My New Hair Pictures - Pink & Orange.

I’ve been a bit (ok, a lot) delayed in getting this written up and posted due to both illness and also technical issues as I actually had it done on September 9th, but better late than never, right?!

Let me finally introduce to you my new hair that I had 'done' at the Wella Studio in Manchester; a place I’ve been going to since I was about 16 years old (I've spoken about it before here). I’m actually that late in posting this that I’m due to go for my next colour appointment on Tuesday next week – oops, sorry about that. ;-)

Anyway, I still really wanted to post about it as I was over the moon with how bright they finally managed to get it, especially the orange. Before my appointment I had toyed with the idea of changing to peacocky colours (turquoise, blue and purple) at the ends due to a number of failed attempts to get the brightness of orange that I was looking for, but I decided to give it just one last shot… and I’m so glad I did.

Throughout the month since having it coloured, I have been complimented on my hair more than ever. I guess as it’s so noticeably bright, and with such a contrast of colours that it’s hard not to pay attention to it. I actually don’t mind though, I mean it’s always nice to receive a compliment... even though I still don’t know how to take them and usually get flustered before saying thanks and rushing off with a bright red face.

Sorry for the quality of these ones, but I wanted to show images under different lighting, although the top images are more colour accurate.

In case you wanted something similar colour wise (as I do get asked about this a lot via email) the shades/products that were used to get this result were as follows: For the pink they used Wella Special Mix 0/65 with Koleston Perfect and I believe 6% and the orange was Wella Magma 0/34 and 9%. The percentages are to do with how much lightening/lifting your hair would need, so don’t focus too much on those if you were to want a similar colour, just make sure you know the shade numbers for your hairdresser.

Also the technique is somewhere between dip dye and balayage as I wanted all the ends orange, but without a definite line showing, so they brought the orange tips to varying levels where it meets the pink to achieve this. It was done freehand and using foils to keep the colours from merging.

I’ll be sure to get any images from my appointment on Tuesday posted up a bit sooner, especially if there’s anything new to report on the colour front. ;-)

Do you like bright hair colours, or do you tend/prefer to stick to natural shades? x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

eBay Introduces New Collections Tool - See My Collections & Tell me What You Think!

eBay to me has always been the place that I turned to when I couldn’t find an item in stock, or had baulked at paying, or just couldn’t stretch to paying full price for something in a shop/online. Yep, it’s hit and miss as to what you find on there, but that’s the beauty of it as, whilst at times it may not have what you’re looking for, you can set up alerts for these searches… and when you get that email saying something you had been looking for has been listed, it is game on!!

Sometimes though, eBay can be daunting, with the sheer volume of items on there that it can be hard to find the products you want, especially when running with a theme, or trying to match them up to other items in general. So, eBay have come up with a pretty cool solution with their new Collections tool, a way of saving, and showing items that you think work well together.

This is perfect for your own organisational reasons or for sharing with friends and family; and I can totally imagine this working well for things like birthday and Christmas wish lists, as when people are asking what you’d like, you can just point them in the direction of your collections. Clever, huh?!

In preparation for the launch, eBay asked me to make some collections of my own and so I spent a good few hours scouring the site to see what treats took my fancy. You could say this was just a more elaborate form of my usual way to window shop, where I add everything I would like to own into any given ‘cart’, see the total cost, laugh (and cry) before closing the tab in defeat – as attempting to whittle down any shopping cart like that is near on impossible for this indecisive lady. ;-)

Here are just a few of my favourite collections from all of the collections I have been making (all clickable):

Modern Twist on a Vintage Wedding

Natural Glamour.

GOLD...

Wild About Animal Print.

Girls Night Out!

All Hail The Nail.

The rest can be found HERE!

The collections format actually reminds me somewhat of Pinterest, and other similar sites in the way that you add items, and the way it appears overall, and I think it’s going to be a great addition to the site. I’m already making more collections to lust after, in the hope that I come into some money. Ha.

What do you think about the new addition? Have you seen or used the new collections tool? Could you make use of it? x

P.S: Apologies if you're using a mobile to view this post, if the images are a bit wonky - not entirely sure what has happened with that.

