Tuesday 28 January 2014

Christophe Robin's Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt

I love trying new brands - especially when it's anything to do with hair-care as my hair needs all the loving it can get after all I put it through with hair dye and heat styling.

I've recently discovered Christophe Robin's cleansing purifying scrub with sea salt and thought you guys would want to know how I got on with it, I mean, it's not every day your hair gets treated to a scrub, right!?  I'm not going to lie, it was pretty crazy rubbing rock salt granules into my hair but it soon dissolved and lathered up like a normal shampoo.  It felt squeaky clean afterwards and I continued with my normal conditioner. 
I love the cute tub this scrub comes in!

Who is it for?
Christophe Robin's Cleansing purifying scrub with sea salt is  specifically designed as

1) a Post Colouring Treatment - to eliminate chemical residues and to soothe irritated skin (I particularly hate that burning feeling after a bleaching session :p!)
2)A Detox Treatment - to cleanse and re-balance oily scalps

What is in it?
This cleansing scrub contains:
  • Sea Salt which eliminates impurities &increased blood circulation
  • A vegetable based moisturizing agent that soothes the scalp and reduces irritation.


This Chrisophe Robin scrub provides 20 applications

Christophe Robin's Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt 

Results of Christophe Robin's Cleansing purifying scrub with sea salt

First of all, I have dry hair so I was apprehensive about it potentially drying my hair out as it is recommended for oily scalps.  I can HONESTLY AND TRULY SAY it did not dry my hair out at all and left my hair feeling healthy and light. 

 What I noticed was that my hair really did feel squeaky clean afterwards (which I normally only achieve after a double shampoo).  It felt like it got all the residues of heat protection, hair spray, hair shine and gel out my hair.  This really worked as a great detox treatment in cleansing my hair.

I haven't recently coloured / dyed my hair so I haven't got a sensitive of itchy scalp currently, but as soon as I do colour it I will definitely be using this cleansing scrub as a post colouring treatment because of its soothing and calming properties.  I will report back to you guys letting you know how I got on!!

I would definitely advise anyone to use this scrub as a weekly treatment to really cleanse hair of all the products that build up.  I also think it would work wonders post colouring in soothing your scalp and restoring it back to healthiness!

Christophe Robin's Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt can be found at www.lookfantastic.com and has an RRP of £37.00 (link)

*product sent for consideration and review


Monday 27 January 2014

Taming Wild Hair with Denman Animal Print Brushes!

 Hello Ladies!

I'm sure lots of you have long, wild hair like me and choosing the right hairbrush is crucial in managing it was well as making sure you don't damage it.  There are some hair brush styles that I know either won't get through my hair or will get completely tangled in it - for example round hair brushes.

But, I have found the most practical and most stylish hair brush yet which I love having on hand in my handbag!  It's a bright pink leopard print classic styling brush (available here).  For years I've been a huge fan of Denman Brushes as they really seem to be able to get through my thick, coarse hair and now they have a  funky collection of animal print brushes that are perfect for taming wild hair!

Denman Pink Leopard Print Brush available here.


I went for a bright print Denman Leopard print brush as I love how girly it is and perfect for pulling out your handbag.  But this animal print isn't just fashionable but AMAZING for wild hair (ahem, like mine :p).  It's great for every day grooming and calming down frizz as its round nylon pins prevent breakages and get through tough tangled hair.
I matched my Denman Hairbrush with a bright pink laura mercier lipgloss!!

 This Denman Classic Styling Brush comes in a number of florescent colours and is available in both Zebra and Leopard print so you can choose the print and colour that matches your personality and style best.  This is an amazing brush for tackling tangles and is great for smoothing hair straight after the shower.

They RRP at £8.68 and are available from Boots, Superdrug, Sainsbury's & John Lewis as well as from www.denmanbrush.com

*Product sent for consideration and review

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Low-key Benefit Cosmetics Evening Makeup

Hey my dears, 

  I've had a week of gorging out at restaurants so I'm feeling pretty guilty about all the delicious food I've been having!!  Twice at one week I've ended up at a Thai restaurant called "Monkey and Me" in Marylebone, London.  It's got such a calm atmosphere and such yummy food that I had to go back there after just a few days!

