I'm leaving on a jet plane

Yes girlies, I am escaping the cold and snow of Scotland for a week. I am leaving early tomorrow (friday) morning, to go to Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. Yes, of killer shark fame. Don't worry, i'll not be going anywhere near the sea, much to my disappointment, as I was looking forward to doing some snorkelling and seeing some pretty fishes like this-

I took that photo diving in Thailand, during my 14 months of travelling a few years back. I have an underwater housing for my normal digital camera, which means I can use it 30 metres under the sea. Unfortunately due to the recent tragic events in Sharm, it will be staying at home.

I still plan to have a great time, its my first proper holiday with my boyfriend (bar a few days in Paris), my first time going all inclusive, and my first time in Egypt. We are hoping to go quad biking and camel riding, and i'm sure we will find many more things to do.

I did intend to have some scheduled posts for you, but things have been hectic recently, and I am currently doing an all nighter to finish uni work. So, i'll be back in a week, and promise to do some posts then.

I think i'll need a whole day when I get back to catch up with reading all of your blogs!

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My hair care routine

It has taken me a good while to find a hair care routine that I am happy with, so I thought I would share it with you. I have blonde highlighted hair, which is fairly light, as you can see-

I get my hair done at a salon about every 8 weeks or so, which is as often as I can afford! It is still a big expense for a student, but having nice blonde hair makes me happy, so why not? As with most bottle blondes, I am on a constant quest to keep my hair in good condition, as regular dyeing can dry it out alot. I also want to try and keep it as blonde as possible, and avoid any brassiness. I have recently used a good treatment for that, but thats for another post, this is just my normal routine.

First up, shampoo. I have tried all sorts of blonde shampoos, and usually find I prefer the slightly more expensive ranges from Boots or Superdrug, such as John Frieda or Toni and Guy. I have used cheaper brands in the past, but find that these ranges just keep my hair in a better condition. The shampoo and conditioner I have been using for the last wee while is the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Tone refreshing range. These products are bright purple, and claim to renew salon-fresh blonde tones, and neutralise brassiness. I have been impressed with the results, they don't make your hair instantly blonder or anything, but they do seem to keep it brighter. I also find that the specialist blonde conditioners work really well, as they are very moisturising. These products normally retail for around £5.50, depending where you go, but as always, I wait till there is an offer on, which is often 2 for £7, or 3 for 2 on haircare. I just buy them when I see an offer, and pop them away till I need them. Oh, and I usually wash my hair every 2nd day, is this about normal?

After washing and lightly towel drying my hair, I use either Avon Lotus Shield (see my review here), or Toni and Guy glosser for all blondes. In fact, I often use both, but usually only use the lotus shield every 2nd wash or so. I apply the products through all of my hair, then use the wide tooth comb by Toni and Guy to part and comb through my hair. I find this best as it does not pull or snag my hair. I do quite fancy a Tangle Teezer, which is supposed to be ok on wet hair. Lets hope Santa is feeling generous and brings me a pink one!

The Toni and Guy glosser is a nice product, which adds a tiny amount of subtle shimmer to your hair, while moisturising and smoothing it. If my hair still feels a bit dry and tuggy after washing, this product is great. This normally costs £6.49, but of course, I wait for the 3 for 2 offers.

I then blow dry my hair, usually fairly quickly, and often my hair drys straight enough to be left as it is. I do use straighteners sometimes, like when I am going out or have an occasion, but I don't like using them too much. This may all change though, as I have asked Mama Pom for some Cloud Nine straighteners for my birthday which is a week tomorrow. Anyway, once my hair is dry, and maybe straightened, I apply a tiny amount of Toni and Guy funky gum, to give a bit of texture, and hold my fringe a bit. I then spray it with Cheryl Cole Elnett hair spray. I assume this is the same as the normal type, but Cheryl usually has awesome hair, so why not? The funky gum is £6.99 for a large tub, or £1.95 for a mini. I use so little, a mini would probably be fine for me. The hairspray is £2.15-£5.89, depending which size you get.

