Cheap Ebay Hair Extensions.

Buying hair extensions for the first time can be an extremely daunting task, I know as I was once there!

There are many questions that get thrown at you…

Which brand should I buy? 

What colour? 

Length? 

Gram? What the heck is grams?
Are they expensive?

Most extensions are expensive, there are top brands which I have used before and paid hundreds of pounds on extensions and I have absolutely loved them but if you've never worn extensions before I imagine you aren't going to want to be spending a crazy amount of money on them, which I didn't either, so I'm going to link you to an ebay shop which I bought my very first extensions from! They're great quality for an even better price, they ship super quick and the customer service is amazing! I still use these extensions today, what I like to do is buy 2 sets of the 120 grams and wear them together! (: They cost around £30 for one set.

I shall show you a picture of me with one set in… I have quite thick hair, which is why I by two sets, but if you style and place them correctly then you can get away with 1 set, even with thick hair:

They work much better when your style your hair wavy/curly as it conceals a lot.

Here is a link to the ebay shop:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/beautyexpressukltd

Their customer service is great, if you email them with any questions they tend to email you back within 24 hours - I can't complain about this extensions at all, for the price of them they are fantastic! Like I said, I have tried the high end brands, but I always seem to go back to my ebay ones!

Have any of you ever wanted to try extensions but have been a bit wary?

Let me know if any of you are going to try these! Feel free to ask if you have any questions (:

Jess x

Review: L'oreal Mousse Absolue.

It's no secret that I am a big fan of dying my hair, so when L'oreal announced they were bring out a dye that is reusable I just had to try it.

I went for the colour '300 - Natural darkest brunette' as when my hair is dark, I like it very dark but not quite black.

What it includes:

The dye comes with a lid on which you can then put back on the bottle if you want to save the remaining product.

It also comes with the dispenser cap, 2 pairs of gloves, the dye itself and conditioner.

It usually takes me 2 bottles of dye to do my whole head but this only took me one.

The dye is really easy to essemble together: take off the cap, hold the nozzle by its sides, click it on, shake it for a while, and you're ready to go. - Application is quite easy, although as soon as the foam touches your hair it turns straight into liquid which can make it a little tricky to spread - but overall I absolutely loved this dye, I have repurchased it multiple times now… the initial colour is quite dark but it does fade after a few washes and fades to a really gorgeous dark brown!

Here is the result (: 

The lighting isn't great but you can still sort of see the colour.

My only criticism is that my hair feels a little dry after I use it, but that is easily fixed with a good conditioner! 

Have any of you tried, or wanted to try this? 

Jess x

Review: Redken All Soft Shampoo & Conditioner.

Its no secret that I'm an absolute hair dye fanatic, and because of this my hair really isn't in the best condition, "Nooo" I hear you say, yes, I'm sorry to tell you, my hair is a big frizzy mess! So I was on the hunt for a new shampoo and conditioner and I saw quite a lot of reviewers raving about this product, so I thought why not?

The first thing I noticed about these was the smell, oh gosh they smell amazing! Like a tropical fruit cocktail, DELICIOUS! I am an absolute sucker for something that smells good, so they were already winning in my books. Then when I was using them I could feel my hair detangling and feeling softer just after one wash.

Here is a picture of my hair after I have got out of the shower and have *attempted* to blow dry it straight:

Very attractive, I know.

Here is a picture of my hair now after using Redken for 2 weeks:

The difference is unbelievable, I am more than happy with the results! I got mine from www.feelunique.com where the conditioner is £11.70 and the shampoo is £10.65 (random prices, I know) and I know this seems pricey for shampoo and conditioner but I completely feel like its worth it!


I also bought the Redken extreme range, so I hope to be doing a review on that soon. I hope this helped some of you.

Have you tried any Redken products? What were your views?




Jess x

Where the hell have I been?

I just want to start by apologising for my absence! My life has been crazy busy lately... 

