Daily Routine: Step Four - Haircare/Styling Products

Hello!

So to continue with my daily routine series, this is the haircare and styling products I use before heading off to work. I have quite a few of them but I tend to vary what I use depending on the day/what kind of look I want to go for.. I have super short hair so it's a little silly having LOADS of products as I literally blow dry my hair for about 2 minutes before it's dry and don't have any need to straighten it either.

• Charles Worthington Front Row Sea Salt Spray - This is really good for giving the top part of my hair some beachy waves. It smells good too. I think I got this on a 3 for 2 or something as I would've brought a cheaper one I think. 
• Bumble and Bumble Texture Creme - I got this about a year ago and liked it...then stopped using it for some reason. I recently started using it again and remembered why I stopped using it. It makes my hair feel really dry and I don't like that at all. I gave it to my sister though who loves that kind of look/feel so at least it's not wasted I guess!
• Redken Color Extend Spray - I got this in a She Said Beauty box but have only recently started using it. I think it has been helping my coloured hair stay the right colour but I wouldn't buy this one again if I can get something cheaper I think.

• VO5 Extreme Style ReWork - This is my favourite hair product as it's just fab at giving my hair some scrunched up "style" without making it feel dry at all. I've got two because I lost one, brought one, then found the other one!
• VO5 Extreme Style MattClay - This is for days when I don't want a super hold for my hair. I like the look it gives but I've not overly keen on the feel of this product in my hands. 
• Eco Freako Cherry Almond Texturiser - I brought this at the same time as the Bumble and Bumble stuff and I actually prefer this...it does a very similar thing to the B&B one but doesn't make my hair feel dry at all.
• Not Pictured - VO5 Wax - I keep losing this pot so I don't know what it's actually called but it's just a basic wax that I really love for when I want a more slick look. It's got really good hold but doesn't look waxy if that makes sense?

• Fish Defining Spray Wax - This is handy for days when I'm not fussed about hold but just want something to give me a bit of definition. For lazy days!
• L'oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray - This was my go to hairspray after my Fudge Membrane Gas ran out. Gives really good hold and give my hair a bit of shine.
• Lee Stafford Firm Hold Barnet Spray - I got this in the 3 for 2 when I was buying the purple shampoo  and conditioner. It's SO good but you have to be careful with how much you use because I have, on occasion, had days when I can literally lift all my hair up like a wig almost (to the amusement of my work mates!) I love the smell of this as my very first hair product was a Lee Stafford spray wax and it makes me think of being younger! Haha! This is now my go to hairspray and I would re-purchase this again and again as it does exactly what I want without making my hair feel horribly crispy!

So there are my daily haircare products. Any styling products that you guys can recommend for super short hair? I was going to post a picture of my hair here but the only one I have is me after work, looking absolutely bedraggled with now lip colour on (which makes me look a bit dead) Plus my hair is all over the place because I've changed and put a hoody on, thus making it look like none of these products actually do anything! Haha!

Until next time,

xoxo

Daily Routine: Step One - The Shower!

Hello!

Ok, firstly I'm just going to put it out there now, that this post won't contain any pictures of me actually showering...so sorry if that's what brought you here! Haha! I've decided to try and do a series of posts on what products I use on a daily basis but split it into a few separate posts so that I don't end up boring you all with a MASSIVE waffling post (so just the usual length of waffling for you all...)

This one is all about my daily shower routine. Now then, I know some people are super shocked when I say I shower and wash my hair every day, but it's a habit that I got into and now can't live without. I don't find my hair is super greasy if I don't shower or anything (something that shocked my friend at work the other day. Apparently if I wash my hair every day then by rights I should have super greasy hair on days I don't wash it....) but I just find that I don't feel clean if I haven't washed my hair for work. It's weird I know but even though I would wash my body for work, I just find not washing my hair makes me feel somehow unclean (possibly because the only days I don't wash my hair now are usually on days off when I'm just slobbing round the house in my jogging bottoms! Haha!) Anyway, my shower routine is pretty much set in stone now...I shampoo my hair twice, put my conditioner on, shave if I can be bothered (I'm very lazy with my legs if I'm not going anywhere!), comb my conditioner through and rinse, wash my face, and finish with the rest of my body. I'm very much a "heads, shoulders, knees and toes" kind of girl (also you're welcome for me getting that song stuck in your head!)

