Balmain Nail Couture Collection - The Ultimate nail varnish extravagance

When huge designer houses decide to do beauty products, this is exactly what you'd expect them to look like... 

Cue... 

Balmain's beautiful, extravagant, minimalistic offering... 

I was drawn to this like a squirrel is drawn to nuts, the colours in the box are all wearable, and would be ideal for someone starting off at branching into nail polish, thanks to the "suitable for every occasion" fashion shades. I'm the biggest fan of classic shades like these, and hardly ever wear glitter, or holographic nail polishes, so for a collection to come out, with shades this beautiful, I couldn't say no, could I?

The packaging of the box is literally the epitome of elegance, a simple, monochrome box, with the Balmain logo adorning the top, and the polishes themselves follow this theme, being simple, monochrome, square shaped bottles. (3,2,1 and swoon...)

The polishes themselves are actually really good quality, and have lasted a very long time in comparison to other designer polishes, cough, Chanel and YSL. The brushes are quite a wide fan-type brush, reasonably similar to that of Essie and Dior, meaning you can apply the polish in one swoop, especially with the curved tip, which seems to just follow the curve of your cuticle perfectly. Much unlike most nail polishes now, all three of these shades are opaque in two coats, without being excessively gloopy and thick in consistency.

I didn't actually get chance to take any pictures using a proper camera, so I've decided to sneakily use these that I posted on my Instagram. (Left to right, Noir with Mat Top Coat, Rouge, Nude)

So all in all, this is one of my favourite things of the moment, I'm falling in love with this beautiful collection, and couldn't recommend it more to people, you should all get one, because, well, I insist.

Getting Curly with Paul Mitchell

Hola ladies. How are you all? I'm feeling excessively excited by the fact that I now have Photoshop on my new laptop, and that I can return to regular posting. I'm still getting used to having a newer version, but I'm like a kid at Christmas. Granted, a very technical and Photoshop-intelligent kid, but a kid all the same...

After getting in touch with the lovely Sarah, at Paul Mitchell, she very kindly offered to send me some of the new curls range to try out, and to my surprise, these full-size bottles arrived a couple days after getting in touch with her. It was quite a while ago now that I received them, and I wanted the chance to fully review them after using them for a longer length of time.

In general, the packaging of Paul Mitchell products are professional and clean-looking, matching the company well, given this product isn't available to buy at a lot of stockists, and most, being salons. Each product has detailed instructions on how to use them, making them easy to use for even the most novices, to the most expert hairdressers.



Spring Loaded Frizz-Fighting Shampoo - £14.95

I have to admit, I was left a little curious by this one, as I didn't particularly understand what difference a shampoo could make to the definition and anti-frizz effect of my curls. Especially given that when I use shampoo I use it only at my scalp to cleanse without stripping the rest of my hair of any moisture. I found that this foamed up well, and smelt of cleanliness, leaving my hair feeling clean and clarified. However I'm not sure what this added to having "zero-frizz" seeing as I've always used it with other conditioning products, and my full curl maintenance routine.

Full Circle Leave-In Treatment - £14.95

Something I'm in no way used to, is using leave-in conditioner, I've always thought it'd leave my hair lack-lustre, and a wash out option is always much easier to get hold of. I was pleasantly surprised by this, and when used on the mid-lengths to ends of my hair, left it moisturised and eliminated any dryness that came from using only shampoo previously.

Ultimate Wave Beachy Texture Cream Gel - £11.95

This was also something I was a little surprised by, given most products for a beach hair look, (sea salt sprays) usually come in the form of, well, a spray. But, once again, I was left completely surprised, and favouring this over the infamous Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. I found a small amount of this on my wavy hair left me with texture, without looking like I had used a lot of product, and feeling like my hair needed washing immediately.

Twirl Around Crunch-Free Curl Definer - £18.95

As the saying goes, save the best for last, and that is indeed what I have done... The total winner of this collection is the Twirl Around curl definer, not only for the brilliant swirled product inside the bottle, for how simply incredible it is once out of it. Looking up close, the swirls look like a combination of cream and gel, and the bottle tells you to emulsify it between your fingers before you apply, I always do this, and put some on the outside of my hands too so that when I fluff my curls up, they all get a generous amount of product. With the majority of curl definers, they leave your curls defined, but, looking wet and feeling crusty, Paul Mitchell's offering does neither of these, and is slowly becoming my holy grail product for achieving perfect curls.

