The second to last of my Christmas Gift Guides of this year. Find the previous Beauty gift guide here. This one is more of a general gift guide for her, with a mixture of present ideas for the fashion follower, beauty lover, tech fanatic, home-ware obsesser and so much more!

We're officially in December now which means you might have already started your Christmas shopping or you might not have even started yet! This list is aimed to help you out for ideas when you go present shopping, whether it's for your girlfriend, fiance, wife, mum, sister, daughter or maybe even your Grandma?! A mixture of inexpensive to more luxurious items are included, yet they are still perfect for any type of budget!

1.Olivia Burton Big Dial Rose Gold Watch - £80.00:
I personally really love Olivia Burton watches and this one in particular is on my wishlist! A watch is a great gift for any type of person out there because it is so handy and can be a great accessory for any type of outfit. If you are or you know someone who is a lover of rose gold, then this might just be the watch for you!

2.River Island Beige Padlock Winged Tote Hand Bag - £45.00:
A girl can never have too many hand bags, right? This is literally what I say to myself every time I buy a new one that I probably don't really need haha! River Island always do such gorgeous yet great quality bags that are definitely worth this more higher high street price!

3. Asos Heart Liquid Glitter Phone Case - £12.00:
This Asos phone case is a great dupe for the Skinnydip glitter ones and it's cheaper which is a bonus!

4. Paper Chase A6 week to view 2016 Diary - £6.00:
Paper Chase do some really great stationary, I love their notebooks and diary's. A diary can be a great gift for anyone who likes to stay organised or needs some help with staying organised for the next year.

5. BAN.DO I'm Outta Here Passport Holder - £20.00:
If you know someone who enjoys their travelling and is off somewhere nice next year, then this cute passport holder could be the perfect gift for them.

6. Topshop Satin Balconette Bra and Brazilian Knickers - £26.00:
What girl doesn't love receiving lingerie as a gift? An underwear set is such a lovely gift. Topshop and Boux Avenue do some really nice lingerie sets!

7. Topshop Teddy Robe - £32.00:
This dressing gown from Topshop is so adorable and cosy! A perfect gift for those who love to snuggle up and wrap up warm during the winter months. Plus this one from Topshop has a hood with teddy bear ears!

8. Topshop Unicorn Hottie - £9.00:
There's so many different hot water bottles or heat pads out there! I really love the teddy themed ones which you can easily pick up from high street stores. If you know someone who likes to use a heat pad or hot water bottle through winter or when they're on their time of month, then why not buy them an adorable animal themed hottie?

9. Victoria Secret The Mayfair Pyjama - £26.92:
You can't really go wrong with a pair of Pyjama's for Christmas, can you? I have had my eye on the iconic Victoria Secret pink pin stripe pyjama set for a while now! They just look so girly and cute. Loads of places stock cute pyjamas, Next, H&M, Topshop, Missguided and Asos are particular good!

10. Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette, The Vintage Vamp - £38.00:
This one is definitely more for the make-up lover! A gorgeous eye shadow palette made up of vintage vamp inspired colours. A great palette for someone who's into their eye make-up or a Charlotte Tilbury fan!

11. E-PL7 Olympus Pen Camera - £499.00:
If you know someone who is into their photography or is a blogger looking to upgrade their camera, then the Olympus pen might just do the trick! On the more pricey side, the Olympus pen is an ever growing increasingly popular camera within the blogging community. I literally love everything this camera has to offer from the flip down screen that's perfect for selfies to the built in wifi meaning it's quick and easy to share photo's with friends!

12. LUSH Sweet Christmas Gift Set - £32.00:
Any Lush lover would love to receive this on Christmas. Lush do some really great gift sets for affordable prices and with a range of products inside, there's something there for everyone.

13. Gift Card :
Gift cards can be a great alternative when you are unsure of what to get someone. It gives the person you're gifting to the opportunity to purchase something when they see something they like and not having to use their own money. Loads of different places do gift cards for all sort of things to restaurants, days out, the cinema to make-up counters, jewellery boutiques clothing stores!

