Showing posts with label beautybyasparrow. Show all posts

SEPTEMBER

Skin4theWin



This is a beauty blog (obviously) but aside from real beauty coming from within, real beauty also comes from what’s underneath your make-up – your skin! If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know these three commonalities of my skin to be true;

1.      It still breaks out, despite the lack of adolescence
2.    SENSITIVITY OUT THE WA-ZOO; if there’s a way to freak out about something, my skin will find that way and ACE it (I’m nothing if not a high achiever)
3.    It likes to be dry, and not the good kind of martini dry, just plain dry
So by September this year I’d managed to settle myself into a routine that my skin actually not only tolerated, but seems to still thrive from.

DAYTIME
First things first (I’m the realest) I use a creamy cleanser (Swisse is still a fave, as is Kate Somerville Goat’s Milk) to wake myself up and get my skin ready for the day ahead. I then use a nourishing eye cream (Kate Somerville AgeArrest, ah!) followed by a hydrating serum, Dr Dennis Gross’s HydrationBooster. So, so good. I then pop on my moisturiser of choice (September, Darphin Hydraskin Rich, today, Drunk Elephant La La Retro Whip Cream) and to seal in all that skin-fun-time-goodness, a beautiful oil. My pick? Goldfaden MD Fleuressence. A blend of eight different oils designed for acneic, pimple-prone skin, that dries into the skin super quickly but leaves it luminous and fresh. Topped off with an SPF and ta-daaah! Skin is ready, prepped and excited to greet the day!

NIGHT TIME
Firstly – take off the mask. AaaaaAAAaLL the make-up. All the SPF. All the good stuff from the morning. Take it OFF with Nude Perfect Cleanse Omega Jelly. It’s amazing to smear your face like a Picasso and then rub it all off. Following this, I’ll either use Dr Dennis Gross Ultra Gentle Peel Pads or Sunday Riley Good Genes serum – NOT together. That’s a triple exfoliation. Dat’s bad.
If I’ve used a peel pad, I’ll be popping on more Dr Dennis Gross Hydration Booster (more water less problems). If not, I’ll follow with my moisturiser, or sometimes as a treat-yo-self, La Mer Concentrate (AH!) because it’s regenerative, hydrating and just beautiful. Following moisturiser – all of the oil. Ok, well, not all of it, but enough to make a lovely little barrier for my skin and to keep it lush.

Gotta tell ya, this routine hasn’t changed much and my skin is all the better for it. I’ve swapped out my serums as the weather’s changed this December, but this routine – cleanse, gentle exfoliation, hydrate, moisturise, nourish – it hasn’t steered me wrong yet!
#skingoalsalways


Tweet tweet xx

Back to Basics (and a bit of balyage too)

I bit the bullet and went into my hair dressers last week. The re-growth situation was out of control and Mumma Sparrow let slip at her appointment that I was considering chocolate brown and my hairdresser suggested I come in straight away for a consult before making any major colour changes.

And boy am I glad I did!

I always try to arrive early for my hairdressing appointments, just to make sure I’ve given my stylists all the time I can to get my hair right. I’m also one of those people who prefers to be super early for something than running late, and usually I need to take my hair out of its bun/pony tail/braid and brush it out before my appointment starts.

The colour wheel I'm sticking with
Baby Sparrow - natural colour!
I sat in the chair (same one as last time I think?) and got a good look at all the colours available in the Nak soft colour range. Re-growth is a real pain for anyone, but I’ve reached my point over the last few months where as much as I love my blonde, and I love being a light, almost platinum blonde, I can't deal with REGROWTH. OH MY GOD. NO. Over it, so, so over it. I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching (oh that sounds really douchey, I’m sorry) the last few months and it’s lead me to wanting to be as honest with myself as I can and, funny as it sounds, I want to get back to something like my natural colour, something I haven’t seen in, oh, about five years?




This time around a different team member took my appointment and I’ve got to say, he’s brilliant. All of the team are, and no matter who does my colour it always comes out looking superb, but the end result was so, so perfect, I couldn’t be happier. The base/root colour was a mix of 6.7 and 7.7 with 10 Vol, worked down and painted by hand. The light, almost white blonde my gorgeous girl Prue perfected during the pink period was left alone, and became the ombré tips to the darker shade.




