Tips for getting big hair

I know a lot of people who hate our thin and flat their hair is. I have quite thick hair - that can get very frizzy at times - but yet still, my hair is sometimes still very flat. Over the years I have picked up, and tried, some tips that have made my hair always have volume, whatever mood it is in.

Hair-dry your hair upside down
This is the tip that I probably use the most. Without fail, I blow-dry my hair upside down every single time. Just flick your head upside down and use a brush to make sure you get every bit of your hair dry. Focus a lot of the roots of your hair as that it where most of the volume comes from. Be prepared for some lion-mane business happening when you flick your hair back, but just brush your hair back into place and you should hopefully see a difference and a bounce in your hair.

Tip for people with specific partings: Before blow-drying all of my hair, I put my hair into it's parting and dry the roots of that specific area before flicking my hair over. You should find that when you're finished, your hair should find the parting you set it in the first place.

Use a round brush when hair-drying and straightening
I would only recommend this for people with thinner hair - when I use a barrel/round brush to straighten I usually find that my hair looks more out-of-control rather than volumised. 

Pay attention to your roots when shampooing
Again, it's all about the roots. Try massaging your roots when washing your hair or even wash it up side down! Another shower tip is to put your hair up in a towel for 20 mins or so after you get out of the shower. Your hair naturally drying whilst sticking up from your head will help give volume to your locks.

Don't straighten the roots of your hair
If you can help it, try not to do this. If it's needed then give the roots a once over with the straighteners but don't focus on flattening down this part of your hair. Like said throughout this post, roots are important to the volume of your hair. Concentrate more on straitening the ends of your hair rather than the roots.

Use mousse
If all else fails, just use mousse! Make sure you get one that suits your hair type and the just apply to the roots when you have wet hair for endless volume!

Rimmel London I Love Lasting Finish - 503 No Tan Lines Here

I have quickly started to become very obsessed with Rimmel London Nail Varnishes.I wrote a post a couple of months ago on Rimmel's 60 second Rita Ora collection and I absolutely loved it.

Recently though I have been very sick of the shades that I have (leaving most of my colours at home when I moved to uni wasn't a smart idea either!) so I popped down to my local Boots the other day and had a look at what they had - originally, I was looking for Barry M as I am obsessed with their Gelly range, it stays on for weeks! But when I couldn't find it, I went to my next favourite nail varnish brand, Rimmel. Their 'I love lasting finish' collection was only £2.99(!!) so I was more than happy to snap up a colour.

Even though it's quickly turning into winter I still like to keep colour in my wardrobe (I'm not one to dress in darker colours because it's getting darker outside). I like to always keep a little bit of summer on me. So when I saw this nice pastel looking orange on the shelf I couldn't stop my self buying it.

The reason why I love Rimmel's nail varnishes so much is because the brush makes it so much easier to apply the nail varnish neatly (I know my nails aren't very neat here but I did them in a little bit of a rush - have a look at my tips to quickly neaten up your nails here).

The only thing that I was the tiniest bit disappointed in is that the colour looks a lot more pale and pastel in the bottle than it is when you put it on your nails. Not too much of a problem for me because I like bright colours on my nails, but for someone who wanted a low-key orange tint, they may not have been too please. It evidently takes longer to dry than there  second range but that's just the world of nail varnishes!

Apart from that I am very happy with the product and I am happy that my love for Rimmel London's nail collection still lives on. I hope this has helped you and I would definitely pick one of these up when you go into your local drugstore. Please remember to follow me on Twitter and Bloglovin! 

Maybelline New York Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream

I am a massive fan of BB cream. As someone with very blotchy skin, BB cream is a very big help. I have tried a couple of different ones and each are completely different from the other but still all very effective. And this one is the same.

When I first bought it I was very happy with it as I was so used to the one I have been using for the past year or so. However, after using it for a couple of months I can safely say that I am very happy with it. It does exactly what any BB cream is meant to do and covers blemishes. It gives a good coverage to my skin and smooths in perfectly with my foundation - Yes, I wear it with foundation. But that's the good thing with BB cream - especially with this one - as it can be worn instead of foundation or with foundation and because this one is tinted and gives a brilliant and glowing coverage, it is definitely safe to wear it instead of foundation!

As for the usage, I have had this since mid August and it's still going strong! I squeeze out a line of it onto the back of my hand and apply it with my fingers. It's quite thick but it spreads and evens out like a dream.

