Inbox Review.

Hello my loves! We’re in November and lockdown 2.0, so now is a great time to try some new things and have fun whilst being safe at home! So a few weeks ago (when tattoo and piercing shops were still open) I decided that I wanted to get a new tattoo. I’ve been mulling it over for quite some time, but being an indecisive person I find it hard to commit to having something permanently on my skin. Plus it doesn’t help that my first tattoo didn’t go so well! And since I’m so indecisive about what I want tattooed and where I decided to try out temporary tattoos to help me make a decision.

And that’s when I remembered a brand called Inkbox.

I’ve known about Inkbox for a few years now, after seeing their adverts all over social media and youtube and I’ve always wanted to try them but for some reason never did, until now!

For my tattoo I picked out a snowdrop as that’s one of my birth flowers (the other being a carnation for January) and I’ve always loved those minimalistic tattoos that are basically just a line drawing. I also picked up some of their freehand ink, so I can design my own tattoos as I know that I want to have drawn my own piece so it’s one of a kind.

Once ordered it took 2-3 weeks to arrive from america.

In your pack you get a primer wipe, your tattoo, some gloves and an instruction card. Check out the video tutorial below for how everything works!

Here’s the step by step for application:

1. Decide where you want to tattoo.
2. Prime your skin for 30 seconds with the primer wipe (if you are putting the tattoo where there’s a lot of hair you may need to shave it) and let it dry.
3. Peel off the back of the tattoo and carefully place it where you want it, then remove the backing on the edges to fully stick the tattoo down.
4. Leave the tattoo on for 1 hour.
5. Peel off the tattoo, don’t let the tattoo get wet for the next 8 hours and let the tattoo develop over the next 24-36 hours and voila! You now have a tattoo that looks real and will last around 2 weeks depending on placement.

I’ve always loved the way floral line art looks either on the inside of the arm, the thigh or the ribs, so I chose the side of my ribs. Once applied the tattoo lasted just over 2 weeks for me. Below I photographed the tattoo right after application, after 36 hours, then one week, then after 2 weeks and finally a few days after that it disappeared.

So, what are my thoughts?

Well, now that I’ve finally tried Inkbox I absolutely love them. They’re super user friendly, look very realistic and they have thousands of designs available! They aren’t the cheapest if you compare them to the typical temporary tattoos from our childhood, but worth it in my book. I also love the fact that because there’s so many designs, there’s also a lot of different sizes you can pick up. And if you can’t find a tattoo design you really love, you can always order a customised piece or order some of the ink so you can draw it yourself! I tried the drawing ink myself on my wrist and my ankle and it’s the same application method as the pre-designed tattoos and I found that they lasted the same amount of time on my wrist as my ribs but it lasted nearly 4 weeks on the inside of my ankle!

I couldn’t recommend these enough to be honest, especially if you’re umming and ahhing about a certain design or placement, or if you’re just generally looking for a new tattoo! Another thing I love about these is that fact that you can use these when pregnant! I myself am not pregnant, but my sister is, and she has loads of tattoos and can’t wait to get some more, so being able to do these temporary ones in the meantime are great! And finally, these are great just for a little bit of fun!

What tattoos do you have or want to have done? Have you tried Inkbox before? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great weekend my lovelies! Stay tuned for some Christmas fun coming up soon!

Love,

My July Favourites.

Hello my lovelies! Can you believe we’re nearly in August? It’s madness. But even in saying that, I keep thinking we must be at the end of the year already, and I think that’s because lockdown is over. Do you feel the same way?

Anyway, onto what today’s post is about; my July favourites.

Over the last month or two I’ve picked up a few things that have quickly become favourites of mine, some are beauty and hair products, some are craftings supplies, and some are things I’ve been meaning to buy myself for ages.

With all that said and done, let’s get into it!

Number 1. My new bedding!

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I picked this up from Amazon and it is so insanely soft and I think it looks really cute. I’m always a bit suspicious of getting bedding online just because you never know how it will actually feel against the skin but I am more than impressed with this! I am sleeping soundly with this set, they only downside is that I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning!

Number 2 . My sketchbook and new washi tapes!

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Many of you will know that I absolutely love art (and if you didn’t, feel free to check out my sketchbook tour post!) and over the last month I made the decision to actively start studying and practicing drawing and creating artwork more. One of the things I picked up for my new sketchbook is a load of washi tapes that are so incredibly pretty! I got them all from small sellers on Etsy and I really love the aesthetic my sketchbook has.

Number 3 . My wireless earbuds.

I had been meaning to buy some of these for the longest time and kept trying to convince myself it would be a waste of money, but these get used all the time. I got these with an Amazon deal for around £25 and I didn’t realise it when I bought these, but the case charges the earbuds as well as keeping them safe which is great for when you’re on the go. The charge on these lasts for days too and they’re noise cancelling so they’re great for travelling.

Number 4 . Native deodorant and body wash.

For the last 5-6 years I’ve struggled with psoriasis, and someone I unfortunately get flare ups is under my arms. Because of this, I have to be extra careful with what deodorants and body washes I use, as a lot of them can set my psoriasis off. I came across Native products when listening to my favourite podcast (the Trypod by the Try Guys, its hilarious and I love those guys) and used discount code ‘Tryguys’ to get a deal on everything. Native is paraben, sulfate, aluminium and harsh ingredient free and tells you exactly what’s in their products which is perfect for people who have sensitive skin. Plus their scents are so good! My personal favourite is cotton and cedarwood which is a seasonal scent for them!

