Lazy Girl Beauty Must Haves

We've all had a case of the CBA's and for many it's a daily occurrence. Well, if you're one of these people. This post is for you.

Here are my three favourite things that I think every lazy girl needs.

1) Orgins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - So for those evenings where the thought of a fully blown skincare routine leaves you edging towards sleeping in your make-up, use this guy. All you need to do is get the make-up off, give your face a wash and slap this on. (Then fall into bed.) You'll wake up with nice hydrated skin and a feeling of getting an extra five minutes sleep.

2) Bourjois Quick Dry Polish - If you're like me and love having painted nails but hate the process of doing it, then this guy is a life saver. Paint your nails in the colour of your choice, plop a drop of this on and your nails will be dry in about 2 minutes. It's perfect.

3) Batiste Dry Shampoo - I'm sure you've heard of this, and it's a morning lifesaver. Washing your hair can be a right chore, and an arm ache too if it's long. Sometimes you need to eek it out an extra day before washing and this is your guy. When it comes to dry shampoo, Batiste is the only way to go.

What are your lazy beauty faves?

Friday Focus: Aussie

My love affair with Aussie products has been going on for countless years now. I love everything about them ranging from how nourished they make my hair feel all the way to how they write cute things on the backs of their bottles. It's safe to say I always have at least one of their products in rotation, and whilst I may stray to other brands occasionally (the seaweed is always greener, right?) I always end up coming back to this brand, and mainly, these products.

Miricale Hair Insurance Leave in Conditioner- This is the product that is always in rotation. After every hair wash I spritz this all over my damp hair and either blow dry or let it dry naturally. When I use this product I just know that my hair will feel nourished and soft. This is the 'if you get one product from this post' product!

3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner - Everyone needs a good ol' deep condition every now and again don't they? This is my favourite one (closely followed by the Loreal Ever Riche one) just because it's thick without being overpowering on my thin yet greasy hair, and smells amazing. I like to use this once a week after giving my hair a deep clean to restore some moisture in my ends for the week ahead! For a while I couldn't find it and I got really panicky, but it looks to be back now, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Mega Instant Shampoo and Conditioner - These are the bees knees of shampoos and conditioners. I have quite an irritable scalp (boo) and quite a lot of shampoos and conditioners can build up and aggravate it. This is when I always end up coming back to these two products. They cleanse my hair really well, without stripping it or irritating my hair; and for someone who hates washing my hair, I can stretch my greasy hair 2-3 (sometimes 4 if I'm not leaving the house) days.

Do you like Aussie? What are your favourite products?

Laura xoxo

Am I Missing Something?

Texturising sprays seem to be a massive craze at the moment, and when something promises to add volume and texture to my hair, I knew I wanted to try it. However, I've hit a slight snag in the road. I just don't like them.

I began my journey with the Lee Stafford Messed Up Light Spray Wax, which was ok. It was more of a sea salt spray kind of product without the sea salt. It does a good job of making my ends more voluminous, but after a while it falls flat again, and my big hair dreams fall flat (pun intended) again.

I then decided I'd give the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray a go, with many calling it a dupe to the illustrious Orbie. Now, for me, this product is just plain weird. It smells like the Loreal Elnett Hairspray, and makes my hair feel crunchy too. Yes I get a bit of volume from this, but the crunchy, dry and product feeling hair I get in my hair after is just not worth it.

I thought I'd give these sprays one more go and purchased the Loreal Studio Line Volume Supersizing Spray after seeing it in someones video. Now this is more along the line of something I like. It has the powder particles of a dry shampoo and gives my hair a lot of volume. After my first use I did end up saying a 'wow' out loud, to myself... But again, the feeling in my hair afterwards just didn't seem worth it.

So, I turn to you, oh lovely readers. Am I doing something wrong? Am I using too much? Is it because I hate washing my hair so products that I can feel just won't be my friend? What's my problem?

Answers on a postcard please.

Laura xoxo

What's All the Fuss About?

Beauty bloggers are great at creating a hype. As soon as a couple of top notch bloggers mentions a product, the shelves of Boots are cleared meaning the hype around said product becomes even greater. I for one am a sucker for a hype, but rather than reading another countless review I decided to round up all the latest 'hyped' products I've managed to get my hands on and give you my verdict on whether they are worth your pretty pennies.