This post has been sponsored by eBay.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

The Correct Way to use a Kirby/Hair Grip... Apparently?!

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Surely not?!?!

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Wordless (ish) Wednesday - I Don't Have a Drink Problem, But I Do Need These in My Life.

You may remember a post I did back in July, "I Don't Have a Drink Problem, But I Do Need These in My Life." where I had found a couple of items that I rather liked the look of to sneak booze into clubs and festivals, but unfortunately were only available in America, or to be shipped at huge expense. Well I've just come across another item on Facebook that looks ideal for the task AND is available in the UK too. Winning.

The 'Bev-Brush' (£15.74, currently on offer), holds 185ml of fluid, and can even be used as a proper brush - complete with mirror on the back. I am seriously tempted with this. ;-)

Another item I saw on the same site was this 'Bev-Cam' (£10.59), which holds 145ml of fluid and seems legit enough to get through some security, maybe?

Would you use any of these? Or have you got any other sneaky ways to save money whilst out drinking? Ha. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

QVC Today's Special Value (TSV) - BaByliss Curl Secret!

Right, I've only just seen this, and it's advanced orders only already, so you're going to have to be quick if you want it. However the BaByliss CurlSecret is on offer at £92.40 + £6.95 postage and packaging on QVC today, right now. The normal retail price is £120, so you're saving £20.65 in total, which is a pretty decent saving.

The advanced orders will be shipped on the week commencing 16th December, so I expect it will still be in time for Christmas gifting.

Below is the information QVC provide about the device, although I'll be reviewing the Professional version very soon:

"BaByliss Curl Secret Hair Styler. With this innovative styler, hair is automatically drawn into the ceramic curl chamber where it is softly held and heated from all directions, taking just seconds to form a perfect curl. It even has an audio beep indicator to let you know exactly when to release your hair. Effortlessly create long-lasting, free-flowing curls with the BaByliss Curl Secret.

Professional-quality styler - it features a powerful heating system with  ultra-fast heat recovery for constant high heat, plus a 20 minute sleep mode and a 60 minute automatic shut-off feature for added safety.

Let the curler do the hard work - with standard tools it's always tricky creating the perfect curl, but the Curl Secret features alternating curl direction control for fast, uniform formation and natural-looking, long-lasting results.

Three timer settings:
Setting 1: eight seconds/three beeps for loose, natural curls
Setting 2: 10 seconds/ four beeps for soft bouncy curls
Setting 3: 12 seconds/ five beeps for tight, defined curls

Two heat settings:
Low setting: for delicate, fine or coloured hair
High setting: for normal textured hair

    Ceramic curl chamber for smooth, shiny curls
    Heat ready indicator light
    Suitable for shorter and mid-length hair, not very long hair
    Not suitable for synthetic or real hair extensions
    2.5m (97.5") swivel cord for control whilst styling


Contains:

    1 x BaByliss Curl Secret Hair Styler (l x w): 27cm x 8cm (10.5" x 3.1")
    1 x heat protection mat

All measurements are approximate"

Take me there!

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Wella Wednesday: New Hair.

New hair time, well similar to before but just slight tweaks in that I wanted the orange brightening again as it had started to dull, and there's also a different pink in there too, but it's subtle... I want it brighter next time. :-) I also had just about an inch taken off all over and a few long layers kept in.

I must say, I am not getting bored at all with my main colour, or the orange but I did toy with the idea of having a bluey/turquoise as my contrast colour, or very bright pink (or both)... maybe I'll go for that in my next appointment, or the one after. I do love the bright shades, and am getting them done whilst I'm still just about young enough to pull it off, ha.

As it was applied.

When dry, both straight and then curled.

The technique the dye was applied in is called Flashlights, and is apparently where hair is going now that Ombré and Dip Dying are apparently 'fizzling out'. Basically, on my hair it's my normal hair colour, then pink, then orange then pink again.. so it's not just the one shade in each length of hair.

Back and front, styled.