The other wonderful thing about ditching the blonde foils and highlights is the time is cut in half! Anyone who’s ever had their hair colour treated or lightened to blonde will tell you that about three magazine’s worth of time is taken up with waiting, waiting… waiting…
This time around I was sitting only for about half an hour, forty minutes, before I was taken up to wash.

While my colour was being done my hairdresser and I had a good chat about life, relationships, and of course, hair. I was a little concerned about my colour, simply because I’ve done a lot to my hair over the last six months, but he reassured me that going darker would look great, but also wouldn’t do any more damage. I’d mentioned earlier on the blog that I’ve got very, very thick hair, and that has been my saving grace throughout all my colour changes. Whilst he had noticed some breakage, my stylist reassured me that my hair was ok, and would recover. He also talked about how porous some hair can be, and that I’m lucky mine isn’t too much so. The big problem with taking your hair down from a bleach-blonde shade to anything remotely darker is that your hair can turn green. Depending on how porous the hair is, what shades of blonde are involved, what type of dye, what amount of Vol is in the hair – it can all lead to a big, green-ish, unhealthy mess. Luckily when you’re working with an experienced colourist using good quality products, those disasters can be easily avoided!
Blonde hair mid. Jan 2015
Pink hair Feb 2015














As you can see in the above photos, although my hair looked pretty, the texture was quite dry and damaged near the ends, so it was really important to stop bleaching and colour treating my hair for a little while.


Let me tell you guys, it’s hard to feel attractive when your head is piled up with dye and you’re wearing what is essentially a high quality garbage bag.




Once the dye was washed out, my hair was thinned a tiny bit on the right side of my head (the heavier side of my part), as to the left of my part, my hair is that tiny bit thinner, and so much easier to handle! Having the two evened out has helped A LOT in the last two weeks alone. Then my hair was blow dried, and given a slight wave/curl, and voila! Done!




It’s actually quite a subtle change – I wasn’t greeted with the shocked gasps and screams that came with my first attempt at balyage, nor the squeals of going to back to blonde, but a lot of people do love it (including yours truly) and I couldn’t be happier, honestly. This colour is going to be so much easier to maintain, so much easier to style, and it’s got the right hint of blonde to be going along with. Stepping down to a darker shade for Autumn/Winter is also pretty exciting, and I feel a lot more confident going along with this season’s trends now that I have the hair to pull them off.

 




Until next time my little birds,

Tweet tweet xx

January/February Faves!

I am a terrible person, I was hoping to get these out to you by the end of February but now we're four days into March! I'm sorry my little birds!



L-R: Kikki K planner, Pores Be Pure Mud Mask, Australis Finishing Spray, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri,  Stay Matte Rimmel Setting Powder, MAC Snob Lipstick, MAC Chatterbox Lipstick, Mocha Wallet, Maybelline Undereye Concealer, Australis Stay Put Foundation, Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette, Abode Aroma Intense Candle, Vaseline hand and cuticle cream, Palmer's All Over Firming Lotion, St Tropez Tan Mousse in light/medium, Soap & Glory Oats Smoothie Scrub. 

First up is my Kikki K planner, which I grabbed during their post-Boxing Day Sales. Can I just say I'm now a Kikki K convert? Aside from being my favourite colour (mint!) it has literally saved my behind this year, keeping me up to date with everything from birthdays, appointments, to remembering to drink more water! They're completely customisable, with various accessories and add-ins available online and in Kikki K stores. Such a good purchase, big thanks to Miss (well, Mrs now!) Maddy for inspiring me! 
This year I'm focusing on myself, and doing what I need to do to feel good, balanced, and happy in my life. Whilst that sounds borderline douchey and philosophical, it also translates to GOOD investments. Kikki K products are GOOD, high quality leather, and as you can purchase re-fills annually, they're very sustainable and will last for years and years to come. 

My Pores Be Pure Mud Mask was something I bought a sample pack of once, just to try, and became addicted to. At only roughly nine dollars a tube, it doesn't cost a lot to give myself a treat one-to-three times a week; I was concerned the first time I tried the product, as it tingles and grows warm on your skin. Having used it over the last six months I've found that not only does it not make my skin angry, it leaves it feeling clean and glowing. 

