Leighton Denney Spring Collection

More Spring collections! Cannot wait for some summer ones as the sun is finally starting to shine in the UK! This is the Leighton Denney 'Riviera' collection Spring collection. A little bit bland for my liking but the blue colour makes up for it for me! You'll have to forgive me as I only have 5 of the colours so some pictures are not my own!

The Riviera Collection. Image from google images

'Mine's a rosè' is a pinky nude colour which is a nice natural shade. If you want to have plain nails this Spring, then this is a nice shade of natural pink.

'I'm so soirèe' is deep teal colour. a mix of dark grey and dark blue. My camera hasn't done the colour justice but it is quite an unsual shade.

'Pink Promenade' is a cute bubblegum pink colour. Very on trend and pretty. Pink is one of those nail colours you cant really go wrong with.

I love this blue so much! 'Get your côte' is a bright eletric blue and is so summery. I love bright colours and this is one I am getting for the warm weather!

'Meet Me in Monaco' is another nude shade, but more of a golden shade. Its quite natural but with a sandy edge to it

'Yes We Cannes' is a green shimmery colour that is cool and sophisticated. Lighter than a pastel green, it is more of a touch of green to a white shade.

Taken from google images

*I do not own these colours

Easter Nails

Happy Easter! Here are some Easter inspired nails for you to feast your eyes on!

Some cute little chicks for my cute little sister

These little chick-aroo's were done using cocktail sticks and just a yellow nail paint by Rimmel (I think)

These one I did using my Model's Own nail pens in black, white and hot pink

Mavala Spring 2013

Another new Spring collection for you to feast you eyes on! This is the Mavala 'Chilli and Spice' spring collection, and they have gone very bright which is unusual to their usual pale and shimmery type. I think I have to say, that this is possibly my favourite Spring collection. As you may know, I recently went on the Mavala training course to become a manicurist, and this has HONESTLY not influenced my opinion at all. I genuinely think that the range of colours are a bit different from some of the other collections that have come out this spring! Although they still have their bright oranges and pinks that seems to be the spring trends for nail colour, they have an unusual twist on blue, green and purple. I like this collection because there are not too many colours, and the small six colours they have chosen, are really ones to die for! This picture below gives a better idea of the colours because my camera doesnt like up close pictures!

A really unussal purple colour that is a bit wacky. It looks really cool on and draws attention straight to the nail.

My Camera is not very good at picking up colour but this is actually a really bright post box red. It's like a classic red but brightened up for the Spring.

Again a really unusual colour but probably my favourite in the collection. Its a deep sea green but still bright enough for the Spring. I haven't really seen a colour like this before and I think that's why I like it.

The hot pink colour that is trending this summer. Bali is another great example of it. It looks great on and is perfect for the summer

My close second favourite is the Orange Jaipur varnish. I painted this on a friends nails and it looks so good on. It gives the skin a really warm glow and makes you look really tanned.

Trinidad is another unsual colour. I was sceptical about navy blue on nails but it actually looks really nice! Again I painted it on a friend, and on the nail, the colour isn't to dark and has a brightness about it so it looks quite chic.

Mavala colours are only £4.75 and little bottles so great for travelling and taking with you on holiday

*I do not own these colours, these pictures were taken at my place of work.

Caudalie Facial

I was lucky enough to be used as a test subject for a Caudalie facial the other day. Unfortunately I have no pictures for this post but I thought it would quite a nice thing for me to tell you about, and I will also leave some links to the website so you can take a further look! 

The facials are done using the products they sell on the shelf. It is a way of giving you an opportunity to see how to use the products, so you can walk out and buy exactly the same product rather than spend a small fortune on a spa product.  It is also worth noting that Caudalie have changed a lot of their packaging to a new green colour so take a look here to see the new products.

The first part of the facial was a cleanse, and they used the foaming face wash and mixed it in with the gentle buffing cream, to give a creamy exfoliator.

Next they spritz over the grape water to clean then use their famous beauty elixir to tone.

The next step was using a concentrate oil, which they use to do a facial massage which felt lovely. This was followed by a moisture mask which was left on for 5 - 10 mins depending on dryness. Whilst this was on, you receive a hand and arm massage using my favourite divine oil, which lets you explore some of their body products as well.

The last steps were wiping away the moisture mask, and following with the Caudalie premiere Cru eye cream and the tinted moisturiser. The premiere cru goes along the eye contour and feels nice and cool, and the moisturiser leaves you with a warm glow.

 What I liked about the facial was that it is to relax you, as well as educate you with their products. Before application of a product, they hover it under your nose so you can get a real sensation of the smells that the grape gives off. It lets you appreciate the smells of the brand when you are in a relaxed state and can focus on that, and nothing else. Another highlight for me was that my eye make up stayed in tact, and the tinted moisturiser made me feel like I was still covered up after. My skin felt so fresh and clean though I didn't want to put anything on it, and my circulation was boosted from the massage so I felt more radiant. I would definitely recommend a Caudalie facial if you get the opportunity, and if you really want to treat yourself, visit one of their beautiful spas.

http://uk.caudalie.com/spas/our-history.html

My Hair Care Routine

Today I am going to talk you through my daily hair routine, and the products that I use. I have really thick, frizzy hair, so this post might not relate to everyone, but it is always fun to have a nose into someone else's beauty regime!

