Curvissa Five Way Blogger Challenge - Holiday Style

Hello Lovelies, 

Recently I was asked if I'd like to take part in the Curvissa Holiday Shop 5 Way Blogger Challenge, a fashion challenge where 5 bloggers including myself were asked to style a piece from the Curvissa Holiday Shop. 

After much deliberation I chose the Floral Print Shift Dress* a brightly coloured floral print summer dress with lace like  detailing to the shoulders and back of the dress.

I really like the dress and knew I would as soon as I opened the parcel and saw the dress through the clear bag it was packaged in, the colours in the dress are lovely and there's a great mix of lovely summer colours in the dress so it's ideal for pairing with many different accessories. The dress doesn't have any buttons or zips it's a pull on style and very comfortable to wear, I usually wear a size 16-18 and chose a size 18 in the dress, it fits well but is a tiny bit snug on the chest, I do have what you could call an ample chest though so I'm guessing that's why. It doesn't look snug at all but does feel it a teeny tiny bit but not enough to bother me and if I sized up the dress would be far too big everywhere else so if you are a bigger chested lady like me I'd say perhaps order a couple of sizes and see which fits best for you, it's a lovely fit everywhere else though and super comfortable.

The dress has cream lace like detailing to the back and a little on the shoulders at the front, I think it's a nice touch and adds something a little different to the dress. The dress feels nice to wear and something I can dress up or down accordingly and also wear here in the UK and when I go on my summer holiday abroad so a really versatile piece for the summer. 

In the first photograph of me wearing the dress I chose to pair it with some gold sandals (see above) this outfit is perfect for a hot day in the UK or on my holiday abroad. In the above photograph I added some green ballet pumps, picking out the green in the dress, this would be an ideal outfit for the UK if it wasn't quite weather for sandals or abroad if sandals aren't your thing.

I've also added a denim jacket and a bright pink bag, I think the bag picks out the pink in the dress perfectly. This would be a perfect outfit for a summers day shopping trip or lunch out with Simon and the girls or my friends, I love how the green shoes and pink bag pick out the colours of the flowers in the dress perfectly.

I am so happy with the dress, it really is a versatile piece that can be dressed up or down and styled for many different occasions, as I said I could wear the dress as styled in the above photographs for an evening out on my holidays or a shopping or lunch trip with family or friends but I could also wear the dress with a nice jacket, heels and a clutch to a summer wedding or christening, it's a very versatile piece and very pretty too.

I love the dress and would give it a 5 out of 5, it's a lovely dress, really pretty colours, easy to wear and extremely versatile, I highly recommend you check out the dress and all the other items in the Curvissa Holdiay Shop, there's some great items, you'll be spoilt for choice!

If you'd like to check out the other lovely ladies in the 5 way blogger challenge you can find them here,

Curvy Girl Thin

Diamonds n Pearls

What Laura Loves

Writing Essays With Wine

Have you checked out the Curvissa Holiday Shop? Which are your favourite items?

Thank you for reading, much love as always,

Zoe x

How To Get "Unicorn Hair"

Hello Lovelies, 

My eldest daughter Cole loves Unicorns, she also loves funky hair colours and being a little bit different,  combine all three things and I have a daughter with pink and lilac hair or "unicorn hair" as we call it, I say we call it that but it appears so do rather a lot of other people too. Pinterest is full of boards with pins entitled "unicorn hair" showing images of people with multicoloured hair like Cole. 

I posted the above photograph on Instagram recently and since then so many people have asked questions about Coles hair and how she got it like that, what she used or what she asks for at the hairdressers etc so I thought I would write a post telling you exactly how Cole got her "unicorn hair". 

What You'll Need.

Two Tint Brushes

Directions Semi Permanent Hair Colour In Lavender

Directions Semi Permanent Hair Colour In Carnation Pink £3.95.

Latex Gloves 

Vaseline for around your hair line to protect it (optional)

An old towel to cover your shoulders to protect your clothes.

