Mellor & Russell Simply Bright Silver Hair Dye | Review

Mellor and Russell Silver Hair Dye ResultsAloha my charming little eggs! Now, today I have a very long overdue review post for you. The one thing I’m undoubtedly complimented on the most at the moment is my hair colour, having finally achieved the silver/grey blonde hair that I’ve been chasing for months. It’s certainly not to everyone’s taste – a lot of people look at me with a kind of sympathy as if I’ve obviously had some sort of hair dying mishap/incredibly shocking experience that has sent me grey at the age of 23 – but I’m really pleased with it and a few other people have asked me how I’ve finally  managed to get it.

The answer, o curious people of the North, is this little box of miracle below:

Mellor and Russel 1Before discovering Mellor and Russel’s Simply Bright hair dye in silver I’d tried numerous toners. You can read my La Riche White Toner review and my Bleach London White Toner review by clicking those there links, and I also tried out the La Riche Silver Toner, which was definitely the best of the 3 for what I was trying to achieve. However none of these were quite colouring all of my hair; there were still some stubborn yellow bits that were just refusing just tone.

The reason that Simply Bright is different is because it’s actually a permanent hair colour as opposed to a toner. This obviously means it’s a little more riskaaaay as it contains peroxide, but the fact is it gets the job done! This finally provided me with the all-over colouring I’d been looking for, and I don’t really think my hair feels any more damaged after using it.

As I dye my extensions too I need to use two boxes, and I tend to do this around every three weeks. On top of this I also use all of my products for silver hair (which you can read about here if you so wish) to keep things funky fresh.

Oh, and have I casually forgot to mention where you can buy this hair dye and for how much? Sure, you can try to track it down online on sites such as eBay or Amazon… or you could head to your local POUNDLAND. Yes, you heard right. They stock this in Poundland. Every time I go in I panic buy another 5 in case they suddenly stop stocking it. It is honestly my biggest nightmare in life.

Have any of you tried this dye? What are your tips for silver hair?

South Africa: My Holiday Wishlist

Something very exciting but slightly alarming is happening in approximately 2 weeks. I’m flying out to South Africa for 2 and a bit weeks, ready to hit the beaches, hit the braais and potentially hit myself in the head when I forget to put suncream on.

For those of you who don’t know, I was born in South Africa and lived there until I was 11. I still have lots of lovely family out there, so I’m as excited to see them as I am to see some elephants. As I was lucky enough to get quite a bit of time off work, I’ll be taking this route here:

MapStarting off in Johannesburg, I’m flying to Port Elizabeth where I have lots of friends and family. After that, I’ll be driving to East London where my grandma lives and after that I’ll be driving to Cape Town, with a little stop in Knysna. Safe to say, it’s going to be absolutely knackering but also HUGELY amazing. I’m super looking forward to it.

What I am not looking forward to, is bloody holiday shopping. Partly because I can’t stop eating cake at the moment, and partly because I actually haven’t done anything yet. I know. I leave in 2 weeks and I haven’t got a pretty sundress to my name. Help.

I’m off to the shops tomorrow to pick up a few bits and bobs, so I thought I’d put together a little wish list of things I want. HOWEVER. I desperately need your opinions before tomorrow (everyone loves a deadline) so I don’t end up looking like a lunatic when I see my long lost family.

PRIMARK COLLAGEAll from Primark’s SS14 Collection (check it out on Instyle here)

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All from River Island

new lookAll from New Look

These are just a starting point, but I have literally no idea whatsoever about what to get! If you girls know of anywhere that’s doing good holiday stuff at the moment, please PLEASE PLEASE let me know!

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March Haul: Primark, Elsie & Fred and Topshop

Thanks to boring things like heating bills and food, it’s been quite a long time since a haul post has graced this blog. Ew, who knew the grown up world was so chuffin’ dull? Anywho, when I haven’t been rummaging around behind sofas/in strangers’ pockets looking for spare change, I have managed to sneak in the odd shopping trip this month. And here are a few things I’ve picked up:

March Haul Collage 1Jacket (£15) & Shorts (£10) – both Primark

Yes yes yes, the co-ord is mine! You may have already seen this in my recent Outfit of the Day post, but it deserves to be featured twice because… well, look at it. Ticking so many trend boxes that it may as well come with it’s own big pen, this is a checked monochrome matching sports luxe dream.

