Trying New Hair Accessories With Scunci

Hello Lovelies

I have been trying out some hair accessories from the brand Scunci recently and today I thought I would share with you my thoughts. I have 3 items to share with you and a bit of a spoiler, they are all fabulous but I do have a stand out favourite.  

I have long layered hair, and at the longest part it is below bra strap length to give you some idea of the length, my hair is thin due to me having PCOS and loosing my hair.  On a day to day basis, I would say 9 times out of 10, I wear my hair in some sort of messy bun, I do sometimes wear my hair down and I am also lucky that my eldest daughter has a qualification in hair styling and sometimes creates me some nice styles to wear, including braiding the front of my hair, braids going into a bun and lots of other lovely styles but all these styles require accessories such as hair ties (or bobbles as we call them in our house) and bobby pins/hair grips, where do they vanish to? So I have been trying out the Scunci products, and as is a regular occurrence on my blog, my girls have been trying the products out too. 

Scunci Multi Styler - £5.50

The Scunci Multi Styler can be used to create 3 different hair styles, the French Twist, Hollywood Roll or a simple bun and everything you need to create each style is included in the pack with instructions on the back of the box. 

The multi styler comes with 1 styler, 1 no damage hair elastic and 4 no damage hair pins.

The multi styler is really easy to use, and creates 3 lovely styles that take minimum effort but look like they've taken hours. I wouldn't ever have thought about using a kit like this, and didn't know that kits like this existed but it is really good if you have an occasion to attend or you just fancy something different. My daughter has tried all 3 styles on my hair and all 3 were easy to create and didn't take much time at all, it is such a handy kit and one both myself and my girls can use. 

Scunci No Slip Grip - £4.50

The non slip grip bobby pins, come in a pack of 48 and hold the hair in place brilliantly, they are a standard bobby pin and there isn't much I can say about them but one thing that I was really impressed with is they have a slide on bobby pin opener at the top right of the pack, you slide the bobby pin onto it and it opens the bobby pin up meaning you no longer need to open them with your teeth, it is so good and something my daughter also really liked and said would be extremely useful for her when doing hair for her clients as using your teeth to separate them isn't very professional looking. 

Scunci No Slip Grip Clear Hair Ties - £4.50

I love all 3 items but the clear no slip grip hair ties are hands down my favourite, I didn't ever think I could get excited about a hair tie or bobble but these have completely changed that. 

The hair ties do feel as if they don't have much movement when you first try them but they do stretch, they hold the hair in place fantastically well, so much so that my hair can be put up in a messy bun using one hair tie at 7am in the morning and it does not move all day, I go to bed with my hair in the same style and it looks exactly the same the following morning give or take a few straggly hairs. 

I have been using the same hair tie for around 10 days at the time of writing this post and it hasn't stretched out of shape at all and is the same size as it was when I first used it. I have put the remaining 13 hair ties in the bag we have in our bedroom which has things we have bought to take on holiday as they will be brilliant on holiday around the pool and my girls can use them too. 

I honestly didn't ever think I could rave about a hair tie but these are so good, my hair does not move, they don't feel uncomfortable or like they are pulling my hair and my hair hasn't broken off from using them. These really are the best hair ties I have ever tried. 

I have really enjoyed trying the Scunci hair accessories and would highly recommend them all, the hair ties are my favourite 100% but all the items are really good and I recommend trying them or other Scunci products, I didn't realise there were so many available. I am definitely going to purchase their waterfall braid kit and will re purchase the hair ties when I need to. 

If you would like to try any of the items I have featured today, or any other Scunci items, you can find them here on the Claires website. 

Have you tried any Scunci hair accessories? Which of the 3 I featured today, do you think you'd like to try the most? Let me know in the comments section below. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoë x

✿ Post contains PR Samples - read my full disclaimer here. 

