5 Hair Care/Styling Favourites

Having long hair at times can be both the best thing and the worst, no one can begin to imagine the tangles, caught hair and extensive hair drying times. But having said that, it's all worth it when it looks amazing! With the right hair care styling products and tools it has made my life a lot easier. Many of these products have been my favourites for absolute years, when I find something that works I hold on to it for life, if it ain't broke don't fix it right? If you're looking for something to make your hair more manageable, here are 5 of my current top 5 hair care/styling favourites that have made their way into my routine!

#1. Tangle Teezer
I've been confessing my love for the trusty Tangle Teezer since way before I began writing this blog 3 years ago. Sick of tangly hair and combs that snagged my hair in the shower, I was given my first compact tangle teezer 4 years ago for my Birthday and which I still use to this day, it really is long lasting! I now have a collection of 4 tangle teezers, all with different styles and sizes. I now have a tangle teezer for every bag I own, and I just couldn't be without one again. I cringe at the thought of putting a comb through wet hair again, and it's true that the tangle teezer is one of the best discoveries I have ever made for my long hair. It makes brushing it through in the mornings, at the end of the day, after a swim and in the shower a dream, getting rid of tangles with ease, and without snapping the ends of my hair. Tangle Teezer have expanded over the years since I first started using them and they now have a limited edition range to complement the existing originals, I mean who could resist a pug printed tangle teezer? I know what my sixth teezer to join the family is going to be...

#2. Lee Stafford Chopstick Styler
Where curly hair is concerned, the chopstick styler is a game changer. I repeat, this is the only curler I have ever used that creates tight curls which last and don't drop out. Sure, it's a very tedious task as it takes me just over an hour to create a full head of curl worthy hair, but boy does it look good, and it lasts for days even through sleep and daily life. It's not something I use often as I can imagine it's so damaging to your hair, but if you're looking for a fun, show stopping hair styler then you need this in your life! Proof is in the pudding as they say, see it below in action...

#3. Moroccan Oil
Many a blog post has boasted the amazing product that is Moroccan oil. At £30 a pop a bottle, this stuff is not cheap, but if you're looking to maintain long hair without it looking like straw or wanting to grow your hair, this stuff is like liquid nitrogen. You only need to apply a few drops of this to your hair after washing your hair and one bottle lasts me a year so it really is worth the money. It's one of the best hair oils I have used and I always think it's worth spending money on high quality items when it comes to your hair. 

#4. Invisibobble
Whatever your hair length, wearing it in a pony or bun all day can cause headaches and sore scalps. I tend to stick to low ponies or plaits these days because of the strain. When I use normal hair bands I feel like I have bruises on my scalp afterwards, ouch! I discovered invisibobbles about a year ago and haven't looked back, these unusual telephone cord esque bands are easy to use, they're virtually invisible once they're in your hair, they won't leave those tell tale marks on your hair, and most importantly they don't hurt your head! They're available in  a range of different colours these days and sizes, I have a clear box of these as I personally think they look more seamless and invisible in the hair!

#5. Towelling Headband
Not an essential, but a necessity. When you have long hair or any length hair for that matter, washing your face or brushing your teeth becomes a military operation. Trying to keep that hair back from your face isn't an easy task which is why I swear by my towelling headband. It's soft, pink and keeps all my hair back with ease, what's not to love? I wear it when I apply my makeup too so I have a completely clear base to work from with no hair that gets congealed within my foundation, or even worse, my lip gloss!

My hair care routine is constantly expanding and I love trying new products to help make my hair look fabulous, so do let me know if there are any other miracle products that I should be trying out! 

What are your hair care favourites? Have you tried any of these products/tools before?

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OOTN | Formal Night At Sea

Dress - Asos

Shoes - Next

Clutch - Topshop

As you may have noticed I've been AWOL on the blog front for the last 2 weeks (sorry!), but I'm sure if you follow me on social media then you'll have seen that I was cruising the med! As always, I had the most amazing time - a bit of sun and relaxation does the world of good. I'll fill you in more about my cruise on here over the next week or so. In the meantime I wanted to share one of my favourite formal outfits from the cruise with you, I also wore this dress for the first time back in March for a wedding and have properly wanted to share it with you all since then as it's just so beautiful.