Number 5 . My earrings.

With undertaking my project 333 wardrobe I’ve been accessorising more than before if you can believe it! I’ve been wearing these pairs of earrings quite a lot, with my all time favourites being the cute boba tea cups! The alien ones are from Asos and the others are from small businesses on Etsy!

Number 6 . Shea Moisture hair products.

Since beginning my curly hair journey, I’ve been trying all sorts of products on my hair and one brand that just seems to work for me is Shea Moisture. And I had to feature these in my July faves because I finally got my hands on their ‘Manuka Honey and Yoghurt Hydrate and Repair’ line! Every time I’ve tried to find these they’ve been out of stock everywhere but I finally managed to get them from my local superdrug! These products make my hair feel so soft and healthy and are curly girl friendly (no sulfates or silicones). One thing I will say is that they are pricey, so try and get them when there’s a deal on!

Number 7 . The Flick Stick Eyeliner.

I found about about this eyeliner from a Buzzfeed As Is video where they had people try this out and the results and review of the liner made me want to try it for myself. I love a good cat eye liner but they take me about 20 minutes to actually draw them on and they’re never even so using a stamp which makes them exactly the same is ideal for me. I’ve been trying these out and it literally takes my less than 5 seconds to have a cat eye!

Number 8 . A Reusable cup with straw from Killstar.

Do you find that you drink my water when you have it in a certain cup or through a straw? Just me? Well I bought this cup from Killstar and it fits about a pint of water in it, and I probably fill this thing up more than 8 times a day. It’s so pretty and encourages me to stay hydrated, so it had to be a favourite for this month.

Number 9 . Glossier Makeup.

I couldn’t not have all of my new makeup in my favourites. All of the products are of such a high quality and Glossier’s ethos around beauty and makeup is so lovely, focusing on enhancing your natural beauty rather than changing how you look to fit others opinions. When I put my makeup on I feel super cute and it gives me a little extra boost for the day.

Number 10 . DIY floral glass bottles and jars.

I was scrolling through tiktok and came across a video by @new.yorkie where she had made these beautiful floral glass bottles, and it inspired me to recycle some old nutella jars and a wine bottle myself! I went out and picked some flowers, dried them (you can use baking paper and an iron to speed the process up) and then decoupage them onto the bottle and jars! Once the flowers have dried the glue goes clear and you have these extremely pretty bottles and jars! I’m using the jars as savings containers and I’m looking to make some more bottles as bedroom decor.

And those are my 10 favourites for this month! Have you got any of these in your home? What’s in your favourite things for this month? Let me know in the comments!

I think my all time favourite for this month had to be between my sketchbook and washi tapes, diy floral bottles and glossier makeup! I use creativity and art as a form of selfcare so I’m loving my new projects I’m working on, and putting on my new makeup makes me feel amazing so that had to be right up there.

Well, that’s all from me for today my loves! Have a great weekend and don’t forget your mask if you’re heading out!

Love,

Glossier Makeup Review.

Hello my lovelies! It feels like ages since I last wrote but it’s only been two weeks; there wasn’t a post last week because I needed some time to relax as I’ve had family members in and out of hospital over the last few weeks. But I’m happy to say that from today everyone is now back at home. How have you been since lockdown measures have been lowered even more? Have you braved the shops yet?

As for me, I’ve avoided shopping anywhere in person due to having family members who are more at risk and because I’ve generally gotten used to just shopping online and not going out anymore! Something I’ve bought recently is a completely new collection of makeup as mine needed a serious sort through, especially because I think the majority of it (if not all of it) was out of date!

When I was scrolling through Instagram I came across Glossier, who I’ve seen and heard a little bit about from friends in the past, and decided to try out their makeup line.

Part of what made me want to try their products out was the super cute packaging, they’re cruelty free and all of the raving reviews. Plus, they seem to be all about enhancing your natural beauty and simple products that work well and are easy to apply.

So, what did I order?

• SPF 30
• Cloud Paint Blush in Beam
• Boy Brow Gel in Brown
• Lash Slick Mascara in Black
• Lidstar Cream Eyeshadow in Slip
• Haloscope Highlighter Stick in Quartz
• 3 Lip Glosses in Clear, Holographic and Red

First impressions:

I’m a sucker for minimalism so I absolutely love the packaging and design. The products are a little smaller than they may appear but a little seems to go a long way so I don’t mind that; it also makes travelling with them a lot easier! All of the products arrived in these cute pink bubble zip lock pockets which I’m using as makeup bags as they fit everything in the perfectly.

The application and formula:

The spf formula is like a gel rather than a cream and applies smoothly to the skin and I found that it absorbed into my skin really quickly without that typical oily feeling you get with other sun creams.

The cloud paint blush comes in a small tube, which might lead you to believe that it won’t go very far, however, you only need a tiny bit as a little goes a very long way. I found that the ‘beam’ colour was very pigmented and I apply it with my fingertips to control how much I’m applying.

The boy brow gel works absolute wonders to tame and define my brows, and the formula is like a mix between a mascara and a gel in my opinion, which keeps my brow hairs in place all day. It also helps to cover up any spots of my brows that are thinner than the others (thank you early 2000’s..)!

