Empties Explained #1

Hellooo lovelies,

 Today I have my first ever empties products post and I've been collecting these for a while so don't think I've gone through all these products all at once. The first empty I have is a duo and it's the Bedhead Tigi shampoo and conditioner, level 2 which you might recognise from way back in January when I showed my hair care routine. This is in fact the same bottles and I've actually had them since last March!!! They've lasted such a long time but that is partly due to the fact that I stopped using them for about 5 months of that just because I wanted more variety. I really do like these, I love the smell of them and they made my hair feel lovely and soft but I found the conditioner had a tendancy to leave my hair feeling clogged up. I'm not sure if I'd buy them again just because they are expensive and I think you can probably get just as good cheaper but if I don't find something cheaper then I probably would buy the shampoo again!

 Any one else find that their conditioner always runs out soooo much faster than their shampoo or is that just me?! I go through conditioner almost twice as fast as I run out of shampoo and this one is the Mane N Tail conditioner which I also showed in my hair care routine. I really like this product, it smells lovely and it feels lovely but the one thing I hate about it is that it's a bright yellow liquid which leaves lovely looking stains in the shower. I don't know how great it is for making your hair grow longer because I already do have and always have had really long hair so it's quite hard to judge but I think the real test will be when I stop using it if I notice a difference.

 The next empty I have is Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Wash which I feel like I've had in my shower for absolutely ages. It certainly lasts a really long time and I do like the smell of it, it's very citrusey (is that a word??..is now!) and fresh so I loved using this in my morning shower to help waken me up. Although I liked it I didn't love it so I won't be rushing out to buy another one right away but when I need a new shower gel (I have many stocked up) then I would definitely consider picking it up again!

 The body cream that I have been using which has now ran out is Superdrug's Cranberry & Pomegranate body butter. It smelled lovely, like sweeties and I did really enjoy using this. It had an okay texture, it wasn't amazingly soft, creamy and smooth but it was when you rubbed it into your skin. Again it was alright but I don't think I'd repurchase it again unless I was looking for a cheap moisturiser that smelt nice and did the job!

 Of course I have run out of my favourite mascara at the minute because I wear this every single day. This is the only drug store mascara that I have ever tried and actually liked using. It has a massive bristle wand which is great for catching all your lashes and coating them. It gives impressive length and volume and for a decent price. If you haven't tried this mascara and you're like the old me thinking the only way to get good lashes is by buying high end mascara- fear not! I will definitely repurchase this again and again and again.

 Sadly I have run out of my Urban Decay Primer Potion too which you can tell has been very very very well loved! I really love this, I won't wear eyeshadow without it underneath because the difference in the colour pay off without a decent primer underneath is draw dropping! I would definitely repurchase this again because it's fab and I couldn't wear eyeshadow without it.

Lots of Love,

♥

My Haircare Routine

Left to right:- Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo, Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, Mane n Tail Shampoo and Conditioner and Tigi Serious Conditioner.

Hellooo my lovelies!

 Today I thought I'd do a blog post on my hair care routine and a mini review of the products I use in it. The first most important products are shampoo and conditioner. The ones I use are the Mane n Tail shampoo and conditioner which are for both animal and human use. No I have not gone mad like my family thought when this arrived through the post! It is actually great for humans to use for hair growth or so I had heard. Now I already had and always have had extremely long hair so it's understandable why people would be confused as to why I needed a hair growth treatment. However, the truth is I had just ran out of my Bedhead shampoo and conditioner and I love having long hair so longer hair can never be a bad thing right?! To be quite honest I was really intrigued to see if it would actually work originally being for animals and what not. Having long hair to begin with did make it slightly harder to notice the growth but I definitely thought it had grown a little within the first week. I have been using it for about two months now roughly every second wash and I wash my hair around three times a week. Inbetween using this I just use any shampoo/conditioner my mum or boyfriend have in the shower, usually an Aussie or a Head and Shoulders one. Friends and family have also commented that my hair seems alot longer and I feel myself that it does too. Before it was roughly the length of the top of my belly bar and now it is about an inch below the bottom of it so it's definitely an effective hair growth treatment. What's even better about this duo is that they can be picked up relatively cheaply on Amazon (definitely much cheaper than other hair growth treatments on the market). I'll leave links to Amazon sellers below.

