A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

On Saturday, I headed to London with my sister-in-law Helen and my cousin Angela.  We were excited to hit the shops, mainline some hazelnut lattes and experience some serious pampering Aussie Style!

By the time we arrived at Adee Phelan’s salon in Covent Garden we were shattered!  Within minutes of getting through the door we were sipping champagne and relaxing on comfy sofas.  A total oasis in a bustling area of central London.

The ladies (and Tom!) from 1000 heads were so friendly and welcoming, we arrived 15minutes late thanks to not being able to find a taxi after our Selfridges rampage and I was worried we’d get some disapproving looks, I needn’t have worried at all!

The lovely Emma & Lauren from 1000 heads – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Adee Phelan’s salon has one funky interior, very french and beautifully baroque chic… stunning mirrors, gorgeous chandeliers and fab decor.  The ideal setting for a bit of spoiling!

I was a little nervous and as the taps were turned on at the sink, I could feel that I was tensing my neck…  Not for long!!  My lovely stylist had magic fingers!  Despite myself, I could feel my neck relaxing and my head feeling heavier as the gorgeous bubble-gummy scent of Aussie Miracle Moist enveloped me!

After *the* most amazing head massage I was led over to a mirror to let the styling begin!  My gorgeous stylist blow dried my hair using just the teeniest amount of smoothing serum.  Hand on heart, I’ve never seen it look so shiny without using straighteners.  She also rediscovered where my proper parting should be hoorah!  I thought I’d lost that forever LOL!

Once I was done, I was greeted with lots of oohs and ahhs from Angela & Helen which I returned with enthusiasm whilst admiring their glossy locks!

Angela & Helen lovin’ the new ‘dos!

We had (lots) more champagne, and caught up with the other lucky Angels enjoying Aussie’s hospitality.  Amongst us were the lovely Natalie and Yinka.  It was fab to be able to have a chat with Natalie, can you believe we barely mentioned football?! – the evening was far too glam for that.  Yinka, Natalie and I had a good natter about all the draaaahmas occuring in the Beauty community – Sunlove anyone?  Our guests looked suitably bemused “What the hell are they talking about? Geeks.”

Moi! photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Mr. L tried to psychoanalyse this photo and reckons I’m doing “nervous hand things” – I reckon he needs to shut up and make my tea.

1000 heads were very organised… even arranging the Angels in order of height…

After we’d been preened and pampered to within an inch of our lives, we were taken to the nearby Dial Bar to enjoy a cocktail or 2 (who’s counting) before stumbling heading back to the car in the hope of pointing it in the general direction of Southampton!  Thank goodness for designated drivers!

The three of us had a wonderful evening and were treated by Aussie in a manner to which our partner’s hope we don’t become *too* accustomed!

If you haven’t caught up with Project Angel, you can read more about it here – and don’t forget to have a look at my previous experiences here!

Here’s a few more photies of the evening…

Angela – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Cheese! – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

glamming it up!

THANKS AUSSIE!!

I’m exhausted!  Leila has managed to maintain a constant whinge since Thursday when she had her second round of immunisations.  I’m gonna submit her to the Guiness World Record people if she doesn’t pack it in soon.

So yesterday, I went and got my hair cut.  I’ll preface this by confessing that I haven’t visited a hair salon in about 9 years.  There wasn’t any need.  My hair has been down to the middle of my back for what seems like forever and whenever it started to look scraggy I called on my trusty Mum to cut as straight a line as she could possibly manage.  I’m not precious about my hair… infact, I considered it a high-end haircut if my Mum bothered to wear her specs whilst chopping.

 When I was pregnant, my hair was thick and glossy… I was a walking Pantene advert (that whole ‘pregnancy glow’ thing really IS true by the way!).  Unfortunately, since the arrival of The Grizzler, (or Leila, as I try to remember to call her in public) my hair has changed.  The thickness fell out within weeks and the glossiness faded along with the last contraction.

In recent weeks, I’ve noticed a strange smell lingering about my person.  To my shame, I realised 2 days ago that my hair stunk of drool.  Leila loves nothing more than to suck on her fingers… I use the word ‘fingers’ loosely as she spends most of the day attempting to get the whole fist wedged in there.  These copious amounts of ‘gob’ are then transferred to my hair whenever I am within 50 yards of her.  It’s not like I don’t wash it… don’t underestimate the magnetic powers of saliva.

So… long story short (if this is a short story, I don’t know what a long one is) I finally made that long awaited, much needed hairdresser’s appointment.  And here’s the outcome!

It’s a layered chin-length bob with a side swept fringe and I have no idea how I’m going to stop it looking like an explosion in a mattress factory come the first hair wash.  I don’t own straighteners *shock, horror!* and I only use my hairdryer if I’m going somewhere posh.  This could get ugly – wish me luck!

p.s. My sincere apologies as I have been much neglecting reading and commenting.  My google reader is full of unreads that I’m itching to catch up on.  Hopefully little miss grizzle guts will settle down next week and I can resume my usual parenting routine of sitting at the computer whilst poking her with my foot if she gets a bit bored.  She likes that.