Australis have been knocking it out of the park for me lately! The Finishing Spray smells like roses and feels like mermaids are caressing your face before you leave for work. Not even exaggerating.
I've been raving to my friends about the Stay Put 16 Hour Foundation because it actually does what it says - stays put! My only complaint is that even the lightest shade, Nude, is still too dark for my (unfortunately) pasty skin. That, however, is a small complaint considering how good my skin looks with this foundation, and how long it really does last. Working long days in retail means that not only do I not have time to re-apply my make-up, I don't really want to think about doing it on my breaks. 
     To combat the darkness of my foundation shade, as well as really setting my make up to last all day, I have been adoring Rimmel's Stay Matte translucent powder. Sprinkle of Glitter (a.k.a. Louise) and Substance for Belle  both raved about this powder for so long that when I saw it on sale, I figured, why not give it a go?
I'm never going back to another setting powder! I'll still use my Australis compact on-the-go, but for setting and buffing, this stuff is king!

This is my ugly old mug after a solid fifteen hours of wearing my Stay Put foundation.
IT. STAYS. PUT!

SALLY HANSEN INSTA-DRI WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!

HOLY MOLEY. I am a SERIAL smudger/lumper/mess-up-er when it comes to nail polish! I'm actually the worst. You know that meme 'thought my nails were dry three hours ago/went to do something/nope'? That's me. Well, it WAS me - you put this stuff on two minutes after you apply a coat of colour, wait thirty seconds AND IT'S DRY
NOT STICKY DRY
NOT EVEN SLIGHT FINGER PRINTS LEFT DRY
DRY
Now I was lucky enough to receive my bottle in a Sally Hansen pack that came with any Chemist Warehouse purchase. Usually it goes for around $14 at Priceline, but obviously keep an eye out for deals, 3 for 2 promotions, and of course, free gifts with purchase. This stuff is amazing, I cannot recommend it highly enough!
My nails do, unfortunately, still chip after use, but to be fair, my nails never last more than a day once I'm at work. I've tried nearly everything and the only time my nails haven't been wrecked by the end of a shift is after a professional salon gel job, and guuurrrrl I do not have the money to be doing that regularly.

I was extremely spoilt on my 21st birthday, and I'm so very grateful and feel so special that so many lovely people thought of me and gave me such gorgeous, thoughtful gifts. I received two MAC lipsticks, my first ever, from a group of friends, and I'm in love. They're my babies, I keep them in their boxes and the zipper compartment of my bag, I never let them out of my sight haha!
The shades I have are 'Snob', an almost-nude pink, and Chatterbox, a pink/coral/bright shade that I love.
Chatterbox and Snob 

Admittedly I've been using Snob a little more, just as I find it's a little more matte and neutral compared to Chatterbox. For work I like to emphasise my eyes, so having a subtle pink works best for me day-to-day. When I do wear Chatterbox, I get that many compliments it's not funny! 
Snob on top
Chatterbox beneath

Speaking of thoughtful, beautiful birthday presents, my work girls spoilt me rotten with a whole collection of gorgeous items, including Too Faced's Naturals Eye Palette. 


I AM IN LOVE. I don't think I've used a single other palette since December. Some of the darker shades aren't quite day-wear appropriate, but make beautiful liners and shades for cut-creases as well. I'll even use Silk Teddy as a highlighter instead of blush. Such a beautiful collection of colours, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a palette that can do nice, neutral day looks, as well as smokey eyes for nights out, this is my pick! (However word is Mecca will soon have the Too Faced Naturals Matte Palette and that may become a new favourite by the end of March!)
(Speaking of Mecca and March, HOW FREAKIN' EXCITED AM I FOR URBAN DECAY?! LOTS!)

Of course, perfecting your eyeshadow game means nothing if you've got big, fat circles under your eyes, and summer heat doesn't make for a peaceful night's sleep, lemme tell you! So imagine my absolute DELIGHT to find Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer. HOLEY RUSTED METAL BATMAN. With Goji berry extract and a foamy roller ball, this goes on like a dream and really, truly works! I couldn't believe it! I've never had an under eye concealer work so well, and so nicely too. As you can see in the photo I've nearly gone through the tube, and I'll definitely be repurchasing as soon as I can! 

The Vaseline Hand & Cuticle cream is a staple in my handbag. I don't find it as hydrating as the Palmer's hand, foot and elbow cream, but it is definitely more quickly absorbed. I'm the worst at remembering to moisturise, so having this in my bag and having to look at it every time I grab my wallet or phone reminds me to do it!