How To Achieve "Unicorn Hair"

*Before using Directions or any hair colour it is advisable to do a patch test first* 

1. Using a tint brush, brush the lavender colour straight from the pot and brush onto dry hair in small sections from the root to wherever you'd like it (Cole has it around half way down her hair) making sure all the hair is covered, you can use your hands to rub the colour in once it has been brushed on if you wish to make sure all the colour is rubbed into the hair properly - Cole does this. 

2. Using another tint brush, brush the Carnation Pink colour straight from the pot and brush onto dry hair on the rest of the hair in small sections,  making sure all the hair is covered, you can use your hands to rub the colour in once it has been brushed on if you wish to make sure all the colour is rubbed into the hair - Cole does this.

3. Wash and dry one of your tint brushes, then mix what your have left in each pot of colour and blend the colours together on the hair where there is a line where the Lavender meets the Carnation Pink.  

4. Leave the colour on your hair for an hour, then rinse your hair until all the colour is out or the water runs clear.

5. Dry and style your hair as normal. 

The Result.

I think Coles hair looks amazing, it is super easy to do and there are so many colours to choose from.  Directions are sold in a variety of different colours so you could use whatever colours you wanted   dependant on your personal choice. You can also use Directions on wet hair but Cole prefers to use it on dry hair as she feels she gets a more vibrant colour that way, applying the colour in small sections creates a more even finish. If you would like a more 'pastel' colour mix the Directions with some conditioner and apply in the same way. 

If you coloured your hair what colour would you choose? I quite fancy some pastel pink through the ends of my hair but I think I'm a little old for having pink hair, what do you think? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x

Boots Expert Build Up Removal Shampoo

Hello Lovelies,

I suffer with oily hair and have done since having my youngest daughter Lissy 18 years ago, I'd never had a problem before then and it's been the bane of my life ever since. Over the years I have tried so many shampoos that claim to be suitable for oily hair and have found some real gems along the way but I have also found that using a clarifying shampoo is a fantastic way of keeping the oil under control.

Up until recently I have been using a loving an Ojon clarifying shampoo, it was the best one I've ever used, but it has been discontinued, don't you hate it when brands do that? So once again the hunt for the perfect clarifying shampoo began. I have tried quite a few clarifying shampoos but they can be expensive, and not only that some of them aren't suitable for coloured hair for example the Bumble & Bumble Sunday shampoo is brilliant but it's £18.50 for 250ml and isn't suitable to use with coloured hair so I can't use it. I do love the Paul Mitchell Two  shampoo (review post here) and have re purchased that many times but again it is quite expensive at around £10.25 for 300ml so more affordable than the Bumble but still a little pricey and I really wanted to find a more budget friendly brand. I stumbled upon the Boots Expert Build Up Removal shampoo, £3.49 for 200ml completely by accident, I must have walked past this so many times before but I saw it and I thought I'd give it a go, I couldn't find anywhere on the bottle to say it was suitable for coloured hair but then again the Bumble one doesn't claim anywhere other than the website that it isn't suitable for coloured hair either (helpful, no?) I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go.

My Thoughts

I've been using the shampoo for around a month now and I like it, it isn't the best clarifying shampoo I've ever used but it does leave my hair feeling clean and I can get away with washing my hair every other day when using this, it is a colourless liquid that doesn't really have a scent to it, it lathers up well and rinses out with ease, it removes product build up well and hasn't damaged my coloured hair at all which I was really pleased with. To give you an example of how long my hair will stay oil free for when using the shampoo, I wash my hair on day one with the build up removal shampoo, and then day two my hair is ok to be worn down with a little dry shampoo at the roots and then I will wash my hair the day after so I wash my hair every other day.

Overall Thoughts & Would I Re Purchase?

