Top products for shiny & smooth hair

Let me level with you here: I am a strong believer that changing your hair quality is pretty much impossible unless you are committed to the cause! Straight & shiny locks made an appearance at the Chloe S/S '14 show so I have wrapped up my top tips on how to protect your hair during the colder days to come, along with getting your 'do S/S '14 ready.

Moisturiser.  The Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat is one heck of a silky smooth formula and to top it off it smells heavenly! Post shampooing I slap it on my hair  from tip to root, wrap up it in a towel and leave for 20 mins. Given it's thick consistency I would recommend to only use this product once a week as even after blow drying my hair does feel a tad weighty. But in the days that follow the application, my hair always feels shiner, healthier and less frizzy!

Smooth, quench & hydrate. The Nicky Clarke Moisture Conditioner does just that! The formula is infused with wheat protein & moringa oil that work together to neutralise static and eliminate flyaways - both key components to create more manageable hair.

To Set. I switch it up between the Ojon Dry Recovery Hydrating Creme, Percy & Reed Finishing Polish and Percy & Reed No Oil, Oil. 3 products that are equally great at protecting my hair. First up is the Ojon Dry Recovery, this is a great light-weight product for hydrating your scalp especially if you tend to over-do it on the blow drying front during autumn. Percy & Reed are hands down my fave hair brand (my next venture is to get my hair done at their salon!) for a few simple reasons: their fun packaging, cute product descriptions and the fact that their products all the smell the same - don't ask why but I like consistency! Both of these products were part of a trend pack I picked up from ASOS (a great way to try out products before committing to the full size) and will be my go-to's this autumn/winter.

Autumn haircare is bit of extra graft but it's important to not load up your locks and weight your scalp down with a load of products. I would say stick to 3 or 4 that comfortably quench your scalp and don't over-hydrated!

* image courtesy of Vogue.com

Beauty Insider: Stephanie O'Reilly, ASOS Beauty Buyer

"Initially I wanted to be a fashion buyer, and directed all of my studies/work experience towards that. But Beauty and I turned out to be a match made in heaven. I've always been interested in cosmetics but it never occurred to me that I could turn it into a full-time job. Once I told people about the job I had landed at ASOS, everyone assured me that it was the “perfect” job for me. My career highlight would be my first day interning for the British Fashion Council at London Fashion Week. A photographer took my photo and my mum found it in Vogue 3 months later!

As a teen I was a bit over-handy with the eyeliner. I originally used a Dior pencil on the inside of my eyes and then swapped to the MAC Fluidline to do flicks on my eyelids - a style which I have now parted ways with. But a teen beauty staple that is still holding it's own in my make-up bag is the MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation and I do still love it. My daily make-up look is NARS Sheer Glow foundation followed by Nars Pressed Powder over the top (an absolute must for sealing). I wear mascara and I always do a bright lip. I have been attached at the hip to Stila After Glow in Festive Fuchsia all summer. I started wearing it in Ibiza and have put it on almost every day since! For going out in the evening I tend to re-apply foundation in a shade darker and use bronzing powder over the top. I keep the lip and eyes the same. I occasionally work-out. I will top up my lipstick before and put my hair up in a ponytail but then leave both after, and just go home to shower it all off!

In the mornings I run a bubble bath and eat my breakfast whilst I wait for it to fill up. People think I am completely bonkers for having a bath every single day but I think it is such a nice way to start your morning! I then dry my hair on the alternate days with my GHD Air hairdryer (a godsend!), tame it with GHD Salon Straighteners and  in-between washing I look to my TONI&GUY Dry Shampoo. I prep my face by cleansing with the Elemis Fresh Skin Exfoliating Facewash . I'm ashamed to say I don’t moisturise my face before I put my make-up on in the morning but I find it tends to dilute my foundation and leaves me quite shiny! I apply my make-up, decide on an outfit and hit the road.

I apply  fake-tan twice a week during summer, and then once a week for autumn but give up completely in winter. I swear by NIP+FAB 360 Body Glow, which I didn't originally realise was a fake tan!  If I can remember before I go to sleep I use This Works Perfect Skin Moisturiser and Rodial Dragon’s Blood Eye Gel, after taking off make-up with Johnson’s baby wipes.

My style is extremely colourful. The brighter the better in my opinion. My beauty reflects this with a vibrant lip and always coloured nails. I wear an awful lot of pink so my hands and toes are usually a varied shade of fuchsia!"

Laser Hair Removal: 2nd Treatment

I'm not going to deny it, I was not looking forward to my 2nd treatment of Laser Hair Removal! As mentioned in my last post the main change has been the reduction of ingrown hair and overall smoother skin. I am happy to say that the pain level reduced dramatically during my 2nd treatment *phew* which was due to their being less hair on my legs. Also I was more prepared for what was to come and I was even able to go up a stage on the pressure meter!

Have I seen a reduction in hair growth? Well I'm shaving less and less which is a good sign but I am not quite there yet....