"Spin Pin"

When it comes to styling my hair, I'm always on the lookout for the newest craze going on. Im slightly late on this bandwagon (as im forever being a skeptic) but hear me out, these actually work.

I'm talking about the Spin Pin. Ive seen these everywhere but always resisted buying them as theres something about bobbypins I just can't get enough of. Although, they are really irritating because my hair is just far too thick to use them so they bend out of shape and my floors seem to eat the pins as soon as they touch it.

Now why is it when you actually want to buy something, you can never find it?! Everywhere in my town today that I knew stocked them, were completely sold out. Whilst in my local Asda, I noticed they actually have these in stock much to my surprise! Woo! I happily picked up 2 packs at £2.00 each. They weren't actually a brand name, just part of the George range but they are exactly the same as the Goody Spin Pins, but for a lot less money (I believe they retail at around £6.00 for two?).

I couldn't wait to try these out as I love having my hair in a bun. Luckily today was one of the few days lately ive actually worn my hair down so when I was back in my car, I quickly whipped my hair into a bun shape and twisted these contraptions in. Voila, a lovely messy bun...just how I like it. This literally took me seconds to do with two of these pins compared to about half an hour with hair bands, bobby pins etc. The thing I really like about these is that they are so sturdy. My hair doesn't feel like its going anywhere which is a massive bonus for me as I'm constantly moving about at work and at home. And, having long thick hair, means for me, its not always easy to get my hair to stay put once I've styled it. I've now had these in for a couple of hours and I've done all the housework, even had a little snooze with the kitten and my hair has stayed exactly how it was when I put it in.

Ignore my horrific gingery roots and faded red hair in these photos, it's my day off from work and my hair hasn't been washed in a couple of days...(don't judge!)

I am seriously impressed with these, which has really surprised me as I thought they were going to be a dud. If you struggle, like I do, to keep your hair up once its styled, give these a go. You never know, you might actually be surprised like I was.

♥

Tangle teezer.

Girls and guys with thick knotty hair, listen up. If you're like me and have naturally very thick and easily tangled hair, you're going to kick yourself when you try this product. I was so reluctant to try it but I'm so glad I did.

I remember watching this product on Dragon's Den years ago (google  tells me 2008) and it was rejected because they didn't think it'd be a good business venture. How wrong could they have been?! I've heard so many reviews raving about this product and I'm going to do the same. I've used mine every day for around a year and a half now and my hair condition has dramatically improved. I have less breakage, which I noticed more whilst using a normal brush as I have heavily dyed hair which would just shard off and fall out at the slightest tug of a knot in a normal brush. I use this to brush out my damp hair after washing, to blow dry my hair (although I'm not sure this is recommended as the brush is all plastic?) and also whilst straightening my hair. Basically I couldn't use any other brush after using this for so long. I'm seriously converted.

The product is really easy to hold in both hands making it open to a larger market. I noticed they have now also brought out a compact version which I'm seriously considering purchasing so I can sling it in my bag. They are available in a choice of colours however I chose the all pink "brush". Again, the compact are available in different colours too, I also think there was a childs version released in the shape of a flower? Correct me please if I'm wrong! 

The tangle teezer retails at a starting price of £10.99 in almost every Boots I've ever been in but they're also widely available online. 

Please try this if you have knotty hair yourself or if you're a parent of a child with long or knotty hair. They are so amazing and such a simple concept, you'll wonder why you didn't try it sooner. 

♥

Bonnie.

I've never ever been without a pet until I moved out of my Parent's house. I'm so used to being around cats, dogs, parrots and hell, even chickens. Since moving out, I've longed to have my own pet. Don't get me wrong, I love my Winnie cat so so so much but I don't see her as much any more. She's been there for me through some really tough times even though she's only a cat. I didn't realise just how much I relied on having a pet until I moved out. I just felt so empty, my cat could give me affection when she knew I was sad. Now I just sound like an insane cat lady, but it's true. 

I made a post a couple of weeks ago about the kitten my Nan had found for me. A friend of hers had a cat who had literally just had a litter of kittens, and I was allowed first choice of them. I chose the smallest, cutest little ball of fluff. I've had to wait so long to get her, my love for her just grew so much because I wanted her to come meet her new family.

And here she is. My gorgeous Bonnie. 

This is a short post, but I just want everyone to see how gorgeous my new baby is. She's already filled my life with so much happiness. I can't wait to see her grow up and I love her personality she has already. I'm so glad I've got you my little lady, you've certainly made things better for me lately. 

♥

Makeup Revolution Iconic 1,2,3 palettes.

Sorry for the awful lighting in this picture, it was so difficult to get a decent photo! 

I'm not even going to lie about how much I've wanted to try these after seeing them being branded one of the many Naked Palette dupes. I've watched so many youtube videos on these and loved every single tutorial I've seen. I've looked at them numerous times on Superdrug and on the Makeup Revolution website and finally plucked up the courage to order them last week after seeing them on 3 for 2 on the Superdrug website. For £4 per palette, I thought, what a bargain! Again, not lying, I kept checking the delivery status every half an hour wishing there was a magic makeup fairy that'd bring them straight to me as my local Superdrug stores don't stock this range.