The lash slick mascara is one of my favourite mascaras if not my all time favourite mascara purely for the fact that it just glides over my lashes and doesn’t cause them to clump together. Plus, it’s water-resistant and I found it easy to take off at the end of the day with micellar water and a cotton pad!

The lidstar cream eyeshadow formula is really creamy and has an applicator that is similar to those of liquid lipsticks. I like to apply it straight to my eyelid with the applicator and then smooth over the lid with my fingers. I picked up the colour ‘slip’ which is a shimmery pinky tone that is perfect for everyday wear.

I love the haloscope highlighter stick. It’s so incredibly easy to apply and it’s great for when you’re on the go and want a little glow. The formula is creamy and easily blended with your fingers; I like to swipe it over my cheekbones (or where my cheekbones should be..), the tip and bridge of my nose, my brow bone, temples, a little on my forehead, my chin and the cupids bow. The ‘quartz’ tone looks perfect on all skin tones and gives you a nice natural glow.

The lip glosses have a great consistency to them, they glide on easily, and stay on well without feeling too sticky. I found the formula quite thick/gloopy but still smooth and they don’t feel heavy on your lips. I love the holographic gloss as it has a pinky/blue sheen to it and then the red gloss gives you a tinted glossy look that’s effortless.

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Final comments:

I absolutely love the entire collection of products I’ve picked up. They all apply extremely easily and give you a natural effortless look. All of the products are perfect for everyday use, and although are a little pricey, they’re totally worth it based on the quality of all of the formulas; and you can see the amount of thought that has gone into each product. I’d recommend Glossier to anyone looking for high quality makeup that gives you a natural glow, applies easily and is long wearing.

Since lockdown I’ve completely overhauled my makeup routine, giving up wearing foundation and finding a routine that works for me. My new routine is as follows:

• I start by applying SPF 30 to my entire face
• I then swipe a small amount of Bare Minerals concealer under my eyes and blend it in with a small beauty blender
• I set the concealer with a small amount of powder
• I then swipe boy brow gel over my brows
• I dab on cloud paint over my cheeks and nose
• Then I swipe haloscope over my cheekbones, tip and bridge of my nose, temples, forehead, chin and cupids bow and blend it in with my fingers
• I apply the lidstar eyeshadow over my eyelids
• I then curl my eyelashes and apply the lash slick mascara
• And finish by applying a spray of setting spray followed by lip gloss

And that’s it! That’s all the makeup I wear now, I’m trying to become a lot more comfortable with showing my acne and rosacea without feeling bad or self conscious about it, and this new routine makes me feel good and I forget about my skin which is great.

If you want to see my new routine in action, let me know in the comments and I’ll film it and put it on my IGTV! Have you tried any Glossier makeup before? What are your makeup staples? Let me know!

And with that, have a great weekend my lovelies!

Love,

I Tried Carbon Theory’s Soap Bar!

Hello my lovelies! I hope you’ve had a great week and you’re settling into a new routine. Over at my house I think I’ve finally settled into a steady routine and everything is beginning to feel normal now, which feels weird to say. One thing I’ve noticed from staying home a lot is that my skin has started clearing up a little, and i think that could be down to three different things; less pollution in the air and staying indoors, using my adapalene cream and from trying out Carbon Theory’s acne soap bar!

*little disclaimer – this post is by no means sponsored by Carbon Theory and I am not affiliated with them in any way, I just saw the ad for the soap bar with the claims of clearing up acne so thought I’d buy and try it so you don’t have to! Also, this review is simply my opinion on the product and what may or may not work for me could be completely different for someone else.

So, before I get started with this review, I thought I’d give you some background info about me and my skin journey so far; if you’ve been with me for a while then you may have read my last post about my acne journey and how I managed to clear my skin of adult acne.

And, well.. a lot has happened since then.

For example, I have come off of what I was using as birth control and my acne treatment in one go. Why might you ask? Well because I was on something called co-cyprindol which is essentially 2000mg of oestrogen where women are supposed to have 20mg (at least that’s what my doctor told me) and like many medications, there were some pretty annoying side effects. For me, the acne pill I was on not only gave me migraines every now and again, but it also made me feel extremely low. And so, in August last year, I decided to stop taking it and pray that my skin would magically be fine and the acne would stay away.

Unfortunately for me, that did not happen. My mood was so much better, in fact I’m happier than I’ve ever been, but my skin decided to get angry with me straight away and just got worse and worse, until it was the worst it had ever been.

And that has led me just over a month or two ago, when I’d tried all sorts of skincare routines that were supposed to help and I was at the point of giving up or going back to the doctors to find some form of other treatments that wouldn’t effect my mood.. and then a certain pain in the butt called corona hit and I didn’t want to take up the nhs’ time with something like my skin when they’ve got bigger problems to deal with.

It was then that I was sent a link to Carbon Theory’s acne soap bar by my sister. I was a bit dubious at first because I didn’t think a bar of soap would do much for my skin, but for £6, what did I have to lose!

Here’s the day that I came off of my acne medication, the 10th August 2019.

Then months later, we were here with my skin – 18th March 2020. Please excuse the facial expressions, it was very early that morning!

