April Favourites - Hair Care

Summer is finally here, the sun is starting to make an appearance, yay! So I'm sharing with you my favourite hair products from April 2013.

I am only recently getting into using products on my hair, despite many many years of blow drying, bleaching and straightening it. I am finally giving it the love and attention it deserves!

Alberto V05 - High Volume Hair Spray - Extra Strong Hold

I think this hair spray is great for getting the achieved affect without being too heavy or clumpy in your hair. It holds a style in place without leaving too much product sitting on top of your hair. It also doesn't make your hair feel hard or give it that wet look. I find it allows me to create a very natural looking style that lasts.

Batiste - Dry Shampoo - Original
Dry Shampoo is a genius invention. It's great for a pick-me-up, when you want to re-style your hair or when your hair is looking a bit greasy. You can use it to volumise your hair to create a fuller look. At the end of a long day,  you can spritz it into your hair to allow you to re-style it. As I find over-handling your hair can make it look greasy, even if it's only freshly washed that morning. And of course when you're hair is looking a bit greasy and your stuck for time, it is a great alternative. I will usually try wash my hair every other day to allow the natural oils a chance to do their job! This is a great option for that middle day. If I have time, I leave it in for a few minutes before brushing through, but if time is of the essence, I will make sure to properly distribute it through my roots using my fingers.

TRESemmé  - Styling Spray - Heat Defence
As someone who always blow drys and straightens their hair it is criminal that I have not been using a heat protection spray before now. Now that I've discovered TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray I won't be looking back. I find once I've used my straightener now, my hair has a much softer finish. Even after the first use I found my hair looked healthier and less damaged. The ends don't look so dried out. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who using heated tools on their hair!

Star buy: TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray

So what hair care products have you been using lately? 

Do you have any product suggestions for me?

Review: Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure

With pastel shades reappearing now that the summer is here, I decided to try Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Jaded.

The first time I tried it I wasn't overly impressed, I am rather used to one layer nail varnishes that you pop on and go. With this particular polish, that does not work however. Once you paint onto your nail for the first time and you go over the nail again (to ensure you covered all areas) I find the second layer sweeps up the first layer. In addition to this if you try to overcome this by using a slightly thicker first layer, the polish slides to the side of your nail and dries in a lump around the side of your nail or on your finger.

However on my second attempt with a bit more time, I put on two thin layers and was suitably impressed. I like the colour, the finish and the general appearance of the polish. You would however definitely need to allow it extra time to really dry in. I would not recommend doing anything too manual for quite some time afterwards, since even after it appears dry, due to the nature of the product it's liable to get imprints/indentations.

Sally Hansen claim for this particular brand that it has "7 Benefits of a Salon Manicure in 1 Bottle". It does appear thick and sturdy on the nail, giving it a salon looking finish that is sometimes missing with other brands of nail polish. All in all I would definitely recommend this nail polish.

The shade is also great as it can go with almost any colour whether you're choosing to wear pastel shades or dark colours. Neon and pastel mixing is also a popular trend which is emerging this summer. For the more daring polish wearers, you could really embrace this and accent your ring finger perhaps with a neon shade (this polish is also available in "Back to Fuchsia").

What do you think? What are your favourite shades for Summer 2013?