So yesterday morning, the status had changed to delivered and I knew they were waiting for me on my doormat...the 5pm finish at work couldn't come any quicker! When I arrived home, I promptly opened the package and out fell 3 gorgeous coloured palettes along with three samples and a magazine, courtesy of Superdrug. I don't know if anyone else gets this when they get new makeup, but I just didn't want to open them. They looked far too pretty to even swatch! But I know I actually will use these as they look like very wearable colours even in the container. 

To my knowledge, the iconic palettes are meant to be very good dupes of the Urban Decay Naked palettes and after trying Naked 3 a while back, personally I think the Iconic 3 has a much nicer range of colours. Okay some arent as pigmented, but they really are nice colours. I have quite browny-orange coloured eyes and these shades have really made them pop.

I've recently got the "I need to splurge all my money on makeup" bug again and its slowly but surely happening! I really am in love with these palettes and I cant wait to try Iconic 1 and 2. I've used the more rosey toned colours today as I'm a dusky pink top, but the colours are beautiful. (Excuse the lack of styling in my hair, I've broken my ghd's after 8 years of use!).

If you're on a bit of a budget like I am, but want the look of more high end makeup (especially the Naked palettes!) then give these a try. I'm not disappointed, they've lasted all day without creasing (it's been hot, don't judge my sweaty eyelids..you know what I mean!) and the colours are a near 100% match to the actual thing, so yeh, I really am impressed with these. I've also seen that MUA do a really good dupe called "Undress Me" and "Undress Me Too" however my Superdrug NEVER has the decent MUA in stock. Maybe that's one to try if and when these ones run out. 

There will more than likely be a million and one posts following these with how I've used them etc but for now, I'm going to have kitty cuddles with my Bonnie. 

♥

The Great British sewing bee: sew your own wardrobe.

I've been an avid fan of the Great British Sewing Bee since it's started (yes, I know it's only on it's second series but hey, I watch the episodes over and over again!) and I've always wanted to make something the contestants have made. I've wanted to make so many things, my bank balance wouldn't be able to cope with all the material I'd have to buy!

When I bought this book, I really didn't know what to expect because of the wrapping on the outside stopping you from having a sneaky peek. I was kind of expecting to see lots of swoon-worthy photos of Patrick in his finest clothing. As you could see from the outside, the book was being sold with a "pattern pack" which I thought was quite a good addition. I'd be lying if I said I didn't waste some of my money on craft books I don't really need or will read once then put in the cupboard or buy then never actually read. This seems to be a re-occurring pattern in my adult life. I buy stuff I don't need, just because I want it. I have no will power at all! But alas, I took a trip to my local Asda a couple of months ago to do my weekly shopping and found this beauty at £12 which was an absolute steal as I'd seen it for £25+ elsewhere. And I instantly had to buy it.

The book itself is a lovely chunky hardback book. And, if you're anything like me who loves the smell of new books, this smells amazing. (Weird, I know but don't judge me!). As I've said before, included with the book is a pattern pack which has 5 sheets full of patterns from items in the book. For someone like me who has NEVER used a sewing pattern, I was really daunted by the thought of using them to actually make something. I'd say this book is aimed at all skill levels but if you're just starting out, please take the time to read through the book before you hack at your lovely new fabric with some scissors! 

Flicking through the book, yes there are some photos of Patrick and yes he looks beautiful. But, this is an actual sewing book. The proof reading could have been a little better as I've noticed a few spelling mistakes, and I'm not sure if they've actually tried out the patterns they've talked about but this book is actually really quite good. For a novice like me, I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy this book is to follow. 

I've only followed one pattern at the minute (I've been so busy the past couple of months, my sewing machine has regrettably taken a place on the shelf) but it's actually turning out okay. It's the "Simple T-shirt" pattern which is found more or less half way through the book. The pattern for this top is also included on the pattern sheets. (Please excuse my shadow on this photo, the sun is blaring right into my living room at the minute!)

I'm yet to finish the project as I've said, but it's actually turning out okay. Being a larger busted girl, I've had to use the largest size meaning the shoulders are more than likely going to fall off me but actually, I don't mind if it does. 

The other patterns in the book include: 

• Leggings (made by all contestants on series 2)
• Simple skirt
• Women's bowling shirt
• Men's simple shirt
• 1960's coat (made by Tamara on series 2) 
• Baby's teddy pram suit

All of these patterns state what sort of skill level they're aimed for and every pattern is printed on the sheet (apart from the simple skirt I think) so it should be relatively easy to get sewing. The patterns have a range of sizes all outlined too, so if you're like me and are in "inbetween" size for high street clothing, you really could tailor your own clothing to fit you perfectly. 

I could go into so much detail about this book but I'd literally be writing forever! If you've loved the Sewing Bee series and have wanted to make an item of clothing from the series, please, go and get this book. I'm hoping you'll be pleasantly surprised too, I'm so glad I made this purchase. 

♥

Red hair dyes: tried and tested!