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Once my soap bar arrived it’s safe to safe I was willing to try anything if there was a chance it would clear up my skin. Even if it entailed having slugs on my face. I would have done anything! So, here’s day one of trying out the soap bar along with my acne cream:

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As you can see, we’re not in very good place skin-wise. You can also see that this was when I was slowly starting to shave my head! I started using the soap bar every morning and evening by lathering it up in my hands and leaving the suds on my face for thirty seconds before washing it off, like it was recommended on the packaging. It made my face feel tight and moisturised and clean which I liked (and still do).

So, onto where we were at at the end of week one:

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So, as you can see, me face was pretty angry with me for trying something new, but that is to be expected when trying any new products on your skin. Especially for me, because I suffer with psoriasis and can sometimes get it on my face, so naturally any new products could trigger it if I’m not careful!

Here’s where we were at after two weeks:

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As you can see, it looks like the soap bar with my adapalene cream appears to be doing something! It definitely seems to have taken down the redness on my cheeks and reduce the spots on my forehead.

Onto week three:

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This week my skin didn’t like me that much and had another flare up again, with my skin being a bit red and a few old spots popping up that I thought were gone!

But nevertheless we persevered, and got to week four:

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Week four and my skin started to clear up a bit more again, and the redness was once again starting to go down which was great! Another thing that I think has helped is that my hair is no longer all over my face, something I completely forgot about!

Onto week five:

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It was this week that I was starting to finally see a difference on my right cheek which was one of the worst places my acne was. I also noticed that my skintone had started to even out a bit too!

Here’s where my skin was at just a few days ago!

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So, here’s where we’re currently at, it’s safe to say my skin is loads better than it was when I started using Carbon Theory’s soap bar and my acne cream; and I think it’s been the combination of the two that has really helped. What’s left of my acne actually appears to be acne scars, with the odd new spot coming up every now and again, and when that happens I use some acne stickers from Starface which are brilliant at stopping you from popping, picking and scarring your face. Plus, they look cute too because you get little stars on your face!

Just for comparison, here’s before using the soap bar and after:

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In conclusion, would I recommend Carbon Theory to someone wanting to reduce their acne? For sure. Even if it only helps a little bit, you can’t really go wrong for £6! Plus, it comes in a great resealable pocket which makes it great for travel and it keeps the soap from getting anything on it whilst it’s not being used. If I’m being honest, I really didn’t think that this would work, especially because it’s so cheap, but I’m certainly glad I tried it out because it’s going to be a permanent featured in my skincare routine!

Next up for my skin journey is a whole host of new products that I intent to slowly implement with the soap bar in order to help with my scarring, so be sure to stay tuned ready for that in a few more weeks or months! Have you got any staple skincare products you can’t live without? And have you tried this soap bar out for yourself? Let me know in the comments!!

Have a great weekend my lovelies, and stay safe!!

Lots of love,

I Shaved My Head.

Hello my lovelies!! I hope your week hasn’t been too bad with everything going on outside our homes. To fight the boredom of staying home non-stop for a few days a lot of us are coming up with creative ways to spend the time, creating games, making art, and video chatting more people than ever before. And some people are wanting to get their hair cut so bad that they are cutting it themselves!

I am one of those people.

And as you can tell from the title of today’s post, I shaved my head! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but have been way too scared to actually do it.

But since we’re in quarantine until further notice.. I figured that if I hated it, I’ve got a few weeks to figure something out at least.

So, how did this all go down?

Well, on Monday I had decided that I wanted to get a pixie cut. And that afternoon the lockdown in the UK started.. so going to the hairdressers was no longer an option.

( I should note now that none of my family or myself are hairdressers in any form.. I just have experience with doing my own hair at home so I do the odd trim and colour here and there)

So, me being the careless person when it comes to hair in the family, figured I’d get my mum to give cutting my hair a go. We decided to begin with cutting a reasonable amount off with scissors, and then we decided to do an undercut, so we could get closer to a pixie bob to begin with.

Then, about a day later I decided that we should increase the undercut and have it go from my temples, which essentially made it just shaved everywhere apart from the top layer of my hair.

Now, I will say now, that I was debating shaving my hair off whilst we kept cutting shorter and shorter, but the fear kept getting to me.

So, by this point I had what looked like a blunt bob because you couldn’t see my undercut/shaved head. I will say here that my hair was extremely damaged from going blonde (I don’t regret it, but I do wish my hair wasn’t damaged) so cutting off more and more made my hair feel a whole let better immediately!

Two days the went by, and I had then cut even more length off my hair, to the point where I now did have the pixie bob I was after, and I managed to style it and it did look kinda cute.

That night I was watching YouTube and a video popped up by the amazing Rifenstine!! And you can check out her video about her shaving her head below:

And I loved her hair so much and the fact that it was so healthy now!

Even after watching the video (and several others by this point) I was still super unsure and nervous about shaving my head. Then when I woke up the next day, something still niggled at me so around lunchtime I finally plucked up the courage and put the clippers to the rest of my hair.

And I am extremely happy to say that I love it so so much!!

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It’s the most freeing experience when it comes to beauty that I have never experienced before, and I feel like I am truly myself! Which is weird and saying a lot coming from someone who has always made a big effort with my hair! And now I finally get it when people who have shaved their hair say that everyone should shave their head at some-point in their lives.

