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