How To: Fake Shiny Hair ...

Regularly chemically straightening my hair leaves it looking rather dull and lifeless, so I rely on certain products to give it a healthy shine. Lee Stafford Shine Head Spray* is perfect when you’re out and about – a quick spritz and a ‘zjoosh’ and you’re good to go. It’s the kind of product you can keep in your desk to use if you’re going out after work. Coming in a just over a fiver it doesn’t break the bank and will last you ages.

As well as adding shine Nuxe Multi-Use Dry Oil nourishes my hair and leaves it feeling soft smooth. I usually apply it to my ends when they’re feeling a tad dry, but a spray or two on my hands warmed up and run through my hair adds some life and also brings out my brown undertones too. It’s pricey at £29.50 but well worth the dosh.

Tara Smith Shining Moments Glosser doesn’t give the glossy shine I’d hoped it would but it really perks my hair up and refreshes it. It’s the product that I’m most likely to reach for on a daily basis to stop my hair looking like a bale of hay. At £12 it’s still very budget friendly – and vegan friendly too!

How do you fake shiny hair?

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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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What I Bought: Collective Beauty Haul

I know that a lot of bloggers are on a spending ban right now but most certainly am not, so here’s what I’ve picked up recently.

TOPSHOP

Louise Gray for Topshop Brush Set - £32

I was instantly drawn to these when I hit the makeup section in Topshop. I can’t find the link for them as I think they’ve sold out, but the set contains powder, blush, foundation, eyeliner and eye shadow brushes.

Lips in Rumour Has it - £8

I’ve been wanting to try Topshop lipsticks for a while as everyone raves about them and I’ve finally come across a colour that’s flattering for my skin tone. Rumour Has It is a dusty rose with a velvet finish.

THE BODY SHOP

Foundation Brush - £12

I picked up this foundation brush as I wanted something to apply facemasks with. I have a few TBS brushes already and they’re really good quality.

Lip Care Translucent - £8.50

I’ve been looking at this online for a while now and even though I don’t need to add another balm to my collection I couldn’t help but grab it.

 

Vineyard Peach Body Scrub - £6.50

This smells edible really nice. As I’ve said before I love scrubs and since this was half price in the sale it would have been rude of me not to pick it up!

JOHN LEWIS

bareMinerals Original Foundation - £24

My foundation is getting a bit low so I decided it was time to pick up a replacement. #bbloggerxmas girls will know that this is my Holy Grail foundation – I absolutely love it. The price is pretty average for a premium/high-end brand, and an 8g tub lasts me about a year so it’s really cost effective.

bareMinerals Tinted Mineral Veil - £24

I’ve wanted to try this for absolutely ages, and got the girl at the counter to try some on me and it’s even better than I expected. I think £24 is a little steep since it’s the same price as the foundation, but since I’ll only need a small amount I can see it lasting even longer than a year.

MARKS & SPENCER BEAUTY

Philip Kingsley Body & Shine Trial Pack - £15

Everyone always raves about the elasticizer so I picked up this kit so I could give it a go. I stupidly didn’t read the part that says ‘body & shine’ so this isn’t exactly for my hair type, but I’ll use it all anyway.

Tara Smith Feed The Root Shampoo & Conditioner - £10 each. Shining Moment Glosser - £12

Last month I attended a Tara Smith Blogger Event and was given some samples of her shampoo and conditioner (review to follow!). I’ve fallen in love with the sulphate-free formula and had to get some more. They’re a bit more than I’d usually pay but definitely worth it.

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Multi Usage Dry Oil - £29.50

Multi-use = Lola loves. I swapped with someone for the sample that came in a Glossybox last year and my hair was literally addicted. It smells amazing and applies like a dream.

REN Invisible Pore Detox Mask - £18

It was a big toss up between this and the Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask, but I think I prefer this. I’d tried both but I have a few enzyme masks already and this one is perfect for my oily skin.

Pure Instant Radiance Skin Exfoliator - £6

I’ve read some good reviews on the Marks & Spencer beauty range and a girl can never have too many exfoliators, so for just £6 this definitely had to accompany me to the till.

Perlier Honey Silk Effect Body Oil - £17.50

Yes, another body oil. It's a cruel, cruel addiction. It smells and feels amazing!

ESCENTUAL

Avene Cleanance K Cream-Gel - £8.40 (Sale price)

I love the Avene Cleanance range and had to get this during the Escentual sale.

Avene TriAcneal - £18.40 (Sale price)

I’ve got a post coming up about this so I won’t go into too much detail, but this stuff is amazing for spot/acne-prone skin.

L’Occitane Skin Supple Oil - £23.20 (Sale price)

This is one of my most favourite body oils. In fact I kept the empty bottle when I ran out of the last one because I was too upset to chuck it in the bin – sad, but true. You can read my review of it here.

Lanolips

I actually bought this on a FB swapping group. A girl had two, sealed, original tubes and was selling them for less than the price of one tube in Boots so it would have been rude not to buy!

Jemma Kidd Lipstick Duo in Eve - £2.50

I have another one of these and I adore it so picked up another one since it was such a bargain. I accidentally put the wrong colour in my basket but I think this is quite cute anyway.

So that’s how I’ve bankrupted treated myself this month so expect some reviews very soon!

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