Summer Hair Inspiration With ghd

Hello Lovelies

Summer is finally here, well at the time of writing this post it is ridiculously hot but as per British weather, tomorrow could be another story. But for now, summer is here and when it's hot I like to change the way I wear my hair, I love having my hair loosely curled to give that beachy waves effect or I'll have the front of my hair plaited to keep it off my face and have loose curls and I have even tried the odd halo braid, but there is one style I really like that's easy to create and looks really pretty and today I thought I would share that style with you.

The style is what I would say has a modern romance feel, with loose curls and a plaited head band, it is casual enough to wear during the day, but also looks nice for occasions, and considering it has a modern romance feel about it, I think it would be a lovely style for a bride or bridesmaids and is perfect for the summer.

Because my daughters are much more beautiful than I, I am going to show you how to create the look using my youngest daughter, Alicia as my model. Alicia has medium length hair which is very fine and she finds her hair difficult to hold a curl, so with her being absolutely stunning and having hair some people might relate to, I thought she was the obvious choice to model the style for my post.

The Hair Style

Tools & Products Used

The tool Alicia used to create the style is the limited edition ghd V Amber Sunrise styler, a stunning golden amber straightener which features advanced ceramic heat technology with plates that glide effortlessly through the hair making straightening any length of hair simple, and contoured edges to help create perfect curls and waves.

Myself and my girls have been using ghd hair tools for many years but we haven't ever had a pair as pretty as these, they are stunning! The straighteners also come with a matching heat resistant bag meaning no waiting around for them to cool once they've been used. They have a temperature of 185 degrees for optimum styling and an automatic shut off meaning they will automatically switch off after 30 minutes, should you forget, which has been done in our house once or twice! 

ghd Heat Protection Spray

ghd Final Shine Spray

You will also need a hair brush, some hair ties or sectioning clips, some small clear hair ties and some bobby pins (hair grips). 

Creating The Look

Step One

First of all Alicia sprayed her hair all over with the ghd heat protection spray before drying, she applied it from root to tip and brushed her hair through to distribute the spray evenly throughout the hair. Once dry Alicia sprayed some more heat protector on her hair to make sure it was all covered. 

Before styling the hair it is best to section off the hair using a hair tie or hair clip, how you section your hair will depend on how thick and long your hair is and how your hair is styled, but it is best to section it so you have a bottom layer of hair so to speak and the rest tied up as you are going to curl the hair and I find it best to curl the hair layer by layer or section by section. 

Step Two

Curling the hair - Take the straighter about an inch from the root of the hair and place the hair between the plates, pull the straighter down as if you're straightening your hair and twist the straighter at the same time, either twisting towards you or away from you (turning your wrist down - away or turning your wrist forward - towards) The best way to curl the hair is to alternate the way you turn your wrist for each piece of hair, so turn towards for the first piece and then away for the second and continue like that until you have curled each piece, sometimes you may need to curl each piece more than once depending on how the curl turns out. 

You should be left with something like the image below. 

Step Three

Once you have curled that layer of hair, take down the next layer of hair, leaving some tied up. The photograph below will give you some idea of how much hair Alicia takes down for each section, she uses 3 sections, the first has been curled and the second taken down ready for curling in the photograph. 

Step Four

Using the same method as you did in step two curl the next layer of hair, piece by piece alternating the straighter towards you and away from you, do this until you have curled all the hair and then take down your hair in layers until you have curled all your hair. 

You should be left with something like the images below. 

Step Five

Take a piece of hair from the side of your head, about an inch thick or however thick you would like. Plait the hair using a regular plait and secure at the bottom with a clear hair tie. Do the same on both sides of the head, if you have very long hair you may only need to do one plait, Alicia needs two. 

You should be left with something like the image below.

Step Six

Take the plaits and one by one take them over the top of your head so they look like a plaited headband, secure in place using a bobby pin or hair grip. Do this with both plaits if you have two, ensuring you hide the end piece of the plait within the hair. You will see in the photographs below where the two plaits overlap and where the bobby pins are to secure the plaits in place. 

