REVIEW || KERASTASE ELIXIR ULTIMATE OLEO-COMPLEXE 6 SHAMPOO & BALM

Kerastase is one of those brands who not a lot people speak about as they are on the pricey side of hair care products, but I can never resist buying new products to try out and see whether they are actually worth their high price tag. Now, these two retail between £20-£30 which seems ridiculous for a shampoo and an oil balm, as I usually go for products like VO5 which only cost around a quid and do a great job.

The balm has a weird consistency, it's like the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream but dry? It makes my hair feel matted, but at least I get to wash out the product soon after applying it. I have used it several times but I'm not the biggest fan of it. The texture is odd and I don't think it does anything for my hair -I have definitely tried better products. I also don't see the point in using a hair treatment on dry hair? Not sure if it's just me, but isn't a treatment supposed to be used on clean hair?

The shampoo, on the other hand, is quite nice and smells great. I wouldn't say it's the best I have tried before but it does make my hair super shiny and soft - something that most shampoos can achieve.
Overall, as you can see I don't have much to say about these products as I don't think they're very good. You can find much better alternatives from other brands like Aveda or Matrix.

What was the most you have ever spent on hair products? Would you say it was worth your money?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

HOW TO RESTORE SEVERELY DAMAGED SHORT HAIR - MY STORY OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM DUE TO HAIR LOSS AND OVERUSING HEAT

Oh dear, my hair journey... ha! Where to begin? Let's start from the first time I dyed my hair - I was a very self-conscious 13-year-old who felt the need to do everything to not look like 'me'.
I was in a very bad place at the time because of bullying and trying to settle in my new school, but now I wish I never touched my hair.

I had beautiful golden blonde hair which was long and healthy, it wasn't very thick but it was definitely thicker than it is now. I begged my mum for months to let me dye my hair and she finally did which made me very happy. I kept bleaching my hair until the age of 15 when I decided I wanted to have brown hair?! - If you're thinking about dying your hair brown but you're a natural blonde, make sure you speak to a professional beforehand, because me going brunette was the worst decision ever. After a couple of weeks, I got bored of my dark hair and wanted my blonde hair back. Oh, boy was it hard to go back to blonde then! I bleached and bleached and bleached my hair until it went a horrible bright orangey-yellow colour and very bad condition.

For my prom, I wanted to have long and curly hair but did I f**k... The hairdresser I went to BURNT MY HAIR OFF!!! She burnt my hair off the DAY of my prom.... The condition of it was so bad that all was left for me to do is have it cut really short and re-grow it. When I say short I don't mean Pixie-cut short, I mean above shoulder-bob-length which I hated. Thinking back now, I should have sued the woman! She was so rude as well, not helpful when it came to me picking out a hairstyle at all... and the fact that she did not dry my hair properly and using styling irons which weren't suitable for wet hair on me made me so angry. But, you live and you learn...

After 5 years of trying to grow my hair out and dye it less, I can say that I'm finally happy with the condition of it due to this routine and these products:

My current hair care routine consists of scrubbing my scalp every time I wash my hair - 2-3 times a week, depending on my plans. Once I've scrubbed my scalp and got rid of all the dry skin, excess product etc. I then move onto shampooing and conditioning my hair as normal, I have recently been using the whole Lee Stafford Hair Growth range and I've noticed a massive difference in the quality and length of my hair already. Once a week I will use a hair mask to nourish my hair, I love this one from Lush and any of the Lee Stafford ones.

I used to wash and straighten my hair every day for at least a year, so I have cut down a lot on using heated tools. When I was regrowing my hair properly I refused to use any heated tools and just let my hair dry naturally and put it up using scrunchies or invisibobbles.
Now, I blow dry my hair every time I wash it because now that I'm older I take care of my appearances more than I used to, and from time to time I'll either curl or straighten my hair too. I have been really enjoying using Lee Staffords' Coco Loco Heat Protecting Mist as it smells bloody amazing, and works wonders for my hair too! Jeez, this sounds like a sponsored post but it really isn't! I paid for all these products with my own money and I only buy hair care products when they're on offer anyway.
Another issue which bugs me is that my hair falls out so much every time I brush it... I know it's normal to have up to 100 strands of hair to fall out but my hair is thin enough as it is!! Would you recommend any hair products or how to reduce hair fall out?

