Becoming a #UG Girl

I’m so excited to announce that I am a new ambassador for Umberto Giannini.

I’ve had my hair done at my local Umberto Giannini salon for the last 3 years and over those years its totally transformed, it feels so much healthier, and a lot more in control than ever before.

My natural hair is quite thick and if left to dry naturally, quite wild and wavy. My haircare routine involves blow drying and straightening/styling every other day, and with my highlighted hair this involves giving my hair as much TLC as possible and using the very best products.

I’ve been a fan of the thick-tastic range for a while now (see mypost here) but I’m super excited to try some of the bits the lovely girls at Umberto Giannini have recently sent me to try.

I’m currently trying and testing the No Wash Conditioner – Softening Dry Oil Mist which is amazing to use as an instant style refresh throughout the day. I’ve also added the Milk Frizz Control – Miracle Styling Milk to my Haircare routine which is making my hair so much easier to comb through and blow dry.

One of my favourite things about the whole Umberto Giannini range is that everything is vegan friendly and there is no testing on animals.

Be sure to check back for my weekly Sunday blog posts for a closer look at my haircare routine, some before and after’s of my hair over the years.

You can shop for Umberto Giannini products at your local Boots stores.

CL x

Products I've been loving this month!

If you read my previous post you’ll know I attended Glamour Beauty Festival at the start of the month. I won’t ramble on about it as I wrote quite an in depth blog post and also filmed my first YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoNyOnxOsdg). I mentioned in that post about the goodie bag we received on the day. Over the last couple of weeks I have been trying and testing some of the products and I want to highlight my top 5.

The great thing about the goodie bag is not only did it contain products from amazing brands I use every day, but also a few brands I hadn’t heard of and some bits in different fragrances/colours that I wouldn’t normally pick up.

MON GUERLAIN PERFUME

Top of the list, the number one product we received in the goodie bag that I’ve been loving this month is Guerlain, Mon Guerlain Eau De Parfum. Everybody’s taste is different when it comes to fragrance, but this sweet, fresh and feminine yet powerful scent is me all over. It contains ingredients from all over the world; Lavender from Provence, Sambac Jasmine from India, Sandalwood from Australia and Vanilla from Papa New Guinea. The scent lasts all day and smells so beautiful.

Along with the perfume, we also received a full size body lotion. I always like to wear matching body lotions and perfumes so I have been applying this each morning, and not only does it smell incredible but its so moisturising, its left my skin feeling so soft.

Would I re-purchase?

ABSOLUTLEY YES - I can’t wait to go out and purchase the full size bottle (but how cute are these mini’s!)

NUDE BY NATURE CONCEALER

If you’ve seen any of my previous blog posts about my make up favourites, you will know that I’m a NARS girl through and through when it comes to concealer. I’ve used it religiously for the last year, whether that’s on full glam make up days or for a little bit of coverage on those no make up days.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the Nude By Nature perfecting concealer that I received in the Glamour goodie bag. I have the colour Shell Beige, which works with my skin tone well. With NARS I would use Vanilla or Custard depending whether I want more of a brightening or natural effect. I’ve found this concealer does the job well, it’s a creamy texture – I would say its quite thick and slightly sticky, but it gives great coverage, lasts all day it does make my skin look glowy and dewy. I’ve had quite a few compliments over the last couple of weeks on my make up so can only put it down to this concealer.

Would I re-purchase?

When looking for this concealer online, I’ve seen it is around the £20 mark, which compared to NARS is very similar for a lot less product (5.9ml) and knowing how happy I am with NARS I probably wouldn’t repurchase.

However I love that Nude By Nature is formulated with all-natural ingredients and free from toxins and synthetics. You can find their products on ASOS.

PIXI ROSE TONIC

I was so happy to see the Pixi Rose Tonic in this years goodie bag. I love Pixi products and have wanted to try this out for a while, so now’s my chance.

I’ve really enjoyed using this toner the last couple of weeks. I’ve found it to be super refreshing, it feels a lot more soothing than some other toners as its alcohol free. Its got a gorgeous rose and elderflower scent to it, which quite honestly reminds me of a summers evening in the garden.

Would I re-purchase?

I feel like this toner is going to last me a while, I’ve been using twice a day for the last 2 weeks and its barely gone down but for £10 for 100ml I would definitely repurchase!

CHARLOTTE TILBURY FLAWLESS FILTER

I feel like I can’t write a full honest review on this, as the sample I received was quite a dark shade, however first impressions are really high based on the consistency, the glow it gave, the different ways it can be used and the way it left my skin looking.

I mixed the sample with my CC cream as it was super dark and I wouldn’t have been able to get away with using it on its own, however since trying the sample I went to the Charlotte Tilbury counter in Selfridges and they matched me to shade 3 which is the light/medium coverage.

It is such a multi-use product, you can apply it underneath foundation, blend it with your foundation to give you a more glowy/dewy look, pop it over your base on your cheekbones/ area’s you want to highlight or wear it all over the top of your foundation for a glossy look.

Would I re-purchase?

Yes – and I would have brought there and then at the counter if it was in stock!

PHILIP KINGSLEY DRY SHAMPOO

I’m such a newbie to dry shampoo. I’ve never really used it so when I received 3 dry shampoo’s in the goodie bag I thought I would give it a go. Out of the three, the Philip Kingsley One More Day was my favourite fragrance. I usually wash my hair every other day, but I’ve found I’ve been able to leave it ‘one more day’ as it says in the title which is great for when I don’t have so much time to wash/dry and style my hair.

