Bag Lady,,,,

I admit, I am addicted to bags, mostly high end / unique bags with a few Fendi's and Balenciaga's tucked away for a rainy day.... well not actually a rainy day as they don't come out to play in the rain!

My latest bag fad are Pauls Boutique bags, as Mr Tramp is called Paul (genius eh) the bags have a fun touch to those who know that.

I have a huge collection of Tilly Twisters already but my little eyes have never seen anything as awesome as this bad boy.... not only is it a black patent bag.... its a black patent bag with a skull.... its not just a black patent bag with a skull... but a black patent bag with a grey skull.... and it's not only a black patent bag with a grey skull but a black patent bag with a grey skull with a hat!! and not just any hat... a hat with a pink bow!

It's love and I neeeeeeed it so god damn much! I was all set to buy it this month but after an unexpected car bill sucked the last of my loose change.. it will have to wait another month! Boo!!

 

Not to everyones cup of tea, but its perfect for me!

Of course i've emailed a copy of this post to Mr Tramp with the subject of HINT HINT HINT [ha ha ha ha]

Name and shame : Umberto Giannini Big Blow Out Dryer

I don't like naming and shaming but sometimes a product deserves it right?

I have tried to complain to Umberto Giannini directly about their dangerous product and they just never bother to reply. On googling, it seems a lot of people have had similar issues with this heap of shit hair dryer!

Below are my gripes :

• Cuts out excessively (within 30-60 seconds of use) and takes almost 5 minutes to re-start
• The end of the hairdryer is melting in on itself making it dangerous to touch the melting plastic
• The handle intermittently sparks internally with a blue / green flash when turning it on and off
• Receive shocks while turning product on and off

Now forgive me if im being overly critical but I do not expect to receive electric shocks or burns while using something as innocuous as a hairdryer!

I have again wrote to U.G and got all legalised on their ass using the sales of goods act after speaking to Trading Standards. If this doesn't get me a response I'm partially tempted to take it further as they are selling dangerous items and not bothering to acknowledge complaints.

So… now I need to find me a new salon quality hair dryer!

NOTD : MUA Make Up Academy Shade 1

I was a bit sceptical of how well a £1 nail varnish would work. We've all had those shoddy 'beautiful in the bottle, hideous to use' buys haven't we?!

I took a punt for £1, what harm can it do right?


WOW! I was so blown away! What an amazing little bottle of awesomeness!

I picked up Shade 1 which in the bottle is a gorgeous navy blue shot through with cobalt/purple/green glitter flecks that are very fine,

The bottle itself was next to impossible to photograph, on a grey dark snowy day but I tried my best to catch the flecks as in some lights the bottle just looks dull and an unassuming black polish!

On first coat application its streaky and dull and you think you'll never build it up to a gorgeous colour without 50 coats but come the 2nd coat it has full opacity and it's shining to full effect!

As you can see, coat 1 barely covered my french mani tips (self done acrylics - no end to my 'talents' eh!)

Coat 2 with amazing coverage

Excuse the sloppy mani - I was trying to fight with my cat as he was insistent on ruining the polish - the little shit!

In some lights it does look a dull plain black shade but in others the navy blue tone just comes to life and gives a polished sophisticated alternative to a black / plum /  maroon nail.

The glitter doesn't pop as much as I expected but it gives an amazing depth and almost 'hidden gem' quality when it catches the light or you move your hand a certain way. Like a galaxy of little stars on each finger!


For £1, its phenomonal quality, 2 coats to full opacity with mirror like shine - who can possibly complain about that?!

MUA polishes are a great way to bump up a collection or try out new looks without wasting the usual RRP of OPI etc.

I can't wait to hotfoot it back to Superdrug as I'm now desperate for shades 9,10, 13 & 15

Watch this space.....

Hello lovelies!

I'm leaving Tramp Towers for a long weekend away! And no, i'm not really going fishing!

I have some posts scheduled for later today and for Sunday but check back next week when i'll hopefully have lots more shiny things to tell you.