Have you ever been through something similar? What are your holy grail hair products?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2017 || APRIL FAVOURITES

April, April, April... What a rollercoaster of emotions you were - just like the weather you brought to us this year! I must say I loved quite a few of the same items this year so it might look like a review - but I promise you they are so worth it.

First up, I've been really enjoying using the Kerastase Voluminifique Spray. I have very thin hair and it's difficult to keep it looking volumised and thick. I've been using this spray after every wash and then blow drying and styling my hair as usual, and I have noticed a change in the volume even after sleeping with my hair down. This is honestly a Holy Grail for me and I highly recommend it to all who haven't been blessed with thick hair.

The Collection Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Eyeliner in Glitz was my first glitter liner from this collection. It makes creating glam cut crease looks so much easier and it's great for those who aren't very good at using loose glitter as it sticks to the eyelid without any extra glitter glue. I try to use these as much as I can, but the turquoise shade is hands down my favourite and will get a lot of use this Summer!

Bell sleeves - my true love this Spring. How beautiful is this top from Topshop though? Not only has it got bell sleeves (which are so in this Spring - read my 'What's fashionable this Spring' post here), but also the oh-so-cute pie crust neckline! This is the top that's in my pictures however, the teal colour seems to be sold out on the website. I know for a fact that I'll be getting some more colours soon!

What have you been loving this April? Other than the hot days of course!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Review || Beaver Professional Hydro Repair Shampoo + Conditioner

Morning Everyone!

I hope you're all having a lovely first week of June! As soon as it turns June, it's officially Summer!
I recently subscribed to Birchbox, which is a beauty box that is shipped out to you monthly for £12.95 including postage and is full of great new/old products for you to try out!

In my March Box I received a sample of the Beaver Professional haircare products. I got the hydrating and repairing shampoo and conditioner. As you can see the conditioner is really small so it did only last me for one use, however the shampoo bottle was quite big and has lasted me a few washes, and I always double wash my hair so imagine how many times you'd be able to use this if you wash your hair once! Amazing bargain if you ask me!

I LOVE this combo. it is simply a m a z i n g!! The shampoo made my hair feel really nourished and clean, whereas the conditioner made it silky smooth and easy to manage. I adore the scent of these products as they're very floral but clean at the same time, if that even makes any sense haha?

I will definitely try and get these in full size when I run out of my trust Aussie products!

What do you think? Have you ever tried any Beaver products? What about a Birchbox subscription?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Review || L'oreal Professionnel Paris Age Supreme Integral Shampoo and Masque

Hey guys!

I recently bought a couple of products from L'oreal's new professionnel range. My hair tends to break very easily and it lacks the oomph that every girl desires. Today I decided to review the products and share with you my opinion amd whether the products are worth purchasing.

The age supreme collection is perfect for over bleached hair which needs more than a lot of TLC. 

The texture of the shampoo is thick and soft, it is also clear so it is easy to tell that it doesn't contain a huge amount of parabens and artificial ingredients. The only disadvantage with using this product is that you need to use a lot of it each time you wash your hair as it's not very foamy. The shampoo made my hair feel quite dry after I rinsed the product off which I was quite disappointed by as most of the previous products I have used made my hair feel silky smooth. The fragrance of the shampoo is quite pleasant, but unfortunately it's not as fruity as other shampoos I have tried.

Let's move onto the hair masque now. It smells just like the shampoo, so the fragrance will linger on your hair for a while after the wash, unless you use other styling products e.g. heat protection spray which is also fragranced so your hair smells that tiny bit more fruity! The texture of the masque is very thick and silky, and gladly you don't need loads of the product to apply on your hair as it's very easy to apply and makes the hair very soft as soon as in contact. 

After I used both of the products, my hair is left feeling very smooth and soft, almost as if I left the hairdressers. After styling my hair I could see the shine that never existed, or died a long time ago when I started dying my hair. My hair also felt much stronger and looked more lively and full of volume. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who is struggling with maintaining beautiful hair, but don't forget that you won't see great results after the first use!

Lots of love,

Maya xo