Sleep Rollers - Goodbye Sleepless Nights, Hello Great Hair

Hi Girls! So this post is way overdue, as I've been using the infamous Sleep Rollers for quite some time now. If like me you are a massive fan of big bouncy Cheryl Cole-esque hair which looks fresh from the salon then these answer all of your problems, and wait for the best bit; while you sleep! I first saw and heard about the Sleep In Rollers when I was watching Desperate Scousewives on E4 just before Christmas. I had a huge hair crush on Amanda Harrington and Debbie O'Toole who's hair was just to die for. It had length, volume and the perfect amount of bounce which were achieved using just basic velcro rollers. I'd also seen so many celebrities rocking the same type of rollers including Amy Childs, Tamara Ecclestone (who I have a big girl crush on) and Alex Curran. I took to Twitter to ask around about which brand they all used and it turned out they used Sleep Rollers, a company based in Liverpool which sell the ultimate range of hair accessories. They stock absolutely massive bun rings (I think around 10cm wide which is amazing), bun plaits, rollers, and they've just bought out rollers which have glitter inside the actual roller. I am in hair heaven! I'll be reviewing these quite thoroughly as I don't find that many people do so get comfy!

 

Source: Google

I done my research before I bought these little beauties as I wanted to see what other girls just like me thought about them. It turned out that these (obviously by the name, duh) that they were rollers which done their job while you slept. What an amazing idea! I remember the days I used to be a slave to hard velcro rollers and sleep in them, wondering why I had a sore head and neck the morning after. Sleep Rollers are designed with a small sponge in the centre of the velcro roller, which flatten as you head is on the pillow. They are designed to be comfortable and stay in place all night. I was slightly apprehensive about this but make my order and waited eagerly for them to arrive. I paid £16.50 and bought them from the online retailer (buy them here). I believe they were on offer at the time I purchased them so I'm not quite sure of the price now, I think they're roughly £20.00.  While I was on the site I also made a cheeky purchase of the XL bun ring and a bun plait too (ooh ow naughty of me). I received my rollers in 4 days which was pretty standard for any type of delivery. 

The packaging is so sweet and pretty, everything is pink which is massive bonus if you are a girly girl like myself. It came in a medium sized pink drawstring bag which is made of quite sturdy material and has rose detailing around the top of the bag. They are the original sleep rollers as so many companies have copped onto the idea of them (cough cough Lauren Goodger I'm looking at you!) and so have the company logo on the bag with the usual "Goodbye Sleepless Nights Hello Great Hair!!!" slogan slapped across the front. I opened the bag and squealed with delight. The rollers are the brightest pink colour ever and I just love that you can still look great even when you have them in. 2 packs were inside each containing 10 rollers each (you do the maths) which would be enough to cover my whole head. If you have extra long or thick hair, you may need to invest in an extra pack of 10, they sell them on the website for £8.99 and it saves so much hassle trying to squeeze just 20 into your hair. 

When it came to about 8pm I decided to start my venture into the world of Sleep Rollers. I had a programme to watch at 9 so I'd have enough time to get the hang of things. So I washed and blow dried my hair as normal (read my review on my shampoo and conditioner here) and opened my packets of rollers with my kirby grips at the ready. As I'm quite experienced in the hair roller field I found them so easy to put in. I would suggest that practice definitely makes perfect as they take a while to get the hang of. I secured them with kirby grips in places I needed to. I quite like the natural body look so I left a few out, my hair was still warm from the blow dry which meant the rollers would set more nicely. After putting my head of rollers in which took no more than 15 minutes, I settled in to bed to watch my programme and was a bit apprehensive to sleep on them.

Bedtime came around so I pulled my duvet over and tried to get comfortable. As I'm always honest when I review a product, I will tell you that these still aren't ultra comfortable. I did find them quite annoying after moving my head position roughly 20 times, but settled down on my side in the end. I didn't have a bad sleep like some people claim they do and woke up i the morning, granted the tops of my ears were a little sore. I was so surprised that they'd stayed in place all night and hadn't moved at all. I started taking them out individually although they were a little tangled and I absolutely loved the effect it had on my hair. It was big, bouncy and rather than a defined curl which I think can only be achieved with a wand or tong, there was a nice wave to it. I don't have a photograph to show the effect that first morning as I was very late for work but the one below shows them after I'd used them for about a month (sorry for the awful picture quality) and got to know them quite well. I think it looks glam, classy and so natural. You don't always need heat to make your hair look great which to me is a huge added bonus. Some girls with shorter hair may not like these as there is no length to it without the use of clip in hair extensions. Instead of putting them into my actual hair I sometimes roll my extensions flat on a table, spray them with hairspray and leave the to set overnight. Providing the extension is of good quality and have been shampooed and conditioned, the effect as just the same as what is achieved on the natural hair. You then simply unroll the extensions and clip them in.

