Discovering Maple Holistics

A couple of months ago I was approached by a brand named Maple Holistics, a US based natural beauty company about trying some of their products. With an impressive range of natural hair care and skincare products I was more than happy to try out a few products. I got my hands on a shampoo and conditioner as well as a face mask that I will give you the low down on.

Firstly, haircare. I got to try out the Argan Oil Shampoo* and the Silk 18 Conditioner*. One thing that I was really impressed by was the natural ingredients in these products. As I regularly get Keratin treatments i.e. Brazilian Blow-dry, I have to use hair products that are Sulphate/Sodium Free as these ingredients can strip the keratin out of your hair. You may be surprised but it is actually quite difficult to get a hold of such hair care products as most products use these ingredients so I never really have much choice when it comes to hair. Argan Oil works wonders for my hair and an ingredient I’ve been a fan of for a while now. With dry thick hair it really smooths down my hair and makes it more manageable so the addition of this to the shampoo is definitely a bonus. I always find that many sulphate free shampoos are not the greatest to work with, they usually don’t lather well although I was really surprised to find how well this lathered up on my hair. The conditioner again has a great ingredient list with 18 different silk acids which helps nourish and add moisture to the hair. The conditioner also has a slight vanilla scent to it and leaves my hair feeling healthy. The combination of the two have made my hair feel super smooth and soft. Two products I am really enjoying using at the moment.

The other product I received came from their skincare range, namely their Ancient Clay Facial Mask*. Probably the most unusual face mask I’ve ever used. The clay based mask comes in a tub pictured above basically like loose powder. To use the product, you have to mix the clay with water to create a paste and then apply to the skin. The actual creation of the mask by mixing it with water was a bit off-putting for me. I found forming the paste quite a messy task and it left me with a bit of cleaning up to do after which isn’t really what I am looking for when wanting to relax with a face mask. The good thing is though that you can tell that the clay will last a long while since you only need one scoop to create the paste. Also, when you apply the mask to the skin it feels really smooth and comfortable on the skin whilst still giving it a deep cleanse. As I obviously rely on a lot of other skincare products it can be tricky to tell what it’s doing for your skin but lately my skin has been glowing and feeling super fresh. By overlooking the messiness of creating the mask, it does perform lovely on the skin.

Thanks again to Maple Holistics for letting me try out their products, you can check out their website here. It is great to see a brand working ever so closely with bloggers so another thumbs up to them for their blogger connections which is sponsored by Edumuch.com

*pr samples

Have you tried Maple Holistics? 

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Discovering my Hair-o-Scope with Madison Reed

Now I am sure that we are all aware of horoscopes but hair-o-scopes, maybe not? Now when it comes to horoscopes, I pretty much believe anything since I am quite the superstitious individual. Scarily enough, I believe a lot of them to be pretty accurate. So how about my hair-o-scope, the hair equivalent of a horoscope? So after hearing about this concept from Madison Reed (a hair colour company), I was rather intrigued as to what my star sign said about my hair and its safe to say I was pretty impressed.

As my birthday falls this month *excited dance* I fall under the ‘Leo’ category. Being a Leo I have the suggested traits of being loyal, ambitious and confident. Most of which I find pretty true. Now I was sent my individual Hair-o-Scope by Madison Reed to see how much it really matches up with my hair. When reading it, I was pleasantly surprised how incredibly true it is. Now if you aren’t already aware, my hair is pretty damn wild. It’s naturally curly and incredibly thick and frizzy. According to my hair-o-scope my good hair day is tousled and untamed. Whilst its also suggested I let my wild side run free. Interesting. As someone who tries to tame my wild hair, maybe I am doing it all wrong?

So maybe its time to embrace the wild side. I’ve always wanted that un-perfect tousled wave look but I have never really went with it so maybe this is trying to tell my something? What do you think? Now if you are interested in finding out your own hair-o-scope then do check out this blog post from Madison Reed here and share below your thoughts, I would love to hear! Also if you are interested in finding your perfect hair colour then also check out this hair colour advisor questionnaire from Madison Reed here. I think its time I picked up a can of texturising spray now…

Do you believe in the Hair-o-Scope?

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July Favourites

It’s hard to believe I am writing another favourites post. July seemed to fly by and now its time to reflect on some of the beauty bits I have been loving over the month. There are a few summery inspired products, a killer eyeshadow palette and a couple of other essentials.

