Monday 30 May 2011

TOP FIVE HAIR PRODUCTS

Hair is something that all girls get very emotional about. When we hate our current style, we fret about the changes - colour? length? texture? We want what other girls have: curls, volume, wash-and-go straight hair... and when we finally manage to perfect our hair, we need to shelter it from the rain and protect it from the sun to keep it looking gorgeous. Basically, it's a big deal. There are thousands of products out there to keep our hair looking fabulous. These are my top five:

Living Proof Styling Treatment, £19
www.spacenk.co.uk 

I was an advocate of Kiehls hair serum, until it got discontinued (I could have cried), however, the lovely people at SpaceNK told me about a little known new product - a straight-making styling treatment from Living Proof. It does help keep my thick, unruly hair in order, and I do get lovely comments about the volume in my hair when I use this product. It smells nice too. The only downside is the price - nearly £20 for a small bottle! Eek. As it's a cream, I need quite a lot to distribute through all my hair, so it's not even like it will last that long, so I will have to keep this hair treat as just that! 

Trevor Sorbie Professional Beautiful Curls Collection, £5.10 each
www.trevorsorbie.com 
I've got naturally wavy hair that I straighten almost always, as it's the only way to make it look presentable for work. At the weekends, or if I'm feeling too lazy to straighten my mop (it takes about an hour!), I leave it to dry naturally, and wave itself. To give it a little helping hand, I use the Trevor Sorbie Professional Beautiful Curls Collection. It contains ingredients to enhance your natural curls. It's a cheap way to ensure you get the most out of your hair. The packaging is really lovely too, and looks very pretty in my bathroom. 

Dove Intense Repair Conditioning Treatment, £3.36
www.boots.com

I've always suffered from split ends (largely due to straightening, I assume). I used to sit and snip at them with a nail scissors, a disgusting habit, as there would be hundreds of little split ends scattered all around me! Well, no need for that anymore, as Dove have come up with a wondrous set of products to fix the damage. WOW. The conditioning treatment is my favourite. Like the Aussie 3 minute miracle, it is fast-working, but this little gem has special Fibre Actives which seep deep inside the hair to fix any damage. Magic!

Oilatum, £12.76
www.boots.com 
One of the blessings of having lots of volume is that it makes it more difficult to see dandruff. Every now and again I get a blast of it, and it's really hard to shift. I keep any perfumed shampoos and conditioners away from my scalp, and try to use anti-dandruff shampoo wherever possible, but nothing yet has proved itself 100% effective. One product I do rate is Oilatum, it's an anti-dandruff treatment (use like shampoo, but leave on for 5 mins). It's fragrance and colour free, so it shouldn't aggravate a scalp. If anyone has any other tips, to help flaky scalps, I'd love to hear them. 
Flower Power, £2
Spittalfields Market (just like Una from The Saturday's

I spent yesterday roaming around Spittalfields Market, East London. I hadn't been for a while. Every third stall (it seemed) was selling these cute flower headbands, just like the one Una's sporting in the picture. They were an absolute steal at just £2, so I picked one up so I can pretend to be a hippy! Great for festivals (or playing dress up at home on a rainy day). 

Sunday 15 May 2011

TOP FIVE NEW FAVOURITE THINGS

There's nothing like trying something new and falling a little bit in love... It's always a risk, as you never know if you're going to like something, but in a canary-sent-down-the-coalmine type way, I've taken the hit and tested some new items out. Below are my top five new tries, so you can give them a go knowing they're bloody awesome.
Sweet Breath, £1.99 for three
http://www.sweetbreath.co.uk/
I was sent some samples of a new breath freshener to try. I usually use gum when I want fresher breath, but these little spray vials have made me rethink. They are bloody fantastic. With a couple of sugar and fat free squirts, it kills germs and gives the minty-fresh effect you're after in an instant. Called Sweet Breath, and retailing at under £2 for three little bottles, its definitely worth picking up a pack to keep in your handbag!
Montagne Jeunesse Pressed Cherry & Cocoa Lip Balm, £3.05
http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/
Mmmmm, lip balm. I always need lip balm within reaching distance, so my lips can stay silky-soft all day long. The newest balm to creep into my collection is from Montagne Jeunesse. I'd not seen them before, so was really excited to give them a try (as I'm a big fan of its facemasks). The lip balm is made from 100% pure beeswax, and bursts with a chocolately smell and flavour. Other flavours include Shea Butter & Mango, Cranberry & Aloe Vera, Wheatgerm & Black Pepper and Aloe Vera & Spearmint.

