I did not know what to expect when I received my clip-in hair extensions from Irresistible Me. The original colour I was going to get was out of stock so I contacted them for a really simple colour match, you just send in a picture of your hair in natural daylight and they send over options that would suit your hair colour and type, they are so sure of their matching abilities that you can send them back if they are not correct. I decided on this set here in 24” extra volume as I already have thick hair. I was not sure they would match before they arrived, convinced they may be too dark, but boy was I wrong! They came beautifully packaged in a tube storage container and they were so thick and soft. The hair is very good quality and is 100% natural human hair with a 99% quality rating since 2013. They can be heat styled and washed as you would your normal hair. I have used many extensions over the years and these are by far the best clip-ins I’ve had. I only have half the hair in on this picture above to give me extra length and volume and the colour blend is perfect. I styled them with my irresistible me hair straighteners to create this curl. I had many compliments on my hair and no one thought they were extensions. Currently, there is a great sale on so get yours while they are on offer!
I have the NEW ”Irresistible Me” black diamond hair straighteners, woo hoo! I could hardly contain my excitement after owning my old red irresistible me straighteners for many years which I absolutely love for sleek, shiny, frizz-free straight hair. See the original blog post here. The new curved design did not disappoint, that is the difference between the two so these are going to be great for curling. They are also extremely stylish, I much prefer this classic black and rose gold titanium design. They glide through my thick unruly hair and make light work of my frizz due to the negative ion technology. They reach a temperature of 450 degrees F or 230 degrees C for us Brits with a turbo heat booster that gets to temperature within 15 seconds. You will need an adapter plug as it is American but they are only a couple of quid. They have a long 8ft cord with a 360-degree swivel so are easy to use, they are also surprisingly lightweight. I absolutely love the results these hair straighteners give me and can’t wait to get them to work on my new clip-in hair extensions from Irresistible Me. All products from Irresistible Me can be bought here.
Well, another day, another award winning Salon visit!
Everyone knows their hair is their crown and glory and I’m always nervous visiting different salons to review, however, I need not have been worried when visiting Collective Hairdressing smack bang in the middle of Newcastle town centre. They are the most reviewed salon in the North East of England due to their unique five step consultation. They listen, advise and educate all clients in the maintenance of their hair. Currently ranked 1st out of 7,355 UK salons as of the 23rd of September 2016. Winners in the English Hair & Beauty Awards 2015 for the Team Service of the Year. As of the 18th of February, finalists in the English Hair & Beauty Awards 2016 for not only Hair Salon of the Year 2016 but also Team Service of the Year 2016. (seriously check these guys out!)
Before my visit, I had a skin test which is most important when going for a colour. The moment I met Paul the owner, I felt immediately relaxed. He is fun, happy and more importantly has years and years of experience and really knows what he is talking about.
Never have I ever had such an in-depth consultation, which consisted of colour matching to my skin tone (we discovered I was cool tones), a discussion on what I wanted to achieve, an in-depth explanation of the products we were going to use and why and the current condition of my hair.
After explaining I wanted a deeper darker colour as I felt I was too light, Paul explained just by going cooler on the same level will achieve this. I also wanted slices of a vibrant contrasting caramel colour, Paul explained this is known as strobing and picked the perfect colour to marry with the dark ash tone. We then discussed the length. My hair was long but quite heat damaged on the ends, I went in not wanting to lose any length but I trusted Paul and understood that losing some of the length will not only make my hair more healthy but would also give me the body that my crazy thick, naturally curly hair needs.
So after The 30 mins consulting Paul was ready to get to work!
Paul started by cutting off the length (he would then finish my cut later). The lightened slices were added and then my all over dark brown colour. This was left to develop while I was looked after with offers of refreshments. The salon has a lovely feel, Paul makes sure your involved in any conversation and all clients speak with each other which is lovely.
The developing time was up and I had a toner applied to my lightened slices of hair at the basin. This is where the magic happens, not only with the toner but with the products used in salon. Collective hairdressing use Loreal Pro Fibre and this was used on my hair when shampooing and conditioning. I did not have the smart bond treatment we hear so much about when colouring, which keeps the condition of the hair throughout, however, I did get introduced to the pro fibre ”restore” range and have since been using this range at home with amazing results. I was very concerned how my hair would be after with the bleaching, but a combination of a good cut and using the right products, my hair is looking and feeling fantastic.