I can’t wait to discover what my fully healthy hair will be like (if I grow it out, but right now I’m loving it like this so we’ll see) and how I express myself probably even more through my clothes and makeup!

I’m also getting some hair paint delivered soon, because even though I want my hair to be the healthiest it’s ever been, I still want to be able to play with hair colours; and hair paint is the perfect way to play with colour without any damage or commitment!

Another thing that I love is that it takes me about 2 minutes to wash and dry my hair (without having to touch a hairdryer) and my hair is ready to go!

So, would I recommend shaving your hair off? Absolutely. Just be prepared for a big change, and don’t worry about how short it will actually be. Your hair will grow back, and you never know, your confidence might grow even more too.

Have a great weekend and stay safe everyone!

Lots of love,

I Went From Hennaed Hair To Blonde.

Hello my lovelies! As you might have noticed, I didn’t put a post up last weekend, and that’s because it was my birthday! But I’ve also been working on this post for you, so here we are today!

So, as you can probably guess from the title of this post, I’ve gone blonde! It took a lot of thought before I actually decided to do it because of having henna in my hair (disclaimer: henna is permanent and if the henna you’ve used on your hair contains metallic salts then you risk your hair literally burning off your head if you bleach it). Lucky for me, the henna I used is Lush Caca Rouge and hasn’t got any metallic salts in it!

Hairdressers won’t touch hair that has has had henna on it due to never being able to fully know what henna you have in your hair and it’s very hard to get out. Something I only learnt AFTER I had hennaed my hair. Whoops!

Being someone who likes to switch up their look a lot, and someone who isn’t afraid to just go for something, I decided I was going to go blonde myself. Yep, you heard me right. I decided that I was going to take my brown/auburn hennaed hair and go an ash blonde. Crazy idea right?

So what did I do? I made a list of everything I was going to need and sent my sister off to salon services for me, because if I was going to bleach my hair to death, I should at least do it with the proper products.

What did I get for this hair challenge?

I bought a bucket of bleach, a big bottle of 20 volume developer, a lightner that I thought was a toner when I bought it to find out it was not, a hair colour, olaplex and then my sister and I picked up some more stuff that was bound to ruin my hair from the supermarket.

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This all happened the day after my birthday, when my sister, her husband and I were babysitting my younger brother and sister (they’re teens but we just had to make sure they didn’t burn the house down when my parents were away) and we had my niece and nephew round. My sister and I are pretty close and have a great laugh whenever one of us are doing our hair so we knew it was going to be one hilarious ride from bleaching my hair to finally getting it presentable. With me doing my sister’s hair in between mine.

To start my hair process, I actually used two lots of colour b4 on the henna on my hair about a week before deciding to go fully blonde because I had heard that it strips henna from your hair. It took a very small amount out which you can see below, and then I slapped on a semi-permanent ash medium blonde which went pretty dark on my hair. It was then that I thought, lets just go fully blonde!

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Side note: Please don’t fry your hair off at home, my hair is very resilient and can withstand a lot of bleaching and processing! But like I always say, you do you!

So onto my first process! For bleach one, we put the bleach over the mids, then the ends and then finally the roots of my hair (as the roots are virgin hair and the heat from your scalp makes the bleach process faster) which resulted it white roots and carrot orange lengths which we had to laugh at! The henna turned out to be extra stubbon than we expected but we went with it.

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Then we went on to bleach number two which helped a bit and we went to a pale orangey yellow!

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Next up we decided to try the lightener which I don’t really think did anything for my hair but I’ll let you be the judge of it.

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It was at this point that we decided to try a box blonde dye, which meant taking a trip to tesco with my Griffindor hat on at 8pm at night… and my sister persuaded me to get a platinum blonde kit which is essentially more bleach and an ash box dye. After the platinum bleach kit we ended up with a pale yellow look with platinum roots, making a good amount of progress!

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Then we put on the ash blonde box dye applying to the roots first and viola! Blonde hair at last! It still needed a bit more toning for my liking at this point so a few days later I put another ash blonde over the top of everything and got to a colour I like.

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Since my hair had been through hell and back, and was essentially just a straw birds nest on my head at this point, I made sure I got myself some good protein, repair and moisture treatments to give my hair a bit of love.

I used the olaplex treatment and then paired that with a heavy layer of love in conditioner on one night which I found helped a little, and then two days later I used the Aphogee two-step protein treatment paired with a shea moisture repair and strengthen mask which was like a miracle treatment for my hair, the protein treatment is something I would recommend to anyone using bleach on their hair because it transformed it from straw to soft and bouncy once again.

The Aphogee treatment is bizarre experience because the protein step is a very liquidy orange product which you saturate your hair with, then use a hair dryer to warm it up to make your hair go rock solid, which you then rinse out and leave on a moisturising conditioner on for a few minutes. After rinsing that out your hair feels so much better!

Here’s before the Aphogee treatment and after:

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I’m currently using protein and moisture masks every time I wash my hair which is around 2-3 times a week which is definitely helping my hair. I’m also washing my hair alternating between a gentle purple shampoo and a co-wash from Noughty haircare which is a brand I love so much (not sponsored, I just love their products!) along with some of their treatment and styling products.

So, here’s my hair now!

