Tuesday 19 June 2012

Pastel Hair Q & A!

Hey guys!


So, I get asked a lot about pastel hair and how to achieve it, so I thought I would do a general Q&A on my blog which hopefully is helpful!

Pastels are so on trend this summer, so why not take the leap!

This will also be great for ombre hair or just a few flashes of colour.

PLEASE CONSULT YOUR HAIRDRESSER BEFORE TAKING THIS ADVICE AS THIS IS JUST WHAT WORKS FOR MY HAIR AND I DON'T WANT RUINED HAIR ON MY CONSCIENCE! :)

1) Do I have to bleach my hair to achieve a pastel shade?
In one word, yes! Unless you have extremely light hair to start with, you will need to bleach it until it is a pale yellow, or similar in colour to the inside of a banana!

2) What bleach do you use?
I use a professional bleach mix, which is below:

This is Loreal Professionel Platifiz Precision Powder bleach and it is blue in colour - Sallys sell this for around £27 per tub although I found it much cheaper here

You will also need to mix it with a cream peroxide - this comes in different volumes, 10 vol, 20 vol, 30 vol and 40 vol - 40 vol is EXTREMELY damaging to hair so I would not recommend to use this and certainly do not go over 40 vol.

I use 30 vol as my hair is naturally very dark, plus I had some stubborn red in my hair but for general use or for lighter hair I would recommend 20 vol or if you are blonde already 10 vol.

Here is the cream peroxide I use:

This is £4.99 from Amazon although you can buy from Sally's Beauty Supplies also.

Just mix the powder and cream until it is a creamy consistency, usually in a 1:1 ratio, mixing enough to cover your whole head.


3) Should I just keep bleaching my hair until it is white?
NOOOOOO! Please do not do this, as it will damage your hair and cause it to break. Once you have achieved a pale yellow colour, you can just use a toner from there to achieve a lighter look.

I use this one:

This is marketed as a twice weekly shampoo but it is actually a toner and is extremely good! I picked this up from Amazon for less than £3 and it smells amazing! (more on this range later)

Another good toner is this one:

which is available here, although most 'alternative' stores stock this as well


4) I am not a hairdresser but I do have a Sally's store nearby - should I just go there and buy all my supplies?
You may get a good deal there, but in my personal experience, I have found it cheaper to buy my hair supplies from Amazon - if you have access to a trade hair supply store, then you will have access to cheaper products but if like me, you do not, Amazon is definitely worth checking out - I paid £32 for all my initial bleaching stuff (powder bleach, cream peroxide, toner, shampoo, conditioner and colour) and it would have cost £45 just to get the bleach, peroxide and colour from Sallys! (PS I am not affiliated with Amazon I just think they're good!)


5) OK, so my hair is the right shade of blonde, what now?
OK, now its the fun part!
The above brand Directions offer lots of different shades, including pastels, although they tend not to last as long (PASTEL IS A BITCH FOR FADING AND NOT LASTING!)
I initially used Crazy Colour in the shade 'Lavender', which again I bought from Amazon for around £5 - however, if you have long or thick hair like me, you will need 2 bottles.

A more cost effective way of achieving a pastel colour would be the following:

* Take one tub of Directions colour in the colour family of the pastel you want to achieve - EG I wanted lilac hair so I chose Directions 'Violet', which is a dark purple
* Next, purchase a big bottle of conditioner from your supermarket - this doesn't need to be fancy - the one I used was Tesco own brand coconut conditioner and it was 85p
* Next, use a plastic bowl and pour a large amount of conditioner in to it - next, take a tiny amount of your Directions colour and mix it in to the conditioner until you achieve your desired colour
* Apply this to the hair - I leave it on for an hour but as it is not damaging at all, you can leave it on for longer if you wish


This is a much cheaper way of achieving pastel colours, as your tub of dye will last a long time and if you stick to using cheap conditioner as a mixing agent, it will be more cost effective

RECOMMENDATION COLOURS FOR THE CONDITIONER MIXING METHOD:

I WANT PASTEL PINK:
Directions Carnation Pink, Cerise or Flamingo Pink

I WANT PASTEL BLUE:
Directions Lagoon Blue or Turquoise

I WANT PASTEL GREEN /MINT:
Directions Spring Green or Apple Green


I also recommend doing the above and using a funnel to pour it in to a bottle (just an old conditioner bottle will do) and leave it by your bath and apply as a regular conditioner each time you wash your hair and that way the colour stays topped up!


