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 the beauty blog | |||||||
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Category Archives: HairHow often do you get your hair cut?
Beauty confession: it’s been over three months since my last haircut. Don’t worry, I’ve booked one for tomorrow, but only because I felt I should. Sure, my hair’s looking a little unkempt, but I don’t have any split ends, and I can live with looking like Rapunzel. Well, I can if it means I don’t have to go to the hairdresser’s, anyway… Here’s the thing, you see: I hate visiting the hairdresser. No offence to any hairdressers who are reading this, by the way: it’s nothing to do with the actual people, who are generally lovely. (Fun fact: when I was in high school, I did work experience at a hairdressers, purely because I thought hairdressers were, like, really cool. They always seemed to be wearing these super-trendy clothes that I, of course, couldn’t afford because, er, my mum and dad wouldn’t buy them for me. And, of course, they always had fabulous hair, and often great nails, courtesy of the beautician who worked there too. It seemed like the best! job! ever!) No, it’s all because of ME, and my issues. Over the past few years, I’ve come to dread visits to the salon. It’s not just because of the famous Mullet Cut of ’08, either. I actually hate everything about the experience: 1. The hair washing, which always involves my neck being bent back over the sink in such a manner that I feel like my head is being severed. Then they’ll start the Indian Head Massage. “Please, no!” I always want to beg. “Let’s just get this over with as quickly as possible. I want to go hoooooommmeeee!” 2. The mirrors As I’ve aged, I’ve noticed that the mirrors in hair salons have become less and less flattering. I’m going to pretend those two events are unconnected. It. Is. Mortifying. All that time in which to sit and do nothing but stare at my own face, noticing every last line and flaw that I’d never noticed before! The mirror I was seated in front of last time I visited the hairdressers had a huge amount of sunlight streaming onto it, which allowed me to view myself in a level of detail that I rarely ever see. It also made me want to tear my face off, before jumping out of the chair and yelling, ”Forget the hair! I need to get me a new face first!” I also threw the lipstick I’d been wearing into the bin as soon as I got home, because seriously, what was I thinking? 3. The forced conversation I have the greatest admiration for hairdressers and their ability to make smalltalk with so many different people every day. Unfortunately for me, I’m really, really bad at smalltalk. I try my best, but I always imagine the poor woman shaking her head sadly as I walk out the door and muttering, “Like getting blood out of a stone…” 4. The Fear For a while there, I had no fear at all about what my cut would turn out like. I’d finally found a stylish who totally understood what I was looking for (for my hair to look almost exactly the same as it did when I walked in, only much better), and I was gradually working up to asking for something a bit different. Then she moved away, and I’ve had to start my search all over again, which means that each time I visit the salon I sit there holding my breath wondering what I’ll actually look like when it’s over. As a veteran of several really bad cuts (there was a time about a year and a half ago when every time I went to the salon, the stylist would comb through my hair in amazement and then call all of the other stylists over to take a look. “What HAPPENED?” they’d all chorus in horror. Those were some bad days.) I have good reason for this fear, trust me. Anyway, my first haircut in three months is scheduled for tomorrow, after which I’ll be hoping to last another three months before having to go back. So tell me: how often do you have your hair cut? Do you stick to the “every six weeks” rule, or do you leave it a little longer? Dollface Reviews: Pantene Volume & Body Shampoo and Conditioner
Before I get started with this review, I should probably hold my hands up and confess that I’m a bit of a Pantene fan. They’re one of my go-to brands when it comes to hair care, so when I was sent some of their Volume & Body shampoo and conditioner to try recently, I must admit I went into the review expecting to like it. I wasn’t disappointed, either. Make no mistake: there’s nothing particularly fancy or exciting about these products, in terms of packaging, scent or branding. Pantene is one of those no-nonsense brands that’s successful mostly because the products work. I’ve been using the shampoo and conditioner from this range for about a week and half now, and, as with all of the Pantene products I’ve used, they leave my hair feeling super-soft, silky and thick – and I notice the difference when I stop using them and switch to something different. In terms of the “volume and body” claim, my hair is a fairly good test, as it’s long and fine. Do I notice a difference after using this? I’m going to have to say “not really”. I don’t see a huge difference in volume, but my hair is a stubborn beast in that department, and not much DOES make it look more, er, voluminous. I do however, notice an improvement in the overall condition and general health of my hair, and that’s good enough for me. You can read more about this range here, or buy it at Boots. Frédéric Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Zero Humidity Frizz Control
