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer, which wasn't high enough in coverage to conceal my dark circles so I mixed in some By Terry Touche Veloutee.
- To contour I used the dark shade in Sleek Contour Kit and to add a highlight to the high points of my cheek bones I used L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer.

Eyes

- Sweeping the lightest shade from the L'Oreal Trio Pro in 403 Golden Fidelity and defining my crease using a mix of the two darker shades in the palette. The look at Issa was much more defined but I opted for a more subtle, wearable look.
- To line my eyes I used L'Oreal Super Liner. Like Val suggested, I started at the middle of my eyelid and drew outwards, filling in the gaps after I had defined the shape of the flick. Val then followed with a L'Oreal mascara that has yet to be released, so I opted for L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic instead.

Lips

- I used a sheer wash of bright colour with Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Sheer in 502

Do you think I made the look Val created at Issa more wearable?

Backstage at LFW - Holly Fulton SS13

One of the shows I popped backstage to at London Fashion week was Holly Fulton (See Issa & Kinder here). I was lucky enough to see the makeup, hair and nails action, all of which I absolutely loved. It was all about an LA surf girl, someone who's chic and sporty that doesn't wear too much makeup. 

Firstly the hair, which was very holiday inspired, none of it looked uniform and it all looked random and messy. L'Oreal's Hair Stylist Shon started off by prepping the hair with L'Oreal Paris Studio Silk & Gloss Mousse to give a 'rough and carefree' effect to the hair. Shon then raved about the L'Oreal Matt & Messy Shine Free Salt Spray (which I also raved about here!) saying 'I don't normally say amazing, but this is amazing' as he applied it throughout the hair whilst blowdrying it to give a 'tousled look to the texture'. After sweeping the hair to one side and creating a fringe and using a braid as a hairband, Shon plaited the hair very messily at the back. He wanted it to look very random and messy as all the models can't look the same. To finish off he added a pin in the bottom of the plait, which tied in which the pastel colours of the clothes. 

The makeup was inspired by the 1st female skateboarder Kerry McGee, it was all very toasted and sun kissed. Matt skin, fake freckles and a fluro two tone bright lip, which was my absolute favourite. Skin was powdered with Mac Select Sheer Loose Powder, followed by freckles with Mac Brow Pencils in Lingering & Stud. Eyes were totally neglected, absolutely nothing was going on there, not even a quick curl of the lashes. All focus was on the lip, which was bright pink and orange, playful and fun. This was done with Mac Lip Pencil in Embrace Me all over the lip followed by Lip Mix in Fuchsia , White and Orange. 

The nails were a sunny mixture of colours from Mavala, 179 Lemon Cream all over the nail followed by a touch of 154 Aqua Marine, 153 Lagoon and White in the corners of the nail which tied in beautifully with the hair. 

I loved seeing everything translate and come together on the catwalk, particularly the hair which looked incredible tied in with the clothes and the whole LA girl look! Do you think you could wear this look in real life?

Beauty On Location: Backstage At LFW

After being invited to come along backstage at LFW with L'Oreal (post here), the thought of numerous professional makeup artists seeing my mishap smokey eye, when I'm no professional myself, is a little intimidating to say the least. In the interest of team spirit I used mostly L'Oreal here, lucky the infallible eyeshadows are ones I can't get enough of and their Super Liner is another firm favourite!

As I was going to be around all day, I had to find a balance between comfortable and presentable. Heels were ditched after around five minutes of standing on my feet, luckily a pair of backup pumps were squeezed in the corner of my handbag.  I don't consider myself a fashion forward person so black and plain it was, blending into the background bag that didn't have to hold, but big enough to fit my notepad and a couple of snacks in it, pass around my neck, and off I trotted!

Skin

- Of course being a 12 hour day a primer was a necessity, Estee Lauder Matt Perfecting Primer covered my face, followed by YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation. To conceal and highlight under eye bags By Terry Touche Veloutee was blended under my eyes. 