So what's so good about them? They are made for sleeping in, so there isn't too much discomfort which hard rollers supply you with (how nice of them). They moulded nicely into the shape of my hair as I slept without taking the effect of the bounce away too as they don't have metal or plastic in them. This means heat can be applied for the rollers to take full effect, depending on the type of look you're after. They stay secure all night and don't roll out overnight. This may be down to the amount of velcro on the actual roller and the kirby grips but I find they don't budge whatsoever. They're cheap for the amount of hair tool you receive and last a lifetime. After using mine so often the quality hasn't dropped and none have been broken or damaged. The bag which comes with the rollers is so compact and ideal for slipping into your suitcase, I've taken mine on some weekends away and the drawstring bag is ideal. As they flatten there's peace of mind knowing that's exactly what they are designed to do. Last but not least, the finished result. I absolutely love the effect Sleep Rollers have on my hair. They leave a gorgeous Victoria's Secret-esque style on my hair. I don't want to blow my own trumpet but they really do make my hair look salon fresh every morning. It gave my normally straight hair volume, body and wave without using heat. 

Do you use sleep in rollers? Or do you have another type you use?

MAC 'Shy Girl' Lipstick Dupe - NYX 'Pumpkin Pie'

Hi Everyone! I haven't got round to blogging for over a week! I've been so busy getting ready for my holiday which is now only just around the corner. I took myself to Westfield in Stratford throughout the weekend and popped into MAC just to buy myself some foundation. What ended up happening was ridiculous, as I ended up coming out of the store with a bag full of goodies including the cremesheen lipstick in the shade Shy Girl. I met Amy Childs last Wednesday at her perfume launch on Oxford Street and I loved the lipstick she had on. I asked her what it was and turns out it was from none other than trusty MAC! 

Alot of people are somewhat dubious as to why you would spend £14.00 on a lipstick, but my MAC collection has never failed me. I love the cremesheen range as they add the perfect amount of gloss without becoming sticky and have a fantastic formula which means there is extra staying power and it never budges out of place. The only thing I probably dislike is the smell. It has that awful smell of chemicals which is really off putting, especially first thing in the morning. I was also looking through my make-up box a few days back (yes a box. I don't do make-up bags) when I came across a lipstick I'd forgotten I owned and hadn't even opened. To my horror, the shades were practically identical. I purchased 'Pumpkin Pie' a few months back for no more than £3.00 and although the formula doesn't quite match up to MAC's Shy Girl, it's still a lipstick I could use on the go.

I'm an absolute sucker for nudes and pale pinks, so for colour this definitely gets a 10 out of 10 from me! Pumpkin Pie is a very subtle colour, and isn't nearly as pigmented as Shy Girl as I found myself applying up to three coats to achieve a similar colour. It didn't glide on as easily as Shy Girl, but for only £3.00 it's hard to justify why I can't use my NYX more often. It contains a small amount of gloss, again not too much that it's sticky and sits awkwardly on my lips. I did find that after a few hours that the cracks in my lips were beginning to show but it was easily fixed by a quick top up. For packaging, I obviously completely prefer that of MAC's Shy Girl. All the lipsticks from MAC are so sleek looking, and I can't help but think Pumpkin Pie is a little tacky looking. It will be absolutely perfect to replace my Shy Girl lipstick when I go on holiday as I'm so clumsy and will probably end up dropping my MAC into the sea! I've bought a load of drugstore lipsticks recently for this purpose and may post a small haul showing you all what goodies I've managed to find.

Do you own any MAC Cremesheen lipsticks? Which is your favourite shade?

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Trevor Sorbie Beautifully Straightened Hair Goodies

Hello Everyone! So the Olympics are over. Half of me is so happy to finally have time to breathe after working at them, the other slightly disappointed that it's all over. The Closing Ceremony was absolutely amazing! I especially loved Fatboy Slim and of course The Spice Girls. I really thought they stole the show, and how fabulous did Victoria Beckham look? *girl crush alert*. So after two weeks of sport, I now have my life back and can sit here with my laptop and cup of tea and get back to blogging. It's taken me a while to really get stuck back in it but I can assure you I'm now here to stay. 

