Lee Stafford Ubuntu Oils Hairdryer

I’ve become one of those girls I never thought I’d become. One who relies entirely on her hair styling tools and who panics at thought of being without them. I’ve also become very interested in new ideas when it comes to heat styling hair so when the opportunity came up to review a hairdryer infused with Ubuntu Oil to help heal your hair I was very intrigued to say the least.

All this from a girl who up until about a year ago only actually dried her hair about twice a year!

The Lee Stafford Ubuntu Oils Hairdryer*
promises a lot of things. It claims to dry hair faster, give you salon quality at home and heal your hair. Big talk for a little device that costs under £25 right?

But somehow it does it all. It certainly made short work of drying my hair which is a massive bonus for me because it usually takes me ages and I get incredibly fed up doing it. My standard (as in non-infused) hair dryer is also a Lee Stafford model and that’s also pretty quick at it’s job but this one has a noticeable edge.

Salon quality wise I’m not really able to compare because I rarely get my hair dried at a salon but as with all Lee Stafford products that I’ve tried (my thoughts on the academy hair straightener here) I’ve been genuinely impressed especially with the small price tag attached.

Of course the really interesting and unique thing about this model is the African Ubuntu Oil infused grille. It’s designed to pamper, nourish and repair your hair after drying making frizz a thing of the past. I’ve only used this a couple of times so far so there hasn’t been time for a dramatic difference but I would say my hair is less frizzy than usual- which is no mean feat at this time of year when the struggle against humidity goes up a notch. I’ll report back on any longer term effects but even if the Ubuntu Oil turned out to be nothing but a gimmick I’d still be more than happy with this dryer- it’s lightweight, good looking and gets my hair dry in around 2/3 of the time it’d usually take. At £24.99 you really can’t go wrong with this.

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The Denman Cocktail Collection

Ever found yourself wishing that your hair brush could smell like your favourite cocktail? Nope, me neither but when I heard about the new Cocktail Fragrance Collection from Denman Brushes it suddenly seemed like a very appealing, not to mention genius idea.

With flavours such as Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada and Berry Martini these are fun and funky brushes that are the perfect size for popping in your handbag and would make an awesome birthday gift for your girl friends.

Denman kindly sent me the Strawberry Daiquiri brush so that I could see how the idea translates in to real life. It’s a lovely, grown-up looking brush and, despite it’s small size and “novelty” factor it lives up to the renowned quality of Denman Brushes.

The scent of this is SO good, so very good. Good enough that I have to stop myself sniffing my hair brush in public.

I’m not sure if I like the fact that the scent doesn’t transfer to your hair or not though, on the one hand I can see why Denman have done this- walking around smelling like your favourite drinks could grow old fast. On the other hand though, the idea of Strawberry scented hair for the Summer is really kind of appealing!

The brushes retail at £8.00 each and are available from the Denman online store.

What do you think of this idea? And what’s your favourite cocktail?

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Lee Stafford Academy Hair Straighteners review and giveaway

I’m still very much a novice when it comes to hair, really it’s only since I had it cut and coloured in October that I’ve managed to get any kind of grip in styling it myself and my once neglected hair straighteners became one of my most used items. I’d had them for a few years already by this point and over the last few weeks I’d noticed they were failing to heat properly and were losing their ability to you know, actually straighten my hair. So when an opportunity came up to review the Lee Stafford Academy Hair Straighteners* the timing could not have been more perfect.
I’m not hugely au-fait with many hair styling brands but Lee Stafford is one I know well [by which I mean I already own one of his hair dryers]. My previous straightener was by Corioliss and I have never owned a pair of GHDs. Because of this I also roped by Mum in on this review and we both tried out the product- she is the queen of hair straightening so if something impresses her then it’s definitely a good ‘un.
I know looks aren’t everything but these are some sleek looking straighteners which gave a good first impression. I was a little worried about the size of the plates as my hair is very thick and there is a LOT of it and I was concerned that it would prove too much for this tool to cope with. I needn’t have worried.

Thanks to the adjustable heating settings [up to 230 degrees] and handy quick start guide I quickly established the optimum temperature for my hair, waited a mere matter of seconds for the straightener to heat up and got going. This straightener made short work of getting my hair smooth and sleek which in itself is no mean feat. More impressive was that after sleeping on it my hair was still straight the next day- with my old straightener I found that I needed to re-do it the next day as my natural waves had fought back.
Mum thought the same, she was impressed with how easily this straightened her naturally curly hair [please note I have never actually seen it curly] and how sleek a finish it left.

Because I tend to straighten my hair and then curl or wave the top layers with a curling wand I decided to have a go at creating curls with this as well. I probably should have taken a picture but being me I didn’t think of it at the time but this straightener also creates smooth and shiny waves quickly and easily without looking like they had obviously been done with a straightener if you know what I mean?