14. Magazine Subscription (ELLE):
If you know someone who loves reading a certain magazine, then why not buy them a magazine subscription for a certain period of time? You can either go for 3 month, 6 month or year subscription deal! This will save the person you're giving it to a bit of money each week/month.

15. Topshop Meg Bone Heel Boots - £79.00:
A pair of real leather boots can be a great treat for someone this Christmas, especially those fashionista's out there! So many different styles, textures and colours are out there. I love these boots from Topshop!

16. Vivienne Westwood Jewellery - Solid Orb Earrings - £50.00:
Jewellery can be a great gift for any girl/woman of any age! Vivienne Westwood's jewellery collection is one of my favourites. Her earrings have been on my wishlist for so long!

17. Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set Vol 2 - £55.00:
If you know someone who is into their make-up, then why not treat them to this gorgeous Zoeva brush set! It comes with eight brushes and a bag to keep the brushes safe and from getting damaged! I think they're such good value for money and they look stunning too!

18. Girl Boss by Sophia Armous - £6.99:
Is she a book worm? Then a book would be a great gift for your loved one. This New York Times best seller is all for girl power and providing motivation to woman all over.

19. 'You Look Lovely Today' Canvas Pouch by Alphabet Bags - £18.00:
A great gift for her to put her on the go make-up in, jewellery, hair accessories or other random bits and bobs! Also how nice is the message across the front, it's sure to make any girl smile!

20. Alphabet Spotty Mugs - £14.65:
This personalised letter, dainty and sweet mug, perfect for those hot drink lovers.

21. Friends Layla Rose Gold Headphones - £139.99:
Any rose gold fan or tech lover would be more than happy to receive these on christmas day!

22. Jo Malone London Home Candle - £42.00:
A luxurious candle is a great gift for those who love to relax, want to add something extra to their home or simply enjoy the smell of candles burning around the house.

23. Pandora Delicate Heart Ring - £35.00:
Most girls own some form of Pandora jewellery, they do some really pretty accessories, a heart themed ring could be a great gift idea for your girlfriend, fiancée or wife this Christmas to show them your love to them!

24. Body shop Vanilla Body Mist - £7.50:
Body mists, perfume and sprays are great gifts for girls because let's be honest, no one can ever have enough smelly stuff, they're basically necessities. Body shop and Victoria Secret are the places to go!

About a month or so ago, I decided to finally purchase the most talked about highlighter of recent times and one that had been on my wishlist for so long. Having not heard of the theBalm before this product because it is a U.S based brand, I was pleasantly surprised to see it now stocked in Superdrug stores and over on the FeelUnique website. This means it is mega easy for any UK beauty lovers to get their hands on any products this brand has to offer!

For a product that is hyped about so much in the beauty world, there is always that challenge you experience whether or not to buy into the hype and to check out if the product is really worth it. Now having tried Mary-Lou Manizer for just over a month now, I can tell you that I was not one bit disappointed with this product and can see why it is so popularised!



This highlighter is such a gorgeous product! I feel like theBalm have worked so hard on making their products very recognisable out in the big wide world of beauty. They definitely have the whole retro/50's/vintage theme down to a tee, much like the same theme Soap & Glory go for. All their products seem to have really cute and catchy names to them, Mary-Lou Manizer is no exception with the play on words it creates, e.g Mary-Lou Manizer aka The Luminizer.




Mary-Lou Manizer is what could be described as being the most perfect golden champagne powder highlighter! It also has a slight shimmer to it which is very subtle and adds an extra glow to the face. I much prefer golden coloured highlighters as opposed to more pinky-toned ones. This highlighter would work really well on yellow-toned skins due to the yellow undertones it has. But also it looks great on those with light-medium skin tones. I have quite light skin and it suits my tone really well!

 It has such amazing pigmentation, you seriously do not need a lot when using this product, because literally a lot does go such a long way.  I can definitely seeing this product lasting such a long while because of this reason, which means the £17.50 price tag is so worth it! As I mentioned previously, I have had this product for just over a month and so far I haven't made any dents in the product or can see that I am about to hit pan any time soon.

