Saturday 29 October 2011

A lil Fuzzy Fun!

As i colossally FAILED once again to make it home in decent time to take decent photos for ANY of my planned blog posts, and because you all seem to still enjoy the ferrets on Twitter so much i have decided to post a few photos that i took the other night when they were cavorting around the kitchen. These are all action shots with me inferior camera so excuse the quality (and Pedro's demon eyes). 

For those of you who are unfamiliar, my boys are Pedro and Jasper and are both  just over 1yr old. Pedro has been with me since he was 9wks and is a proper mumma's boy. Jasper was rescued from a shelter in February when he was 7mths old. He is part Angora and has gotten VERY fluffy lately as his winter coat is now creeping in!


Pedro is in front here (with his new Forrest Gump hairdo) and Jasper is the fluffy lil ginge bringing up the rear.


Pedro, transfixed by the bag of treats in my other hand (yes, i have to resort to bribery to get them to slow down long enough for photos)


 Awwwww lil ferrety SNOG!!


Jasper showing off his superior nose-licking skills.


Nope...... I didn't stealz your socks and hidez them behind refrigerator mumma (He actually DID)


You can tell that Pedro is the less camera shy of the two.... Jasper has no time to stay still for pictures. Too much else to investigate apparently.


For some reason EVERY time i give Pedro a treat he goes running INSIDE the nearest plastic bag to eat it. Guess he doesn't like being disturbed!


Mumma's little angel (my first baby, i can't help it). Look at that lil face :)
Its looking like this post may be a lil heavy on the Pedro but Jasper is NOT the posing type haha.


This is the last recent one i can find of Jasper! As you can see he's rather blurry because he never STOPS!!! Always on his way UP or INTO something! 
However they DO flake out eventually. Here's a few from a little while ago of my babies when they're at their laziest....


How is it possible for something so TINY to hijack my ENTIRE bed?!?! 


Oh come on, tell me you wouldn't want one of THESE!!!


Occasionally i do find one curled up asleep in my handbag.


Hahaha do excuse my mess in the background! I was halfway through doing my nails when he crawled in wanting cuddles!!

So there's a few more recent photos of my kids (i ain't having any of any other kind i can assure you). Anyone ever owned ferrets?? Hope i can shatter a few people's misconceptions about these goofy lil critters. They really are just like kittens that never grow up!! 
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Sunday 23 October 2011

Epic Sleek Haul!!

Evening girls!!
I can't believe its taken me so long to get photos of all these gorgeous things that i have to show you (a whole WEEK). I've had such a busy time since getting back from London this time last week and, as a result i'm now a little poorly and spent last night being looked after by my mummy (yes, I'm 29yrs old.... HA). However, i already took the photos for this post and i'm going to share my Sleek purchases from last weekend with you all. Sorry it's late haha...


I ended up with quite a few new Sleek items purely because they were at Salon International and its a GREAT place to pick up a BARGAIN!! I did pick up a new palette from Superdrug on my way through to catch the train from Chesterfield but the rest i picked up as a job lot from Salon for £10 and i think thats AMAZING value!!


The two palettes i brought back from the weekend with me were the Storm palette (which i had been meaning to replace for AGES but kept getting wooed away from it in favour of other palettes. I got it, along with 5 other items in my goodie bag from Salon International. Its just a great staple palette for everyday but you can also put together a great smokey look out of it. I love that it has the dark green and grey shades in it as i always feel they are missing out of a lot of other palettes.
The other palette i got was one that i have ummed and ahhhh-ed about getting for a while as i know its not one that i am going to get too much use out of but i just HAD to get it in the end. And that is the Acid palette. I think i may be a teeensy bit too old to pull off a look with this but its not going to stop me from playing with it!! The colours are gorgeous (if not a little RAWR) and i can't wait to start plastering them on and seeing what looks i can get out of it. I did have a little accident with it en route home from London and the blue shade on the top right has shattered a little but its still totally usable. 



The next item in my bag of goodies was the Glo Highlight kit for face and body. I haven't got round to trying this out yet and, if it hadn't been included in the price, it probably isn't something i would have bought as i'm more than happy with my MAC Goldstone MSF as my highlight of choice. However, i do like the look of this and look forward to using it. 


Next in the bag of tricks was some false lashes. I'm still a bit of a newbie with falsies and i've only just started to figure out how to put them on properly but these Sleek ones look a lot like the Eylure ones with the Invisible band that i loved out of the Cosmo mag a couple of months back so i'm pretty sure i'm going to like these. Can't wait to find an excuse to wear them!


