Babyliss Hair Trends

Last night I went along to an event to launch their new Boutique hair tools collection - which includes a hair dryer and loose waves tong (and straighteners coming later in the year).

Sorry the image in the video isn't great, as I filmed this on my iphone but rather than have me explain the trends I thought I'd leave it to the experts of  Adam Reed (of Percy and Reed) and fashion designer Henry Holland... who have worked together since 2006 creating catwalk looks. In the video, they explain how they created the latest look for the Henry Holland catwalk show - and share some tips on how to recreate at home.




I have to say I am really loving the look of the Boutique loose waves tong (as held by Adam Reed in the pic below) It's a huge barrelled ceramic tube, with no clip or anything, so you simply wrap your hair around to create kinks/waves/curls - I'm always in search of the perfect tool for beachy/casual waves, so this really caught my attention.

On a completely separate note - I adore the dress the model wears in the video (you can just see it in the background of the picture above too) - over sized animal print, with peachy pink colours...gorgeous.

So hope you enjoyed the little trends video! 

Four Reasons Haircare

The first thing I want to say about Four Reasons hair care is how amazing the packaging is - I love it. When these bits first arrived I spent a little longer than is really normal reading all the writing all over the bottles... it kind of reminds me of the doodles I used to do in notebooks in highschool...

But anyway, lovely packaging aside - do they deliver?

The styling products from the brand that I've been trying are: 

Hair Powder - which is part dry shampoo and part one of those volumising hair dusts (there's also a more 'intense' version of this as a duster product on the website). I've been using it as a volumiser/to add texture on dry hair.

Volume Booster - a pre-blow dry spray for the roots to add a bit of a boost.

The Hair Powder is a good in between boost, the small bottle makes it easy to carry around in the handbag and a quick spritz adds texture and a bit of a volume boost without leaving it crispy or sticky as I find some hairsprays can. Like with dry shampoo, because it's powdery you don't want to spray too close or too much or else you might look a bit like you've had a fight with some baby powder - but I find it's much harder to use too much with this as the spray is really fine and light weight.

The volume booster is good, but not one I'm blown away by - I find that it definitely leaves hair feeling light and with volume but it doesn't last all day and I find my soft/fine hair flops quite a bit by lunchtime. When I use this I need to use a fair amount of hairspray to give it the extra hold it needs.

Of course no point me rabbiting on about the products without a bit of evidence - here's a shot of my hair as styled using the volumising spray and then a quick spritz of the hair powder!

On a completely separate note, my hair has gotten so much darker since I've not had it highlighted for a while...this is pretty much my natural colour which I haven't seen for years! Feeling the need to go bright blonde again (and also wondering if it's dark enough yet to bleach the ends and jump on the old ombre bandwagon....)

For more on Four Reasons visit the website

PR samples.

Flat hair loves...

Hair styling wise, there are a couple of products I have been really loving recently, one from Pantene (which FYI has been repackaged recently, more on that in a mo) and one from Phil Smith 'Xtreme Style'. Both products have been an absolute God-send to me, as someone with fine, flat hair.

Starting with the Phil Smith - this product smells of holidays and Summer, which is no bad thing in bleak January. When I say holidays and Summer, I mean it's scented of coconut - the ultimate summer scent. It's gorgeous. The texture of this is a cream, I usually use around the size of a walnut and use my hands to apply through my hair whilst it's still wet. I find it really helps boost my hair all over, and keeps it full and looking healthy - without turning it crispy as some volumising products can do.

In combination with that I use Pantene Mousse for Volume & Body. I have been loving this and using it daily for a month or two. I use this to volumes at the root and find the combination of the two really delivers decent volume, that lasts longer than my bus ride to work... 

I mentioned that Pantene has recently undergone a bit of a change - the brand has essentially repackaged all of it's different hair care sub-brands, such as Aqua Light (which I have professed my love for before) so now the whole range can be selected based on your hair type and needs - so you can pick something that protects your colour, plus conditions thick hair all at the same time. Or volume for fine hair... all sorts of options, but the idea is that it's easier to navigate the brand and find what works for you.

