Curly Hair Care

All of my 24 years of living I have had curly hair and I have finally figured out a routine that really accentuates my curls so I thought I'd share what little wisdom I have on the subject with you guys!

Shampoo and Conditioner.
I've started using the Ultimate Blends Coconut Water Dry Hair Shampoo and Conditioner, they don't contain any silicone which means it won't weigh down your curls. They also leave your hair feeling nourished and shiny. Any silicone free shampoo and conditioner will have the same effect, in fact OGX have a very similar formula which is currently on offer at Superdrug.

Products.
After I've washed my hair and got out of the shower I brush my hair whilst it is still sopping wet and I apply Schwarzkopf got2b Twisted Curling Mousse again, whilst my hair is still wet. I've tried a lot of different mousse products but this is by far the best I have tried. It really defines your curls and doesn't leave your hair all hard and scrunchy... if you have ever used scrunchy mousse then you will understand what I mean.

Hair Dryer.
ALWAYS USE A DIFFUSER. With curly hair you need to use a diffuser to reduce the frizz. If you like volume to your hair then dry it with your head upside down and really focus on drying your roots and mid sections first. I tend to dry my roots and mid sections, then flip my hair back and work on my ends. Never towel dry your hair because the material can cause frizz.

Aftercare.
A wide toothed comb will be your best friend, brushing your hair will cause frizz and possibly cause breakage so switch to a comb. I find that if I sleep on my hair it will go quite frizzy so I like to use a serum on the days when I don't wash my hair. I use the Elvive Extraordinary Oil at the moment but any serum would really work.

So those were the tips I have accumulated over the years and some of my product recommendations for curly hair. I hope they have helped slightly and please let me know if you try any of these!

Thank you for reading!
Bryony x

My Skincare Routine.

As a teen my skin was always under scrutiny by the kids at my school. I developed acne by the age of 10 and I hated my skin so much. I still occasionally break out now but I keep them at bay with my skincare routine.

Makeup Removal.

I would like to start this by saying I don't always take my makeup off before I go to bed, I know its a sin in the beauty world but in reality, by the time I get to bed I just fall to sleep and don't even think twice about taking my make up off. When I do remember to take off my make up, my go to is Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water for Combination & Sensitive Skin. This removes my makeup, cleanses my skin and leaves it looking mattified. I simply pour a little Micellar Water onto a cotton pad and wipe my makeup off, there's no need to scrub at your face with this product at all.

Moisturising.
At a time where I was struggling financially, I needed a moisturiser that wouldn't break the bank as a quick fix. I was shopping in Aldi one day and saw they did a Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Multi Intensive Serum and decided to give it a go and for two pounds it was a steal. I am currently on my second bottle because I fell in love with it. I dot the moisturiser on my forehead, nose, chin and both cheeks and rub it in, not forgetting my neck because that is the first thing that starts to age!!! I've been using this since November 2017 and can honestly say I've noticed a difference in my wrinkles.

Face Masks.
After I've removed my makeup and moisturised I occasionally like to treat my skin to a face mask. I don't really have a particular brand that I hover towards but at the moment I am using the Garnier Skin Active Pure Active Matcha Detox. The mask is supposed to unclog your pores and absorbs pollution and oil with the help of Matcha Tea Extract & Kaolin Clay. After using the mask for a week, my skin is definitely more matte. I'm not sure whether you can buy this yet as I got sent it (this is NOT an ad) but I will definitely be buying it when it comes into stores.


I've only just started taking skincare seriously and hopefully this will be the skincare routine that sticks but obviously over time my skin type will most probably change and when that happens I'll keep you all updated with my new routine.

Thanks for reading!
Bryony x

The Kardashian Era.

With over 440 million followers between them on Instagram alone, the Kardashians are probably one of the most talked about family on the planet. In this day and age people will search for the celebrities they love and the ones they love to hate, so what makes the Kardashians so popular?

How they became famous.
We can all remember THAT video and people will arguably say that this is the reason that the Kardashian family became well known, but can we just remember that Kim was actually a well-known friend of Paris Hilton for a while before that happened? She also had that killer bod that everyone took an interest in, including her booty. The Kardashian's rise to stardom did not happen over night, nor did it happen thanks to the member of family you might think. Robert Kardashian brought the name into light by being the lawyer of famously acquitted OJ Simpson in 1995 and that started the ball rolling.

Keeping up with the Kardashians.
In the year 2007 a little reality show was born thanks to the bad-ass Momager Kris Jenner. It starred a family of eight, 6 children and parents and followed them around as they lived their hectic and definitely never boring life! With Kris Jenner co-owning Smooch, a children's clothes boutique and the 3 older sisters (Kourtney, Kim and Khloe) owning Dash, a lot of their older shows were based around them learning how to balance their work lives with their personal lives. Now, however, Dash is rarely spoken about, Smooch closed down and their work lives have excelled amazingly over the last 10 years. Whilst the show helped Kardashian become a household name, it was their presence on social media which excelled them to fame.