So, on with the products that I currently use....

• Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes Shampoo and Conditioner - Now then, some of you may not know that I recently made the decision to dye my hair bleach blonde again....which means that some of you won't know that my hair likes to go very...urm....ginger when I dye it blonde! This shampoo and conditioner is AMAZING for toning the brassiness straight out of any blonde hair. The shampoo is only to be used once a week (sure..that's exactly what I do....ahem...) but the conditioner can be used every day. These smell really good too. I really like the smell of the Lee Stafford stuff I've used as it's not too over powering. I got these when they were on 3 for 2 in Boots and I got the Lee Stafford strong hold hairspray with them (more on that later...) I'm very tempted to try the Bleach Blonde Hot Shots (or whatever they are called) as apparently they are really good for making your hair go white blonde, which is kind of what I'm after.
• Alberto Balsm Coconut and Lychee Shampoo and Conditioner - These are my everyday shampoo and conditioner for when I'm not using the Lee Stafford stuff. I absolutely love the smell of this stuff and I really like how my hair feels after using it. I love that this is so good but so cheap too. You can pick it up in most poundland stores....but I always check Superdrug first as it's often on offer in there for 85p! (I'm such a bargain hunter!)
• Wide tooth comb - I got this years ago and it just resides in the shower. It's perfect for combing through my conditioner and I can always tell the difference when I've used it. I may have very little hair at the moment but I tend to move around a lot at night and so my hair is always matted in the morning (another reason for the daily hair wash) so combing it through in the shower just helps my hair in the morning and prevents me from really pulling it when I'm drying it later. I also find that combing my conditioner through leaves my hair SUPER soft. All the girls at work tend to go on about how my hair feels baby soft and they do this weird thing where they all feel the need to feel how soft it is on a sometimes weekly basis...I guess that's a compliment?? 

• Bare Minerals Purifying Facial Cleanser - This is my everyday cleanser. One pump is enough to clean your entire face and it's really good at taking away any dirt or makeup on your face (more on the makeup bit later) I do love this cleanser but I personally have to make sure I put moisturiser on quite quickly after using it as the pineapple extracts in it do make my face feel a little tight (I'm allergic to pineapple....which will never stop me eating it, even if it does feel a little like I'm dying afterwards. It's so god damn delicious!) Having said that, it's not actually dried my skin out or anything though, so it's obviously not doing anything adverse to my skin as I've been using this for a couple of months now. My Mum also loves this and has finally added a skin cleanser to her shower routine too!
• Bare Minerals Deep Cleansing Foam - This is my once or twice a week extra clean cleanser. It literally leaves my face squeaky clean. And I mean literally. My face actually squeaks when I've taken this off! I tend to only use this once a week most weeks as I don't have very oily skin so I don't need to use it more than that. I occasionally use it twice a week if I've been out the night before as it's really good for taking the impurities out of your skin. I also use this as a face mask about once a month. You just put it onto dry skin and massage it in, leave it for 10 minutes and rinse it off. It left my skin feeling lovely and soft and very very clean (which was a nice feeling after Christmas retail work!) 

The only thing missing from my in shower skincare routine is an exfoliator. I'm planning on getting the Bare Minerals one (what a shocker right?) as I really like the idea of a powder exfoliator as my skin is quite sensitive and I've found that my old exfoliator was just getting way too harsh and actually drying my skin out further. Nightmare!

