Andrew Barton S.O.S Help Me! Hair Mask Review

Hello guys,

Awhile back Sophie from Duck and Egg did a post on the Andrew Barton S.O.S Help Me! Hair Mask, and since I really enjoy hair masks I went and picked it up. 

First off, I love the packaging. The simple black and red jar looks really appealing, plus since red is one of my favourite colours, it really stood out to me. Next, before even using it I fell in love with the smell! Its amazing, like warm vanilla cookies and hints of chocolate - yum! I mean even if you don't buy it, go and smell it, it's delicious.

The texture of the mask is really light, so much so I wouldn't call this a mask, more of a everyday conditioner - especially since my hair is pretty thick and damaged. My hair is pretty dry and the ends are porous, so I normally go for heavy duty conditioners so I wish this one was thicker, and did more to my hair. I find that my hair is shinier but there are no long lasting effects, plus I haven't noticed a difference to the smoothness or overall health to my hair which is canny disappointing.

That been said I'm glad I didn't pass this one up, I liked trying it and it smells lovely! I would recommended this mask to people with thin hair or people who don't need heavy conditioning. 

What's your favourite hair mask?

Leave me a comment,

Emily x

Review; Herbal Essences Intensive Smooth And Soft Hair Mask

Hey girls,

When I was in Tesco a few days ago, I picked up Herbal Essences Intensive Smooth And Soft hair mask. If you read my half price Tesco haul post, then you would know I picked this up really cheaply for £2 as most of the Herbal Essence products are on offer. I normally use the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration hair mask but decided to change this week and get the Smooth and Soft kind. 

The Smooth and Soft hair mask really makes a difference to the feel and look of my hair. The mask is quite thick but spreadable, if you know what I mean, so a little goes a long away. When I apply it I use it all over as I don't find masks make my hair look greasy or weigh it down. I leave it on for around 5 minutes (basically as long as I can) then wash it off. After using this my hair was left nourished and felt super soft to the touch. I also noticed that my split ends were hidden quite a bit, leaving them soft and healthy looking.

The Smooth and Soft hair mask smells like tropical fruit juice, and lingers on your hair after washing it out too. The smell of the mask is also similar to the Hello Hydration version, the only difference between the smells is that Smooth and Soft is more orangey and Hello Hydration has a much stronger coconut smell.

The packaging on the mask is really up my street too - I love the bright orange as it's a fun and happy colour!

Overall I really love this mask, in fact I love all the Herbal Essence range! I do have to say though, I prefer the Hello Hydration mask to this only because I prefer the coconut smell. Otherwise I feel that this mask is perfect, and something every girl with damaged, dry or frizzy hair needs! 

Have you tired the Herbal Essence masks? 

Leave me a comment,

Emily x

Tesco Value Conditioner - AMAZING?!

Deep Conditioning, I love it and need it.

 With all the bleach, dye and other damaging stuff I do to my hair and my hair extensions, they need a lot of care. So when I was browsing the hair aisle in Tesco for a new deep conditioner, I spotted the Tesco Smooth Conditioner in Coconut and thought 'why not? Its only 88p' and I'm so glad I did!

I love this conditioner as it really conditions my dry ends and makes my hair so silky, soft and manageable. I have also noticed a reduced amount of frizz, as sometimes if I leave my extensions to dry without a serum or hair oil, the ends can go frizzy. 

Like I said it was only 88p, so I had nothing to lose when I first picked it up. The bottle is massive so it has lasted me a very long time. The scent is a very mild coconut, not in your face or anything.

I always put the conditioner on my dry hair, as if I'm doing a deep treatment as I think it just works better. I focus the conditioner on on the very ends of my extensions as they are the driest part of my hair and then comb through my hair with a wide tooth comb, making sure there are no tangles. I put them in a plastic bag and leave it to do the job.

I leave the conditioner on for up to 24 hours, however most of the time I leave it on for 8/10 hours as I am very impatient and want to wear my extensions!

I put my hair dying towel behind it, in case I get stains on the radiator

I then wash it out with icy cold water, then leave it to dry on my radiator.

The next day my hair is left soft and shiny. Perfect for 88p! 

You should all try this, or at least give cheaper brands ago.

Leave me a comment,

Emily x

Part 2; Dip Dying - Magenta Tips

Hey everyone! 

Today I'm going to be showing you how I dip-dye the ends of my extensions! The bleach from my hair journey part one, read here, made the ends coppery blonde/light brown colour. Now I did like it, but the ends looked frazzled and dry :( So I decided to dye them a deep pinky/purpley colour which I later found was called Magenta.

I chose two dyes as I wasn't certain on the colour, I bought Loreal Casting Creme Gloss in 316 Plum and Schwarzkopf Live Colour XXL in L76 Ultra Violet. 