Lastly, if I want a couple more products from the Toni and Guy blonde range. The instant calmer and straightener works in a similar way to the glosser, but apparently calms frizz and reduces split ends. This costs £6.99. If I want my hair to look extra shiny, I use the shimmer mist. I would use this instead of hair spray, as it gives texture and hold. This is £6.99 too.

If you fancy trying some different hair products from ranges such as John Frieda or Toni and Guy, now is an ideal time. Boots have lots of gift sets which can contain mini or full size products. Even better, everything in the Boots Christmas shop is usually reduced by 50% on boxing day, so you can get some really good haircare bargains. Thats where my funky gum came from!

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into my hair routine, and please do let me know of any tips or product recommendations you have.

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Lucky me!

Wow, I have had such a run of luck with giveaways recently. I have been lucky enough to win 6, yes six, in the last 3 months. I am truly grateful for all my prizes, and thought I would blog about each one, to show you the lovely things I won, and thank the bloggers that held the giveaways.

First up, I won Who is she?'s 50 followers giveaway, way back in September. As you can see, this great blog has gained a fair few followers since then.  Ray has such a good sense of humour, and this really comes across in her blog. Her weekly run downs of the clothes on x factor actually have me laughing out loud. Her blog is very varied, with make up and beauty reviews, fashion picks and advice, and she even gets her best friend JEM involved.

Lets have a look at the goodies!

Everything came in this hard sided soap and glory bag-

Which I opened to reveal-

Wow, have you ever seen so many things in a giveaway? I was completely amazed at how many things Ray had sent me.

Here we have all the body and hair products, which I have been enjoying using. I am definitely taking the Hawaiian Tropic after sun body butter on holiday, as it smells amazing. I have yet to brave using the St Moriz, as I am a total fake tan newbie, and am a bit terrified of turning orange. I will no doubt post to let you know how I get on.

Here are all the make up and nail products. You may have worked out already that I love Models Own, so was very excited to see this polish,  which I think is Peach Sherbert, but I can't actually check, as I am having a bit of a room drama just now, due to extreme Ikea furniture purchasing and snow caused roof leaking. The outcome being, I can't get to my nail polish stash at the moment, horrific, I know.

Here is a closer look at the eyeshadows, which are from that legend of stores, Primark. They are nicely pigmented, and both shades suit me well.

This piece of genius is also from Primark Beauty. It is called Eye can't go wrong, and is a mascara on one end, and has this handy corrector pen on the other end. This can clean up any mascara mishaps, which is ideal for a cackhanded person like me.

It didn't end there, there was also this chunky bracelet and flower ring. I was well and truly spoilt.

Last up, here is a look at the Soap and Glory bag, which is going to be great for holidays and weekends away, as it holds loads.

So, again I would like to thank Ray for these amazing prizes, and urge you to follow her blog- Who is she?.

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Christmas Sparkles- Models Own Mystic Mauve

I don't know about you, but as soon as December hits, and the countdown to Christmas begins, so does my obsession with glitter and sparkles! Its not something I wear to much usually, but come this time of year, I am all about the glitter make up, nails, and even clothes. So, I thought I would start a wee series to share some of my favourite Christmas sparkles.

First up, is a nail polish, which is not glittery, but shimmery, and slightly sparkly. It is Mystic Mauve by Models own.

It is a lilac mauve colour, with a silvery shimmer. In some lights it can look like it is just a silver.

As you can see, its very shiny, and perfect for some subtle Christmas sparkles. I found myself mesmorised by this colour, it is just so pretty on, I could stare at it all day. This will not help my dissertation, so good job I have removed it now.

Application of this polish was very easy, something I have found with all the Models Own polishes I have tried. It applies smoothly, and I could have probably got away with one coat, but I applied two, just to be sure. Models Own polishes usually cost £5,  but of course I got this in a 3 for 2 offer. I didn't apply a top coat, and the polish lasted about 3 days before chipping. However, this didn't stop me! To cheer it up and give it a few more days life, I added a coat of Barry M's Nail effects.

I think nail effects worked really well with this polish, and meant I got a few more days wear.

What are your Christmas polish recommendations?

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