5 Reasons Your Hair Is Lacking Volume

Getting volume into your locks is something a lot of people really struggle with, and until recently I did too. Over the last six months, I've made a few changes to my routine that have made a massive difference to how thick and voluminous my hair looks, so I thought I'd share my tips with you guys!

1. You're washing your hair wrong. Did you know that you're supposed to rinse your hair for four minutes after shampooing or conditioning for all the product to be removed? I definitely didn't. If you've got residual product in your hair it can really weigh it down, and make it look a lot a lot heavier than it really is!
2. You're washing your hair in the wrong order. I started reverse washing my hair a few years back, and I'm totally hooked. I did a full post on reverse washing here if you're unfamiliar with the concept, but it's essentially just conditioning and then shampooing when you wash your hair. The result is your hair is hydrated, but all traces of conditioner are removed, so your hair isn't as slick and product-dense. Not only does this make your hair last longer between washes, but it also really gives it a lot of volume.
3. You're not using a mousse. Mousses have come a long way since I first came across them, they're no longer synonymous with crunchy, sticky, hard hair. A mousse like the Tresemme Perfectly Undone Wave Creating Sea Foam will give your hair body, lift and hold, creating a much more voluminous look.
4. You're blow drying your hair wrong. Let's be real here, no one has time to give themselves a full on, salon style blow out every day, but what you can do is flip your head upside down when it's almost dry, and give the roots a real blast. It helps the roots get that lifted look!
5. You're not using a texturising spray. When people say they haven't used a texturising spray, I kind of feel bad for them, it's THAT good, and THAT essential to my routine. I love the Tresemme Perfectly Undone Dry Defining Spray, and  the V05 Give Me Texture!

I hope that some of those tips help any of you who are coming up short on your quest for volume! It's certainly helped me, I love a more voluminous hair look!

What are your tips for voluminous locks?

An Unexpected Love

I'll be honest, part of the reason I picked Space NK as the destination to part with a pretty penny for the new NARS foundation last month, was so I could pick up my birthday gift. I'd heard good things about the Ren Mask that was the current birthday gift, and I was excited to try it. So imagine my disappointment when they told me they were all out of the mask, and instead they had a lip balm. I was gutted. I've got so many lip balms.

Nevertheless, I tried it out, not expecting much, but I have to say, I was blown away.

The Eve Lom Kiss Mix Lipbalm comes in pretty crappy plastic packaging considering the eye watering £18 price tag. The product looks pretty unexciting too, a clear balm, with a slight minty smell. It feels quite thick, but it softens with your body heat, and glides onto the lips nicely.

When you put this on it feels like any other decent lip balm, it softens the lips slightly but that's about it. The real magic happens after about five minutes, when your lips begin to tingle. It's kinda weird, and probably lasts around 15 minutes, but once it stops, your lips are inexplicably, magically soft. Yes, I said magical.

Aside from the price, the only gripe I have is that it's no good for on the go, nobody wants to stick their fingers in a pot of lip balm on the tube. But for my dressing table, it's perfect!

Now I'm not suggesting you go out and buy an £18 lip balm, but should you end up with this as your birthday gift from Space NK, or you fancy a splurge, you won't be disappointed.

Have you ever fallen in love with a product you weren't expecting to?

Awesome Resources for Bloggers

There's a lot of crappy information out there for bloggers, people are spouting fake blogging rules all over the place these days, I talked about it in this post. However, that doesn't mean there aren't some real gems of information out there, that can prove to be invaluable for any kind of blogger. There are also a lot of awesome internet resources that can prove really helpful if you're looking to up your blogging game.

• Blog Inc - Joy Deangdeelert Cho. If you're brand new to the blogging world, this is a great place to start. Covering all the bases you could possibly need for blogging, from finding a name to mastering SEO basics, you can't go wrong by giving this book a quick flick through.
• Jennypurr - If you've already established your blog and you're looking to push your content to the next level, look no further. Jenny has the answer to every blog question you've ever even dreamt of, and her blog posts are not only informative, but entertaining to read too. It's definitely worth signing up to her mailing list, I look forward to every email I get!
• Project planners from Crossbow Printables - One of the best things I ever did was part with a few pounds for the Ultimate Productivity Pack from their Etsy store. Whether you're a blogger, freelancer, or you're balancing a lot of balls, this is a total must have for keeping everything in check.
• Elle and Company- My go to for mastering the art of Social Media. This site is jam packed full of tips from mastering your Pinterest referrals to making the most eye catching imagery. If you're not following this blog you're making a big mistake.
• Canva - If you're nowhere close to mastering kick-ass graphic design, go try out Canva, a website that makes creating blog and social media imagery easy as pie. It's got so many different styles and templates you can try, and it's seriously easy to use.

Makeup Lessons I've Learnt

• Less is more, natural makeup will always suit me best.
• Dream Matte Mousse works for no-one.
• Don't rule out the drugstore.
• For more coverage, use more lighter layers, not loads of product in one go.
• Waterproof eyeliner is a must, waterproof mascara is impossible to get off.
• When you think you're done blending your foundation, keep going for another thirty seconds.
• Always try a foundation on your face before you buy it. The colour will be wrong otherwise.
• Wiggle your mascara brush whilst you apply it, so it coats every inch of the lash.
• Bold lipsticks need lip brushes.
• Bold lipsticks need Lipcote.
• You don't need to wear blusher, bronzer and highlighter.
• If you get your brows threaded regularly, you won't feel the need to fill them in every day.
• If you have a fringe, you probably need eyeliner.
• Dark eyes, bold lips, heavy blush. Pick one. Not two. Not three.
• Have more blending brushes than seems reasonable. They will all always be dirty.
• Liquid liner does not suit everyone.
• Brows are tricky, go with a light hand, comb them through lots.
• Throw it out when it hits it's expiry date. No matter how much you love it.
• If you don't love it, don't buy it.
• Mascara will always look clumpy on me if I use more than one layer.
• If 10 bloggers post about it on a day, they're being paid to say it's great, and you don't need it.
• A light hand is always best.
• Be careful with matte lipsticks. They can age you if your lips aren't in the perfect condition.

What makeup lessons have you learnt?

14/52

This week got off to a pretty shitty start, I had a series of a few days where I felt like I couldn't do anything right. Burnt flapjacks, smashed glasses, cheese sauce that wasn't cheesey enough, burnt fingers and spilt drinks. I kinda got to a point where I just sat down with a glass of wine and gave up. Thankfully, after an evening of moping and a good nights sleep, things picked up and the week was salvaged. I even managed to find ten happy things for this post.

1. My lovely friend Aftab came over on Monday night for a catch up. I supplied the wine and he supplied the nibbles, and it felt so good to spend a couple of hours just chatting.
2. Cute indie coffee houses that serve delicious tea and scrumptious flapjacks. I've got the coffee house bug now.
3. Pretty Easter themed deliveries from Charlie. I'm now the proud owner of Donut washi tape.
4. I may or may not have made a sneaky sort-of-repurchase in Space NK on Tuesday. It was a little treat to myself for finishing the first section of my magazine and sending it off to the graphic designer!
5. Returning to Franco Manca. The pizza place of my dreams.
6. FINISHING THE FIRST SECTION OF MY MAGAZINE! Okay, so I've still got six to go, but it felt SO good to sign off one of the sections, like I've actually accomplished something!
7. My dad was in America this week, and I gave him a little Sephora hit list. Whilst pretty much everything was out of stock, he did manage to get the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5 in 1 styling creme and it's LOVE. My hair looks pretty damn good.
8. Going home! On Thursday I packed up the car with too many lipsticks and a Daphne, and we drove back to Bournemouth for the long weekend. It feels so good to be back in my own bed.
9. Puppy snuggles! Being home means being reunited with my puppies who aren't really puppies anymore. All the cuddles have been happening. 
10. The best burgers ever. Seriously, if you're ever in Bournemouth, hit up The Burger Shop, for deliciously decadent burger heaven. Get the Lethal Swizzle burger, hand cut chips with Nacho sauce, and beer battered onion rings. Heavenly.

This next week is going to be a busy one, my cars gotta go into the garage and until it's fixed I'm stuck in Bournemouth. I'm hoping to sign off on another section of my magazine by Friday, but I'm still waiting on a lot of replies, so I'll probably get to spend the majority of the week chasing emails. I really really hate emails. It sucks up all of my time. But I am going to a couple of awesome blogging events which I can't wait to share with you!

Have a great week! x