haircare

Boomtown Festival – Faves & Fails

beauty, essentials, festival, hair, makeup

Time for the usual excuses, life got busy and the blog took a backseat for a while, but I’m back in the real world and ready to tell you all about my trip to Boomtown.

Last week I went to Boomtown festival in Winchester with my friends from uni, its a 4 day festival and it’s insaneeee. I’ve been before so thought my packing game would be on point…it wasn’t!

The Fails –

  • There were two nights when I would have sold my soul for a warm jumper, I was colder than Queen Elsa herself!!
  • Lipbalm, something that I carry in every bag and pocket in my daily life. This was by far my biggest fail, lipstick did me no favours, in the end my lips were so dry and sore I had to leave them alone completely. Big mistake, will NEVER happen again!!!
  • I think I packed a little too minimally when it came to makeup, I could have really done with a dark brown eyeshadow or crease colour just to add a little dimension. I ended up keeping it pretty boring and that wasn’t the intention.
  • A festival essential is glitter, I had bought a couple of pots from eBay with this in mind but couldn’t find them anywhere when it came time to pack. As a result I had to rely on others, luckily the girls didn’t let me down and there was plenty to choose from but it’s always nice to have your own.

The Favourites –

  • I absolutely loved using my Maybelline Master Drama Khol Liner in Purple Light, it’s a beautiful vibrant, slightly metallic bright purple colour that applies evenly and gently on the waterline. I loved this buttery eyeliner and can’t wait to get more use out of it!
  • I took a travel size Batiste Clean and Classic Dry Shampoo with me and it was a total life saver! After a couple of rainy days my hair was looking less than fresh and ended up in a ponytail but this was perfect for refreshing the roots and fringe. A must have at any festival!
  • Travel size packs of wipes are everything when the toilet roll is gone. Festival toilets are notoriously vile so the quicker you can get in and out the better. Having a small pack of wipes in your bag is a real comfort.
  • Hand sanitizer needs no explanation. I took the Soap & Glory Hand Maid Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel which has a lovely strong scent and leaves your hands feeling clean without the sting you can get from other brands.

What are your festival fails and must haves? What do I need to make sure I have with me next time? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @sophieaiken

Sophie xoxo

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The Dry Hair Dilemma

hair, masks, repair

A couple of months ago I lightened my hair, going from black to a warm brown with a few highlights. This is something I’ve done before and yet I never seem to learn my lesson. Not only did I have to spend a good six hours in the hairdressers, it also cost me a small fortune! I am a self confessed dye addict. When I get the urge to dye my hair, there is no time for booking appointments I simply have to run out and buy a box from my local Boots. This is a bad idea, trust me! If you are thinking of dying your hair black then you seriously need to understand how hard it is to change it back. Don’t get me wrong I loved having black hair but it came with challenges.

So why I am I telling you all this? Well, in order to get my hair lighter I had it cleansed. This sounds lovely and nourishing but it’s not, essentially it strips the old dye out and you’re left with a bit of a patchy mess. On top of this I then had an all over colour and highlights, so as you can imagine my hair has suffered some serious damage. It wasn’t exactly in the best condition to begin with but now it’s beyond dry. With this in mind I’ve been reaching for anything that can put a bit of moisture back into my locks. I’ve been using two Kerastase products in particular for this.

Kerastase Nutritive Irisome Masqueintense (£24.20)- I apply this after shampooing focusing mostly on the ends and leave it on for around 3 minutes. This product is designed for thick hair and claims to improve manageability whilst also protecting hair from the damaging effects of heat styling. It definitely does this, I tend to blowdry my hair straight and this conditioner makes it feel smoother. I have to use this every wash not only because my hair is damaged but the water where I live (Greater London) is less than kind to hair! However, if you have more manageable hair I’d say use it once or twice a week.

Kerastase Ciment Thermique £16.47 – This is basically a leave-in milk that you apply to damp hair before styling. It claims to repair split ends and whilst I do think it helps to prevent them, I’m not convinced anything other than a pair of hairdressing scissors can truly solve that problem! I apply this to the ends of my hair and then proceed to blowdry and it definitely makes the process a whole lot easier. I’m not sold on the smell but it’s not bad enough to put me off using the product. This isn’t a cheap option but you only need a small amount and it lasts for ages.

Whilst I do love these two products they aren’t exactly cheap. I would love to know if any of you have any suggestions of deep conditioning hair masks or conditioners that are available in the UK?! Please let me know!

Sophie xoxo