Lee Stafford Hair growth diary - Month One

I've been using Lee Stafford's hair growth shampoo and conditioner for a month now and decided to do a diary of my progress to see if it really works. You can find my original post here!

I'm going to keep these posts short and sweet and let the photo's do most of the talking. The top photo is the beginning and the bottom is after a month and I honestly do see a little difference! These tattoos have come in handy for this post. If you look at my hair by the lucky cat tattoo on both photos there does look to be some extra length there! Ok so the ends are pretty dead but at this moment in time, who cares! 

I'm going to keep it up for another month or two anyway (or as long as i can go without chopping the ends off myself) as last time i went to buy the products i couldn't get hold of the leave in spray which i'm hoping to pick up this time round. Fingers crossed Boots don't let me down tonight.

I'll update again at the beginning of November :)

Birthday Wishlist

Asics Gel-DS Trainer 19//Pandora black spinel bubble ring//H&M knitted hat//Mac Lipstick Pure Heroine//New Look waterfall jacket//Vivienne Westwood Orb II Watch

Just a little post today to share with you my birthday wishlist.

I'll be turning the ripe old age of 26 on the 8th of October so i thought i'd put together a little wishlist. How hard does it get to think of things you want/need as you get older?!

Glossy Box - September 2014 - Karen Millen Edition

I always love a special edition Glossy Box, the box's are always so so pretty and this months in collaboration with Karen Millen was no exception. The box is beautiful. Glossy have also got a thumbs up from me this month for including some sample size prices on the product card.

I'm trying to make these box reviews a little shorter now rather than taking photos of each individual product, i think this works out better having it all in one place.

On first impressions when i lifted the lid i wasn't massively impressed but that was before i read all the product descriptions;

ModelCo More Brows Fibre Gel - An innovative brush on fibre gel gives the appearance of fuller, thicker brows instantly. Can't wait to try this one! - Full size £14.95

L'Oreal Professionnel Mythic Masque - This Mask is designed to intensely nourish and replenish the hair, for an effortlessly glossy looking result - A hair mask is always welcome in my bathroom cupboard so i'll definitely be making use of this. Full size - £15.50

SkinPep Enzyme and acid peel & Peeling gel - The peeling gel uses pineapple & papaya extracts to create gently exfoliated soft and bright skin. Full Size - £89.99 for 180ml
The powerful dark circle eraser uses antioxidant ingredients to boost collagen in the delicate under eye area. Full size £44.99 for 15ml

Nails inc Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat - This matte effect top coat gives two very different looks for every one of your nail polishes, the perfect way to add a twist to your favourite colours.
Full size - £12 for 10ml

Vichy Normaderm Night Detox & Hydrating Care
Hydrating Care - blemishes appear reduced, complexion looks radiant. Full size - £12 for 50ml
Night Detox - Skin looks purified, balances excess sebum production. Full size - £15.50 for 40ml

Verdict

Overall i do think i've received a lovely selection of products and i'll definitely be using them all.I really enjoyed the Vichy products that we received in a previous box so i'm most excited to try these. Hopefully i'll review them in the near future.

Birch Box - September 2014 - Happy Days

I'd seen a fair few spoilers for this month's Birch Box, it seems its getting harder to escape them being a regular twitter/instagram/facebook user so i already pretty much knew what i was going to get this month.

After last month's products came in the clear makeup travel bag, this month Birch have gone back to the little drawstring bag which is much cuter although i still can't find any use for these it seems a shame to waste them! The box this time also doubles up at two photo frames which is a cute idea although i don't know whether i'll use them for that reason or not.