The colour I have on my main bit of hair is Koleston with a shade mixed up for me, made up of: 55/65 with 0/65, 0/28 and 8/81 (roots and mid lengths) with makes a slightly lighter pinky, purple-y, red shade; and then also Magma for the pink and orange parts. Magma lifts and colours at the same time, so effectively cuts out having to pre-lighten/bleach and is permanent.

To style, I had it blown with volume, and then curled using the new Wella straighteners (not yet out), before having the curls combed and shaken through to loosen, and set with hairspray. I love it.

What do you think, like it?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Viviscal & Look Good Feel Better Charity Project: Your Hair Confessions!

I am a sucker for a good cause. I like to be able to help anybody, whenever/wherever I can and always donate what time/money I can to various charities too.

So, when I got an email through this morning, telling me about Viviscal and their campaign to both uncover the true meaning of a 'Good Hair Day' and raise money for Look Good Feel Better by donating £1 every time somebody in the UK fills in the survey on their Hair Confessions site, I immediately set to work in writing this post in the hope that I too could help to raise awareness, and also encourage every one of my readers in the UK to fill in the survey.

Look Good Feel Better is a charity that is 'dedicated to improving the self-esteem and quality of life of people undergoing treatment for cancer', something that I think is just as important as the cancer treatment itself.

How you look affects how you feel, and I'm betting every one of you knows what it's like to have a bad hair/makeup/skin or whatever day; you know, one where you go out just not feeling yourself, feeling self conscious and generally rubbish because your hair wouldn't curl properly or your foundation looks a bit cakey etc. So, if I was going through treatment for cancer, and had lost my hair in the process, or had to have my breast(s) removed, I'd imagine that I'd feel pretty low, on top of already feeling poorly and having my body battered by the various treatments available... and that just can't help matters at all.

So I'm asking you all, if you live in the UK, please please go over to the 'Viviscal Hair Confessions' site and fill in the survey. Also, please do share this post to all your friends and followers too as the more people that fill in the survey, the more money LGFB will receive, and the more people they'll be able to help. It only takes a little bit of your time, and you will be entered into a prize draw to win 3 month supply of Viviscal hair supplements, and a grand prize of a trip to LA on Oscar weekend 2014 - although I'd personally fill it in without the prize incentive.

If you're not in the UK, please feel free to forward this post to anybody who is. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Wordless Wednesday... on a Thursday (Scheduling Failed)!

Just a little post today as I am poorly, but I wanted to show you this product before I tried it out anyway! It looks brilliant, and such a good idea... don't you think? I'll be trying it out in a club, and reporting back what I think very soon.

Hope you're all well and not suffering the lurgy like I am. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Angle Cut Wig: Hairdo by Ken Paves!

Back in July I decided it would be a fun idea to see if I could fool my friends on Facebook with a short blond wig that I bought. I haven't actually worn it out seriously as I do love my own hair and always end up just styling that instead, but I do quite like it regardless.

As I walked in to see my dad and step mum with it on to ask their opinion, I saw my neighbour and she didn't even recognise me, which encouraged me to take the images above (I wasn't actually naked, by the way).

This gave me the perfect status update to play my prank when I updated my profile with the first image in the collage and the accompanying status: "Haha my neighbour didn't recognise me then with my new hair..." to which I got a tonne of replies, basically saying how amazing it looked. To the point that I actually felt guilty and went out partying, wondering how I'd break the news that it was actually a wig, ha!

To say I fooled them was an understatement, and even a few weeks later when I took the wig to a party and plonked it on my head, I got a message from an old friend asking if this picture of me (see below), captured at an after party whilst I was drunk, was an old image (as I used to have hair similar to this myself), or if I'd had my hair cut/dyed. I even have my red hair showing through, so it must be convincing, haha.

The wig is by Ken Paves, who is a celebrity hairdresser, and is made from 'Tru2Life' fibre, which basically means that you can style the hair using heated stylers, but apparently not ones that are *too* hot, such as GHDs.

This particular wig, the 'Angle Cut Wig' in Ginger Blonde is based on the now famous crop cut that he did for Victoria Beckham (and this was also a style I actually sported back in the day (aged about 17, as previously mentioned) and whilst it isn't real hair, it does appear to be very convincing to others. This is an essential to me when wearing a wig that isn't a novelty style or colour, especially considering its price point of £95 (although it's currently on sale at £85 at HotHair, as linked above).