Step Seven.

Once your plaits are positioned where you want them, take a hair brush and gently brush through your curls, position your hair at the front and style how you like it to look. Once Alicia had styled her hair, she finished with some ghd final shine spray to give her hair a lovely shine and tame any flyaway hair. 

All done! 

I think Alicia looks stunning and the style really suits her, you can play around with the style and leave your curls as they are without brushing them out or you can place the plaits around the hair line, both alternatives look nice, but I love the look of this style and it is so simple to achieve, I hope you like it too. 

If you would like to try the ghd v amber sunrise styler, you can find it on the official ghd website here where it currently has a £20.00 discount. The ghd heat protect spray can be found here and the final shine spray here. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoë x 

✿ This post contains PR Samples - read my full disclaimer here

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Rimmel Super Gel Beach Ready Collection

Hello Lovelies

I'm pretty sure you're already aware that I am a huge fan of nail polish, I just can't resist buying new polishes or trying nail treatments, I also have my own DIY gel nails kit and love buying gel polishes too. When I received the new Super Gel Beach Ready nail polish collection from Rimmel London, I was excited to give them a whirl. I have been trying out all the shades since receiving the polishes and it's about time I gave you my thoughts on them. 

The Beach Ready collection comprises of 5 new shades of the super gel nail polish and the super gel top coat. I did try one of the super gel polishes when they launched last year but I  didn't like it as it bubbled when drying and looked awful, I haven't bought any more shades since, so I was really intrigued to see if the beach ready collection would change my mind. The 2 shades that caught my eye straight away were Coral Queen and Sun Fun Daze so naturally I tried those first, but I have since tried every shade so I could see if any of the shades applied or dried differently from each other and how each shade looked and lasted. 

What Rimmel Says About The Super Gel Polishes

• 2 Simple Steps

• Step 1 Gel Colour
• Up to 14 days of gel colour & shine
• No UV lamp needed
• Apply 1-2 coats of Super Gel colour, followed by Super Gel Top Coat to activate curing
• Dries like a regular nail polish
• Easy to Remove

The Shades

Coral Queen

Flamenco Beach

 Sun Fun Daze

Purple Splash

Dive Right In

My Thoughts

The first shade I tried was Sun Fun Daze, the instructions say to apply 1-2 thin coats (no base coat required) once dry, follow with the self curing top coat.

As soon as I began applying the polish I thought it was applying quite streaky but I persevered and applied a thin coat, I allowed that coat to dry fully and then applied another coat. I found I needed 3 coats with this shade as some of my nails didn't have the opaque finish I like. After applying the 3rd coat and allowing it to dry fully, I applied the top coat.

Once the top coat was dry, I waited to see if the polish would bubble like the one I tried last year, but it didn't, I do think that is purely down to the application though, applying thin coats and allowing them to dry fully seemed to do the trick. Unfortunately though, the polish did not last for 14 days, it lasted 4 days and then chipped and I had to remove it, it removed with ease using my usual acetone free nail polish remover.

I have since tried all 5 shades, I applied the other 4 shades in the same way as I applied Sun Fun Daze, I did find that Purple Splash needed 4 thin coats, Coral Queen and Dive Right In needed 3 thin coats and Flamenco Beach needed 2 thin coats. None of the shades lasted for 14 days I'm afraid and on average they lasted 4 or 5 days at the most before chipping.

Swatches

Sun Fun Daze - Photograph taken 24 hours after application

Final Thoughts

I have to admit I was surprised that the polishes didn't bubble and I don't hate them like I did the first time I tried them last year, I don't agree with the 1-2 coat application at all, there is no way you could apply just 1 coat of any of the shades in this collection and in my opinion the polishes don't look like I've had a gel polish applied, they do have a lovely shine as you can see from the photograph above, but as someone who has had many gel manicures and has a DIY gel kit, I personally don't think they have a gel finish. 