Maybelline New York Dream Fresh BB Cream is '8-in-1' so obviously it does 8 different things:
1. Creates a natural glow (Check)
2. Compliments skin tone (Check - even better than I though actually)
3. SPF 30 UV Protection (Checkish - Good, but I wouldn't use this as my only sun protection product)
4. Hydrates all day (Check)
5. Blurs imperfections (Check)
6. Oil free, non-greasy (Check)
7. Looks visibly smooth (Check)
8. Feels fresh (Check)

I've spoken about the 'coverage' quite a lot and that because I feel that this BB cream not only banishes blemishes but it also makes me look healthy, glowing and fresh. I wanted a BB cream before I went on holiday in September and I wanted one that was cheaper than ones I have been getting recently and that I could get from my local Boots. If I'm honest, I only bought Maybelline's one because it has SPF 30. Originally I was eyeing up L'Oreal's but it was a little bit more expensive and only had SPF 15 (sun safety is very important). But all-in-all, I am very happy with the outcome!

It says on the bottle that it can be used 'with or without moisturiser'. Personally, I hate putting any type of makeup on without putting moisturiser on first. I don't feel that my makeup is completely 'done' if I start without using it - it makes me feel uncomfortable and dry right throughout the day. However, if you're one of those with super-soft skin and can put this on without any moisturiser in sight, then go ahead!

I hope this has helped you and I would definitely pick one of these up when you go into your local drugstore. Please remember to follow me on Twitter and Bloglovin! 

Home decor in my University room

My University room. It's a place I am going to spend a lot of time, especially in my third year, which meant that when preparing to move back to uni I wanted to make sure my room was a comfy and cosy a possible and make it place that I love living in.

I feel that the walls in a room are very important, they can change a room from looking bare and empty, to being colourful and full of memories. I am such a family person and I miss them every minute that I'm not with them (cheesy, I know) so I love having pictures on my wall to remind me of brilliant memories I have had with my family and friends - printing them off and putting them on my wall was one of the best things of 'decorating' my new wall, look at so many past memories. And as for the canvas, "Ain't no mountain high enough" is mine, my mums and my sisters song (have you ever watched Step Mom? We love that film and the song features heavily). We sing it all the time and every time I hear it I think of my mum and my sisters - my mum came down at the weekend and actually brought me this, just a lovely little addition to my room.

The next important thing in a room? The bed. You spend half of your life in a bed so why not make it pretty and cosy? It also takes up at all of my room so by just buying a pretty duvet cover and adding (many) cushions, it makes the room so much cosier and prettier.

Other features that I love in my room are my fairy lights and my candles (I love candles). Both of these can make the room so lovely when the sun goes down. Sitting in my room at night whilst reading a magazine has never been more relaxing and comfortable.

Have you got any home decor tips or pictures? I love to hear/see them. Either comment below or contact me on Twitter.

Benefit They're Real Mascara review

I'm a massive mascara fan - if there was one makeup product that I could only wear for the rest of my life, it would be mascara. We all know that Benefit's They're Real Mascara is Britain's most loved mascara, so I am very shocked how I haven't tried this until recently.

I am very picky with the products that I use on my eyelashes, they have to be long and volumised otherwise I'm not happy. My sister is addicted to Benefit and has most of their products in her bed room, so obviously knowing how much of a mascara lover I am, she told me to get Benefit They're Real - and what better place to get it than at duty free, eh?

The verdict. I 100% understand the hype. It's a fantastic mascara that does everything that I want for my lashes. I have had others in the past that give me that little more volume, however they tend to clump my lashes together quite easily. This product is brilliant at separating the lashes as well as giving them length and volume. I also find that no matter how much I cake this on, my lashes always look natural - some mascaras can make lashes look fake, and not a good fake - a 'look-at-her-lashes-don't-they-look-awful' kind of fake.

I know I'm a bit behind the times with this one but I can't express how much love I have for this product. Benefit advise that you apply the mascara with a wiggle-motion so all of your eyelashes are covered and it also helps separate them.

How Aqueous cream transformed my damage skin

Not so long ago my skin was majorly damaged - I had to deal with insanely red cheeks and blemishes that can at times be painful. It turns out that I have a small case of rosacea, a skin condition where blemishes and redness occurs. Some days it can be like I've gone waaaaay to far with the blusher and other times it's hardly noticeable I don't particularly have it for a specific reason, that's just how my skin is. I have realised that mine usually gets a lot worse when I am under stress or upset, so as you can imagine, I noticed it was at it's worse at my exam period at University. At that time, I had no idea what it was and went to my doctors. She told me what I had and that I should apply aqueous cream twice a day, every day.