March Haul Collage 2Structure Black Tee (£6) & Pink Embossed Tee (£5) – both Primark

On the same shopping trip I picked up these two tops. I decided I needed a few more basic bits in my wardrobe, and these fit the bill perfectly. The black top has a kind of waffle-knit texture, with structured sleeves giving it quite a slightly more formal slant than your standard black t-shirt. The pale pink is a more standard slouchy cotton, though the embossed pattern adds a touch of interest. Both of these will be great for layering now and flaunting on their own (maybe with something on the bottom half, who knows though) come summer.

March Haul Collage 3Candy Panel Bralet – c/o Elsie and Fred

Has any piece of clothing ever made you long for summer more in your whole entire life? Didn’t think so. This little beauty was sent to me by Elsie and Fred, an independent label that hail from my hometown of Coventry (whaddup). They stock vintage, customised and one-off pieces and are basically cool as cool shit. You can also check out their Twitter @_elsieandfred.

Cami (£6) – Topshop

I’m not sure why this has come out vomit-yellow on camera when it’s in fact a beaut lime green, but that’s the peculiarities of technology. These little £6 camis come in a couple of different colours and are sure to be everywhere this spring/summer. Like on my body, for starters.

Marxh Haul 9Necklace (£4) – Primark

This was also featured in aforementioned OOTD post, but I felt like throwing it on the floor and taking another photo anyway.

March Haul 8 March Haul 7Pumps (£6) and Sandals (£14) – both Primark

Let’s groove past the boring black flats (bought to replace my other black flats with have gone walkabouts, possibly having thrown themselves off a building for being too boring)(there’s a strange image…) and focus on the BEAUTIES that are these white sandals. I actually did a little gasp in Primark when I saw them, and definitely nearly threw up with excitement when I saw they were only £14. I think I’ll be going back for the black pair very very soon.

What do you all think of this haul? Have you picked up anything good lately?

Outfit of the Day: Asos Midi Bardot

OOTD March 24th Collage 1Dress: Asos / Shoes: New Look / Bag: old / Necklace: Tiffany’s

Hey errybody! So on Saturday night Lauren and I donned our gladrags for a night of good old fashioned violence at a charity boxing event. The dress code was black tie, but we thought we’d look silly in tuxes so opted for dresses instead.

OOTD March 24th Collage 2I picked up this little number from Asos for the pretty good price of £28. I chose the berry colour in case I got splattered in blood (unfortunately I didn’t, boo), but it also comes in navy or a pale pink. Delightful!

What do you all think of this look?

 

A Week in Instagram #8

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Ahoy there amigos,

If you follow us on Instagram, you will know that we post pictures of our faces pretty frequently. In fact, we post pictures of various body parts, mostly hands and feet too. This is what we have been up to recently.

  1. I like wearing my converse because it makes me feel hip hop and happening.
  2. Claire giving her Dirty Looks hair extensions a whirl, doesn’t she just look peachy?
  3. Sometimes there is little better in life than a brew and a magazine. Claire had a read of Tatler recently on her lunch break at work.
  4. We got sent some exciting summer goodies from Elsie and Fred. Claire got a beautiful pastel bralet, I got some excellent 60s sunglasses and they sent us some little rings too.
  5. How amazing and excellent are these white sandals from Primark? Very. Claire picked them up for a bargain £14.
  6. And here is me giving my Dirty Looks hair extensions a whirl. They dyed to my ginger hair colour perfectly.
  7. A couple of purchases Claire picked up from New Look and Missguided – pastels are our favey.
  8. Claire matching her ring to her nails, what is she like?
  9. I reviewed this fabulous Barry M lipstick, it is a beaut.
  10. More magazines and more tea, life is good.
  11. Claire was sent these absolutely beautiful floral Doc Martens from Cloggs.co.uk
  12. I like wearing animals on my hands and around my neck. Jewellery from Primark and from New Look!
  13. Claire’s excellent outfit, featuring her new Primark shoes.
  14. Frilly socks are the best.
  15. Claire’s top tramp tip: curl your hair extensions to hide any shaggy ends!
  16. And here is a snap of my face featuring my Elsie and Fred sunglasses. HUZZAH.

We hope that you enjoy stalking us from time to time (although I’m not sure why you would, we lead very boring lives). If you want to follow us in Instagram, we are @StylingoUK. THANKS BYE.

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Outfit of the Day: Primark Check Co-Ord

OOTD 22nd March CollageCo-Ord: Primark / Crop Top:  Topshop / Necklace: Primark / Shoes: eBay

Get out the banners and assemble the marching band, for this is worthy of a celebration – I finally got my hands on a co-ord! Despite my local Primark being masters of uselessness and not having any of their matching pieces together, as soon as I saw this jacket I was on a mission to track down the co-ordinating shorts that I knew existed. Ten minutes later I was on my hands and knees, ignoring the barging I was getting from surrounding pushchairs and rooting along the bottom rail in search of my size as I had finally tracked them down.

