Andrew Barton Hair Heroes - Maximum Heat Protection Spray

I am always on the hunt for a good heat protection spray 

It has become a rare occasion when I use heat tools on my hair, apart from the fringe because 1) it's bad for the hair and 2) I am lazy. I have had all different colours in my hair and I have even bleached it white a few times, so needless to say over the years it has become damaged. Now that it is back to full health I am growing it, and anything that will protect it from damage is a must. I found this product in Asda (our equivalent of Walmart in the UK) in a deal for 2 for £4, and I already wanted a body wash in the deal so I thought why not try this out. 

So far I like this product, it does exactly what it says it should do. What I find frustrating with a lot of the less expensive heat sprays is that they are very watery and wet, so when you just want to straighten that bit of hair and you use the spray, you end up with soggy hair, which is then harder to straighten. A wet product is fine for wet hair of course, but I hardly ever blow dry my hair as it is next to impossible to tame if I do. With this spray however I have not encountered this problem. It essentially feels like a light mist that coats your hair without wetting it, perfect for using on dry hair. I like this factor a lot. I also like the price tag, at £3.90 for 250ml it's a steal anyway, but seeing as this was essentially £2 from Asda, it is especially bargainous (not a word but you know what I mean).

Another thing I like about this product is that it is not sticky on the hair, it is easy to brush through and it doesn't leave a residue which can give you that horrible greasy look once straightened. It also smells delicious. It doesn't smell chemically like some sprays do, and it doesn't get stuck in your nose and make you choke. Being able to taste a product in the back of your throat just from breathing is my least favourite thing about hair sprays and treatments. 

I suppose though the most important thing to note is that this actually works. When I was straightening my hair the straighteners didn't tug, and there was no frazzled feeling once I was done. Another bonus is that it leaves my hair looking healthy and shiny  and without static or frizz, no one wants perfectly straight but dull or static hair. The instructions and blurb are especially obnoxious, but you can imagine a man at the hairdressers saying it so I suppose it's not so bad. 

All in all I think this is a great product for the price. My favourite heat protection spray is from Paul Mitchell, but with a bigger price tag at over £13, that's more of a treat.

Sometimes I find that straightened hair can be a bit flat, so after I have finished with the flat iron, I like to spray a bit of this TREsemme Texture Style Divine Definition Spray and find that with a little spray at the roots and underneath my hair and a quick muss with my fingers, my hair is still straight but has as bit more volume, and who doesn't love volume?

Have you tried any new heat defence products lately? Which one is your favourite?

Hannah x

No Longer Technologically Challenged

I have a working laptop again...

And let me just say that I hate it with a passion. I am not the best with technology anyway, but using Windows 8 and trying to set this thing up has been a nightmare. 

I hate how all I have done is pick it up once and it has finger prints all over it, I assure you I am not a particularly grubby handed woman.

I installed a toolbar to make the desktop look and behave like Window 7 because I was having a nightmare trying to figure out where any of the normal applications were. And OBVIOUSLY I have downloaded Google Chrome, because having to use Internet Explorer even to just download a different browser and anti-virus nearly gave me a nosebleed. 

Another thing I noticed was that the sound quality was absolutely horrendous, and it took a long time to try and find the equaliser to fix it, but apparently the computer had decided that audio enhancements would be a good idea. It was not it sounded like my music was coming from the bottom of a well. But now that this issue is fixed I now have my normal heavy on the bass sound which I have missed. 

Now that it is actually working I am living in harmony, and it's obviously a great laptop (which it should be for the price, ouch). But I still miss my nice comfy old Dell, and I am not looking forward to reinstalling iTunes and uploading my entire music library, a very long and drawn out process in which first I have to find the files and then I have to arrange them in my music library, first world problem of all first world problems right there. 

In other news I just moved the laptop and accidentally opened the disk drive, and it was all going so well. Good luck to you all in all your technological endeavours. 

The Worst Has Happened

Yesterday, whilst I was minding my own business browsing the internet, my laptop just gave up on me. After 4 years of questionable servitude it has finally decided it has had enough and simply will not turn on again. Pretty frustrating considering the price of a new one, I wish that technology would flash up a warning sign to let you know to start saving to purchase a new one a couple of months before it's going to break. Alas this is not the case.

So thank you, shitty Dell laptop, for providing me with years of frustration and at times near mental breakdowns. I salute you on your way to the technological afterlife (the dump).

Anyways the whole point of this rambling post was to say that although I had lots of posts planned, it might take a while for me to get them up as I am currently sans laptop, THE HORROR. Although this entire experience has made me realise how much I rely on technology and has made me tempted to go and live in a hut in a forest.

Hannah x

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream

I should probably write a beauty post now, so here we go. 

This stuff is pretty much life saving (or face saving, whichever). I have the world's worst dark circles at times as I am always very, very tired. It doesn't matter how much concealer I apply, I still have a line coming through and always get asked questions like 'are you ill?', which as you can imagine isn't great for the confidence. 

On a jaunt to Boots just after my birthday I got drawn in by one of the ladies at the Benefit counter, which usually makes me feel very awkward as their make up is lovely but pricey, but this time I actually had some money to spend. What I actually bought I will post separately in a 'My Foundation Routine' post. After spending some serious money (ooops) this was thrown in for free, and I am so, so glad that it was. I have had this small 3g/0.1oz sample for over 2 months now and I still have enough left to have not hit the bottom. 

On the packaging it states that it is a brightening eye cream to fade dark circles and smooth fine lines. At first I was sceptical as I thought nothing would ever work on my absolute suitcases under my eyes, but from my first time of using it I noticed a difference. I applied it about half an hour before I did my make up and found that when it came to concealing the job was nowhere near as difficult. Another positive is that when you put this under your eyes it feels nourishing and the slight (pleasant) cooling effect makes your eyes feel brighter and in general more awake. Another huge plus is that it actually is potent, a little of this product goes a long way. Although it is quite a thick cream it absorbs quickly and doesn't leave you with a sticky feeling under the eye.

I have recently started applying the product before bed as part of my nightly skin care routine and I wake up with far less dark under eye bags than when I was not using the product. Of course it doesn't get rid of them completely, but it really takes out the purple or bluish colour and reduces the appearance of the veins under my eyes which I sometimes get on particularly bad days. 

All in all this is a great product which I highly recommend, and when this sample runs out, which doesn't seem to be any time soon I will be repurchasing. My skin can be a nightmare so it was nice to find a cream that didn't cause an allergic reaction. If you are near your local Benefit counter I highly recommend asking for a sample. With a retail price of £24.50 it's a pretty pricey investment without sampling first, but I strongly recommend this product, especially for those of you with busy and tiring lifestyles or big dark circles which will not budge. 

- Hannah x

Red and Blue Jeans

Thought I should post the song that my blog domain name has come from because it is such a great song. 'Nothing looks good like you in red and blue jeans'
Artist: The Promise Ring
Song: Red and Blue Jeans

Okay, so I have been thinking about creating a blog for a while which will have product reviews on it (original I know), but will also contain general musings and things I have been enjoying. Expect posts about make up, music, events, the occasional rant I'm sure and other general life things. 
I'm looking forward to getting started.
-Hannah x