I apply this down the bridge of my nose, over the tops of my cheek bones, on my brow bones, on the middle of my chin and on my cupids bow. That might sound like way too much, but personally for me it doesn't look overpowering and it just helps to give my skin a nice healthy looking glow. It really helps to brighten up my skin and not make it look as dull!

I personally think I would be lost without this highlighter. I am so glad I invested in it and it has become a part of my daily make-up routine now. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has been looking at this but hasn't made a purchase yet. It is so worth the money and I can honestly say you will not be disappointed with the outcomes of this product. theBalm have created such a stunning and high pigmented highlighter that is so worthwhile!

Whether you're heading to a Christmas party or a new years eve celebration, I have got five party looks covered for you that are based around the theme of sparkles, lace and metallic! Although everything is paired together, feel free to mix and match as you wish to create more looks from just these five.

It's official! Christmas is this month! Eeek how exciting! It's the most wonderful time of the year... As you can probably tell I am very excited and really looking forward to Christmas this year. It's always a great period to look forward to whatever you do and whoever you experience it with.

I've been feeling really slumped for blog post recently. I have no idea why though, since I have so many written down in a notebook, yet I find myself lacking enthusiasm to write them up. Having said that, I have some Christmassy posts coming up on my blog within the next few weeks, which I am looking forward to posting and sharing with you.

So today's post is going to be the Would You Rather - Beauty Edition tag. Having done one tag post previous to this, I really enjoyed it and thought why not do another to fix my slump in ideas. Plus it's a beauty edition, so what is not to love about that?
1.Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eye liners, lipsticks and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eye shadows? 
For me personally, I don't tend to wear a lot of eye shadow or use a lot of my palettes on a day to day basis. So for me I'm going to have to say lose all of my palettes and eye shadows. Mascaras, eye liners, lipsticks and lip glosses are some of the products that make up some of my face make-up anyway haha. Plus I couldn't bare to lose any of my lipsticks!!! They're my favourite make-up product.

2.Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?
Obvious answer for me is that I would rather never be able to cut it again! I have quite long hair, so I think for me to chop it all off at once would be a very drastic change. Therefore, if it kept my hair the way it was and never chopped it again, I would still have the option of styling it however I want and not being restricted to just once look if I was to chop it all off!

3.Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?
Pink cheek all the way! I've never really tried a coral coloured blush, so I think I would stick with the pink themed cheek as it would be versatile to wear all year round.

4.If you had £1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or make-up?
I'd probably say clothes because I would be in need of them more than make-up. Fashion is constantly changing, a lot more than make-up is. I rarely change up my make-up look completely, so I wouldn't know what to buy or when I would use a £1000 worth of make-up. So for practicality, I would say clothes!

5.Would you rather apply lipstick as eye liner or eye liner as lipstick?
Eye liner as lipstick, because I would try get away with it as being a lip liner haha!

6.Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
Even though I have never been to Sephora, I would probably go with only shopping there, because they have a lot more choice of brands to shop for. Where as only shopping in Mac, you would be restricted to only purchasing products from there!

7.Would you rather only use one eye shadow colour or one lipstick colour for the rest of your life?
I like to keep my eye make-up look as natural as possible, so in my everyday make-up look I apply a really neutral eye shadow to my lid and more of a shimmery bright eye shadow to the inner corner of my eye. So, I would probably only use one eye-shadow colour for the rest of my life and then I always have the choice of changing my lip colour!

8.Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?
I hate being hot and feeling like I am overheating haha! So for me I would probably rather wear summer clothes in the winter.

9.Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?
Bright nails!!! I have way more bright polishes than I do dark.

10.Would you rather give up your favourite lip product or your favourite eye product?
Mascara is probably my favourite eye product. I think it can just change the way your eyes look so quickly and can really bring out your eyes! So I would probably give up my favourite lip product instead of my favourite eye product.

11.Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?
God, I am such an indecisive person haha! I literally am so undecided about this question haha. I think a messy bun because it would give me a little more height as I am so small. With a bit more volume on the top of my head it would make me appear taller, if that makes any sense? But I do love a good pony tail.