Overall, I do think this wig is a good purchase if you like to change your look without actually going for the chop or reaching for the bleach/dye. It is comfy to wear, and not *too* hot either... and whilst it hasn't had a great amount of use, I know that should I want to rock the short, blonde look at any point, I will be happy to wear this, as I know I can easily fool people whilst doing so.

Do you wear wigs? Would you wear a wig like this?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

The Chore That is: Hair Removal - Saying Farewell to The Fuzz!

Me, preparing for my waxing at the Fake Bake Boutique in Manchester.

I’ve always said that men have it easy. No periods, no child birth, no hair and makeup tasks to deal with (for most men anyway, and as much as I love hair & beauty in their entirety, they can be a bit of a chore at times with how long it takes to get ready), and… no having to religiously remove hair from almost all of their body!! The fact that those few reasons are just the main few ‘perks’ of being a bloke that came to the top of my head prove my point as I’m sure there’s plenty more to boot.

Anyway, how you remove your body hair is a personal choice to each and every one of us, but one thing that remains the same, it’s never, ever enjoyable. It is a chore, there’s no getting away from this fact, AND there is always, always a down side to each hair removal technique. I should know, I've tried most methods in a bid to say a final farewell to the fuzz.

Let’s look at the main contenders, and my view on each one:

Shaving: Well this is a quick fix, cheap, and easily done if in a rush… if the errr need to shave arises unexpectedly, you know what I am talking about girls. Sounds great, but it doesn’t last. The fact that it lasts basically no time at all, the stubble that comes shortly after (sometimes the same day, depending on how unfortunate your hair growth is for you), potential shaving cuts (ouch) and shaving rash definitely put me off using this as my regular hair removal routine – unless as part of a laser hair removal course, which I’ll move onto near the end of this post.

Hair removal creams: Yuck, I hate these. They have never really worked on my hair, so are probably only good for fine/fair hair and not much of it. They’re messy, smelly and again don’t work for long – I also find them time consuming, since you’re supposed to leave the cream on to dissolve the hair which is an arduous task, since you can’t do much else other than wait. This is even worse if you're treating a more delicate, or hidden area that may require you to hold your arms high in the air/above your head, or worse... hold your legs open for the entire time - lovely. The 'rough' stubble isn’t quite as much of an issue as shaving, since the hair isn’t cut off as bluntly, but you will still get a rapid regrowth that you will feel, since the follicle is left intact.

Waxing: This was my choice of hair removal for many years, visiting a salon religiously every 4 weeks to have my body hair ripped from the follicles. I was always happy with the smooth finish that waxing left me with, and the fact that it lasted a good few weeks before I felt like I was getting some regrowth. What I wasn’t happy with was ingrown hairs, the cost of going somewhere decent to get a Brazilian or a Hollywood and the having to leave it until there was enough regrowth to be removed for the smoothness to return. Let’s face it ladies, it’s not ideal to *have* to let your hair grow, when you want to be ‘match fit’ 100% of the time, is it?! It’s also incredibly painful, especially in sensitive areas (armpits and bikini area being the worst culprits). That being said, I did have a couple of waxing appointments (at the Fake Bake Boutique in Selfridges, Manchester) just before my holiday and just after for the immediate and long lasting 'effect' that I required, both of which I was over the moon with (no ingrown hairs etc).

Epilating: In-between waxes, I would often find myself epilating should the need to be fuzz free arise. And, I actually maintained my hair free status for quite some time using epilation. This was actually a godsend, as; with decent epilators you can remove hair as short as a grain of sand, which means you have the benefit of removing the hair from the follicle (and the longevity with the result), with no need to actually grow the hair to a length that you’re not entirely comfortable with.