All my love

Trampy 

  xxx

Coming Soon : Illamasqua Colour Collision Collection

Oh how I wish i was in the states when this launches, looks very interesting!

I think i'll snaffle the Obey lipstick!

Info direct from Illamasqua.....

Color Collision...Illamasqua's US exclusive Spring collection!

Featuring boldly clashing intense colour for looks that are fresh, vibrant and daring…we introduce Color Collision…an exclusive US collection for our retail partner Sephora! 

Warm  tones smash against sky blues and cool lilacs, allowing for audacious colour combinations and textures that provide contrast and defy the status quo. 

This stunning collection consists of three unique colour stories, and includes the world-wide debut of the Nail Varnish in Gamma, an electric neon orange. 

“I love the drama that is created by pairing warm and cool tones,” says Daniel Busuttil, Illamasqua International Make-Up Artist, “Blood red lips with soft peach cheeks, or neon orange nails with cool lilac eyes are modern and striking. It’s so brazen and the mismatch of colors makes this look so arresting.”

     Warm Story

Warm peach and soft pink tones sit against neon oranges, in a color story that is as luscious as it is feminine…

Powder Eye Shadow in Shiver, $20

Powder Eye Shadow in Heroine, $20

Intense Lipgloss in Mistress, $20

Lipstick in Obey, $22

Lipstick in Obey

Cream Blusher in Rude, $24

 Cream Blusher in Rude

False Lashes in #21, $16

Nail Varnish in Gamma, (EXCLUSIVE), $14

Nail Varnish in Gamma - thank you to Edita of Allyoudesire for this beautiful swatch

The Nail Varnish in Gamma has been revealed exclusively for Sephora to feature as part of the Color Collision collection!

Cool Story

From glacial to intense, this color story captures the icy coolness of sky blues and lilacs, touched with a vivid pink …

 Powder Eye Shadow in Anja, $20

Powder Eye Shadow in Creep, $20

Intense Lipgloss in Fierce, $20

Lipstick in Liv, $22

Cream Blusher in Laid,  $24

False Lashes in #13, $16

Nail Varnish in Load, $14

Dangerous Red Story

Intense and seductive, accents of true blood red create a striking counterpoint …

Intense Lipgloss in Succubus, $20

Intense Lipgloss in Succubus

Lipstick in Sangers, $22

Lipstick in Sangers

Nail Varnish in Throb, $14

The Illamasqua Color Collision Spring Collection is available exclusively in the United States at select Sephora locations and on Sephora.com, click here to view

Review : LUSH Bubblegum lip scrub

Just a small review about Lush's Bubble Gum Lip Scrub < note that this is a link to the American Lush as our UK site is still down after the Christmas hacking!

I've looked at it since it was launched and always felt it was a bit gimmicky so never bothered. As this was to be my first Lush purchase for myself so I thought I'd give it a twirl.

Oh man, I wish I'd bought this years ago dammit!

The smell and taste of bubblegum is strong but not overpoweringly so and the sugar crystals provide enough gentle exfoliation to turn the flakiest kisser in to a smooth plump pout without it being painful and 'raw'

I like to apply this morning and night right across my lips and slightly extending in to the skin to make sure the lip line is smooth too. I follow it up with a slather of a thick lip balm to provide further moisturising.

The scrub itself leaves a little deposit of oil on the lips after scrubbing but its no where near enough to rely on as a balm.

For £4.99 this is a perfect little pot to keep in stand by for lip emergencies. The tub will last me a very long time as a little goes a long way. It is very easy to use while it is full but I think I might struggle as it gets near the bottom, without the aid of a long nail or something to fish the grains out of the bottom.

Just a quick one .....

Just a quick one today as I am still struck down with the mystery lurgy - I'd like to declare my love for Method Baby Squeaky Green  Body Lotion!

Originally designed as a green line of baby products I have fallen in love with their lotion. I keep a bottle of it in my desk drawer, one in the car and one by my bed for softening hands and elbows. It keeps my hands nourishes and soft without it feeling claggy or like an oil slick.

