Yuko Haircare

It may not look like it in this photograph, but for the last few months I've been having problems with hair. It felt like my hair had gone for amazing to a nightmare literally overnight due to dryness. I blame my holiday to Ibiza for a start. The humidity gave me frizzy hair all week through and ever since my hair has felt frazzled by the sun. Secondly, I've been quite a naughty girl when it comes to using styling equipement without any heat protection. As an ex-hairdresser I should really know the best treatments for my hair, but it seems like lately I've lost all willpower to nourish my locks. 

My 'knight in shining armour' came in the form of press hair products I had been sent* by a brand called Yuko. Yuko haircare originates from Japan, but has recently made its way to the UK, making an appearance in many top salons. 

The products I've been using are the 'Lock in Colour' shampoo and the 'Lock in Colour' treatment conditioner, which have both given me fantastic results. Since using this new haircare, I've seen a dramatic difference in the amount of frizz I have on a daily basis and my colour seems to shine radiantly.  Another thing I have noticed is that my hair dries more quickly since using the conditioner, meaning that my cuticles have less damage and my hair is finally getting tangle free again. I've always been prone to hair knots and since I'm currently growing my hair, I've noticed they have started reappearing like a fast spurt of acne.

For years on end I swore by only two haircare brands: Macadamia Oil and BedHead. It seems like now I'm willing to add another one to the list - Yuko haircare. I don't usually rave on so much about conditioners, but I really haven't experienced any negative effects with this one. I should add that I also suffer from a very sensitive scalp and that a lot of shampoos tend to irritate me - another thing that this brand didn't do. If I had to say one constructive criticism it would be the scent. It's a bit bland and I love my hair smelling fruity or floral rather than smelling of normal hair. However, if it means putting the scent aside for luscious long locks, I think i'll just have to do that.

Here's a little picture of how my hair looked just before going out the other day. I'm rather impressed with how shiny it looks on camera!

Yuko Haircare starts at around £12 and can be purchased from http://yuko-london.com/

Have you tried this brand before?

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Salon Confidential: Brunette Extensions

As you may have noticed, I've had a rather big obsession with my hair lately and I'm becoming a hoarder of hair extensions. My new favourite everyday clip in hair extensions come from a brand called 'Salon  Confidential'. Salon Confidential are big hit with celebrities and are making a name for themselves within the hair community. 

These hair extensions are in the colour chestnut brown and they are a perfect match to my hair. Salon Confidential hair extensions are all pre-styled so you can simply clip them in and go. I love the natural wave they have and how my hair is transformed to a Kate Middelton-esque style within seconds.

The best thing about these hair extensions is that they come in 12 pieces, unlike most hair extensions that come with a trio weft and a few for the side. This allows you to get easy volume and it's easier to spread the hair extensions out so they cover the whole area of your head and look more natural. These come in a 18 inch length, which is perfect for me.

With the hair extensions being pre-curled, it gives you time to focus on getting ready to go out, rather than spending hours on your hair. I love the finished result when they are finally in.

And here's the finished result. Comfortable, natural looking and very curly. I could wear them everyday.

These hair extensions are £45 from 

http://www.salonconfidential.co.uk/

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Wonderland Wigs: Brunette to Ombre!

Have you ever felt the urge to change the way you look, but not had a clue where to start? Being a fashion and beauty blogger, I'm always keen to try out the latest trends and play with my self image. I always find that a new hairstyle is one of the easiest ways to give yourself a confidence boost, but it doesn't always have to be as dramatic as cutting half your hair off or going from black to blonde. Wonderland Wigs recently introduced me to their range of 3/4 wigs and being a fan of hair extensions, I knew it was something that would love to try out.  Wonderland wigs have such a wonderful variety of hair extensions to suit your needs. Whether you're keen to try the ombre trend or want something bright and bold for a party, there's a fab range from as little as £25 to £180. 

So here's a picture of me I took a few days ago with my usually dark brown hair extensions. I'm wearing my brand new Specsaver's glasses and trying to go all geek chic. Since the beginning of the year, I've had the urge to ombre my hair, however last time I did I tried, it really ruined the ends of my hair and ended up not looking the best. The only way I could properly get it done would be to spend a lot of money at the hairdressers and then again, I would still have to live with throughly conditioning my hair every week to stop it snapping. When I came across the Ombre 3/4 22 inch wig, I felt like it could be my saviour and the answer to my problems. 

Ta-da!  It works a treat and I've had so many compliments so far. My hair looks thick, luxurious and ombred whilst maintaining it's health. The wig was quite difficult to put in at first, but there are easy guides on Youtube to get you started.

I love how hair extensions enable the wearer to change how they look within the space of 10 minutes. I've gone from a dark brunette to dip dyed blonde. The wig stays on perfectly and blends really easy with my normal hair, despite being synthetic. My only niggle would be that they feel quite heavy to wear at times, but that's the price you pay for super volume locks.

The ombre wig costs £39.99 from Wonderland Wigs and I think it's a great price for the quality. You get a whole head of hair and I'm sure if it's maintained properly, it could last quite awhile. Would I be wearing these wig extensions again? Yes, all the time. It's great to have a refreshing summer look and be able to snap into winter mode within seconds. When you have cravings for light summer hair, sometimes its better to take a less drastic approach than grabbing hold of a bleach bottle.