This co-ord makes me feel like a mixture of Cher from Clueless and some sort of football hooligan (I know, way harsh Tai). The bomber jacket top adds a very casual dimension, making the co-ord lie somewhere between a short suit and a cut-off shellsuit. It’s kind of odd, but I kind of definitely like it.

OOTD 22nd March Collage 2ALSO, can I draw some attention to my mighty fine new necklace, also from Primark? I’m going to be posting a haul either tomorrow or the day after (or maybe even the day after that – but definitely some time this millennium, hold tight) of a few the other bits I got on my Primark shopping trip so I won’t bang on about it too much. I just want you to be aware it exists and I love it.

The jacket was £15 and the shorts were £10, meaning this whole co-ord is a mere £25 (watch out Carol Vordermon). That is an absolute snip as for something similar in Topshop you’d easily be looking at probably three times that. The necklace was only £4, which was good as I think Primark have been getting a bit carried away with their jewellery pricing lately. I swear I saw something for SIX POUNDS recently; what an outrage.

Anyway it’s Saturday and we’re off to a super exciting event tonight with work so I need to go and piss off. BYE.

What do you think of this co-ord?

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Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation 010 Light Porcelain

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Good afternoon to you my dear chums,

There’s nothing better than a delightful foundation review to get you ready for a weekend of erm…slathering foundation all over your face? Which is why I have done the selfless thing of providing you with a review of one of my favourite foundations ever. And I am a girl who has tried a lot of foundations. It has become a slight issue.

This is 100% the foundation that I always come back to. I’ve used some amazing bases from excellent brands like Bobbi Brown, Mac and Estee Lauder, but to be quite honest with you, nothing has quite matched up to this. The main reason I love it so much is because of the price. At £6.99, it’s a huge bargain that you can’t even try and shake your head at.

DSCN4735Another big plus for me is that it actually does what it says on the bottle. While in principal I strongly disagree with calling it a “25 hour” foundation (what use is that to me? When and why on this green earth would I wear foundation for 25 hours?), it really does last a long time. It well and truly lasts all day on my face, even without primer. And that, my friends, is an amazing feat. Makeup never stays on my greasy, cheek infested face.

It also has fantastic coverage. I have pretty uneven skin and coverage is really important for me in a foundation – this is definitely a heavy coverage foundation, so if you’re into the fresh faced thang, it might not be for you. HOWEVER, if you are like me and enjoy masking any hint of your features, then this is one of the best.

As a heavy coverage foundation, this one is quite thick and a bit gloopy (like Augustus Gloop). I believe it is oil based too, which isn’t for everyone I know. However, while it definitely is a heavy foundation, it’s also surprisingly light for the coverage you get. I don’t tend to feel like I have a lot on my face, which is fabulous for those of you who aren’t keen on that “heavy” makeup feeling. I also like that it’s oil based, because the oil seems to help it last longer through some oily wizardry. Whether you prefer a dewy look or like a matte/powdered face, this works really well.

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And here is a little swatch of Rimmel’s Lasting Finish 25 Hour foundation, the bit on the right has been semi-blended. I got it in Light Porcelain 010, which is several shades lighter than what I usually trowel on my face. Unfortunately, my life has been ruined so I can no longer tan (sob and woe) because of skin problems. All of my foundations were a bit dark, so I had to launch myself at the Pale Gail side of life with gusto. Light Porcelain 010 a nice pale colour (the palest they do I believe), which works really well for my skin tone. It’s a warm colour, which I think would suit most pale gals and blends well when you apply. I like to use my little foundation egg to apply this magic foundation, but a stippling brush works just as well.

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And now you can see it on my gompy face. I considered doing a before and after, but I didn’t want to alarm anyone. Safe to say, I have a very spotty chin at the moment, but I also permanently suffer from dark circles and some discolouration of my cheeks. Rimmel’s 25 Hour Foundation covers these nasties absolutely perfectly. The picture on the top right is without flash, but I’m sure you can see how well this covered my GIANT MOONFACE.
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What do you think? Have you used Rimmel’s Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation before?

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Topshop x Adidas Originals: How to Wear

Adidas 3I don’t know about you, but I definitely thought that the varsity trend had had its day, and died a death with the Topshop ’86’ jerseys of last year. But it seems I’m wrong and that sports luxe is hanging around for yet another season, with Topshop today releasing their brand new collaboration with Adidas Originals.