I ended up using the Schwarzkopf one, as I decided it was lighter and could be dyed over with the plum colour if I hated it! (Luckily I don't)

I mixed up the dye, then slathered it on to my hair, where the copper/blonde bit was. The dye took very quickly and one box was enough to do the full of the bleached bit.

Again put on tin foil to reduce mess.

I must warn you to wear gloves as it's pretty messy, but also the mix dyed my baby hand hairs when I stupidly took the gloves off, then decided to apply more dye. 

I let the dye stay on my hair for about 35 minutes, as it was clear the dye was done and every bit covered.

I didn't shampoo the ends, just washed them in ice cold water and liberally applied conditioner. I left the conditioner on for 5/6 hours, then washed off again with very cold water. 

And ta-da, this is what I ended up with!

I think the dip dying trend is so pretty, and I really love the way it ended up!

You cant really tell on this picture, the lighting was really dark :( 

I'm super happy with it! It was kind of cloudy when I took these pictures, but in real life it's

jet black with magenta tips. 

If you have any questions leave me a comment,

Emily x

Part 1; How I Bleached My Extensions

Hey guys!

If your anything like me, then you are very impatient and very decisive! Last Tuesday I woke up and had the need to have ombre hair. So off I ran to boots to buy myself some bleach to bleach my extensions! 

The ombre I wanted, Ashlee Simpson is HOT

Image from Google

WARNING: Do not attempt to dye synthetic extensions.

Now I am going to show you how I did it, but bearing in mind I am not a professional or expert just a really impatient person, it wont be perfect! My extensions were bought blonde, I had dyed them about 6 times, and were completely black before I started - the bleach had a lot of work to do :P

You can read about my extensions here :)

Tools;

Bleaching Kit - Powder and Bleach

Hair - On your head or extensions

Brush - To mix the stuff up

Tinfoil 

Old Towel 

I used the Jerome Russell Bblonde for light to brown hair. In the pack you get 4 powder bleaches, but you have to buy the Cream Peroxide separately. The box cost like £3.50 and the developer was £1.50 ish. 

For my extensions I needed 2 sachets and 2 bottles.

You just mix them up and you are ready to go!

Then I put my extension in, made a mental note of how far I wanted the bleach up, took them out and put them on a sheet of tin foil to reduce the mess, then I slapped the bleach on!

 

 I left them for 30 mins, then ta-da! Gingery blonde hair :D

Now, my hair did look really frizzy so I left conditioner on over night and it seemed to help. But I did end up dying them a magenta purpley colour, which I think made them look a lot healthier and blend in more with my own hair. That will be in part 2 of my extension post :)

If you have any questions leave me a comment!

Emily x

June Empties

Hey guys!

I don't have many empties this month, I think it has been because I have been buying a whole load of new things. But here are my empties for June and whether I would repurchase them:

Lush's Its Raining Men - I love this but not as much as Honey I Washed The Kids, plus its really expensive for a shower gel... I probably wont repurchase - you can read a review here!

N-Spa's Hot Butter Fudge Syrup - yes, yes, yes I will repurchase! I already have! - you can read my review here.

L'Oréal Paris Elvive Triple Resist shampoo and conditioner - I would buy again, but they run out soooooo fast! I only got them at the start of June. 

L'Oréal Paris Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal shampoo and conditioner - Like the products before, they run out really quick! However I do love these, as they have little glitter bits in them which is super pretty and nice. The overall effect on my hair, was alright, it did make it feel nice but nothing special. 

Alberto Balsam Intensive Conditioning Treatment, Honey and Almond Extracts - This is a great cheap hair mask! I wouldn't recommend it for completely fried hair but for hair that needs a pick me up it's great. It's not too heavy and so won't weigh down, and leaves my hair smooth and soft with a nice fragrance! I love this stuff, and need to get another one!

Garnier Pure Anti Black Head Deep Pore Wash - this is my 3rd bottle of this wash and I really love it! I have already picked up a new one as I cant seem to have nice skin with out it! I dont find it helps my blackheads go away, but does help prevent whiteheads and reduces any that I have - fantastic!

Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub (sample) - This was really harsh on my skin! The particles where rough and sharp, tbh it hurt D: I will not be buying this at all!

What have you been using this month? 

Leave me a comment,

Emily x

Hair Envy; Rainbow Hair

Hey guys!

If you follow me on twitter you would know I had this crazy dream that will.i.am bought me some rainbow curly hair extensions! Mad I know, but since then I cant stop thinking about having rainbow coloured hair.

I know it so impractical because I'm looking for a job and that, plus the cost would be huge but it would be soooooo cool! 

So anyway I thought I would share you a some images that make me want rainbow hair!

This is exactly what my hair looked like in my dream! I love it <3

This, to me, looks amazing! I know its probably not real, and probably never possible, but I can dream :D

This drawing is my ultimate rainbow hair. It would be amazing. Just amazing. 