Once toned and washed Paul gave me an amazing blow dry so he could finish the cut. The cut was important for my hair type, curly hair with body needs cut correctly and Paul explained all this. He also wanted me to see my look curly so finished off by curling it for me.
I was over the moon with the results, my new look is much more on trend and my hair looks and feels amazing. I would highly recommend this salon ladies and if your a fan of Loreal products, they sell them all!
This week I finally got to visit the award winning salon Frances Marshall, located in Sunderland. I became aware of this salon when they won the Sun Fm ‘best salon’ award the same year I won ‘most stylish blogger’. From then I had them on my radar as one I needed to visit. Our paths crossed when once again the guys were up for another award I presented at the ‘made in tyne and wear’ awards and although they did not win they were shortlisted which speaks volumes. The owner, Amelia Hall was a guest on the show I co-host called Chatty Lasses and she was an extremely knowledgeable stylist.
After meeting Amelia on the show, we got talking and agreed next time my colour was due I must visit. I am very picky about who touches my hair but knew I would be in safe, experienced hands.
As a professional salon, I was asked to attend for a consultation and patch test first. Amelia was more than accommodating and allowed me to pop in when it worked for me. Sunderland is a good 40 mins away so I worked it round meetings I had in Durham.
On arrival, parking was a breeze and the salon looked very grand from the outside. I have to say the inside did not disappoint either. It was huge and beautifully decorated. The penny wall at reception stood out to me instantly and I was intrigued to ask how that came about. I was asked if I would like a drink and asked to take a seat. I opted for a coffee and these guys really pay attention to detail as you can see from the photo.
Amelia came over and asked what I fancied. I am one of those nightmare clients who show a picture and say ‘I want that’ which is exactly what I did. I was not going for a huge big change as I did like my colour but wanted it freshened up for my holidays and more ‘stripy’ as I described it. Amelia explained she would apply a dark colour and lighten a few stands so she needed to test my hair. She took some hair so she could make sure it would survive the process and popped some colour behind my ear to make sure I did not have a reaction to the colour. Amelia was confident that my colour could be achieved and I made an appointment for 2 days later.
Wednesday arrived and I was excited to get my hair done. Once at the salon Amelia explained that my hair had lifted well, however, she would be using ‘smart bond‘ to reduce any further damage. Opalex was also an option but Amelia went for smart bond for my hair type. Amelia used a ‘paint on’ technique painting the colour exactly where she wanted it rather than use the traditional foil system. she paid particular attention to blending with the new dark root colour too. I waited patiently for it to develop all the while drinking prosecco, reading trashing mags and getting excited as I could see it taking form before my eyes.
Once developed it was time to pop over to the basin where the colour would be washed off, a toner applied and not forgetting the 2nd smart bond product too. Within the salon, training was taking place for the newly qualified stylists. Frances Marshall pride themselves in a certain standard within the salon and give their qualified stylists further in-house training until they have reached that desired standard. This is why they win awards guys because all staff are at THAT level.
Back at my station Amelia gets to work on blow-drying my hair after explaining she will cut it after as I wanted that blunt cut currently bang on trend. Once dry the colour looks great and is exactly what I asked for.
Amelia is a great girl, lots of fun and an open book like me. I could have sat all day in that salon chatting with her. She has worked hard building her salon, is a great stylist and deserves all the recognition she gets. When it came to the blunt cut Amelia asked if she could use the clippers. Now I’d seen this done before on the internet so was up for giving it a blast. It is one way to get that real solid blunt line but don’t move for god’s sake. Next, she gave me that sexy, tousled, style to finish and I was extremely happy with the result. Check out my new do below and be sure to let me know what you think in the comments. I LOVE it and want to thank Amelia again.
If you would like to book an appointment at Frances Marshall please call 0191 5654080
My Facebook inbox has been on fire so I thought I would post what I do here in a blog!. Now what works for me may not work for you as there are many factors, hence why you have to Google and study the CG method but here is the basics. So I started my curly girl journey just under 2 weeks ago.
(1st CG wash and I was already ready to give up)
I have naturally curly hair but too much straightening and using the wrong products made me believe I’d lost my curly hair with age and damage, (how wrong was I)?. I studied the method for a while before I took the plunge believing washing my hair with conditioner was just wrong!…(again, how wrong was I)?.
I decided to embrace my curls after having my extensions removed and seeing just how curly my hair had grown in from the root after months of eliminating harmful sulfates and silicone’s, aiming to keep my extensions in tip top condition. You can clearly see from the picture how curly the new hair was coming in and how straight the ends were after years off abuse off nasty products.
