REVIEW || GARNIER ULTIMATE BLENDS PLUMPING HAIR FOOD WATERMELON & POMEGRANATE SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER AND MASK

When I first saw that Garnier brought out a watermelon scented range of their Ultimate Blends collection I knew I had to have it because if you know anything about me you will know that I love anything watermelon scented. I'm a huge fan of the Banana hair mask from Garnier and I haven't tried any of the other products, including the shampoos or conditioners. On my recent walk, I decided to go into my local Boots store and pick up the shampoo, conditioner and mask from the watermelon collection and I just couldn't wait to smell them!

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

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 || DermaV10 Hair Dye in shade 3.8

Hello everyone!

So as you all already know I love changing my hair colour and because of my last unpleasant experience with L'oreal's new Prodigy hair dye I haven't touched my hair for months. Instead of turning golden blonde my hair came out green. Yes you read it right, GREEN. So I had to quickly put some random hair dye on and do a bleach bath on my hair to get rid of the green from my hair. Recently I have discovered DermaV10 hair products and because I've loved their skincare I decided to try those hair dyes, especially at £1.99 per packet.

As you can see I chose the shade 3.8 which is a light natural beige blonde. It did sting my scalp a bit, however the colour came out perfect. Better than I expected.

Here's a pictre after I have blow dried my hair and as you can see it's a light beigey colour.

Here I used flash and my hair actually looks like it has highlights. Excuse the greasiness!!

Here's a picture of me and my sister on Christmas Eve. My hair has been blow dried and straightened and looks better than ever.

#selfie is always needed.

I highly recommend this product and suggest that if you're a hair dye maniac like me then go ahead and buy it! They have many colours to choose from.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Review || Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Omega Repair

Hey guys!

I realised that I haven't done a full review of a product for a while, so thought that I should review one of my recent purchases, which is the Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Omega Repair Beauty Balm hair treatment by Claudia Schiffer. This hair BB is for damaged, depleted hair that needs a lot of TLC.

There are three different ones to choose from. I chose the Omega Repair as my hair is very dry and brittle from overusing hair bleach and heated tools. This product is the best hair remedy which works ASAP and makes your hair feel light, soft and extra bouncy. What I noticed after using this product is that it made my hair very easy to comb through and it didn't even look flat, like it usually does. So not only does this product save hair, but it also improves it and gives it volume!
I have been so excited for Claudia Schiffer's haircare range to come out, as I have always been struggling with the state of my own hair, and her being a blonde like me made it easier for me to buy as I know that she dyes her own hair the lightest shade of blonde. I have tried so many different products over the past 5 years since I first dyed my hair, and because I keep changing my hair colour between platinum, brown and blonde, it never is in the state I wish it was. I've been trying to grow my hair out for about 3 years now as it sued to be long and healthy but then boom! I dyed it brown and had to bleach it when I got bored with the colour. Ever since I keep damaging my hair intentionally and I try to stop myself so it finally grows out, but it takes too long and I, being a Capricorn, am very impatient!!

The packaging of this product is quite small and handy. It looks like something hairdressers would use at an expensive hair salon. It has a picture of Claudia on it, so everyone knows that it is one of her products. It explains what the product does at the back of the bottle and what type of hair it is for.

Here in this picture, my hair looks really soft and bouncy, - just what I was aiming for. The product's consistency is very similar to normal hair conditioners which you wash out. This one is to leave in after every wash. I recently had a haircut so I don't have split ends, however, some ends of my hair are still very dry as I didn't want my hairdresser to chop all of it off! This is where the treatment comes in and saves my life. Every time I use it, my hair feels like it's just been done by a professional hairdresser, and all I have to do is brush it because it doesn't need styling!

In this picture, you can see the length of my hair when it's only been brushed (excuse my lip scar). It is naturally wavy and most days I cannot be bothered to straighten it so I just leave it wavy or put it up in a bun. It's not as short as I thought it was and is much healthier than it ever was!

 Overall, I would rate this product 9/10 because it does an amazing job in keeping hair soft and shiny, with an anti-frizz formula (this is always a plus). I got it on offer for £3.49, but I think the normal price is £4.99 so it isn't pricey at all. Well worth spending money on, I will definitely buy this product again when I run out!! BTW my nails are by Barry M.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Dr. Hobbs Heat Gro Intensive Hair & Scalp Strengthening Therapy Review

Hey guys!
So, I have been out shopping (again) and found some really amazing hair treatment when I was looking for new hair extensions. My hair is naturally very thin and fragile, but because I have been dying it and wearing my hair extensions it became thinner. This has worried me deeply as hair is a big part of everyone's appearance and I can't be dealing with having to cut my hair really short or go bald.
I read the ingredients of the treatment, and instantly thought 'wow I must buy this product, it's 100% natural'.