12.Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never wear lip gloss?
I'm not a massive lover of lip glossy. It's too sticky! I must prefer applying lipstick. So I would rather never wear lip gloss. Plus I can't stand bare nails, I have to have some form of varnish on them.

13.Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or sharpie them in everyday?
This is probably the hardest question of them all hahah! I don't think I have the guts to shave all my eyebrows off and have none at all! But then, sharpie eyebrows just seem's way over the top and cringe, but in this circumstance I'm going to have to say lightly sharpie in my eyebrows hahahha.

14.Would you rather live without make-up or nail polish?
Even though I said I can't stand bare nails, I would probably have to say I would rather live without nail polish. Make-up really helps to boost your confidence and helps bring out your best features. Plus it's fun to try out new products and create different looks. Over time, I think I would get use to having bare nails haha.

Since I've never done a favourites post before, I thought I would share with you some of the things that I have been loving through out the month of November. I always love reading other people's favourite posts or watching their monthly favourite video's. I've decided to include a mixture of different things that I've been loving through November, ranging from some beauty products to my favourite apps and music albums.


Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo:
I mentioned this shampoo in my 'hair care and styling routine' post last week and the reason why I am showing it again is because I really am enjoying using it. It has made my hair feel so soft and smooth. I'm actually really impressed with it and it has definitely made me want to try more from the 'Ultimate Blends' range that Garnier have brought out. Plus this shampoo smells amazing and makes my hair smell just as good! I love it.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water:
This product has been really hyped and raved about by beauty bloggers over the past year or so. I thought it was about time I jumped on this bandwagon and saw what all the fuss was about. Because I was trying it for the first time, I decided to go with a mini bottle just in case I didn't like it and then wouldn't have to waste a big bottle.

However, I was really surprised at how good this cleansing water was. I'm not really someone who purchases a lot of cleansing products, so I don't have much to compare it with. But I was impressed with how it removed most of my make-up and how quickly it also did. I sometimes find with using make-up wipes, that it takes a lot longer time to remove the make-up as you end up going over the same place a few time to make sure it has all come off. But with the Micellar water it was coming off with ease and quickly. For a cleansing water between £1-£2 depending on what offers are on at the time, you can't really go wrong with it due to the affordability, can you?


The Balm - Mary-Lou Manizer:
This product is literally my new holy grail! I am so in love with it. I was so lucky to be able to pick this up in my local Superdrug store before it sold out. I had seen so many positive comments about this highlighter that I really just had to try it out for myself. I am so glad I did because it is such a good highlighter. It is such a gorgeous shade, it gives the right amount of glow to your skin and works wonders on fairer skin tones. I would highly recommend this highlighter to anyone!

I'm thinking about doing a more in depth review of Mary-Lou, so if you would like to read that, then please let me know!

Alien Perfume by Thierry Mugler:
I had my eye on this perfume for such a long time. Last Christmas I was lucky enough to receive it as a gift. Since then I have been using it sparsely because I really don't want to waste it. I tend to wear it more during this time of the year (autumn/winter). I feel like the scent is more suited this time of the year as opposed to the spring/summer where you have more fruity scents. Alien is more of a toned down floral scent with hints of jasmine and musk. It's very feminine and classy in my opinion. Also  it is a really long lasting perfume, it has lasted pretty much the whole day on me before and it is definitely worth the price tag!

One Direction - Made In The A.M:
If you know me, you'll know how much I love One Direction and how I have been a big fan of these boys since the beginning, when they were on the X Factor and I was a massive Liam girl. Now fast forward five years and they're onto their fifth album. I seriously cannot believe how far they have come and how much they have already achieved in the first five years of their career. I am so unbelievably proud of them and this album, so of course I had to include it in my November favourites.

I really feel like 'Made In The A.M' has really given them a chance to prove themselves and to really find their style of music that they want to make. Just like every album they have produced, I love all the songs and I always find myself singing along to them even when I'm not even listening to the album. Some of my favourites include Temporary Fix, End Of The Day, Never Enough, Olivia, History, Made In The A.M and Walking In The Wind. As you can probably tell, that's a lot of favourites from just one album, but if I could I would have probably listed every single song on the album that's how much I am in love with it!