The idea behind the method is that you cleanse your hair in a ”final wash” ritual to rid any coatings of shite on your hair. The wrong products leave coatings that weigh our hair down, make it dull, are not water soluble and basically ruin a curly girls life!. I used my clarifying extension shampoo for my final wash. What you use needs to be harsh enough to strip all the crap away so containing sulfates is always good. Next throw away ALL shampoo as you wont be needing that again and instead from this day forward shampoo with conditioner, yes conditioner!!! Crazy right? don’t knock it till you have tried it. I wash with this CG friendly bargain beauty from Aldi and I scrub my scalp till it squeaks and trust me it does.
I then prefer to condition with a different CG friendly conditioner but you would not have to, that’s just my choice, I like tea tree for washing. Please look up products that are CG friendly as there are far too many for me to list and I will only be listing what I use. I use Tresemme un done to condition, it seemed a popular choice!. All CG products are water soluble hence why you ditch the harsh cleansing and smoothing agents in shampoo and styling products, we don’t need them to remove CG friendly products.
I don’t rinse the conditioner fully out and scrunch out any excess water with a micro fibre towel as normal towels are too harsh. I run my fingers through or use a wide toothed comb. I then scrunch in MORE conditioner, yes more! Don’t be scared of the conditioner, it will not make your hair greasy or weigh it down and your curly hair will love it. I then scrunch in either of these two gels which are both CG friendly.
Next is the PLOP, you wrap your hair in a T shirt encouraging the curl (you will need to you tube this). I only PLOP for as long as I have, sometimes 30 mins and sometimes over night, just depends.
Finally I diffuse my hair, its been years since I used a diffuser and it is my new bestie. You can of course let your hair dry natural!
and that my friends is it, you can make its as complicated or as simple as you like but I promise you that just ditching the shampoo and washing with your CG approved conditioner will be a massive game changer !
Love and peace out, embrace your curls, I’m excited to see my results in 6 months never mind just 2 weeks.
A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog (check it out) about these amazing hair straighteners and promised to share with you all a different look created with the same tool.
As you can see I have very long thick hair but that was no challenge for these flat irons. These are beveled perfectly to create amazing curls and because you can adjust the heat setting there is no damage to the hair. Check out this video on You Tube for a tutorial on how to create the perfect curl.
If you want to purchase them yourself then visit here, they cost $149 which is around £122 but if you sign up on the website you get an extra 20% off!
Living in a house full of boys there is nothing I love more than taking myself off for a little ”me” time and ”me” time for me is what I call ”faffing”. Faffing with make-up, faffing with hair, I just love faffing!!! My popular Facebook group tried and tested came about after a night of ”faffing” creating hair styles with a new hair tool i’d purchased, so you can imagine my delight when I was sent this new generation of flat iron from irresistible me.
They were delivered within a couple of weeks and packaged well, the box is stylish and would make a great gift. The flat iron is bright red in colour and lights up with led lights when in use. It has an american 2 prong plug so you will need to grab yourself an adapter. I got mine from the pound shop. All the functions listed on the box looked impressive so I was very keen to give them a blast
a 360° mobile cord that swivels around following your every move
a thumb print and cool tips for a steady grip and to avoid burning your fingers
all buttons are on the inside so you don’t accidentally change the settings
shuts down automatically in 30 minutes
gets hot (450F/230C) really fast, in up to 15 seconds
intelligent heat display that lets you see the temperature all the time
it is super light and comes in a beautifully designed box with magnetic closing that you can use to store it
it automatically changes the temperature display to Celsius or Fahrenheit, depending on the supplied voltage, making it perfect for travelling
the 1” floating plate self-adjusts, eliminating any pressure points, so that the iron can work through your hair smoothly without pulling
Warranty: 1 year guarantee
I have very thick naturally curly hair so it takes a good flat iron to tame it. The good thing about these is the variable temperature control so you can have the cooler setting for thinner or damaged hair, however I ramped them up to 230 oC because my hair needs heat!!!. They have a great clamp on the hair but also glide effortlessly with no snagging. They ironed out my hair in no time and i’m sure you will agree that the result is impressive.
Stay tuned in to my blog for more styles with this fantastic flat iron and if you want to purchase them yourself then visit here, they cost $149 which is around £122 but if you sign up on the website you get an extra 20% off!