I 100% would recommend this straightener for anyone who’s on the lookout for a new one, with an RRP of £79.99 it’s on the more affordable scale of things and at the time of writing it’s currently on sale on Amazon for £49.95.

I also happen to have one of these straighteners to give away to one lucky reader- see the widget below for how to enter and the T&C [and good luck!]

Win Lee Stafford Academy Hair Straighteners #1

The giveaway will run until 29th March and the winner will be contacted directly by Review Directory.

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Product sent to me for purpose of review. Opinions and shiny sleek hair are entirely my own.

When Jeans met Dress (again)

Honestly, I never thought I’d go back to being a jeans person. Having spent my teenage years literally living in my old faithful Topshop Haydens (which I must try again) before shunning trousers in favour of skirts and dresses I assumed I’d never look back. I certainly never anticipated becoming a fan of skinny jeans, but after some trial and error in finding brands that suit me I’m proudly back in denim- not every day as I’m hugely guilty of falling in to sartorial style ruts but I’ll concede they have a time and a place and a decent pair or two are a must in any wardrobe.

Jeans: H&M (£7.99 cheapies until I can afford the oh so popular Joanie style from Topshop) | Dress: Topshop (old) | Boots: Long Tall Sally (c/o)

As I mentioned last time I featured a dress worn over jeans this is definitely not a look I ever envisaged dragging up from my past and yet it’s one I’ve recently grown to love. Perfect for a bit of extra warmth against the cold days and a really good way to make a slightly dressier dress more casual or inject new life in to a tired piece.

Looking at these photos I really hadn’t noticed until now just how faded my hair had got, wow! Not that it’s a bad thing or even a bad style (in my humble opinion) but having since had a much needed cut and colour boost I’m loving the vibrant red/pink I currently have and I’m enjoying the confidence that seems to come with it.

I hope everyone is having a great week- any one get up to anything exciting yesterday? I spent the day with my Mum which was perfect- I don’t know why I thought I might be dreading Valentines Day this year, I honestly couldn’t be happier with certain aspects of my life right now and I’m working hard on the bits that still fall short…

Anyway I don’t know where I’m going with this post so I’ll leave it there- if you have any recommendations for jeans shopping then do let me know, I plan to splurge on a really decent pair once I reach my healthy weight point again.

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The New Beauty Wonder Oil- Cacay Naturals

I’ve been a fan of using oil based products in my beauty regime for a few years now. I first picked some up whilst on holiday in Spain- my hair was feeling the wrath of 40 degree heat and having spied Argan oil in a shop I grab some out of desperation and the rest, as they say is history.

Since then it’s not just been on my hair that I’ve used oils. Although I’ve not ventured in to the territory of facial skin care I do use coconut oil on my very dry elbows and knees with excellent results. When I received an e-mail about a new oil on the beauty block that is suitable for all skin types, is 100% natural/organic/vegan, is cruelty free and contains more benefits that my old faithful Argan oil I was intrigued.

Cacay oil claims to be the purest anti-ageing oil out there, rich in vitamin E and linoleic acid and with skin healing properties I was really eager to try this for myself.

But first, what is Cacay oil? Not something I’d ever heard of that’s for sure. Apparently it is an oil made from the highly nutritious nut of the Cacay fruit. This edible, protein rich oil has been used for centuries by indigenous Amazonian people to treat skin irritations and to help with wound healing.

Sounded good to me!

There’s not much to say about the oil itself, I was a bit surprised that it doesn’t really have a scent to it but that’s not a bad thing. I really liked that the bottle comes with a pipette dropper which makes application really easy and precise. Over the last week I’ve been using this oil in all aspects of my beauty regime- and that includes, out of interest on my hair.

Does it work? Well, I can’t claim to look ten years younger after such a short space of time but the fine lines that insist on appearing around my eyes are less noticeable to my eyes. My elbows and knees have never been so soft and my hair is loving this (applied with a light hand before blow drying) and feels silky smooth and nourished. Being somewhat haphazard whilst making mince pies the other day I also popped a drop of Cacay oil on to a rather nasty burn on my hand that was driving me mad and although it didn’t magically heal up it did sooth the searing pain and scorched skin feeling.

So overall I’m impressed. As I mentioned it’s really hard to gauge the anti-ageing properties after only a week but I am happy to report back if anyone wants to know.

Cacay oil is available to buy on amazon (direct link) at £32.75 for a 30ml bottle which strikes me as reasonable given a) the sheer number of ways you can use this and b) you only need the tiniest amount so it will last forever.

Let me know if you give it a go or want a more in depth review of any of the claims.