For people who don't know what aqueous cream is, it is a light and non-greasy moisturiser. It is made from very little product, which includes water, and is usually to rehydrate dry skin. (Dry skin is a result of lack of water in the outer layer of your skin cells, so if you have dry skin, products with high percentages of water will be recommended).

After a month or so I started to feel my skin improving. The burning sensations were basically a goner and I started to feel that little bit more confident about my skin. A month or so after I started to see the results of using the aqueous cream. Now, my skin is as hydrated as it's ever been and the redness and blemishes have minimised a great deal. It will always be visible but it is 95% less noticeable now than it was 6 or 7 months ago.

Tips for people who are suffering with similar problems:
1. Make sure you use a moisturiser daily, and if possible twice a day.
2. The moisturiser you do use should be free of any artificial ingredients, fragrances and alcohol.
3. Use a primer after your moisturiser but before your foundation - this will stop the foundation being applied straight onto your skin and will protect your skin from chemicals and products that may harm them.
4. Take off your makeup off every night to give your skin chance to breathe.
5. If your skin condition also gets worse in certain conditions, make sure that you apply your skin care routine all the way throughout stressful or upsetting times, even though this may be hard. If stress is what causes it, than this is the time you should be taking the most care of your skin.
6. Be careful on what you put on your face. (Again, number 3 is important).

October wishlist: Beauty

September has been a very busy month and I haven't really had much time to do anything blog-related. It's been filled with holidays, moving days, work experience and working. It's also been the month that I have been starting to think what I want for Christmas, so this month's wishlist is a little sneak peak into what is going to be a very long Christmas list.

Clinique Superbalm Moisturising Gloss: About a year ago I got a sample of Clinique's moisturising lip balm and I couldn't get enough it! The colour I got was 'passionfruit' and it complemented my look really well. I'm not a huge fan of lip colour so this was just what I wanted, a little tint of pink. And when it says Moisturising, it means moisturising! I hadn't used the sample for a while, but when using it for the first time in ages I couldn't believe that I haven't been using it more. A £16 though, it's a little expensive for someone who doesn't usually buy lip products.

LUSH Bubble Gum Lip Scrub: Another lip product. Just because I'm not a fan of lip colour doesn't mean that I don't love soft and kissable lips! I have heard many great things about this and my friend can't get enough of it! I haven't bought anything LUSH for quite sometime and I have completely forgot how amazing it smells in that shop. LUSH products are all animal-friendly (not tested on animals) and I can't wait to try this lip balm!

Technique Core Collection Brushes: In the past, I either didn't used to use makeup brushes at all or I'd use really cheap and rubbish ones. When applying my powder, I tried two different brushes (one cheaper one and one more expensive one) and I could massively tell the difference between the coverage each day I'd used a different brush. I have looked around so many different blogs, and shops and Techique seems to be a very popular choice. The Core Collection comes with four different brushes and a stand/travel case.

Benefit Majorette Booster Blush: Recently I have found myself becoming a big fan of blusher ad realising how just one makeup product can change your look entirely. Benefit's Majorette Booster Blush can be worn alone or under another blusher. It is meant to 'boost' the definition of your cheeks. It comes in a pinky-orangey colour to make your cheeks look that little bit more visible. Gorgeous.

 Bare Minerals Perfecting Face Brush: Last months wishlist contained Bare Minerals' New Liquid Foundation, but they have also released a new brush design to go with the popular product. It promises 'no-mess' foundation and works with just a squeeze of foundation. If you have the foundation, why not have the brush?! 

Beauty High Street has changed into Sophie Laura's Beauty

*MAJOR NEWS ALERT*

Beauty High Street has now changed to Sophie Laura's Beauty.

I have been umm-ing and ahh-ing for a while now whether to change the name of my blog or not, as I I'm not too fond of Beauty High Street and wanted me blog to be more 'personal'. Just to clarify, this blog isn't about MY beauty - just to put that out there. The blog will still be exactly the same but just with a new name! Tah dah! Oh yeah, my twitter name will be changing too - gulp!

Please, please, pleeeeease spread the word!