I picked my bottles up at Home Bargains, after a tip off, for 98p each and they are the cutest little bottles either, all round and pale. The smell is divine, it reminds me of Kellogs rice crispy squares - YUM. Its not an over powering smell but it does gently linger on the skin.

I can't comment on the eco-merits of it being a green baby brand but it is amazing as a hand / body lotion! 1 pump dispenses enough to do hands, elbows and a light rub over the fore arms. I mostly just use it on my dry 'workmans' hands and wrists to keep my tattoo looking fresh and moisturised.

All in all, a top buy and I'd recommend it to anyone!

Sleek : 2 new palettes!

I'm struck down with sickness at the minute so i'm having to fight the urge to go to bed to write this for all my lovelies!

Both the limited edition Graphite palette and the Primer palette are now both in my possession (it's love!) and i'm super impressed!

I don't have the energy to do a full review on them yet as I haven't tried them out for an EOTD or even swatched every shade but my god..... the pigmentation on the primer palette is beyond amazing! So dense and bright! 

These paints will be the perfect base for an EOTD or even as a beautifully blended shade of their own. I did a quick swatch of the black and blue (between sneezies) and they are so velvety soft, vivid with 1 swipe of a finger and easily blendable with a light finger.

My main delight so far is the PP came in a cardboard sleeve box rather than the usual rigid clear perspex, many times ive given myself a papercut style gash to the finger trying to rescue the palette... hello cardboard - please come again!!

Review : Naked Care Sensitive Shampoo & Naked Shine Hydrating Conditioner

Lets get NAKED!

 

Ok steady on now, I'm not going to expose my Thrupenny bits to the world, I'm talking about the Naked range of body and hair care.

I have been aware for a very long time that scents and SLS's in shampoo are aggrevating my scalp making it sore and tight, even weeping and chemically burnt but let's face it, I'm a sucker for a gimmick!

After some indepth research in to SLS free shampoos Naked kept cropping up at the top of the most wanted lists so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

After reading all the blurbs on the shampoos and conditioners I finally settled on Naked Care Sensitive Shampoo and  Naked Shine Hydrating Conditioner.

The shampoo has a beautiful scent which is almost orangey but it really reminds me of 4711 Cologne my grandad, who is no longer with us, used to wear. This shampoo was a winner before I'd even used it!

I was expecting the shampoo to quite weak and not deal with my greasy roots like most 'gentle' shampoos but boy was I wrong! This shampoo still gives me that squeaky clean feeling and the confidence that if my hair is full of spray and gels that it wil remove them straight away.

I need to be a lot lighter handed with this product as I am using more than I should be just to get a lather. I know that’s what SLSs are for so Im trying my best to reign that in - honest!

I cannot fault this shampoo in the slightest. A matching scented conditioner would be great as I find the beautiful smell is lost when I put the Naked conditioner on but its no biggy. In the 4 weeks ive been using the shampoo 3/4 times a week I haven't experienced any negative scalp reactions what so ever so this is an absolute god send and I can't recommend it highly enough! I haven't once had to reach for my T-gel to sort out my ouchy scalp!

I am not quite so impressed with the conditioner. Personally speaking the ends of my hair are like straw, and as im trying to grow out 16yrs of peroxide and abuse I like a thick conditioner to nourish and help the ends fortify and become sleek. Now this conditioner leaves my roots to mids beautifully soft and silky and shiny, boy is my hair shiny… but the ends always feel lacking. It's not the conditioners fault so I can't mark it down for that.

I am very tempted to try one of the deeper conditioner pots and the serum before I move on to their showergels (im just about to run out of my current one!) but as my TINY local boots doesn’t stock the range it would be an online purchase direct from Naked.

I'm a bit wary of trying the other products without the all important smell test as I'm not keen on buying a product online and then find the smell is too over powering and sets my allergies off and then having wasted £5+ on a pot of hair gloop.

Has anyone tried the full Naked range? Any stand out products you can recommend me for damaged hair?