The downsides to epilation is that I find it a lot more painful than waxing, as you’re ripping less hairs out in one go which is slightly more tortuous – to put it mildly, it’s not something you could do from scratch in sensitive areas (unless you’re a sadist and actually enjoy pain), and it can take a bit of time to get a good result, depending on how good your epilators is. Plus there’s a slightly larger outlay to start with when buying a decent epilator (I recommend the higher end Braun models), which I do think is worthwhile, as they do make the job easier and less painful (ish), but will pay for themselves over time!

Laser hair removal: Now this is a slightly newer kid on the block, and whilst has been done in salons and clinics for a good few years, the at home alternatives have only been around a very short time indeed. It’s not a quick fix either; treatment can take 6 months or more to be successful; however it is the longest lasting hair removal method to date. The laser attacks the hair follicle and effectively destroys it/puts it to ‘sleep’, this method is usually called ‘permanent hair removal’ but actually does require some maintenance to keep all follicles on your body asleep/dead. This upkeep is made easier (and cheaper) by the use of ‘at home’ machines such as the Philips Lumea Precision Plus, Tria, HoMedics me Pro and suchlike (although the outlay on these machines are in the hundreds, but compared to the thousands for salon treatments over large areas do offer value for money).

To prepare for laser hair removal you need to shave the area 24 hours before treatment, and then use the laser on the skin/have it used on you by a therapist (depending on whether you're having it done in clinic or at home). The sensation of laser hair removal isn't entirely painless, but depending on your pain threshold/tolerance shouldn't be too uncomfortable. I liken it to being pinged by a hot elastic band - it's totally bearable for me, anyway.  Over the course of treatments, you'll notice your hair regrowth lessening and getting finer, and patches of hair free areas increasing. This is totally satisfying to see, as you can see the treatment is doing what it's meant to. The finished effect of this is smooth skin, usually without even having little dots where the follicle is/was.

The downsides, as touched on are the cost, the length of time it takes for the treatment to work, the having to shave areas being treated (which means no longevity in hair removal until the treatment has run its course) and for some, the pain. However, all that being said, I do think it's totally worth doing in the long run.

Other methods of hair removal include Electrolysis, sugaring, no!no! Hair PRO and 'sanding hair off' with mitts such as the Silky Mitt but I haven't had as much experience (or any at all in some cases) with these, so I have left them off and focused on the main players. Nor have I spoken about threading, as on larger areas, I don’t think it would work so well and would be faaaar too time consuming.

I think, if push came to shove, and I had to choose my favourite method, I would choose to laser those follicles into submission, over the rest - purely for the longevity, even though it does take longer to get our final smooth result. However I think epilation (as maintenance after waxing) would be my second choice because it's a happy medium between the rest.

How do you prefer to de-fuzz? Do you find it a chore, do you have any tips that you might like to share?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Is Her Haircut Too Bootylicious For Ya, Babe?

So, Beyonce has gone for the chop... whipping off all her long locks for a pixie crop. Could this be her just fancying a change in style? Could it be due to THAT fan incident where her hair got caught mid gig? Or maybe it's that her extensions and excessive bleaching have weakened/ruined her natural hair? I don't think I could chop my hair off unless I absolutely had to (although I have a wig that I totally fooled people with, post on that coming next week) as I love my long hair, in fact I love long hair full stop!

To be honest, I'm not keen on her new style, I like her hair long, it suits her face better - maybe it'll take a bit of getting used to, or maybe it'll never grow on me (pun half intended, ha), who knows?!

Don't get me wrong, she's still stunning, I just prefer her with the hair she previously sported. What do you guys think of it?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Free Tangle Teezer Compact (Whilst Stocks Last, Subject to Availability, Until 7th August) with Whats in my Handbag!

I love a deal, I do... but a freebie is even better, so I just had to share my find with you lovely people as soon as I could.

What's in my Handbag are sending out free Tangle Teezer Compact brushes, that are worth around £11 when you sign up for an account. In addition to this, you do need to give them some details, tell them your three beauty must-haves and press confirm. I don't think this is a lot to ask in return for such a fab freebie, do you agree?

This offer expires in 5 days and 14 hours (correct at time of writing - 11pm on Thursday 1st August) so be quick and get yourselves over there. x

Take me to the booty!

