New Hair Style Savers

It’s been a very long time since I’ve made any drastic decisions when it comes to my hair, which is generally left long and air-dried since I’m too lazy for constant heat styling and can’t braid to save my life. I’ve even stopped colouring my hair late last year, after I received compliments on the ‘lighter colour’ when I actually just hadn’t dyed it since before my wedding!  The few grey hairs are still pesky (yes, I’m a young woman with silver strands of wisdom in my mop!) but overall nothing was really happening with my hair until I succumbed to my lust for a blunt fringe! The hairdresser was hesitant but I was adamant and I love how it’s made me care about my hair a bit more, and start using product more regularly.

I wake up each morning with the craziest looking fringe ever, so I generally wet it a little bit and then comb it down with my Tangle Teezer* (I have the Watermelon version, isn't it adorable?!) or my Lady Jayne Tangleze On-The-Go Detangling Brush*. After it's dried I either straighten it or just spray a mist of L'Oreal Elnett Satin Normal Hairspray* (this is the mini can!) which takes the spot of top hairspray so far throughout my trials (currently trialling some more to compare for you!) If I find that my fringe is a bit piecey and won't stop separating, my mini can of Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo fixes it up. I also use the Girlz Only Dry Shampoo and am going to give the Tresemme Dry Shampoo a whirl next as I've heard it's pretty decent and it's on sale at Coles this week.

Having a fringe can be frustrating at times and isn't entirely low maintenance but so far I'm really happy with the change - I sometimes pin it back for work and it blends in with ease, so I can opt out of effort if I want to. My initial chop gave me a wispier fringe than I intended so we made it more blunt the second time around (picture on the top left is the most recent!) I have a few more hair posts in the pipeline and I would love to see your product recommendations in the comments as I'm a bit of a hair noob!

-Emma xx

*Products provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Top 3 Hair Products for Lazy Locks

In the lazy haircare department, I am pretty sure I take out first prize. I have a lot of thick hair, and even taking the time to blow dry it is asking a lot from me. Every once in a while I feel inspired and decide to roll with some product, but generally I am all about the easy to use and fuss free products that make lazy hair something I can step out of the house with. This is what I’m currently rolling with!

Dove Intensive Repair Hair Mask*

Well-conditioned ends are something I strive for and so far this is the best hair mask I’ve found that does the job without weighing it all down too much. I use it as I would a regular conditioner, except it is way better and even though it is in tub form I still find the packaging oddly alluring and sleek. I use this once or twice a week and even though I need a trim badly, it sorta hides that a little bit. I've almost used up this tub and will definitely be buying a new tub, stat!

Pantene Night Miracle Leave On Crème Serum

I’ve used this for years, and find that it lightly moisturises and tames my hair if it’s acting a bit rambunctious. Even though it specifies that it is for PM I use it in the morning more often than not, and think it smells really nice, too.

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo (Dawn 'Till Dusk, but I use any of the scents)

This is a staple in the Bovary household – I have thick and unruly hair that takes a heck of a long time to dry after washing, and sometimes laziness gets the better of me in that regard. I love how affordable this is ($2!) and that it comes in a variety of scents. It absorbs any oil in my roots and adds a nice puff of volume to my hair which is always a nice touch!

Lazy hair is a bit of an artform and my locks sure get in a tangle more than once a week. I love these products for taming back the crazy while still keeping a natural feel to my hair, and I’d love to hear your lazy hair recommendations in the comments below! I’ve just started using a luxe Kerastase hair serum which smells divine so I’ll keep you posted on that one.

Emma x

February Collective Haul

Celebrating a ‘last hurrah’ of sorts, sharing some of the products I indulged in during February. March saw me begin my post graduate diploma at university, and subsequently the bulk of my spending money has been put to textbooks and a stack of new stationary to keep me on track.

Though I’ve heard negative reviews of Strawberrynet and their policies, the lure of finally getting my hands on a Jouer item was too tempting. A ‘saved search’ within my ebay account, it was Ingrid from Miss Glamorazzi that had me hooked on getting their powder blush in ‘Blossom’.  I have previously bought a YSL Crème de blush from SNet before and so when I saw #6 Rouge Passion was available, in the cart it went. The formula of theses is literally the best I’ve ever used. The CK shadow was a GWP and I chose a light neutral, as you can never have too many of those.

I am big fan of the Girlz Only dry shampoo which is available at Target for $2 per can, and when I spotted one for deep brown hair I knew that I needed to try it out. I am still using the original formula, but when I get around to trying this I will let you know how it goes. When Big W had their cosmetics sale, I popped a couple of the Maybelline City Rescue Total Clean Eye & Lip Makeup Removers to try out, and one to give to my bestie to try. Quite happy with how it is performing thus far!

There isn’t much better than receiving samples from high end beauty counters, so when my local YSL lady showed me the new Rouge Volupte Shine sample blister packs, I was over the moon. I have my eye on the shade Nude in Private but have held of purchasing until the weather cools down and I can bring out my lipsticks again. The beautiful Ulta3 set was a wonderful pharmacy find, and I’m excited to bust out the bright shades soon.

My love for Chanel Joues Contraste blushes seems to be growing, and I added the limited edition 76 Frivole to my collection at the beginning of February. A beautiful light apricot shade, this contrasts heavily with the bright Pink Explosion which was my first Chanel blush shade. I have only used this a handful of times, but am very glad to have it in my blush drawer.

Despite earlier mentioning holding off on lipstick purchases until the weather becomes bearable again, here I present my Maybelline Vivid collection (along with a cheeky Sportsgirl sale lipstick) I chose Neon Red, Vivid Mandarin and Hot Plum as they were shades I think I will get the most use from during the cold and grey winter months (which is when I like to wear bright lips most!)

Clockwise from bottom left: MAC Gentle, Chanel Frivole, YSL Rouge Passion, Jouer Blossom, MAC Poised

Just to further highlight my blush madness, I threw the new cheek shades of mine into a single shot, purely for swooning purposes. The bottom MAC shades were from this MAC haul, which I shared with you last week.

So there you have it, the stack of beauties I added to my cosmetic collection during February. Have you bought anything nice lately?