So here's what i got this month:

Agave Healing Oil Treatment - Two samples of this hair oil from Agave which is a bonus as they're only small. Said to smooth hair, build resiliency and boost shine and colour. Full size from £16

Benefit Its Potent! Eye Cream - Banish dark circles, smooth fine lines and protect against free radicals with this peptide packed formula. I feel abit overrun by eye creams at the minute but i'll start using this one as soon as my old one runs out. Full size £25.50

Skin & Co Silican Light Serum - This light serum sinks in fast, evens the complexion and brightens, softens and tightens skin. Pretty intrigued by this one, i always enjoy trying out new things for my face. Full size £29

Beauty Blender & Blendercleanser Solid - An ingenious egg shaped makeup sponge to ensure a flawless base, plus a solid soap to clean it. I'm happy i got the beauty blender, i was gutted to miss out on it last time but i saw on instagram that Birch were sending it out to all existing subscribers that didn't receive it last time and all new ones which i thought was great :) - full size £26

Urban Fruit in perfect pineapple - A yummy 100% fruit snack to add to your work lunch and keep you feeling virtous. I'm not really a fan of dried fruit, i've tried these before but they're just not for me. I'm sure i'll find someone to eat these!

Birchbox Happy Days Photo Clip - Cute idea :) I'll be putting this on my desk although i'm not sure what photo i'll pick yet!

Verdict

I'm more than happy with this months box, i haven't figured out the values of all the samples purely because Birch make it quite difficult to do so and i just haven't had the time! The products are quality brands though so i'm sure the value of the box is very good. Lets just hope next months box matches this standard :)

You Beauty Discovery Birthday Special Box - Sept 2014

You Beauty is a new box for me. A friend passed on a code for a free box and of course it had to be done!

The box is one of the cheaper ones out there coming in at £6.95 a month & you also get to choose two of the items from the websites monthly wishlist that you would like to receive, along with some added extras.

Here's what i got this month

£25 off voucher for HelloFresh for new customers - Not sure i'll use this but as the membership is around £40 a month its a pretty good incentive to get started.

Toni & Guy volume plumping whip - Everyone who orders the box got this as the birthday treat this month.

Crabtree & Evelyn tea bags - I love a good cup of tea so i'm looking forward to trying these flavours (Blackberry Green Tea & Afternoon tea) There's also a £5 off voucher to use at Crabtree & Evelyn in the little magazine which is nice, it'll come in handy to buy xmas pressies for nan or mum as they love it there.

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm - not really my colour as its quite a bright barbie pink but i like the sound of how this works. Again there's a voucher in the magazine for 20% off all products in Pixi's flagship store www.pixibeauty.co.uk using the voucher code YOUPIXI20 - Thank me later :)

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen - Always up for trying new eye products, especially eye liners. This one is a dark brown colour which is different for me as i usually just opt for black. It claims to need no retouching all day or night so we'll see how this holds up.

Face sponge - A nice little extra that's been added, this will stay in my bag for everyday use to reapply powder.

Verdict 

Overall i like the box and i'm going to stay subscribed for next months as i think it's a bargain at £6.95. The brands are brilliant and definitely of good value. I'm now unsubscribed from Love me beauty but that's a whole other story so this one will fill the gap. Well done YouBeauty, you've gained another customer!

Lush - Emotional Brilliance translucent powder | My No.1 setting product

For a couple of years now I've been using Lush's emotional brilliance powder to set my makeup and keep shine at bay

This is just a little post to gush about this product and how much I love it. Here's what Lush have to say -

"An ultra-fine translucent face powder with jojoba oil for a flawless finish to set make-up or even tone on bare skin. This light-reflecting powder with a pink undertone creates a matte finish. You don't have to sacrifice moisture to be shine-free; we've used lots of softening jojoba oil to nourish the skin and protect it from the elements. Brush lightly and evenly across the face in outward strokes."

Even on no makeup days I won't be seen without this as it just keeps any excess oil at bay and it does even out my skin tone which is brilliant. If I didn't wear this on top of my makeup it would slide off before dinner time.

The pots are only small but they probably last me around 3 months each. My only gripe about the product is that the powder really is loose so you have to be careful not to use too much or knock it over! I apply with the tiny blusher brush I've shown above which was just from a cheap christmas set of brush's and it works fine for me.