Hope this post has helped some of you fellow curly-wurlys that are finding products to make hair maintenance a little easier. I know personally how hard it is to control the 'fro. But definitely be sure to embrace it...

A Pretty Haul of Sorts...

Technically, this post includes lots of things I haven't paid for, so does this still make it a "haul"? I don't know, but just to clarify, I did not steal them... 

Space NK, meet my currently empty bank account. I LOVE a little Space NK shop, and I needed to stock up on my much-loved Touche Veloutee, which by the way, lasts FOREVER. I also needed a new serum and body lotion, so I got these two Kiehls products for the first time. I'm loving them both so far, and I've never had a lotion that did anything but moisturise, so this is quite a wonder really, details will come in a post soon ;-) 

My Aunty went away to Portugal a couple weeks ago, and despite being offered the chance to go, I was excessively excited to spend two weeks home alone, because, I cannot lie, I love my own company. (I'm so shallow.) She bought me Calvin Klein Euphoria and MAC's Hue lipstick seeing as I didn't go, pretty win-win, if you ask me.

I broke two nails and so them gorgeous long babies I was donning just had to get cut down, I decided to stock up on Avoplex in hope of encouraging a little growth. I'd also had my eye on OPI's Bubble Bath for quite a while, given its a sheer pink (you all know they're my favourite nail polishes now, right?) so whilst placing a cheeky Amazon order, I caved. I also repurchased matte nail envy, which hadn't arrived when I took these.

Favourite mascara ever repurchase, Dior Iconic Overcurl, bought with £15 in Debenhams points. Score! I also bought the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder and fan brush upon recommendation from the forever flawless Zoe Newlove.

Seriously exciting acquisition in the form of a YSL Blush Radiance palette, and a YSL Glossy Lip Stain that I won from the incredibly lovely Dave Lackie, editor of online beauty magazine, Beauty: The Guide. He has tons of awesome beauty giveaways on Twitter, and even more incredible beauty advice, straight from the experts. I insist you go follow him straight away on @Davelackie.

Following Dixi jewellery on Instagram and Twitter is dangerous for the bank balance, but good for the soul. Last weekend they shared a flash discount with me, for 20% off, so I caved, buying the ever so beautiful and elegant moonstone midi ring, rose gold thumb ring, and rose quartz necklace. Totally gorgeous, right?

Hope you've liked this little post (apologies for the occasional bad quality photo) I will be coming back soon with more posts, given my new laptop will very soon have its presence graced with Photoshop. I cannot wait to be back to posting on a regular basis.

Reading List - Books I've Read and Reviewed

It's no secret by now that I'm quite the book worm, so I thought I'd share with you some of the books I've finished recently, and what I thought of them. So basically, a review, I don't make anything simple, do I?

The Time Keeper - Mitch Albom
This one is actually relatively new in terms of its release date, and I'd had it on pre-order for what felt like a lifetime. When it came I'd just finished reading another book so I got cracking straight away, and to my surprise I loved it THAT much I'd read the whole book in 2 days. It was such a compelling story, combining three different people, and the stories of those with too much time, and those with not enough. Its very suggestive on how much we value time, and how much does it really matter? Without giving away too much, I thoroughly recommend it to all of you, and if you get the chance to read this book - TAKE IT. (However, I do not approve of theft...)

Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter
I'd seen this one flying around in all sorts of press, including Grazia and Glamour magazine, so I was totally intrigued, only when I saw the beautiful cover art in Waterstones was I drawn to it, but this really was quite a pleasant read. The story isn't told chronologically, but yet, manages to tell the story without going back on itself, its well written, set in a 1960's Italy and present-day Hollywood. I find that some of the Italian parts aren't excessively interesting, but for those that like strong descriptions of the scenes, you'll love it. Described in Grazia as a perfect summer beach read, it is just that, a pleasant easy read, and one I can thoroughly recommend if looking for something light-hearted.

The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
We've all seen the film, or at least one of Nicholas Sparks' heart-wrenching romantic dramas. I liked the film and thought the book would be similar, but in my opinion was so awfully written it took me a good few weeks to finish this teeny book as I was simply so uninterested by it. Big thumbs down from me, I can't even say anything more than how boring I thought it was.

Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote

I'm totally madly obsessed with Audrey Hepburn at the moment, and I decided, before I watch the film, I was going to read the book. This wasn't an issue at all given how tiny this book actually is, it's only around 100 pages but I loved reading it, it really isn't different to the film at all, and now I feel very much like I want to read other books by Truman Capote.

