Hair Masks: Moisture vs Protein

I like supplementing my day-to-day beauty routine with little extras. Partly it's because the routine of using face masks and hair masks is something that I enjoy, but really it's because my hair and skin benefit from having a little bit of extra attention throughout the week. 

When I was in my third year of University I hadn't quite learnt how to manage my stress and my body's reaction was hair loss. It wasn't extreme, but it was noticeable and it's had a lasting effect on my hair. Recently I had a hair consultation at Trevor Sorbie's flagship store in Covent Garden and a hair professional explained that my hair wasn't actually "frizzy" as I've been describing it for the last few years, the word she used instead was "fragile". All those little baby hairs (that are happy indicators that my hair is regenerating) may appear as frizz when in fact they're actually just short and delicate newly grown hairs that I need to look after rather than battle against. 

As part of this process I learned an important difference between moisturing hair masks and protein hair masks. Moisturising masks combat dryness and coarseness - they might help with lustreless ends or the dryness brought on by too much central heating or air conditioning. Protein masks, on the other hand, help restore hair by strengthening fragile new growth and working towards repairing the damage caused by heat.

For a long, long time I've assumed that slathering on a hydrating hair mask is all the hair treatment that my hair would ever really need. Well, if you have similarly fragile hair (for whatever the reason) what you might actually need is some sort of protein mask or treatment. When I want to rehydrate the ends of my hair I reach for A'kin's Gingko and Jojoba Intensive Moisture Masque*, but when I want to do an all over restorative protein treatment I've been reaching for KeraStraight's Protein Mask*. It's too soon for me to give this protein mask a full review but I can say that I'm really enjoying using it and I do believe that it will improve the overall condition of my hair.

Do you use a protein hair mask?

How to Apply Cream Blush: Makeup Tips and Tricks

Do you want to learn how to apply cream blush? I use cream blush nearly every single day as I love the natural looking finish that it gives. It took me a while to learn how to use it but, I've broken my routine down into a step by step guide so that you can easily replicate it for yourselves. 

Pick a cream blush that you like

This might sound obvious but there are actually many different cream blushes and they all have different textures and finishes. If you don't like one cream blush then don't give up all hope, it is likely that there is another one that you might like. My "high end" favourites are Stila's Convertible Colours and Illamasqua's Cream Blushes, and my drugstore favourites are MaxFactor's Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink and NYC's Blushable Cream Stick in Soho Pink. The Stila and MaxFactor ones have a slightly sticky consistency which makes them quite long lasting, Illamasqua's are very creamy which makes them easy to blend and NYC's blush is thicker making it a more tricky to work with (but longer lasting).

Wash your hands 

You're going to be using your fingers to apply your cream blush. Any "stuff" on your hands will transfer into the cream blushes and will, over time and repeated use, make them unhygienic to use. Being as hygienic as possible will limit this problem.

Dab your finger in your cream blush and then

tap the cream blush from your finger onto the back of your hand 

You want to transfer some of the blush onto the back of your hand and maybe blend it out a little bit - think of your hand as your artist's palette.

Smile to identify the "apple" of your cheeks

When you smile you can more easily see your cheekbones and the fleshy "apple" of your cheeks - the round part that gets more pronounced as your smile. You want to apply cream blush from the middle of this area, blend it upwards at slight angle (working from the middle of the cheek towards your ear). But only apply blush between the area that is directly below your pupil to the area directly below the end of your eyebrow (see image below). I apply my cream blush after applying my foundation and my contour, but before applying highlighter.

Dab a clean finger or stippling brush onto the product on your hand and tap it onto your cheeks.  Use a repeated tapping motion with your finger or brush to gently work the blush into your skin

Make two/three dots on your cheek (in the area indicated in the picture above). Then use a tapping motion to roughly blend the cream blush out, with either your finger or a clean stippling brush. It doesn't have to be completely neat and tidy, you just want the blush to be in the right area and to be roughly blended into your skin.

Use a clean buffing brush/foundation sponge to finish blending your blush, this will help achieve a very natural looking finish without moving your foundation

I use my Real Techniques Buffing brush to gently continue blending the blush - especially focusing on the edges so that the colour looks seamless. Once I'm done, I am usually happy with the finished look. If I'm not I'll either keep blending or if I want a more dramatic looking colour I repeat the whole process adding a little bit of extra blush. It's almost always better to start with too little than too much!

Candy - who blogs over at Owl Girl - really encouraged me to write this post which gave me the courage I needed to share my routine. I really hope you find it useful! 