If you're a reader of my blog or just know me well enough, then you're bound to know that I'm absolutely obsessed with hair care. I love to try out new things all the time and the best feeling is when you find a product that makes your hair look amazing. I first came across Trevor Sorbie around three years back when I was watching Imogen from ImogenFoxyLocksExtensions on YouTube rave about how fantastic the heat defence spray was. I bought myself my first bottle from Boots for £5.10 and voila! I was in love. With my love of the spray came my love of all products in the 'Beautifully Straightened' range, and apart from my trusty James Brown 'Scandalous' shampoos and conditioners (read my review here) the Trevor Sorbie haircare products are most definitely my holy grail must-have hair care saviours. 

I was in my local Boots recently in the haircare section and just as I'd picked up some Trevor Sorbie heat defence spray, I noticed a big white cosmetic bag on the bottom shelf. To my surprise, it was filled with a selection of four different products from the Beautifully Straightened range, including the smoothing balm which is always sold out in the store near me. Not only was it filled with product, but I actually really liked the bag. I'm jetting off to Marbella in two weeks time, and it will be perfect to store all of my girly holiday essentials inside. The inside is silk with a cute floral vintage design fastening up all the pockets which equals extra storage (hooray! More room!). I paid only £19.99 for it which is a fantastic price for what you're actually receiving. Four full sized products which are great, plus a good sized pretty cosmetic bag. Result. 

Protection Shampoo - If like me your hair is a little worse for wear, then you need all the help you can get by using products which offer protection against heat and other nasty things that affects it growing healthily and strong. The fact it can start working wonders right from the minute you use the shampoo is a real weight off of my shoulders. I find that it lathers up like a dream, and a little goes a long way, even with thicker hair. 

Protection Conditioner - This has the same effect on the hair as the shampoo, only it adds moisture and repairs dead ends. To know that even before you use any type of heat defence that your hair is protected is a real godsend. I love the way that the protection conditioner adds shine to my hair too, and doesn't give it that awful slimy feeling when you wash it out. 

Protect, Flatten and Shine Spray - Definitely my ultimate Trevor Sorbie product. When I don't use a heat protection spray I can really tell the difference in the look and feel of my hair. I use it before blow drying, straightening, curling, waving, pretty much anything. I love the fact it tames frizzy hair and reduces the appearance of split ends too

Smoothing Balm - This is constantly sold out whenever I try to buy my own! I'd never really used any kind of serum in the past as I tend to find them a bit greasy and thick. But this smoothes my hair and leaves it with such a nice gloss which doesn't have too much a greasy feel to it. 

Do you use anything from the Trevor Sorbie Beautifully Straight range? What is your favourite product?

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L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray Dupe; Superdrug's Volumising Hairspray

Hello Lovely Ladies! I finally have a spare few hours to just sit down on my laptop with a large cup of tea and blog. I've been ridiculously busy working for the London 2012 Olympics, and have hardly had time to think, let alone blog. But I'm back! On my way home from work on Monday, I popped into Superdrug to pick up some essentials, by essentials I mean new make-up brushes and some Radox bubble bath (mmmm).  Realising I'd almost run out of my trusty L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray, I quickly took myself to the hair styling section but to my absolute horror they had all sold out. All of them. The small ones, the large ones, the medium ones, all of them. Panicking like a lost chicken, I looked around for something similar. I can always tell when I don't use Elnett hairspray. My hair doesn't look at bouncy and always drops within a few hours, but I ended up buying this little beauty.

What caught my eye was the fact that the can itself is very similar to L'Oreals Elnett, barring the fact it doesn't have the infamous old-fashioned women's face on the front. One thing I hate about other hairsprays is the spray can cap they spray with. I find that the hairspray itself doesn't spread nicely and you end up with crispy bits of hair (yuck). The Superdrug hairspray cap is an exact replica of the L'Oreal Elnett hairspray so was excited to see if the results when I curled, straightened, waved, rollered and backcombed were the same. I paid only a fraction of the price too it set me back a mere £1.99. Elnett costs me about £5.50 for a large can which to some people may be considered a lot just for some hairspray. I've used it since I can remember and it's never failed me. I really believe that the more you spend on a hair product, the better the result (barring Mark Hill's Glam range which I don't like). Anyway, back to the Superdrug Volumising hairspray...