Buy it here or in store for £12.00

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo & Conditioner - My hair growth diary starts here

For years my hair has NEVER grown past a certain length, It usually gets to shoulder length then just stops and looks boring. It's naturally very curly/frizzy and quite dry so my ends are always wrecked and it generally just doesn't look very nice :(

Recently i decided i was going to stop using as much heat on my hair and instead just leave it to its own devices, drying naturally and being shoved up into a messy bun. It has definitely helped with the growth so far and aside from the odd weekend where i've straightened it to go out i think i've evaded heat for about 3 months. But i want it to grow MORE.

So i've discovered Lee Stafford's range for "hair that never grows past a certain length" and although the products are expensive (£7.50 for a bottle of shampoo eeek) whilst the 3 for £12 offer is on at Boots i thought i'd take advantage.

Have a look here

My original plan was to buy the shampoo, conditioner and the leave in hair growth treatment but unfortunately they'd sold out of it. After much deliberation i decided to go with the Breaking Hair leave in treatment to help combat the dry, brittle ends.

I'm not going to ramble on about what's in the products or how to use as i hope the pictures show that well enough.

All the products smell amazing, i can't really describe the scent though but it's quite strong and its one that lingers so you get a wiff every time your hair swishes. Reviews i've read said that the shampoo can be quite drying on the hair leaving it straw like but i didn't notice anything like that. Maybe because i used the leave in treatment it helped keep it soft but i'm happy with how my hair feels at the minute.

My goal is to update on my hair length towards the end of every month although i'm not sure how long i'll do it for. I suppose it depends on the results after month one. So for reference here is a photo of my hair last night after the first use.

Fingers crossed for boob length ASAP! 

Holi One Colour Festival | Leeds

A couple of weeks ago i was invited as a guest with Carrieanne from Beautiesunlocked.com to the Leeds Holi One Colour Festival.

I LOVE festivals. I'm an outdoors girl and i don't mind getting wet and muddy but that's usually at Download Festival...for 5 solid days of heavy metal and lager (such a lady). Holi One was completely different to what i'm used to but i loved it.

The sun was shining, there was no mud in sight and as it was just for the day, there were no muddy tents to go back to later on. The music was playing from the moment we got there right up until we left and everyone was having an amazing time.

On the hour every hour, from 12 until late there is a colour explosion where you throw your coloured powder, provided by Holi One into the air. It looks amazing. It's just a fine coloured dust that settles on your clothes but can easily be dusted off, although we saw some people mixing it with water which made it stick to you and kept you lovely and colourful throughout the day.

Food and drink were available throughout the day and Lipton Iced Tea were at the event giving out samples which was lovely. They had a camper van set up where you could go get a photo taken using props....

We couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the day after Carrieanne had that wig on!

Overall i had a fantastic day filled with lots of laughs. If you fancy going to a Holi One festival there's still time.

Glasgow - 23rd August
Bristol Bath - 23rd August.

You can buy tickets at www.holione.com

*Tickets provided by Holi One*

Glossybox August 2014 | Unboxing

I always get excited for the arrival of my monthly Glossybox. I rarely see any spoilers for this one other than what's announced by Glossy themselves so it's always a surprise to see what arrives. This month marks Glossybox's third birthday so i was expecting good things.

First impressions are great. The box has changed and is now more squared off on the edges and a matte finish. A subtle change but i like it.

The information for the products also now comes on a fold out card which is great, the information is clear along with the prices. So much better.

                          Essence Long lasting lipstick £2.29 - Natural Beauty

I haven't tried any essence products as of yet and i was pleasantly surprised by this for the price. Its a lovely neutral colour that would suit any skin tone and its very moisturising. I'll be popping this into my everyday makeup bag.

Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer - full size £38 for 250ml - sample size 40ml £6.08

I haven't had chance to try this out yet but i can't wait to.

The elasticizer was originally created for Audrey Hepburn. You use it before shampooing and it's claims to deliver unrivalled elasticity, manageability, bounce and shine without weighing down or coating the hair.

Exciting stuff.

Yves Rocher Vernis Nail Polish - Full size - £3.60

Cute little polish and a lovely colour. It goes on nicely and i'll probably use it regular as a work polish. Can't complain! 