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Peach Pop - Firstly, the packaging of this is gorgeous, you can't deny it and for Clinque it's not too badly priced at just £16.50. As soon as I saw the PR samples of these pop up on blogs I new I wanted one and saved up my Boots points to get one, which I'm glad I did as I think I would've been disappointed if I'd spent my own money on it. Now this isn't a bad product, I just found it to be really lacking in pigmentation. This does mean it gives a nice natural flush, but I find I have to build colour up, rather than give a light dusting.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream - I really didn't want to be dragged into the hype with this product but I just couldn't resist. I do think this product adapted to my skin tone nicely, but considering I have normal to oily skin I found it really didn't sit well on my face and oxidised throughout the day. I found it best used when worked into a moisturiser, but it's something I won't be repurchasing.

Charles Worthington Texturising Spray - As much as I love a blogger hype I refuse to waste a shed load of money on the Orbie Texturising Spray when I spend most of my days shoving my hair into a ponytail. On hearing that this guy was a dupe I decided to give it a go, and I really don't get it. It leaves my hair feeling crisp, like I just coated it in hairspray, and it also has a really strong hairspray-esque smell which puts me off too. Am I using this wrong? I really don't like this at all.

Borjousi Rouge Velvet Liquid Lipsticks - This is another product that as soon as I saw it pop up on blogs I new I wanted it. I canvased my nearby Boots waiting for it to be released, and I have to say it's worth the wait. Out of all the liquid lipsticks I've tried this is by far the most long lasting. My only gripe is that it feels a bit drying, due to the matte texture, but I really like this product.

Have you tried any of these? Do they live up to the hype?

Laura xoxo

Trying the Trend: Halo Braids

It appears that the hair trend for this summer is Halo Braids or MilkMaid Braids, depending on personal preference. After spotting many a lovely blogger sporting this braids so effortlessly I decided to have a go at recreating them myself.

What I forget, much like when taking a picture to a hairdresser, is that I don't have the same face shape as said bloggers and to be honest think I look a bit like the sister from Love Actually that Colin Firth's character falls in love with. But alas, you never know unless you try right?

I have actually filmed a video where I re-create this look, but in case you want a step by step sooner, here is how I did it.

1) plait two braids on either side of the head.
2) place plaits over the top of your head, then pin in place.
3) mess about until your happy.

It's pretty simple really. I think I may mess around with it a bit more and see if there is a way I can make it more wearable for myself to feel comfortable.

What do you think of this trend?

Laura xoxo

Desk-side beauty

When it comes to work I'm very low maintenance. Working in a small office with little interaction with the outside world except the odd dash to the supermarket at lunch, has meant that make-up and hair is left in its natural state in favour of sleep. However there are some beauty items that a gal (I don't think I'm cool enough to use that word) just needs to have with her. Here I present to you my desk-side beauty.

First up I have a hair clip which I got from Boots. On the odd day I wear my hair down, I find it just annoys me, so end up clipping it up. Perfect when you tend to spend a lot of the day with your head down typing. Also hair related I like to keep a little pocket brush (handy mirror there too) to give my hair a bit of a spruce up, which it often needs. Finally if I really should've washed my hair the night before, or on the off chance I'm going out after work I like to keep some dry shampoo handy, just in case.

For me, a broken nail is the most annoying thing. As someone who used to bite their nails seeing the start of a broken nail is just too tempting, so I like to file it down before I create some real damage. I also find that sometimes I don't realise my nails are a bit too long until I'm trying to type and file them down a little. Also in the name of hand care I love this Garnier hand cream and tend to use it daily. Washing up my cups and dishes can leave my hands feeling dry, especially in the winter weather and this is great at making them feel softer.

Finally to keep chapped lips at bay I like to keep a lip balm with me. This Nivea one has little colour but serious moisture, making it the perfect desk-side beauty item. It's great to slap on without a mirror and really works at nourishing my lips as I work.

What are your desk side beauty picks?

Laura xoxo

Review: Loreal Ever Riche Nourishing Intense Mask

Ah, the Loreal Ever Riche range, how it has made an appearance on many a blog. For a good reason I am pleased to say.

I love using this when my hair is feeling dry. It leaves my hair feeling extremely soft and smelling delicious.

The softness lasts numerous days and so does the smell. You only need a pea sized amount each use meaning it'll last a long time, and it's extremely powerful.

Have you tired this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Review: Living Proof amp2

I picked this little guy up in London back in the summer. I've heard great reviews about this product and as volume is something I long for in my hair.

This product is great for adding volume for your roots and is really simply to use.