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
I read this on recommendation of that gorgeous lady Zoe Newlove, and I expected great things from it when she said she'd read it four times! It had big claims to live up to, given it states 65 million copies had been sold on the cover, and quotes from Will Smith and Madonna grace it's back cover. I'll admit, I didn't know what to expect at all, and I found it was such an easy read, and reminded me of books I read as a child. It's a fable about a shepard who crosses the desert to reach his dreams, and the troubles and people he meets along the way. I think it is quite the inspiring book, and does have things you can carry into your everyday lives. I loved this book, and will definitely be keeping to read again, maybe even buying other books by Paulo Coelho.

Hope you've all managed to stick with me through my rambles! Do any of you have any book recommendations you think I may like based on these? And what's your favourite book? I'm all for a new read!

Straightening Curly Hair and Keeping it Frizz/Kink Free

Hey lovely people! How's the weekend going? I'm currently getting excited like a kid at Christmas anticipating buying my new iPhone 5 this Tuesday. It'll be my first iPhone, but it's joining a well loved iPod and iPad family of mine (I'm such a nerd...) so if anyone has recommendations for apps, accessories or anything I should get, let me know!

Anyway, when I was having a nosey through my blog stats the other day, I realised that my most popular post EVER is actually my post on the Invisibobbles, the little telephone cord like bobbles which give you kink-free hair. So I thought it was about time I updated you on them, aswell as letting you know all the products which add to keeping my hair kink and frizz free.


My hair is very thick and very curly naturally, meaning it requires a lot of maintenance, so I tend to only wash my hair once every 4/5 days, which may seem excessive for some, but it doesn't get greasy or suffer from product build-up. Aswell as this, my routine takes quite a while and is too time-consuming to do every other day like some people. (However, when I leave my hair to dry naturally, it lasts only two days, otherwise I would look like I'd been in a car crash)

So at the moment, my routine starts with shampoo and conditioner, and I've been using the Toni and Guy Blonde products for a few months, which are quite good, but nothing mind-blowing. I leave the conditioner on for as long as I'm in the shower, and ALWAYS wash it off with colder water than I shampooed with, and blast it with freezing cold water, which helps the hair cuticles lie flat, helping eliminate frizz. And once I get out the shower, instead of using a hair towel, I use an old (but clean!) t-shirt, which is a lot gentler on hair, and I think, adds to the elimination of frizz.


After leaving my hair wrapped in a t-shirt for about twenty minutes, I use either my Michael Mercier detangling brush, or wide-tooth comb carefully, as wet hair is more susceptible to split-ends.

I spray a little of the 3-Day Straight spray on my hair, and comb through, before separating my hair into sections using any clip I can get my hands on, and use the Neal and Wolf Heat Protection spray to shield my hair from the hot tools I use. Then, I use my Tresemme hot-air styler to blow dry my hair, section by section until its finished completely.



I think this cult product is something that everybody loves, and I personally hold this accountable for my hair-growth, as before using this, I never had such healthy and quick-growing hair. I use 2/3 pumps of this on the ends of my hair to almost add back any oils the blow-drying strip away, and let it soak in for about an hour, before I section my hair again, and use a finer-toothed comb and a sectioning clip to straighten my hair (on the lowest heat setting- to avoid any unnecessary heat damage).


As much as I try to keep my hair down, I cannot help but want to scoop it up in a ponytail, and I must confess, that most nights, I prefer sleeping with it up in a ponytail, too. When I had been using regular bobbles I had dreadful kinks in my hair so this wasn't something I could do on a regular basis, without waking up with hair like Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary. My original review of these babies is here if you want to read more.

It may seem a little excessive to go through so many steps, but when you wake up upto 3 days after and haven't had to do anything but comb your hair, it's totally worth it!

Tips and Tricks (A summary): 
- Apply shampoo from the crown outwards, and conditioner from the mid-lengths to ends
- Blast wet hair with cold water to flatten the cuticle and eliminate frizz
- Use an old t-shirt instead of a towel
- Take extra care when brushing/combing wet hair
- Always use heat protection
- Don't tie bobbles too tight
- Don't brush hair whilst it's still warm, or put it in a bobble. Let it cool down first...

Hope you've all found this post a little helpful, I'm really happy to have finally found a routine which works for me, I hope it can help someone else too.

If you have any questions or anything you'd like to add, please do so in the comments below!