Monkey and Me is cooly lit and you can watch the world go by, so it's the sort of occasion where you want to dress up and down at the same time as it is so high quality yet so relaxed!  So I went for a LBD and low key makeup for the evening all Benefits Cosmetics.

Evening makeup with Benefit Cosmetics



Outfit
  • I wore a black lace bat wing jersey dress by Biba (AW13) with some opaque tights and heels.
Makeup
  • Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional primer
  • Benefit Cosmetics playstick in tea party
  • Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer
  • Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Mascara
  • Benefit COsmetics Badgal eyeliner




And as you guys can see the starters were absolutely scrummy!  Unfortunately no pictures of the main as we dived in to polish it off! But all in all a beautiful evening with some low key evening makeup to top it off!

Have you guys tried Monkey and Me?? Hope you like the evening makeup look too!

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Label.M Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Hello my beauties!!

You've probably seen from my previous posts that having big, thick healthy hair is very important to me.  Especially because it's so long, it's easy to loose volume as the weight pulls it down.  This is why I was super excited to try out the new Label.M thickening shampoo and conditioner.

On first impact, I absolutely love the packaging that is perfect for a girly bathroom. The product itself looks expensive with its sleek shape, beautiful logo and dark pink colour.  It comes in a strong solid cylindrical bottle with an easy lid that you press to open to squeeze out the product.  On a more practical note, the product is easy to use with a lid that you press to release the product.


Label.M Thickening Shanpoo and Conditioner

Did it thicken?

Yes.  The Label.M Thickening shampoo and conditioner didn't disappoint and delivered what it says on the tin and gave plumped up volume.  Applying the products themselves on wet hair felt like most other shampoos and conditioners, but when I was blowdrying after I could see there was a lot more volume in my roots which I am normally lacking.   Well done Label.M!

Results: Label.M Thickening Shanpoo and Conditioner

What about frizz!?

One of the pros of this product is that despite being for thickening, it still left my hair feeling sleek and smooth and not brittle.  This is a hugely important factor for me as my hair is so dry and frizzy.  This thickening duo seemed to not only give me thicker hair, but didn't leave  me with frizz which was what I was afraid of!

Any negatives?

I'm a bit funny with smell, I like my hair products to smell super fruity and fragrant whereas this smells like a professional haircare product...which it is.  It isn't a bad smell, but if I was to improve on this product, I'd like it to smell less 'salon fresh'. But that's probably just me being picky!

But on the whole, I would definitely recommend the Label.M Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner.  I think it would work wonders on fine hair as it worked great on my hair which is already fairly thick.  I love the extra volume it provided though and would definitely purchase in the future!

Label.M Thickening Shampoo has a RRP of £12.25 and is available from www.lookfantastic.com here: http://www.lookfantastic.com/label.m-thickening-shampoo-300ml/10868902.html

* Label.M thickening Conditioner has a RRP of £12.25 and is available from www.lookfantastic.com
http://www.lookfantastic.com/brands/label-m/label-m-condition.list

PR sample sent for review and consideration

Friday 17 January 2014

YSL Contouring

Hey there, 

For special occasions I go that extra mile and go for a bit of contouring!! It does add another couple of steps to your makeup routine, so its not for every day.....unless your Kim Kardashian and contouring comes as naturally as eating breakfast.

I use YSL products when achieving contouring as I believe they have the best quality products for blending and setting on the skin as well as an amazing range of colours.

See my tutorial below for contouring:  





Contouring with YSL

1.) Prime your face with a mattifying primer
2.)  Apply YSL touche eclat (link) in a shade two shades lighter to your upper cheek bone and a shade 2 shades darker than your natural skin tone just below.  It will look a bit like war paint.  (if you have any spots or uneven skin tone, apply a touche eclat in the same shade as your skin.)
3.) Gently blend them in a little, not completely.
4.) Smooth over your foundation.  This will cover the stripes but it will still shine though giving the impression of razor sharp cheek bones.  I use YSL Le Teint Touche Eclait in B50 (link).
5) I then soften and set the look with some YSL Powder compact radiance (link)

That's how I achieve the look!!

