A BIG KNOT PROBLEM-> BEST LEAVE-IN CONDITIONERS

I don't know if it is because I have long hair now, or because it is fine, or perhaps it is a little dry, but every time I let my hair down, at the end of the day, I get a huge 'nest' at the nape of my hair, completely tangled and I have no choice but to wash my hair again and start everything over.

Perhaps it's the combination of fine, dry and long and knotty which amounts to this.. I have even been thinking about a short chop but after spending a last 5 years trying to grow my hair out, I was not ready to give up on it just yet.

I fave not found a way to fully stop it yet but I managed to find products which decrease it by 90-95% and I have to share them with you!

First one is the Salon at home, Moisture Seal Hair Healer leave-in Conditioner by Charles Worthington. It is a light gel which I rub into my dry ends and mid lengths and it leaves my hair feeling nourished, soft and light, no greasy or tacky residue, even if you let your hair dry naturally (without using the hairdryer). It helps keep my hair knot-free and shiny between washes. I used to be hooked on Moroccanoil for years and this is as nice, if not better, as it leaves my hair even lighter than the oil. 

The second product I found to be amazing is mainly a detangler- the seven seconds Conditioner leave-in, from Unite. OMG! It makes brushing my long hair SO much easier, I just bought it and I am already dreading the day this runs out and I am planning to buy 3-4 more bottles next time. It is a must have if you have fine, knotty hair, it leaves your hair smooth and smelling amazing for days! I can't live without it anymore. It's a fact!

So there you have it, my favourite combo to combat knots! It's a great duo which really saves me literally from ripping my own hair off!

UK readers will find it a little hard to get your hands on Unite products, but you can get them here.
and Charles Worthington can be found in our trusty Boots here.

US readers can find the Unite detangler here.

What are your favourite hair saviours? Oils, detanglers, conditioners? Have you tried these?

Love, London Girl  xxx

BEST FACIAL AT HOME- OMOROVICZA DEEP CLEANSING MASK

I am always on the hunt for great masks, I tried a lot of different ones over the years, and I heard a lot about the Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask so I decided to finally try it out! I feel like my routine can't function without one (or more) cleaning masks as my skin gets clogged up easily if I don't do anything. I alway need to keep it clean for it to stay clear.

I have to say that this mask needs to be applied 2 to 3 days before your 'event' as it can bring out some dirt to the surface of your skin and give you small breakouts at first. Thankfully, these breakouts clear up quickly and you are left with beautifully clear, bright skin.

Although it is a clay mask, it is not drying at all and doesn't even harden on your face like clay masks usually do, leaving you unable to talk, smile, even sneeze while you are wearing the mask. This doesn't  harden or stiffen on your face. It tingles when you apply it but then stops and feels light and comfortable on the skin. It is highly effective but not too harsh, doesn't leave your face stripped or dry, it would be perfect for more sensitive skins in need of a nice, deep, yet gentle, cleanse.

It left my face visibly clearer, brighter, less red, smoother and reduced under my the surface bumps (usually on my forehead) which just hang around and never fully develop into pimples (!!!)

If I have a bad pimple, I apply this mask on top of the pimple and leave it overnight, in the morning more often than not, the pimple has disappeared:)! So it's a great spot treatment too.

I have to say that it was the closest I have ever come to a facial treatment at home. It really does give you this 'fresh out of the spa skin'. I do however have to say it did not clear up the blocked up pores on my nose, so on the downside, it does not remove blackheads like other clay masks do (my favourite being the Glam Glow which sucks all blackheads out completely). So I would call it a facial equivalent but without the blackhead extractions procedure.

That said, it really is a great product and I love using it once to twice a week when I feel my skin need a little kick. It is very expensive, but a little goes a long way, on the picture I used the mask 8 times and you can see I barely made a dent in it.

I strongly believe in investing in good masks and using them often to keep your skin looking it's best. I would rather use drugstore makeup for the rest of my life than skimp on masks/skincare. If you don't have good skin, no foundation will fully cover it. In my book, skincare is where you can invest in products you know work great for you.

You can find the mask here for US readers and here for UK

Have you tried this mask?
What are your favourite clearing/hydrating masks masks?

Love, London Girl  xxx

ELIZABETH ARDEN 8 HOUR CREAM

This product I picked up about 6 months ago and was sure I was going to love it, I heard so much about it from beauty bloggers, makeup artists, everyone and their dad and their cat has tried this and apparently loved it. Like most people, I suffer from dry chapped lips sometimes and need a quick fix to make sure I can wear all my brightest lipsticks at any time without thinking about the fact that they will cling onto the dry patches. 

When I first used it on my lips about 6 months ago, I went all out, building a big layer of the product on my lips and going to bed, the next day I woke up in horror with very sensitive lips, very irritated, very hard and literally peeling like crazy. I got so worried, thought it could be the 8 Hour Creme, but for some reason really doubted it, blamed it on something I ate or other creams I used that night. (I guess I did that because the product cost 25 pounds and you are not ready to give up on that easily!)  