I also got a new Pout Polish in the shade Chocolate Kiss. I love this shade! The Pout Polishes aren't something that SCREAMS at me when i go to the Sleek stand in Superdrug but i do really like this one. Its a rich nude brown shade that leaves my lips lovely and glossy. And that is all.


These brushes were the thing i was most excited about when i picked up this lot. Its just an excellent little 5 piece mini brush set in a cute case. Perfect for travelling around with. They're lovely and soft and seem like REALLY good quality. The eyeshadow brush is getting me very excited because i LOVE the shape of it (its tapered so can be used all over the lid, to blend, or to pack colour into the crease more precisely). You also get a foundation brush, a blush/powder brush, a liner brush and a lip brush. What more do you need? And in such a handy size too. So excited to use these. 

Definitely going to be doing some eye looks with the palettes and i can't wait to let you know how i get on with the highlighter too. 

What Sleek products have you been loving lately?? What are your favourite looks with the Storm/Acid palettes??
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Wednesday 19 October 2011

Wicked Waves ft Diva Professional Styling HeatWave

Hey girls...
I was planning this post for tomorrow but I'm soooo excited about it i simply can't wait so I'm going for it now!! If you've read my previous post about my escapades at Salon International over the weekend you will know that i was THRILLED to bits to finally get my mitts on the HeatWave waving irons by Diva Professional Styling. Well today i finally had a play around with them and I'm sooo pleased with the results!! 


I have wanted this waver for absolutely AGES. I picked it up for £29.99 at Salon International (although i may have to dig around to check that this is the RRP as it WAS a trade show). For this price i think it is AMAZING value for money. Here's the buzz.....

- Titanium Barrels for diamond-like hardness and mirror smooth finish
- Instant heat: Ready to style in only 30seconds
- 25 heat settings from 140 to 200 degrees
- Cool tip for easy styling (ie, you can hold the end of it while you curl and not burn your fingers off)
- Built in heat protection stand

I think you'll agree that those are pretty impressive vital statistics!!!


This tool is very lightweight and not clunky at all and this makes it VERY easy to use. You don't need to hold it on the hair for long at all to create a decent wave (a few seconds does the trick). I just took my hair down section by section and clamped the hair bit-by-bit starting at the roots and working down towards the ends. I'm definitely going to be doing a youtube tutorial with this and my Halo extensions (which i curled BEFORE putting in my hair this time, but could just as easily be done after applying them). 
I am very impressed with the results. Using this near the roots creates AMAZING volume. For less volume I would start waving at a point lower down the hair. 

I did a quick twitpic from my iphone earlier after i had waved my natural hair (which is only shoulder length at the moment...


Excuse the quality... i only have a lowly iphone 3G (roll on upgrade time in April). 
This look may even persuade me to go extension-less more often as i LOVE the effect. When i do tighter curls on my own hair i lose too much length and often end up looking like orphan Annie haha. But OMG what happened when i added my pre-waved extensions into the mix.......


Cher eat ya heart out!!! I feel like a character in the movie 'Mermaids'!!! My extensions look so THICK and bouncy! 

I would TOTALLY recommend this tool to anyone wanting an affordable, GREAT quality waver. Its so easy to use and hardly takes any time at all to create a really natural waved look which is sooooo wearable!! 
It was so great to meet the Diva team at Salon International. We talked about their new Rebel collection and i can see myself going NUTS for their travel sets which include the CUTEST little fold-up hairdryer (which, judging by the quality of their Ultima Hairdryer which i reviewed HERE will be a great tool for on the go). Speaking of on the go.... they have JUST brought out the cutest mini version of the HeatWave along with teeny versions of some of their other tools which i had fun playing with at the show too. 

You can purchase the HeatWave, along with their other AMAZING products including the famous Glamoriser, at sallyexpress.com 

What styling tools can't you live without?? What do you think of my 'Mermaid' look??
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Trains and Tantrums at Salon International

So here is the OTHER half of my escapades during my visit to London last weekend...
As soon as i learnt that TOWIB was going to be held on the same weekend as Salon International i was STRAIGHT on the phone to book tickets! I haven't been in a couple of years and there are so many brands who i chatter with on Twitter that i wanted to see in person, as well as browsing the latest trends and equipment!! As well as some cheeky make-up brands popping up!


The sheer amount of TRAINS i went on that day really blew me away!! Underground, Overground (Wombling freeeeee). Where i live, anywhere you need to go is just around the next corner. I forget that, in London, you go everywhere by tube. I actually got quite used to it by the end and managed to navigate myself home from the show thanks to the expert directions from Natalie!!




