VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER AWARD

Well this morning I woke to a lovely little surprise. I was nominated for a Very Inspiring Blog Award by the very sweet Sophie. For a newbie like me I’m over the moon that, not only has my tiny corner on the blogosphere been found but, someone liked it! Thanks Sophie you have made my day!

So here are the award rules;

- Link back to the lovely blogger who nominated you. 

- List these rules and display the award.

- Share seven facts about yourself.

- Nominate fifteen other blogs you like and remember to comment on their blogs to let them know you’ve nominated them (provide a link to your post).

- This rule is optional you can proudly display the award logo anywhere on your blog and follow the person who nominated you.

Here are my interesting/ uninteresting facts;

1. I haven’t slept without earplugs for 10 years

2. I have an unhealthy addiction to cereal

3. The sound of a hairdryer or vacuum cleaner sends me to sleep

4. I’m always about to start a diet…On Monday

5. Nothing makes me happier than dinner with a friend/family and sharing a bottle (or two) of wine 

6. I buy myself flowers (loser)

7. I want a cat so badly

My nominees are;

victoriabeautyy.blogspot.co.uk

visualcandyinc.blogspot.co.uk

floralandfreckled.co.uk

joy-and.blogspot.com

bellechaton.co.uk

blubuttonbox.com

actuallyash.blogspot.com.au

bobsbeautifulblog.blogspot.com

covershootbeauty.blogspot.se

hannahmckeever.blogspot.co.uk

calvirose.com

belleetbeaut.blogspot.se

restless-beauty.blogspot.co.uk

josielcross.blogspot.com

mistysstuff.blogspot.com

BANISH BRASSY TONES IN BLONDE HAIR

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE DON'T-EVEN-BOTHER

Okay, so I am not saying I have got my hair perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I permanently crave the icy, bright blonde look but ALAS... my tuppence just doesn't stretch far enough to visit a Bleach London salon. That said, I can't really complain. L'Oreal hair dye has stood me in pretty good stead since the tender age of 14 (wouldn't recommend starting quite so young!) and all for a mere £6.63!! Incase anyone is curious, I use Recital Preference 10.21 Stockholm, and as you can see from my picture is doesn't quite match the picture advertised on the package. Although, for a couple of quid it doesn't do too badly at giving a bright blonde that isn't the dreaded yellow. After a couple of weeks it does tend to tinge a bit caramel... that's where these bad boys come in. I have so many silverising shampoos because as you will read some were simple just crap. Blunt but true. 

Right to Left: 1. Bleach London Silver Shampoo and Conditioner- both £5.00; 2. Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo-  £27.00; 3. Osmo Colour Mission Silverising Shampoo- £7.50; PRO:VOKE Touch of Silver Brightening Shampoo- £3.09

I'm going to try and keep this post brief for each product but if you want more info on each just leave a comment and I'll do a more specific post for it.

1. Bleach London Silver Shampoo and Conditioner

The HOLY GRAIL of banishing the brass! I can't contain my excitement about these two products so I have to write about them first. I was starting to lose hope then BAM... Bleach London dropped there line into boots. It wan't easy to get hold of (sold out everywhere) but when I did, oh boy was it worth the struggle. The shampoo is so heavily pigmented it tints your hand a slight purple, only for a couple of hand washes, which means that it actually works! It leaves your hair with a silvery shine, no purple in sight and doesn't strip the moisture out at all. The conditioner in all honesty isn't the star product, but when I loved the shampoo so much I couldn't help myself so I bought the conditioner as well. It really deeply conditions and I do think it probably maintains the effects of the shampoo. If you buy any silver shampoo make it this one! I use them every other wash. Oh and only 5 smackers, the amazingness just continues.

2. Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo

Well... I'm going to address the big elephant in the room. Price. £27. Yikes... Was it worth it? No. I saw barely any difference in the colour following the shampoo. Yes it looked clean and shiny, but for christ sakes its a shampoo, surely it should do that anyway! Yes its natural, yes its gentle on the hair, but for me that's not the be all and end all. I want something that does what it says on the tin and I'm afraid this didn't cut it. Great if you have very damaged, fragile hair and just want to maintain the colour rather than visibly tone down brassy tones.