 Figs and Rouge Rose Berry Hand Cream - Full size £6.95 for 80ml - Sample size 20ml - £1.74

I have hundreds of hand creams and now i've got another one to add to the collection. I haven't even finished the last one sent by Glossy yet! 

I don't really like the scent of this, it's abit sickly so i don't think i'll get my use out of it which is a shame. I did like the Figs and Rouge lip balm that we got in a previous box though.

Lalique by L’Amour Perfume Sample, 2ml - full size £67 50ml - sample size - £1.49

A sensuous floral fragrance. A love potion for absolute seduction.

Bergamot, Rosebud, Tuberose, Gardenia, Ceder, Sandalwood

No. I just didn't like it. And i wouldn't pay £67 for it! Also, ive never used such an awful tester bottle, it went EVERYWHERE.

Kryolan for Glossybox Highlighter in Cashmere £12.95 for the full size 4.5g

Again, i feel like i'm building up a massive collection of highlighters through these subscription boxes. They're all lovely though and this one is a nice one to add to my makeup stash.

It's very natural, not too shimmery and can be used wherever you see fit. It would suit all complexions.

Verdict

Total value - £28.15 - pretty sure i've read somewhere that everyone was guaranteed a minimum of £30.

I'm happy with this months box, although i wont be using the perfume sample or the hand cream. I think with it being a birthday box it could have been a bit more exciting as the products are quite cheap compared to previous boxes. I'll make use of the other products though and will be staying subscribed! Bring on the next one.

Birch Box August 2014 | Unboxing

Birch Box | August 2014 | Unboxing

I'm still on the fence with Birch Box. I keep meaning to cancel it but then can't bring myself to do it incase the next box is amazing and i miss out.

This month's box still has me on the fence, i do like everything i've received this time round and probably will use all the products so maybe i'll wait til the next box to make a decision.

So the products this time, instead of arriving in the little Birch Box bag (which i am quickly building up a collection of) came in a plastic makeup bag, perfect for taking as hand luggage on holiday. This made a nice change although the clasp has broken off on mine so i had to split the bag to get into it.....

Vasanti - Brighten Up Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator - Full size £26.00

I like this, a good facial exfoliator is always welcome in my bathroom and this one makes my skin feel amazing after use although i don't think i'd be splashing out on the full size anytime soon. Maybe something i'd consider with my reward points though.

Lumiere d'hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect spray - Full size - £20

I've yet to try this but i like the sound of it and it smells good. My curly hair is always in need of some TLC so i'm looking forwards to giving it a spritz with this on a morning. 

Wild About Beauty Powder Eyeshadow - 04 Becca - Full size £13.00

This is lovely, i like the shade ,i love the packaging & the fact theres a mirror provided. You can probably tell i've used this a couple of times already. Its the perfect neutral shade. I was surprised to see it was created by Louise Redknapp.

Dead Sea Spa Magic Refreshing Bath & Shower Gel - Full size £7.15

This smells gorgeous, just like the sea. Its very relaxing although i haven't got a bath to use it in so i've been using it in the shower. It gives a really nice lather but for £7.15 i'm not sure i could make the full size stretch to being worth it.

Supergoop CC Cream - Daily Correct - Light/Medium - Full size - £32.00

I havent tried this as of yet but the colour is nice and it adapts well to skin tone. I usually just stick to Clinique as i don't like to change up my foundation very often but i'll give this a go. I'm glad they've provided two of these and one 3ml sample wouldn't have gone very far. 

The Proposal - Tasmina Perry - £7.99

As a lifestyle extra this month we have a sample chapter of The Proposal written by Tasmina Perry. I do like to read but i haven't managed to even open this yet to see what its about. I think its a great idea to provide a chapter and i think you can really get a feel as to whether you want to purchase it or not.

Verdict

Im happy with this months box but it really annoys me how difficult it is to figure out the value of the box as Birch rarely provide full size items. The eyeshadow is full size this time so the box definitely breaks even but i don't really know where to begin to start figuring out the value of all the samples. I'll be sticking around for next months box.

If you want to subscribe to Birch Box you can do so at www.birchbox.co.uk