• Gillette Venus Embrace Razor - I used to use disposable razors all the time as they were cheap and easy to get. One day boots had an offer on these and my friend said how good hers was so I thought I'd give it a go....and it was so much better than a crappy disposable one!! I was really impressed with how smooth my legs were and how much nicer it felt to shave! The only down side is how expensive the blades can be. I tend to only buy them when they are on offer as I think it's a bit ridiculous the amount some places try to charge for them.
• St. Tropez Body Polish - I brought this in TKMaxx when it was down to either 50p or £1 (I say "either" because I brought several bottles of this stuff over a few days as it was so good!) and it's simply one of the best body scrubs that I've ever used. It's got really small grains in it and you can really feel it exfoliating your skin. Plus it's not got an overpowering smell and it leaves your skin feel super smooth! Not sure I would pay full price for it but my local TKMaxx always seems to have this in the sale bit so that's good! (plus I have 4 bottles of it stocked up, so I think I'm good for the time being!) I use this probably once a week to get rid of any dry patches of skin that have flared up at all.
• The Body Shop Mango and Vineyard Peach Shower Gels - I'm absolutely in love with the mango shower gel as it smells amazing and just leaves me feeling so clean. The smell slightly lingers on me too, which I really like if I'm having a day off and don't want to put perfume on (although this obviously works wonderfully with the Mango Body Mist!) The Vineyard Peach one was an impulse buy last time I went to get another Mango Shower Gel. It smells exactly like peaches and is really nice.....but I don't think I'd repurchase as I still favour the Mango one....although it's always nice to have a variety of shower gels I think...plus I hear this one is half price at the moment so maybe I'll get another bottle anyway? I'm such a sucker for anything Body Shop really as it always smells so good!! 

So that's my everyday shower routine. Obviously I don't use everything each day and there are a few extras bits I'll throw in every now and then (hair masks anyone?) What do you guys think? Too much for one shower or is there anything I'm missing from my routine that you can recommend?

Until next time,

xoxo

Mini Town Haul...

Hello!

So today I had my "Store Approval" for Benefit...I had no choice but to get into town about an hour before I was due to head to the store so, instead of going for a coffee (unnecessary expense), I decided to go get a few bits that I needed and have a look for a simple black dress to replace the one that I've had for YEARS that is probably likely to be on it's way out soon (it still looks pretty good for it's age but I live in fear that one day it's just going to disintegrate and I'll be left without a go to simple black dress!)

First up is the one thing I've been meaning to get for the past 2 weeks and have just forgotten every time I've been into town! I know a lot of people prefer to get remover without acetone in it but I find it works much better. I've got a bit of a confession though...I did only pop into Superdrug to have a look at the Love Hearts collection by MUA only to find out that it doesn't come out until the 4th of this month...rubbish.  just wanted to have a little look at the polishes I swear! Anyway, I've come to have a preference for the Superdrug Acetone Formula Nail Polish Remover over any other ones. I just find it works better for me!

Their removers are currently on 2 for £1.99 so  obviously picked up two as I constantly misplace the first one I open!

My second stop on my tour of town was Boots. I wanted to get some more of their hair masks because I tried some just after Christmas and I LOVED them! These were on 3 for 2 so I decided to stock up! (Also my mum likes to use them too so this way there's plenty for everyone!) I really love smell of the Hi-Shine Conditioner one. It's Mango and Papaya and it just smells so divine! I think it does give some added shine to my hair. Out of the two of them I definitely prefer the Hydrating Hair Mask as I think the difference to my hair is really noticeable. It makes my hair so soft and easy to manage. If they did a big pot of this I would buy it without a second thought. So amazing!

These are £1.01 each (no idea why they can't just be £1 each...) but as I said, they were on 3 for 2 so it's justifiable...right?