I have had the same hairstyle for the last 10 years – well, not really a hairstyle, it’s just down to the middle of my back, no fringe with an off centre parting.  I couldn’t get my hair styled shorter than my shoulders because I’d miss the flexibility of being able to wear it up and pull it away from my face.  I also can’t be arsed with hair straighteners to be honest.  I have a slight wave to my straight hair which has never bothered me and I really am not high maintenance enough to get into the whole poker straight thing so I’m limited really with styling products I can play with.

However, the one thing I’d love that my hair lacks is more shine.

Enter Fudge Head Polish.  This is marketed as a ‘hair shiner’.  I’ve previously tried Tresemme Salon Silk which does add a bit of gloss to my hair but does absolutely nothing to control flyaways and if anything seems to make them worse especially if I wash my hair and apply it before bed.  I also haven’t worked out how to successfully apply it to dry hair without making myself look like chip pan head.

Fudge Head Polish is less ‘sticky’ than the Tresemme – it’s thicker and gloopier, but doesn’t leave a residue on your hands.  I can detect a strong scent which I’ve spent all day sticking under my husband’s nostrils to see if he can help me identify it.  So far, we’re thinking aniseed… but we’re not 100% confident on that – either way, it’s really rather nice if a little pungent!

I’ve used this on both wet and dry hair and achieved the same results of instant super shine – again, it’s not massively taming the flyaways (works better on dry hair) but it does a better job than Tresemme.  It also really seems to smooth the hair shaft near the ends and make them feel less ‘prickly’ for want of a better expression.  I purchased this from Tops-Hair-Salon on eBay who are great for Fudge products and delivered super quickly.

I would definitely repurchase this, although I think Fudge have discontinued it (typical) – so if you want to try it out, head to eBay and grab a bargain while they’re still available!  I paid just under £2 inc. postage.

[starreview tpl=14]

Whilst on the subject of GOSH, I’ve just come across their new haircare range which is currently on offer in Superdrug.  Usually priced at £4.39 each you can currently pick up 2 for £5.99 – definitely worth a look.  If you’re ordering from the website make sure you enter: abbey100809 during the checkout stage to get a further 10% off your order (valid ’till November ’09)

Standard shampoo/conditioner range includes:

Damage Control

Nourishes and recharges dry, damaged and chemically treated hair with revitalising moisture…

Pump up the Volume

Contains special proteins which add body and fullness while rstonring elasticity and strength…

Colour Rescue

Protects the colour in dyed hair from fading and daily UV exposure…

The images on the GOSH website show the bottles as pump bottles (which I prefer to these squeezy tube types) but maybe that’s for the European market.

There are other products in the range, they appear to have introduced a full range of styling products – but you’ll have to head in store to check those out as Superdrug’s shitty website only displays the shampoo and conditioners.

Fudge isn’t a brand I know much about.  Infact, my idea of haircare is Head & Shoulders followed by my beloved Mason Pearson hairbrush that I’ve had since I was 2 years old and leave the mop to dry naturally.

You’d think that using no styling products or heat would mean my hair is in fantastic condition.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case and I’ve got more split ends (thanks to an aversion to hair salons) and frazzly bits than I care to count.

Since becoming pregnant though, my hair has enjoyed somewhat of a reprise.  It’s been glossier, thicker and fuller than ever before.  I can go 4 days without washing it (I normally have to wash every other day or look like chip pan head).  I’m due to push this little flump into the world (no doubt swearing and screaming for the drugs) on the 5th May, so my days of unnaturally lovely hair are sadly numbered.

In preparation for my return to crap hair, I’ve dug my hairdryer out from the bottom of the wardrobe and ordered 2 products on eBay from Fudge:

Fudge Head Polish (discontinued from website)

which states:

A smooth polishing glaze that leaves hair soft with an incredible reflect.

I also grabbed:

Fudge Erekt (£7.99 – currently on offer)…

Get it straight up with Erekt for dead straight hair.  Get into your power tool and blow up those locks for soft, shiny, frizzless hair.
 
What it does:

• Straightens and smoothes curl and frizz
• Creates shine, softness and manageability
• Makes blow drying curly hair easier to control

I’m hoping for good results!  Either that, or I’ll just have to get pregnant again.*

*I should just point out to my lovely husband that I am of course joking before he scrambles for the Yellow Pages blind panic sending him scanning the ‘V’s’ for vasectomy.

A lightweight, non-greasy serum designed for all hair types.

Calms frazzled hair for a beautiful, natural-looking sheen and to tame  those stubborn flyaways.

I’ve used this twice so far, and I love how silky and light it makes my hair feel not to mention the glossy sheen it adds (must be all the silicones) and for those reasons I would buy it again.  It’s also lightweight and has a rather delicious smell.  However, it doesn’t seem to do much at all to smooth the little flyaway bits that stick up making my ‘do’ resemble an explosion in a mattress factory.

 Having said that, Tigi Bed Head After Party Smoothing Cream doesn’t do anything for me either and that’s 4x the price of this stuff and about 3x greasier.

I’ve only tried it on wet hair, so I’ll give it another go after drying.  Just wish I could find something that does what it says on the tin.  It’s also leaves a greasy residue on your hands that needs washing off immediately which makes me a little wary to try it on dry hair.

If you’re interested you can read more about it here and I paid £3 for a bottle in the supermarket.

[starreview tpl=14]