Products I use for my Purple Hair

I have been loyal to Directions Hair Dye for quite a while now as I know how it will react and take to my hair. I used to use Violet and Plum, however, the directions violet made my hair too silver rather than purple so switched to Lavender Crazy Colour mixed with Plum. I left the dye in for 30 minutes and my hair went quite violet in colour. I eventually balanced these colours out. You can see how here. But for now, lets discuss how I dye my hair.

Whenever I dye my hair I like to have some pre-made dye to hand for topping up when I wash my hair in the shower and for when I want a redye every couple of weeks. I mixed this giant bottle of white conditioner from Sainsbury's with 3 teaspoons of Plum and 3 teaspoons of Lavender. I then shook it around.

Top tip: the longer you leave your dye in the conditioner, the darker the colour will be as it stains the white and almost 'develops' the conditioner.

This makes the dye really dark and violet. Squirt a few pumps into your mixing bowl, along with some white conditioner. I would also recommend adding a deep conditioning treatment and Argan Oil to the mix so your hair is beautifully soft afterwards. I use the Mark Hill range as I have found that it not only smells great, but helps maintain soft and healthy hair (very useful when dying or using heat on your hair). The Mark Hill shampoo is gentle, meaning its less likely to strip the colour from my hair. So if the colour is too bright, wash it out gently with the Mark Hill shampoo, alternatively, use any Argan Oil based shampoo as I have found it doesn't bleed out the colour as much as other shampoos.

Using this method, I have maintained violet hair that fades into a silvery blue with purple tints. For a lighter colour, use more conditioner and less dye. Here are some photos freshly dyed and slightly faded:

As most purple dyes are very blue based, the purple WILL fade blue. Mine faded more into a pretty purple into turquoise colour. Depends on the brand and the base colour (cooler or warmer tones in the dye).

Okay, so I dyed my hair at the beginning of February. I have dyed my hair before but I really wanted it back purple. I went to SugarSkull Studios who pretty much specialise in coloured hair; this way I wont cause uneccessary harm to my hair (they used treatment etc when dying so it wouldn't hurt my hair) and this was the end result:

It was a pinky purple and brighter than I wanted. However, I used a new shampoo on it and it went almost ombre silvery violet and pinky purple:

 

It was a gorgeous colour but I knew it wouldn't last so I tried using Crazy Colour Lavender:

It turned out brighter and more violet as the dye was very strong:

After stripping the colour using a vitamin C and shampoo treatment, I have managed to balance out the blues in my hair to give a really nice pastelish purple:

I am super happy with the colour and I have a blog post on what dyes and products I used as well.

Been really into green foods lately. I made this power Green Juice which was really refreshing and healthy and full of antioxidants!

Ingredients

• Melon (I used 3 types; watermelon, pink and white)
• 1 Green Apple
• Kale
• Spinach
• Ginger
• Tablespoon of Honey
• Lemon and Lime Juice

I am also an avid guacamole lover; I'll make it fresh at home as well as tweak classic recipes. My favourite is the Wahaca restaurant recipe, although I don't add chilli because I'm not a lover of spicy things. Wahaca is one of my favourite restaurants as the food is beautiful and the staff are amazing. They even added a video including this recipe here.

The bread is pumpkin seed and cranberry from ASDA which I drizzled with olive oil and stuck in the oven until nice and crispy, perfect for dipping!

This is so easy to make and really tasty and filling; perfect for dinner parties, snacks or starters. Food like this is also for losing weight as well since you get all your nutrients without left feeling hungry afterwards.

So I got a request to do a post on lip care and lips so, tada!

Okay, so as you can see, I have a lot of lippy things; ranging from balm, glosses and lipsticks. When it comes to lip colour, I have never favoured any brand as different brands do different shades. I tend to get mine from anywhere.

Lets start with balms: I tend to favour a flavour when it comes to lip balms and Primark do a lot of soda balms, I have the Coca Cola collection as well as a watermelon balm I picked up from somewhere (I can't remember where). I like to use my lip balms as soon as I wake up and when I go to bed, especially in the Winter as the weather is so harsh on your skin. This routine keeps them looking soft and plump and ready for whatever colour I'll put on that day. LUSH actually does a whole range of colours, balms and scrubs which can be found here.

Lip glosses can be tricky and sticky, especially when the wind blows your hair and ends up stuck to your mouth; not the best of looks! The cheaper brands tend be sticky and less pigmented, however, the small lip glosses at the top are from a make-up box I got ages ago with loads of bits and bobs in them. I hardly ever use these by themselves as I like to layer the colours; I may use the brownish pink, and then layer it with the red to enhance the pigment. Another tip is to put some lip gloss over a similar pigmented lipstick to add plumpness and shine. For example, I use my purple gloss over a deep pink or purple lipstick to give my lips a little more oomph. 

Lipsticks I tend not to go for anything too drastic; I favour nude and pinker colours and have one or two daring reds or purples for when I'm feeling bold. You should always have a range of colours in your arson so you're ready for any occasion.