Another product that I've been meaning to pick as a repurchase is the 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in Seabreeze. This is one of my favourite blues and I think it's just a perfect colour. Now then, I generally always pop my Boots card into the machines by the doors so can see if there's any special deals that I can use. This time there was a "Get a free Blush and Glow with any purchase of another 17 product"...well, as I buying the polish anyway may as well get something free right?? I had a little look and there was a Strawberries Swirl one and a Peaches and Cream (I think...) one. I decided to go with the Strawberry Swirl one just because the Peaches one just looked a little bit too dark for me. I'll be honest, if this hadn't been free I wouldn't have got it. I have the 17 China Pink blush and the 17 Instant Glow Highlight and Bronze Powder (which I LOVE btw. The highlighter in it is just beautiful I think) so I really don't need the Blush and Glow at the moment...but why would I turn down free make up?? I don't know if I'll use it for myself yet or what but it's always nice to get something free when you're buying something anyway.

The nail polish cost £2.99 and the Blush and Glow would normally cost £3.99

Next stop, New Look! As I was looking for a new black dress, New Look seemed like a good place to start. They've got a sale on at the moment so the first half of the downstairs bit is packed with cheap stuff...I had a little look just in case I found a nice dress in there but I then got a little side tracked by the stand that had Christmas Gifts on it.. I was very restrained and didn't buy any of the nail polish sets ('m really trying to stick with my "Do you really need it?" thing...which has worked quite well with nail polish and make up so far. I just need to expand it from now on!) Anyway, I saw this Superman Wash Bag reduced to £7 and I just couldn't resist! I love Superman and I don't actually have a proper wash bag....so......that's a valid reason....ahem....It's got a handle on the side and a pouch inside it to keep some bits in. It's quite roomy and is made of a really sturdy/waterproof material. I'm hoping this will come in handy for a holiday one day soon!

When I got to the till....this had been reduced even further and was actually £3!! Massive bargain for a massive nerd!

So I actually went to the other New Look in my town and went upstairs to visit the Starbucks with a friend. However, it turned out that the Starbucks had closed and...well...my friend wanted to have a look at the shoes and one thing lead to another and I happened to find myself in the men's section where I found these AWESOME Superman socks! (I already have one pair of Superman socks from Peacocks but....these ones are different and I'm apparently now a sock hoarder...) It really annoys me that it seems to be impossible to find Superman (or Batman or Ninja Turtles or Sonic etc etc) stuff for girls (except t-shirts really) If anyone knows where I can get girls Superman socks/pants/anything I'd be so grateful! I find boys socks quite comfortable for the winter as they keep my feet super warm. I have size 4 feet and these are for size 7-11! Extra warmth! Plus...they're cool...

These 3 pairs cost me £8.99 (a little more than I should have spent I think but hey, a geek has to indulge sometimes!)

(Excuse the dusty mirror! Didn't realise it was in need of a clean quite so drastically! Also the mirror is wonky because it's not attached to anything and is just balancing on my bin...classy. You can see that my knees are a bit bent so I can actually see my outfit properly!)

So in the first New Look I found this dress, which is almost exactly what I was looking for. I wasn't sure if I was going to keep it or not (hence the fact that the "stretch" sticker is still on the shoulder!) because a) it's a size 12 (I can fit into a size 12 but I really need to firm up more to be super comfy in that size) and b) it's a body con dress.... After taking this picture I moved my belt down a little and it made my hips look a little less....wide... I'm still not 100% sold on it, but as I'm aiming to lose a bit of weight and firm up this year then I might keep it as my incentive! It's a really nice dress and I think I could dress it up with a different coloured belt and accessories or dress it down too, which is nice. What do you guys think? Yay or nay? (Honest opinions welcome!)

This dress was a bargain at £8.99!  

And my final purchase in the second New Look....sale shoes!! I've been looking for some closed toe heels for ages and when I saw these it was love at first site! I love that I can wear these with or without tights and they're pretty comfy too. My only issue with them is the fact that the toe seems to go up so I need to get used to that so that I don't tip over on a night out! I think I'll wear these for my birthday, I just love the elastic bondage straps on them!

These were reduced from £19.99 to £10! Seriously love them!

So what do you think of my mini haul? Have you found any good bargains recently? Any bits you'd like me to review more indepth?

Until next time,

xoxo