Top tips for dry and damaged hair!

Hello again everyone!
In the summer months, my hair never seems to know what to do with itself. Sometimes it's oily and needs washing more often than normal, and at other times my hair feels dry and over processed.
The truth of the matter is that summer always leaves my hair more damaged and in need of some serious TLC!
Even if you have oily hair, you shouldn't forget that your locks can still be damaged by things such as the over use of heat tools.
So, here are my tips for improving the condition of dry and/or damaged hair!

L'oreal replenishing and taming conditioner - £5.99

1. Condition, condition, condition!

Many people often under-estimate the power of conditioner. It's not just a part of your hair-washing routine - it's the most important part.  The conditioner that I would recommend is the one shown above. This conditioner is part of L'oreal's "hair expertise" range and has improved the condition of my hair so much.  After use, my hair felt so nourished and for the first time in ages, the ends were actually soft and felt well-conditioned. 

When conditioning.....

• squeeze out the excess water from your hair before application. The conditioner doesn't have to "get through" all of the water and so each strand is treated to the full benefits of the product.
• leave the product on your hair for a minute or so to let it nourish your hair for longer.
• Wash your conditioner out with cold water. This helps to seal in shine.

If you have oily hair that feels damaged and in need of some extra care, but are worried that a conditioner like the one above will make your hair extra oily, then I suggest looking for a product that advertises as giving "weightless hydration" or that is "lightweight".

Aussie 3 minute miracle - £4.99

2. Give your hair a treat....

If your hair still feels dry wash after wash, even after using conditioner, then maybe it's time to invest in something a little more luxurious, Deep conditioners can be great for people who feel like their regular conditioner isn't getting the job done. If you think that you are one of these people, then I would recommend that you use a deep conditioner or hair mask once a week. Swap your conditioner out for something like Aussie's "3 minute miracle" and see if it makes a difference. 

There are many products out there for this purpose, so doing a bit of research wouldn't hurt.

Tresemme heat defence - £5.25

3. Don't compromise on heat protection!

Many years ago, I never used heat protection spray on my hair. I thought "Why bother?". But nowadays, it is an essential part of my hair care routine. I  use this before I put any sort of heat to my hair. Heat protection sprays coat the hair strands, meaning that they are shielded from the worst of the heat. This helps to retain moisture and ultimately keep your hair healthy.

I find that my hair straightens better when I use heat protection , such as this one from Tresemme. 

I always look for a spray that promises to make hair easier to style -  many help to make hair shinier, softer and less prone to breakage,

Garnier sleek perfector oil - £9.99

4.  Look after your hair between washes

Whilst many people wash their hair because it becomes greasy, others feel like their hair gets drier and drier in between washes. 

If this is you, then hair oils could be the answer to the problem.

If my hair starts to feel dry and damaged between washes, then I take a pump of the Garnier Ultimate Blends "The Sleek Perfector oil" in my hands and then evenly distribute the product through my hair.

My favourite time to do this is at night, just before I go to bed. My hair soaks up the serum during the night and in the morning, my hair feels soft, silky and nourished.

There are many other products on the market, you just need to experiment and see which one works best for you.......

Thank you for reading! Before I go I'd just like to thank everyone who has followed me on bloglovin' in the past couple of days. It means a lot to me that people are reading and following my blog!
I'll have another post up some time this week, if you have any suggestions or any feedback then please leave a comment down below.
Elle xox

Lash sensational vs they're real mascara

 Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog!
Today I will be comparing two well-known mascaras - one high end and one drugstore.
The Benefit They're Real! mascara is extremely popular around the world and many women swear by it.
The Maybelline Lash sensational mascara is relatively new to the UK, yet many women love it and think of it as the best drugstore mascara.
Today I will be comparing the two so that you can decide which one is best for your lashes (and perhaps for your wallet!).