Add a pea size amount into your palm and then add it to the underneath of your roots. Afterwards volumized hair shall be yours.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Video: Get Ready With Me - Evening Out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gBOD_ezTYQ&feature=youtu.be

For some reason it won't let me put the actual video in this post, but you should just be able to follow the link below. Last week when I went out I filmed my getting ready process, as I love filming and watching these kind of videos!

Enjoy!

Laura xoxo

Video: Hair Heroes

A video explaining my hair heroes :)

Laura xoxo

Video: Simple Beachy Waves

A simple way I found to get beachy waves quickly. I hope you like!

Laura xoxo

Video: 4 Simple Heatless Summer Hairstyles

This video is all about 4 different summer hairstyles your can use that require no heat. (Pretty much what the title says.)

Hope you enjoy.

Laura xoxo

Video: How I Use the Enrapture Heated Rollers

Excuse the ill and general out of sorts of this video, but I really wanted to show you how I use the Enrapture Rollers.

I hope you enjoy.

Laura xoxo

Friday Fact

Squeeze out the excess water from your hair before applying your conditioner. 

By squeezing out the extra moisture it means that the conditioner will be able to fully sink into the hair, meaning that it will be more effective. Otherwise the water will dilute, meaning the conditioner will lose it's strength.

Happy Friday!

Laura xoxo

Review: Lee Stafford 'Messed Up'

I definitely prefer the slightly messed up/just go out of bed look when it comes to my hair. I love the Bumble and Bumble surf spray, but I do find it dries my hair out at times, so I picked this up in the hope that I would get the same effect but without the drying feeling.

This is my hair with nothing in it. As you can see it has a wave to it, and isn't the worst, but for me it feels a bit flat.

So this is my hair after a good spritz of the 'messed up' bottle. It's not earth shattering is it?

What I like about this is that you can't feel it in your hair. What I feel it does is emphasise the curl in my hair rather than 'mess up' my hair. Some may prefer this, but it doesn't do what it says on the tin.

I've only used this a handful of times, and the bottle is already feeling pretty empty.

Whilst I don't hate this product, it hasn't blown me away. Maybe my hair is a bit too long for it, or maybe it's just not compatible with my hair. I do like the effect it gives, but it definitely was not what I wanted from it, so I'm not going to be repurchasing it, but it won't be a hardship using it up.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Friday Fact

When towel-drying your hair, squeeze it, instead of rubbing it!

Rubbing a towel over your hair to dry it causes the ends to split, which results in frizzier. By squeezing out the excess water instead it prevents the damage and results in hair being more manageable and smoother.

Happy Friday!

Laura xoxo

Source

Video: Get Ready With Me

Today's video is a 'Get Ready With Me' one. I absolutely love watching these, so when I got ready to go to friends house party last week I decided to film one myself. However now I'm a bit anxious about uploading it, is it it interesting for you to watch me get ready? I don't know. I'd also planned to do narration over the top but my laptop doesn't want to play nice so I'm hoping this is ok instead. Anyway enough rambling and excuses.

New video; enjoy:


Do you like these type of videos?

Laura xoxo

Video: A Hairy Tale

Just a quick post letting you know that I've posted a new video! It's all about my hair.




Why not check it out?

Laura xoxo

Video: How to get ready; Fast!

Just thought I'd let you all know that I uploaded a new video earlier. I'm sure you're thrilled with this information and are begging me to explain what it's about. Well fear not. This video is kind of me experimenting with different styles of videos, it is far from perfect, like most of my videos, and like usual is just a bit of fun really. It is focused around those mornings where you hit snooze that few too many times and need to be ready 5 minutes ago.



Hope you enjoy.

How do you get ready fast?

Laura xoxo

Treating Yourself

Yes, tomorrow is Valentines day, and whether you are into the whole thing, or it's just another day to you, it gives us an excuse to give ourselves a little pamper.

I was going to do a post on what I'll be doing to pamper myself, but as I haven't bought any new 'pampering products' really, I thought I'd link to some older posts for you.

Skin Treat: post

My favourite treat is still slapping on a good layer of the Emma Hardie cleansing balm with the rosehip seeds on my face and leaving it for around 5-10 mins.

I then layer on the Orgins Drink Up Intesive Overnight mask, either over night, or just for 5-6 hours in the evening and then carrying on with my usual skincare routine.

Hair: Post

A good layer of this coconut oil overnight is a cheap and easy way to give you silky soft locks.

Nails: Post

A few more pamper posts.

Will you be treating yourself this V-day?

Laura xoxo