September Beauty Blog Challenge

I really tried my best to keep up with June BBC, but for personal reasons I had to call it a day after only a few posts. I was gutted, but I wasn't gonna half ass it. So the wonderful GirlFriday has gone and organised another challenge for us all, and it's bigger and better than before!

I absolutely love the format of this challenge, while the topics for June were great, they were quite rigid and to be honest slightly intimidating if you were a novice blogger. September comes with 2 choices- beauty or lifestyle. So you can blog about your favourite make up one day, and about what you had for dinner the next. Having that choice will be so handy in expanding what you blog about and pushing you ever so slightly out of your comfort zone.

The topics themselves (which you'll find on GirlFriday's blog) are really interesting, and accessible to everyone. Blogging for 30 days may seem daunting at first, but if you're anything like me, you're brain will start planning out your posts as you're reading the list!!

I really can't wait to get stuck into this challenge, there was a real sense of blogger solidarity about June, and it seemed to really get people in touch with other. With such a variety of topics this time around I'm sure it will be even more successful.

I have to say HUGE props to GirlFriday for organising yet another challenge. You only have to read her post to see that an awful lot of hard work, thought and time went into setting it all up, that's dedication! So, lets not let her down! (Trust me, you don't want to, she'll have your guts for garters!)

Feel free to follow me on Twitter to keep up to date on how the challenge is going using #SBBC

Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

Argan oil shampoo and conditioner, with some other goodies  

During the week I picked up Argon Oil Shampoo and conditioner in my local ODC Chemist for just €2 each. I'm normally a bit wary or changing my hair products, shampoo in particular because I'm always afraid it will strip the colour from my hair. I just couldn't pass up a bargain like that (€2 for a 250ml bottle). The shampoo and conditioner have heaps of hair friendly ingredients, most notably Argan oil itself, but also has a lot of other fruit and vegetable derived extracts. Like a healthy meal for your gruaig!

I used them both today for the first time, all the while saying a little prayer for my colour) and I'm actually really impressed. You know the way sometimes in the shower you can tell whether it's gonna be a good day just by the feel of your hair? It's gonna be a good hair day! After just shampooing my hair felt a lot softer and smoother. I left the conditioner in for about 4-5 minutes then rinsed.

Through winced eyes I checked my colour in the mirror. Obviously, as Crazy colour fades with every wash, my hair was a little lighter, but absolutely no more than it would be with my regular shampoo, 1 point to Argan oil!

My hair immediately felt a lot softer, and a lot less brittle. It was completely knot free when I brushed it, which may not sound like a big deal, but it really is when it comes to my hair. When I blow dried it, it was really soft and manageable. Another point!!

Both the shampoo and conditioner have a beautiful clean smell. I decided not to straighten my hair so the smell would be more potent and I'd have something to sniff during the day!

Fair enough, my split ends are still there, but it would take more than a shampoo and conditioner to conquer those bad boys. Lets not forget that I paid €4 for both, I wasn't expecting miracles. And I didn't get any, but I got a pleasantly surprised by a bargain buy that i would definitely buy again! (try say that 3 times fast!)

The story of my pink hair

I get a lot of questions and compliments about my hair. Little girls are fascinated by it, hearing them say 'mammy, that girl has pink hair!' is almost a daily occurrence, and it's very sweet. I initially only dyed my hair pink for my holidays, but it seems to be sticking around.

By right, I shouldn't have any hair left, it's an absolute warrior. Don't get me wrong, it's not in great condition, but it's been heavily dyed for the guts of 10 years and is still standing by me!

Pink hair can be a bit of a pain to keep as it doesn't have the world's best sticking power. You have to really want it! I didn't have to bleach my hair up when I first decided to go pink as I was very light blonde at the time. I didn't want just a standard pink, so I decided to try mixing 2 colours to see what happened. I used Crazy Color (€3.99 in Terrisales nationwide), a conditioning colour, so mixing them wasn't a problem.

I used Pinkissmo and Silver. Pinkissmo is a very vibrant pink, really zingy, and the silver kind of dulls that down slightly. The silver also gives my hair an almost incandescent look in the light, there's a lovely silvery-purple hue. I didn't want my hair to be quite so bright this time around so it's perfect for me. Every time I dye my hair I use roughly half of each bottle so it only costs me €4 to touch up my hair. I'd touch it up every 4 to 5 washes.

When I need to do my roots I use Schwarzkoph Live Colour XXL in 00A, the lightest shade. Obviously I use this on as little of my hair as possible. Once my roots are done, I take the heavy wet out of my hair and apply the mix of pink and silver.

As it fades, the pink just gradually goes a lighter shade, from very vibrant to a nice bubblegum pink, still with the silver hue.