Hope you like my contouring tips with YSL!

Lots of love,

Fiocco Bianco xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wednesday 15 January 2014

BEAUTY GIVEAWAY - DERMAROLLER

Hi Ladies!

As a big thank you to all of you following my blog I thought it was time to offer a giveaway!

Really simply, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post and to follow me on Bloglovin - just click the button on the top right of my page saying 'follow on bloglovin' and leave a comment below.

I thought I'd giveaway a beauty tool as it will be more durable when sending by post than an eyeshadow or such!  So drum roll please...I've chosen a DERMAROLLER! This is known to improve the appearance of strech marks, acne scars and helps to smoothen skin.

The beauty giveaway - Microneedle Skin Nurse System Dermaroller

*The disclaimer -

  • One UK winner will be chosen on Friday 24th Jan and will be posted this product immediately by royal mail to a UK address
  • If you win check with your dermatologist or doctor that your skin is suitable for this product (microneedle skin nurse system). 
  •  I will take no liability to any adverse reactions should any occur.
  • Follow all directions on the instructions
  • Not suitable for very sensitive skin, rosacea, or people with a history of keloid scars.
Thanks guys and good luck to you on this beauty giveaway of a Micro needle skin nurse system Dermaroller!!!! 

Remember, winner announced on Friday 24th Jan, just follow and leave a comment :O) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

***********UDATE *************

unfortunately there were no winners as nobody commented on this post :( hopefully next time

Monday 13 January 2014

Tutorial: Wavy Hair with GHD's V Classic Styler

Hey Ladies!!

For special occasions I tend to pull out the 'wavy hair' look.  But, it wasn't always so easy discovering how to do it.

For big bouncy curls, I would reccommend curling tongs, whereas for a relaxed, wavy hair look, I've come up with the following tutorial using GHD's V Classic Styler as I think it looks a little more natural whilst adding volume to your hair.







 Tutorial

1.) After washing and rough trying you hair, pin up the top 3/4 of your hair with a hair band roughly where your ears are.
2.) Comb it and spray on a heat protector.  I like BB Spray de Mode (link) as it protects the hair against heat whilst acting as a hair spray to hold the wave in your hair once styled.
3.) Turn on your GHDs and wait for them to fully heat. (Best when even the outter plastic is hot too).  I would recommend *these* as my GHD V classic styler has lasted 3 years and they've been working perfectly to this day.  They are reliable and reach the heat needed  as well as creating lovely round waves because of the barrel shape.  They are also currently £20 discounted.
4.) Taking 1 inch strands of hair, run the straighteners down your hair shaft in a downwards fashion.
5.)Take the hair strand again and when you run down to half wait pause and twist the GHDs 90 degrees so your straighteners are now twisting your hair in a different direction.  Slowly pull the GHDs down at this angle.
6.) This should create a slight wave.  If it is not wavy enough do it again.
7.) When happy with your wave spray it with hair spray and move to the next one.
8) When the first quarter of your hair is done unclip the next quarter and keep doing so until finished.
9) When done run your fingers through your hair to make it look more natural.

And that's it!  Hope this helped!

Let me know if it works for u!

Love fiocco bianco xxx


Friday 10 January 2014

OOTD with January SALE favourites

Hey Dolls!

Here is a quick OOTD which is a really simple look with denim and leather. It features some of my favourite items purchased during the January Sales and so should still be available to snap up!  My best buy has to be the Bertie Pasco leather ankle boots which I had been eyeing up for months which have been reduced from £115.00 to £69.00 at John Lewis (link here).


I think the leather Bertie ankle boots make this look
The OOTD features my brand new favorite leather ankle boots from Bertie (link) which come in a really soft black leather with simple side zip.  I matched it with leather jacket, ripped jeans and a really cute cream mixed Angora jumper from Fat Face.

Super comfy Fat Face jumper only £20 from £42.00

I wore it just for a casual day shopping round London as it is so comfortable and easy to wear.  The Bertie leather ankle boots are super comfortable and the jumper was perfect for the cold weather.