 Another shampoo I like to use once a month or after I've used lots of product in my hair is a clarifying shampoo. You know those days when you wash your hair yet it still doesn't feel clean enough? This is what you need in your lifand the one I really like is the Paul Mitchell clarifying shampoo and I think you can pick it up on Look Fantastic for around £7 and it's always easy to get discount codes for these sites! It comes out a clear liquid and it just smells really clean and you don't need lots of it. This bottle has literally lasted me since around March last year (no exaggeration!!) After you have used this bad boy your hair just feels so much cleaner and fresher and you can rest assured knowing all that hairspray, heat protector and volumising spray is all out your hair! It only costs around £10 too so not breaking the bank.

Serious Conditioner and Spatula.

A deep conditioner is one thing that anyone with long hair desperately needs in their life or anyone who has dyed or damaged hair, this is a life saver. The one I use is Tigi's S factor "Serious Conditioner" and it is maaaaaassive (750ml to be precise) and it lasts a very long time and I have had this one since March aswell and as you can see there is plenty left. When I have had a bit of a wild night and I've had my hair all backcombed, waking up in the morning feeling delicate and having to deal with knotted, tangled hair is not ideal as I think anyone will agree. With this I've been able to jump straight in a shower, slather it on my hair generously and it makes brushing knots and tangles out a MILLION times easier and less painful. Many tears were shed before I bought this baby but thankfully those days are gone. It is pricey (eeek) I paid around £27 for mine but it does last a long time and it's usually available on sites like Feel Unique and Look Fantastic where discount codes are alwaaays available on the interwebs! The best thing about using this conditioner is you leave it on for 3 minutes and once you rinse it off your hair is sooo soft and silky that people will be wanting to stroke it! A really cute thing about this product is the little spatula it comes with which comes in handy when you're all wet in the shower and you don't want to dip wet hands into the whole product. As if the reasons above aren't enough to convince you to buy it, it smells like a mixture of strawberries and mint choc chip ice cream and I have to try very hard to resist the urge to taste it when I'm in the shower. Oh and the product is a light pink (plus 10 points from me) and it has a very thick consistency which gives a luxurious feel that I really like.

Serious Conditioner and Spatula.

 Aussie 3 minute miracle is another product I really love for when my hair is matted or just feeling like it needs a bit of TLC and like all Aussie products it smells fabby. The product itself is white which is ideal for people like me who usually manage to slather products all around my bath and shower so white is much less noticable (hopefully that's not just me?!). It's really thick and similar to the Tigi one as it just leaves my hair feeling so soft and silky and much easier to brush out any knots or tangles. There's probably not really a need to have both this one and the Tigi one, they more or less do the same thing. The only difference is that the Tigi one has a more luxurious feel which you would of course expect by the difference in price tag but hey hoe if you have some extra pennies to spare why not! Aussie products can be bought from most drug stores and they're almost always on three for two so you can treat yourself to some other hair goodies too.

Now onto my favourite hair styling products!

Left to right:- L'Oreal Studio Line Volume Supersizing Spray, Argan Oil, Tigi Catwalk Fast Fixx.

 I actually am a girl that doesn't use many styling products in my hair at all and until last year I literally only used heat protection sprays and that was about it. Obviously the first main hair product that every girl (who uses heat on their hair) should own is a heat protection product. I haven't photographed mine because the one I was using has just ran out but it was a Boots own brand one however, I'm not really fussy about which one I use aslong as it does the job (nobody wants heat damaged hair do they?!) The second main product that i loooove is Aussie (shock) Luscious long leave in conditioner, I had been looking for a good leave in conditioner for so long and have never looked back since finding this one. It helps detangle your hair and prevent's it from getting tangled throughout the day which is ideal for me as having long hair it frequently got tangled and matted. Usually I use this after a shower when my hair is still wet, to brush it through and if I need to brush out tangles throughout the day I spritz it on lightly then too. This did not cost me much money at all and like I said before, Aussie is pretty much always on three for two in drugstores. The bottles last a long time too as you literally only need a couple of spritz's depending on how long your hair is (I usually do around 5/6). It has eucalyptus in it which is apparently amazing for your hair (not that I could tell you) but I'm pretty sure that contributes to the amazing smell of it.

  A recent favourite that I've discovered is the L'Oreal Studio Line Super Volumising Spray and it really does work. I have loved using it throughout December whether I've curled my hair or straightened it and it gives a gorgeous look. I especially love using it with straight hair as I've never been a fan of straight hair plastered to the head, I think with straight hair there should always be some volume at the roots. You can spray as much of this as you like to get the effect you need as the more spray you use, the more voluminous it gets. Another aspect of this product I really love is that it doesn't leave your hair crispy or with that gross feeling that many products leave behind. It literally does not feel or look like you have any spray in your hair, it just looks like you have been naturally blessed with voluminous locks (pffft i wish!). The spray is also super easy to brush out so there's no need to wash your hair the next day after you've used it, just brush it out and you're good to go. I do like the packaging and it's super cheap from Boots/Superdrug at around £4.