Tip of the day

Don't be picky with brands. You can find some amazing cheap lipsticks from MUA, Collection 2000, Primark etc which are only £1-£2! Experiment with colours and mix glosses with lipsticks to get a show stopping look. Don't be afraid to be noticed when wearing bold reds or deep purples either; simple makeup and a bold lip is a classic

(sorry the photo is a little out of focus)

LUSH has always been my favourite for skin products; they're natural so I just feel good when I use them! The work they do is amazing and I always end up getting something because everything is so great! These are some of my favourites from LUSH right now:

Dark Angels is a deep cleanser that gives a gorgeous glow to  my skin and I feel so refreshed afterwards. It lasts for ages; with black sugar and charcoal to exfoliate, and rhassoul mud to deeply cleanse, it gives an earthy, light scent. My skin is so soft afterwards and has cleared my skin of any blemishes (its seriously that good!). Its a godsend from Mother Nature.

Godmother is a a beautifully pinkish red colour with a light, sweet scent of pear drops. Its gentle and like most LUSH products, lasts forever. Its good for your whole body and is great for sensitive skin. Snap The Whip has the scent of blackberries and blackcurrents and exfoliates your skin to the fullest WARNING this is messy because it turns into a creamy, grainy texture, so I recommend using it in the shower. It has helped cleared up my Keratosis and soften the skin on my arms. I also recommend getting a tin/box to put these in just to keep everything dry and tidy.

Daddy-O is made for blondes for that added shine; while I was blonde, It made my hair soft, clean and shiny. It uses coconut oil and sea salt to soften and add body to your hair. Any silver shampoo will get rid of brassy tones in hair, so the fact that this is a beautiful deep purple its really gonna shift those unwanted brass tones! The 100g bottle has lasted longer than I thought, I got it for Christmas and I still have half a bottle left!

Jason and The Argan Oil is a shampoo bar, you use it as a soap for your hair and for such a small bar, that too is lasting me! Obviously by its name, it is full of Argan Oil which is beautiful for your hair, especially if its damaged or dry. I have also found that by using LUSH shampoo, my hair has stayed cleaner for longer; this means the natural oils in my hair aren't washed away as regularly, keeping my hair healthy.

REMEMBER

Always ask the LUSH team when choosing your products so you get what's best for your skin. The LUSH team are so friendly and are always happy answer any questions you have as well as give you samples so you can try before you buy.

I have also added the Mark Hill hair treatment, obviously it isn't LUSH but its honestly great for dry or damaged hair. I have recently changed my hair colour and will do a post for dyed hair which includes more details on my hair care routine (featuring LUSH and Mark Hill). You can find all information on all the products below.

Links:

Dark Angels

Godmother

You Snap The Whip

Daddy-O

Jason And The Argan Oil

Mark Hill

• ·         1 avocado
• ·         1 tablespoon pesto
• ·         1 Teaspoon olive oil (if needed to smoothen)
• ·         Lemon juice
• ·         Coriander (fresh or ground will do)
• ·         Salt and pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor (I blended mine using my NurtiBullet) until smooth and thick. It’s that easy! If you want it smoother, I added more olive oil. However, you can blend it less or add extras such as paprika, onion, more lemon etc. just experiment! Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds or croutons would go really nicely for added texture.

This is really filling and guilt free! This saucy blend can also be used for pasta salads or stuffed in a chicken. Don’t be afraid to experiment and be creative with food!

Want to know how to get the most out of your wardrobe all year long?

Well you’re in luck! I’m here to share some style secrets about turning from freezing to fabulous when the weather isn’t on your side.

Living in the UK, it’s pretty much dismal all the time. Even when the Sun does grace us with its presence, it’s still not enough to coax me outside; especially when I have to wear some thick frumpy jumper that doesn’t flatter me at all. I find it really hard to feel feminine and comfortable in thick knits because nothing really fits my curves well. Summer clothing is designed to be floaty, feminine, sexy and shapely. But here in jolly ol’ Britain our Summer is like June-August (if we’re lucky) and the whole cycle starts again. Some of my favourite pieces are from my Summer wardrobe, but I really don’t have enough money or space to cater for long Winters and Scorching summer.

So what’s a girl to do?

Use what you have. Layer. Layer yourself like a triple chocolate cake with extra icing.

Be inventive with your clothes and use trial and error when creating outfits!! I took some of my favourite pieces to show you how creative you can be.

This is a simple black playsuit from Matalan; easy to dress up and down but the back is my darling detail:

With any skirt, you can turn it into a simple but sexy top. Here, I have used skater skirts, but pencil skirts, miniskirts and even jeans will do! I preferred something high waisted as the effect is much better in my opinion and the ‘shorts’ underneath won’t show as much.

This little trick will work with any playsuit or dress; if you have a short dress, skater dress etc.  just pop a skirt over the top.

When it comes to dresses, you can also do the reverse:

Throw a jumper, long sleeved top, oversized t-shirt or box tee over a dress to change it into a skirt!! I 

used my kitty dress (H&M) for this really cute, smart casual look which is perfect for dates. I recommend a plain coloured jumper and a bold print dress to wash away the winter blues.

I hope this has inspired you to be more creative and not to spend money on clothes you don’t need.

Unless it’s those killer heels you’ve been eyeing up for months. Then you have my blessing.