The only downside I feel to this album is that I won't hear it on a tour within the next year. Every year since X Factor, I have been to see them and it just feel's weird that I haven't got tickets to see them. I don't know how long it will be till I hear them sing these songs off the new album live, but I really hope that it won't be too long till they come back from their well earned break.


Instagram:
Even though I have been on Instagram for a few years now, the past few months or so I've been trying really hard to up my game on there with regards to the photo's I'm posting and promoting my blog on this social platform. Therefore, I decided to include it in my November favourites for that reason. I hit 200 follows during this month, which to some people I know isn't a lot, but for someone who has been stuck on the 130 mark for such a long time, I felt happy that I was able to move forward and build on my followers.

I love using Instragram to check out what other people are doing or loving at the moment, it gives me a chance to also share what I am up to, as well as promote my latest blog posts to an audience. Also I love checking out other bloggers Instagram's to see what their latest posts are and it also gives me the opportunity to find new bloggers to follow, check out there blog's and communicate with. Instagram is such a good marketing platform, but also so much fun to get involved with.

Welcome to my one of three Christmas gift guides and my first of many Christmas posts! I can't believe Christmas is next month. Where has this year gone? It has definitely flown by that's for sure! Because Christmas is just five weeks or so away, you might be panicking about the large amount of present shopping you still have to do. But try not to worry, since I have got that all covered for you, just you wait and see!

Today's post is the first of my gift guides and it is a list of some present ideas for any beauty lovers out there. I've tried to choose affordable or worth the money pieces, that are easy to get hold of whether you're more of an online shopper or someone who likes to go in store to check out items. Feel free to use this guide to build ideas on what you might want to buy your best friend, sister, mum or girlfriend. I personally feel like there's something there for all beauty lovers out there, whether they're more of a fan of taking care of their skin or they are wanting to try new products and build their make-up collection. Or maybe this list might be able to give you some inspiration of what it might be that you actually wish to receive this Christmas. Let's roll...
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1. Benefit REAL Cheeky Party Kit - £29.50:
Starting off with one for the make-up lover, this Benefit set is perfect for anyone who is wanting to try out some of Benefit's products or is already a fan of this brand! The set contains six powders including popular 'Hoola', best-selling mascara 'They're real' and 'They're real' liner. I believe this set is really affordable, as some of the Benefit products start between £20-30 for just one. But in theory, you're getting seven products for less than £30!!!!

2. Kérastase Discipline Fondant Fluidealiste - £14.45 (on feelunique.com):
If you know someone who is a big fan of taking care of their hair and loves trying new products to maintain healthy locks, then this gift will be perfect for them! This product aims to transform hair to be softer, smoother and fluid like. It provides suppleness and shine with a lightweight finish. Who doesn't love the sound of that?

3. Philosophy Peppermint Stick Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath - £3.50:
Not only is this gift idea very affordable, but who doesn't love to receive a shower and bath gift? This present would suit almost everybody! Philosophy also do other scents of the same product, so if you know someone who loves a particular scent, then go check out what other scents they do in the range and find that perfect gift!

4. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Starter Kit - £15.50:
This cleanser is the most awarded cleanser in the UK, which surely means that it is a great product, right? If you know someone who takes really good care of their skin or maybe someone who is struggling with their skin at the moment, why not treat them to this cleanse and polish starter kit? Perfect for mums, sisters, girlfriends, friends and even your grandma!

5. Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Palette - £39.00:
This palette has grown increasingly popular and is a great buy for make-up fans! I'm pretty sure that a few girl's have got this on their wishlist at the moment. This palette contains powder shadows that are infused mattes or shimmers shades of natural browns, delicate pinks and luscious plums. I personally love the look of this palette and it is packaged like a chocolate bar, how cool and different is that?

6. Ghd Limited Edition Arctic Gold V Classic Styler Gift Set - £129.00:
Everyone know's how popular Ghd's are for styling hair. So why not treat your loved one to the limited edition Arctic gold V classic styler gift set? Ghd's are great for multi purpose for not only straightening hair, but also creating curls and waves! This set contains a styler, heat mat and roll bag with the gold gift box which makes storing away your styler great! I love the gold finish of this set and to me it just screams Christmas/Winter time.