I've said before and I'll say it again; Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub is AMAZING and I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it. 
Did you get that? LOVE IT.
For starters it smells like how I imagine American breakfasts do, all sugary and maple-syrupy, and amazing. It's a nice, smoothing scrub that doesn't leave my skin stinging afterwards (unless I've scrubbed too hard by accident) and my skin is smoother than a baby's bottom after wards.

Perfect for using before tanning, and I have to say, I now understand the hype around St. Tropez. One of my last posts from 2014 mentioned me buying the tan on sale, and I'm so, so glad that I did. It's a green based mousse that goes on smoothly with a beautiful finish, and doesn't look harsh or fake or orange. I'm very careful with how I use this tan, as it can stain your hands, and I leave my arms and legs out straight for about an hour after I apply, to make sure I don't smudge or mess it up. The problem with St. Tropez, for me, is the price. On sale I could justify the mousse and the mitt (which washes and dries like a dream, and is always ready to-go for application!), but coming in at closer to $50 than I'd like, I'm afraid this will be my first, and possibly only bottle. It IS on sale this week at Priceline so hopefully I'll be able to duck in and grab another, but no guarantees! This time around I might try the gradual tan, just so I can compare it against the Palmer's Cocoa Butter tan.

Palmers is another brand that's been surprising me lately, especially the Firming Lotion. I mentioned this product in a post earlier last year; I grabbed it just to try, and fell in love. It actually works! My thighs appear smoother, my skin feels better, and I've been recommending it to anyone concerned about cellulite, stretch marks, or skin tone. Team it with the Scrub and you'll have skin to die for!

More birthday goodies!

My work team are incredible. They're also thoughtful, generous, and kind, and heard me mentioning that I'd been looking for a new wallet. Imagine how excited and grateful I was to open my new Mocha wallet! IN MINT! Honestly these girls know me too well - it's gorgeous, it's patent leather, it fits everything I could ever need, and I adore it. Mocha are quite a cute little boutique style of stores found in most Melbourne shopping centres; they also stock Samantha Wills jewellery, if anyone else is in love with the Bardot Bohemian rings like I am! 

My gorgeous girl Hanna gave me the Abode Aroma candle in pineapple and guava, and in case you can't tell, I've nearly burnt it down to the quick! I LOVE THIS CANDLE. I light it nearly every night before bed, and it smells so summery and fresh. I leave its lid off during the day, so that when I come home my room smells like a mini-tropical get away.

That gorgeous china with the Lindt balls is Royal Albert, the Miranda Kerr collection. I was absolutely SPOILT and surprised, and humbled to receive the cake stand, tea strainer, as well as the tea cup, saucer and plate. They're absolutely beautiful and I know I'll keep them forever, and pass them down to my granddaughters one day. 
Fun fact about me: I collect tea cups. I think it's residual tea party obsession from when I was a little girl. 

Well that is it for now, my little birds! Any questions about any of the products mentioned, please just leave them in the comments - or if you've used any of these yourself PLEASE tell me what you think? Am I totally wrong? Is there something better I should be trying? Something I should know! Tweet it loud, tweet it proud! 

Until next time, 
Tweet tweet xx

Pink Hair Don't Care

Hello my little birds!

I PROMISE (cross my heart and hope to die!) that my next post will be SOONER and it will include all of my January and February Favourites for 2015

Today I need to share with you my latest hair adventure - PINK!

Fresh Colour & Curls

Before I give y'all the run down, MASSIVE THANK YOU to my girl Prue. Prue was the one who suggested we go pink, she has such a passion for hair and beauty, and honestly it's exactly the thing I've been needing lately so I can't say enough how grateful I am and how much I love that girl!

I got myself to Prue's house fairly early in the morning, and lucky I did or who knows how long we would've been waiting around for colour to take, etc. After lunch (woo! lunch!) we walked up to her local Priceline, where one of their sales assistants was extremely helpful. 
My hair is already quite blonde, and quite light, and has some ashy undertones. The main question Prue and I were tackling was what concentration of bleach to use on my already coloured hair; not only would this leave a great base for the pink, but once the semi-permanent dye washes out, the colour underneath needs to look beautiful as well. 
Important Colour Decisions Being Made
We ended up with a cream developer bleach, 30 Vol, a packet of blue peroxide, and a tube of a light blonde that was in the same colour wheel as my current tones. Prue also grabbed  a bottle of Swarzkhoff Nordic Blonde Toner to use after the colouring process, to eliminate any chance of brassiness. 