They're Real! - £19.50

VOLUME
I feel that this mascara gives just the right amount of volume (with no clumps). If you are after extreme volume (and I mean extreme) then you may not find it in this product, but for most people,I think that the volume that this provides is perfect.
Personal opinion 10/10

SEPARATION
For me, the mascara separates my lashes without making them appear too "spidery" (is that a word?I'm not quire sure!). Again, if separation is all that you are looking for in a mascara then maybe this particular one isn't for you, but for most people I think that the separation that the wand provides is perfect.
personal opinion 9/10

LENGTH
Amazing. I couldn't imagine anyone wishing for more length than this gives you. It doesn't matter how many coats I apply, I always get results!
Personal opinion 10/10

LONGEVITY
As I have mentioned before, this mascara can be a little tricky to remove, and therefore stays put throughout the day. However, I do sometimes find smudges underneath my eyes when I wear this, but I think that that may be because of the consistency of my concealer (quite creamy) rather than because of the mascara alone.
Personal opinion 8/10

Lash sensational - £7.99

VOLUME
Great volume, but I find that I have to be more careful with this one in order to avoid clumping. I think that this mascara may have a thicker formula maybe? Correct me if I'm wrong! However, if you take your time, you can get amazing results from this.
Personal opinion 8/10

SEPARATION
Pretty good as the wand almost "fans out" your lashes. As with the Benefit mascara, if separation is all that you are looking for, then you may not be blown away by this, but for me, it's perfect.
Personal opinion 9/10

LENGTH
Another amazing mascara for length. My lashes always look glamorous after use and I was very impressed by the results when I first tried this!
Personal Opinion -  10/10

LONGEVITY
This product doesn't advertise as being waterproof and because of this, it can take a little longer to dry - patience is key to avoid smudges! However, once dry, this mascara stays put all day but isn't too tricky to remove.
Personal opinion - 9/10



As you can see, there isn't much difference between these two products, so I would suggest that you purchase whichever one that you feel will work best for you.
If I'm running low on cash, then I'll go for the Maybelline mascara (which is a great alternative to many high-end ones!), but if I fancy a splurge, or if it's Christmas or my birthday, then I will perhaps go for the Benefit one......
I hope that this comparison has helped you in some way, and I will speak to you in my next post, which will be up sometime early next week.
Thanks for reading!
Elle xox

Holiday beauty essentials

Hey everyone,
First of all, I have to apologise for the lack of posts on my blog recently! I have been abroad for a while and unable to blog whilst I was away, but I am back now, so expect a lot more posting from me!
Whilst on holiday, I used a variety of different products to keep my skin and hair in good condition and I'm going to share my favourites with you today. Here are my top four Holiday beauty essentials!

We all know that the hot conditions and damaging chlorine that your hair experiences on a relaxing holiday abroad can sometimes leave it feeling dry and frizzy.
I was keen to purchase a shampoo and conditioner set that would tackle these two holiday hair horrors. The Aussie Miracle Moist range did just that.
My hair was soft and shiny and frizz was kept to a minimum (despite the humidity!).
The incredible smell of these two products was just an added bonus.....

Before my holiday, I knew that I was in need of a product that had subtle coverage and that contained an SPF of at least 15.
The Bourjois CC cream ticked both of these boxes.
With an SPF of 15 and less coverage than a foundation (but still enough to blur imperfections), this product had everything that I needed.
Whilst on holiday, I used the CC cream every day and really enjoyed doing so. I didn't need any concealer (it covered my under eye circles and blurred any spots that I had) and my face didn't burn in the 30 degree heat. Result!


This mascara isn't a new discovery for me. I've been using it on and off for a year or two now, and it's my go-to mascara for everyday wear.
On holiday, this mascara worked for both the day time and for evening wear. The wand grabs every lash and adds volume and length whilst separating my lashes.
The perfect mascara for glamorous holiday lashes!

Ok, so this technically isn't a beauty favourite, but it was an essential product whilst I was away.
If you are prone to either "Prickly heat" (an irritating itchy rash that appears after sun exposure) or burning, this product is worth trying.
My skin is pale, and so is sensitive to hotter temperatures. This holiday, my skin burned pretty badly and was extremely sore and itchy.
This cream-gel after sun was lovely. It cooled my skin down and moisturised the burnt area without irritating it further.
If you struggle to find an after sun that won't irritate your skin, I really recommend this one.


Thanks for reading! As I said, my blog posts will be more frequent from now on, so expect another from me this week.
Elle xox

June Favourites 2015

Hello again!

This year has gone so quickly and I cannot believe that it's already July!

With another month over and done with, I thought that I would write about my June Favourites. I have been loving so many things recently, but for the purpose of this blog post I have condensed them and selected six which I feel are my absolute favourites....

I purchased this impulse spray recently from Boots (they are always on offer so pop down to your local drugstore and check them out). The can tells me that it is "Raspberry and Gardenia" scented and I must admit that I was ready to buy as soon as I saw the word "Raspberry".