label.m Organic Orange Blossom & Organic Moisturising Lemongrass Shampoo  & Conditioner £13.25 each
www.labelm.co.uk
There's nothing like coming out of a hair salon with beautiful, bouncy, shiny, gorgeous-smelling hair. Most of us can't afford to visit the salon every week. But, we can afford salon quality shampoo and conditioner, to recreate great hair at home. label m smells delicious - I've been using the Lemongrass variant for thick hair - and I love it. Perhaps because it's organic, I find it really mild on my hair (I have a tendency to get dandruff, but this shampoo doesn't aggravate the 'condition') The conditioner is ubur moisturising, and contains Shea Butter to leave hair looking soft and glossy. I'd highly recommend label m for a pampering purchase!
Yes To Cucumbers Calming Facial Mask, £11.99
http://www.victoriahealth.com/
Face masks are a little treat, and the new Calming Facial Mask from Yes To Cucumbers is aaaaahmazing. I woke up the other morning with blotchy skin, not cool. Rather than slapping on layers of concealer, I opened my tub of face mask, slopped it on my face and left the cucumbers, aloe and Dead Sea mud to work there magic. After five minutes, I rinsed the beautiful-smelling mask off and voila... much smoother, calmer skin! I've been using the ranges' Facial Towlettes (wipes to you and me) too - and they are lovely too!


Ghost Enchanted Bloom
I am a fickle little fly, so whenever I finish a perfume, I have to find a new and better one. My last, Chanel Chance eau tendre, wasn't strong enough - I'd put it on and not be able to smell it an hour later...My latest perfume purchase is Ghost Enchanted Bloom. As you'd expect from a Ghost fragrance, it's really feminine, with notes of Jasmine, Water Lily, Amber and Freesias. It's not too sweet either, so it feels quite sexy as well as girly.

What are your latest top finds?

Monday 9 May 2011

TOP FIVE PRODUCTS TO HELP YOU SURVIVE HAY FEVER SEASON

As if getting out of bed isn't hard enough, hay fever descends, and I have a runny nose and puffy eyes to contend with before leaving the house for work, on top of important decisions like whether I can get away without washing my hair and remembering where I put my pass to get me in to my office!! Depressing and time-consuming is hay fever, so I do all I can to put the brakes on it. If you suffer from this summer pain-in-the-ass, read on for my top five suggestions for battling  hay fever...

Piriton Allergy Tablets, £2.39 for 30
http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/

For breakfast in hay fever season, I take a cocktail of antihistamines, vitamins and sinus relief tablets, washed down with some OJ! When it comes to antihistamines, Piriton tablets are great - I've used it all my life... I was given the syrup as a kid (it's delicious and works a treat!). As well as preventing from some of the evil effects of hayfever, Piriton also treats other allergies and itchy skin. Genius!

Kleenex Balsalm Pocket Packs, £3.01 for 12 packs
http://www.boots.com/ 
There's nothing worse than a big red nose, and with all the squeezing and wiping that goes on with a sniffly schnozzle, the only tissues you should use are Kleenex Balsalm. They contain a lovely layer of moisturiser so that your nose isn't left dry and sore. I stocked up on a big pack of these on my way to work this morning... can't live without them!

Ultra Chloraseptic, £5.21 for 30 adult doses
http://www.ultrachloraseptic.co.uk/
One of the lesser considered side effects of hay fever is a painful sore throat. The absolute best treatment is three sprays of Ultra Chloraseptic, which numbs sore throats in seconds. I personally like the cherry variety, which is a staple in my first aid bag, I used it a lot when I had tonsillitis to numb the pain.
Murine Nasal Spray, £4.07 for 10 ml  http://www.murine.co.uk/
It's not just hay fever that's been making my eyes sting. In the last week alone, at least three little seedy things from trees (I don't know how to describe them, but they're floating round the skies of London at the moment) have blown into my eyes causing them to turn red and sore. Murine eye drops can help with this problem, so keep a bottle in your bag to calm red/sore eyes in an instant. 

Nasacourt, £5.06 for 30 sprays
http://www.nasacort.co.uk/
Hay fever is particularly evil to noses, so I am dedicating a second of today's top five to products that help our little honkers. Sneezing, itching, runny, congested, you name it...  My nose does it with passion! Nasacort  treats the symptoms of hay fever by stopping the immune response to pollen in the nose. Ahhhhh. Take them before your trip to the park!

Monday 2 May 2011

CELEBRATING ALL THE FIVES WITH FREE FOOD!

It's a blog about top fives, so the day of the year I will have to celebrate is May 5th (5/5). Chilango at Chancery Lane, London  is opening on this day, and to celebrate, are offering free burritos! Woo hoo.

http://www.chilango.co.uk/

Chilango serves delicious Mexican food, and its fifth restaurant is opening at Chancery Lane! From 12 noon until 8pm on 5th May, Chilango’s burritos will be on the house as the restaurant combines its opening with the Mexican celebration of heritage and pride, Cinco de Mayo. It will be a Mexican fiesta with live music during the afternoon and a party through the evening.
In line with all other Chilango restaurants it will have an open kitchen area for guests to see and experience the preparation and cooking of the food - it's always nice to see what you're eating coming from a nice clean kitchen, right?! 

So get down there, grab a free burrito - and maybe pop in again once you're hooked on the Mexican deliciousness.

Happy 5/5!!