When it comes to taking care of my hair im a bit lazy. I'm currently using the John Frieda Full Repair range. I'm really impressed by this range, my hair has been really soft and manageable since I started using it and I have noticed an improvement in the amount of split ends I have.

So there you have it, how I get and keep my pink hair!

Inglot glitter #59 glitter look

Last week I gleefully bought my first ever Inglot glitter pot on a trip to Blanchardstown shopping center. I've always been a bit skeptical about glitter as cleaning up the fallout, and plumping for the glue to keep it in place, just seemed like a lot of fuss.

The lovely GirlFriday, who's blog you can read  here encouraged me to buy the glitter but hold off on buying the Duo glue until I tried her little tip. Instead of glue, use a gel liner on your lid to keep the glitter in place! It works absolutely brilliantly!

To achieve this smokey eye glitter look I used Barry M Dazzle Dust in shade 98 to create a smokey eye. Then I used Seventeen Back Lash gel eyeliner to draw on a thick flick covering the entire eyelid. While the liner was still wet I used a flat eye shadow brush to dab on the glitter, patting it firmly in place as I went.

I was expecting there to be a huge amount of fallout as the glitter is so fine, and while there was some, not nearly as much as I thought there would be, and nothing that couldn't be brushed away with a powder brush.

I'll be wearing a toned down version of this,  with some killer lashes, for my birthday night out!

He-Shi gradual day to day tan

I want to preface this post by saying that I have little faith in gradual tanners. I have neither the skin, nor the patience for it to ever work out well. I have tried many, many gradual tanners (Dove,  Johnson's etc) and have always found fault, be it the smell, consistency or overall colour development.

Before heading along to a Slattery's communications blogger event yesterday I had only heard of the He-shi brand in passing, I knew little to nothing about it, other than it being an award winning irish brand, and had never used it. I used the gradual day to day tan today and my first experiences have me very curious to find out more.

I used the tan after showering, on dry skin. Initially, I was wary as there is no colour guide. You just have to trust your instincts when applying. I applied it as I would a moisturiser, and honestly it kicks my regular moisturiser in the ass. It has a lovely, creamy texture. It spreads very easily and dries very quickly on the skin. My skin is still,  hours later, silky smooth and moisturised. The paraben free formulation also has a gorgeous smell that lasts on your skin for hours after applying.

As for the colour, it's hard to judge after just one application. I'm not a bronzed goddess yet, but my skin has lost that ghostly pale blue tinge it usually has. I'm going to apply again before bed,  and again tomorrow so I will update this post with how my colour develops.

Another thing I love is that you get a grand big chunky tube, there is lot's and lot's of the product to play around with. It retails for approximately €16.50, honestly a little bit more than I'd be willing to pay for a gradual fake tan. However, if over the next few days im as pleased with the results as I am right now, I could be persuaded.

All in all, I am very intrigued by this tan, and am almost raging I didn't opt for the instant tan to see the immediate results.

Slattery's Communications Blogger event

This evening I popped along to an event being held in Slattery's Communications to mingle with some fellow Bloggers and learn a bit about blogging from those in the know, and to learn more about the brands Slattery's represent.

They put on a fabulous spread when we arrived, with plenty of snacks and drinks to fill our tummies. There was a very informative and entertaining talk about how to make the most of your blog.

There was a fantastic array of goodies from He-shi, John Frieda and Sudocrem given to everyone to try and review. I got the He-Shi gradual tan and mitt, which I can't wait to try, as well as a Skinician restoring night cream.

My John Frieda goodie bag may be the saviour of my poor ravaged hair. In my extremely generous bag I got full size bottles of Frizz Ease 3 day straight, hair serum, smooth start conditioner, full repair conditioner and full repair deep conditioning mask, all of which will be very gratefully used!

I'll do my best to get a full review of as many of the products as I can as I use them!

Garnier Perfect Blur Primer

I was quite excited about this primer because generally Garnier's skin care products are spot on for me. I got it on special for €8.52 in Macabes pharmacy and I'm very glad I didn't pay full whack for it.

The only good thing I have to say about it is that the outer packaging is quite pretty.

Now on to the bad stuff....

It comes in a tube that is made of quite a tough plastic. The tube fills with air and you have to squeeze it really hard to get the product out. It'd be very inconvenient for anyone with any issues with their hands.

It doesn't really do what it claims to do.  It does eliminate shine a bit, but does next to nothing for open pores or imperfections.

It leaves your skin unbelievably greasy. My make up just wouldn't stay put. If I even touched my face my make up would come off because the primer left such a greasy, slidey base. In the end I just had to take it all off and start again.

If you're thinking of buying this, don't. There are plenty of cheaper primers that do a much better job!