Tara Smith Vegan Hair Care Range

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to stop using sulphates in my hair. Even though I love the John Frieda Full Repair Range, it contains SLS so I’ve been searching for an alternative to rival it. Last month I attended the Tara Smith Vegan Hair Care Blogger Event, and got to meet the lovely Tara in person.

Tara’s whole range is so impressive, free from parabens, SLS, animal products, artificial colouring (and a whole lot more!), all of her products are natural, organic and vegan approved. Whilst my main issue was sulphates, I wasn’t really thinking about the other nasties that could be in my hair care, so Tara’s collection really amazed me. After telling her my hair concerns Tara recommended both the Shine On* and the Feed The Root* ranges.

Feed The Root Shampoo & Conditioner

This range is designed to stimulate and nourish dry hair and scalp with essential minerals. Both the shampoo and conditioner smell very earthy; not unpleasant, but definitely a bit of a change from the usual heavily perfumed products I’m used to.

Shine On Shampoo & Conditioner

This range is designed to leave your hair squeaky clean with a glossy finish. The scent is more pleasant than the FTR range and it definitely makes hair feel a lot cleaner.

Verdict

Honestly speaking, when I first used both of these ranges I didn’t like them. My hair still felt really dirty and the absence of sulphates made it difficult for me to judge when to stop shampooing. Sulphates are the reason a foamy lather is created, so without them you don’t get a rich lather. Sulphate-free shampoos are less damaging on the hair, but take a while to get used to.

However, desperate to fulfil my resolution I tried them a few more times and I was a lot more impressed. The ‘clean’ feeling that I’d associated with my sulphate shampoos was actually the feeling of dry, moisture-stripped hair. After using both Tara Smith shampoos, my hair still felt strong and full of natural oils, and after applying the conditioner my hair actually felt like it does after I use an intense treatment.

Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a lot less breakage, my split ends don’t look as scraggly, and my hair generally looks and feels healthier. Now I’m sure this isn’t all down to Tara Smith, but I’m know the products have definitely helped.

At £10 each for 250ml of the shampoo and conditioner, these aren’t the cheapest hair products but they’re definitely worth the extra cash – in my opinion. In fact I’ve already repurchased the full-sizes.

The whole Tara Smith Vegan Hair Care Range is available exclusively from Your Beauty @ Marks & Spencer. The shampoos and conditioners are all available online and in selected M&S stores, priced at £5 and £10 for 100ml and 250ml bottles.

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Review + Swatches: The Body Shop Smoky Eye Palette in Smoky Moonstone

I’ve never really been an eye shadow person. I can appreciate a really good smokey eye, but creating one isn’t exactly my forte. Generally speaking, my eye makeup consists of a kohl liner and mascara. But when my favourite brand brings out a smoky eye palette, there’s no way I won’t want to give it a whirl.

The Body Shop 4-Step Smoky Eye Palette in Smoky Moonstone* is made up of four colours used together to create the perfect smoky eye. The back of the box houses the instructions for where to place each colour on your lid – which is perfect for a noob like me.

The compact is a very study, shiny plastic with a huge mirror inside and two small brushes. The size of the mirror is ideal and allows for precise application, even on the go – not that I’d dare to try it away from home!

The colours are just gorgeous and are fantastic for creating a simple daytime look, or a sultry, dramatic evening look.

They’re quite sparkly colours, but they’re not glittery – if that makes sense?! They manage to sparkle just enough without making you look too made up, or like a disco ball.

Unfortunately they’re not the most pigmented colours – which I don’t mind too much as I’m probably not ready to work with rich colours, however some may feel a little cheated considering its £14 price tag and the cheaper alternatives out there.

The pictures don’t really do this palette justice. The first image shows the colours applied, the second image is the colours blended. The highlight colour is a bit too shimmery for a daytime look on my skin tone, so I didn't use it for these pictures. Please excuse the unkempt brows!

My main issue with the palette is that the shadows aren’t milled fine enough so the fallout can be pretty bad. Also, the darkest colour isn’t dark enough so I had to top it with something else, but this probably wouldn’t be an issue on lighter skin tones.

Since it’s makeup it doesn’t bother me too much, but it the shadows do contain two types of parabens.

At £14 I’ll admit it’s a bit on the pricey side for what you’re getting – compared to a Sleek palette for instance. However, if you manage to catch a good promotion then you could probably get your mitts on it for £7-£10.

The Body Shop 4-Step Smoky Eye Palette can be purchased from The Body Shop, available in two colours, Smoky Moonstone or Smoky Copper, priced at £14. 