When I arrived home with this and was able to properly try it out, I fell in love! 

My favourite smells are ones that combine fruity and floral notes, so this spray gets a big thumbs up from me. Neither of the scents overpower each other and the overall smell is feminine and summery.

Just perfect....

This little beauty has become my everyday moisturiser (despite the fact that it is described as a pre-moisturiser). My skin does not respond very well to regular moisturisers - they make my face oily (no matter what skin type they're targeted at) and I find that they just sit on my skin and don't sink in properly. 

I was out shopping a while back and found the Aloe Vera version of this in the Body Shop's skincare section. Curious to see how my skin would react to a serum, I purchased it.......and LOVED IT!!

• The serum actually sank into my skin, which made my face feel more hydrated than usual. 
• The next morning, my skin wasn't oily at all and over time, my skin started to look healthier.

The next time I tried to buy the Aloe Vera one, I couldn't find it, so I tried this one instead. I liked it just as much and have been using this product ever since (this is my 3rd bottle).

The product may seem a little pricey (£12.00 for 30ml) for such a small amount of serum, but you really don't need much and in my opinion it is worth it....

My body and face seem to react in the same way to moisturisers. I never used to moisturise my body because, after all that effort, I just felt extremely greasy.
I had seen this product advertised a lot and had always wanted to try it - I'm so glad that I eventually did!
The spray can makes it easy to apply and the formula isn't very thick, so it sinks in pretty fast.
I will be re-purchasing this product when this can runs out!

Maybelline Dream touch blush

I have really enjoyed using this blusher for the past month or so.

It has a very creamy formula, yet it is very long lasting and doesn't just slide down my face an hour after application.

The colour is gorgeous - a dark pink with tiny flecks of glitter in it. 

The glitter isn't visible after application (I was a little worried that it would make me look like a disco ball!)  - and actually gives me a lovely glow . 

You only need the tiniest little bit of this for it to work its magic and the pot will last be ages.

Love.Love.Love

I bet that you have heard of this little miracle!

If not then allow me to introduce you - this is the Nivea Lip butter in the Raspberry flavour. It has an ultra creamy formula and is my go-to product when my lips need some TLC.
The smell is incredible - like raspberry ice cream. Unlike many other products for the lips, it actually tastes as good as it smells.
You really don't need a lot of this - the only downside is that too much will leave a white residue on your lips. However, a little goes a long way, so this doesn't really matter.
An amazing product that I take with me everywhere!


Thanks for reading - I'll speak to you again in my next blog post!
Elle xox

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Review......

Hey there!
Welcome to my brand new blog, and my first post.....
What better way to start my blog than with a review of a cleanser that I have fallen in love with and that has literally saved my skin. For the past six months I have been using this cleanser and it has sorted all of my skin problems. From spots, to spot scars, from dry patches to oily patches, this product is a serious multitasker....

Liz Earle has won countless awards for this product and after trying it for myself, it was easy to see why. Unlike many other skincare products, using this cleanser is something that I actually look forward to. When I first tried this out at Christmas, I was very impressed by the smell. The cream contains Rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus essential oil. This combination makes for a scent that truly gives you that spa experience.

The cleanser is also available in a larger tube, however I really like the pump (I find that it's quicker). To use the hot cloth cleanser, you simply dispense 1-2 pumps of the product onto your hand, massage the thick cream into your face and over your eyelids and then wet the muslin cloth with water from the hot tap and use it to wipe off the cream and your dissolved make-up.

I am also a fan of the popular "They're real" mascara from Benefit which is pretty difficult to remove (so much so that Benefit have launched their own remover for the mascara). Despite being ultra gentle on your skin, the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser has no trouble in removing my mascara as well as the rest of my make-up!

After a breakout on Christmas Eve, I didn't know which "spot fighting" products to try next. I received this as a Christmas gift and after just a few uses, I saw a dramatic improvement in my skin, despite this not being advertised as a cleanser specifically formulated for spot prone skin.

In summary, here's why Liz Earle has become my favourite cleanser

• The cream cleanser removes all of my makeup, even my waterproof mascara
• The product is very gentle and nourishes my skin
• Despite being a rich cream, the cleanser does not break me out or cause my face to become oily
• Everything about the product is luxurious and using it is something that I look forward to, instead of being another chore....

Elle xox