Everyone was swarming around the Sleek stands. They had a MASSIVE display of their make up as well as a separate counter where you could get your skin tone matched. There were also some AMAZING bargains to be had. They had goodie bags containing FIVE separate products including an i-divine palette, a brush kit and eyelashes for a FABULOUS £10. I will show you exactly what i bagged later in the post!




There were some amazing exhibitors including Balmain (who i did my hair extension training with earlier this year) and, of course, GHD who were showing off their NEW Hairdryer (which looked soooo sleek and amazing). 


I just HAD to stop by the Diva exhibit because i WANTED their HeatWave waving irons which i got for an absolute BARGAIN (more on those later in the week). Got to chat to the lovely girls that i chat with on Twitter and it was fantastic to meet them in the flesh. They were all so friendly and chatty. We talked a little about their new Rebel Collection which features funky designs and cutting edge technology. 




As always Hairdresser's Journal International were there to showcase the latest techniques. I really wish i could have afforded to sit in  on some of the seminars, but I happen to be a student and the purse strings are TIGHT (even more so after this weekend).
Had a bit of a dreamy moment walking past the Sassoon Academy stand (one can only dream). I'm happy enough that i will be visiting Wella in Manchester in November, but wouldn't it be AMAZING to train with Sassoon??!



I had the lovely Natalie with me (from BlushBlendBeauty) who was on the hunt for the PERFECT hair extensions. Fingers crossed she found them. Can't wait to see the photos babes!! 


My Sleek haul!! All that for a TENNER!! Bargain. So glad i finally replaced my Storm palette. The old one was KNACKERED!! Here's what i got...

Storm iDivine palette
Glo - Face & Body Highlighting Kit
Pout Polish in Chocolate Kiss
False Lashes
Mini 5-piece Brush Kit

My Diva Heatwave. Sooooo excited to play with this!!

Once again i didn't have too much opportunity to take good photos as it was RAMMED!! People kept walking into my shots (HATE that) and was hard to get close to the REALLY good stuff. We kept missing the GHD catwalks or just couldn't see! Got rather frustrated on a couple of occasions!!

Did anyone else get to Salon International this year?? Who managed to catch the seminars??
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Monday 17 October 2011

The Only Way is BLOGGING!!

MAHOOSIVE apologies that i have been absent from my blog for a whole WEEK!! 
My reasoning?? I'd been frantic all week trying to get everything for Uni out of the way and all my stuff ready for a little trip to LONDON that i had been planning for a wee while to visit the GORGEOUS Natalie from BlushBlendBeauty and to attend a few 'little' events here and there. 

The first of these events was the now-infamous The Only Way is Blogging (or TOWIB as we affectionately recognise it now).  I thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to put some faces to names and check out some new brands which, because i live in the middle of nowhere (Bakewell, for those of you who don't know) i am unable to source locally. These were the FABULOUS Fashionista and VIVO Cosmetics 
Me and the wonderful Natalie (photo donated by the lovely Flossie
One of the first things that became apparent upon arrival was that my camera is, not only TINY, but also rather INFERIOR (bordering on prehistoric) and I did struggle to get any decent photos. Think a trip down to Jessops is in order to bag myself a Canon or a fancy Nikon or suchlike (yeah, when i win the LOTTERY).  I gave up towards the end to be honest. Most of the ones i did get were somewhat obscured by a certain tall, green HAT which i was very tempted to take my lighter to a couple of times. 



The girls from Fashionista demonstrated 3 different looks from 3 of their custom palettes that they had put together for the day. I really love their concept for these. You can pick up your eye colours and blushes seperately and then put all your favourites into ONE palette! All the looks they did were inspired by spring/summer catwalk looks including Mark Fast, Anna Sui and Rodarte. The palettes which were given away (very generously) at the end were based on these looks. I snagged a blush palette but the other contained blue eye shades and the last one was very Naked Palette-i-fied. I haven't swatched anything yet from the day but look forward to sharing my experience of them with you! You can snap them up yourself from selected Superdrug stores.


Unfortunately i failed to get ANY photos during the HTML or Photography workshops. Partly because at one point we were so HUNGRY we just had to escape for a pub lunch and there wasn't a break scheduled. What i did catch of them was very informative but as there were SO MANY attending this time it was hard to see and catch EVERYTHING that was going on. However, Faye and Zoe and Lily did an AMAZING job and well done to them for getting up there in front of everyone and telling us all how it's done!!