I've finished my first year at uni, I have been working extra shifts and I have moved house! So these things took up a lot of my time, I know, I know, no excuse, but I'm BACK!

And I have a crazy amount of things that I want to review, here's a few that will be coming soon:

Loreal mouse absolute

Real techniques brush set

Redken all soft shampoo & conditioner 

Redken extreme shampoo & conditioner 

& Foxy locks extensions 

So, hopefully these should all be up by next week!

Jess x

Review: Macadamia Deep Repair Masque.

Like I've said many times before, I am a self confessed hair addict; dying, straightening, extensions, ect. So hearing all the hype about the Macadamia deep repair masque I knew I absolutely had to try it!

With the largest tub being around £30, I was slightly apprehensive about buying this, as it really is a lot of money to spend on what is really just a conditioner... But being the curious person I am, I bought it.

What they say:

"Macadamia Natural Oil's Deep Repair Masque revitalises dry, damaged hair like you have never experienced before. Using a combination of macadamia and argan oil infused with tea tree oil, chamomile oil, aloe and algae extracts this masque will rejuvenate and rebuild the hair, leaving it deeply nourished for improved elasticity and shine with long-lasting conditioning benefits.

• Combines macadamia and argan oils with tea tree oil, chamomile oil, aloe and algae extract
• Deep long-lasting nourishment
• Ultra-conditioning hair reconstruction
• Paraben-free formulation with tea-tree leaf oil, chamomile oil, aloe & algae to revitalise and restore dry, damaged hair
• Improved elasticity & shine"

So, as soon as I got it in the post I jumped right in the bath, shampooed my hair and slapped this on my head, running my fingers through my hair to evenly distribute it. The first thing I noticed was that it smelt amazing, I couldn't stop smelling it. The look of the conditioner is sort of a peach colour and has a pearly look to it, and seems really thick but once on the head spreads out really easily. I left it on my head for around 10 minutes and then rinsed my hair. 

Does it work?

Oh my, yes! It is amazing! My hair hasn't felt this soft in an extremely long time! I am obsessed. The smell of it also stayed in my hair until the next time I washed it.

Have you tried any of the macadamia range?

Jess x

Review: Benefit 'They're real' Mascara.

I'm going to start this post by telling you all that I do naturally have pretty long eyelashes, so if you're looking for a review that shows the effects of this mascara on short lashes then I don't think I'm your girl... they aren't like crazy spider lashes 'are they fake?' kind of long, they just aren't short! But as a natural blonde the ends of my eyelashes are blonde so I do have to wear mascara to fully show my lashes at their best!

Here we go...

Now I've wanted this mascara for months, but I just couldn't justify spending £18.50 on mascara, it just seemed wrong, but the amount of reviews I read that absolutely raved about this product was crazy in itself, so I sucked it up and shelled out nearly £20 for yes, mascara.

Benefits 'They're Real'

What they say:

"They're real! lengthens, curls, volumizes, lifts & separates. Our jet black, long-wearing formula won’t smudge or dry out. A specially designed brush reveals lashes you never knew you had!"

What else you need to know:

• 94% saw dramatic length & volume**
• 90% saw base-to-tip curl**
• 94% saw visible lift* 100% saw long-wearing results**
• 100% saw long-wearing results**

So does it do what it says? YES.

This is after one coat, it lengthened my lashes, made them extremely black, lifted, separated and curled! I am in LOVE!

Heres the proof:

Before:

After:

Jess x

Review: Vichy Dermablend.

Now it may seem slightly odd that I'm trying a foundation made for acne, but I have my reasons... Firstly, I in no way have perfect skin, it is red, and blotchy and awful! I get really self conscious when it comes to my skin so I thought I might as well try the Dermablend.

What they say:

"VICHY DERMABLEND Corrective Foundation with it's malleable coverage texture and no mask like effect gives 12 hours of coverage of uneven skin texture, dark circles and diffused redness."

It costs £15.50 from Boots; which is where I purchased it from in the colour 'Opal'

Heres my skin after I've washed my face:

Bad right? 