The Originals range has always been the more fashionable side to Adidas, with the trefoil tees, running shorts and tracksuit tops popping up in vintage stores all over the place last year as a more authentic alternative to the sports trend. Now they’ve all had a full fashion makeover with the help of Topshop, who have incorporated new prints and luxe materials into its 18-piece collection.

Adidas 4The collection’s been designed with co-ordination firmly in mind, with most of the pieces matching others in the range. However, if you’re not brave enough to go head-to-toe Adidas (ya wimps) then I’ve picked out some other sports luxe pieces from around the web that can be worn alongside the Originals collection.

Adidas 6

Vero Moda Flower Printed Joggers
New Look Cameo Rose Baseball Tee
Topshop Bomber Jacket
River Island Crop Sweater
Topshop Marl Running Shorts

Of course, the dreaded 86 jersey had to turn in some form didn’t it?! In general though, I’m happy to see sports luxe sticking around this summer; it means you can eat as much barbecue as you want without worrying about burger bulge AND if you accidentally bump into anyone at the shop when you’re wearing your joggers you can walk away safe in the knowledge that they might be fooled into thinking you were actually being fashionable, rather than just a slob.

What do you all think of the Topshop x Adidas Originals range? 

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5 Things People Are Too Enthusiastic About

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While I don’t want to be too much of a Negative Nancy, there are few things in the world that annoy me more than too much enthusiasm (one being brown tshirts). Too much enthusiasm is not cool. Do you want people to think you are a raging lunatic that gets excited about nothing? No. I didn’t think so. That’s why I have created this handy list of things people are too enthusiastic about. In an ideal world, we would all sit down with a nice cup of tea and complain about the weather and how kids these days are all mad (have you SEEN the length of school skirts these days? I’m horrified by the underage vajajay on show).

Saying that, there are a few things that we are allowed to be excited about (I’m not a monster). These include:

  • The miracle and wonderment that is childbirth.
  • Buying new lipstick.
  • A new outfit.
  • Lord of the Rings.
  • Chinese takeaways.

Apart from these, we should all be keeping our upper lips stiff and maintaining a face of absolute calm. That means there will be no putting your hands up for Detroit or any other city for that matter, and certainly no waving them around like you just don’t care (you should care). Without further ado, please stop being excited about:

Holidays

Yes, holidays are nice but lets be honest, they’re not something to get your knickers in a twist about. For a week or two of our lives we might be in the sun, we might have a super cool time drinking Pina Coladas and we might (if we can be arsed) see a few sights. But then, we have to come home and carry on with our boring lives in rubbish weather drinking whatever we can get our hands on to dull the loneliness (…too much?). The best thing about holidays is that we don’t have to do the things have to do for a week and it might be a bit hotter. Pleasant, I will grant you that. We might even meet some excellent people, but once we’re back in Merry England those excellent people will drift away. Just like your special memories of Zante or god forbid, Kavos.

Now I’m not saying you can’t be a little bit excited about your holiday. But please, for everyone’s sanity, don’t upload a screenshot of your holiday countdown. Don’t go on about how there are 8932 hours left until you can get your bikini on. And for the love of the Queen and all that is holy, do not under any circumstances get a “funny” tshirt printed (unless it’s ironic, obvs). And when you are actually on holiday, stop uploading pictures of your partially tanned legs on a sunbed. You look weird.

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Relationships

Again, relationships are perfectly fine. I, myself, am in one that is ticking along quite nicely. But there is a difference between having a good relationship and shoving that relationship down everyone’s throat. A general rule of thumb is to pretend that your girlfriend/boyfriend doesn’t exist until someone asks you about it. Harsh? Not really. This may just be me, but I really don’t care about a stranger’s relationship. The ones that I do care about, I will take the time to ask about.

So, don’t go on about how much you love “your man” or “the boy” 500 times a day on Twitter. Don’t upload horrible pictures of you two snogging, or doing anything for that matter. PDA extends to the internet, my friends, and it alarms me to see people I thought were harmless looking like they have suddenly grown a siamese twin from their lips.

I also think there is no need to show off about your relationship. You never know who you might have on Facebook or Twitter, but you definitely probably have some single mates or ones that have recently broken up with the troll in their life. You don’t want to add to their distress by uploading a picture of your new Primark handbag that “omgggg the boy just bought me this, what a sweetie lol lol lol love you, you are the best blah blah blah bore off”. This goes for flowers, pictures of romantic ridiculous country walks and/or anything that could remotely look like bragging. Bragging is not cool.