We return to Prue's, where I was bundled up like a baby in a towel, Prue popped on her gloves and started mixing. I cannot over emphasise how much I TRUSTED Prue to do this. Whilst it's absolutely great to have friends that want to experiment with hair and beauty with you, keep in mind there's some things best left to the professionals - Prue however has an excellent understanding of hair care and colouring, and I knew I was in good hands with her, literally.
Prue preferred to wear gloves and do the colouring by hand, rather than using a brush and foils. I think this lead to a natural, beautiful result, as Prue was able to judge, by eye, where the colour was going and how it was going to fade.

Bleach and colour were in, and we played the waiting game, chatting and checking the bleach wasn't getting too hot. Then I had my head over her laundry sink while she washed it through, first getting out the bleach and peroxide, then using toner, before washing it through with shampoo and conditioner, and then applying a hair mask. 
Waiting For the Hair Mask to Dry, Enjoying a Vanilla Latte (and Tim Tam.. or Four)


The mask was rinsed out, my hair blow dried, the dead ends trimmed, and voila! Beautiful new hair.

And then I was back in the chair for the best bit - THE PINK!
The method Prue used is one that leaves a semi-permanent, wash out result. If I were to take on the pink permanently, I wouldn't be doing it the same day I bleached or dyed my hair blonde, as I think that'd just be asking for trouble and breakage!

Essentially it's all the conditioner you can fit in a bowl, with all the dye you like, mixed up and then applied to the hair. 
Mid-Way Through
Again we played the waiting game, letting the colour sit... and sit... and sit... Before Prue used a hair drier on the conditioner/dye blend. The heat locks the colour into the hair as it dries.
Another rinse, another blow dry, aaaannnd... PINK HAIR! 

Left to Right: (1) Hair before colouring (2) Waiting for bleach and colour (3) Washed, toned and blow dried - blonde! (4) Conditioner and colour mask (5) Rinsed, blow dried and freshly curled
(6) Curls brushed out into beautiful waves 



I'm so excited and so so happy with my pink hair - it is semi-permanent, and even after washing it today the colour has receded and gone a gorgeous pastel shade. I honestly don't mind doing this process again because the end result was that beautiful and made me feel THAT HAPPY that I'm absolutely willing to tip my head over the laundry sink a couple more times haha!

Prue then pampered me like a princess, curling my hair, which looked phenomenal, and doing my make up too. I've gotten so, so many compliments about my hair, which has been so so lovely as well. I'll list all the products we used below, though I don't know Prue's hair mask brand (again, head in the sink guys, visibility was low!). I'm so, so, SO excited and happy about my hair! 
The Final Result xx
PRODUCTS; 
Nordic Blonde Toner $5.39
Hi Lift Blonde Highlighter Sachet $3.99
Innovative Creme Developer 30 Vol $5.59
Crema Colour in 10T  Very Light Beige Blonde $13.99
Until next time,
Tweet tweet xx

The Brunette and The Blonde: DRAMA

OK folks. The big day came last Thursday, and it went... Well it ended well!



The end result 



 I couldn't jump straight to my inspo photo level of blonde - my hair was much too dark from the ombre and balayage. Firstly it needed to be lightened, brought up quite a few steps and toned. Hopefully by my next salon visit I'll be able to achieve the ash blonde balayage I've been dreaming of!

Firstly, the back of my head, where I have the most hair, was sectioned and popped into foils.

This was where things got interesting.
Bleach gets hot, and as it lightens hair it gets a bit warmer. Moisture tends to drip and leak through the foils, which I knew from the last time I was blonde. As I sat in the chair, though, my hair slowly (but surely) began creeping from a 6 up to an 8, with 10 being the absolute BURNING hottest and 1 being nothing. Soon my scalp was getting to a 9, and it was at this point my hairdresser noticed quite a bit of leakage, so quickly teased my ends and applied lightener. Within ten minutes I almost couldn't stand it, but hadn't said anything because hey what do I know? (I'm not a hair dresser haha) When my hairdresser felt my hair and said "I've NEVER felt hair this hot, we need to get you to the basin NOW!" I panicked slightly. 
Lightener had also leaked onto my shirt, so my lovely hair dresser threw it in the washing machine - meaning for the remainder of my appointment I was topless. Ha. 


