March Favourites

Pepta-Bright
As I'm such a big fan of Hydraluron, which is also made by Indeed Labs, I had to try out their latest product. Pepta-Bright is a creamy textured serum which helps to brighten my skintone & has been really effective at reducing scarring. I hate the freckles & brown spots on my face and this has helped to lighten them a tiny bit. Hopefully over time they will fade a lot more because then I wouldn't need to wear a high coverage foundation. It also boosts skin hydration & radiance. I apply this, then Hydraluron, followed by my moisturiser. This product goes well with the Clarins toner to give your skin maximum brightness & clarity.

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner
This lovely toner is also a chemical exfoliant so using this every night has made my skin feel so much softer & smoother. I have a real problem with bumps under my skin and other than Alpha-H Liquid Gold, this is the only product that has managed to shift them. As the name suggests it is incredibly gentle so this would make a great alternative to Liquid Gold for anyone with sensitive skin. Read my full review here.

Neal & Wolf Harmony Intensive Care Treatment
This intensive conditioner is one of the best I've ever tried. I've shelled out for products double the price of this one that were far less effective. Kerastase, I'm looking at you. It really improves the appearance and feel of my hair. Whenever I've used this my hair is instantly transformed from looking dry and damaged to healthy and shiny. The difference it makes to my hair is just incredible. Its so nice to not have my hair looking like a heavily bleached dry mess for once!

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
I've suffered with eczema since I was a baby. I've managed to control my symptoms a lot through watching my diet, changing my shower gel and using various oils & creams. But nothing was working on the patches on my elbows until I tried La Roche-Posay's Cicaplast Baume. It offers instant relief to any itch and adds some much needed moisture to the area. This is a multipurpose soothing balm which is suitable for very sensitive skin so you can use it on dry lips, rashes, minor burns or even as a face cream. This is a brilliant product for anyone with dry skin anywhere on their face or body.

Illamasqua Scarce Nail Varnish
This gorgeous speckled pink hasn't left my nails all month. Its the perfect polish for Easter and as with all Illamasqua nail varnishes the formula & quality are impeccable. Check out my nail swatches of this shade here.

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Current Haircare Routine

When it comes to haircare my main concern is trying to stop my hair from looking dry and straw like. I've been bleaching my hair this colour since 2006 with a one year break in 2009 so I've tried a fair few treatments in my time. I've noticed the last few times I've washed & styled my hair its been looking better & healthier than ever, even more so than when I sported my natural hair colour. I think I've finally got my haircare routine locked down to these few products so this might be helpful to anyone with dry or damaged hair.

L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo / Tigi Bed Head Urban Antidotes Resurrection Shampoo & Conditioner / Neal & Wolf Harmony Intensive Care Treatment*

I've used an absolute ton of different purple shampoos but the L'Oreal silver shampoo is the best one if you just want to eliminate all signs of brassyness. I found that many others would leave my hair tinted rather than just white blonde. Clairol Shimmer Lights often left my hair with blue tones & Lee Stafford's offering made my hair really pinky. Purple shampoos are normally quite drying too but the L'Oreal one keeps my hair feeling soft. I picked up the Tigi Urban Antidotes duo in TK Maxx but you can find them just as cheaply online. I really like all the Tigi duos because the bottles are so big they last for months. I used to use the Dumb Blonde ones but switched to Urban Antidotes as these are specialised towards extremely damaged hair. Over time this duo has definitely helped to strengthen my hair and reduce breakage. They also have the most amazing bubblegum scent. A product I recently introduced into my haircare routine is the Neal & Wolf Harmony Intensive Care Treatment. I received this at a blogger meetup and when I tried it I couldn't believe the difference it made! It has worked so much better than every other conditioning treatment I've tried including those expensive Kerastase ones. This is a must buy product if you have dry or damaged hair. It just makes my hair look so healthy & glossy. Neal & Wolf are a brand I definitely need to investigate more because if the rest of their products are as good as this I am converted!

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

I am rather lazy when it comes to my hair so I don't use this product very often but when I do, the difference is just incredible. Elasticizer is a pre-shampoo treatment so it is a bit of a faff to use. You have to wet your hair, apply it, put on a shower cap and then leave it in for ages before shampooing it off. You can leave it in for just 20 minutes or overnight if you prefer. I like to apply it to the ends of my hair and leave it overnight before washing it out in the morning. It restores your hair to almost virgin condition making it feel silky & sleek. This product can also help with hair growth if you use it often enough as one of the main ingredients is castor oil. It is very expensive for a hair treatment but worth every penny.

Kérastase Ciment Thermique / Moroccanoil / Bumble & Bumble Brilliantine / Alterna Caviar Rapid Repair Spray

I'm still using my Ciment Thermique & Moroccanoil combo as my blow dry base products. Together they give me the perfect amount of heat protection & moisture. A couple of months ago I added Bumble & Bumble Brilliantine to the mix and this stuff is basically a good hair day in a tube. You can use it on wet or dry hair to add definition and lots of shine. I've started to use this through the lengths and ends of my hair before blow drying and it just completely renews my hair. It makes my ends look super healthy, like I've just had a trim even though my last hair appointment was a few months ago. So much love for this product! After I've finished drying my hair I like to use a bit of the Alterna Caviar Rapid Repair Spray to add even more shine & get rid of any fluffyness. I've never come across a finishing spray as lovely as this one & it smells divine to boot!

Babyliss Pro Speed 2100W Hair Dryer / Babyliss Big Hair Rotating Styler

I always have to blow dry my hair as I cannot stand having wet hair. Air drying would just make my hair stringy and lifeless anyway. I don't really like to use a curler or straightener so blow drying allows me to get the shape I desire. I know its not the best thing to do to your hair but I only wash my hair once a week and use heat protection products every time so I guess its not too bad. First of all I blast my hair with my hair dryer and run through it with my fingers. I use a Babyliss Pro Speed hair dryer which is really brilliant. I'm pretty loyal to Babyliss when it comes to hair dryers, they always last me years. Theres a newer model of this now but this one is still going strong. When my hair is almost dry but still a bit damp I switch over to my Babyliss Big Hair styler to add volume and shape. I couldn't live without this styler. It just gives you a perfect blow dry without all the effort of sectioning your hair and drying it against a round bristle brush which can be quite tricky to do by yourself. I never used to be able to do it as well as my hairdresser but Big Hair really does help to give you that professional blow dry at home look.

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Estee Lauder Pure Colour Crystal Baby Lipstick

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Crystal Baby Lipstick - £19.50

As much as I adore brightly coloured lipsticks, the shades I find myself reaching for most often are those soft baby pinks. They're just so wearable and appropriate for both day and night. Theres a plethora of lipsticks out there that fall under the 'my lips but better' category - a natural colour that adds a little oomph to your pout - but for me Estee Lauder's Crystal Baby is the ultimate. This shade is actually fairly dark and has a lot of brown in it which adds to the natural effect. This is more than your average nude pink, it has depth and dimension which gives the illusion of plumper lips. It's incredibly flattering because it is so close to being a natural lip colour. This is the kind of shade I think that every woman should own.

The Estee Lauder Pure Colour lipsticks have such an amazing formula. They have the most perfect creamy texture and just the right amount of shine. They simply glide onto your lips. I find them really moisturising & they feel so light to wear. It almost feels like a lip balm but with the staying power of a highly pigmented lippie. Crystal Baby normally lasts on me until I eat something but it does fade very evenly. Estee Lauder lipsticks also have a lovely slightly floral scent which makes them a real pleasure to use. Plus the packaging is just too pretty to ignore!

What's your favourite 'my lips but better' lipstick?

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