I’m sure I can’t be the only one who spends most of her summer holidays with a head full of frizzy, out of control hair that’s been apparently driven wild by the heat and humidity, and which drives me wild in its turn. My hair normally manages to be both limp AND frizzy, and let me tell you, that’s not a combination your ever want to find yourself dealing with. Although it’s on the pricey side at £19 per bottle, then, Frédéric Fekkai’s Marine Summer Hair Zero Humidity Frizz Control could end up being worth its weight in gold if it actually does what it says it will, which is to “block humidity while sealing in hydration to keep sleek for all-day frizz & flyaway protection.” (OK, maybe not gold, but you know what I mean…) The lightweight mist is suitable for all hair types, and as the name suggests, contains various sea-sourced ingredients like sea algae, seal kelp extract, and sea water itself. Will it work? We’ll sea. I mean see… If you want to try it out, it’s available at Harrods. Mini hair straighteners from Topshop
The launch of their new makeup line last month made the Topshop website even more dangerous to my bank balance than it was previously, and hey, look: now they’re even selling mini hair straighteners, too! Teeny-weeny straighteners are something I’ve had on my Wish List for a while now – my regular sized ones are a little too heavy to travel with, especially given the equally teeny-tiny luggage allowances most airlines seem to give you these days, so these would be ideal. Sure, at this size they’re probably not going to be idea for those of you with a full head of hair that needs straightened every day, but if you’re like me, and really only need to run your straighteners over your fringe, and the shorter strands at the front, they could just be a good buy for £10. Plus, they come in a red polka dot case (and other colours/designs too), so at least you know they’ll LOOK the part! They’re £10, and you can buy them here. Dollface Reviews: Babyliss Pro 30 Piece Ceramic Roller Set Before I start this review, I have to explain a couple of things about my hair. You see, my hair is fine. Super-fine, in fact. It’s poker straight. It’s long. It does not hold a curl AT ALL. Ever. The length and weight of my hair will drag out any curl within a few minutes of its creation, which means that my dreams of having a head of Carrie-Bradshaw style tousled curls are doomed to remain just a dream, and the most I can realistically expect from any kind of curling product is that it will give me some big, loose waves, and add a bit of body to my normally flat-as-a-pancake hair. It was with this in mind that, after weeks of indecision, I finally succumbed to the lure of the Babyliss Pro Ceramic Roller Set I wrote about back in January, although, because I have rather a lot of hair, I decided to go for the 30 piece set rather than the 20 piece set I’d originally looked at. I bought my set from Cool Blades, which was the cheapest place I could find these online, and who I can’t recommend highly enough. As well as charging just £31.45 compared to the £40 – £45 I’d seen these for elsewhere, they also arrived the day after I placed my order, which was a pleasant surprise, as I hadn’t expected (or paid for!) next day delivery. Celebrity Beauty: Jennifer Lopez wears a beehive to the premiere of The Back Up Plan
Ever since my experiment with the Bumpit, I’ve been obsessed with big hair and beehives, so I was interested to see Jennifer Lopez turn up to the London premiere of The Back Up Plan last night with her hair in a massive ‘hive. Although the dress and hair were competing for attention a little bit here, I do love this hairdo, and there’s a little part of me (OK, let’s be honest: it’s quite a big part of me) that wishes this kind of style would make a full-scale return to popularity, and it would suddenly become totally acceptable to walk around with a giant head of hair, even if you were just going to the supermarket or office. Of course, I suspect I’m far too lazy to want to go to this amount of effort every day (and wow, but getting all that backcoming out would be a PAIN, wouldn’t it? Unless, of course, J.Lo’s wearing a false hairpiece here, which she very well may be.), so my big-hair dreams will probably never come true, but what does everyone else think? Do you love this look? Found! The Hair Scroo!