First up is the killer eyeshadow palette itself, the Zoeva Cocoa Blend palette. After a bit of online browsing (the usual) I came across this stunning palette from Zoeva. Now I was never really interested in Zoeva as a makeup brand, more really for their brushes but this palette really captured my heart. The shades are just so me! Chocolate-y browns, bronze-y shades and that gorgeous cranberry colour that pretty much made me buy it. I am not going to ramble on too much about it as I will be giving you all a full review very soon!

Next up, is a pretty summery nail polish from the Essie Summer 2015 collection. The shade Chillato was basically calling my name. Its a pale yellow/lime colour which just screams Summer. As you would expect from Essie, it has a fab formula and lasting power. Again I will show you this one in more detail a little later!

Of course I couldn’t have this favourites post without mentioning my two new amazing lipsticks from Charlotte Tilbury. I did my first CT purchase this month and picked up the two lipsticks; Lost Cherry and Sexy Sienna. I reviewed and swatched them both here. The formula of these is amazing, no other matte compares! They are super smooth and creamy to apply and the two colours are just beautiful! It won’t be long before I will be making another purchase!

I also rediscovered an old favourite this month in the form of Soap and Glory Archery. It’s a popular one and for good reason. I used this a lot this month (until it ran out! weep!) and I remembered how great it was. S&G Archery was the first real kind of eyebrow pencil I ever used and it really got me into filling in my brows. It creates such a natural but fuller brow. It really is fab and a great place to start when looking for a eyebrow pencil!

Last but not least was a real life saver this month, the L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil. Frizzy hair and humidity is a no go. I was braced with a tough challenge of bracing the Spanish heat and dealing with my thick frizzy hair. It was difficult to say the least but this oil made things that much easier. I literally had to slather my hair in oil every night (and I am talking a lot of oil here!) to get it to cooperate in the slightest. My hair is very dry so it needed a lot of nourishment and moisture and this oil made it more manageable and much silkier. I can’t quite imagine my holiday without it!

What were you loving this month?

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Pinterest: The Half Top Knot

When it comes to hair styling I look for something pretty effortless. I will put my hands up and say I am useless when it comes to styling my own hair. My hair is very thick and curly which makes styling not very manageable (for me anyway). Recently I have got caught up in the half top knot trend, simple and looks pretty good (imo).

As usual Pinterest is there in my time of need supplying me with bucket loads of inspiration. Above are some pins featuring the half top knot style. I was a bit weary at first when wearing this style as part of me felt kinda silly and I still see images on Pinterest which slightly puts me off although I have established the key is to keep the bun low. These pins above make it look uber cool and basically makes me want to half-top-knot it everyday. I usually wear my hair straight and tie up the front into a bun although I am totally loving the look of wavy hair with a bun! I now just need to master the beach wave look!

Are you a fan of the half top knot trend? Check out my hair Pinterest board here!

Image sources: top left; top right; bottom left; bottom right

 

 

Fave Pins: Hairspiration

Alongside my obession with white interiors, hair is the next hit on my Pinterest list. If there is ever one place to get inspired and have that ‘lets do it’ feeling its Pinterest. In the later end of 2014 I started to work more with my difficult frizzy and puffy curls and even took a trip to the hairdressers for the first time in ages to get a little colour. This year I am looking to get more stuck in and appreciate my hair which made my New Year Resolutions list.

The sad reality is that I’m never going to get the desired locks that I wish for but a little improvement doesn’t go a miss. My hair is quite the awkward length at the minute falling to just over the length of the blonde girl’s hair in the image above. I would like my hair a tad shorter and I would kill to have the perfect tousled wave look. I’m getting bored of straightening my hair daily and a subtle wave is what I’m aiming for. Think Alexa Chung (hair goddess) just a tad longer. Basically my ultimate hair goal is the top right of this image. I want choppy ends, tousled and textured waves, is that too much to ask for!? I’m currently trying out loads of hair products for texture, frizz free and pretty much everything, if you want to recommend any hair products that you love I would love to hear!

Who is your hairspiration? Check out my hair Pinterest board here!

Image sources: top left; top right; bottom left; bottom right

November Favourites

Its that time of the month again to round up my favourites! I am struggling to believe its December already! Where has time gone!? My Blog has snow! How exciting!!! Anyway I have a few makeup and hair products I’ve been loving this month..

MAC Breezy – You may remember this from my blog post not too long ago. I bought this blush in need want of a plum toned autumnal blush and I love this so much. Its the perfect shade and can be built up or used as a light sweep of colour.