I've had red hair for around...5 or 6 years now? and I'm always trying to find the next best red hair dye. My hair dye journey started when I was 16 and starting sixth form college, my sister training to be a hairdresser and my dying passion to have red hair had grown to the point where I just gave in. My natural hair colour is a lovely rich auburn, however people continue to call me "ginger". Now I'm not saying there's anything bad about having ginger hair, I just really wanted something different.

My first red hair dye used was a brand called NXT which was the basic hair dye my sister was using in her college kit. It was a lovely dark red, however it didn't suit me as it was far too dark. I'm pretty sure the colour was "Red Scarlet no. 6-66". I'm afraid I don't have any photos of this hair colour as I wasn't really into the whole taking selfies etc...but as far as I can remember, I wanted something brighter. Don't I always?! 

Within the next couple of weeks, I washed my hair more than needed to make the hair dye fade. And thankfully, it did. I'd always loved the look of hair dyes when walking through Boots and Superdrug, especially the Schwarzkopf XXL Live colours. Now, I knew my hair wouldn't be the same colour as on the box as it was really quite dark still from the previous hair dye. I'd used this hair dye for a couple of years as the only hair dye (and still do to this day for my roots) however the first colour I had tried was called "red passion" which to my knowledge, has a more of an orange undertone to it. I absolutely loved this hair dye as it would normally fade quite "orangey" so it meant my hair didn't look too bad between dying. 

My world then completely changed. I trawled the internet for hours swooning over girls who had brilliant red hair, thinking "howwww do I get this?!". I was then introduced to a brand called "Manic Panic". I didn't know what to do with these "semi perm" hair dyes as I was still really quite a novice when it came to dying my hair. My sister informed me it's actually quite easy. Paste on, leave on, wash out. Ta dah. I instantly purchased a gorgeous shade called "Vampire Red". I remember putting this on over faded hair so I didn't bother doing my roots or anything. I. loved. it. It was the red hair I'd always wanted, although it stained my parent's bathtub pink and every item of clothing pink, my hands, arms, neck. Everything my hair touched, it stained. But I didn't care, my hair was finally brilliant red! From what I remember by using this hair dye, it faded pretty quickly which was quite saddening. I'd say about...6 washes in my hair. It left a nasty pink hue to my hair, however I continued to use it about 3 times but it was getting costly because I had to buy two tubs. I'm pretty sure it was around £8-9 each time.

Throughout using Manic Panic and Schwarzkopf, I decided to ditch the red hair and go for brown. Then accidentally, black. The less said there, the better. I can say this only lasted around 3 weeks before I got fed up of the "witch" "emo" and any other comment someone could throw at me. Humph. I swiftly bought a hair dye colour stripper and away that went! 

Again, searching the internet for a cheaper alternative, I came across a brand called "Crazy Colour", I'm not even joking the picture on the website is of a lady in a multicoloured wig. I thought to myself "oh jesus...how 80's." but decided to try it anyway in the colour No. 56 "Fire". It's around £2-3 per bottle but as I buy them on a multibuy it's usually £6.00 from ebay. I've used this hair colour for around...3 years now? I think. I absolutely love it, it's my holy grail of red hair dyes for the moment. It's got really good staying power in my hair, it lasts around 4 weeks (I only wash my hair twice a week, any more than that and I'm a huge greaseball...) but again, anything it touches, it stains pink. I've tried many combinations with this hair dye to try and get it a brilliant red. I've teamed it up with L'oreal Majicontrast in Red, which lasted a couple of goes but had to ditch as again, having really thick and curly hair, I had to buy two tubes at nearly £9 a pop. 

So, I quickly diverted back to the XXL colours but this time I'm using Real Red rather than Red Passion. I must say, for the price, Crazy Colour is absolutely brilliant. I really want to try a pinker colour but for now I think I'll stick to red. I can honestly say if you're not sure on whether you want red hair or not and you don't want to break the bank in trying, I suggest using Crazy Colour. It's vibrant, doesn't leave your hair smelling too bad and is long lasting (in my hair anyway!) but alas, I am always trying to find something...redder. As you can see, in the direct sun, it's very much a pillarbox red. But I wanted more. The last couple of times, I've mixed this hair dye with Ion Colour Flash in "Chaotic Crimson" which has definitely given it that little bit extra, but I wouldn't dye my hair all over with it as it's quite costly at £5.99 per bottle, so again, I'd be spending more than I wanted to on something that's not going to last so long!  I normally use about half a bottle of Crazy Colour on my hair, so this lasts me about 4 months (as I buy two bottles at a time). 

I'm still yet to use Directions and Special Effects, I'm waiting till I give in to actually try those as Directions is a little smaller meaning I'd have to buy more and Special Effects is always out of stock on my normal hair dye stockist. So for now, I'm sticking with my holy grail semi perm red hair dye. I'll probably be making another post soon saying "Ohhhh I changed again!" but for now, I hope this helps some of you who are wanting to try red hair. I absolutely love mine, have had red hair for the best part of nearly 6 years now and definitely would never ever go back to my natural colour! 

♥