Bumpits - Big Happy Hair!

For those that follow me on twitter we know that last week i ordered some Bumpits after hearing how great they are. I ordered them online for £3.40 including first class postage, and they arrived very quickly i was very impressed with the service. I was that impressed that i ordered another set but in brown - as im thinking of darkening my hair for winter. The Bumpits are basically a plastic hairband/inserts that gives volume to your hair turning it from flat to fabulous in seconds! They promise to be comfortable, self-gripping and simple to use. The pack was cute and came with 5 bumpits of different sizes.

I have tried them in my hair a few times but im yet to wear them for a long period or on a night out - so i shall hold off for a review until they have been fully tested. These are a great concept for creating volume in your hair without needing to backcomb. Apparantly alot of celebrities wear them and they have been a big craze for over a year - im obviously slow to catch on!

The only thing I would point out is im not sure how suitable these would be for someone with very fine or thin hair – I would think it would be difficult to cover the bumpit plastic up and keep it hidden. They are very comfortable to wear – you cant feel them in! The large and extra large stay in perfectly – and the small bumpit for the front section also stays in place, but I have trouble with placing the 2 smaller bumpits in the sides of the hair, they just drop out. Maybe i need more pracising with styling. You really need extra volume at the sides as it can look silly having your hair bumped up at the back and noflat at the sides – blends in better. I would say that it would be find to leave the sides if your planning to wear your hair half up half down with the larger bumpit at the back of thehead and scraping the sides back pinning.

I bought these from ebay for around £3.50 including packaging – howver other places are selling them ranging from £10-25! I don’t think I would pay more than £5 for these- they are good but only a plastic hairband with a comb edge! I ordered 2 packs - the colours of blonde and brown as im always changing my hair colour! I would say even tho my hair is a carmel blonde colour at the moment the brown seem to suit better than the blonde.

The pack of bumpits comes with 2 smaller bumpits for the front section of your hair, and you can also place these at the side of your hair to blend if your placing a larger bumpit on the top of your head. It comes with 2 large bumpits for creating more volume in the crown section. And an extra large (Hollywood) bumpit for full volume!

I love having voloume in my hair and have recently been backcombing and hairspraying my hair to create my desired look. I find this doesn’t last and tends to fall flat especially if im on a night out. I have also noticed that the combination of regularly bleaching, dying, straightening, using heat along with backcombing my hair has left the section at the top of my hair extremely dry and damaged. My hair around this section feels extremely dry and almost afro like it gets tatty and matted very easily! I can only put this down to backcombing as I don’t have that problem in any other section other than the section I normally backcomb. The rest of my hair feels soft and shiney and in good condition. I have always used a good hairdressers professional shampoo and conditioner, and really notice the difference on the odd occassion i have used cheap or drug store branded shampoo, my hair just feels so dried out and straw-like.

In order for my hair to be looking in better condition and also wanting to grow my hair I have started doing a number of things such as:

1. I have started getting my hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks to get rid of split ends

2. Not dying or bleaching my hair as often and giving my hair a rest (even tho my roots are starting to look terrible as its about 3 months since I last got it coloured!)

3. I am using less heat on my hair – if im not in a rush I will let my hair dry naturally after washing,

4. I am using a mix of good (expensive!) shampoos and conditioners by loreal professional and keratase.

5. I only wash my hair never more than twice a week – my hair doesn’t get greasy and is naturally curly and dry so doesn’t need it.

6. I am also using dry shampoo if my hair is looking a bit dull and slightly greasy inbetween washes.

7. Once a week I use a strethening treatment by either loreal professional or ketatase.

8. I am using a heat protective spray before I straighten

9. Im only using straighteners on my hair after I have first washed it or if I am going out. Sometimes If im just in the house I just tie my hair back and leave it without styling.

10. Using bumpits instead of backcombing.

Which products do you swear by for your hair? Have you used bumpits before?