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And that is how I went from auburn brown/ginger hair to blonde in two days! I definitely wouldn’t recommend you do this yourself at home if you don’t want to damage your hair; but if you are going to do it like I have, then I would 100% recommend the Aphogee protein treatment, a good moisture restorative hair mask and a leave in conditioner. I would also not dry your hair with a hair dryer or use heat on your hair for as long as you can. I personally only ever use heat to diffuse my hair but now that it’s shorter I let it air dry with my natural curls.

My plan for my hair now is to gradually go a little more of an ashy tone, more so on the ends of my hair as that’s where I’ve got slightly more golden tones from the henna. And I will also keep on using protein and moisture treatments regularly to help my hair bounce back more.

So, that’s my hair! Have you ever changed your hair colour drastically in one/two days at home? How did it turn out? Let me know in the comments!

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I love my new hair colour, it brings out my blue eyes and I think it’ll bring out my freckles when the weather gets a bit warmer. If you want to change your hair colour, go for it! And if you’re unsure what colour to go, you can always try semi-permanent colour without the risks!

And with that, have a nice weekend lovelies!

Love,

Everyday Makeup Tutorial.

Hello my lovelies! The end of this week is the beginning of a week off work for me, and I can’t wait for a little down time and some time with Matt. Because I’ve got time off work next week, it means I’ll probably be wearing makeup a lot more because I find it really relaxing and a great way to fit in some me-time in my busy days.

Which leads me on to today’s post! My first ever makeup tutorial! I won’t lie, I was nervous to film my makeup routine but it’s good to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Plus, I’ve had a few requests for one, so there was no way I was going to let you down!

To start, I’ll give you my list of products I use, in the order I use them:

• Primer: Rimmel Fix and Perfect 5 in 1.
• Concealer: BareMinerals Bareskin Complete Coverage in Fair or Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in Extra Fair.
• Setting Powder: Revolution Bake and Finish Powder or Revolution Translucent Powder.
• Foundation: BareMinerals Original SPF 15 Powder Foundation in Fair.
• Brow Gel: Rimmel Wonder’Full Brow Gel in Medium.
• Eye Primer: Revolution Focus and Fix Eye Primer.
• Eye Shadow: MAC Eyeshadow Pot in Naked Lunch and a dark shimmery shade from a miniature Sleek Palette in All Night Long.
• Mascara: Collection Fast Stroke Defining Lash Mascara in Brown/Black.
• Contour: Bourjois Paris Eyeshadow in Utaupique (I’m so pale that this actually works as my contour shade! All others are too warm for my skin and look muddy on.)
• Blush: L’oreal Paris Life’s a Peach. (This smells amazing!)
• Highlighter: BareMinerals Highlighter in Whimsy – This has a frosted lilac and white shimmer to it and is gorgeous as a highlighter or eyeshadow!
• Lip Gloss: No.7 High Shine Lip Gloss in Sparkling Rose.
• Setting Spray: Revolution Sport Fix Fixing spray.

Now that you know what I like to use/wear, here’s my tutorial!

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And that’s my everyday makeup tutorial! I say everyday, but I only wear makeup when I feel like it, which is usually at the weekend or when I’m off work.

I like wearing this kind of makeup for everyday wear and for going out, partly because I just love that glam natural look. You get what I mean by that? Basically as if I’ve got skin that’s clear, long lashes and have some form of cheek bones rather than my chipmunk cheeks – thanks contouring!

I’ve always struggled with smudging lipsticks and sticky lip glosses so I never used to wear them, but over the last year I’ve been wearing lipstick more and more and I’ve fallen in love with that rose tinted lip gloss. It’s not too sticky and looks great over a completely bare lip!

So, here’s what I looked like before I did my makeup, and after!

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  Before Makeup

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  After Makeup

I have always believed that you should only wear makeup if you want to, and that it should be something you feel like you have to do in order to be liked or accepted.

Even though before I put my makeup on I could see my acne, bags under my eyes, rosacea and patchy eyebrows; I still went out like that with my hair up, barefaced and I felt pretty good and didn’t think about needing makeup for a second. What I will say is yes I did feel love how I looked after I put my makeup on, and that’s because makeup is an incredible art-form and method of expression.

Basically, do what makes you happy and feel good!

And on that note, what makeup product could you not live without? I think mine’s got to be mascara! It just makes me feel that extra bit put together! What did you think to my tutorial? Let me know in the comments, and if you try out my makeup routine be sure to tag me in your photos on instagram @theweightofmyworlds!

Have a great weekend everyone, and remember, you’re amazing!

Love,

My Skincare Routine.

Happy Saturday my lovelies! I can’t believe we’re already half way through September! Everyone keeps saying how they can’t believe shops are already putting out Christmas decorations and presents but for me, I love it! Plus, the seasons are changing so you can’t blame shops for prepping early.

And speaking of seasons changing, two things that I change with the seasons are my hair routine and my skin routine. As for today, I’m going to be taking you through my skincare routine!

Here’s the products in my routine:

My morning routine:

Step 1: Face wash. First up I wash my face with my face wash and warm water, rinsing it off with cold water.

Step 2: Cleanser. I put cleanser on a cotton pad and use circular motions all over my face.

Step 3: Toner. I put toner on a cotton pad and swipe it all over my face, and let it absorb for a few minutes before my next step!

Step 4: Eye gel. I dab a small blob of eye gel under each eye and eye lid to help with puffiness and dry eyes.