Just in case you haven't spotted the new packaging, here's a little look at the new Pantene post make-over. 

Also, interestingly - much of the range has a new scent... so say goodbye to that familiar Pantene smell. Some love this, others miss the old smell - where do you sit?

Overall, this is my styling combination of choice - without them I would be stuck with a head full of flat, lifeless blonde hair!

PR samples.

Best of 2011: Hair Styling Product

This was actually a really tough category to decide on a winner for, as I don't think I've really fallen for any stand out styling products this year, so I decided to give it to a styling tool that I've really liked. The Cloud Nine 'wand' - a conical wand that helped me get beachy waves in a way that was easy and quick.

The other reason I love these is because I feel like there should be some sort of dramatic unveiling music playing every time I unbox them, they are gorgeous! So hair styling product of the year for me is 'the wand' from Cloud Nine.

Cheap hair straighteners - worth saving a few quid for?

I bought my first pair of hair straighteners when I was in my first year at uni - before then I pretty much did nothing to my hair. But I went to uni and one of the girls there has GHDs - on first use, I loved them. So I decided I needed a pair, unfortunately my student budget didn't stretch that far, so I bought a pair of much cheaper straighteners that I think were by Babyliss... from what I remember, they were ok. They did an ok job, didn't get as hot and weren't as quick as the GHDs but I was happy for the time being (swiftly putting GHDs on my Christmas list....)

But fast forward to the present day, I was invited to take on the challenge of reviewing a cheaper pair of hair straighteners and sharing my thoughts on them versus the more expensive pairs I use more regularly. My current hair straighteners of choice vary between GHD and Cloud Nines - I love them both and it basically comes down to which ones are easiest to find. But both of these straighteners are around the £100 mark to purchase, compared to a bargains £12.79 for the Sassoon Ceramic Straightening Iron I have been trying. 

Sassoon Ceramic Straightening Iron

First impressions are that the packaging certainly isn't as luxe an experience as you get with either GHD or Cloud Nine. Which obviously, considering the price is fair enough. But on the plus side - I don't really want to just be paying for fancy packaging, as nice as it is - I want to know I am getting a quality hair gadget if I'm forking out the cash.

So not-so-special packaging aside, the 'features' of the Sassoon Ceramic Straighteners include that they reach 180 degrees (GHDs/Cloud Nines hit at least 200), they have ceramic plates, there's a swivel cord for easy use and they maintain a constant even temperature. All fairly basic features I would say, but again - for £12 I wouldn't expect much more than basic.

The on-off switch

Sassoon Ceramic Irons

The Plates

In these pics you can see that you get what you pay for -these are bits of plastic sticking out.

 The design of the irons is pretty basic too - they feel very light, this could be a good thing for travelling with them, but they don't feel totally sturdy. The finish does look to be on the cheap side - some of the edges aren't very neat or smooth - with small bits of plastic sticking out.

When pushed together you can see that the plates don't meet evenly along the plates.

I do feel like I'm being a little bit overly critical, but it's hard not to find the flaws when comparing them to a product that is a higher value. Looking at them on a purely functional level (leaving packaging and look of tool aside) they do an ok job. No, they don't feel as smooth to use when running through the hair - they tug a little, but essentially they are ok.

I don't really think that if you are in the market for hair straighteners then you would truly be comparing these to the high-end of the market as it's just not a level playing field. I think these would be a reasonable buy if you were looking for something to take to the gym/work with you, or as an emergency purchase.

I do think if you are looking for something that will last and generally be better for your hair then these aren't the right choice - but if you're going travelling, or want something as I mentioned above that you can take to the gym or leave at work then £12.79 isn't going to break the bank. Or even if you only straighten your hair once in a blue moon, then there's no real point in forking out for the expensive ones when these will do the job.