Here we are, waiting for the lightener to do its thing, hoping my clipped-closed wrap stayed closed so no one would spot my bra.... Chilling.. Chilling... 

The ready half of my head was washed first


Believe me, I know a tiger striped head ain't attractive, but it didn't stay this way for long. Once all my hair had been washed, my hairdresser had the base to start working up to the blonde you saw above. 
 (I know, sexy right?) 

My salon has recently started using NAK hair colour, promoted as 'the soft colour range'. It's pretty cool, the choose your tones, pop them in this bowl that's then WHOOSHED around like a salad drier, to achieve the perfect colour. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I was used to old products, but the end result looked pretty. Did it feel softer than the old colour products? Not so much that I noticed, but I must mention that my hair was a tad dried out after the process. Not due to anything my hairdresser did, simply because going from such a dark shade to a light colour isn't a great thing to do to your hair, no matter how healthy it is. My saving grace was that my hair is extremely thick, so breakage isn't as big of a deal because there is, seriously, that much of it. 

I've washed my hair twice since Thursday, and I've been using John Frieda Everlasting Blonde shampoo and John Frieda Color Renew conditioner, which is purple as it contains toner, STOPPING brassiness (yay!)

It hasn't even been a week and I've received so, so many compliments and comments. Weird as it sounds, although blonde isn't my natural colour, I feel more like myself with this as my hair colour over brunette shades. I'll keep you all up to date with how my colour is progressing, and all I'm doing to keep my hair healthy and my colour looking fresh! 


(Before: Brunette balyage                                                After: blonde and bright!) 



Tweet tweet xx


Stay tuned... My next post will be all-21st related, including a tutorial! 

Priceline Haul & Blonde Prep Update

Hello little birds!
A quick little post, I popped into Priceline today and picked up one or two bargains, and some VIBP (Very Important Blonde Products) before my hair appointment tonight!



First I grabbed a new can of Schwarzkhof firm hold hairspray (because my brother keeps ‘borrowing’ mine without replacing it) and John Frieda Sheer Blonde Everlasting shampoo (extends your colour for up to two weeks – truly!). I love using John Frieda for my blonde hair, because the brand understands what your hair needs – the toning conditioner is excellent and cancels out all possible brassiness, whilst softening your hair after the trauma of bleach and foils.


I also grabbed some St. Tropez tanning products, as they’re currently marked down. I’ve always heard great things about the brand, but it’s so, so pricey! $50 for self tanner? On a student budget? Whilst also being blonde (at the time)? Er, nope. But down to $31? That was a little more do-able, for a one-off (as it’s my 21st birthday party tomorrow night!). To be safe I picked up the St. Tropez tanning mitt as well, as I would hope their mitt is designed to suit and help along their own product. I chose the mousse option as I find they dry a little bit faster, don’t leave an icky residue, and are easier to control than a spray.




Australis Stay Put foundation has quickly become one of my new favourites, as it actually does stay put! The only problem I had was I chose a shade suited to my (falsely) tanned skin, which didn’t suit my naturally pale beige complexion. I plucked from the shelves the shade ‘nude’ which will hopefully blend a little better. I also replaced my Face of Australia matte eye-shadow primer, as my last little $7 pot is nearly empty. 

I'll give the full run-down of my other preparation for going blonde on my next post, after my (eek!) appointment! 

Tweet tweet xx

Come with me as I go from brunette to blonde!

Hello little birds!

It's been almost a full year since I was blonde. What appealed to me the most was that going to a shade closer to (what I thought) was my original colour, I wouldn't have to deal with re-growth as often, saving me time and money that the blonde definitely did NOT.

Before I went to brunette, this is what I was dealing with.

As you can see my blonde was very brassy, re-growth coming through, the ends were dead and it was a struggle to deal with, and unhealthy. Something needed to change because as most blondes will tell you (even the natural ones!) it's not an easy colour to keep up. 