Now there is no denying my love of milk_shake products for the hair!!! I have said it before many times on Tried and Tested. The smell of these products is divine and they have helped my over processed hair immensely and for that milk_shake, boy am I grateful. Milk_shake use only natural and organic ingredients which is crafted with care to suit specific haircare needs Here is some of my staple products I can not live without which help tame my crazy curly mane.
Curl passion shampoo – Gently cleanses curly hair, giving hydration and condition, eliminating frizz. Formulated with coconut oil sugars and grapefruit, apple and peach extracts, it helps maintain long lasting curls, leaving hair elastic, conditioned and shiny.
Eco-mist styler hairspray – Eco-mist hairspray that protects your hair and the environment. Gives long-lasting flexible hold and humidity resistance, ideal for all hair types, it’s perfect for finishing any style. With UV filters that protect hair color. Gives medium, natural hold leaving hair voluminous and radiant.
Leave-in conditioner – A leave-in conditioning spray for normal or dry hair that gives manageability to hair whilst protecting its structure and moisture balance. Milk proteins give strength to the hairs structure and fruit and honey extracts revitalize and give shine to the hair. Integrity 41 and vitamin E protect from UV rays, helping to maintain hair color.
Glistening spray – Gives shine, eliminates static electricity and improves manageability. Formulated with date seed oil extract and abyssinian oil, it gives smoothness and helps to maintain the hair’s moisture balance.
Curl passion mask – A rich mask for curly hair that gives deep hydration and conditioning, eliminating frizz. Grapefruit, apple and peach extracts, jojoba oil and shea butter help to maintain long-lasting curls, leaving hair elastic, conditioned and shiny.
To purchase Milk_shake products you need to find a milk_shake salon or buy online. My products are from A-List Salon in Sunderland..check out their facebook page.
I’m excited to let you all know that filming has started for my new show ”Confessions of a Beauty Addict”. Think Tried and Tested on your telly box! It will be aired on our local channel Made in Tyne and Wear and ill be sure to let you know when. I don’t want to give too much away but one of my highlights this week was meeting Neville Ramsay, stylist to the celebrities. He is a great, funny guy and made filming a breeze. We caught up discussing what looks are going to be big this summer (so tune in for that!) and I was also lucky enough to get my hair done by the lovely Denise, educator for Milkshake and Neville himself. Denise gave me a semi colour cocktail, as you can see in the pictures it looks good enough to eat! I went for a lovely purple colour to give me a hint of violet on my dark hair. The colour is conditioning and does not damage the hair at all. The smell was out of this world, ice cream is how I would describe it. Neville then gave me a softening sweeping fringe, a little trim and a BIG bouncy blow-dry to fit in with the ”on trend” look. I was over the moon with end the result. My hair colour is amazing, so much so that I want it permanent lol, the condition feels much better and the fringe updated my look. I’ve had lots of compliments so I would like to thank Denise and Neville for inviting me and the cameras along.
If you would like to try some milkshake products or would love to treat yourself to a hair pamper by Mr Ramsay himself call A-List Salon located in Sunderland on 0191 5109988 to make an appointment.
I was invited along to the Longlox launch in Gateshead. Longlox is a new salon located opposite the Marriot hotel near the Metro Centre. No expense was spared for this launch. There were cupcakes, sparkle, makeovers, photo booths, goodie bags, media attention and celebrity appearances from Scotty T and Chantelle from good old Geordie Shore. There was a swarm of women. I kid you not, the queue was massive, full of glam women wanting a glimpse of this gorgeous new hair extension specialist salon. I was lucky enough to get in before the crowds to grab a few snaps of this impressive haven for beauty. I was greeted by two stunning girls who handed me a very generous goodie bag and I was left to have a mooch about with my sidekick Harley (my son). The first thing I noticed was all the immaculately turned out staff! I had proper hair envy, they all looked gorgeous. Then I spotted the cake, WOW, just wished I remembered to grab a cupcake as Harley said they were amazing. Harley also got a bag of sweets which was cute and kept him happy. It was very child friendly and they have a great kiddie area to entertain the little ones while you get pampered. I managed to get my eye make up done at the HD stand which was handy as I was going out that evening. We had some fun in the photo booth with Scotty and my friend Fran, I watched some demos and had a braid put in my hair. Longlox is a one stop shop for all you beauty needs but they specialise in hair extensions and offer every system going with a budget to suit. This was a well organised, great launch and I wish SammyJo every success. Please visit their website to find out more here.