- As I had quite a bit of eye makeup I opted out of blush but used Une Healthy Glow Mineral Powder instead as a bronzer

Eyes

- Using the Infallible Eyeshadows the shade Sahara Treasure all over the lid, followed by a mix of Endless Chocolate and Burning Black in the crease and lined my eyes with L'Oreal Super Liner. A coating of L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara to finish off.  

Lips

- L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Nude Ingenue and L'Oreal Glam Shine Fresh in Aqua Grapefruit

Did you get up to anything in Fashion Week?

Backstage at LFW With L'Oreal - Kinder & Issa

Two days ago I ventured out to London Fashion Week as the lovely team at L'Oreal kindly invited me backstage to not one, but three (!!) shows that they were creating looks for Kinder Aggugini, Holly Futton and Issa. To have the amazing opportunity of being able to go backstage and see makeup artists work their magic has always been a bit of a dream, so off I went to Somerset House, notepad and pen at the ready, to bring you some insight into the goings on backstage.

Having never been backstage before it was exactly how I imagined it, absolutely incredible. At one point I even counted 10 people to 1 model - hair, nails and makeup, all at once. After being introduced to L'Oreal's makeup artist Val Garland she gave me the scoop on her inspiration for choosing her looks, the products that were used and tips and techniques for best application.

Val Garland & I

Going through the products

Products Used

First show of the day was Kinder, which was based on the free spirited outdoorsy girl. The look consisted of everything you could think of that represents a rural girl - blush, freckles and rusty lips. The fresh faced look started off with some BB Cream for 'a real natural skin finish'. This was then followed by a product that's not out until March - BB Blush, which will be an extremely exciting release. It's a clear gel when first applied but after being warmed up with fingertips or a brush turns a beautiful warm pink shade, which made the models appear as though the colour was coming from within. The last step for the skin was to add some freckles. Val stated the key to natural looking freckles was for them to be in different shapes and colours. To ensure the freckles looked natural Val took a powder puff and pressed it into the skin, giving them a 'worn in' look. Lips were coated in a rusty colour, L'Oreal Colour Riche 253 Nude, eyes were swept with a shade of caramel, L'Oreal True Match Blush in 365 Brun Nude, and brows were bushy, messy and uncombed. The overall aim was to make models look like they weren't wearing makeup at all.

After all that excitement the lovely ladies at L'Oreal then invited me to the actual fashion show! Having seeing all the goings on backstage, hair and makeup preparations it was an absolute dream seeing it all come together on the catwalk, seeing how the makeup and hair ties in with the clothes. 

Issa was absolute madness, there were 28 models to prepare as opposed to the usual 16 as well as a really complicated and delicate hair and makeup look to master. It got rather crowded backstage to the point where no press were allowed in! Luckily enough, with the help of the lovely L'Oreal team I managed to squeeze my way in, hiding out in the four corners of the room, making sure I didn't get in anyones way as my camera snapped away. Val's inspiration for the look was a 'Marie Helvin exotic creature...on a yacht to Bora Bora going to meet Marlon Brando...a rich, fabulous woman'. The look consisted of bronzer, highlighter and contouring all paired with a very bright lip - orange, red or pink depending on the model's skin colour. Val relied on the 'easy wand and a steady hand' to create the graphic, bold eyeliner with the L'Oreal Super Liner, which I raved about here, followed by lashings of the latest L'Oreal mascara, which isn't on counter for a while. For dewy skin, the makeup artists pressed a pump of Lumi Magique Pure Light Highlighter into the skin as a base, followed by some BB cream and the amazing BB Blush that I mentioned above. Continuing with the bright theme the model's nails were painted in L'Oreal Colour Riche shades of purple, pink and red.

It was so interesting seeing the L'Oreal artists at work and how the looks tied in with designer collections. I think my favourite element of it all was at one point at Issa, Val Garland was working her makeup magic on a model and I sat next to her and was able to have a private viewing! I was absolute mesmerized at the way her hands move, how gentle she is with the skin and how perfectly she creates a cat flick!

Thank you very much to the team at L'Oreal for having me backstage - it was beyond incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed my day!