What have you been lusting over?

Have you got any plans to change your hair over summer?

Leave me a comment,

Emily X

April Favourites

This month I have only a few favourites, I haven't changed my routine up this month so you may have seen these before on my blog!

My Glasses!

I have been wearing my glasses none stop in April, it really helps with my tension headaches!

Next is the nail varnish Pompous by Rimmel London - Review here!

Next is Dark and Lovely hair mask! This really, really, really has helped my hair, I've been using this throughout the month - my review is here!

I've been burning my Yankee candle in Christmas Cookie all month! 

Its sooooooooooooo good!

My last favourite is Lilac Dream Shade 31 from Fashionista (number 1) I've been wearing this as a highlight and I love it!

So that's it! Leave me a comment,

Emily x

March Empties

Hello lovelies. 

I can't believe that March is almost over! It has been another one of those months that has been over so quickly, but here are the empties of the month. 

•  2 x TRESemme shampoo – (there was conditioner too but I threw it away) I love this stuff, and have already bought more. 
• Garnier Fructis shampoo – You can see it in my crap products here
• TRESemme hair spray – This was okay, it definitely holds your hair but leaves it crunchy
• Stargaze foundation – This was good, it had good coverage, but I doubt I will buy it again as it was too pink for my skin
• Lush Tea Tree Water – I love this stuff and will keep buying it again and again
• Vo5 Miracle Concentrate – I enjoyed the effect on my hair, but I wouldn't buy again as I have too many products like this 
• Lush Dirty shower gel – I love this, so does my boyfriend, we would probably buy this again
• Maybelline New York Pure Cover Mineral Concealer – I did like this but I have too many concealers to buy it again right now
• Garnier Pure face wash – I liked this as I believed it really worked, it made my shin smooth and soft, but yet again I have too many products like this to buy it again
• Percy and Reed hair mask – It was free and I liked it, but for the price of £12 I will not be buying this, there are cheaper and better products out there
• Max Factor Aqua Lash – It was rubbish, it wasn't even water proof
• Collection 2000 Collagen Curl Mascara in waterproof – Again not even waterproof, liars!
• Nailene Ultra Quick Nail Glue – I don’t need to buy this again right now, I have about 3 :P
• 17 Photo Flawless Primer One word – CRAP! It doesn't make my make up stay on any longer or make my pores look smaller

• ASDA’s Young Skin Matt Finish Moisturiser – This really worked when my skin was oily but since its now dry, I won’t be buying it again unless my skin changes.
• N-SPA Apple-Mint Crunch – I have already bought it again, it smells yummy
• Yankee Candle Vanilla Lime spray – This is so good, I have another one already in
• Lush Brazened Honey – This was a really really good product, I would buy this again.

Ovbsously I didn't use all the products from full to empty this month, but this is what I have finished in March. If you want a full review on anything, leave me a comment :)

Emily x

Hair Envy - Again

I'm feeling a little rubbish today, just really tired and looking crap. I really want to change my hair up, but if you have seen my hair story post, here, you will know why I am stopping myself from doing this.

So I thought I would blog about the hair I want, hoping it will get this feeling out of my system. 

This week, mainly today, I have been lusting over pastel hair. I just want it soooooooooooo badly but I cant do it. Ugh. I've damaged my hair too much, plus I would only want to dye it back black later on.

So yeah.. Do you have/had pastel hair? I've had almost all totally white blonde hair, and once very light purple when I left my purple shampoo on to long....

You can read my older hair envy here.

Emily x

Review; Dark & Lovely Softening Oil Moisturiser

Hello Everyone, 


I'm not sure how I feel about this hair oil, I bought in Boots last week for £2.05 and have used it 4 or 5 times. I bought this one because the "kids" aspect appealed to me because I thought it would be less heavy than the adult version, plus it smelt amazing. I had read a good reviews on it and was intrigued by its claim of relieving tender head-ness, but I just don’t know, something about this makes me feel apprehensive about putting it on my hair...

The colour is a pale pink and the formula is very runny, the smell as I said is amazing, like hubba bubbas. 

What it says; "Dark & Lovely Softening Oil Moisturiser is for relaxed or natural hair.  Perfect Performance Technology contains a blend of coconut oil and milk thistle and leaves hair soft, shiny and healthy-looking every time.  Dark & Lovely Softening Oil Moisturiser provides long-lasting manageability and relieves tender headedness."

The first time I used this I put it on freshly washed hair which was towel dried, but I used WAY too much, and the next morning I woke up and my hair was a greasy ball. YUCK.

But the next night I tried again using ¼ of the amount, just applying it to the ends of my hair. In the morning my hair felt soft but still somewhat greasy, like I had not washed my hair for days but only on the ends.