"Creates body and lift, 24 hour hold. Micro diffuser spray. Superdrug Volumising Hairspray is a high performance ultra fine spray to hold your hair without stiffness, giving you voluminous hair, 24-hour hold and protection against humidity. With a fine micro diffuser spray and Pro Vitamin B5, it disappers at the stroke of  a brush to leave your hair looking and feeling soft and shiny."

I'm so in love. I noticed when I used this one that there was a reasonable amount of body and volume, although if I'm honest, not quite as much as L'Oreals Elnett. It smells lovely too, not of chemicals and science labs like some hairsprays do. I completely agree with the fact that it protects against humidity. On one of the many days it rained, my hair didn't budge at all. It lasted a entire day through work, and I even got compliments on how volumised it looked. That sucks, I never got complimented when I used Elnett. When the day came to an end, I brushed through my hair and the spray virtually disappeared. There's nothing worse than being left with that powdery feeling on your hair after you've used hairspray. Now for the best bit. Even after I'd brushed it out of my hair, I was still left with body and texture. 

All in all, I think I've found a new hairspray to use in the future. I'll still be buying the L'Oreal Elnett hairspray but I think the Superdrug Volumising version is nearly as good but for less than half the price. 

What hairsprays do you swear by?

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Versatile Blogger Award

Hi Everyone! I'm still alive, I haven't buried my head in the sand quite yet. I've been extremely busy at work for the Olympics, I haven't even been near my blog for almost a week! I hope you're all well. So yesterday, the lovely Kirsty at misskirstymarie.blogspot.com gave me the Versatile Blogger Award. It's my first ever award on this blog, so thank you! 

Rules:

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging.

2. Let them know that you have nominated them.

3. Share 7 random facts about yourself 

4. Thank the bloggers that have nominated you

5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

7 random facts about me:

• I'm half English and half Australian by blood, but have Carribean ancestors mostly from Grenada.
• I'm addicted to coffee! My day can't physically start until I've had two cups. 
• My first make-up memory was getting a big make-up kit as a present from my older cousin and wearing blue eyeshadow and red lipstick for days on end. Cringe. 
• My guilty pleasure is anything Katie Price related. I just love her.
• I'd class myself as a huge fan of Swedish House Mafia, I'm so gutted they're splitting up *cries*
• I work at Wembley Stadium, which can get a little hectic and have some real hair pulling moments
• Favourite films are Dead Mean Running (gotta love a bit of Danny Dyer), Sex & The City and Toy Story.

My nominations go to:

andpeaches.blogspot.co.uk

bella-la-vie.blogspot.co.uk

glamourtrampx.blogspot.co.uk

misskirstymarie.blogspot.co.uk

whatkimmididnext.blogspot.co.uk

scarlettsblog24.blogspot.co.uk

purple-shampoo.blogspot.co.uk

Not quite fifteen, but I don't have many up and coming blogs that I follow. Can you guys suggest some for me to follow?

Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum

There's been a huge craze in the beauty blogging world for hair oils in the past few months. And being the hair treatment freak junkie that I am, I got my hands on a few to try out when they first came on the scene. I've tried everything from the infamous Moroccan Oil to the L'Oreal Keratise Oil and so much more inbetween. Sure, some of them come up a little pricey but I've found my ultimate hair oil serum which not only works absolute wonders for my hair, but also costs me under £6.00! On one of my far too regular visits to Boots, I was scanning the haircare section for something which would wow me and give me hair rich in gloss, shine and volume. After trying Moroccan Oil and not being the biggest fan, I was quite reluctant to try another hair oil but for £5.99 I decided to give the Organix Coconut Hair Oil a bash. And to be honest, I'm so glad I did. It's by far the best beauty find from the past two months and I can't live without the stuff now I've seen it's effects. 

"Indulge your senses with this exclusive blend of organic coconut milk to help nourish your hair, while ultra whipped egg white proteins help add strength and elasticity, along with weightless coconut oils for added hydration balance."