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Nights Out

Like any self-respecting half Brit, I enjoy a night out. Dancing around like a lunatic and sipping on cheap alcohol isn’t too horrible and a pleasant enough way of spending my Saturday night. What it is not however, is the best night of my life ever. Take a minute to think about what a night out really is. It is a bunch of people, often with miscellaneous bits of plastic stuck to their faces and/or hands, drinking a substance that makes them forget what they’re doing and/or fall over. Then they start moving like they’re having a mini-stroke and potentially start to molest strangers. Then, they stuff their faces with cheesy foods and feel absolutely horrible the next day. Something to get too enthusiastic about? No.

Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t go out. Going out is great. But posting Facebook statuses about how it is going to be the best night ever and listening to songs like ‘I Gotta Feelin’ is just not ok. Quiet ambivalence is the way forward, and concentrating on just actually having a good night is probably a better use of your time.

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Your Friends

Now you go too far, you ginger loon. But as I always say, NOT FAR ENOUGH. I like my friends a lot, they are wonderful people and they make me very happy and jolly. I’m sure that people who know them think that too. Which is why there is no need for me to go on and on about how great they are to everyone. It’s fine every now and then, but really…every single day? It’s annoying. You can’t like people that much. And as far as screen shotting “hilarious” conversations you’ve had with your pals, let’s avoid that.

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Festivals and Gigs

Once again, festivals and gigs are something that I enjoy enormously. I even have a tattoo representing my love for Glastonbury. But similar to the ‘nights out’ section, they’re not going to be the best thing you ever do ever. They’re mega fun and you will have an excellent time. But going on about it more than necessary and counting down to your summer fezzie every day on social media makes me want to cry. Cuff me.

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Over enthusiasm is just upsetting. I’m not knocking getting excited about things and enjoying them, but there is definitely a limit to how much you should go on about it. Go forth and enjoy life, just don’t bang on about it to the point where the majority of the population want to biff you. We are British for goodness sake, if we can’t be underwhelmed…what can we be?

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Primark ‘PS Love’ £2 Volumising Mascara | Review

PS Love 1Everybody who knows me knows that I love Primark, A LOT. In fact, if I ever turn up on the missing persons’ list then the first place people should check is my local store, as the chances are I could have just been crushed by a pile of jeans, or be in the changing rooms trapped inside a dress (which yes, has happened to me – twice…)

Anywho, Primark have been gradually expanding their collection over the last couple of years. By stocking a range of beauty products, from fake tan and eyelashes to face wipes and moisturisers, they were certainly becoming a one-stop for all of those ‘popping into town for a few bits’ needs. This goal seems even closer to being achieved now with this month’s release of their brand new beauty range, PS Love. With prices ranging from just £1 – £2.50 and including false nails, lip crayons, eyebrow pencils, eyeshadow palettes and more, they’re seriously reaching out to the cheap and cheerful shoppers out there.

PS Love 2OBVIOUSLY I couldn’t resist trying at least one item from the range (even though makeup from anywhere other than Boots or Superdrug makes me anxious), so opted for the Volumising Mascara in Ultra Black. I’m a huge mascara fan (and you can click here to read our other mascara reviews) so was intrigued to see what Primark were putting their name to and whether it could deliver for just £2.

PS Love 3Firstly, I was quite happy when I opened it to find the brush is a plastic one. These are definitely my preferred type of wand, as I find they separate my lashes much better than fibre brushes. It’s also nice and chunky, which bodes well for the volumising claims. Other than that, it’s quite a crude brush (by which I mean it’s very basic in design, not that it tells saucy jokes). We’ve grown used to a mascara market saturated with bendy, curly and twisted wands that are designed to catch each and every lash, so using something as no-frills as this definitely feels a little weird and you have to go quite steady to avoid a) making a total mess and b) taking an eye out.

However, once on the formula of the Primark mascara is actually pretty good. The ‘Ultra Black’ claims are 100% founded – it really is black. It also goes on nicely; not too wet like some mascaras but also doesn’t feel like it’s clumping your lashes together. The best part for me is that it lasts really well, with no flaking throughout the day – and it really does stay VERY black.

PS Love 6So what’s my overall opinion? At the end of the day, the Benefit team aren’t going to be losing any sleep over the PS Love mascara knocking They’re Real off the top spot or anything; but for just £2 this really isn’t bad. In fact, it’s better than a fair few drugstore mascaras that I’ve paid four times as much for. Even if you only pick one up to keep as a spare, I would say it’s definitely worth the money.

Have any of you tried this, or any of the PS Love range yet? What do you think?

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