The packaging: The treatment is in a basic plastic tub and isn't exactly eye-catching. however it looks like something you would buy in a herbal shop, especially by the pot and spatula to mix ingredients, mostly herbs and tablets. The large bold writing draws attention to the packaging and makes you want to read on. As soon as I read that it strengthens hair and helps hair grow faster, I had to turn it around and read the back of it to make sure that the ingredients are natural. Overall, the packaging isn't very exciting and is rather simple.

The application: The application was quite hard to be honest! The texture of the treatment is very thick and gooey, almost like jelly so it was hard to spread it around my whole scalp. However I didn't have to use a lot of it, therefore it will last for a longer period. It says that you should apply it every day for best results, however I decided that I'm going to use it every other day as I don't want to wash my hair too often, because then it will lose its natural oils and make it harder for me to grow it. As soon as the product touches the skin, it automatically warms up. Sometimes it might be a little bit tingly, however I thought it was a nice burning sensation, almost like a sauna face mask, but for hair.

The results: I have used this product a few times now and I noticed that my hair is getting slightly bit thicker, like after using henna, the hair is covered in the product and stays that way for a while. My scalp isn't as flaky any more and I noticed that more hair is growing in places where it has fell out. I am very satisfied with the results so far as I have been using this product in less than a week. I will definitely buy this product again and use it all the time until my hair is stronger and thicker, but just to make sure it stays that way I will use it even then! It is a definite 10/10 and the fact that it cost me less than £10 makes it even better!
I hope this helps and that some of you will try this product out!

Autumn

Hello Fabulous!
I'm so naughty, haven't been posting much lately AGAIN!
I've just been so busy with college, seeing as I decided to choose different subjects to what I did last year so now I have to catch up with all the work, boohoo! :(
I will try and post as much as possible now, I realised that blogging also takes time as much as revision does -_-
Well, today I have made a collage of my new purchases, there's not a lot because for some odd reason my silly phone won't let me send pics to my laptop :S, so I will include the rest of the pics in another post via my phone. Hope this month at school/college/uni has gone as fast as mine has! There's just so much work to do nowadays, and I always finish doing my hw and revision around 7-8 so I barely have any time for myself therefore less time for blogging :(
Anyway, these are my new purchases:

Creepers, fur coat, tartan socks, books, shloer, American goodies, and some new DVD's.

I have bought many more things since then so watch out for my next post!

Mwahh :*

Valentine's Day = new hair colour!

Hi everyone! Hope you're all well and had a lovely Valentine's Day, (I know I did;))
I went to a concert on the 12th of February and then went out to see my lovely boyfriend which means that my bedroom was covered with clothes due to decisions on what to wear!
I know it's been a long time since I last posted on my blog but it's tough to keep it all up due to hardcore revision for upcoming exams! :(
Going back to the actual topic haha, well it's hard for every girl to pick out clothes for a special occasion to feel that they look good especially as we all think we look fat most of the time (depressing times). I picked out a few outfits from my own wardrobe that suit my body shape that I will include in this post. Going shopping makes me so happy so I'm going to include my recent buys too!

I've wanted my hair to be a pure platinum white colour so I decided to dye it this colour. I used L'Oreal Feria Extreme Platinum Power L01 hair dye which made my hair go a very light bleached blonde colour. The results weren't as I expected them to be however going from a medium blonde to platinum does take time. I used silver shampoo to neutralise all the yellow and orange tones from the previous hair colour as the dye wasn't powerful enough for my hair. It did damage my hair a lot as I dye it waaay too often so I didn't want to continue dying it and obviously my hair extensions needed dying too but I didn't touch them as I knew it would damage them too much and I always change my mind about my hair.

A couple of weeks later I decided to go back to my natural hair colour however I  didn't want to dye my hair extensions so I bought a hair dye that'll come out to be the same colour as my hair extensions. I used L'Oreal Majirel 10.31 Lightest Golden Ash Blonde which is basically the same shade as L'Oreal Recital Preferance 7.3 Florida Honey Blonde. This hair colour came out quite dark as you can see in the picture above it looks a bit brown. I had to wash it with silver shampoo a couple of times for the colour to fade.

Nails INC: Nude
Collection 2000: Show Off

Peace Bracelet: New Look
Catholic/Christian Bracelets: Spain

Recent buys!
Top: New Look
Earrings: New Look
Bracelets: Internacionale

Tote Bag: Primark
Crop Turtle Neck Top: Primark
Cowboy Tassel Leotard: Primark
Shiny Leggings: Primark

I must say that this is the best primer I ever owned! It's very essential as it makes my face smooth as it fills out my pores. Even the texture is fabulous! It feels like velvet and makes your foundation easier to apply. It's a bit pricey however you get a lot for your money!
22ml - £23.50
44ml - £35 (more or less as I don't remember the exact price of this one as I got it ages ago)

Lots of love,

Maya xo