Happy Hair Days

Confession time... I am a haircare junkie. I am attracted to haircare products like a bee is to honey, like a magpie to silver. I can never have too many lotions and potions sprawled over my dressing table and bathroom window ledge promising me flowing locks so full, thick, smooth and glossy it will spark hair envy in even the most virtuous of people and have women begging me to know the secret to my heavenly hair. Those promises have never been fulfilled, however, i am not giving up hope that i will one day get my mitts on an elixir that will give me hair so fabulous people will think i sold my soul to the devil himself. Until that day i will spend hours perusing hair aisles like a phantom deciding which product to try next. The latest ones are these

Happy Hair Days Shampoos and Conditioners in Smoothing Blueberry & Pear, Glossing Lemongrass & Basil and Colour Care Marshmallow and Coconut.

During my regular raid through my local Sainsbury's hair aisle my eyes fell upon these Happy Hair Days shampoo and conditioners. I was doubtful about the quality of the products at first, mainly because i'd never heard of the brand and also because the packaging isn't brilliant looking but after reading they contain no nasty parabens or SLS (which ironically are found in most hair products even though they are awful for your hair) i could feel my first impressions changing. I then seen the scents of the products and was reeled in even more. Why wouldn't i want my hair to smell of blueberries and pears or marshmallow and coconut? The lids were popped open faster than a lightening bolt and i waited for their sweet aroma to stimulate my senses. Okay, so maybe i was asking for a bit much from a shampoo but they do smell lovely. Their subtle fragrances seem natural and fresh rather than false and overpowering.

Front of the glossing shampoo bottle.

One characteristic of SLS free shampoos is they don't seem to foam up much which, if your anything like me, is a big no no. I think it's a psychological thing of if it's not foaming up then it's not cleaning my hair (I have the same view on toothpaste. I hate those ones that hardly foam up! Anyway, i digress.) That is not a problem with the Happy Hair Days' shampoos. Their thin, watery consistency is quite deceiving as they foam up really well and leave my hair squeaky clean. Speaking of consistency the creaminess of the conditioner is to die for. It's so thick and makes your hair so easy to de-tangle; i love putting it in my hair. It must be said i didn't find the colour care conditioner did much for my hair but the smoothing one works perfectly for me.


Another thing i like is the company's ethics. On all their products they state"We believe in keeping things natural and are proud to claim our gentle hair care products are free from parabens, sodium laureth sulfates and mineral oils. We aren't perfect but we try to use "good stuff" where we can!" They are not claiming that their products are completely pure and chemical free but they're trying their best to make them as good for your hair as possible. It's honesty like this that instills trust in a brand and encourages me to be a loyal customer. 

Back of the glossing shampoo bottle.

Overall Happy Hair Days really has left me happy. It leaves my hair smelling, feeling and looking fresh and clean and works well in conjunction with the Argan Oil I purchased from Boots. If you're thinking of purchasing Sainsbury's have it down from the regular price of £3.99 for 300ml to £2.66 (though the regular price is pretty reasonable in my opinion!)


Have your tried any of the Happy Hair Days products? Or any other paraben and SLS free shampoos and conditioners? Let me know what you think.

Beauty Bargains at Superdrug and Boots

Popped down to my local shopping centre with my mum earlier on today and thought i'd put up what i purchased.

Nothing special or amazing, apart from the prices which i'll get on to further down, but sometimes it's nice to just see what the shops have in stock and window shop instead of purchasing loads (which i wish i could do and subsequently have to stop myself from doing when i go shopping).

You're probably thinking why I picked up three shower gels, no it's not because i am smelly, but because i am absolutely in love with Original Source Showers Gels; not only do they smell amazing but they use natural fragrances and essential oils so they don't irritate my eczema like most shower gels that smell like Original Source do. I rely on the lemon and tea tree and lime gels to give me an extra early morning boost and the shea butter and honey gel is so soothing and comforting, lovely on a cold day. The best part of the purchase is that these were 99p each. Yep, Superdrug have Original Source discounted from the regular price of £2.29 for a 250ml bottle to just 99p. What a bargain! I am so tempted to pick up more. If you haven't tried them yet go to your local Superdrug and give them a sniff, they smell so good. There is such a variety of scents you're sure to find one you like and for 99p you can hardly go wrong!

My next bargain is a £1 Mascara from Boots. I was pleasantly surprised when i received my monthly Boots Advantage Card Vouchers to see one of the vouchers entitled me to get a 17 Wild Curls Mascara which normally retails for £6.29 for just £1! I love my bargains and this was one i was not going to turn down. I tried the mascara when i got home and i have to say it's not that bad. It's slightly gloopy but it gives good enough coverage and some volume and i'm not going to complain when i got it for a pound. If you haven't got a Boots Advantage Card i highly recommend you get one. They are free to apply for, you can get great deals with the vouchers they send you and the points quickly add up which you can then use to purchase products from Boots.