During this last week I went away with work and planned to wash my hair at the hotel but realised I’d forgotten my shampoo and conditioner when I got there (and there was no way I was using the hotels 2 in 1 mixed with body wash on my hair) so I used the dry shampoo and styled my hair and it looked freshly washed which was amazing and hence the reason its in my top 5 products I’ve been loving this month. I also felt my hair was more volumised and the curls stayed in longer which was an added bonus.

Would I re-purchase?

If I was buying dry shampoo, I would definitely purchase this one as I feel it’s a lot more luxurious than normal dry shampoos, however I do love the feeling of freshly washed hair so it might just be something I pop in my gym bag.

Have you tried any of the products I’ve talked about? Or is there anything you’d recommend that you think I’d love? Let me know in the comments section.

CL x

Come With Me To: GLAMOUR BEAUTY FESTIVAL

On Friday Evening I visited the beauty event of the year, had an evening of pampering and luxury and this year it was bigger and better than ever! 

The Glamour Beauty Festival is held at The Saatchi Gallery on the Kings Road in London. It takes place over three days, starting on the Friday Evening at 5pm and carrying on throughout the weekend with morning and afternoon sessions.

The event is huge, hosted by Glamour and the beautiful Alessandra Steinherr, it's split over 3 floors and sectioned into different zones. As we walked into the Saatchi Gallery, we were guided through a super instagrammable corridor into different rooms where we could treat ourselves to complimentary treatments and find out the latest beauty products that we need on our dressing tables.

For anybody thinking of going, on the ground floor you'll find the Philips Smarter Beauty Zone, this year the festival was sponsored by Philips and you get the chance to find out all about their new launches and chat to the experts. 

Next you'll find the Hair Zone where Schwarzkopf were offing quick colour refresh treatments, you could visit GHD to get super sleek, glossy locks, Batiste for cool, beachy curls or take a seat at the OGX Braid Bar.

Once your hair is styled and looking on point it's time to have a wonder through the Skincare Zone. This year you could get the glow at Pixi Beauty in their pop up spa with one of their radiance treatments. Fresh and Caudalie were both exhibiting, and my favourite of all Elizabeth Arden were there with a booster bar where you could try out the amazing Oxygen Blast Facial. After listening to Alex Steinherr talk about this being one of her favourite treatments and the secret to how she achieves her glowing complexion I had to go down and have a look!

For any tea lovers like me, Twinings were also there to keep us refreshed throughout the evening. Or if you're feeling a little fancy, on the second floor there was a Glamour bar where we could enjoy a chilled glass of bubbles.

Also on the second floor they had a Make Up Zone where I had a makeover with Laura Mercier, the girls who work at the show are all so lovely, friendly and helpful. If you love a statement lip, NARS were offering lip contouring treatments showing you how to create a statement lip at home. The make up artists at Kat Von D were there to give you the ultimate eye make up tutorial and show you how to nail the feline flick and you could even pop by the Revlon station for a quick masterclass in how to get killer cheekbones.

FEELUNIQUE had over 100 products on offer to choose from and take home in a goody bag (all complimentary)

On the top floor there was a Nail Zone where you could treat yourself to a Nails Inc or Orly mini mani. This is where you could also find the Wellness Zone, collect your goodie bags and visit the Glamour Theatre.

One of my favourite parts of Glamour Beauty Festival is being able to meet and listen to so many beautiful, empowering, motivational women and watch their inspiring talks. Over the whole weekend you could listen to Rochelle Humes, Katie Piper, Madeline Shaw, Niomi Smart, Trinny Woodall, Pixiwoo, Lily Pebbles, Scarlett Moffatt and so so many more. I went to the Get Ready with Pixie Lott talk where celebrity hairstylist Larry King was demonstrating live on stage how to get going-out hair ready for a Friday Night! 

My favourite treatment of all was with Guerlain in the Fragrance Zone. I had a lovely hand massage with their new scent inspired by Angelina Jolie, Mon Guerlain Eau De Parfum. 

Finally I just wanted to talk a little bit about the insane goodie bag that you pick up at the event. Its overflowing with products and beauty treats - not only samples but full size products too.

Cleansers and toners:

The great thing about this goodie bag is not only does it contain some of the UK's most loved products, it also contains lots of new products and new brands so i'm very excited to try some of these.

Especially excited about the Pixi Beauty Rose Glow Tonic!

Serums, Moisturisers and Body Creams:
Elizabeth Arden, eos, By Terry, Murad are just some of the names of brands found in the goody bag.

Masks:
I love a face mask so I'm super happy to find a selection of different masks in this years goody bag. I can't wait to take my make up off and pamper my skin, i'm looking forward to trying the Fresh Rose Face Mask and pop on the Skyn Plumping Lip Gel.

Hair:
Not only did we receive a GHD hairspray, but also 2 full size dry shampoo's and a Living Proof hair mask.

Make Up:
We have been spoilt with make up bits, from a Nars Matte Liquid Lipstick in a beautiful red shade, Kat Von D tattoo eyeliner, Charlotte Tilbury's new flawless filter samples, Laura Mercier Skin Primer which they tried out on me at the festival and its silicone free meaning your make up won't slide around.

Tan and Fragrance:
Finally we got lots of other little beauty bits and so many samples of perfume, really looking forward to trying these.

If you haven't been to Glamour Beauty Festival I would definitely recommend getting a ticket next year and going. Its a beauty lovers dream!

If you want to see more about what I got up to, I uploaded my very first Vlog to YouTube and I would love you to come on over and say hi.. https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=OoNyOnxOsdg

I will be reviewing lots of these products over the next few weeks so be sure to come back next Sunday for another blog post.

If you've got any questions about Glamour Beauty Festival, or you're thinking of going next year, please let me know in the comments below!

CL x