7. Soap & Glory Belle Of The Ball - £12.00:
For me personally, I always feel like Soap & Glory always do some of the best gift sets out there! This one is definitely no exception. I love the design of this with the inspired christmas bauble. This set is scented with pistachio, almond and sweet vanilla. It contains a body wash, a scrub, a body cream, a hand cream and a body polisher. Also it is such great value at only £12!!!

8. Real Techniques Core Collection - £20.99:
I literally swear by Real Techniques brushes. They're affordable and work really well when applying make-up. The core collection is a great set as I believe that you can end up using all the brushes in the set every day! Plus the set comes with a case so it makes storing your brushes easy, especially when you're travelling.

9. The Balm Mary Lou Manizer Luminizer - £17.50:
This product has been raved and popularised by beauty bloggers! I believe this highlighter is so worth the money. It gives such a gorgeous high pigmented glow on the face. Every make-up lover would be more than happy to wake up on Christmas with a new make-up product to try.

10. Dior Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet - £56.50:
Fragrances are such an easy gift to buy for any type of woman from young to old! They're so many out there with different scents and price ranges. This one from Dior is floral fruit scent and just look's so elegant from the bottle.

11. Nails Inc Festive Cracker - £19.00:
This one is definitely for those nail lovers out there! I love the christmas cracker idea and the festive polishes picked inside.

12. Urban Decay Naked Smokey Eyeshadow Palette - £38.00:
It seem's like everyone is obsessed with the naked eye shadow palette's these days. This is the latest one from Urban Decay and a great buy for anyone who has already got a collection going or someone who is after one of the naked palettes. They're definitely worth the money!

13. The Estée Lauder The Ready In Red Makeup Collection - £39.00:
A great red themed set of products which are great for those wanting to expand their make-up collection, as well as gain a red party bag in the process. I believe this is a perfect gift for mum's who love high end up make-up and want to feel glamorous this season!

14. Tanya Burr Handy Candy Manicure Set - £8.00:
I think this manicure set is so cute and handy! It includes everything that you could possibly need to prepare your nails before a polish and also comes with a cute travel friendly case.

15. The Body Shop White Musky Smoky Rose Treats - £6.00:
A really affordable Christmas gift set that is perfect for those who love to relax in a bath! Body shop always do some really cute gift sets with lots of different scents. There's always something there for everyone.

16. Clinique Moisture Favourites Gift Set - £40.00:
I think we all from time to time suffer with puffy, tired and cycles are our eyes. Unless you unfortunate like me, I suffer with dark circles all the time! This gift is great for bringing moisture back to your face and eyes, it also includes an overnight mask which will help you wake up feeling fresh!

17. Burberry Lips Burberry Kisses Limited Edition Festive Gold Collection - £25.00:
We all love a bit of glamour in our lives, right? I love the packaging on this lipstick and think any lipstick lover would dream of adding this limited edition festive lipstick by Burberry to their collection. A great buy for Christmas!

18. Jimmy Choo Blossom Parfum - £36.00:
Bold, bright and fruity, a perfect gift for someone after a new fragrance and aimed at the young party girls.

19. John Frieda Me & John Luxurious Volume Gift Pack - £6.00:
Another inexpensive buy! If you know someone who loves creating volume in their hair and wanting to try new looks, then this could be the gift for them. Contains shampoo, condition and a spray bottle to help create voluminousness looks!

20. Sleek Make Up Pink Gift Box - £20.00:
Sleek is a really affordable brand with so many great products! This box is great for introducing someone to the brand, but also great for drug store make-up lovers out there. There are also other box sets available from the brand with different products!

21. Elegant Touch Polished Nails Nancy (red) - £6.59:
You might know someone who always struggles to grow their nails or prefers fake nails as opposed to painting their own nails? Then Elegant Touch nails may be the perfect gift for them! A range of colours and nail art available out there for great prices.