*Tries are free, limited and exclusive to WIMH, subject to availability

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

New Life, New (ish) Hair!

Foil Head - With Normal colour applied and bleach in the foiled sections.

"I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair"... or at least colour him out of it!

Sooo, once I had got my head around the massive change in my life, I decided that although I LOVE my hair colour as it is, that it might be nice to have a slight change... and something I've wanted to try with my current hair colour for some time, is having orange slices or sections running through it.

I discussed this with the technician at the Wella Studio and said it was either going to be a genius idea, or totally horrific. She seemed quite enthusiastic about the orange/purple-y combination, and so it was decided that I'd have a number of orange 'tips' woven into my hair, in a kind of balayage fashion.

Orange being applied.

My usual colour was applied to my roots and to the ends that weren't being changed, and a tonne of bleach applied to the chosen ends to make sure the orange was bright, and vibrant. Once the bleach and colour had done their thing, my hair was rinsed, shampooed and the orange dye mixed up and applied. There was actually no going back at this point, and so I might have been ever so slightly shitting myself at how the end result would look.

Eek, a bit disappointed at this point.

Fast forward to drying time, after the final rinse and I was a bit disappointed. The colour looked a bit wishy washy, not as bright, or orange as I had imagined. However, once my hair had been fully dried and styled, I was actually over the moon with the end result. Ok, it could have been a bit brighter and more orange, but I was so pleased with how it looked overall, especially when curled with hair straighteners (which is how I do my hair, mostly anyway), that I didn't mind this.

Finished result.

I walked out of the salon with a massive smile on my face; the orange was a complete success, and one that I'll be continuing for some time to come as I can't see me getting bored of it any time soon. I love it.

What I will say though, is that the orange did wash out very quickly, pretty much the first wash. However I was sent home with a bottle of Colour Fresh in shade 7/43 to refresh the orange on every other wash, until my next appointment, which is next week - so hopefully the orange shade will start to build up and stay put longer next time.

What do you think, do you think it works?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My £60 Party Preparation Package Challenge!

Christmas parties and nights out can often end up costing a fortune in pre-party preparations alone, with salon appointments for beauty treatments and other general pampering often taking up a large chunk of your budget. In fact, the Most Wanted team at VoucherCodes did some research and found out that 18-24 year olds are spending an average of £110 on their party season beauty bits!

So, they approached me and set me the challenge of reducing that outlay to just £60!! Yes girls, you did just read that right, 60 English pounds for a party package to last throughout all the festivities! And so this week, I’ve been getting creative and finding my favourite, fabulous products for you to reach for, instead of spending all your drinking money on salon treatments that could be avoided, leaving you enough money to buy some perfect presents for your nearest and dearest.

Tanning is an important one for a lot of people, and professional spray tans can be costly, but with a fab selection of ‘at home’ products widely available, there is money to be saved here.

Fake Bake ‘Perfection’ Instant Fake Tan & Mitt (£10.98) has been one of my staple products over the last year or so, it’s incredibly easy to use because the colour is instant, no development time is needed – just apply, and then get dressed (especially good for people like me, who never leave enough time to apply and then let a tan develop before they go out),  and the colour is great, not in the least bit orange… plus it smells beautiful; vanilla, girls, no biscuits!!

I generally just apply to the areas that will be ‘on show’ because there’s not much point in doing a full body application (unless your full body will be on show, of course) and also it lasts longer, giving you more applications this way too.

Pre-tan preparation is important if you want a nice, even colour - even when using an instant/wash off formula. Now, I could tell you to go and buy an expensive exfoliator from one of the tanning brands, but you really don't need to do that. You can achieve the same result, using a normal body wash with a pair of scrubby, exfoliating gloves for a fraction of the price. The pair in the image above from Boots, (£2.69) do the trick nicely, although if you go to local pound shops/discount stores, I reckon you'd get a pair for £1 or less.

Hair appointments are also quite costly to factor into your beauty budget when getting ready for a night out. I’m talking styling and conditioning treatments, rather than your regular cut/colour appointments (but if you want to find a way of cutting down those costs – pun intended, this post may be useful for you), so I’m not factoring that into the budget, since I expect those would come from your regular maintenance funds.