Use It or Lose It: Some thoughts on Beauty "Hoarding"

I'm going to start off by telling you about my relationship with L'Occitane's Almond Milk Concentrate, and this will work as my example for the rest of what I want to talk about.

 I discovered L'Occitane's Almond Milk Concentrate when I was interrailing and it quickly became this unaffordable, unattainable beauty product that I didn't just enjoy using but actively coveted. For a long, long time it represented the epitome of luxury. To own it was to live out a small fantasy of mine, in which I played the part of "that sort of girl", the girl who owned luxury beauty products in beautiful glass jars and kept them on a beautiful dressing table amidst other beautiful things. Since I started blogging I have milked (no pun intended) every last drop of Almond Milk Concentrate that has happened to cross my path by way of goody bag or gift. Although I've enjoyed owning it, I haven't really indulged in the pleasure of using it. This is because to actively and regularly use it would inevitably lead to me finishing the product. And, in this mad world of mine, finishing the product equates to my simple fantasy of being "that sort of girl" with "those sorts of things" being shattered. 

It would be easy to think - gosh, how weird of you. But what I want to stress is that this relationship with luxury goods has seemingly become normal, and I witness similar relationships occurring between people and things all the time. It's branding that does it. Sophisticated advertising sells us a lifestyle instead of a product and we buy into our luxury perfumes and body creams for that lifestyle rather than the products themselves.

However, (although it easily could be) this blog post isn't about criticising that branding or advertising - what I'm interested in is that the goods I'm choosing to hoard have definite use-by dates. If you've got a luxury handbag that you bought last Christmas but have never worn out of the house then that's one thing, but my current jar of Almond Milk Concentrate is coming up to being one year old and I really should have finished it by now. If I don't actually start using it then I'm as good as throwing it away. And the same principle applies for any and all beauty hoarding. If you have a brand name lipstick that you love but daren't use too often then I implore you to re-evaluate this decision. Surely it makes more sense to use your more expensive products more often, to get your money's worth! If you get off on being "that type of girl" - the one who wears Chanel perfumes or Tom Ford lipsticks - then actually go out and be that girl. Wear your perfume, your lipstick, your body cream, whatever it is that you love, and enjoy every second of it - because sooner or later those products are going to turn foul and if you haven't made the most of using them then you're going to be left feeling cheated. 

If you want to buy into branding then let the branding work for you. Buy less, use more and then go out and just repurchase the things you really love. Now, please excuse me whilst I go and indulge in a spot of L'Occitane - for the next month I'm going to be living the dream! 

Natural Beauty Products: RMS Beauty Buriti Bronzer Review

I first mentioned RMS Beauty's Buriti Bronzer in my Naturisimo haul that I posted at the beginning of the month. Since I first got my hands on it, the Buriti Bronzer has replaced all my other bronzing and contouring products. It's a cream bronzer named after one of its content - Buriti Oil. It's actually full of skin-friendly ingredients, with other notable ingredients being; Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba Seed Oil and Cocoa Seed Butter. As far as make-up goes, I've never been more comfortable incorporating a product into my daily routine. 

RMS Beauty's Buriti Bronzer is quite pigmented if you swatch it with your finger. However, once your start blending the cream into your skin it sheers out into a subtle wash of colour that's incredibly wearable. I've experimented with ways to apply this bronzer and I like to dab it onto my skin with my fingers before reaching for my Real Techniques' Contour Brush to blend it into the hollows of my cheeks to achieve a natural looking contour. If I've gone a bit overboard by accident and want to tone the look down then I use the brush I applied my foundation with (usually Real Techniques' Expert Face Brush or Buffing Brush) to further blend the product into my skin. 

You don't need much product to achieve a beautiful look and the colour works as both a contour and bronzing product on my very light skin, it adds warmth to my complexion without being at all orange. As the colour can be varied depending on a) how much product you use and b) how much you blend it into your skin, I think that the shade would work on a range of skin tones from very light to medium/tanned. Although I love the finish, it doesn't last a very long time. However, I've been applying a setting powder over the top to prolong its wear time and this generally works well enough for my personal tastes, but it might not be long-lasting enough for everyone. 

I'm really happy to have treated myself to this bronzer, I know that it's going to be a staple of mine for a long while. RMS Beauty's Buriti Bronzer comes in at £25 which is on the pricier end of the spectrum but I think that it is definitely worth the money. It's available from Naturisimo and Love Lula - and keep an eye out for voucher codes, I used one that gave me £10 off £50 spends (I also picked up RMS Beauty's Living Luminiser which I'll also be reviewing once I've properly put it to the test).