6) What can I do to help my damaged hair?
Having pastel hair will damage your hair. However, there are some great products out there can help.
These are the ones I use but there are plenty more out there!

Shampoo

Touch of Silver Shampoo
If you have pastel hair, this range is AMAZING, so affordable and it works! Around £2 from Amazon although your local chemist may have it

Regular Conditioner

Touch of Silver Conditioner - same as above, around £2


Weekly Intensive Conditioner

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Re-constructor - I coat my hair in this from root to tip, apply a warm towel to my head and leave it for as long as possible - this is a tip from a hairdresser friend and it works beautifully! Around £5 from most supermarkets, Boots, Superdrug, etc

After washing

 I apply Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum to towel dried hair and I find this really helps to keep my hair manageable, with less breakage

Styling

I use Loreal Mythic Oil to tame frizzies
Touch of Silver Dry Shampoo 
Touch of Silver Hairspray


I have also heard that the Macadamia range is great, so that is next on my list to try!

7)What can I do to help my colour stay fresh?

I know this sounds gross, but wash your hair as little as possible - dry shampoo is your friend! I really recommend the Touch of Silver one if you have white silver, pastel or pale blonde hair as it is amazing and better than Batiste in my opinion.

When you do wash your hair (I wash mine 1-2 times a week), wash it in as cold a water as you can stand - this helps to seal the colour in

Also, use my tip above and mix a bit of colour in to your conditioner, so you are topping up your colour with every wash!



WOW mammoth post - I hope it was helpful to you guys! As I said, I am not affiliated with these companies, this is just what I have found that works and wanted to share.

What do you guys think of pastel hair?

Any questions, please post below!

Hugs







Wednesday 13 June 2012

Trainers for those who hate trainers!

Hey guys!

My style is extremely girly but when a recent ankle injury forced me to hang up my heels, I was super distressed.

Why?

Because I didn't own ONE pair of trainers, which would be  my new requirement whilst my ankle healed.

So, I decided to dedicate a post to those who hate regular style trainers but want something more comfortable and stylish.

First up are these - as soon as I saw them, I had to have them:

How adorable? The bows are removable but why would you?

These are from the Adidas Sleek series - I don't have a link right now, as I have had mine a while, although I'm sure a quick search should bring some up.


Next up, is this new release that I am strangely drawn to:

This is a collaboration between Superga and House of Holland - I just love the quirky design!
These are £70 from www.very.co.uk


Next up is a classic - Vans!
I'm currently rocking this pair:

These are actually men's ones but they are soooo comfy - £45 from www.schuh.co.uk

I also have these Vans:

Squeeeee! I am a massive Hello Kitty fan!


Lastly, another classic - Converse.

I have had several pairs of these over the years and they can be adapted to suit most styles.

These are my current fave:


What do you guys think?

Are you a fan of trainers or a trainer hater!

Hugs

Saturday 9 June 2012

As if my love for Irregular Choice couldn't get any bigger............

Irregular Choice, what are you doing to me?

Not only do I adore your shoes, bags and clothing, you now tempt me even more by offering sunglasses (not that we need them in the UK right now)!!!



Here is my favourite style, which is 'Mischief', priced at £89.

They also have other styles and the above style in a mint green colour way.

I now just need a sugar daddy to fund my habits!

Go and drool at www.irregularchoice.com!

What do you guys think?

Are you a fan of sunglasses?

Hugs






Friday 8 June 2012

Perfumes Haul!