I was not ready to believe that I had such a strong allergic reaction to a 'holy grail' product that works for everyone, since I have NEVER been allergic to any skincare/makeup before. Simply not possible. I put the 8 Hour Creme away and waited about a week or so to get my lips back. 

I finally found the product 2 weeks ago in my stash and thought 'OK I will try out a little of it again to see if this happens again and then I will know for sure'... I did. This time I was much less generous on the amount I would apply, more cautiously... and surely enough, the whole lip disaster repeated itself!

I have now regained my lips back after using insane amount of Reve de Miel Lip Balm by Nuxe, and can truly say I am 100% allergic to this product. I searched around the web to see if any poor soul had the same reaction to this product as I did and I found a handful of exactly the same reactions as me.

Bottom line, I really wanted to love the product, I have given it a good go twice, and I am sure it works wonders on a lot of people and I'm a little jealous about that, and they should continue using it and loving it. However, if you have never tried it out and want to have a go, PLEASE get a sample, or try from a friend, or buy the smallest tube available to make sure you don't go through the pain I went through. The reaction I had really hurt my lips and took a long while to go away.

Have you tired the 8 Hour Creme? Did it work well for you?
What are your favourite lips products?

Love, London Girl  xxx

GLAMOUR FOOD- HYDRATING SKIN TONIC

I picked up this little gem from the cosmetic section of Whole Foods, it has tons of natural interesting makeup/skincare body care products. I am a big fan of the Hydraluron serum so when I saw that this is a toner with Hyaluronic Acid I decided I needed to try it out!

Everyone gets frustrated on spending money on a toner that does -nothing. I have been through so many and only a few really worked and did anything, fortunately, this is one of them. 

Toner used to be used for cleaning the rest of your cleaner residue off. Nowadays, it no longer a relevant step in your makeup routine as most of todays cleaners wash off completely without leaving a residue. So no wonder people pick up toners and think they don't do anything, well if there is no residue from your cleanser, the toner's job is already done!

So what do toners do in the 21st century? Well to each their own but I feel like it has 2 purposes. One - to gently chemically exfoliate (like the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner which I love!) and Two- to hydrate. I know you put moisturiser to hydrate your skin, but if you add a hydrating toner before your moisturiser, your skin with thank you, no matter if you are oily, dry, combination like me.

This has a nice natural smell, comes out a little watery but you only need one pump on a cotton pad and swipe it everyday (preferably days and night) over your skin after cleaning, but before moisturising. It is very light and disappears into the skin quickly. It is completely Natural, and contains Hyaluronic Acid and antioxidants from Blueberries and Dark Chocolate (!).

I love to do this step between my cleansing and my moisturiser and although I still love my Hydraluron serum, I think it's always nice to have another option and alternate between them and for £16.96 it's simply wonderful (considering a little goes a long way).

For UK readers you can buy it in large Whole Foods shops or in the Organic Pharmacy in store on on their website here.
Organic Pharmacy Ships all over the world so have a look if they have it in your country.

What are your favourite toners?

Love, London Girl  xxx

PERFECT NUDE LIP- BARDOT STYLE

I know summer is around the corner, and this means that everyone is ready to pull out their brightest lipsticks, and I completely agree with this, however, there is nothing sexier than bed head, big black eyeliner flicks and a plump nude lip any time, any day...right? :) It is a classic look which suits most people and looks great all year round.

So on days you don't feel like wearing bright lips, you can still rock a sexy, sultry nude lip and vamp up the eyes a bit more. Here are my favourite picks for that perfect Bardot lip.

It's difficult to find a nude lip which doesn't wash you out, or look too pink, too brown, too concealery... It took me a long time to find the perfect shade for me. I know not all these products won't work for everyone so do go swatch them in store before buying, I added options for lighter/darker complexions. 

Lets start with liner, if I want my lip to last the longest, I would usually line my lips and colour in with the liner to create a perfect base and then go on with my nude lipstick on top. My favourite lip liner is No 7's Precision Lips Pencil in the colour Nude. If I want a low key nude lip, I sometimes just wear it alone, it makes my look more put together. Do swatch it in a store because it could look a little brown on lighter complexions. No7 also has a darker nude shade for darker complexions called Caramel.

Continuing with the low-maintenance route, Clinique's Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in Heaping Hazelnut gives a great on-the-go nude lip, enough shine that I won't make your lips look dry or chapped, and perfect colour pay off, not too concealer-like, blends into the lips beautifully. I love to pop this into my bag as it gives me colour, shine and keeps the lips moisturised when i'm out and about. It's sheer enough to be applied without a mirror, but it's pigmented enough for you to feel you only need one coat. I wouldn't say it's the most long-lasting lipstick you can find, but since it's an all-in-one (lip gloss, lipstick and lip balm), I don't mind reapplying it throughout the day.

Onto my heavier, more serious nude territory is Tom Ford's lipstick in Blush Nude. It should get an award for it's packaging alone! It's definitely the right amount of pink/beige, it simply hits the spot for me. It's more long lasting than the Chubby Stick. I love to wear it in the evening, apply one coat, blot, and the apply another coat and it will last a very long time. It's moisturising enough that it doesn't make my lips appear dry (which happens a lot with other nude lipsticks).