Step 5: Serum. After letting my toner sit and applying my eye gel, I apply two pumps of my serum onto my face and gently rub it in.

Step 6 : Moisturiser. I then add moisturiser to my entire face, especially because I tend to get dry skin.

Step 7: Suncream. Finally I add a little sunscream to top it all off because you can never be too careful with those uv rays.

So that’s my AM routine! And as for my PM routine, it’s very similar but it goes like this:

(Potential Step 0: Micellar water. I only use this to take off my makeup at the end of the day if I’ve been wearing it, it’s much gentler than makeup wipes and is a quick way to take off makeup.)

Step 1: Cleanser. I first cleanser my face of everything my skin has been in touch with during the day.

Step 2: Toner. Next up I tone my face and let it sit for a minute of two like in the morning.

Step 3: Eye Gel. I then refresh my eyes with my eye gel, after staring at screens all day this is a must.

Step 4: Serum. Two pumps of serum is then swiped over my face and left to sink in for a minute.

Step 5: Retinol. After my serum has sunk in I use a small amount of my retinol cream (the retinol cream I use is my Adapaline acne cream) on the zones of my face that need it, and with retinol less is more rather than more is more trust me.

Step 6: Moisturiser. After I’ve let my retinol cream sink into my skin I add my moisturiser. And that’s it! All done and ready for bed.

So that is my entire skincare routine from waking up – to going to bed to get my beauty sleep haha.

Whenever I try anything new for skin I always get a bit worried because I’ve suffered with adult acne for a few years and I get worried that new things will set it off again. Medication seemed to be the only thing that helped my skin clear up for the last two years, and I’ve recently tried to come off of all of my medications except my retinol cream.

Since starting this new routine my skin hasn’t yet exploded with spots other than the first week adjusting to it so so far so good! I like to use any time that I spend on my hair and skin and just general appearance as some selfcare/me-time.

All of the products I use for my skin are from Superdrug’s own brand and Wake Skincare; I like trying to use products from the same brand and line because I find they always work better together, but it takes time to see what works out for you.

What’s your favourite skincare staple? Have you got a specific skincare routine or are you more of a wash and go kinda person? Let me know in the comments if there’s any skincare brands you’d like me to try!

Have a great weekend lovelies!

Love,

My July Favourites.

Hello lovelies! Can you even believe we’re in August already?! This year is going so so fast, and I’m not going to lie.. I’m already getting excited about the festive season. Autumn and Winter are by far my favourite seasons, everything is so cosy and the food is so good! Anyway, onto today’s post, my July favourites.

This week I’ll be telling you about my favourite makeup/beauty products, fashion pieces and other little things I’ve picked up over the last few weeks.

So, without further adieu..

Noughty Thirst Aid Conditioning and Detangling Spray

I absolutely love this spay, it’s been a godsend for my hair, and makes it feel amazing. As someone who religiously straightened her hair for years this is a must, it also helps that I haven’t touched the hot tools for just over 4 months, but since my hair grows so slowly the damage is still on the ends, this is an essential in my hair routine now!

Yoga Mat

This one has become a very new favourite of mine, I’m a bit of a yogi, but I stopped practising for a while due to back issues (post to follow in a few weeks) but I’ve just started up again. I found it’s good for my mental health (don’t worry, I won’t start preaching saying yoga solves everything – because it doesn’t) and I treat it as self-care along with helping with my back pain.

Cacti Packing Organisers

I’ve done a fair bit of travelling/staying away from home the last few days, so these have been amazing since I have a habit of being an over-packer. These have helped me stay organised and only pack what I need to, plus they are so cute and cheap (gotta love amazon!)!

Bare Minerals Powder Foundation, Highlighter and Brush

In Edinburgh I spent some time shopping in Princes Street and went and got my makeup done at a Bare Minerals counter. It was my first time having my makeup done by someone else and I loved it. I finally found a foundation that I could wear without it looking cakey, too dark/the wrong tone and it covers my acne scars and rosacea! And the highlighter is a pretty with pinky lilac tones you can see in the light.

Overcooked – Nintendo Switch

Overcooked is a cute yet manic cooking game made for the Nintendo switch where you have to run around the kitchen in all sorts of areas completing orders before time runs out. I love playing this when I just want to disappear from reality for a little while. And it can be played by yourself or with as many as 4 people!

Oversized T-Shirt Dress

I picked this up the other day and it’s already a favourite of mine. With it being so hot at the moment this is perfect for staying cool, and it’s great for travelling. I’ve paired this with bike shorts and vans for a casual look and as a bonus – it feels like wearing pyjamas! And who doesn’t want to walk around basically in pyjamas all day?

Dungarees and Balloon Sleeve Top

You might remember the dungarees from my last post, where I embroidered them with a small sunflowers to brighten them up a bit. And I absolutely love my balloon sleeve top paired with them that I embroidered myself too! I just love that sense of pride when you’re wearing something you had a hand in making.

So those are my July favourites! What have your favourite things been for July? Let me know in the comments. If you like these posts then maybe I’ll make this a monthly or bi-monthly thing! Well, that’s it for me today, have a great weekend!!

Love,

I Tried Lush’s Henna Hair Dye.

It’s Saturday! And you know what that means.. new post alert! This week I came across something called Henna Hair Dye – found at Lush, and after doing a bit of research, I decided to get some and give it a go.