When your hair is in good condition, it is generally easier to style, so a conditioning treatment/mask is my first recommendation. I love Wella's System Professional hair masks (£12.71), they’re used by hairdressers and professionals in the salon I go to and in my book, if they’re good enough for them, then they’re good enough for me. Obviously you’ll be choosing the perfect mask for your hair condition and texture, but I love the Volumize on my hair, as it conditions without weighing it down!

To get the true salon feel of a head massage, I really recommend using the Denman BeBop Massage Brush (£2.87)  (also available from boots for about £3.80) to massage the conditioning treatment into your hair, and also to use when shampooing to make sure your scalp is squeaky clean - just don't massage too vigorously at this stage if your hair is longer than your chin, as it could make your hair a bit knotty.

For almost effortless styling, rollers are your friend as once in, they do the work for you! I'd love to to suggest some heated rollers here as there are some fabulous sets available these days, but this would completely bust the budget, so instead I’ll recommend 'Velcro Sleep-In Rollers' (£17.95) as my favourite non-heated variety instead as they're a cheaper option but without too much of a compromise in results!

I’m not including this in the budget as many of you will probably already have styling products, but I really rate Aussie’s 'Aussome Volume Conditioning Mousse' when I want a bit of oomph in my hair as it gives volume without being sticky and horrible – just remember to blow dry your hair when using it, it doesn’t work quite so well if you leave it to air dry. If you did fancy trying it, it’s available from Boots for £4.89. 

This, along with a spritz of hairspray (which I’m also assuming you’ll already have, but I swear by Elnett Very Volume available from boots for £6.49 for 400ml) will keep your hair looking great throughout the evening.

Finishing Touches & Handy Tips!

A manicure might be the next thing on your list, and whilst it's lovely to have your nails done for you, it's not impossible to do them yourself for less of a financial outlay - especially if you get a friend to do yours, in return for you doing theirs (which certainly makes your weaker hand application better - you know this dilemma, don't you?!). I love nail polish, from a whole host of brands, but I'm recommending ORLY Nail Lacquer (£7.50), as I've never had a bad polish from them and they also have some beautiful colours out right now that are perfect for party season - the polishes shown in the image above is their 'Naughty or Nice' collection. They're also currently on offer at Beauty Bay for £7.13 each.

If you're a fan of false lashes, you could pay around £15 having them applied at a salon... or you could spend just £3.20 (by using code SCOOP-20) plus £1 delivery for orders under £15 on a fab set of lashes from LoveLashes at Lashizzle (more styles being added on a regular basis)! This discount code is exclusively for readers of The Beauty Scoop, and will be valid at least until the end of December 2012.

Fancy a facial? Give yourself an exfoliating facial on the cheap by using your everyday skincare products and putting in a bit more effort. Massage your cleanser into dry/damp skin (depending on the texture of the products you're using), and then use a hot flannel to exfoliate the cleanser off, before massaging your serums and moisturisers in afterwards (if you have a face mask already, you could also use this in-between washing and moisturising). It's simple, but effective, and what's even better is that you can get yourself a flannel for less than £1, with the flannel in the image above, from Tesco costing just 75p(!), although you can get them from about 20p each from cheap shops like home bargains etc.


So there you have it, my budget saving products all in one handy post; and in total, these products come to a very reasonable £58.28 (excluding any postage costs), leaving you just under £2 to splurge on whatever you like, maybe a £1 product from the MUA range at Superdrug?

What do you think? Do you think you'd swap your salon treatments to save money? Maybe you have a few budget beauty tips of your own?!

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Wordless Wednesday!

Love the hair, and colour in this photograph that I just found on Facebook. Do you? <3

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Another Fabulous Ojon Offer - Spend £20, Get Free Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner 250ml (full size) Duo!

Ojon products are highly thought of by just about everybody I know that have used them, and whilst they're normally a slightly more expensive brand, I've found that the products I've tried so far have been totally worth their price tag.