 Something my lovely mum got me for Christmas is an Argan Oil which I have wanted to try out for the loooongest time but never really got round to picking one up. I always worried that putting an oil in my hair would make it look greasy but this one really doesn't and only the tiniest amount is needed. I use it on days that I have washed my hair , then I rub my hands together before running them throughout the hair shaft and I do think it makes the hair feel silkier. This one really pleases me as it is a nice size for travelling and I think the golden packaging makes it look luxurious. As I got this product for Christmas I'm not sure how much it was or where you can pick one up but I'll try and find one similar and link it below for you

 The last styling product i use regularly in my hair is the Tigi Catwalk Sleek Mystique Fast Fix Style Prep (nice simple and short name Tigi....not!!). I use this product after I have straightened my hair to help it remain straight throughout the day and it does a fabulous job. I don't really struggle from frizzy hair and my hair is naturally pretty straight anyway however throw rain into the mix and my hair loves to curl up at the ends which i unfortunately don't love so much. I feel this really does help battle that and helps keep my hair straight despite the UK's crappy weather! It also smells really nice which is obviously a plus and again you don't need much of it. I'm pretty sure this doubles up as a heat protectant aswell so definitely worth the investment. It's not too expensive, it retails for around £12 but is often discounted on sites like Look Fantastic or Feel Unique. 

Top:- Andrew Barton Paddle Brush, Bottom:- Tangle Teezer.

 A really important part of any hair care routine is brushing your hair as it removes any impurities and prevents it from matting up and becoming too tangled to handle (better to tackle it before it gets bad trust me I speak from experience). Two amazing brushes are a Tangle Teezer (bet you were all really surprised that mines is pink...hehehe) and a paddle brush. I love my tangle teezer and it is absolutely brilliant for when I'm on the go or when my hair is not very knotted. They're sold in lots of places now too for around £10 which is bargainous! There is also a wide selection of tangle teezers available these days so you can select the one that is best for your hair including special compact one's for carrying in your handbag (which I need). As much as I love my tangle teezer though, it is not enough to tackle my long, easily matted hair by itself so I use a paddle brush aswell and this one is by Andrew Barton. This is a life saver for me and is the only brush I can use to get serious knots out of my hair and I would one hundred percent recommend anybody with really long hair to get these two brushes. Many of my friends now own tangle teezers after always borrowing mine a million times and being amazed by how good it is. It definitely would be enough just to use a tangle teezer for people with finer, shorter hair but for those with longer locks I'd definitely invest in both. Paddle brushes can be picked up relatively cheaply in stores like Boots and Superdrug.

Mane n Tail Shampoo and Conditioner- http://www.amazon.co.uk/MANE-n-TAIL-SHAMPOO-CONDITIONER/dp/B005CI1JEG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389281391&sr=8-1&keywords=mane+n+tail
Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo- http://www.beautybay.com/haircare/paulmitchell/clarifyingshampoothree
TIGI Serious Conditoner (it's actually discounted to £21 pounds on Amazon now but there's only two left in stock so hurry scurry!!) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tigi-S-Factor-Serious-Conditioner-750ml/dp/B001AQU1DY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389281794&sr=8-1&keywords=s+factor+conditioner
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle- http://www.boots.com/en/Aussie-3-Minute-Miracle-Luscious-Long-250ml_38758/
L'Oreal Studio Line Super Volumising Spray- http://www.superdrug.com/hair-styling/loreal-studio-txt-volume-supersize-spray/invt/821564&bklist=
Aussie Luscious Long Leave in Conditioner- http://www.boots.com/en/Aussie-3-Minute-Miracle-Luscious-Long-250ml_38758/
Argan Oil - http://www.boots.com/en/Organix-Moroccan-Argan-Oil-Serum-100ml_1274124/
Tigi Catwalk Sleek Mystique Fast Fixx Style Prep (currently discounted to £8!!) - http://www.feelunique.com/p/TIGI-Catwalk-Straight-Collection-Sleek-Mystique-Fast-Fixx-Style-Prep-270ml

That's all the products that I use in my hair care routine. What products do you use in your hair care routine? Have you tried any of these onnes?

Lots of love, A  x x x