Review: Bleach London Bruised Violet and Washed Up Mermaid

Hey All

I'm a massive fan of coloured hair. I love to have my hair different colours and Bleach London are colours I've been aware of over the past year but never tried till now. (I love there white toner but that's a whole other blog post!)

My hair is currently pretty white blonde and has had all the colour lifted on it various times at Kamigata and had the amazing Aveda colours in (you can see a post on it here). Matthew who works his colour magic on my hair is leaving soon so I decided to grab my housemate and try colouring my own hair again. 

I actually did a strand test. Usually I don't bother but as I couldn't decide which colour to do (I also bought blullinni.

After the strand test I decided I loved bruised violet and washed up mermaid so after watching Matthew do a colour melt technique on my hair last time I decided to try doing that. Basically you need three tint brushes. One for each colour and a blending one. You add the top colour at the roots and the bottom colour to the tips leave about and inch in the middle and use the spare brush to mix excess colour from the two to blend in the middle. This helps avoid as harsh lines.

I did like that they were premixed as it makes application easier and means if you want to experiment with colour you don't have to use the whole bottle in one go!

As I can't see the back of my hair I explained to my housemate what I wanted and she kindly did it for me. After applying it to freshly washed damp hair I waited 20 minutes and rinsed. First thing I noticed were on a full head of colour both were darker than the stand tests.

Secondly it hasn't taken brilliantly in some places which is a bit disappointing. I had expected better results. But saying that I do love the shades and I can't wait to see how it fades. I'm hoping it's as pretty and even as Aveda colours!

But I do have to say my hair is feeling very soft and not at all dry!

Have you tried bleach london colours? Any tips or colour suggestions?

Love M

xxx

Review: Laura Mercier Honey Bath Creme Brulee

Morning All

I can't believe it's Wednesday already. Where is this week going! It's been a busy few days for me and after doing the half marathon on Sunday I feel exhausted already.

After not really training as much as I should have (having not run more than 6 miles/not at all the month before) I finished the race in a lot of pain and after 10 miles some injuries.

I'm still aching now but on Monday nught decided I deserved a proper treat bath.

When the Space NK offer was on I decided to pick up the Laura Mercier Honey Bath as it's not a luxury I'd normally spend on.





I went for Creme Brulee as I'm a fan of sweet vanilla type smells. This actually really reminds me of Lush's honey I washed the kids soap.

Honey baths come with a cute little wooden stick which you use to dip in the produxt and then swirl that under the tap to create bubbles. I wasn't really sure what to expect with this product and whether or not I'd get a bubbly bath or more of a sweet smelling relaxing one.



When run under the tap honey bath creates nice thick bubbles. I tend to use two-three sticks of it for a bath. So far I am loving it. It smells amazing and gives a lush bath. The downside is definitely the price tag. I do think as a present I'd love It.


Are you a bath person? Would you consider splashing out a little? I'm hoping it'll last a while.

Love M

xxx

101 Things in 1001 Days

Hello there! Just a quick extra post from me today after I realised that me and M both have only ONE more month to complete as many things as we can off our 101 things in 1001 days lists....eek!

What an absolute panic that was! Especially as being realistic I have no money and something planned on almost every weekend between now and the 21st of October.

You can see my full list on this link, 101 things in 1001 days.

Here's some things that I still have to complete and hope to in the next month:

1. Read. Dear Lord I have been quite shocking at reading books. I have one more left in a trilogy series I'm reading then it really is time to get started on the classics. My aim was 20 and I've so far read 1, what a poor effort!
2. Watch. I've almost finished my 60 films target, I only have 5 more to go so I can definitely complete this over the next couple of weeks.
3. Antiques. Next weekend is the Vintage Fair in Cardiff and I'm supposed to be going with my mum which would be lovely after she's been in hospital.
4. Cook. I need to learn to cook one more new thing to complete my target of five items, I'm sure I can find one more thing to cook or bake.
5. Debt. This week I am due to be paid for the first time in a few weeks, my plan is to pay my parents back as much as I can between now and the 21st and almost clear my debt.
6. Stash. Work my way through my stash as much as possible. I have a pile of sample sachets that need to be used and anything that's half empty it is time for it to go!
7. Decluttering. In life. It's time to get rid of the people that no longer support me or provide any kind of encouragement. I also need to declutter generally and I really quite enjoy getting rid of the excess crap that I don't need or use any more.
8. Creative. I'd love to do something creative, a painting or a scrapbook or something. I have a scrapbook at the ready, so maybe that should be  where I start though I have no idea when!
9. Pilates. Completing a pilates or yoga class should be easy, I will have to find out when they are on at my gym and get to one asap!
10. Complete my original list of questions from this site (link here) and compare the answers.

