Back to Black

I absolutely love my hair blonde!  I think it's quite flattering but it's very costly!  I spend just over £100 a month to keep it up and I really need to start saving if I ever want a house.  Also after a couple of weeks my roots were unbearable, not a good look!  So I've had to go back to black =(

I decided to do it at home, a whole DIY affair, as I really didn't want to fork out a fortune at the salon.  My mum spoke to her hairdresser friend and she told us that I would need to dye the hair red first, she explained that the hairdressers had stripped my hair of colour and the dark dye would need something to cling on to and as everyone has red in their hair it was the best one to use.  I was a bit scared but did as I was told.

After washing the red hair dye out I used 2 packs of loreal preference (2 packs just because I have long hair) in medium brown.  Just a little note, hair dyes confuse me, why is the colour on the box never the same when you use it, trés confusing!

The colour actually came out really nice.  People seem to prefer it dark, I got told I look more sophisticated and it suits my colouring better.  I still prefer the blonde but hey!  Beggars can't be choosers!

Before - With horrid roots!! (This was just 4 weeks after last highlights)

After - Medium brown my ass, but no roots! Waaay!

Salt Spray

I mentioned in a previous post that I had bought Umberto Giannini "Backcomb in a Bottle" and wasn't too impressed.  I also bought Umberto Giannini "Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray" and "Silky Curls Smoothing Balm" in the 3 for £10 deal at Boots.

After trying the Backcomb in a bottle and finding out it didn't actually do what it said on the tin, I was a bit apprehensive about trying these other products.  So last night I applied the salt spray to damp hair and left it overnight.  The bottle said you could either leave it to dry naturally or dry with a diffuser.  I was expecting to wake up with gorgeous tousled hair, wasn't really the case, I couldn't even notice a difference.  Not impressed.

Since it was there, I added the curl balm to my natural curls and have to say it made my hair look more greasy than anything else.  I've come to the conclusion that Umberto Giannini is definitely not the brand for me.  I've now tried "Backcomb in a Bottle", "Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray", "Silk Curls Smoothing Balm" and "Overnight Beauty Moisture Balm" and have to say that none of them worked for me at all.  On a brighter note though I do love my Umberto Giannini hair dryer! =)

 

Hair

So another hair post.  Since I was just writing about brunette and blonde, I thought I'd make a wee post about how much I'm loving the gradient hair look just now.  It's so pretty and roots? What roots? 

Brunette to Blonde

So last August I decided to take the plunge. I had dark, dark hair that hadn't really been dyed before, well the odd flash here and there, so I decided I wanted to go blonde!

I didn't really know what to expect, for some reason I thought you could just go into the hairdressers brunette and come out blonde, but oh no!  I went for a consultation at Charlie Millers and was told I could achieve my blonde bombshell look with gradual highlights, going lighter and lighter each time.  I was booked in that week and I admit I did expect a drastic change but the first set of highlights were very natural looking, I could tell this was going to be a LOOOOOOOONG process!  

I returned every 4-5 weeks to go a bit lighter at the cost of about £100 a month.  I knew it would cost alot but what a change from paying hardly anything towards my hair to paying this amount every month!  I should have really took that into consideration, but what can I say, I just go for things!

I did search the internet before I started, looking for some kind of transition pictures, so I knew what to expect at each stage, but couldn't find any, so I thought I'd put together my own little hair tracking montage, hopefully it well help someone else =).

I have to say though that now I've gone blonde, I do love it!  The roots aren't the best, but a little dry shampoo covers that right up!  But it's true what they say, blondes definitely have more fun!!

Backcomb in a Bottle

 So I've heard a lot of things about this and wanted to give it a go.  As soon as I heard the name, Backcomb in a Bottle, I thought this had to be a miracle product.  My hair doesn't seem to hold much volume and I feel like a beauty criminal backcombing it.  

I tried a few times to get this product but it was always sold out.  I was at the hairdressers today and nipped into boots, to get a yummy meal deal (hoisin duck wrap if you ask), and to my surprise there was the bottle just sitting there.

Boots had a deal on Umberto Giannini, 3 for £10 so I thought, what the hell, might as well give it a go!  The packaging looks lovely too, always a plus!  I've only tried a few Umberto Giannini products in the passed and neither loved them or hated them.

So I got home ready to use it, read the instructions and it just said to spray onto hair and jujj to get desired effect.  So I lifted sections of my hair up and sprayed onto the roots and jujjed away.  If I'm being honest, I was expecting an amazing volumised result but it only added a bit of lift.  

I'm not too sure what to make of this product, I know it's wrong but I think I'd have to back comb a little and then spray it on, which kind of defeats the purpose, so I think this is one I'm going to have to improvise with.  The jurys out I'm afraid.

Burlesque

Eventually! I went to see Burlesque the other night with my fiancé.  I LOVEEEEED IT!

It's safe to say that I have an obsession with Christina Aguilera ever since her "dirrty" days.  I love her music, her style, EVERYTHING! So when I saw the trailer for this move, I knew I just had to see it.  The other half wasn't that keen, safe to say it's more a ladies film.

It had all the glitz and glammer that I expected.  I am a big Moulin Rouge fan and it kind of reminded me of that.  The costumes were amazing! So sparkly and show stopping.  The make up was just gorgeous!  Here are a few highlighs ...

I'm hoping to have a go at recreating the looks for a night out, so if successful I'll put them up =D.

Essential Hair Masque

So a few months ago I took the plunge and decided after 22 years of being a brunette I'd go blonde! It's safe to say after several months of blondeness it's taking a toll on my locks.  So I've been on the search for a nice hair masque which will freshen up my do.

I came across Essential - Ultra Honey & Shea Butter hair masque.  As is always the case, not available in the U.K.  So back to ebay, got it delivered from Thailand for only a tenner (inc p&p).  Good bargain.

As I didn't have a chance in hell of being able to read the instructions I just took a wild guess at what the directions would be.  I washed my hair with shampoo as normal and then added the product all over my hair.  It was so thick and smelt divine!  I left it for about 4-5 minutes.

I was a bit scared to leave it on my roots but decided to stick it all over, why not! After around 5 minutes I washed it out.  My hair was so silky smooth, it was hard to tell when all the product was out because it just felt so nourished. I dried my hair and ran my ghds over it.  My hair looked revived and felt a lot softer.  What a great product.  Give it a go!