Formal nights are my favourite night of the cruise, like I need an excuse to dress up anyway, but all the stops are put out for formal nights and I love getting glammed up and admiring other peoples dresses during the evening too! I love the grey/silver effect of this dress and the tight bodice and net skirt makes it look so beautiful and different. It goes with blush items so well, but I think it would look just as good with metallic silver shoes and accessories too. I purchased this dress a while ago now, but I know that Chi Chi Clothing do some similar organza dresses like this if you want to recreate the look for yourself, it's the perfect style for summer weddings, holidays and parties!

Anyway, how have you all been?! Have you been on a cruise before? Do you like this style of dress?

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Rimmel x Daily Mail Goody Bag!

When I went to the Mail Online studios a few weeks ago with Rimmel for the Volume Colourist mascara trial that I had been working on, we left with the most amazing goody bags, and it was something that I desperately wanted to share with you all. There's nothing I personally love more than having a snoop at bloggers hauls and a peek inside goody bags (thank god for snapchat!). This was the goody bag to outshine all goody bags, it was a cross between Rimmel goodies and some branded Mail products that I'll always been able to treasure and look back on with excitement. I know you're all dying for a peek inside, so lets get to it!

 The branded Rimmel bag was filled to the brim with stuff and I couldn't wait to have a peek inside. Does anyone else save it until they get home and then pour the contents out onto a bed to have a proper look?!

First up was this amazing Alphabet Bags slogan makeup bag pouch, I love this brand so much that I already have two makeup pouches from them with cute slogans. I find them so perfect for holding my makeup when I'm travelling, and hey, they look amazing in flat lays! This one is slightly different to my others as it's been branded with the Mail logo on the back, how cool? It's instantly become my favourite makeup pouch, and it's so flattering too...

Available in 3 different shades, the Rimmel Magnif' eyes double ended shadow & liner is going to become my summer staple this year. My favourite is the gold/copper coloured one as this is the main type of colour I go for on my eyes, the two colours look amazing together and it makes creating a smokey eye look super easy. Again, this product is so perfect for travelling as it doesn't take up much room.  Did I mention that they're also waterproof, crease proof and transfer proof? Amazing!

The main reason for getting this insane goody bag was for the 6 week trial that I took part in testing out the new Rimmel Volume Colourist mascara, which claims to tint your lashes over time. Another summer staple for my bag, it's so easy to remove and gives your lashes a dramatic look in just one coat. Make sure you check out my initial review of this mascara to see whether it really did tint my lashes over time. 

A girl can never have too many primers right? I've been a big lover of Benefit's and Too Faced primers so I'm looking forward to giving these two a try. The first is their #InstaFlawless (I already love it from the name), which provides a glowing base for underneath your makeup or it can be worn by itself for a really natural look, it's also SPF15 which is great for holidays. The Fix and Protect is a more all rounder primer which works to combat lots of problem areas to give you the best base possible for underneath your makeup. I'll have to let you know how I get on with these!

 Another fairly new release from Rimmel is the Kate Moss sculpting palette, I'm such a fan of contouring but end up having to use about 5 different products to create the look so this little palette is going to be ideal for travelling. It includes a highlighter, bronzer and blush, I've only tried the bronzer so far but really like the colour of it and finish it achieves on my skin. It's highly pigmented so it's a must have for any bronze loving babes.

 I'm such a simple Sally when it comes to lips, I just love my nudes and pale pink colours so I definitely need to try and be a bit more adventurous. These two are part of the Moisture Renew Sheer and Shine range, they're quite bright berry/coral shades which are nice summer shades, because of their formula it means that it won't show your dry or cracked lips beneath them.

Lip glosses are definitely not just a teenage thing, although I've not worn one in years because I got fed up of my hair sticking to the gloss, there really isn't anything more annoying! I see lip glosses as such an easy thing to use in the summer though, and again it's a plus that they don't make your lips look dry or flaky too. This is a really bright colour for me so I'm going to have to be brave trying this one out!

 These sweet Mail Online branded chocolates sadly didn't last long, they were filled with delicious salted caramel, they literally couldn't have tasted any better!

 I'm still a newbie when it comes to perfecting that cat eye liner flick, but I've found that the pen type liners are the easiest to use, I'm seriously going to have to up my game with this Precise Eye Liner. 

 One can never have enough notebooks, as I travel a lot on the train I usually hand write blog posts to then type up when I'm home. I've taken this Daily Mail branded notebook under my wing and classed it as my new 'blogging book', how could I not when it's so cool! 