I'm dying to try the Coco de Mer body butter too!!

Why isnt it pay day yet, I want more Naked goodies in my life!

Recommendations - Intensive Foot Balm??

Let me set the scene… I wear ballet shoes 7 days a week, without socks or tight, and I walk really heavily on my heels.  As you can well imagine I have skin on my feet harder than trying to work out the VAT increase on the spot while sales shopping!

I have tried Flexitol before when it first came out but for the price, I didn’t rate the results.

 

I'm tempted to try Cold Cream and a pair of cotton socks over night to see if it softens up any…. But I hate wearing socks to bed - ARGH!

Can anyone recommend a nice thick nourishing product to cover my tootsies in to have them silky smooth again?

Review : MAC Make Up Session

Make Over or should that be MAC Over?

For Christmas, my father in law bought me a voucher for a MAC session!

Oh how excited I was about all that lovely MAC make up!

Lets be honest now ladies, MUCA (My code for - make up counter assistants) do have a reputation of being snooty orange faced clowns right? Remember that Fast Show sketch? (YOUTUBE)… well this was playing heavily on my mind.

I have about 70% of MACs regular range of eyeshadows and pigments and a healthy dose of their lippies and gloss's so I didn't want the kind of make up lesson you'd give to a 15yr old with her first lippy, but I also didn't want to be brushed aside and given the same look I could do every day.

Sunday 6th February at 11:00 - Judgement Day! Dun dun duuuun!

When I sat down with my MUCA, she was amazing. She told me she's known as Pink Sarah and what an absolute doll she was! I wish I could have taken her home with me! She put me at ease instantly when I told her I didn't want to look like a clown. We had a good laugh over my trepidation about the session and she did her best to put me at ease.

I explained to Sarah that I have very rosy cheeks and as such my main goal for the session was to finally find a properly matched foundation to give me maximum coverage without looking like a mask so that I could wear blushers!

Sarah ran through a few foundations and let me choose which one I felt most comfortable with (NW20) and I have to say I'm insanely impressed! I have not tried MAC foundations before, with having problem skin I avoid introducing new (and expensive) products which may cause flare ups but almost 2 weeks on of daily wear I have nothing to write home about.. Yes that’s right, ive worn it every day! The first time in about 4.5yr! It's a BIG achievment for me and my stupid face!

Sarah asked me what kind of style of eyes I go for and after I explained my usual style and colour preference she asked if I was feeling brave enough for a bold purple 'daytime' look. Confident that she'd not make me look like Krusty the Klown I was game for her to go to town on my eyes!

WOWOWOW! < That’s all I can say! I associate bold purples with night times but Sarah worked her magic on me and I had a beautifully vivid smoked purple eye with bold tones running through. She was attentive to ask about my eyewear (I'm a speccy 4 eyes) and explained how to create a bold eye that was maximised by my frames. It was a revelation to me as I'm prone to applying my eyes as if I was wearing my contacts and then just shoving my glasses back on!

All in all I was very very happy wth my session and felt relieved I'd been brave and gone through it. I was grateful she didn't try to teach me to suck eggs, but I did pick up a few tips I'd not thought about before that Ive used again since. She wasn't pushy or forceful when it came to deciding which products I would like to buy (£98.50 of goodies for the record… ooopsie!)

Sarah was an absolute sweetheart and I have to say, after previous VERY frosty service from the MAC ladies she was perfect in every way. This was reaffirmed when on returning to MAC a week later to swap a dupe eyeshadow I'd bought after the session, she made a beeline to me and gave me the warmest greeting I think ive ever had and checked how I felt after id got home with the make up she applied. Such a lovely lady!

For all you North East ladies, I cannot recommend Sarah (Ask for Pink Sarah) in Fenwicks in Newcastle highly enough. She is amazing and a real credit to the brand, if this is the quality of representation they offer. The other girls on stand could take a leaf out of her book for customer service.

I was actually so impressed with Sarah I have wrote an email of commendation to both Fenwicks & MAC directly!!!