And heres my skin after I have applied the dermablend foundation and my blusher:

How much better does my skin look?

I am in LOVE! It feels so lightweight on your face and doesn't look 'cakey' at all! It lasted me all day as well, I must admit I did look much more shiny when I got home in comparison to when I left but I can deal with that!

I hope this helps a few of you, weather you have acne or not.

Jess x

Hair Extensions 101.

As I have mentioned before, I'm a bit of a hair freak! Especially when it comes to extensions. I obviously haven't worn extensions since birth so I know that if you have never worn them before but want to try them out then it can seem extremely daunting! Which brand should I buy? What colour? Length? Gram? What the hell is grams? Trust me, I know! So I thought I would do an extension 101 post here for you, in the hopes it will help some of you out!

So average good quality extensions range between 100 - 150 grams, I personally need more hair than that because mine is super thick, but for first timers about 120 grams should be fine! I also recommend different length extensions for different length hair, I started with 18 inch when my hair was shoulder length, but any shorter than shoulder then I'd recommend a shorter length just so they're easier to blend if you've never worn extensions before!

So, heres a picture of half my collection for you!

First Timers!

Now if you've never worn extensions before you aren't going to want to be spending a crazy amount of money on them, which I didn't either, so I'm going to link you to an ebay shop which I bought my very first extensions from! They're great quality for an even better price, they ship super quick and the customer service is amazing! I still use these extensions today, what I like to do is buy 2 sets of the 120 grams and wear them together! (: They cost about £30 for one set.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/beautyexpressukltd

I'll show you a picture of me with 2 sets of my ebay extensions in, here my hair is blonde though:

Now, for the brands...

I'm not going to lie, I haven't tried all the brands there is out there, but I have tried two brands that people seems to talk about! Headkandy(Now known as Dirty looks) and Foxylocks

People seems to compare Headkandy against Foxylocks a lot, but the different is Headkandy offer a wide range of lengths without changing the thickness (Which is VERY thick!) whereas Foxylocks only offer one length but offer three different thickness'... so it all depends on what you're looking for!

Foxylocks

So this is what Foxylocks look like, they are in colour number 4, which I believe is chocolate brown. I think they cost me £120 as I bought the thickest set which is called 'superior' and they are 20 inches and 215 grams. I did love this hair, it was soft and easy to manage, but I just wanted them even thicker!


Headkandy/Dirty Looks

My extensions are 20-22 inch in the colour 'dye it yourself' ... which I dyed dark brown. Now Headkandy (Now known as Dirty Looks) say they are 180 grams, but to me they feel much thicker than the Foxylocks extensions. I think they cost me around £100 including postage. They were also great quality and I dyed them twice and they are still super soft.

These are one of the best hair extension companies I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Their customer service is fantastic and the extensions are some of the best quality I have ever used in my life.

I hope this helped some of you and if there is anything I left out then feel free to leave a comment and I will answer any questions you have!


Jess x

Review: Urban Decay - Naked Basics Palette.

I've wanted the original naked palette or the naked 2 palette for so long now, but I could never justify spending £36! Being a student, spending nearly £40 on eyeshadow just can't happen. So I was too excited about the Naked basics palette they released at just £20! I know it is only half the size with just 6 eyeshadows, but I'm okay with that as all the colours are amazing and exactly what I was looking for!

The packaging is plastic but with a rubberish feel to it... I really can't explain it!

Here is Urban Decay's description of the colours:

"Venus (NEW! soft, off-white demi-matte), Foxy (cream bisque matte), Walk of Shame (very light nude matte), Naked2 (NEW! taupe matte), Faint (NEW! warm, dusty brown matte) and Crave (NEW! deepest, darkest brown/black matte)."

Personally I wouldn't describe Venus as 'demi-matte' I'd say its much more of a shimmer, which I'm not complaining about as I really like it! I also wouldn't describe Crave as 'brown/black' I'd say it was 'black/black', I really can't see any brown in it at all if I'm honest. The rest of the colours are true to their description, and must say I really like them all!