Where do you sit on the bargain vs blowout hair straighteners debate... worth the cash or better to save a bit?

Straighteners provided for review. 

Vouchercodes.co.uk  also gifted a shopping voucher for this post.

InStyler hair review

This week I have been trying out this new fancy hair gadget called the In Styler. The In Styler is a slightly bizarre looking contraption that combines a rotating barrel and hair brushy/comb bit in the style of hair straighteners....

It promises to straighten, curl, add volume and shine. So it has potential to be the only hair tool you need, other than a hair dryer. I decided it might be interesting to see exactly how easy a fancy gadget like this is to use, so filmed a little video of me giving it a try for the first time - the video includes a few odd faces from me as I try to get my head around how it all works...




So they were my first impressions of The Instyler. Since I unboxed it and used it for the first time I have been playing with it some more, I'm still finding it a bit difficult to create proper curls. I have gotten the hang of a wavy/volume style but without a doubt straightening is the easiest thing to do with them - it's an absolute breeze!

Straightening hair with the InStyler takes no time at all, and leaves hair perfectly straight, glossy and nicely combed through so it feels soft. When I use it to straighten I tend to twist slightly to use the barrel to prevent hair from being totally poker straight as this is the finished look I prefer, but it's just as easy to use to make hair poker straight.

I like how you can use variable temperatures on the styler too, so I can adapt to my hair - I didn't use it above medium as I have fine hair and higher temperatures are a bit risky with damage.

When it comes to the curling styles I do think this is as much down to my lack of skill when it comes to hair styling - I struggle to use other hair tools to create a curl - I can always do one side fine, but then the other ends up looking wonky! Luckily I don't wear my hair curly very often! But there are plenty of reviews and tutorials from other (more coordinated) bloggers who can give you a non-clumsy tutorial in how to use the InStyler to curl - but if you want tips on straightening, then I'm your girl!

You can find InStyler online via:


Twitter - Twitter.com/instyler_europe
Facebook - www.facebook.com/instyleruk
Youtube - hwww.youtube.com/instylereurope
Website - http://shop.instyler.co.uk/index.php

InStyler is £99.99

You can also use the QR code on the box (using a QR reader on a smart phone) to find tutorial videos online:

Sponsored post

Cloud 9 'The Wand': Review

Cloud 9 really are the only true challenger out there for the icon GHD - I reviewed their straighteners back in 2009 and now I've been given the chance to review 'The Wand', their latest gadget.

'The Wand' is a conical wand and the ideal tool for creating looks ranging from Hollywood waves, to corkscrew curls or beachy waves by using the varied width barrel. Other features include a varied temperature setting and a 'lockable' protective heat cover - so you won't risk burning the carpets.

My first impression of the wand was that is was pretty big! It's not a small and easy to carry around tool. Part of the perceived size was due to the cover that does make it appear bigger than it really is. Saying this, it isn't at all difficult to handle. It's not heavy or awkward. The Wand also comes with a bit of a Jacko-esque glove, with only a finger and a thumb 'covered' to help you hold the hair on the end of the wand in place.

My only niggle (there's always a little niggle!) is that I wish the glove had all the fingers covered. It was all find when I used it first time around but the I used it in the morning before work (granted, I was probably rushing more than on first use) but I did manage to burn myself on one of the exposed fingers.

So here's the finished look. I used the wand to refresh my post-work day hair and add a bit of oomph.

I really like the wavy effect, but actually prefer the look once the curls have dropped a little so they are a bit more beachy than defined. As you can see in my slightly zoned-out looking picture below, which was taken a bit later, after the curls had 'settled' a bit.

Overall I am very impressed with The Wand. The number one thing that has always stood out to me about Cloud 9 products is the sheer luxury factor that they have. It's a really exciting experience opening the box to see the product and the packaging. They, without a doubt - make amazing gifts. What lets The Wand down for me slightly are that it isn't easily portable and the glove would be better with all fingers covered (I hope that's not just me being clumsy...)