After a slight absence from MAC-love (due to shoddy service)…I'm back with a bang! Now where is that Chrome eyeshadow and Venetian lipglass!!

Review : Neutrogena Multi Defence daily moisturiser

As I've probably already mentioned, I have insanely sensitive skin and as a 
result I usually shy away from skin care unless I really need to - Naughty I know!


On a trip to Mecca (Boots) at New Year I spotted a promotion for the new daily moisturiser from Neutrogena. Being the frugal doogal that I am, I was only swayed to try it because it was on offer.

I haven’t been using it every day as I don’t want to overload my skin but so far, this ROCKS!

It does produce too much product when doing 1 full pump on the dispenser but it does sink in smoothly and quickly. I find half a pump does my face throat and down to my collar bone. It's not a thick lotion so a little does go a long way.

This has not produced any allergic reaction or sensitivity at all which is an absolute god send for those days when my face feels like the Sahara Desert!

At this time of year my skin takes a battering from the wind, heating, make up overload etc so I've been trying to find a reliable moisutriser for a long time.

I would recommend this product heartily to anyone with sensitive skin. My skin style fluctuates from dry to combination and it is sitting well on all areas of my face. I can't comment on how it performs for you oily skinned stunners.

The only down side is the weird cheap smell but this subsides very quickly once on the face.

This is my first foray in to Neutrogena and I am SO impressed. I will definitely re-purchase once I have completed this tube. I'm even trying to collect a little hoard of the free samples of the product doing the rounds in magazines at the minute as I want to take it on holiday without worrying about the hassle of those clear bags for hand luggage liquids!

I'm excited to try the rest of the offerings from Neutrogena.

Any recommendations?

Sleek i-Divine Primer Palette

I'm a huge fan of Sleek make up and was excited to spot their new palette go up for sale - the primer palette!

Looking at their website the colours look nice and vivid and the buzz on the blog-vine is that they are great!

I should have it in my grubby mitts by Monday (I hope!) so I will swatch it and review it then but I just couldnt contain my excitement either!

Apparently shops are selling out left right and centre but still plenty of stock HERE on Sleeks website

Ive also managed to track down the rare Graphite palette too, lets just hope they both arrive in 1 piece! wooo!

Holy Grail shoesies?

Ladies (and the odd gent)  I have found "the shoes" that make me want to sell my house just to live in them.

I have promised myself if I complete my challenge by 30, I'll buy myself them... providing i've learnt how to walk in heels!

Lets coo over them together.

Behold - Christian Louboutin's Lady Daf.

It's love.

 

The pictures playing up but you get the idea. SWOON <3

Review : Boots Cold Cream

Baby it's Cold (Cream) in here…..
 

Sorry for the picture, I had to borrow it from Google

This is probably quite late but I have been giving it a few weeks to settle in to my routine to see how I get on with it!

After doing a bit of blog-loving and googlizing (yes it's a word, I say so!) for a new cleanser and moisturiser combo suitable for sensitive skin, I came across lots of reviews for Ponds Cold Cream used as a hot cloth cleanser.

Having super sensitive skin, when I get a flare up, I layer my face in Aqueous Cream or calamine so I was hoping it would have the same thick, cooling effect.

After a trip to Mecca (aka Boots) I settled upon their own brand Cold Cream as I thought it was less money to waste should it not be right for me. I dutifully trouped off to Asda living and bought a giant pack of baby muslins for £3 and cut them down to face size seeing as the Boots ones were so expensive.

I'd been reading up on what I needed to do so I gave it a whirl in the following order. By no means is this the definitive how-to but this is how I got my best results……..


1. Apply a layer of CC to your face avoiding your eyes. I use a thicker layer depending on how much make up im wearing or how dry my face is. It's quite a prescriptive method so you can tailor it to suit your own skin

2. Leave the cream to sit on the face without rubbing in for long enough for the hot tap to get super hot. Soak the muslin cloth in the hot water and drape it over the face. Pat gently to make contact on cheeks and forehead. NOTE - please make sure the hot cloth isn't too hot otherwise you'll burn your pretty little face!