Do you like these extensions?

http://www.wonderlandwigs.com/

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Macadamia Control Hairspray

With the wind and rain being a predominant force at the moment, we're all grabbing our hairspray cans and praying that our hair will hold out for the day. I'm really picky when it comes to hair products due to having an overly sensitive scalp and heat damaged hair. I hate it when you buy hairspray that is literally like glue and you spend hours with a comb the next day, whilst tugging half of your hair out.  I gave up on hairspray for quite a long time, until discovering the Got2B range a few months ago. Their hairspray worked rather well with my hair, but I still felt it took the shine away and left my hair looking slightly lifeless. It was when I ran out of my Got2B hairspray that I turned to one of my favourite haircare brands for help and I was guided in the direction of their new control hairspray. 

The Macadamia control spray is one of Macadamia Oil's newest products and they state that the spray will give you a long lasting hold which brushes out easily. The spray is also humidity resistant, enhances your hair's natural shine and gives you UV protection. The Macadamia control spray has to be one of my favourite hairsprays I've used to date. It works well as an everyday hairspray and it doesn't cause the build up that most products do. I love the scent, the sophisticated bottle design and most of all that the product contains soy proteins that helps encourage healthy looking hair. If I still worked in the hair salon, this is a product that I would recommend to my friends, family and my old clients. 

The product costs £17.95 and you don't need to use that much at a time, making it very cost efficient. I would always pay that little bit more for hair products as I believe great looking hair is the most important part of a persons outfit. My friends that have accidentally sniffed my hair whilst on a night out have been asking what product I've used and my mother has been sneaking the bottle into her bedroom when I'm away. The Macadamia Oil Control spray is clearly a big hit, like all the Macadamia Oil range. If you was to invest in any hairspray, from a professional hairdressing opinion and a beauty blogger, I'd say MC's Control spray is the way to go. 

What's your favourite hairspray?

www.macadamiahair.co.uk

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The BooHoo Beehive

BooHoo have recently released their 'how to' beehive tutorial and it's really got me thinking about spring and frolicking around fields listening to 60s music. This is far from the scenario right now, where I'm snuggled up in bed with my hoodie on due to the freezing cold air and snow settling outside. The beehive hairstyle is iconically linked with the 1960s era which saw the fame of one of my favourite models Bridget Bardot. Her beehive became the classic look for all, with many people replicating the look to go shopping on Carnaby street. The beehive is currently back in style spring/summer 2013 and so are the beautiful patterns and fabrics often associated with the 60s. Following the release of the Beehive tutorial, I've decided to put together a few outfits that I think would go perfectly with the beehive hairstyle.  

The inspiration behind these outfits are shopping and cocktails with your friends. 

Collage created on Photovisi photos from Boohoo.com

Outfit 1

Polka dots are so feminine and chic and they add a little flirty fun to your outfit. This polka dot skater dress has the orange retro colouring of the 1960s and would look fabulous with the cream shoulder bag and  brown vintage-inspired studded booties. This outfit looks easy to wear, yet very stylish for meeting friends and go shopping around the town.

Total outfit price: £55

Collage created on photovisi. Photo's from Boohoo.com

The second outfit I've put together is something I'd wear for drinking cocktails with your friends. This outfit includes a glamorous marble print midi skirt- great for adding a little sophistication and glamour without looking over the top, a lace shirt and classy kitten heels to give a vintage vibe. 

Total outfit price: £45

Here's my earlier attempt of doing a partial beehive. Usually it looks loads better, but unfortunately I had no hairspray and the whole thing flopped just as I grabbed the camera.

What do you think of my outfit choices?

www.boohoo.com

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Memoirs of a Blonde

To some people, a hair colour is insignificant. It doesn't matter whether you're brunette, blonde or a red head, it's just a colour. However, there's a handful of people that believe a hair colour can define your personality. Blondes can be represented as 'dumb', red heads apparently have 'fiery tempers' and brunettes are classy, demure, yet don't know how to have fun.  My hair colour is simply an expression of how i'm feeling at the time. For years I had black hair. This could have been heavily influenced by the amount rock music and concerts I was going to or on a psychological level, it could have been an expression of my life being at it's darkest days. When I turned blonde, I wanted to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the injection of fun into my life and to represent how happy I became during that time period. Being blonde was fun and exciting, but unfortunately it wasn't me.

At first it was fun. Suddenly, I got more attention for the men. Even though I'm happily engaged, it was nice to be complimented and gave my man an ego boost. People presumed I was a party animal and I was invited out a lot more. However, the stigma of being a blonde used to get to me. Like a skinny person being called anorexic just because she's naturally slim, I was being called 'dumb' just for being blonde. I then started missing my brunette sex appeal and now I've decided to go back.

I decided to write this post 'Memoirs of a blonde' because it represents how a hair colour change affect your personality. Blonde brought out a new side of me. An outgoing, unreserved persona that I will take with me on my journey of being brunette. I also got to weigh up the old saying: 'blondes have more fun'. Blondes do get recognised easily. When I'm walking down the streets, people often notice my bright hair.  However, I love the classy looking brunette. Audrey Hepburn and Dita Von Teese are my style icons and as much as I loved going through my Marilyn Monroe moments,  I longed for voluminous dark tresses. 

Tomorrow morning will bring out another side of me. The brunette I've wanted to be for quite awhile.  I've loved being blonde, but my hair is so damaged that it lacks shine and is becoming rather dull. So it's bye bye to the blonde and hello to brunette.

Does your hair colour define aspects of your personality?

♥♥♥

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