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Revlon - Plum Night & Va Va Violet

These products are from Revlons New Autumn/Winter 2009 collection Plum Trend. This is very different from the makeup i usually wear which is lots of bronzer, neutral colours hot pinks, corals and heavy dark smokey eyes. The lipstick is shade no. 663 - Va Va Violet and it a creme lipstick. Nice packaging and i particularly like that the top of the lid is clear so when you store all your lipsticks you can quickly at a glance pick out your prefered colour. I Really like the texture of this lipstick its really creamy, i think this shade works well with pale skin and dark smokey eyes. I know this colour wouldnt be everyones cup of tea - and it seems a bit on the gothic side. However, i also applied the lipstick yesterday and blotted alot of the colour off with a tissue then applied some pink gloss over the top - it really worked well and left a subtle stain on the lips turning them a dark pink shade which is more wearable for every day.

The nail varnish is 025- Plum Night which is a lovely dark plum shade - This really works well and is a change from my normal dark red or dark brown shade. The colour is very pigmented and easy to apply. I applied 2 coats here.

What do you think? Do you go for Daring dark colours?

NOTD - Cherries in the Snow

Today I painted my Nails Cherries in the snow by Revlon - its the perfect Cherry Red colour i love it :)

Have you tried it? What do you think? Do you like any of the other Revlon Polishes?

Origins Facial

Last weekend i took advantage of the Grazia Magazine offer whereby you could get a free Origins facial which should normally cost £15. I have not tried any origin products before so i thought this would be a great idea to give them a go and get some advice before splashing out!

To start with the lady gave me a skin consultation and asked if i had any skin concerns. The facial was performed on the Origins Counter in Debenhams in a chair that looked a bit like a deck chair but was surprisingly comfy and it stretched out and lowered when i sat down. The only peeve i would have about the experience was that the atmosphere wasnt as relaxing as being in a salon or private closed off space as i could hear all of the shop noise, and wasnt very private as shoppers could walk past me and view the facial. As it was a busy saturday the girl kept being interupted by shoppers asking questions and needing to serve customers so my facial took a little longer than expected, over an hour.

She used perfect world cleanser which stung my face a little and i was worried that it was going to irriate my face and end up being red at the end. Also she removed this cleanser with cotton wool pads that were slightly damp, i would of prefered to use clothes or a flannel as i didnt feel all the cleanser was off my skin. She then used perfect world toner/tonic which i really liked, it didnt sting my face and left my skin feeling really clean and soft. It contains white tea and also smelt lovely and wasnt harsh on the skin like i have found my other toners to do.

She then applied modern friction - nature's gentle dermabrasion scrub mask. It was stinging my face for about 5 minutes then settled. This took a while to remove as she was using small damp cotton pads. Next she applied clear improvement face mask which is a charcoal mask to clear pores. She mentioned this is best to put on whilst having a hot bath as it opens up the pores. I really liked this mask, it felt cooling and left my skin clean feeling. There was a little boy came over after she had applied the mask (as its a dark grey charcoal colour!) and asked if he could have his face painted too!! :)

Next she applied Perfect World Serum and i felt my skin afterwards - it felt baby soft all over! I have never felt my skin so soft! I was extremly impressed! The moisurior she used was Perfect World which was nice but im happy with my current stack of moisurisers so dont feel the need to buy another! The eye mask she used was Ging Zing, again this was nice but i wouldnt consider buying.

Overall the products are pricey but some were worth it - im definately considering purchasing the toner and charcoal face mask (however i believe i shall be able to find a cheaper alternative charcoal mask!). They are on my wishlist for now until i use up a few of my products, they have some lovely sets for christmas which work out a bit cheaper than buying them separately!

Have you tried Origins products before? Did you like them? Feel free to comment below. x

New York Shopping List

Hey guys sorry its been a while since i last posted- i have been mega busy with work! :(

Well i am excited as in less than 3 weeks i am off to New York for 4 days with my friend! I went last year for nye and went for 10 days but i found because the exchange rate was crap (1.4 to the pound) it wasnt as cheap as i was hoping and alot of the shop assistants were under the impression that us brits are still getting 2 dollars for a pound and had put their prices up :(

I have wrote a small list but if anyone else has any suggestions of clothing/beauty items/makeup or any good places to eat/drink/shop please leave a comment below !

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