I had a much better position for the VIVO demonstrations! Despite this i still managed to be RIGHT opposite the photographer for the day and he was in the middle of almost EVERY photo i got haha.  I also had MASSIVE hair envy whilst watching the lovely Karla work on her models. She's got me DESPERATE for my full fringe back again as well as fuelling another possible attempt to lighten my brown again.


As with Fashionista before them, VIVO showcased 3 looks. A Twilight-inspired look using some INSANE false lashes, a golden eye look and a bold lip look. The best photos i got were for the Twilight look. The goodie bags were tailored to these 3 themes and we chose which one we would like. True to form i went for the gold shadow and bronzer option and walked away with this lovely lot. VIVO Cosmetics are solf exclusively at selected Tesco stores.


Can't begin to tell you how pleased i am that i was able to attend this event after totally missing out on the last one. MASSIVE thanks to Natalie for having me (but not for getting me HAMMERED on Friday night, resulting in the Hangover from HELL).
Thoroughly enjoyed meeting all my blogging/twitter friends! I LOVE how the first thing everyone said when they saw me was FERRET LADY!! I was a little disappointed i didn't get to talk to as many people as i would have liked. The venue layout had everyone sat in little groups and it seemed to stick in those groups throughout the day, but i enjoyed the company of some LOVELY ladies. Most notably....

Lauren
Yu
Anna
Charli
Em 
And most of all my GORGEOUS Natalie (love ya babe!!) xoxo


I can safely say that i was firmly installed in front of the TV from the second we got back to Natalie's house. I stayed home with the kitty while everyone else went out tearing it up round Islington. I had to conserve my remaining energy for Sunday as we had tickets for SALON INTERNATIONAL!! Which is another blog post entirely......

Thank you sooooo much to Zoe, Lily, Faye and especially to London Beauty Queen for organising another FABULOUS event!!

Great time had by all I'd say!! Anyone else done a TOWIB post?? Do link me because i need to see better photos!! 
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Sunday 9 October 2011

Sunday Salon #2: Caring for Hair Extensions

Evening ladies!!
Has it really been a week since my last Sunday Salon?? WOWZERS!! 
Since I received a fresh set of Halo Hair Extensions this week (love love LOVE them), i thought i'd dedicate this week's Salon to caring for them and keeping them looking their best. 

My previous set of 20" clip in extensions are still with us. However, since i've been wearing them almost every day since i got them they are looking, what can only be described as "Well Loved". After all they are exposed to everything our natural hair is exposed to, but they need that little extra TLC and a gentle hand to keep them looking fabulous. Hopefully this post will start to cover some of the BASIC rules when handling, styling and caring for your extensions. 

First up?? Washing....

I've heard some girls lamenting over twitter that their extensions were never the same after that first wash. I'm going to tell you how to do it RIGHT.  Just the way you wash your extensions can really affect how well they work for you and careful washing can really help to prolong the life of your hair extensions. Unless you are CAKING them in product and hairspray (going easy with these is the best way in my opinion)  I definitely would not recommend washing the extensions after EVERY use as this really is not necessary. You will just KNOW when they are ready for a wash. Here are my top tips and recommendations for washing human hair extensions...

- Halo actually manufacture their own shampoos and conditioners for their extensions. I received miniature sizes of these with my first set and they work really well. They also smell YUMMY! (they retail for £4.99 each for 400ml from halohairextensions.com). If you do not have these to hand i also like to use a gentle shampoo such as Johnsons Baby shampoo which will give them a good clean but is not harsh enough strip the hair and dry it out. Similarly you want to be using a hydrating conditioner, but it doesn't have to be a posh brand. A 5-10p size blob in the palm of your hand should be enough for one weft of hair. 


- I prefer to wash my extensions in the sink, which i part fill with WARM water (not hot and not cold). I also put a little blob of conditioner in this water before i start. I tend to wash the 2 and 3 clip wefts seperately and then the single clip wefts all together. I usually use the same water for all wefts (as i always rinse each weft with clean water straight from the tap) but you can empty and refill the sink as many times as you like.

 - When shampooing and conditioning the BEST way to apply the product is by running it through the weft then gathering the whole thing in your palm SQUEEZING it into a lather in your hand. Do NOT rub it into the hair as this will roughen the hair's surface.

- After rinsing the shampoo apply a small amoung of conditioner using the same method. I like to leave this in the hair for a couple of minutes before i rinse to let it sink right it and give it maximum shine! 

- Rinse  the conditioner off with CLEAN water (i just run the weft through my hand under the tap) and, just to give it that extra glossy finish you can also do a COLD rinse after this as well. 