My favourite shade is definitely Sun Fun Daze which I suspected before trying them, Coral Queen is lovely but a little more orange than coral for me, all the shades are nice and they have a nice glossy finish. I wouldn't write the polishes off as I had done after trying them last year, but they do require care when applying, and take a little more time, but that said, the shades are nice and they look lovely and glossy. 

If you're after some nice nail polish shades for the summer, and you don't mind taking your time when applying them, I'd say give these a go, but if you want something that's going to last 14 days or  replace your gel manicure, these might not be for you. 

You can find the Rimmel London Super Gel Beach Ready collection, plus top coat, on the Superdrug website here, where they are currently on a 3 for 2 promotion, so a great time to try them if you'd like to. 

Have you tried the Beach Ready collection? Which is your favourite shade from my swatches? Let me know in the comments section below

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoë x

✿ Post contains PR Samples - Read my full disclaimer here.

Some New Jewellery With jewellerybox

Hello Lovelies

I am a big jewellery lover, whether it's delicate pieces of jewellery, jewellery with sentimental meaning or a statement necklace or earrings, I wear jewellery every day. I have certain pieces I wear all the time and never take off, these are my engagement ring, 2 bracelets and 2 rings, all gifts from my partner Simon and our daughters. I also usually wear either a Thomas Sabo necklace with different charms attached or my Tiffany necklace, which again were gifts from Simon and the girls, but I do change my earrings up and like to wear statement necklaces especially in the summer and I like to wear bracelets that compliment the ones I wear all the time.

I was recently asked if I'd like to choose some items from jewellerybox, I'd never visited their website before so I couldn't wait to see what items they had on offer. After searching the website, I chose 4 pieces and I thought it was about time I shared with you what I chose.

About jewellerybox

jewellerybox was launched in 2014 and is an online jewellery retailer based in South London, they have a mission to show the world that real jewellery can be bought at costume jewellery prices. They have a large range (over 10,000 pieces) of sterling silver and 9ct gold jewellery on their website. JewelleryBox are passionate about the designs they offer and they think that buying jewellery should be affordable, easy, fast and fun. JewelleryBox are an Assay Assured jewellery retailer, meaning that their jewellery is the real deal, ensuring their customers have trust in them as a brand and in the jewellery they sell.

The Jewellery I Chose

All the pieces I chose are sterling silver, but there is also gold, white gold and rose gold to choose from, most of my jewellery that I wear on a daily basis is silver, apart from a white gold bangle and my engagement ring, which is platinum. I do like gold and rose gold jewellery but I feel silver tones suit me best and I always gravitate to silver, white gold or platinum.

The way the jewellery was packaged was really lovely and the boxes it came in are perfect to keep the jewellery in. All the jewellery came in an outer sleeve with the jewellerybox logo on it, and inside the sleeve was a box tied up with twine/cord and a pretty patterned tag and a tag with the jewellerybox logo on it. The boxes are so nice and I have kept my jewellery inside the boxes. Inside the boxes the jewellery was wrapped in clear plastic and then on it's own card depending on the item.

I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of jewellery there was to choose from and it did take me quite a while to choose as I was literally spoilt for choice. There are some beautiful pieces of jewellery on the site and there are definitely more items that I will be purchasing. I chose items that I really liked and also pieces I knew I would wear, I chose 3 pairs of earrings and a bracelet and I love them all.

Sterling Silver & Clear Crystal, Made With Swarovski Elements Birthstone Earrings - £4.55

I chose these earrings to wear in my second ear piercing, I always like to wear a simple earring in my second piercing and I cannot wear jewellery that isn't genuine silver or gold, if I do my ears become sore after a day or two, so these are perfect for me to wear and keep in and I have been wearing them in my second piercing since I got them a few weeks ago. They are the perfect size and look lovely but would also look lovely in my first piercing too. I love how sparkly the stones are, they catch the light perfectly and look so pretty.