Which brings me to my last purchase Argania Organic Moroccan Argan Hair Oil. The ends of my hair are in such a state from bleaching them they need a lot of conditioning and treating to keep them from looking and feeling frazzled. I have heard nothing but good things about Argan Oil so it's been on my shopping radar for a while now and when i seen i had enough Advantage Card points to pay for one i sweeped a bottle lovingly into my arms and marched over to the till waving my Advantage Card at the assistant. I was itching to smell it for the duration of my shopping trip and as soon as my foot was through my front door the lid was off. It's has wonderful warm vanilla-ry tones that are so subtle you could easily use it on not only dry hair but on your skin too. I say this as some hair treatments such as Ojon tend to have a strong, almost overwhelming fragrance which can be off putting to some but you can use this without feeling like your smelling whole rooms up.

Now i'm off to get my makeup kit sorted and relax for the evening as i've got to be up bright and early, 6.30 am to be precise, to assist at a wedding.

Have you tried any of these products? Got any great bargains over the past few weeks? Have you got a Boots card? Let me know your thoughts and opinions!

Time Flies...

After reading through this i've really just how long this post is. Sorry!

Can you believe it's been four months since i last blogged. Where does the time go?! I have had a pretty busy past few months. Full of make up courses, acting classes and now driving lessons (eep!).

Also found a love for cooking food so i'm always in the kitchen when i can rustling something up. Absolutely loving Chinese cuisine at the moment especially now that I have Gok Wan's cook book which is full of simple but tasty dishes. I have stocked up on all the main sauces and seasonings used for oriental cuisine which are Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Fish Sauce, Sesame Oil, Groundnut Oil,  Shaoxing Rice Wine and Rice Vinegar according to Gok. If you are interested in cooking then Chinese is a good cuisine to start with as most recipes share similar ingredients and they don't take long to make. The hardest part is finding a good shop to purchase your ingredients. If you live in SE London i suggested you try FLK Chinese Groceries in Catford, a small but well stocked shop run by a lovely lady named Lai.

Been on a bit of a health kick recently which i think was triggered since quite a few family and friends have taken ill. I've always been kind of aware of  health, good food and exercise but for the first time i've really thought about my body and how i treat it. I am trying to drink more water (i have been known to go a whole day without it) and I try to eat as much fruit and vegetables possible and make them my main source of nutrition and then add on things like meats, nuts, noodles, rice, cous cous and quinoa as 'extras' or 'sides'. I'm not super strict with what i eat as i'll end up rebelling so i just make sure to eat 'good foods' 80% of the time and the other 20% i'll eat whatever i feel like eating.

A great way of introducing more fruit and veg into your diet is making smoothies and juices. I use the magic bullet to blend my fruit and veg to make smoothies. The great thing is you can really go to town and blend whatever you want together. I love mixing apple, carrot and fresh ginger to make a refreshing, zingy drink and you can't go wrong with mixing berries.

Exercise wise i try to get 30 - 45 minutes of cardio/strength a day to get my blood pumping and my muscles moving. I don't follow one specific plan as i get bored and demotivated really quick when it comes to exercising so i switch it up everyday. I have some workout dvds by Jillian Michaels and Davina McCall which kick butt literally and figuratively. Youtube is an amazing source of workout videos; some of my fav channels are Tone It Up, Blogilates, Fitness Blender, Tiffany Rothe, Be Fit and Spark People.  They offer a wide range of exercises for all levels of fitness so check them out!

Been thinking a lot about my future recently and what i want to do with my life and haven't got too far really haha. But on a serious note i feel like it's something many people struggle with and can be a source of great stress and confusion (it is for me at least!) I've always been interested in a wide range of things so i never really know what career path to follow. One day i'll wake up and want to be an actress, or a make up artist, then a fashion designer, interior designer, a writer, maybe an artist and even a scientist! So you can see my dilemma. After being out of education for a few years my want to learn has come back with some force. I've been thinking about doing an undergraduate degree with The Open University. This is not a decision to rush and i want to be sure i choose something that i love and will be of relevance. There are a few degrees that have caught my eye so have sent off for the prospectus and will be researching further. Hopefully i'll have a lightbulb moment and will know exactly what to do.

Phew, that was a lot of writing. But in my defence i did have four months to catch up on. If you got this far thank you for sticking with the post!

What foods do you love? Do you exercise? Is health and fitness something you're interested in? How do you feel about 'the future'? Have you studied with or know someone who's studied with Open Uni? What degree did you do at uni? I would love to know your thoughts and opinions so please feel free to leave a comment.