The Wand is available now from Cloud9 Hair for £119.95

PR sample.

Currently loving: Haircare

I thought that rather than writing review after review of each of these products it would actually be more interesting to talk about them all in a single post. Afterall, I like all of these in combination - so it makes sense to talk about them together.

Pantene Colour Protect & Volume Shampoo & Conditioner*


I love that they have finally combined colour protection and volume, when normally I would have to pick between the two. This does leave my hair soft and nicely conditioned but I am a little cautious of using it on a daily basis in case of silicone build up that can happen. So I alternate it with...


VO5 Give Me Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner


I picked these up because I liked the look of the new bottles and they were half price (about £1.60 each, mega cheap) and really like them. They smell good and keep my dry hair moisturised. Nope, not expensive, high end shampoo/conditioner choices but they clean my hair and leave it feeling good so I don't feel the need to spend more.


Pantene Colour Protect Concentrate*


I've used this on alternate days after having my highlights re-done recently to give it a boost. As I have blonde hair naturally and the highlights are just brighten - but it does mean some pretty hardcore bleach. This can leave my hair pretty frazzled, so this has helped look after it.


Philip Kingsley Scalp Mask* 


I've raved about this one before, it's now an absolute essential in my haircare 'routine'. I've stocked up on these more times than I can count, since trying it for the first time when I was given it in a goody bag. I'll definitely continue to do so. You can read my original review if you click on the product name. I really can't recommend this enough if you ever suffer from a itchy/irritated scalp.


This can now be bought direct from the website.


The Body Shop Guarana Berry Volumising Mousse


This is one of the products I mentioned in my Body Shop Bargains post, where I picked up a few bits with my £30 Groupon voucher. On first impressions this left my hair feeling a bit on the crispy/dry side but that's because I had applied far too much. The texture is actually a foam rather than a mousse, so vanishes into hair faster than mousse textures so first couple of uses it was easy to think I needed to apply more, but this actually only needs a small amount (about half of a palm full) to deliver good volume that lasts. The best thing about this is definitely the smell though - it smells good enough to eat! 


Batiste XXL Volumising Dry Shampoo*


I've been trying to break my daily hair-washing habit and this has really helped. My number one problem with not washing my hair is not that it gets greasy, but that it's really flat and lifeless. This really does deliver though, if you want volume (and I mean MASSIVE volume) then this is your product. It doesn't leave hair feeling clean and fresh, but it definitely leaves it big.


Sebastian Professional Potion 9 Lite Treatment Styler*


This is described as a 'wearable treatment styler' with 'active-oil botanicals that restore hair's natural condition, leaving hair with renewed shine.' For me, this is my heat protector, any time I am going to use my hair dryer or straighteners then I spritz this on beforehand. You can also apply to dry hair for 'texture and definition' but I don't really like how my hair feels when I do this, so I stick to using it as a styling protector.


The next two products basically do the same thing, but one is my 'lazy' version...


Pantene 24 Hour Frizz Fighter* & Chi Silk Infusion


Both of these products offer sleek/frizz free results. I like them both but find the Pantene one easier to use as it doesn't require a hand wash after use to remove the serum/oil coating from hands like the Chi Silk Infusion does. I picked up the Chi product when I was in America recently, but only bought a small one as I couldn't carry it back (luggage was overflowing already...) I do like the Chi a lot, it definitely leaves my hair feeling amazingly soft and silky, but it can be quite easy to go overboard and look a bit greasy rather than silky. 


I would say that I use the Chi if I'm using hair straighteners and the Pantene on a day to day basis to keep frizz at bay.


The Tangle Teezer


Another one I have already raved about, love this! You can read the original review by clicking on the name above for more info - but it really does get rid of knots, smooth hair and gives the scalp a lovely massage all at the same time.


The only thing that I think is missing is a deep conditioning treatment - would love to hear suggestions! What are you loving in your hair care routine at the moment? 


Products marked with a * provided for PR. All others bought by me.