Sterling Silver & Enamel Flat Flower Stud Earrings - £8.25

As soon as I saw these earrings, I loved them. They are perfect and I thought they'd be lovely to wear throughout the summer, they will go with anything and are so pretty, I love the daisy design of them and again I can wear these without my ears getting sore.

Sterling Silver Crystal Flower Stud Earrings - £5.55

These are similar to the daisy earrings and I love that they have the crystal in the centre, these will go with any outfit and will be perfect for the summer too, I love that the petals look like hearts too, I am a sucker for anything heart shaped. 

Sterling Silver Stretchy Beaded Charm Bracelet - £21.00

This bracelet caught my eye when I was browsing the site, it's simple but really pretty and it will look lovely worn either with my 2 bracelets I wear daily or alone, I really like it.

I really love everything I chose from jewellerybox, all the items arrived packaged really well and the delivery was super speedy too. The website has so much choice, there really is something for everyone and it is an ideal place to look if you need a gift for someone. Their items are affordable with sterling silver earrings starting at £1.85, which is a brilliant price for sterling silver earrings, I would definitely recommend checking the website out.

If you would like to take a look at the website, you can find it here and if you liked the items I chose and would like to purchase them for yourself, you can find them here, here, here and here.

Have you purchased anything from jewellerybox? Which is your favourite or favourites of the 4 things I chose? Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoë x


✿ Post contains PR Samples - Read my full disclaimer here.
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Superdrug B.Nourished Cooling And Soothing Mask

Hello Lovelies

I'm pretty sure by now you know, I love me some skincare, and I also love trying new products. So when the Superdrug B.Nourished Cooling & Soothing Mask arrived on my doormat, I was really looking forward to trying it. I have been using it over the past few weeks now and today I thought I would share my thoughts on it with you. 

About The B. Skincare Range

Exclusive to Superdrug the B. premium skincare range, which is suitable for vegans, offers both girls and women a wide range of skincare products across five phases, all of which have been perfectly tailored to suit each age group.

✿ All Phase -  Suitable for every woman of all ages.

✿ Phase 1 -  Suitable for women in their 20's and 30's. 

✿ Phase 2 - Suitable for women in their late 30's and 40's. 

✿ Phase 3 - Suitable for women in their 40's and 50's.

✿ Phase 4 - Suitable for women in their late 50's and onwards. 

The B. skincare range has a wide range of products and all products in the B. skincare range are premium products and are affordable, the most expensive item in the B. skincare range is £14.49 which for premium skincare is fantastic. 

The B. Nourished Soothing & Cooling Mask - £8.99

The B.Nourished Cooling & Soothing Mask is the latest product to be added to Phase 4 of the B. skincare range and is created for mature skin to nourish, protect and help reduce the appearance of more advanced lines and wrinkles. 

The mask which launched on April 5th 2017 comes in an outer box clearly showing it is a Phase 4 product and has details of the mask and how it works. Inside the box is a white tube which contains 30ml of product.

The cooling and soothing mask has been developed to comfort, calm and provide 12 hour moisturisation to skin that may be stressed or irritated. It has a lightweight formula and gives an instant cooling sensation to the skin and also calms redness. The mask contains Witch Hazel which mattifies and helps to reduce excess shine and Hyaluronic Acid to help lock in moisture and improve the skins comfort, suppleness and radiance. 

Although the mask is targeted towards women in their 50's and menopausal women, I have really enjoyed using it and it has been lovely for my skin. I have been using the mask in place of my moisturiser in a morning and then in an evening as the last step in my skincare routine, I apply a generous amount of the mask to my skin and leave it for around 15 minutes, then gently massage the remaining mask into my skin and leave it to sink in overnight. 