3. Osmo Silverising Shampoo

Now this story is a sad one *pause while I shed a tear*. I bought this several years ago, it works wonders for the colour. It gave me the brightest, whitest blonde I have ever had. I was loving life. Until one day, it came at a cost. My hair basically fell out. I don't think I can entirely blame the product though. When I started using it I was so pleased with the results I used it every wash and left it on for about 3 minutes. Eventually one day I was blow drying my hair and noticed it was so sparse and thin. The ends were all different lengths where they had broken off. So basically, great if your hair is either naturally blonde and in amazing shape, or you just have very resilient hair. If like me, it has suffered years of dyeing and straightening and is relatively fragile. STAY AWAY.

4. PRO:VOKE Touch of Silver

This was my final purchase before landing on the holy grail a.k.a Bleach London. I think I was pretty desperate to be honest, sadly roaming the isles of Boots and hoping by some miracle for £3.09 it just might be The One. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. It does diddly-squat, no shine, no colour, no moisture. For the price, it was worth a gamble.

PERFECT PACKAGING

This blog post is dedicated to those that got their packaging just perfect. I salute thee. Packaging really can make or break a product. It's totally heartbreaking when the packaging either breaks, looks cheap or is rubbish material, er yes Benefit... Cardboard...REALLY?! Having said that, Hola by Benefit is the best bronzer in the whole wide world so I can overlook the fact it's housed in a crappy cardboard box that gets battered and bruised in my handbag. If the product is just good and it's got rubbish packaging, not only will I not repurchase but it but it makes me angry people. 

Rant= Check. Now onto the brands that need a big pat on the back. 

BareMinerals- One of my most recent purchases is the READY TO GO COMPLEXION PERFECTION PALETTE. At £39 it's managed to squeeze so much into such a small, convenient compact I am over the moon. I tend to carry a ridiculous amount of stuff with me everyday so I needed a way to save some space and weight. That's why when this launched I had a hallelujah, praise The Lord kind of a moment. It literally stays put in my handbag because it's purely for touch up purposes, I don't use it to get ready with in the morning meaning I never forget to take it with me, extra plus! These come in different colour combinations so ask them at the BareMinerals counter to colour match yours. In my opinion they could have done with a few extra shades. It also would have been spot on if it also had a blusher, but maybe that's asking too much. The black pouch looks smart, sleek and even comes with brushes. What a WINNER!

Maybelline- Next is a shout out to maybellines' new dual-end mascara Big Eyes. The pink end has a larger brush designed for the upper lashes and a small brush is designed to catch all the small lower lashes. When I bought this I was a bit dubious as, until now I thought mascaras relied heavily on clever marketing because they were all pretty average. This, however, is a game changer. The mascara itself is so light it doesn't weigh down the lashes; ideal if like me you rely on eyelash curlers to give you lift. But the real stars are the brush shapes. Both ends make it possible to get right to the root of lash creating so much lift and that doll like appearance. The smaller brush makes I possible to get in the corners without clumping and smudging.

Let me know what brands you think got their packaging just right!

HOW TO ORGANISE YOUR DRESSING TABLE

I would be lying if I said when my alarm goes off in the morning I bound out of bed. The fifteen steps from the bed to the kettle is by far the most challenging of the day, and until I've had a cup of tea I definitely don't feel human (let alone sound or look it)! So, if like me, the thought of an extra five minutes in bed puts a smile on your face then I urge you to look at your dressing table and ORGANISE, ORGANISE and ORGANISE some more. I think it was one of the best things I have ever done! Okay, slight exaggeration but honestly it can halve the time it takes you to get ready, meaning more time in bed. Hooray *claps*.

The key to a beautifully organised dressing table is simple:

DON'T over complicate it

- If you over-compartmentalise (if that's even a word) your products it will be so difficult to keep tidy when you are in a hurry in the morning. You want to be able to just throw it back in the draw without thinking "ooh which section does this colour lipstick go in".

DO make it work for your lifestyle

-For example, if you only go out on the weekends, there's no need to clog up your dressing table with ten versions of smokey eyeshadows. Keep them in a box you can whip out on saturday night when you are getting ready. 

DO mix it up

-Being a beauty buff means each week on a sunday you may want to switch up the products in your dressing table. 

DO make everything easy to see and reach

- You don't want to have to move ten things out the way to see if that lipstick in the back of your draw has collected any cobwebs.

I used a combination of Ikea SKUBB boxes (the larger boxes) and Muji plastic compartments with moveable divider.

Of course everyone is different, so find something that works for you and your lifestyle. 

I'm continually on the lookout for genius organisation tips so get in touch and let me know what you do.