Tom Ford's collection also includes a Nude Vanille shade, which is very similar, but lighter and with less pink it in, it personally washed me out, but I think it could be a perfect alternative for lighter completions. Tom Ford also added another, more "browny nude" shade called Sable Smoke which could be perfect for darker complexions.

Tom Ford's Blush Nude lipstick swatched

Finally, if you want to go for an all-out Bardot look, a sexy lipgloss would be in order, my favourite is the Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in the colour Child (exclusive/limited colour). Enriched with Vitamin E to keep your lips hydrated and glossy, it works perfectly with any nude lipstick underneath, or on it's own for a more subtle nude lip to compliment smokey eyes.

What are your favourite nude lip products? Have you tried any of these?

Love, London Girl  xxx

MY FAVOURITE DRUGSTORE BASES

I made a favourite foundation post a couple of weeks back, if you are interested in it you can find it here. So I thought I would continue on the foundation route and share my favourite drugstore bases with you.

I have been a fan of the first one for years, I always think I will find something better, but I never do. It is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation. I have combination skin (with some dry patches sometimes) and it simply gets my skin. Does not cling onto dry patches, does not make it cake-y, illuminates, gives a nice dewey and healthy glow without any shine particles. Completely undetectable in daylight. On top of that, it has beneficial ingredients for your skin like Litchi, Goji Berries and Pomegranates which gives your skin vitamins while you use it! Perfection in a bottle! If I had to pair it with a high end foundation it would be the Vitalumiere foundation by Chanel. Super dewey and super moisturising but still looking modern and fresh and not oily!

I have also tried the Healthy Mix Foundation but I felt it was heavier, and less dewey/glowy. I will keep buying this until they stop selling it, it's that good, it's one of the only foundations I completely finished and ran back to buy on the next day. My shade is 52 Vanilla, as always with drugstore foundations, there are not many shades, but it you are lucky to match up to one, definitely get it! I would recommend this to dry skins but not to oily. It also has not SPF so photographs beautifully!

My second favourite is the newly launched 123 Perfect CC Cream again from Bourjois. This a fairly new addition to my makeup drawer but I keep reaching for it over and over so it had to be included here. For me the BB, CC etc creams are just a marketing trick in my eyes so I usually stay clear of them, but here I decided to try it out and I'm glad I did.  

It claims to have 3 coloured pigments, Orange for Anti-fatigue, Green for Anti-Redness and While against dark spots. I don't have dark spots on my skin so I cannot tell you if this is working, however I can tell you that this is a very light yet pigmented enough base which covers most imperfections on my skin. I only need concealer on big breakouts as this covers everything else. In consistency and finish, it reminds me of my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, which I love too. It definitely brightens up my skin and gives a healthy looking glow which lasts for 6-7 hours for me. I do however like to powder it on my T-zone if I want it to last that long. It is SPF 15 so could be good for the summer. 

I simply love these two bases, I think there could possibly be a link in the fact that Chanel and Bourjois are sister brands owned by the same company, perhaps even their formulations are similar, since they both come into my top foundation brands who knows. What I know for sure is that I can't be without these two tubes in my everyday life! 

You can find the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in Boots here for £10.99.

and the 123 Perfect CC Cream from Bourjois here for £9.99. 

Have you tried any of these bases? 

What are your favourite drugstore foundations?

Love, London Girl  xxx

URBAN DECAY 24/7 GLIDE-ON EYE PENCIL BLACK MARKET SET

I heard a lot about these little wonders, that they don't smudge and have great colour pay off so when I was browsing around last week and found a set on sale, I simply couldn't resist!

I got the Black Market set of 24/7 Glide on eye pencils form Urban Decay. I bought the set from Debenhams it is only available in store so have a look when you are close by. There are 6 beautiful shades  (from left to right) : INK- a deep navy blue, BLACK MARKET a dark kohl-y black, WEST a rich brown shade, APATHY a beautiful khaki green, DESPERATION an elephant grey colour and RIOT, a gorgeous dark purple. (from left to right)

Swatches of the 6 shades from left to right: RIOT, DESPERATION, APATHY, WEST, BLACK MARKET and INK.

Considering the fact that each 'standard size' pencil is sold at £15, this set of 6 different colours was a bargain for £18.20

Yes, the full sized ones are double the length of these travel ones but two travel ones equal one full sized one and overall you still get more shades and more pencils for your money! It is also an amazing starter set if you simply want to try out their formulas and see which colours work for you.

I think they really do a great job in staying in place when you want to have a colour on the waterline or a smudgy smokey eye, normally, I always end up with my smokey eye UNDER my eyes, but I am pleased to say this really does not budge or wear off. My favourite colour for the day is the grey to create a subtle definition by still very natural, and my favourite night would have to be a tie between the classic black BLACK MARKET  and the violet RIOT (perfect colour to enhance brown eyes!).

I think I will get a lot of wear from all 5 colours as they are all very wearable.

Have you tried them out yet? What are your favourite eye-pencils?

Love, London Girl  xxx