I won't lie, my first dive into brunette/balyage was much, much too dark and I was a little scared. WHAT had I gotten myself into? I looked so pale! I loved the balyage but I felt the hair closest to my face, and my roots, was borderline gothic.
I'd gone from a brassy blonde, above, to this:
Ignore the awkward facial expression, I think I was in shock. 
This is a few hours after the dye job, so you can see the dark marks on my skin. It took a little while to get used to seeing my own reflection! This was February 2014 - new semester, new hair. 

Fast forward to May 2014, and my re-growth was looking GREY. GREY! I'm only 20!
My hair wasn't turning old, I'd just misjudged my original colour. I'm naturally a very, very cool blonde/brunette colour, and unfortunately, against a bold, almost auburn brunette, that colour looks grey, even though it definitely isn't. My second attempt came out much, much better, richer and slightly lighter. 
As you can see the balyage has been pulled up a little higher, almost level with the cheekbone, which again softened the dramatic dark dye job no. 1
I loved this colour and the ombre, but as with all blonde ends, they began to split. That's why August this year I opted for a lob! 
August 2014 - the length was JUST at shoulder, and the balyage was still sitting at a comfortable spot - the brunette was also a lot softer than February, and without the dead ends weighing it down, my hair felt much lighter and heavier. 
Now we're in December (WHERE DID THE YEAR GO? NO SERIOUSLY I'M REALLY CONCERNED) and as much as I've enjoyed my hair this year, I need to be blonde again. I felt happier, brighter and more smiley as a blonde. For reference, 2011-2013 I went from a half head of foils 

To a full head of foils and full fringe by the middle of 2012
 

I loved being platinum, Barbie blonde, and I did love my fringe BUT HOLY MOLEY FRINGES ARE HARD WORK AND I'M STILL GROWING THAT SUCKER OUT. This time around I'm aiming for an ash-balayage blonde
Here are a few of my hairspo images!
 

I'll keep you all updated as I go from brunette-balayage back to blonde! (Fingers crossed it's not a disaster zone!)

Tweet tweet xx

WHEN TANS GO WRONG

I'm so sorry I've been away from so long - work, uni, and getting sick at the same time hasn't left me much time or room for my little birds, but I'm back!

And BOY do I have a doozy for you!

I have cardinally sinned (in beauty terms) - I tried to apply MORE tanning mousse over my already fading, patchy tan, and the results weren't pretty



 Not pretty folks. Not pretty at all. 

 So today I used a tried and tested method for removing/fixing fake tan that I've been using for around two years now. It's super simple, all you'll need is

2-3 medium to large lemons, halved
1/2 cup raw sugar, or enough to make an almost watery-paste

1. Halve your lemons
2. Juice your lemons
3. Pour in the sugar
4. Take a bath!

(NOTE: you don't HAVE to take a bath. This stuff works in the shower too, but I find a bath lets me get a really good scrubbing before it all washes off too quickly)

I also added some epsom salts, as they also aid in getting that tan off as well as soothing any tight muscles.


Now grab a handful of your lemon-sugar concoction and give yourself a good scrub! Once you've done this leave it for 2-3 minutes, as the lemon juice gets into the skin and the acids lift the tan away from the skin (without being too harsh, of course). 

Take a clean face washer or small towel and rub this over the skin before rinsing. Make sure it's one you can easily wash, as the towelling will lift and rub off the tan in small, brown flakes.
Soak for a little while the tub after rinsing off the lemon juice and sugar, as this gets into the skin a little more as well as softening it.

Today I was DESPERATE to get this awful tan off, so after I hopped out of the tub I jumped into the shower and used the Swisse Body Exfoliant - it's a VERY gentle exfoilant that smells lovely, and it helped to get those darker, stubborn bits of tan to fade. 

Here's the result: 



As you can see, my tan hasn't completely faded, but it's far more even than earlier today. Once you've used the lemon-sugar scrub it becomes MUCH easier to exfoliate and get more of your tan off. I'd recommend leaving your skin a day or two between using either the lemon-sugar scrub or a harsher exfoliant, so your skin can recover from the scrubbing. 

And I PROMISE to never EVER tan over an already fading tan EVER again!

Also, using a gentle self-tanner, like Dove Summer Glow between tanning stints helps to  moisturise your skin and even it all out as your tan fades out. 

Until next time my little birds, tweet tweet! xx
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