So I thought to give it a try with different approaches, instead of putting it on when my hair was wet I would let her hair air dry completely and then apply it. I used the same amount as the night before, and it seemed to absorb slightly better. When I woke up the next day the ends of my hair felt moisturised, but felt liked it had a coat of something on. I could feel the product in my hair, which I HATE, and my hair felt heavy, like something was weighing it down.

One last try I thought. Instead of running it though my hair I used the smallest bit and scrunched it in. This seemed to work as the next morning I couldn’t feel the ‘heaviness’ and my hair still looked clean and felt soft.

I also applied it to my extensions to see if it would help them, which I think it did. It made them smooth and soft, and smell yummy.

Overall I think this is way too heavy for my hair, but I will still use it on days my hair feels super dry and in my extensions. I'm a little disappointed to be honest.

If you have used this and it has worked, leave me a comment telling me how you used it, 

Emily x

Product Rave; Dark and Lovely Ultra-Cholesterol Conditioning Treatment

Dark and Lovely Ultra-Cholesterol Conditioning Treatment is AMAZING!

I don't have afro hair - my hair is naturally straight, but I have very dry hair especially at the ends which breaks when it reaches my collar bone. If you have read my hair story, found here, you would know why but for those that don’t I stripped and bleached my hair to death last summer as I wanted blonde hair from black... I know I'm stupid! It probably doesn’t help that I straighten it about 3 or 4 times a week (I am slowly and surely stopping that) and dye it black every month or so....

But anyway enough rambling, I had read good reviews on the mask and the price was good, so when I seen this in Boots I just had to pick it up. The treatment is bright yellow in colour and smells funky, a bit like hair dye crossed with lemons. But I really really like the conditioning treatment.

What it says; “Dark & Lovely Ultra-Cholesterol Conditioning Treatment for very dry and damaged hair is specially formulated with Pantenol and Vitamin E.  This unique and improved formula nourishes, moisturises and helps prevent split ends while gently detangling dry, damaged hair.”

This is a miracle for dry and brittle hair. Most people spend a fortune on expensive promises of products but this actually works and its only £1.83!!!

I've been using it for over a week now and it leaves my hair so soft and silky, it’s wonderful. My hair feels stronger and less dry, and when I brush my hair when I get out of the shower, my brush glides through. As I said before, I really love this product  ( ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ) and highly recommended to anyone with dry/damaged hair!

Tomorrow or Saturday I will do a review on the other Dark and Lovely product I bought.

Leave me a comment,

Emily X

Tiny Little Haul

I have tiny haul for you guys today, I popped into Boots before dashing to my Zumba class and picked up a few things I had read a good reviews on. I desperately needed something for my hair as it is soooooooooooo dry at the moment! Anyway heres my little buys;


Dark & Lovely Softening Oil Moisturiser 250ml £2.05
I was super excited to get this product, it smells like Hubba Bubba chewing gum, yummy! Ive read numerous good review on this so I'm hoping it helps my hair. What it says; "Dark & Lovely Softening Oil Moisturiser is for relaxed or natural hair. Perfect Performance Technology contains a blend of coconut oil and milk thistle and leaves hair soft, shiny and healthy-looking every time. Dark & Lovely Softening Oil Moisturiser provides long-lasting manageability and relieves tender headedness. Directions For Use: Massage into hair and scalp or brush through hair. Style as desired."

Dark & Lovely Ultra-Colesterol Conditioning Treatment 250ml £1.83

I was also so excited to get this product too, every review I've read says this product is amazing! Yay! The only problem I see is that it smells like hair dye mixed with lemon which could put some people off, I personaly don't mind it that much. What it says; "Dark & Lovely Ultra-Cholesterol Conditioning Treatment for very dry and damaged hair is specially formulated with Pantenol and Vitamin E.  This unique and improved formula nourishes, moisturises and helps prevent split ends while gently detangling dry, damaged hair. Directions For Use: Apply a generous amount into palm of hands.  Apply to the roots and ends of hair, then gently massage into scalp, making sure that the dry sections are well covered.  For instant conditioning leave on for 2 minutes.  Rinse well.  Style as desired.   For intense conditioning leave in for 2 to 7 minutes (fuse a heating cap if desired).  Rinse well.  Style as desired."

Boots Ingredients Coconut & Almond Leave-In Conditioner 150ml £1.39
I must admit this was a impulse buy, but it smells delicious I couldn't put it down. What it says; "With extracts of coconut and almond, Boots Ingredients Coconut & Almond Leave-In Conditioner is specially formulated to moisturise and smooth, leaving hair soft and tangle free. Directions For Use:After shampooing, towel dry hair.  Spray conditioner from root to tip and comb through.  For best results use with Boots Ingredients Coconut & Almond Leave-In Shampoo and  Conditioner"

Once I've used the products for a few days/weeks I will do a review on them. I so hope these help my damaged hair, if you have used them leave me a comment telling me how it worked for you :)

Emily X