Remember the Hair Scroo? They’re the hair grips from the 90s which I was obsessed with finding a couple of years ago, because they’re basically the ONLY thing that actually holds my hair up, and which I’m able to use without hours of arm-aching faffing around. I did eventually manage to track some of these down on eBay – in fact, I’m wearing them right now – and bought enough to last me for the rest of my life, but I know some of you out there are still looking for them, so you’ll be pleased to know that the Hair Scroo has been tracked down by my lovely readers! Several of you have contacted me over the past couple of weeks to tell me that the “scroos” in question are available to buy at Goody. They call them “Spin Pins” and for $14.99 they’ll send you two of them, plus a “Pony Pouf Clip” and a “Modern Updo Maker”. I want all of those, don’t you? If you do, click here and go get ‘em! Thanks again to everyone who contacted me about this! Corioliss mini vintage travel hair dryer
This, then, is why I like Corioliss’s mini travel hair dryer. You always need a travel hairdryer, don’t you? If you need one rightthisverysecond, this one is £25.99 at HQ Hair. Dollface Reviews: The Bumpit!
I know, I know: beauty blogger in “Bumpit review” shocker! It seems like everyone has been trying out these lately, and I’m a little late to the party, but a few weeks ago I finally succumbed to the lure of the Bumpit, which, as most of you will know, is a plastic hair grip designed to create lots of volume, or beehive-style bumps. I bought my set on eBay, and it only cost about £3. For that, I got one large Bumpit, two regular sized ones, and two mini “bang Bumpits”, like the kit below:
The Bumpit is supposed to allow you to create volume without backcombing, but I have very fine hair, and found I did need to backcomb it slightly before using this, partly to get it to grip properly, and partly to hide the teeth of the grip. Even then, I found that the grip can still be seen if you look closely: I’m not sure if that’s purely because of the type of hair I have, or whether I need to do a bit more backcombing. That aside, it’s very straightforward to use, and you simply place it on your head (the teeth will grip onto your hair) and then comb hair over the top of the Bumpit to hide it. Here’s what the regular Bumpit looks like from the side: Dollface Reviews: John Frieda Luxurious Volume Collection
Now, this was interesting to me, because while my hair isn’t particularly thin, it IS very fine, fairly long, and poker straight, which means it can have a tendency to look a bit lank. Add in some lovely, greasy roots, and you get that attractive “plastered to the head” look, which these products are designed to help combat. I’ve been using the Thickening Shampoo, Thickening Conditioner and Blow Dry Lotion from this range: I don’t tend to use styling products, but for those who do, there’s also a hairspray, mousse and thickening texture paste to try. The shampoo and conditioner are pretty much self-explanatory: they’re both very lightweight, and the shampoo is designed to strip away product build-up (which can weigh down your hair and make it look flat), while the conditioner strengthens, repairs, detangles and reduces static. This last point was particularly interesting to me, because I’ve been having a huge problem with static recently, as I quite often do at this time of year, and I’m pleased to say that these products have really helped tackle it. I wouldn’t say they make my hair look thicker, but it does feel much smoother after use, and there are no tangles at all. The greasiness that’s the bane of my life is also much more manageable when I use the shampoo, so so far, so good. The real triumph of this line, however, is the Blow Dry Lotion. This is sprayed onto the hair (concentrating on the roots) before blow-drying, ideally with the head upside down. I’ve used it several times now, and each time I’ve been really impressed with the results: as soon as I flip my head the right way up, I can see a definite improvement in volume around the roots – so much so, in fact, that the short bits of my “fringe” are generally sticking straight up in the air, and I have to put some water on them or get out the straighteners to make them sit flat. Because of the aforementioned greasiness, I generally avoid using anything AT ALL on my hair after washing, especially on the roots, because I always worry it’ll just weigh the hair down and make it look even greasier. That hasn’t been the case with this product, though: like the shampoo and conditioner it’s very lightweight, and can’t be seen in my hair at all – whew! This range is available from all of the usual suspects, and Superdrug are currently selling it with prices starting from £3.99. Take a look here for details.  | |||||||