So to start, I wash and condition my hair with TRESemme. I tend to alternate between moisturising and colour protecting, but to be completely honest, I just use what's there because my Mum buys it! I found TRESemme was huge when it first came out, but the hype has maybe died down a little bit now. I have to say that TRESemme is one of the only conditioners that I can really feel conditioning my hair whilst its on, and I find a little goes a long way.

Once I have towel dried my hair, I brush it using my Tangle Teezer, as this is the ONLY hairbrush you can use on WET hair! Due to its fine teeth, it won't pull out hairs which is more liable with wet hair. I then spritz some Frizz Ease Heat defence spray and then blow dry. My hair naturally has a bit of a wave to it, so sometimes when I want to excentuate the curls more, I use Frizz Ease Dream Curls Styling Spray. Once applied I scrunch my hair whilst drying it.

I usually wash my hair in the evening because my hair takes so long to dry, it needs a whole night! Once dry though, I use Frizz Ease serum, to literally, ease the frizz. I really like this product and will always have it as it really does work, and within seconds of applying it, my hair is frizz free! I do not apply the serum to wet hair, as I was once told by a hairdresser that the serum penetrates dry hair a lot better!

A very recent addition to my hair care routine is the Caudalie Divine Oil which I blogged about a few days ago here. It hydrates the ends of my hair, and smells really nice and lasts for a long time.

When I want straight hair, I use my GHDs, and straighten in sections. I'm more of a 'rough and ready' girl when it comes to actually STYLING my hair, and I don't tend to put a lot of products on it. It's pretty much straight, wavy or tied up with me. On the rare occasion I attempt to try a style in my hair, I fix it with TRESemme hair spray.

* My shampoo and conditioner was bought by my mum, and the Frizz ease collection I have was bought buy myself. I won the Caudalie oil for an incentive at work, and my hairspray came in my recent Glossybox which I am subscribed too.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

I have been really excited to use this product as I have heard really good things about it, one of them being "it makes your hair feel brand new". I have had my little of sample of this for a while and have been waiting for the right moment to use it. As my hair was stripped of the brown hair colour the other day, I thought now was the best time to use it as it is feeling a little abused!

Elasticizer was the first ever pre-shampoo treatment in the world, and has won loads of awards, including the InStyle award for 'best deep conditioning mask' for two years running, the evening standard beauty award in the hair mask category, and bazaar beauty hot 100. Elasticizer was originally created specially for Audrey Hepburn, designed to revitalise and moisturise her hair that was exposed to damage, from being constantly styled when acting. It works by moisturising the hair cuticle, and adding suppleness and elasticity but without weighing it down with product. It has been a round for 26 years, and is definitely Philip Kingsley's hero product. 

Shiny Hair! - taken from google images.

You have to wet the hair before you apply the mask which is a little annoying but not too laborious. You apply it to the hair in sections, whack on a shower cap and leave it for 10-20 mins. My hair is quite dry so I left it on for 20 mins. It is a perfume free product but I thought it smelt a little chemically, but nothing horrible, just standard hair dressers smell. I washed it out and I could tell instantly that my hair was softer and more conditioned. Your meant to use the mask regularly so I can imagine with prolonged use it would do its job even better. My hair felt softer, and generally healthier once I'd dried my hair, and it looked shinier too. The elasticizer also contains sunscreen so prevents hair from burning when being styled or in hot weather, which also helps maintain colour. I really like this product and for £26.25, it is quite steep for a hair mask, but it is pretty much the best one around! There is also the elasticizer extreme which is for afro carribean hair or seriously damaged hair. It is the same product, just higher doses of everything!

If your looking for a hair mask that isn't in a sachet and actually works, I would really recommend spending the money! If it was good enough for Audrey Hepburn, it is definitely good enough for me!

Philip Kingsley Fact: healthy hair stretches when wet, and really healthy hair can stretch up to 30% its length as well as being able to support 23 tonnes of weight!!!!

*I was given a free sample size of Elasticzer at my work place, but have taken a picture of the full size product so you can find it on the shelves!

Caudalie Gentle Conditioning Shampoo

The Caudalie Conditioning shampoo is an antioxidant shampoo that strives to strengthen, protect and deeply cleanse. It is designed for all hair types, including coloured and is 100% plant based. The grape seed an jojoba oil have nourishing properties, and in true Caudalie form, the product smells amazing.
Personally, I wasn't amazed with this shampoo. I had to use quite a lot to get through my thick hair, and it claims that you can use it as a conditioner but I just did not feel that I could leave the shower with my hair feeling so dry still. Its a shame as I love Caudalie, but I think  maybe it should stick to skin care!

 I want to know which brands or products YOU want to know about! There's no point me reviewing stuff no one wants to know about!! So comment and share and let me know for future reference, what you want to know about, and why!