My skin feels lovely and soothed when I use the mask, if I use the mask in a morning, my makeup applies really well over the top. I have very dry and dehydrated skin, the mask sinks in immediately and doesn't feel greasy at all. When I use the mask overnight, my skin feels lovely and soft in the morning. I really like the mask and although it isn't something I would necessarily have picked up to purchase because it is aimed at women older than myself, I am really pleased I have had the opportunity to try it as it's lovely on the skin and my skin looks and feels so much better when I use it, so I suppose it goes to show that sometimes using things that you don't think will be suited to you, work really well. 

I will most definitely be trying more of the B. skincare range, the prices are really affordable and they have some incredible products. There is also a mens range of B. skincare and shaving products and a new B. makeup range too, so there really is, something for everyone. 

If you would like to try the B. Nourished Cooling & Soothing Mask, you can find it on the Superdrug website here, and you can find all the products in the B. range from skincare, makeup and mens range here.

Have you tried any products from the B. skincare range? What products would you recommend for me or others? Let me know in the comments section below. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoë x

✿ Post contains PR Samples - Read my full disclaimer here.

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By Chloe Ferry - Liquid Lipstick Review And Swatches

Hello Lovelies

I love lip products and since the liquid lipstick trend began, I have amassed quite the collection including many different brands, although I do have quite a few, I do still look at new launches and buy more if I like what I see. I'd seen a few people raving about the new Chloe Ferry Matte Liquid Lipsticks online and social media, so when I was asked if I would like to try one, I of course said "yes please". 

To be honest, I didn't and still don't know much about Chloe Ferry the person, I knew she had been in Geordie Shore and I had seen her on Celebrity Big Brother, but that is as far as my knowledge goes. She has however recently launched her own self branded cosmetics line and the first product to launch is the lip gloss, other products include false lashes and lip plumbers and she also has a range on sunglasses. 

Being a huge lover of lip products and in particular, liquid lipsticks, and having read great things about her products, I couldn't wait to try out the lipstick, I have been using it for a few weeks now so today I am going to share my thoughts with you.  

The By Chloe Ferry matte lipsticks are priced at £14.99 and come in 12 shades, the shade range has a good variety of colours and if you're a lover of liquid lipsticks with a matte formula, I am sure you'll find a shade suited to you. The matte lip glosses are completely cruelty free and suitable for vegans. 

I chose the shade Rose, described as "a deadly shade of pink that will complete any look" I think it is a bright shade that airs more on the side of a coral toned pink than a rosy toned, but that suits me better because as you all know, I love coral toned lip products. 

The packaging is nice and sleek, a black box with white writing and then the tube is clear with black writing and a black lid, the matte lipstick has a doe foot applicator. 

I find the lipstick easy to apply, the applicator is standard of many liquid lipsticks I own, the lipstick applies well and feels smooth and comfortable when applied, it dries to a matte opaque finish after a little while and I didn't find it felt drying or uncomfortable once dry.

I find the lipstick comfortable to wear, it doesn't bleed or feather and doesn't leave my lips feeling very dry or uncomfortable. I find the lipstick wears well should I drink and chat but I do need to re apply after eating. The first time I wore it, I went to the cinema and had a bottle of drink and some pop corn and when the film finished, it had come off and left a line of colour around my lips, it was easily rectified though by applying another coat. 

If I wear the lipstick and I don't eat anything it lasts really well and doesn't need topping up or re applying, it lasts for around 4 hours if I am chatting and drinking but as I said, I do re apply once I have eaten. 

Rose is a lovely shade and perfect for me, I love bright shades and coral tones too and it is definitely something I will wear a lot over the summer months. 

You can find the By Chloe Ferry Matte Lipstick on the Chloe Ferry website here, and if you are interested in any of the other products, you can find those on the website here. 

Have you tried the Chloe Ferry liquid lipsticks? Which is your favourite brand and shade of liquid lipstick? Let me know in the comments below. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoë x

✿ Post contains PR Sample - Read my full disclaimer here.