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Feeling blue? Today is the most depressing day of the year

source

Psychologist Dr Cliff Amall has calculated that the Monday of the last full week of January is the most depressing day of the year – Blue Monday. Yes that’s right, today is supposedly the worst day of the year due to factors such as weather, debt, low motivation and failed New Year’s resolutions.

I’ve definitely failed a few of my resolutions, so today marks my do-over day, where I’ll attempt many of them again – particularly my health kick resolution, courtesy of some healthy snacks and exercise gear from XLS Medical Fat Binder.

But with the January Blues well and truly set in, getting fit probably isn’t going to kick them. However John Bell & Croyden have selected their top products to perk us all up and beat those blues!

Aduna Boabob Fruit Powder contains lots of nutrients to support energy levels and reduce tiredness and fatigue. The snow has given me the perfect excuse to spend copious amounts of time in bed so something that will perk me up a bit wouldn’t go amiss!

Karma St Johns Worst Extract is said to be effective as a treatment for mild forms of depression, so if you are feeling down today – or anytime! – then it’s an inexpensive, natural supplement that might help you.

BetterYou Vitamin D Spray gives your body the Vitamin D that our bodies aren’t able to produce during the winter months due to bad weather and lack of sun. It’s responsible for our calcium absorption, which we obviously need for healthy teeth and bones.

DoMatcha Tea contains 137 times more antioxidants than green tea and raises energy levels, so perfect if you’re on a health kick, or trying to get back on track like myself!

SAD Solutions Blue LED Light is a portable light treatment for those suffering with SAD. So if your mood is the result of a bit more than Blue Monday then this treatment could improve it.

So those are John Bell & Croyden’s top picks for beating the blues on the Most Depressing Day of the Year.

What do you do to perk yourself up a bit?

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LolaStarHearts First Birthday! + Giveaway!

Not only is today my lovely mum’s birthday, but today is LolaStar Hearts' first Birthday/Anniversary/Blogiversary – whatever you call it, today’s the day. 

I can’t tell you how crazy it feels to have had this little blog going for a year, and what a year it has been. I’ve met some amazing, gorgeous bloggers, been to some amazing events and set up my own blogging event, worked with brands that I’ve fallen in love with, and just had a complete blast.

There have obviously been bad times but I can hand-on-heart say that it’s been the most amazing experience and I can't wait for what my blogging future holds. I want to say a huge thank you to all of you who read and comment on my blog – it means so, so much to me and I’m so grateful.

Just before Christmas I reached 1000 followers, which is just insane! When I first started blogging I really didn’t see that happening, so again – a huge thank you!

So to celebrate two huge milestones for LolaStar Hearts I’m planning a little giveaway. One of you lucky folk will win a YSL Lipstick in a colour of your choice. My YSL Rouge Volupte Spicy Pink Lipstick is my absolute favourite of all time so if you don’t have one then you definitely need one in your lippy collection!

I’ll be buying the winner’s lipstick from John Lewis so please make sure you give me your first and second choices in case any are sold out!

As always entries via the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open internationally and will end on the 31^st January; the winner will be announced shortly after. If you’re under 16 please get permission from your parent or guardian to disclose your address. Entries will be checked and verified before winner is announced.
 Good luck!

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Review: Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer

It’s only in the last year that I’ve savvied up on primers and the benefits of using them. My usual primer is The Body Just Matte It, but the lovely people at Witch Skincare sponsored my #bbloggersxmas event and sent some Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primers* for the goody bags.

This is hand-on-heart the best primer I’ve ever used. When I first tried it I was really intimidated. The primer is so thick; it’s almost like something you’d put in your hair not on your face. And since my skin is super oily I actually thought that it would clog my pores and make my face shine like a new car. I couldn’t have been more wrong though …

The primer doesn’t just act as a great base for makeup; it mattifies and keeps my makeup looking fresh. Usually, by about midday that familiar shiny glaze starts setting on the bridge of my nose and by late afternoon I’m full on shine central. But this primer absorbs the excess oil as my skin produces it making my makeup last longer and holding the shine off for a few more hours.

It’s just £6.99, so it certainly doesn’t break the bank and it’s anti-bacterial too so should help to prevent future blemishes. I’ve been going through a good-skin period of late and although I mainly put it down to my miracle spot busters, I’m sure this has helped prevent new spots cropping up.

Bottom line: It’s brilliant. Buy it.

Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer is available to buy from Superdrug, priced at £6.99/30ml.

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