Here are some swatches of them for you. (:

What do you think of the Naked Palette? Good idea?

Jess x

My journey to long hair.

You may have noticed that I mention my hair in quite a few of my posts, this is because I am a hair addict! I love hair, I love styling it, changing it up... Everything!

But after my many years of hair abuse and cutting it to chin length, I'm now doing everything possible to make it GROW!

I feel like most woman want long flowing hair, don't we? Lets admit it! So I'm taking you on my journey with me!

So here's a list of a few things I'm doing to aid my hair in its growing process:
•Cutting it regularly (only a trim)
•Reducing how much heat I use
•Using Nisims 'fast' shampoo & conditioner
•Taking vitamins;
-biotin
-multivitamins
-cod liver oil

So, I'm going to give you regular updates on how my hair is doing!


Jess x

Nisim Fast - Day 1.

I think almost every girl has had a day where they decide to chop all their hair off, haven't we? I had one of those days about 2 years ago and hated it! Unfortunately though, since then my hair has not grow as much as I'd like!

So when a company claim their shampoo and conditioner can make your hair grow 50% faster than its normal rate I almost died! I wanted to purchase this product 2 years ago when I had the dreadful cut, but it unfortunately wasn't sold in the UK and the shipping costs from overseas where ridiculous, so when I found out they had brought it out in Boots in the UK I was far too excited!

So here it is: Fast by Nisim.

I'm sure all you beauty addicts have heard of this!
It has a steep price tag at £24.99, but if this does actually make my hair grow any faster than I am more than happy to pay that amount!

It says to wash your hair everyday, now for me that is going to be difficult, but I'm going to try my very best! I'm also going to cut down on the amount of heat I use on my hair as well (or at least try to!) just so my hair has every chance to grow!

So, here is my hair now, I have just washed it and have tried to lay it as flat to my back as I can.

Day 1.

I sort of turned as the picture was being taken so my hair looks super wonky! It isn't that bad, I promise!
My hair pretty much touches my bra strap (sorry, the only way I could describe it!)
I shall do a second post in a couple of weeks and see if anything has changed!


Have any of you tried Nisim? Did it work for you?

 *UPDATE*
In all honesty, I really didn't find this product that helpful. I didn't see much change in my hair at all, apart from it feeling a little dryer.


Jess x

Matte nail varnish.

I was scrolling down my Instagram page and spotted a lot of people rocking matte nail varnish... And I LOVED it! So I went to boots and tried to find a good matte nail varnish.

Every one I found was super expensive, so I took to my trusty old friend eBay!

And I found this!
Bk nail varnish, and it's only £1.79
All I did was search 'Matte nail varnish' and this beauty appeared! Cheap and effective!

Are you going to attempt to rock the matte trend?



Jess x

Beauty Haul.

I had absolutely no intention of buying anything when I went out today, I swear, but I just couldn't help myself! In my defence, I only bought 3 things, which is good for me!

See, only 3 things!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle.

"Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor is a deep conditioning treatment for dry and damaged hair. 3 Minute Miracle leaves hair looking and feeling healthy and shiny in one treatment."

For me this is a holy grail product, I've told you a few times how much I dye my hair, so I definitely need a deep conditioner, and this is the one that I love the most. It is amazing, everything it says it does, it does! I sometimes leave it on for a hour if my hair needs a good treatment, but I usually pop it on in the shower and leave it for a few minutes. 

Sleek Brow Kit.

"The ultimate tool for perfect brows every day of the week. Brows have become one of the central emphases in daily beauty regimes; no longer is plucking the be-all-and-end-all of brow grooming! Sleek MakeUP’s perfectly compact kit is small enough to fit in your handbag, and comes in 2 shades, Light and Dark, and includes: shaping wax, setting powder, mini tweezers, and angle and blending brushes."