Hey guys, 

I absolutely love perfume and have recently been using Alien a lot and also a couple of perfumes from an indie brand that I will be completing a review on soon.

Anyway, recently, I treated myself to a few perfumes, so thought I would share :)

Firstly, I bought this set:


Lolita Lempicka First Fragrance gift set

I received a sample of this in the May Glossybox and fell in love with it, so when I spied this cute set, I thought I would buy it.

The set comes with a 50ml Eau de Parfum and a 75ml Body Cream - the box is so cute and has a whimsical illustration of the bottle on the front of the box.

"A fragrant note of Liquorice combined with Aniseed, Ivy, Violet and Tonka Bean with the sweet rich notes of Amarena Cherry, Vanilla and Praline. This blend gives way to sensual floral notes with Iris and Musk undertones. It is a subtle blend of sensations that stirs the senses"

I paid £40 for this and it is available here 


I also received a sample of Agent Provocateur Maitresse perfume recently and that was also a lovely scent, so I also purchased that!


This set has a 50ml Eau de Parfum, 100ml Body Wash and a 5ml Mini Perfume

"AP Maitresse is an intoxicating Eau De Parfum with the passionate top notes
of White Lotus Petals and delicate nuances of white Ylang Ylang, caressed by 

the pure essence of Osmanthus core, and immersed deep into Jasmin 

Sambac...the scent of seduction"

This set was £51 from the same site.


I think the sets are quite good value, considering you are getting a Eau de Parfum rather than an Eau de Toilette, as the Parfum is stronger and lingers longer.

Sorry about the stock photos - if you would like product photos I can try and take some on my phone for you guys!

What do you think of these? What is your favourite perfume?

Hugs




Wednesday 6 June 2012

Nails Inc & Handmade Giveaway!

Hey guys, 

Just to let you know, so that I can say a little thank you to my subscribers, I plan to hold a give away when I reach 30 subscribers, so please spread the word!

Once I reach the magic number, I will be holding a give away for the following:

One of the new Nails Inc Sprinkle Collection polish in Topping Lane, which I recently blogged about:

          


Plus, a handmade felt flower brooch/hair clip from my store:

This is just an example - the one I make will be hand made for you and one of a kind!


Hopefully I will get enough followers soon, so that I can hold the give away - I will keep you guys updated!


Hugs

sources: www.nailsinc.com & www.apolishaddict.com (great blog, check it out!)

Pastel Perfection!

Hey guys, 

So since colouring my hair to a pastel shade, I have been looking for new outfits to accessorise my new hair :D

Here are some of the things on my wish list right now:

Juju Jellies 'Babe' Heeled Jellies - £24 Urban Outfitters (I had these when I was a kid - did you?)


Crochet Collar Dress - £48 Topshop - peter pan, pastel and lace? Yes please!!

Neon Lace Flippy Dress - £46 Topshop - another lace love - I really like the neon and lace together

Huge Sugar Skull necklace - £99 Tatty Devine (my most favourite jewellery company EVER!)

What do you guys think? Do you have a new hair colour or style this summer?

Hugs








Tuesday 5 June 2012

Nails Inc Sprinkles Collection

Hey guys!

I've been waiting for this release for a while, so am super excited to be able to finally order some!

I'm talking about the new collection from Nails Inc, which is the Sprinkles Collection, which is perfect for Spring/Summer.

There are 4 shades inspired by ice creams/cupcakes, which are all super cute and have equally cute names:




From left to right, we have:

Pudding Lane, which is a aqua blue shade with medium blue and gold glitters

Sweets Way, which is a milky white base with light blue, pink and silver glitters

Topping Lane, which is a candy pink base, with medium blue, hot pink and silver glitters

Sugar Lane House, which is a beige base, with black and silver glitters


The first 3 are my faves and I will be ordering some tomorrow, so watch out for a product review when they arrive (may take a couple of weeks, as I am pre ordering them).

I would say that these polishes are pretty unique right now, so I am happy to add these to my ever growing polish collection.

What do you guys think of this collection?

Hugs