3. I usually sit on the side of the bath until the cloth no longer feels warm and then I used the cloth to wipe off all the CC residue still present on my face. While wiping, I do a light sweep over my eyes to remove make up and I haven’t had any stinging or redness from doing it and no trouble with contact lenses in.

4. I finish with a brisk splash of cold water which, despite probably not being true, feels like it tightens everything up on my face and makes me feel a bit cleaner… if that makes sense?!



The CC leaves a very fine film of moisture behind on the skin which you can feel gently sinking in to your skin for some time afterwards. If I'm feeling particularly dry and dehydrated I apply an extra moisturiser but most of the time find that the left over CC is more than enough to keep my skin feeling plump young and moisturised.

Why oh why didn't someone tell me about this before! Damn you all!

I've been using the Boots Cold Cream since the beginning of the year and I have to say I havent had any face-wash related allergy flare ups or issues at all and as a result I'm not going to try to the Ponds cream. It's practically twice the price and I find it hard to believe it's twice as good as this bad boy!

To make it a fair review though, here's the pros and cons!

Cons

1. The smell is overpoweringly flowery and has that "grandma" smell about it. It does subside very quickly but the strong smell in the jar might put others off

2. The jar is beautifully retro with a 1920s vibe (to me anyways) but it is a nightmare to scoop out the cream if you have to do more than 1 dip. It tips over very easily and with it having a flared fluted top, I suspect it will be hard to get the dregs out when its almost empty. My jar has rolled off my bathroom counter while trying to use it more times than I think I've dyed my hair (A LOT!)

3. Maybe Boots could stock good value muslins along side the cold cream on the display?

4. The product is not marketed and just lives on the bottom shelf in the beauty aisle. On quizzing my beauty obsessed friends none of them had heard of Boots own brand cold cream or even its uses.

 Pros

1. The price! What more do I need to say about this? It’s a super duper bargain and Boots have got this spot on.

2. Despite the con above about the packaging… the jar is beautifully styled and very retro. It looks like a little treasure next to the sink and doesn't look budget at all. I was expecting a utilitarian tub similar to Aqueous cream

3. The moisturising effect from the CC can be felt several hours later unlike most moisturisers I've tried

4. This truly is a gem for us sensitive skinned ladies. I don't know what it is about it but it seems to tone down some of the red on my cheeks and forehead I usually experience after cleansing my face.


All in all, this is an amazing product and I just wish I'd known about it sooner! It has turned in to my Holy Grail product. I have purchased the No7 hot cleanser to try once my CC has run out… but the question is…do I want to mess with perfection?!



Well done Boots… WELL DONE!


Products Mentioned - links

Boots Cold Cream - £2.42
Boots Muslin Squares - 6 for £7.14
Asda Muslin Squares - 3 for £3 - I got about 12 squares from each cloth!!!

As this is a new blog, it's still finding its feet, despite great site hits

I'd love it if everyone who reads this, drops me a comment underneath just to say hi and where you are from!

It would be great to find out!!

xxx

Review : LUSH Dream Cream

I happened upon this body lotion by accident! I had a scary bad reaction to a sample of their Angles On Bare Skin and due to being so freaked out I emailed their customer service to let them know how severe it had been.

The customer service was fab and within a couple of days I had in my hands a lovely complimentary gift box of 'soothing' items to try.

Well after literally being burnt by Lush before I decided not to subject my face and delicate skin again and have not used any of the items I was sent except for the Dream Cream lotion.

I find the smell of most Lush items very off-putting which is why I have never bought anything to use on myself (except my lip scrub!) but the smell of this lotion was reasonably tolerable so I thought I'd go in for a little swatch on my hand to see how I fared. The cream soaked in evenly and was nice and thick and did indeed feel soothing. After an hour my skin looked as God intended it so I slathered some cream on to my scaly dry elbows, the dry skin sucked the cream up like there was no tomorrow!