So, when I saw they were offering 2 full sized Volume Advance products (1 shampoo and 1 conditioner), worth £37.50 with any £20 purchase, I couldn't not tell you about it... and also take advantage of the deal myself, of course! All you need to do is enter the code VOLUME at checkout after adding your chosen product to your cart, the rest is done automatically for you.

I bought a volumizing styling product for £20 (with free postage) and, because of this offer will actually receive the 3, full sized products - working out at a tiny £6.66 per item, not much more than you'd pay for your average supermarket shampoo/conditioner/styling products - a total bargain, don't you think?!

I actually don't mind paying full price for Ojon (and similar other) products, as I think hair care is very important but offers like this are still very welcome here, as they make these products a LOT more affordable, meaning I can spend the money I saved on other pretty things (or totally sensible things, like tea towels, and stuff)!

Will you be taking up this offer?

www.ojon.co.uk/

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

ghd Scarlet Deluxe Collection!

I've used ghd straighteners for the last 5 years, but before using them I used Kodo straighteners, believing that since they were solid ceramic and got to the same temperature, they'd be just as good but without the larger price tag. And they were good, until the day that I tried my sister's ghd's and realised how much better they were, in pretty much every way, ease of use, results etc. The difference was so noticeable that I ditched the Kodo straighteners immediately in favour of a pair of ghd Mark 4's and I've used these ever since, they haven't failed me yet!

The new ghd Deluxe Scarlet Collection gift set is a thing of beauty, in every way! When I received the box, I think I might have squeeled a little at its gorgeous presentation. A beautiful box, with Art Deco styling, containing a gorgeous, scarlet red clutch bag, a travel hair dryer, 2 sectioning clips (that actually do hold hair well), a vanity case (useful and looks good) and of course, the ghd Classic Gold styler with new, red plates and separate heat guard.

The scarlet bag, which, like the box has distinct Art Deco styling, really has the wow factor and when you open the box, I expect it will be the first thing that catches your eye, like it was for me. I'd be happy to take it out with me, let alone store my straighteners in it, which is its primary purpose - you can even put your straighteners into this bag when hot, as it's heat resistant, which makes it perfect for travelling.

Along with the heat resistant bag, the set contains a dedicated heat guard that slips over the plates of the straighteners that will protect surfaces from being burned whilst in use. I have found these to be useful, although you do need to position them perfectly, or be faced with faffing to get them on and off if they're not at the right angle. You'll get a feel for this within minutes of using it, so it's not too much of a problem at all.

Talking of the plates, I mentioned that they're red, but they also have a slight sparkle to them which totally appeals to the magpie in me, although I haven't been able to capture them very well in the photographs below. Although not an essential thing, I do think think this adds a lovely touch to the look of the straighteners and makes them feel a bit more glamorous in the process, which is totally in keeping with the collection as a whole.

The plates also seem smoother than on my previous model, which is great for straightening as there's less drag and catching, however I do find curling with these slightly more diffiult - which I expect is due to this, as there's less 'grab' so to speak. Not such a problem as these days I generally use specific tools for curling anyway!

The straighteners are pretty much the same design as your average ghd in every other way, other than the red styling and a slightly larger, easier to use power switch, and they work in exactly the same way.

However, I have noticed that they don't get quite as hot as my ghd MK4 straighteners, and whilst this isn't such a bad thing as it's kinder to your hair, I do find it takes a little bit longer to get the same smooth effect - not long enough to make this a deal breaker, just an extra stroke or so, depending on the thickness of the hair you're using it on.

There's no way of controlling the temperature either, which I suspect is why they've made them slightly kinder to hair as I'd expect it's better to give the option for people to use an extra stroke for thicker/coarser hair, than it is for people with finer hair to scorch/damage their hair with the hotter plates.

Finally, the dryer that comes with the set is actually quite good - it's great for travelling as the handle folds and makes the unit even more compact, yet it still packs enough power to actually dry hair, which some travel hairdryers I've owned in the past have failed to do.

All in all, this collection is a success, it looks good, and works well too. It's a perfect option for a gift, as I think it will wow the recipient - or even just a nice treat for yourself!

Available from http://www.ghdhair.com for £149!

PR Sample - Views are my own!

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk