Top Tips To Maintain Blonde Hair

For the last year or so, I decided to rejoin the blonde club (blondes do have more fun afterall). I now have subtle highlights throughout my hair resulting in a natural but dirty blonde look.

I'm really conscious of looking after my hair now, because if I don't it goes frizzy so easily. Honestly, without deep conditioner I resemble Hagrid not the 20 year old student I am

Swagrid

That's why I thought I'd share my own experiences of how to keep on top of cool toned blonde hair. I'm not a hair expert in any way, shape, or form, but from personal experience this is what helps me...

Keeping On Top Of Regrowth:

The only trouble with dying, or bleaching your hair another colour is that it's pretty obvious when it grows through. I recommend getting your roots topped up every 6 weeks (if your hair grows as quickly as mine does). That way the colour stays looking fresh, yet you're not over damaging your hair by getting it bleached too often.

The only person that can pull off roots

However, this can be an expensive routine. A way you can actually incorporate your roots into your look is by going for an ombre or balayage hairstyle, with your natural hair colour on top so it won't matter when it grows through.

Ombre

Balayage

Avoiding Damaged Ends:

Unfortunately it is hard to avoid damage when bleaching, or even dyeing your hair. Once your hair develops split ends unfortunately there is no fixing them. That's why fresh and regular trims help your hair looking bouncy and healthy, without the weight of dull ends weighing it down.

Fresh trim getting rid of dead ends

Keeping Your Hair Healthy:

Honestly, there is one thing that works much better than any deep conditioner and hair mask that I've ever tried and that is coconut oil. This product really isn't over-hyped, it truly is a magic substance. Leaving coconut oil in your hair for a couple of hours, once a week, adds shine, hydration, elasticity and just general life back into your hair.

Shampoos and Conditioners:

I have two favourite brands that I like to use on my hair to reduce brassy tones and also look after the quality of my hair once it's been bleached.

First is Daddy-O by Lush. This feels really natural on your hair, and leaves your hair feeling so clean and gives such a lovely bounce to your hair. And not to mention the smell is soooooo yummy! I have done a full review on it HERE if you want to check it out.

The second is Touch Of Silver by Provoke. This truly neutralizes any yellowy tones in your hair and gives a cool toned appearance. And it really brightens your hair too.

Toners:

These are important if you want to get any yellow or orange tones out your hair and give a natural or silver appearance. My personal favourite colours to use on my hair are Directions White Toner and Silver. I find a mix of the two gives a natural look.

White Toner

Silver

So that was my personal advice on keeping blonde hair blonde. Have you ever tried any of the products that I've mentioned before? If so let me know in the comments before,

Izzy K xxx

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick

If you want a brand which screams "quality" look no further than Charlotte Tilbury. After being really impressed with her Matte Revolution formula in the shade Glastonberry, I decided to check out her K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipsticks which retail for £24. 

L to R: Stoned Rose, Hepburn Honey

I picked up two shades. First of all I have Stoned Rose which is a nude lipstick, with coral pink undertones. It's lovely for when you want to wear a colour on your lips, which isn't too in your face. 

Excuse my white people lips but this is Stoned Rose

The second shade I have is Hepburn Honey. This is the literal "your lips but better" shade. It is a nude shade with beige undertones.

And Hepburn Honey

This is a non-matte moisturizing formula which doesn't dry out your lips at all. It's got almost a glossy finish to it, and the colours are so opaque so you only need one layer on your lips.

The lasting power of these lipsticks is phenomenal. Unlike most lipsticks in my collection, you can wear these lipsticks for hours on end without it drying out and cracking your lips. The only thing I will say is that these are fairly transferable so aren't necessarily meal-proof. 

Overall I would rate this lipstick a 9/10 and (if my student budget allows it) I will be adding more to my collection. Have you tried any CT product? If so what do you think of them?

Izzy K xxx

Soap and Glory Supercat Eyeliner

Winged eyeliner is just my ting yaknow? And to be able to achieve that I need an on point eyeliner to achieve the desired look. That's why I decided to pick up the Soap and Glory Supercat Eyeliner from Boots for £6.50.

The eyeliner pen itself resembles a felt tip pen which makes the application super easy because it's literally like drawing on your eyeliner.

And this is an incredibly pigmented eyeliner. It's completely jet black and is by far the most pigmented eyeliner pen I've tried. 

The lasting power is perfect too. It's waterproof, yet easy to remove with a makeup wipe. Let's face it there's nothing worse than trying to remove stubborn panda eyes. I've tried a few other eyeliner pens which have dried out quickly, but this one can be used regularly without doing so.

Overall this is my favourite eyeliner pen and really ticks all the boxes which is why I give it a 10/10. Have you ever tried this eyeliner before? If so what do you think? 

Izzy K xxx

Lime Crime Matte Velvetine Lipstick

For Christmas my sister very very kindly (in fact too kindly) got me a Lime Crime Matte Velvetine lipstick. I've been desperate to try this brand for ages, with one of it's selling points to me being that it is vegan and cruelty free. This particular lipstick retails for $20 (£14.77).

The shade my sister picked up for me is Pumpkin, the perfect brick red with orange undertones. I've never worn a lipstick of this colour before, and I can't even lie it definitely is my shade! You legit just need one layer of this lipstick for an opaque colour pay off. 

Next I want to talk about the packaging and how cute it is. The box it comes in is a metallic red with rose details on it. These roses are then repeated on the actual screw off lid of the lipstick. And the frosted glass packaging is like no other one in my collection, really making it stand out. In fact, everything about this product just screams "luxury".

Taste and smell are something to consider when trying a lipstick and I must say this one does not disappoint. As soon as you apply it to your lips, you taste vanilla which to most people is definitely a pleasant taste. 

The lasting power of this lipstick is as good as you'd expect for the price. You barely need to top it up throughout the day and it is meal-proof. And out of all the matte lipsticks I've ever tried this definitely has the best result. The matte result is actually sooooo unreal, it literally looks photoshopped the finish is so good. The only thing I will say is that it is drying on the lips, as most matte lipsticks are.

Overall I would rate this lipstick a 9/10 and I'm already looking for more shades to add to my collection. Have you ever tried a Lime Crime product? If so let me know which one,

Izzy K xxx

My Thoughts On Beauty & Lifestyle Advent Calendar's

In today's post I thought I'd talk about something a little different as I wanted to share my honest opinions on beauty and lifestyle calender's. This is something I had planned to write around for weeks, even before a scandal I'm sure you've heard about. Therefore I'm in no way throwing shade at a particular product, I just had a few things on my mind about the topic that I wanted to get off my chest. 

First of all I don't understand the price of them. I mean I get you're receiving your money's worth for the amount you get (or at least you're supposed to). But in comparison to a cheeky chocolate calendar, which only cost a couple of quid, you do have to admit they're on the pricey side of the spectrum, some being priced at £30+!

Now I understand you get to try a few new things and products in sample sizes, which is a fun idea since you get to try a bit of everything. However, I'd rather use the money I'd spend on an advent calendar where I might not like or use everything, on an additional present that I know I or the person I'm buying for would definitely receive. For me I can't justify spending that amount of money on sample sizes that I might not even like in the first place.

And lastly, I find that people are getting too wrapped up in the gifts (pun not intended) they'll receive everyday leading up to Christmas, and the excitement of Christmas day is just getting lost. Like I feel like it's become all about how many presents people can get before Christmas, as well on Christmas day and it just feels less special to me.

I'm not saying there's no way I'd ever not buy a beauty of lifestyle calendar, I just haven't found one yet where I can really justify spending the money on it. And I have nothing against people buying them, I know some people that genuinely enjoy every single item they get in theirs. I'm just saying some products really seem overpriced for what they are and I just don't like seeing people be ripped off when money can be spent much better, especially at this time of the year.

What are your thoughts on advent calendars, and do you actually recommend any that are worth the money? Let me know in the comments and I hope you all have a wonderful Winter time :)

Izzy K xxx

My Go To Winter Face

Hi there,

If you didn't already know then Winter is my favourite time of the year. And makeup is one of my favourite hobbies. So Winter + Makeup = something I like an awful lot.

So here is a summary of my all time favourite products to use during the most wonderful time of the year. I've linked the websites to all of them where you can have a little browse for yourself if you like: 

 

• Moisturizer- H20 Skindrink by Pixi (£24)
• Foundation- X-Ceptional Wear Makeup by Gosh (£7.99)
• Concealer- Pat Away Concealing Base by Pixi (£16)
• Powder- Kick Ass Pressed Powder by Soap and Glory (£12)
• Contour- Face Form Contour Kit by Sleek (£9.99)
• Highlighter- Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm (£16)
• Eyebrows- Dipbrow Pomade by Anastasia Beverly Hills (£19)
• Eye shadow- Morphe 35O by Morphe (£23)
• Eyeliner- Supercat Liquid Eyeliner Pen by Soap and Glory (£6)
• Mascara- Thick & Fast HD Mascara by Soap and Glory (£10.50)

Thank you very much for watching. What is your go to "Winter face"? Let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

When you say "highlighter" the Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm is often the first one that jumps to mind to many people, since it's such a hyped product. This retails for £19.99 at Superdrug, so as far as drugstore products go it's definitely on the high end side. But is it worth the price?

The first thing I want to talk about this product is the packaging. How adorable is it? The Balm's packaging always has some sort of "vintage" vibe to it, with each product coming with it's own little character on it. This highlighter has a sticker of a woman who presumably is Mary Lou herself, on the lid, making it stand out from other products in the drugstore.

And the packaging itself is of great quality. Since I suffer with an extreme case of butter fingers, I have dropped this highlighter one too many times. And do you know what happens? Nothing! Not to jinx it, but it seems to be pretty shatter resistant. And my favourite part of the packaging is that there is a high quality compact mirror on the inside of the lid, making it perfect for travel. 

As far as pigmentation goes, this product gives you a more natural look. The colour of the powder is a beigey-nude with gold undertones, and of course glitter. If you're looking for a blinding, in your face highlighter, this isn't the one for you. But if you're looking for an everyday glow I couldn't recommend a better highlighter. I find myself always grabbing for this one when I'm heading to class and want a subtle healthy glow. 

And for the price you pay for this product, you'd expect it to last all day long. And let me tell you, The Balm ensures that is the case with this highlighter. If you want a healthy all day glow, add this to your collection. And since it is pigmented, you really don't need a lot of product meaning it lasts ages in the actual pan. 

Overall, I would rate this a 10/10. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea since it doesn't blind you at first glance, yet I feel it is an essential for every day makeup. I can see myself repurchasing this product till the end, so I definitely recommend it to a friend. Have you ever tried this product? If so let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx