Pre holiday shopping

I am going on holiday this weekend and you know when you always think there is always something missing ? I felt the need to go to my local mall just to browse, and meet up with one of my friends.

I have been working night shifts almost every night for the last fortnight and having the night off work, I had to make the most of it by going shopping heehee!! 

After rolling out of bed at 16:20, I got ready and met my friend at 17:00! I was suprised how fast I took to get ready haha!!



I ended up going to every single shop and came home with a few items. There's a few other items which am taking back for a refund but decided to keep the rest....

Candy colours


Love the triangular handbags , they're also available in topshop ! Triangle is my favourite shape, coral is my fav colour and I love white leather so I had to buy both! I love them so much ! Even walking around in Topshop with them in my hand looked so cute lol!! 



As for the rest, the candy themed bikini and sandals are from Primark, the nail polish are from Barry-M which was from Boots!



Nu Skin vs Aveda - my top shampoo of the year


Hair care is as equally important as washing my face or moisturising my skin from head to toe. I intend to grow my hair down to my knees and now that it's being looked after from root to tip, I believe I will reach that goal sooner than I think!

Why? Well, after trying various brands of shampoo's, conditioners, hair masks, hair sprays , hair oils, treatments, I have same problems after a short period of time and even though I take my multi-vitamins, I still do get the off fall outs. I wash my hair every single day, even though they say its bad for you, its always been a priority for me ever since I was a kid. Working in a hospital environment and having my hair done for photo shoots kills my hair strands so of course I need to look after it well.

Take a look at my previous blog post for more pictures including the amount of fall outs I have in just 2 days! Do you have that problem too?

 Did you know that as you age, your hair follicles reduces its diameter hence why we have thinner hair as we grow older - this can be due to many factors including diet, lack of vitamin absorption, pollution, stress AND the products we use on our hair, so looking after it now will prevent you from having thin hair or going bald whether you're a male or female. 




 Throughout last winter I used this shampoo by Aveda, known for using natural plant extracts and natural oils to help maintain the hair and ' professionally developed, clinically tested, and go to exceptional lengths to be respectful of the earth. '


Aveda can be found in most department stores such as Selfridges, Debenams, House of Fraser, as well as salons and some hair boutique stores. It can also be purchased online.



 
After receiving samples from Aveda counter, I decided to buy the full price bottle for £20.50. I bought 2 bottles in total as I wanted to use it for at least 2 months.

There is 200ml of the product and having use this every day, I finished 1 bottle in about a month and half as a little goes a long way.

The scent smelt like herbs but didn't last on my hair, which I wasn't too bothered about because I found the scent of the shampoo abit too over whelming as it smelt like I had worked in a chinese herbal shop all day!

The consistency was thick and it did slide off my fingers very quickly in the shower which meant it would end up on the floor, not in my hair. I was quite disappointed by the lotion as it was £20.50 I felt like I had wasted some of this product if I wasn't careful enough. I learnt from this mistake anyhow and continued to use this but to pour out the product slowly into my dry hairs then onto my wet hair.

I didn't notice much of my fall-outs reducing even after using it for over a month, but I did notice the hair felt thicker and more wax-like in terms of texture. After air drying it, the scent of the herbs remained in my hair but if I was to blow dry my hair, it felt slightly sticky and thick at times and I can assure you, I did wash it thoroughly.

The lid is a push-down top lid which means the lotion can be squeezed out the bottle.

It promises to:

  • Cleanses, exfoliates and renews the scalp with wintergreen-derived salicylic acid.
  • Clinically proven to remove the build-up of sebum and product residue that can clog pores and affect healthy hair.
  • Nourishes dry, tight scalps with extracts from millet seed and milk thistle, equalizing the lipid balance.
  • Contains densiplexTM-an invigorating blend of Ayurvedic herbs, including turmeric and ginseng.
  • One of 7 groundbreaking products honoured with Gold-level Cradle to Cradle certification.

VS


The exfoliating shampoo deep cleanses the scalp to remove debris and buildup in the follicle

I was recommended this Clarifying shampoo to try and I saw the active ingredients - totally intrigued. If you are a hair freak or work in the hair profession - you must check this one out!

For £16 there is 250ml of product in the long tall bottle with a flip lid on top.

I used this everyday for the first 7 days (due to curling, hair spraying and backcombing) then 2-3 times a week after that if need be and its lasting me just over a month, in fact I am still using my first bottle. I tend to use this more when my hair goes through a lot of damage such as heat appliances, hot sun, backcombing and hair prep from photo shoots I recently did.
The beauty of this shampoo is you can feel that your hair is loved from the first use and now my hair feels so much fuller, thicker in each hair strand and shines. My split ends are taken care of and I can continue to grow it.

It promises to:

On day one, Nu Skin® Clarifying Shampoo provides a deep clean without stripping the hair of natural moisturisers for renewed manageability. By day seven, hair actually feels stronger. Formulated with shea butter seedcake extract, this powerful cleanser attaches to build-up - including nicotine, chlorine and environmental pollutants - and washes away the signs of ageing. Your hair will feel clean, shiny and manageable after just one wash.


The consistency is thick but once it is applied to the hair, it sinks in. I love it when it is massaged on my scalp, it feels very minty and revitalised. It turns into a foam on the scalp but not as thick as soap, which means it doesn't leave the hair feeling sticky but only to gently cleanser overworked hair.

The main active ingredients:-

•    Cotton Bloom Extract - smoothes the cuticle, protects the keratin structure and moisturises naturally with seven actively synergistic oligosaccharides.
•    Shea Butter Seedcake Extract (butyrospermum parkii) – acts as a detoxifying agent to remove chlorine, heavy metals, nicotine, exhaust, gas and other environmental pollutants.
•    Nettle - cleanses hair and helps control sebum production.



To conclude this, my ultimate favourite is definatly the Nu Skin Clarifying shampoo because after seeing the results within 7 days using a small amount, I didn't have the results from the Aveda shampoo until after a week and the texture of my hair was very sticky whereas the Nu Skin shampoo smoothed my hair making it more manageable - this is without the use of a conditioner so imagine what my hair would be like with the use of a conditioner or a hair mask?!

Long term wise - buying 2 bottles of each, definatly saving more money on the Nu Skin Clarifying shampoo and longer lasting. My scalp feels moisturised and the hair is loved from root to tip, it rediscovers my hairs strength which I lost ever since I was in my late teens as my hair went through a lot of hair dye, straight perms, curlers, straighteners. Now I am keeping it all natural & growing it mega long for my big day!


Suitable for all ages and highly recommended to those who put their hair through a lot of stress or people with thick and hoarse hair.

If you're interested to try, send me an email to be registered to buy -

 Much Love

XOX

strawbeefull@gmail.com

Love my strenghthened hair - Necklace is from http://www.tigeressboutique.com (quote Jess when purchasing)



Clarifying shampoo from Nu Skin


Hair care is equally important to me as washing my face or brushing my teeth or drinking water, it's one of my daily activities! Yes I know I know, washing the hair every day isn't good for you because of x, y and z BUT I have to because of the environment I work in and also the damage it goes through every single day. Working in a hospital envirnment or an industry where there is alot of pollution including hair spray isn't doing your hair any favours either so I have to wash it every single day - unless I am ill at home (which is rare nowadays).

My hair is now super long, touches my bum and it's not as thick as it use to be. The colour remains how it always has been - dark but lighter in the heat.
It is maintained well, I shampoo it every single day, condition it 2 times a week and a hair mask once every month or more if needed, depending on what my hair goes through during my photoshoots.

 
in just 2 days this is how much hair falls out!
 As you can see above, there is a handful of hair in my hands collected from 2 days of washing it. It always gets left in my bath tub plug hole and yes I collected it to show you guys what I have to deal with! It blocks my sink/tub and hair is all over the floors and the worse thing is - I don't even brush my hair because of the fall outs and it makes me feel old lol. When it comes to back combing my hair for photoshoots or a different hair style for an occasion , my hair CRIES out in pain. 

After growing it for years and not dyeing the hair, it's a lot better in terms of maintainance and styling, I prefer long hair than short for me because hair styling becomes so versatile and I enjoy playing with versatility.




this is my hair damp as I usually air dry it

This is my hair after using the Nu Skin Clarifying shampoo, hair feels much thicker, manageable, smooth, feels like it's been fed with nutrients and the scalp is so refreshing. My hair feels clean

For £16 a bottle, it's a generous price for a bottle of product that makes a difference to the hair from the first use.
I have replaced this with my other shampoo's which I will blog about in the next blog post to compare.

What I love about this is these active ingredients :-

•    Cotton Bloom Extract - smoothes the cuticle, protects the keratin structure and moisturises naturally with seven actively synergistic oligosaccharides.
•    Shea Butter Seedcake Extract (butyrospermum parkii) – acts as a detoxifying agent to remove chlorine, heavy metals, nicotine, exhaust, gas and other environmental pollutants.
•    Nettle - cleanses hair and helps control sebum production.

(my natural hair colour is brown)

1x a Week  2x a Week3x a WeekMore than 3x a Week
Clarifying ShampooHealthy, dry to normal hairOily hair or hair exposed to environmental pollutionVery oily hair and hair exposed to environmental pollution Very short and oily hair exposed to environmental pollution
I use mine once a week and if my hair has been through a lot of hair spray and back combing then I reach for this and my hair feels loved from root to tip without stripping the hair. Because this is sulphate-free, the hair is stronger when it's washed and that's the problem I initially had therefore I changed my hair products to sulphate-free.

If you are a hair specialist or read ingredients for hair products then you must check this one out:

Ingredients: 

Water (Aqua), Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl
Betaine, Cocamide MEA, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Sodium Lauroyl
Sarcosinate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Seedcake
Extract, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Extract, Panthenol,
Menthol, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Urtica
Dioica (Nettle) Extract, PEG-150 Distearate, Butylene Glycol,
Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone,
Methylisothiazolinone.


If you're interested to try this then send me an email so I can register you and there is a chance of a discount too =]


XOX

March statement pieces!



Love shopping and I love admiring fashion !

I can't deny I love shopping but I am very picky when it comes to clothes - especially when following trend.

Here is a collection of my March peices - all from high street stores .
ranging from Zara, Topshop, River Island, H & M, Primark, Forever 21, Victoria's Secret, Marks & Spencer
River Island - {currently on sale}

Black cleated sole gladiator platforms




XOX

Suffer from neck or shoulder pain?

 
So I woke up this morning with pain on my left neck and shoulder and I have been every now and again for the past year or so. I've tried accupuncture, physio, deep tissue massages but it still keeps coming back! There's nothing more aggravating than waking up with neck pain and working in a busy environment with more than 12 hour shifts at a time - so you can imagine how patient I have to be.

Pain affects us in different ways, I don't tend to get (too) moody but I do like to keep quiet and control the pain that way. I've had enough of suffering in silence and after numberous attempts of curing my pain, I enjoy reaching out to my body galvanic machine and my ice-dancer gel. It's not a machine to cure all miracles but I sure do make full use of it and I have to say, it's been my best friend for almost a year now and i love using it with my other products! 
The ice-dancer gel gives the effect of a 'cooling' sensation and together with the body gel and the body galvanic machine, it allows the gel to work deep into the muscles giving you that release tension in the area you use it on. Pretty clever huh? Just the use of 5 minutes , I can feel the effects almost straight away and it allows my day to be pain free. Depending on my physical work load during the day, I use it again before bed time which helps me sleep. 
I've never tried anything as intense as this at home and it takes literally 5 minutes of my time! 
Highly recommend it for those who are living in silence! 


If you want to ask me questions then feel free to drop me a message or email to strawbeefull@gmail.com


XOX


** I am a distributor for Nu Skin, this product was purchased with my own money and I have given my most honest opinion, I have not been contacted by the company to give this review in any way. **