Hopefully I can complete 5 of them and get a few more crossed off. It's disappointing that I haven't completed them all but a lot of it has been down to lack of money and not going travelling like I'd planned.

Shows how much life can change from what you think it might!

Do you have any challenges lined up for the next few weeks? Any tips to help with completing them?

L xxx

Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

Good morning!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend, we had a wedding yesterday so we're recovering from lots of themed cocktails and copious wine!

Today's review is of the Neal's Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm. Not only is this a fabulous product in itself, but it's celebrating its 10th Anniversary and so has limited edition print courtesy of British artist Alice Shields, how gorgeous is it??

Having never used this before I was intrigued as a beauty balm that has been around for 10 years is sure to have a  huge list of uses and therefore a big following.
The key ingredients are:

Rosehip Seed oil: Antioxidant and vitamin rich oil that helps to improve skin elasticity
Borage (starflower): Anti-inflammatory properties and helps to restore the moisture barrier
Patchouli: Stimulates and strengthens skin to help with dry and damaged skin
Geranium: Balances, strengthens and smoothes making it perfect for any skin type.

The design from Alice Shields incorporates all of these key ingredients into the packaging which is a really nice touch and the colours go so well together.



The balms ability to smooth skin and restore its natural radiance is well loved by NYR's customers and the multiple uses they have found for it. These include:

1) Cleanser
2) Moisturiser
3) Mask
4) Lip balm
5) Make up primer/highlighter
6) Cuticle oil
7) Foot cream
8) Flight Repair
9) Eyebrow tamer
10) Sunburn relief

There are many more uses that I'm sure other people will know about, I wonder if it is any good to use on hair? I haven't got that far in my usage of it yet but it would be interesting to know.

This product has won so many awards and it's not surprising, after using it for a few short weeks I am blown away by how moisturising it is. I've been using it mostly as a moisturiser, mask and lip balm but have used it to help with pesky bits of dry skin on my elbows and for my cuticles too.

It really is a wonder product! My skin has felt so much more hydrated and smooth after using it and as my skin has been so dry recently its great to have finally found something that has helped to combat it. I've also not broken out at all which was something I was worried about with my temperamental oily t-zone and penchant for getting spots on my chin. 

The balm comes with its own muslin cloth which is a nice touch and helps you to use it in its many ways. I haven't yet used it as a cleanser as I've been trying to use up other cleansing products but i have no doubt that it will be hydrating and exfoliating,  

I love that they detail all of the ingredients found in the balm and it has been certified as 99% organic by the Soil Association. I don't think you can go wrong with buying a product from a company that boasts countless awards for its products and numerous 'eco-principles'.

Just a few are listed below:

UK's first certified organic health and beauty company

World's First health and beauty company to achieve 100% for ethics in an independent audit

World's first company to produce Soil Association certified cosmetics

World's First Carbon Neutral high street retailer

I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed using this product, its perfect for downsizing as you won't need multiple products if you have one with multiple uses. The results from using the balm are brilliant and my skin has thanked me for it, the packaging is also gorgeous and would look great in any bathroom or vanity unit. This is my first NYR product and I'm really impressed with it, there's so much I'd love to try from their range and the Frankincense products were amazing when we tried them at the event.

The beauty balm comes in at £37 for 50g which sounds a lot but just imagine how much use you will get out of it, and how ethical it is. Almost worth buying for the good world brownie points right??

I'm certainly a fan and will be researching into some more NYR products to try in the near future!

Have you tried the Wild Rose Beauty Balm? Do you like multiple use products? What's your favourite NYR product?

L xxx

Hey All

As L said yesterday we were at a wedding so so far today has been spent in bed or on the sofa. I absolutely exhausted today!

When the balm was rose scented I was concered I wouldn't like it as heavy floral scents aren't something I go especially rose as it always makes me think it's quite an old fashioned scent. This is quite refreshing though and not overly floral or powerful.

So far I've loved it. I've been mainly using it as a overnight mask. My skin just soaks it up. I wake up with the softest skin and it doesn't feel greasy. Even though I have oily skin it has been loving using this balm.

Like L I've also been using it for dry skin on my elbows and it's really helped so far.

This is my first NYR product but my wishlist is massive already. I can't wait to try more. They have some amazing scents I especially can't wait to try the frankinscense range more.

I'm off to smother my face in the balm as I slept in make up last night and my skin now needs a pick me up!

Love M xxx