 Like notebooks, you can never have too many branded or slogany mugs. I probably won't even use this mug, it will be a gentle reminder of the amazing time I had filming at The Mail online.

 Branded pen drives and pens, makes me instantly the coolest person in my office...

Last up was another amazing product from Rimmel, I didn't even know that a product like this existed to create your own gel nails without the use of a machine. I've never had gel nails done before, but always love how glossy and long lasting other peoples are. I think I'll test this out on my holidays so I don't have to worry about chipped nails or having to repaint them whilst I'm away!

So that's how The Mail Online and Rimmel do goody bags - I still can't believe their generosity and how amazing the whole experience was, I will hopefully have a link to share with you soon to see the finished piece, I can't wait! 

What do you think of the goody bag? Can you spot anything you've tried before? Do you have any favourite makeup products from Rimmel?

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Open Water Swimming Series: Training Update

It feels like it was months ago that I first posted about the Breakwater swim that I'm taking part in in August. Fast forward to June and its now just over 2 months until the event, now that really is a scary thought. The 2.2 mile across the Plymouth sound is slowly looming, the good news is I've come a long way since the start of the year and have already done a few sessions in the sea to get a feel for it. Contrary to what it comes across like on social media, as expected it has not been easy. When your first thought when you enter the sea for the first time is 'what have I let myself in for' you can imagine how tough this challenge has been for myself so far, both physically and mentally. Underneath the surface my life really isn't all pretty outfits, lush baths and delicious food, there's really nothing glamorous about wild swimming, but it's an escape from reality that I find so compelling about it. Despite the hurdles I've faced so far, I'm taking baby steps and seeing progression each week, so do you know what? I think I'll be okay. 

I literally couldn't have made the initial plunge without finding the Devon Wild Swimmers group on Facebook. They meet every Thursday night at 6pm in Plymouth (as well as many other days/times to suit), which is ideal for me, but it does means I spend my whole Thursday at work feeling sick with nerves. Wild swimming is something I have never tried before because it fills me with so many fears (polluted water, SHARKS, the cold to name a few), but the group are SO friendly and some of these wild swimmers have swum the channel, ice lakes and the like so they come armed with a lot of information that made my first step into wild swimming an easy one. I was so numb with cold the first time that I did a sea swim (without a wet suit might I add, I know, what was I thinking?) that I didn't have a chance to think about anything else, and I also didn't give myself a chance to try front crawl because I was too scared to put my head in the water. The thought that I'd have to do the whole 2.2 miles swim as breastroke filled me with horror, luckily I've persisted and have tried a bit more each week.

Wearing a wetsuit has dramatically improved my time in the sea, as I literally don't feel the cold anymore, and I don't feel so exposed to the elements and whatever else is lurking in the sea (*gulps*). Although, I still need to invest in a swimming wetsuit as it feels like resistance training in my current surfing wetsuit! I've been doing one sea swim a week, with a couple of long pool swims each week too. Whilst having to juggle this with work, blogging and a life, it's really not been easy. But the end goal is in sight, and the thought of how I'm going to feel after the swim is keeping me going. Although I can't say I love it just yet, there is something about wild swimming that fills me with excitement, and there's never a time I don't feel proud when I get out.

5 Things I've Learnt from Wild Swimming so far:

#1. Training in the pool does NOT prepare you for swimming in the sea.

#2. The sea is cold, really cold!

#3. If you don't get changed within 10 minutes of getting out of the sea you're heading for dangerous territory (hypothermia!)

#4. You can feel sea sick from swimming in the sea (urgh)

#5. Wild swimming isn't actually that bad.

Like I always say to myself, what's the worst thing that could actually happen when I'm swimming in the sea? The most important thing for me over the next 2 months is to gain more confidence in the sea and keep my mind from wandering off from the task ahead. I'll probably do one more training update before the big event to let you all know how I'm getting on. Like I mentioned in my initial post, the Breakwater Swim is a charity event to help raise money for the Chestnut Appeal which supports men with prostate cancer, it's a great cause and any donations would be greatly appreciated. If you'd like to donate to this great cause you can find my Just Giving page here. 

Would you want to try wild swimming? Are you a wild swimmer? Are you training for any challenges at the moment?

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