Overall I think for the money this is a good product, it isn't as good as the Ojon detox shampoo I loved or the Bumble or Paul Mitchell shampoos but it isn't anywhere near as expensive either and for £3.49 for 200ml I think it's a good product, no it isn't the best clarifying shampoo on the market but it doesn't claim to be either, I do think the packaging could be better, it would have been helpful if it said it was suitable for coloured hair and it is a little bland looking but it's no biggy and not something that bothers me or would put me off re purchasing the shampoo. I can't go as long without washing my hair when using this shampoo but I can go every other day and use a little dry shampoo in between. I would definitely re purchase the shampoo, I think for the price it's a good shampoo and it does exactly what it says on the tin, if you're looking for an amazing clarifying shampoo that will give you a break from washing your hair for a few days this isn't for you, but if you want something to remove product build up and maybe go from every day washing to every other day, give this a go it's a good product for the price and it didn't strip my colour, I'd say it's definitely worth a try if you haven't tried it already.

Unfortunately I couldn't find the shampoo anywhere on the Boots website but it is available to buy in store for £3.49 for 200ml.

Do you suffer with oily hair? Have you found a clarifying shampoo I can use on my coloured hair you'd recommend? Please let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading, much love as always,

Zoe x

Ojon Revitalizing Mist - A Review

Hello Lovelies, 

I suffer with oily hair and for years have steered clear of using a conditioner as part of my hair care routine fearing it would make my hair more oily, and up until very recently I couldn't tell you the last time I used a conditioner (terrible I know) My eldest daughter is a make up artist and hair stylist and has a lot of knowledge of both make up and hair products and she was telling me that using a conditioner won't in fact make my hair more oily and that I should use a conditioner even if it's only a couple of times a week, a few days later she arrived home from work with the Ojon Revitalizing Mist a leave in conditioner that she said was lightweight and really good so I thought I'd give it a whirl and I've been using it for around 2 months now. 

What Ojon Says About The Revitalizing Mist

Ojon™ Revitalizing Mist Original is a lightweight, liquid hairdresser with the hair-repairing power of pure Ojon™ oil, nature’s golden elixir, Blue Agave, Lemongrass and Ginseng instantly revitalises, re-hydrates and takes out the tangles.

Tames frizzy fly-away hair. Mist on before blow-drying and your blow-out is light, free, and full of bounce - never stiff, sticky, dragged-down or dirty feeling.

Warning: this product is highly addictive.

My Thoughts

I have to admit I was extremely sceptical about using the revitalizing mist, I thought I would use it in the morning and by the evening my hair would resemble an oil slick, but I was wrong. I used the mist on towel dried hair spritzing all over my hair but avoiding my roots and then brushed my hair through and styled as normal. 

My hair gets very tangled when it's wet and can be very hard to brush through but when I use the revitalizing mist my hair is so much easier to brush through, I agree with Ojons claims that the product doesn't leave my hair feeling sticky or stiff, dragged down or dirty, it feels soft and smooth and most importantly to me the mist doesn't make my hair oily at all. 

I have been using the mist for around 2 months now and I am super impressed, my hair is quite thin but does get very tangled when wet and I find the mist makes my hair easier to brush through, my hair feels lovely and soft when I've used the mist, I use it around once or twice a week and I have noticed the ends of my hair to look a lot better after only 2 months, the best thing for me though has to be that my hair doesn't become oily after I've used the mist,  I worried because the product contains oil that it would make my hair super oily but that hasn't been the case at all, it is a bi phase product although my photograph doesn't show that (sorry) so it needs to be shaken before use, the mist is easy to use and smells amazing. 

Overall Thoughts

Overall I am super impressed with the mist, it's lightweight and leaves my hair easy to brush through and feeling very soft and not weighed down at all and after just 2 months I can see a difference in the way the ends of my hair look, it is easy to use, smells amazing and very effective and best of all it doesn't make my hair oily at all, for years I have stayed away from conditioning my hair, if only I'd known about this product sooner! I would definitely recommend the Ojon Revitalizing Mist especially if like me you suffer from oily hair and usually shy away from conditioning products. 

If you would like to try the mist, you can find it online at Escentual, Boots and Look Fantastic for £20.50. 

Do you suffer with oily hair? Have you always steered clear of conditioner? Or is it just me?

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x