I'm quite excited to be able to wear this lotion but I do n't think I'll over do it as I was more conscious of the smell when it was loaded on both arms. Early days but my elbows feel better already!

Watch this space!!!

Review : Aussie Take the heat leave in spray

I am a great fan of Aussies line of 3 minute miracles and their super human conditioning powers but the smell always puts me off reaching for my bottles unless I absolutely need to. I love how the smell does actually linger in the hair, can't fault it for that, its just a little too over powering for me.

Whilst on my mission to get my hair back to tip top peak condition I picked this spray up in Boots to give my current heat protection / leave in conditioner combo an extra boost.

The first thing that hits me about this dinky little spray is the smell! It smells deliciously fruity and fresh which I absolutely love. It's light and delicate without being cloying.

The smell really is amazing and my favourite thing about this whole product! Who cares what other magic it can work as long as it smells this good!

I use the Aussie spray when my hair is towel dry with a liberal spritz over the mid to ends and on my fringe as these are the areas that take the most abuse.

My hair dries to a beautiful slinky finish and I'm convinced I don't need to work the hair as much with my straighteners / dryer to get the desired effect but that could be my imagination!

I haven't noticed a massive improvement because I don't heat style my hair every day but when I do use this spray there is a noticeable difference to the hair texture and condition.

This is a brilliant product for its price and I'd definitely re-purchase it when it runs out.

Question is, do I want to try the rest of the Take the Heat range? Or stick with my SLS free current choice? Decisions!

November was growvember

I've just noticed this sitting in my drafts so I suppose I'd better post it now... better late than never right?





On my ongoing journey to shiny lovely long hair, I promised myself i'd treat my hair nicely.

It's been going well since October. So much so, the mother even commented! Huzzah!

It's a continual quest to find those perfect products but this month I have hit on a few jack pot items.

I am absolutely loving the Herbal Essence's Ignite My Colour shampoo and conditioner (currently on offer in Boots). It gives a very gentle 'squeaky clean' feel that my oily hair loves and the conditioner has left my hair slinky soft, frizz free and the colour is actually looking rich still. I'm a big fan of the HE range and I used to sing the praises of the Hello Hydration blue set as it was the only thing i'd use on my previous platinum hair.

After washing and towel drying I am (still) using my Pantene Breakage Defence lotion. I'm not entirely convinced this has done any great benefit to my hair, but until I run out I might as well continue to use it as it certainly isn't doing any harm. I wouldn't recommend or re-buy this though.

Before heat styling, I have just started using Aussie's Take the Heat leave in spray. This leave in protectant doesn't have that usual cloying Aussie aroma. This is light, fruity and fresh. The scent stays all day but isn't over powering.  A few light mists is all this needs, but I would recommend combing through before and after to further distribute the product.

If i'm going for a power blow dry or just feel like a bit of oomphy oomph then I give my roots and crown a good hearty dose of John Frieda's Luxurious Volume. Smells a bit astringent but great hold and lift.

Next, I've been using a product that has been recommended to me by friends from across the pond. It's FHI's Hot Sauce. I've heard nothing but good things about this stuff. My bottle looks like an oversized bottle of Tabasco! WIN! Only used it a few times but it soaks right in to the driest parts of my hair that need the most protecting. It doesn't leave the rest oily which is a great bonus. I think I will revisit this in a few weeks for a better review.

After all this, I found my usual serum, that was thick and heavy and perfect for my platinum frizz, was a bit too heavy for my almost healthy hair. Due to a pricing fluke in Boots I am currently using the Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Anti Frizz Serum. It is nice and lightweight. It tames down the frizzles and keeps the layers sleek without it being too heavy. Great product but I cant find it on the Boots or U.G website.

I've also just ordered myself some Sallys Curl Formers so I am super excited for them to arrive. I have naturally quite curly hair and I dont want to use heat to encourage those neat curls so these should be perfect.

I have also just bought myself a Babyliss Big Hair Styler. I will wash my hair tonight and give it a shot... will report back!

Trampy 

  XXX