22. Soap & Glory Winter Wonder Hand - £8.00:
Back on the Soap & Glory hype, I have added another affordable gift set to the gift guide. The set contains three hand creams which I'm sure are going to smell amazing!

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted long sleek looking hair! Over the past couple of years or so, I would say that my hair has gotten to a pretty long length over that time and I feel quite lucky to have been able to grow it so easily. For me personally, I never really had a sort of routine of taking care of my hair and never really use to go out of my way to make sure it was in the most perfect condition. Until recently I have been making extra sure that my hair is in a good condition and preparing it for the colour that I have been wanting for such a long time.

The whole reason why I am preparing my hair to go the colour I want is purely because I was one of the many who jumped on the bandwagon of dying your hair mahogany brown after seeing Cheryl Fernandez Versini and other celebrities go for this colour a few years back. Unfortunately for me, I have found it impossible to get the red tones out of my hair and it has resulted in me having to go through the long process of waiting for it to grow out completely. This has involved me not dying my hair since June last year, getting regular trims and doing everything I can to let my hair grow the red out of it (I am so not up for stripping my hair before you ask!). I seriously cannot wait till the day all the red is out of my hair and I can actually dye it the way I want it.

Today I thought I would share with you my hair care routine. I wouldn't say my hair is in a perfect condition right now and I am due a hair cut soon, since I am seeing my split ends reappear again. But I try to main a good routine of taking care of my hair when it comes to the washing, drying and styling process. Here's what I do to keep my hair growing and how I try to maintain healthy hair!

I normally tend to wash my hair only twice a week and sometimes three at a push. To some of you, that may be gross or way too little. But for me personally, I don't find my hair needs washing that often. Sometimes even when it's my 'hair washing day' I find I don't particularly need to wash it but still do it anyway. Excessive washing can wash out essential oils from your hair. Therefore, I stick to a two day's a week routine to prevent this from happening. Sometimes I also spray a bit of dry shampoo into my hair when it is a couple or few days old and I don't have time to wash it just yet on that particular day!

When it comes to choosing shampoo, I am more than happy to use different ones from time to time. This can be good for your hair as it means it doesn't get too use to a specific product. Right now I am using the Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo: The Silky Smoother. This is a new shampoo to the market and it is apart of Garnier's Ultimate Blends collection. This shampoo smells absolutely amazing, it is a mixture of vanilla milk and papaya (which is the fruit of a plant called Carica Papaya, also known as the 'fruit of the angels' and is known for it's revitalising properties).The Silky Smoother Shampoo by Garnier is especially made for those with mid-long hair prone to split ends.


When applying shampoo, I massage it into my scalp and never apply it to the ends of my hair, as I find if I do it dries it out quicker. Sometimes when I have been using a lot of product in my hair, I tend to do two shampoo's to make sure that I have really washed away any product build up in my hair. So far I have been loving this shampoo and feel's like it really does help my hair to feel smooth and even towards the ends of my hair. I would definitely recommend this if you're someone who has mid-long hair and suffers with split ends!

Moving onto conditioner, I seem to have grown this love/hate relationship with it. Sometimes I enjoy using it on my hair and other times I find that I stray away from using it. When I do use it though, I apply it to the mid-lengths and ends of my hair to give my hair shine. I rarely use conditioner on my roots as I find it can sometimes make my hair appear greasy.

Recently, I have also been investing in treatments for my hair. Again from the Garnier Ultimate Blends collection, I have been using the 'Nourishing Repairer' 1 minute treatment which is specially tailored for those with very dry and damaged hair. This treatment contains avocado oil and shea butter which helps to add shine and health to the hair. I bought this before I had my last hair cut, when my hair was really dry and damaged. Even now, I tend to use this at least once a week or every two weeks to make sure I am looking after my hair and trying to maintain healthy ends.

After I have rinsed out the shampoo from my hair, I apply this onto the ends of my hair and leave it for one minute. Once that time has passed, I tend to take a wide tooth comb or any tangle teaser to just comb through the conditioner onto the ends and make sure that I also brush out any knots that might have appeared. Then I rinse it out and move onto the drying process.