I'd never heard of Organix as a brand, maybe I'm a little behind but the products don't exactly scream 'Buy Me' on the shelves. The packaging is simple yet luxurious and rich looking at the same time which I love. It's a lovely product to have in my bathroom cabinet, and I even get a tad excited to use it after I've washed my hair. I completely ruined my hair to an inch of its life last Summer when I decided to bleach my jet black hair and turn it into a red very similar to Rihanna. Cringe at me. Ever since then, my hair has been damaged, weak and partial to breaking very often. If you read my blog you'll know I absolutely love trying out new hair products, and this ticked all the boxes when it came to choosing what type of haircare I wanted to try. I love it because it's tropical, luxurious, silky and works to help smooth, condition and strengthen my hair pretty much instantly. Because of the oils which are included in the Organix Hair Serum, they create a silk hair therapy, which is very similar to keratin treatments that cost up to £200.00. No thank you! Another great thing about this product smells. It smells absolutely beautiful. A really rich and intense scent of coconut which always reminds me of being on holiday. It lasts right up until your next hair wash, and is super long lasting.

The way my hair feels after using this for a few months is indescribable, quite literally. My hair has never been in such great condition, and thanks to the anti-breakage system, my poor hair doesn't split everytime I put a brush through it. I'm left with glossy and hydrated hair which is also frizz-proof and easy to style. The key is to not use too much or little, and I think that my trial and error you learn this depending on how long or thick your hair is. I'm not even half way through my bottle after three months, so it really is a go-to product. I don't know what I done without this in my haircare routine, but I'm so happy to have found something not only cheap, but that makes all the difference to the look and feel of my hair.

Do you use any hair serums or oils? Which are your favourites?

Amy Child's Perfume Sample Vail

Hello! August is finally here, I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone! I hope you're having a lovely Thursday and the weather isn't too bad wherever you are. Here in London it's pretty standard. Grey, overcast, miserable and raining. Hello British Summer! I've been glued to the Olympics when I haven't been working at them, and I'm so excited for the running and athletics to start next week! I get so much adrenalin just from watching how competitive the runners get, and I love the men's 100m final where everyone is especially excited. Going slightly off topic now, I wanted to show you all something I received on Tuesday through the post.

Being a massive TOWIE fan, I've always had a bit of a girl crush on Amy Childs. I think she's funny, she's glamorous and above all she genuinely seems like a lovely person. I was really gutted when it was announced she would be leaving The Only Way Is Essex after only two series to go off and do her own thing. She has become quite the successful rising star here in the UK, and has since then launched a clothing line, her own beauty salon, a fitness DVD and now a perfume. It does sound a little familiar to another one of my favourite celebrity idols, as they both have had the same management team at one point in their career, but I won't go into a rant about that as we'll be here all day! I don't tend to use celebrity fragrances other than those from Katie Price but was expecting something really nice and girly from Amy Childs.


The company who designed Amy Child's perfume were holding a competition on Twitter (@JigsawESL) to win free sample vails of the product three weeks before it's released to the public in a full size bottle. This means I'm one of the first people to try the new perfume (major excitement), and I have to say I absolutely love it! I love the fragrance card holder it comes in as if you'd have watched her show 'It's All About Amy' then you'll know it matches the theme of her beauty salon. It does slightly scream cheesy as the reflective purple card is a little tacky, and I have no idea what the full size bottle itself looks like. I hope it's a perfume I can put on my dressing table and not in my dressing table! I think it's extremely hard to describe how a perfume smells to other people as everyone has different opinions as to how they smell a particular scent, so this is what was written about the scent from Jigsaw ESL. 

"The scent opens with gloriously fruity,exotic notes of pomegranate seed, fresh green leaves and kumquat, moving into a floral heart of lotus, champaca and purple orchid. The gorgeous perfume settles onto a sensual base of purple violet, amber, skin musks, soft woods and vanilla. Encased in an adorable deep purple, multi-faceted bottle embellished with a heart shaped charm, Amy's perfume is fabulous and feminine, just like her."

Cheesy. But I do agree with the fact that this fragrance smells absolutely stunning. It's so girly and it's definitely more of a Summer fragrance, so there isn't too much time left to use it. Other than the fragrance card holder I do quite like the bottle at first glance. I think it represents Amy as a brand rather than a celerity. The only small criticism is the fact that it is an Eau De Toilette, which means the fragrance isn't as concentrated as Eau De Parfum's, resulting in a fragrance which doesn't last as long as others. I just hope to God that the launch of this isn't anything like good old Katie Price as I think that Katie has her  own unique style to her launches and Amy seems to be following her. I can't wait until the full size bottle of this comes out as I'll definitely be buying it. It will be available from good perfume retailers from August 18th.