I have 2 of these, the light and the dark, and I bought my sister one as well. The one in the picture is the light, as I have lighter hair at the minute. I love this, I can't handle eyebrow pencils, me and those just do not get on well, so this kit is perfect for me!



Mac Bronzing Powder.

"A lightly frosted, tinted powder that gives skin sheer, natural colour effects and highlights. Ideal for enhancing a skin tone or to accent or 

strengthen a tan. Formulated to provide a smooth, even application on all skin."

I actually went into Mac for a blusher, I need a blusher with no pink in it at all, because it looks ridiculous on me, so I wanted a gold toned one with slight shimmer and I found a perfect one but it was out of stock! So I decided to get a blusher and use it as a bronzer, the shade I got is 'refined golden' its really beautiful, I absolutely love it!

So, anyway, they were my purchases, a little random beauty spree!


Jess x

Review: Fake Bake Flawless.

What they say...

"Our professional strength spray tan solution with a delicious black coconut fragrance to transport your senses to an exotic island beach......

Flawless is aptly named. It promises to deliver a flawless, beautiful, golden tan. Spray a fine mist of Flawless over freshly exfoliated skin then perfect your tan with our professional mitt which is included. The dual function cosmetic bronzer gives an instant, golden tan then goes on to develop into a long lasting, sunless glow. Fast drying, fast absorbing Flawless is transfer resistant, so can be worn throughout the day and it is formulated with Fake Bakes’ signature triple tanning agents (DHA boosted by DMI & Erythulose) for an intense tan that lasts and lasts. New to our range in 2010 and quickly established itself as a firm favourite amongst fans.

Suitable for all skin tones and skin types. Beautifully fragranced with a tropical scent."


I am a fake tan lover, I love, love, love it! I hate it in the winter when my skin starts going pale, and I look like Casper the friendly ghost! I really hate it! So, I go for the fake stuff!

I've tried a lot of fake tan, these include:

• St Tropez
• St Moriz
• Be Natural
• Rimmel
• Sally Hansen
• Garnier

And thats all I can think of right now...

I used to just stick to instant, wash off stuff, my favourite being Fake Bake's beyond bronze, but living in Manchester it is very difficult to keep your instant tan, wash off tan looking good, as all the weather likes to do here is rain! So by the end of the day I look like I have some sort of skin disease(not a good look for me).

But anyway... I was browsing the wonderful world of blogs and started reading a few reviews of the 'Fake Bake Flawless' and people seemed to love it, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Now at £20 you might think thats a little pricy for a tan, but for that price you get the tan itself, a set of purple latex gloves, and a tanning mitt, oh, and instructions!

*Please excuse the state of my mitt and gloves!*

My thoughts? LOVE! I am honestly so impressed! It is so easy to apply as the liquid is a dark brown, so this helps to insure you don't miss anywhere! It smells gorgeous too! It tends to last me about 5 days before it starts to noticeable fade, but I don't find that it fades patchy with me, it just looks like a gradually fading tan!

I used to like my tan super dark, but with having ginger hair now I feel like that would just looks ridiculous, so I decided to try and find one that just made a slight 'glow' which is what this does! I'd still recommend it to people that like to go dark though, as its easily buildable! 

Heres a picture of my arm that has been tanned in comparison to my hand that has not:

*Bare in mind that it's the guide colour, and its not as dark when it has been washed off.*

Overall, I would DEFINITELY recommend this product, I am absolutely in love with it, it's probably one of the best things I have bought this year.

Jess x

Review: Hair Essentials - Argan oil shampoo & conditioner.

As I was casually strolling around Primark, the range of hair care products they had out suddenly caught my eye (I'm a sucker for a hair care stand) I'm already a massive argan oil fan, so when I saw that Primark has a argan oil shampoo and conditioner set for £2.50 each I definitely could not resist! So I popped them into my basket and went to pay.