Before I dry my hair, I towel dry it a little first to make sure that I get rid of any excess water and then I tend to part my hair in it's usual parting, before I then grab my de-tangling comb and comb through my wet air from root to tip. It is so important to not use a brush on wet hair as this can damage it more. When I have finished that, I either using a hair dryer to dry my hair or leave it to dry naturally. Another option I sometimes take, is plaiting my hair whether that's French braids either side or just two normal braids, and then leaving it in over night, so then by the time I wake up in the morning it has dried into a wavy style. This saves time but also means you don't have to damage your hair by using heat!



I have been trying to stop using heated styling tools on my hair as much as possible. In the summer time it was a lot easier for me to just leave my hair to dry naturally, but obviously now into the colder months, this task is becoming a lot harder to achieve. My hair takes quite a long time to dry even when using a hair dryer, so you can imagine how long it takes if I leave it to try naturally. Therefore, I try to limit myself to using heat on my hair once a week, whether that is to dry my hair or straighten the ends of my hair. I have naturally straight hair so sometimes using straighteners can be a bit pointless, but my ends naturally tend to flick, so I like to use straighteners to just flatten down the ends of my hair.

When it comes to using heat on my hair, I make sure that I use a heat defence to protect my hair and most importantly my ends from getting damaged. The two that I go to the most are the 'Aussie Miracle Recharge: Take The Heat: Light Weight Conditioning Spray' or the 'Tresemmé: Heat Defence: Styling Spray'. Both super affordable products. Also I find that the Tresemmé 300ml bottle lasts me such a long time. I rarely have to go purchase a new one. I definitely think I will be investing in more products for my hair to create volume or texture to it!

As mentioned above, I try to stay away from my heat and I can chose to do no-heat hair styles to change up my hair every day! Sometimes, I like to plait it over night like I said to achieve a wavy look the following day, but also I sometimes tend pull my hair back into a half-up-half-down look. This helps to keep my hair away from my face, as well as create something different. Another hair style I tend to go for is just a simple messy top knot, that somehow always takes so long to achieve with my hair! Why can't I master this simple look? But this hair style is great for those days when you're having a more relaxed day or you're rocking two day old hair. Also I like to browse Pinterest for no-heat hair style ideas or watch Youtube no-heat hair style tutorials.

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To maintain healthy hair and get rid of split ends, I try to have my hair cut at least every 6-9 weeks. I have become a lot better at having this within the last few months. I use to be so bad for having my hair cut. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy having my hair done, because to be honest I quite enjoy it and love being pampered. It was just the fact that I wanted to grow my hair long and thought that if I kept getting it cut, it wouldn't grow to what I wanted it to grow to. However, I was wrong and it is so important to get regular trips to get rid of split ends. Fresh ends will help your hair to keep growing and won't break off like split ends will!

Recently I have become a little obsessed with baking and have found myself browsing blog's or Pinterest for baking ideas to try out for myself. I'm no where no means a professional or would even consider myself good at baking or cooking. I hated food tech at school and I'm definitely not a domestic godess in the kitchen. But I've found baking even the smallest treats so much fun and can be quite therapeutic! It's given me something to do whilst I'm still looking for a full time job. Also it has given me the opportunity to gain skills, be creative, learn new techniques and improve on mistakes from before, all whilst creating something that not only myself will be able to enjoy at the end of the day, but those close to me also and that gives me a little sense of achievement from!

Therefore, today I thought I would share with you a quick and easy cupcake recipe that I have been using the past month or so. The preparation time is only ten minutes, along with a baking time of 15-20 minutes depending on your oven and only five minutes for decoration. These cupcakes are great to do if you're a beginner like myself or you are wanting too use a plain cupcake base to add flavours or use to then experiment with decoration on the top of the cakes.


You'll need (for 12 cupcakes):

• 125 g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 125 g caster sugar
• 125 g soft margarine 
• 2 eggs
• Cupcake cases
• Vanilla butter cream style icing (or any type of icing of your choice) 
• Multicoloured sugar strands (or any type of decoration of your choice)