Benefit Benebalm – And another familiar product you may have seen here. This lip balm is so nourishing and moisturizing, its perfect. If you are a fan of the Maybelline baby-lips you will love these, they are so much better!

Fudge Urban Miracle Ends – This product really is what it says – Miracle ends. I have really frizzy and curly hair and the ends just get really puffy and frizzy and its horrible. Ever since I started using this my ends are wonders. It smooths my hair and prevents frizz.

Nars Mandore Satin Lip Pencil – Yet again another one I’ve mentioned before. This is my first Nars lip pencil and boy are they raved about! This is part of the limited edition holiday collection and its such a perfect dark red shade. The lip pencil glides on so smoothly and has such a nice glossy finish.

Tag: This or That

I had seen this beauty tag a few times and I decided to give it a try 🙂 I hope you try it too!

Makeup:

Blush or Bronzer
Blush, its easier to work with and can instantly change your appearance. I particularly love Rimmel Stay Blushed tint in Sunkissed Cherry.
Lipgloss or Lipstick
Lipstick definitely, I go light on lip gloss as it sticks to my hair too much.
Eyeliner or Mascara
Mascara – the one item I could not live without!
Foundation or Concealer
Foundation as you don’t always need concealer.
Neutral or Color Eyeshadow
Neutral, I love browns and bronze shades. Color is a bit too much for me.
Pressed or Loose eye shadows
Pressed as they are easier to blend and work with and loose eye shadows are too messy.
Brushes or Sponges
Brushes! I hate sponges.

Nails:

O.P.I or China Glaze
O.P.I only because I have never tried China Glaze.
Long or Short
Long, I just think they look better and neater.
Acrylic or Natural
Natural. I would never have Acrylics because my nails are long enough already and they damage your nails too much.
Brights or Darks
Darks. Fall is my favorite season and I love all my dark shades of burgundy and browns.
Flower or No Flower
No Flower, I prefer simplicity.

Body:

Perfume or Body Splash
Perfume as its a longer lasting scent.
Lotion or Body Butter
Difficult choice.. probably Body Butter.
Body wash or Soap
Body Wash.
LUSH or Other Bath Company
LUSH! It smells amazing! I love their bubblegum lip scrub and their Snow Fairy body wash.

Fashion:

Jeans or Sweat pants
Jeans, I cannot live without them! I love Topshop Joni Jeans and New Look Supersoft Superskinny jeans.
Long sleeve or Short
Short sleeve just because I like wearing layers and I can never really find stylish long sleeve tops.
Dresses or Skirts
Dresses. I love a dress, super pretty and simple to wear.
Stripes or Plaid
Plaids, I love my plaid flannel shirts.
Flip flops or Sandals
Sandals, you can get super pretty ones while flip flops are a little more boring.
Scarves or Hats
Scarves, they can instantly improve your outfit and keep you warm, Bonus!
Studs or Dangly Earrings
Studs, they go with a lot more and are casual to be worn daily.
Necklaces or Bracelets
Necklaces, I love a big statement necklace which can completely change your outfit.
Heels or Flats
Heels. I am quite small so I do like a bit of height 🙂
Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots
Cowboy Boots, I wanna be a cowboy.
Jacket or Hoodie
Hoodie, they are very comfy.
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe
Forever 21, they have good basics at good prices.
Abercombie or Hollister
Hollister.
Saks 5th or Nordstrom
No idea, never shopped at either.

Hair:

Curly or Straight
Curly, but just loose curls.
Bun or Ponytail
Bun.
Bobby pins or Butterfly clips
Bobby Pins. I probably wore Butterfly clips when I was 5.
Hair spray or Gel
Hair Spray. I have never used gel.
Long or Short
Long, you can do more things with it.
Light or Dark
Dark. I think everyone suits dark hair but not everyone suits light hair.
Side sweep bangs or Full bangs
Full bangs.
Up or Down
Down always.

Randoms:

Rain or Shine
Rain if I’m inside, it makes me feel cosy. Shine for outside, I don’t want my hair wet haha.
Summer or Winter
Winter weirdly, I don’t really like the weather but I love my winter wardrobe.
Fall or Spring
Fall my favorite season, I love my fall wardrobe of coats and boots. Its so pretty.
Chocolate or Vanilla
Vanilla, always. I am probably the only person to say that.
East coast or West coast
West coast.

 

Lauren x