They are by 'Hair Essentials' and it says that they are both:

• Paraben free
• For all hair types
• Hydrating
• Helps to restore elasticity
• For a healthy looking shine

I've been using these for about 3 weeks now, and I wash my hair about 3 times a week and I still have a lot of product left in these!

Now for the pros & cons:

Pros.

• They make my hair feel amazing!
• Easy to use 'snap top'
• Only £2.50!

Cons.

• Doesn't smell great.

That seriously is my only con, it doesn't smell great, but thats because they've tried to keep it as natural as possible by not adding any perfumes, but other than that, I absolutely LOVE these, they make my hair feel so soft after I have used them, and I think the amount of times I dye, curl, blow dry and straighten my hair, that making it soft is a difficult task! I can't recommend these enough!

I am going to try a different brand of argan oil shampoo & conditioner, I ordered them online today, so when I get them I shall give them a try and let you all know what I think! (:

Jess x

Review: Superdrug Colour Vibrance - Mango copper burst.

As I said in an earlier post, I'm dying my hair ginger, so I thought I would show you the results and tell you a little bit about the dye I used! (:

This is the dye, it is Superdrug's own brand called 'Colour Vibrance' and it is in 'Mango copper burst', I've read some reviews on this and I was ready for it to be amazing, (especially for the price of £4) but I was sadly let down, this might of been due to the fact my hair was a few different shades when I dyed it, or the fact my ends were bleached so it couldn't hold the colour as well, but whatever the reason, the only section of my head that is 'mango' are my roots... but whatever, I'm ok with the results! 

Here's the box:

BEFORE

 AFTER

The pictures don't really do it justice, it looks much better in person, I'm also wearing my Headkandy extensions, which might I add, I love already!

Pros:

• Left my hair in the same condition as it was
• The conditioner is amazing
• The colour is ok
• only takes 30 minutes
• It is only £4

Cons:

• Colour isn't as the box says
• Doesn't even out colour
• Has made my roots glow orange

Jess x

Review: Colour B4.

*Please excuse the state of my hair dying t-shirt.*

So, I have mentioned before in my headkandy review that I am an absolute hair dye addict! So, I've had my hair 'ombré' for a while now, and it seems that everyone is doing it, so that means I'm bored and in need of a new hair colour! So, I decided on ginger! After searching for a ginger dye, I found two that I looked at, the 'feria mango' but feria test on animals, and I don't think I'm cool with that, so the second was Superdrug's own dye 'Colour vibrance' in 'mango copper burst. In order to get the intense copper I wanted I needed to lighten my hair, but I didn't really want to bleach it, so I did some searches, read some reviews and came across 'colour b4'. Heres what I was told it would do:

"Undo Home Hair Colour Mistakes with Colour B4!!
Colour B4 Extra for darker hair types reverses the effect of unwanted colour following application.
How it works? Colour B4 shrinks the artificial dye molecules embedded within the hair, enabling you to simply wash them away. Colour B4 does not affect your natural hair colour, meaning the result following use is the shade which lay beneath your artificial colour.
Safe: Colour B4 does not contain bleach or ammonia and it's safe to re-colour your hair immediately following the use of Colour B4. Therefore, you can still achieve the hair colour you desire.
Caution: This product contains ingredients which may cause skin irritation on certain users. A preliminary patch test according to the product directions should be made first.
Colour B4 must not be used on eyelashes or eyebrows."


I'm not fully sure how I felt about this whole molecule shrinking...
Anyway, heres what you get:


The box itself.


The contents, excluding gloves as I lost them!(oops)


Part A is the activator.


Part B is the remover itself.


Part C is the buffer. (This is used in the washing stage)


These are the instructions.

The only downside to this product is that it STINKS! It smells like eggs, it really is vile! But once you see the results you will see why I don't care about the smell!



BEFORE






AFTER


HOW AMAZING?!?
I can't get over how amazing it is! Also, it has not effected the condition of my hair at all!

I give this a 9/10, not a 10 due to the awful smell and how long to buffer/washing out section take!



Jess x