Clothing:
Fat face Jumper (link) 
Bertie Pasco Leather boots (link)
Guess Jeans (SS12)
Leather Bag Urban Outfitters (SS12)

Hope you like the look! Let me know what you think and enjoy the January sales too!

xxxx fiocco bianco xxxx

Friday 3 January 2014

Nude Chanel Lipstick - Rouge Allure Insouciante (81)

Nude lipsticks - you either love them or you hate them.  I am a sucker for them as I think they're really low maintenance and go with most outfits.  With red you really have to watch what you eat, pink is fun but doesn't go with all looks, whereas a good nude just compliments so much.

I've found the perfect muted nude tone in the Chanel Rouge Allure range which adds the perfect tone to your lips without that 'dead lips' look which some bad nude lipsticks create.  So let me present my favourite of nude lipsticks, Chanel's Rouge Allure Insouciante 81:
.

Golden / Brown / Pink hues in this Chanel Rouge Allure (link)


I'm really struggling on how to describe the actual colour of Chanel's Rouge Allure Insouciante (81) as it is made of a mixture of tones.  The last picture does it the most justice, however, it's what's I'd call a browny / bronze with gold and pink undertones.  It's glossy and really creates a beautiful nude lip look that will make the most of dark eye makeup as it won't draw attention away


I love the glossiness of Chanel's Insouciante 81


Chanel Rouge Allure Insouciante 81

It has a beautiful glossy texture and I'm gutted that this lipstick has been discontinued.  I found it in a little makeup shop in Italy and now wish I'd bought the whole stock of them!  I would say that the closest available shade right now to it though would be Rouge Allure Captivante 119 (link) which has a little more pink tone to it.

Have you guys got a favourite nude lipstick that you want to share your love for!? Let us know in the comments below!  Or if you've tried this rouge allure then let us know!!

Lots of love

Fiocco Bianco xxx

Eye of Horus Mascara Black Goddess Review

Morning my beauties!

I've had the pleasure of trying out a brand which I've been dying to use for a good few months called "Eye of Horus."  Ever since I got into makeup, I have always been inspired by Egyptian makeup with porcelain skin and exotic black eyes with thick liner.  This brand encompasses this philosophy.  

Below you can find how I got on with their Black Goddess Mascara!


Cute gift bag the mascara comes in

Box the Black Goddess Mascara comes in

Love the design of this Eye of Horus Mascara

 Black Goddess Mascara Review:

Formula - 10/10
Formulated in the style of the Ancient Egyptians, the Eye of Horus Black Goddess Mascara is made from natural waxes and Moringa oil and is completely paraben free.  These natural bases stop it clumping and smudging.

This is absolute gold dust to me, as lots of mascaras now are made with silicone and plastics which are terrible for sensitive eyes.  I found, however, with the natural ingredients in the Eye of Horus formula that it was just right for my fairly delicate eyes.  (I've found with other mascaras that my eyes begin to water and cause my mascara to run, but not with this one!)

Blackness - 9/10

This black is extremely black and one of the darkest I have tried.  However, I have still found blacker by Benefit...but only slightly.

Black Goddess Mascara - Super fine bristles to separate the lashes

Wand 9/10 

  The black is super dark and doesn't crumble.  The wand has lots of tiny bristles which separate the lashes as well as encasing each and everyone one of them with mascara.  This style of wand really stops clumping which which works beautifully with the Moringa oil in the formula helping it to glide on beautifully

Only downside - The the lashes become long and separated, I prefer a bit more volume which is achieved with the thicker bristled wands.

Packaging 10/10

LOVE LOVE LOVE THE PACKAGING. 10/10

I know it shouldn't be important but it is.  I love the unusual shaped mascara tube and I love the golden font and eye of horus design on the tube which really makes you feel like a goddess!

Over all, I would definitely recommend this black goddess mascara.  Especially if you have sensitive eyes and you want to try a paraben free mascara using a natural and ancient recipe as it has been specifically designed with that in mind.

Additionally, it comes out very black and has a great wand for separating lashes.

Available from  - http://www.eyeofhoruscosmetics.co.uk

* Product send for review and consideration






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