The reason why I decided to give henna hair dye a go is because henna hair dye is more of a deep conditioning treatment, and the Lush website states it is made up of:

Persian henna, cocoa butter, and essential oils in a conditioning, natural hair dye for silky, conditioned locks and long-lasting colour.

And after reading that, I figured what have I got to lose! Worse comes to it my hair will be a funny colour but it’ll be super soft and healthier than before I dyed it! I chose the Caca Rouge henna for my hair as I’ve always loves deep rich auburn hair, and whenever I tried box dyes in the past to get that colour it never looked natural or remotely like the colour I wanted! Plus my hair would get so damaged from the chemicals too.

Plus, for one block of Lush hair colour, it’s only £11 ish pounds?! The block itself is made up of 6 chunks, and out of them I only needed about 2-3 chunks but did it all at the time to make sure I had enough.

One thing if you’re thinking about dyeing your hair using henna, I’d recommend watching lots of YouTube tutorials and reviews in advance! The video below is one from Lush about the different colours and how best to apply it!

If you are going to have a go at henna hair dye, I’d highly recommend getting yourself the following in advance:

• Gloves (Lush henna hair dye comes with them but it’s always good to have more!)
• A glass mixing bowl
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Pot (to melt the henna over)
• Wooden spoon
• Cling film or shower cap
• Towel
• Newspaper (COVER EVERYTHING.. It gets messy!)
• Vaseline or Lush’s Ultrabalm
• Hair dyeing brush
• A friend to help!

So, before I get into how to dye your hair, here’s my before photos!

 

It’s important to note that before your put the henna on your hair, it’s a good idea to have clean hair without any products in it, as you never know how it’ll react to certain things.

Here’s what the henna looks like:

Step 1: Unwrap the henna from it’s card and chop it up into small chunks. The smaller the chunks, the quicker it melts.

Step 2: Put the henna into the glass bowl and put it over a pot on the hob to heat it up and melt it. Add some boiling water to the henna to help it along and continue adding the water until the henna is a smooth brownie batter/cake mix consistency.

Pre-warning, this stuff does smell pretty bad in my opinion so get some candles going in advance! Also, it does look like mud, so don’t worry, it hasn’t gone wrong if it looks like that.

Step 3: Application time! Make sure you put Vaseline or something similar to protect your skin, because it will stain your skin if you’re not careful! Put Vaseline all over your neck too, because your hair will most likely touch it at some point.

Carefully take the hot bowl of henna with you to wherever you’re planning on applying it, and make sure you’ve got ever surface covered, because this stuff is messy and stains! Grab a friend to help you out with the application. Take small sections of hair and paint on the henna with a brush or use your hands. To make the application easier, use the henna whilst it’s still warm because when it cools it becomes less spreadable. But make sure it won’t burn your head!

I forgot to take photos of this part but I did remember my after photos! (you’ll see them at the end.)

Step 4: After applying it to you entire head, plop your hair on top of your head and wrap it with clingfilm or a shower cap to keep the heat in (if you want brighter tones, wrap your head with clingfilm and keep it warm, but if you don’t want that, don’t wrap it up). I put my hair in a shower cap and then wrapped my hair in a t-shirt over the top for extra warmth.

Then it’s chill out time! Leave the henna on for anywhere between 1-6 hours to develop. The longer you let it develop, the brighter the colour. I left mine on for about 3 1/2 hours. I would’ve left mine on for longer, but I was heading out for dinner, and I wasn’t about to go out with my hair still in a shower cap! (Having your hair wrapped up in a t-shirt is a super sexy look.. haha)

Step 5: Rinsing it out. The temperature of the water you rinse it out with doesn’t really matter with this, so use whatever temperature you’re comfortable with. Start off by rinsing as much of the henna out as possible with just water, and then use some conditioner to help de-tangle your hair as you’re rinsing it out. Then when the water is clear or as close to clear as you can get, shampoo your hair to get any left over residue from the henna out. Then do what your usual routine is!

Important note: Your hair colour will develop over the next 24/48 hours after application and washing the henna out. It tends to go a deeper richer colour over this time.

It was too dark outside by the time I finished my hair on the day of dyeing it; and I wanted to show you the results in the same natural light as before, so here’s what my hair looked like the next morning!

 

So, what are my final thoughts?

Well, I absolutely love the colour my hair turned out! It looks a lot more natural than the colours I’ve tried with box dyes in the past, plus my hair feels super soft, healthy and nourished.

Since putting henna on my hair I’ve washed it twice (I only wash my hair twice per week because I’m doing the curly girl method – you can see my post on it here) and the water has a tiny reddish orange tint when it’s being washed, but I haven’t noticed the colour fade and it’s nothing like the box dye washing out.

Would I recommend Lush’s Henna hair dye?

Yes. And I’ll probably do it again in the future. The only downside to using henna hair dye is the mess, but I personally think it’s worth it for getting a pretty new hair colour and using natural ingredients and packaging that isn’t damaging to the environment.

So, that’s all for today’s post and how to dye your hair with henna and how it turned out for me! Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever used henna to dye your hair and what your thoughts were! Also, if you try this for yourself, tag me in your before and afters on Instagram @theweightofmyworlds! I’d love to see how it turned out for you.

Have a great weekend lovelies!

Love,