-Once you have thoroughly rinsed the weft and squeezed out the excess water with your hand, take a clean, dry towel and wrap the weft in it and pat or squeeze the worst of the water out with your hand (again, do NOT rub)!! 


Now you're ready for Drying!!
- I prepare the wefts by spraying them with a leave in heat protector and giving them a gentle brush through  to tease out any unwanted tangles.

- And THEN.... Here's my genius, DIY, top tip for the day: Although you CAN just place the wefts carefully on top of a towel and leave to dry, I do not have enough room in my SHOEBOX of a bathroom (and i need to keep them out of reach of ferrety paws), I have simply attached a piece of string across my shower rail to act as a washing line and simply clip the wefts onto the string. I also find this helps them dry quicker as the air circulates much better around the hair.

- I REALLY would not recommend that you blowdry human hair extensions. They will honestly last a LOT longer for you and remain much softer and shinier if you allow them to dry naturally. I usually wash them the night BEFORE i need them and it's a good idea to set aside that time. That way you can wake up in the morning and have a lovely, clean, dry set of extensions waiting for you!! 

So, now you have a clean, dry set of hair extensions.....
Whats the best way to Brush them???


I'm not being paid to say this and I have bought EVERY Denman brush i've ever owned, but i would highly recommend them for use with hair extensions. Both of these brushes are available from your local Boots or Superdrug for less than a tenner!

- When the hair is WET i like to use a medium sized Denman D3 brush. I start brushing from the ENDS of the hair and work upwards. This way you are teasing any tangles GRADUALLY and the hair will not break from tugging it at the root. You could also use a decent quality paddle brush using the same technique.

- When the hair is DRY i always use my Denman Grooming Brush. I would always recommend brushing dry hair with natural bristles because it is more gentle on the hair and promotes shine and these brushes seem to be PERFECT for extensions. Use them to brush the wefts before putting them in your hair or after tonging/curling to soften the curls and give a glossy, smooth finish to the style. 

And what about Styling??


So here's the rules about using heated styling equipment with your human hair extensions....

- Halo extensions (and indeed various other brands on the market) ARE made from 100% Human hair and ARE suitable for heat styling. HOWEVER, don't just go flying in there with your GHDs on full whack and expect them to come out unscathed! 

- GHDs are NOT the ideal heat styler to use on extensions, purely because they only have ONE heat setting. And that is HOT HOT HOT!! Supposedly, this setting is 160 degrees, but i really do believe that they heat up to nearer 200. 160 degrees barely touches my NATURAL hair. If you need to i would suggest purchasing a cheaper straightener with adjustable heat to use with your extensions. When i'm using my curling wand on them i ALWAYS use the lowest heat setting (see above).  

- A great and gentle way to curl your extensions BEFORE you want to use them (thus saving time and styling energy in the morning) is to use heated ceramic rollers on the wefts. I have actually done a video tutorial on how to do this over on my YouTube Channel

- Human hair extensions do not take as much heat to curl as natural hair. You only really need to hold your styler/wand/waver/whatever in the hair for a couple of seconds to achieve a decent curl. For a tighter, more defined curl effect you could take it a little longer but not a lot. Don't want to hurt your babies!! Another way to minimise the amount of heat you use on your extensions is to take LARGER sections.

- Before putting ANYTHING even remotely warm near your extensions make sure you give them a good spritz of a decent quality, leave in heat protector. This really is sooooo important!! I use the Aussie 'Take the Heat' spray but i know Tresemme also do a good one and i'm sure there are many out there worth checking out.



********************************

I hope this post has given you some good pointers on how to keep you extensions at their loveliest for longer. If you would like me to expand upon ANY of the pointers i've given in this post please do let me know. I do intend to make more youtube videos on this kind of subject so give me a comment and tell me what you would like to see.  Apologies for the EPIC-NESS of this post but once i get a bee in my bonnet about something its hard to shut me up!!

I'd just like to put in a special mention (alright, it's a shameless PLUG) for the lovely people over at Halo Hair Extensions.......
Over on Twitter we are fighting tooth and nail to get them to 2000 followers. What's in it for you?? Well, once they GET THERE there will be a FANTASTIC opportunity to win one of TWO sets of Clip in hair extensions in their Celebratory GIVEAWAY!!!

So go and FOLLOW!! They won't bite... in fact, they're some of the friendliest, most approachable Tweeters i've come across! 

What else would you like to know about caring for extensions?? Ideas/requests for a topic for the next edition of Sunday Salon?? Comment me!! Cos i LOVE IT!!
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