Relationships.
The Kardashian/Jenner relationships are very well known, especially since a lot of their relationships are with well known people! Kris Jenner was married to Olympian Bruce Jenner. Kim famously married Chris Humphries and stayed married to him for a total of 30 days (he was an asshole Kim, we understand). She later married rapper Kanye West. Khloe was married to basketball player Lemar Odam, who she later divorced due to a long list of discrepancies and is now pregnant with Cleaveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson's child (never been more happy for a celebrity to be pregnant, fyi). Kourtney had a long term relationship with Lord Disick which ended due to his dependency with alcohol. Kendell Jenner likes to keep her relationships private but the rumour mill churns out a lot about her, eg Harry Styles, Blake Griffin, ASAP Rocky (this is embarrassing to admit but my four button which is also the dollar sign button isn't working on my laptop... so yeah). The youngest sister, Kylie's most known relationship was with rapper Tyga... she now could still be with rapper Travis Scott who she could also maybe or maybe not be pregnant with his child KYLIE JUST TELL US.

Social Media.
Social media has a massive part to play in the Kardashian's fame, like I've previously stated, they have over 440 million followers between them on Insta and 166.3 millions followers on Twitter. They always keep up with the latest trends, most of the time creating those trends themselves and constantly look effortlessly flawless. There is always something going on in the Kardashian family that will be news worthy, Khloe's pregnancy being the main big moment happening right now... and Kylie's possible pregnancy. My personal social media accounts are ALWAYS blowing up with conspiracy theories about the sisters and pap photos from their latest holidays. Even if I wanted to escape the family for a day, I don't think it would be possible. Like I said, you either love them or you love to hate them and either way you are posting about them to some sort of platform.

Like all good things, will it come to an end?
Will we eventually get sick of seeing their perfect faces every time we turn on the television or check our social media accounts? No doubt! But for now, with 10 seasons of KUWTK under their belts, multiple spin offs and countless business' they've got going on, I can't see it happening any time soon and I don't want it to. I, like many, are intrigued how the other half live and I'm not ashamed to admit that and if Kylie has had enough of being a Jenner then girl, let me take your place!

Thank you for reading,
Bryony x

Peel Face Mask Trial... Ouch.

You've seen the viral videos of people taking 'peel off' face masks off their faces and screaming because of how badly it hurts, they make for some good entertainment! After watching multiple I had a few questions- 1) do they work? 2) does it really hurt that much? 3) where do I buy them from. 

Purchasing a peel off mask.

Turns out you can buy them from pretty much any drug store/ supermarket/ online store and they're not that expensive at all. I ended up going for the Soap and Glory 'What a Peeling' de-clog mask. Can we just take a minute to appreciate the puns Soap and Glory come up with, I do love a good pun. Anyway, the things that first attracted me to this particular face mask was that it was pink, it was made by Soap and Glory and it comes with a tiny spatula type thing to apply the mask onto your face... and it was 3 for 2 on all Soap and Glory items at Boots. 

Applying the mask.

The spatula seemed like a good idea, no mess on my bathroom floor and easy application HOWEVER, I still somehow managed to get the mask all over my hands, eyebrows, hair line... you name it, I probably got face mask in it. It started to dry pretty quickly but I had to sit around for 20-25 minutes until it had properly set and had clung to all the little nasties in my pores, so I popped the kettle on.

Can you see the regret on my face?

Taking the mask off.
I've seen those videos of people screaming and near enough crying whilst taking their masks off and I can confirm... that they must be really good actors because it doesn't actually hurt at all. It's more of an odd feeling, like you're peeling off a layer of skin, which sounds painful, but really isn't. I mean, my eyes watered a couple of times but that was probably the mask pulling out any unwanted moustache hairs hanging around my lip so I'm kind of grateful.

The results.
SO MUCH CRAP CAME OUT OF MY PORES. It is oddly satisfying to have a look at how much came out actually, I was studying the mask for about 10 minutes finding all these bits that had come out of my face. My skin felt amazing and so smooth! A couple of days later I did have quite a bad skin breakout and I honestly don't know whether that was because of the mask or because my skin hates me even when I try my best to keep it happy, who knows.

I think everyone should experience a peel off face mask at least once in their life and I can totally recommend the Soap & Glory de-clog masks!

Thank you for reading,
Bryony x

Influenster X Rimmel London Vox Box Review

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. It's a day late but better late than never, right?

Now down to business! I have been sent my first ever Vox Box by Influenster and my god, was it a good’un. I have the privelidge of testing 8 of Rimmel London’s new products for free! I will say now that this is an AD and I received this box for free in exchange for my honest reviews.

The Products.
As I said previously, I was sent a total of 8 products: Lip Art in shades Pearlescent, Gold and Blush; Ink Me Eye & Body Liners in shades Golden Gang and Pitch Black; Ink Me Sticker Tattoos; Glitter Top Coat in shade Ruby Crush and the Wonder'fully Real Mascara.

Wonder'fully Real Mascara.

I was so excited to get my hands on all of these products. The Wonder'fully Real Mascara was definitely top on my list to try because I had been looking for a new mascara for a while. While the results are amazing, some people may find the mascara to be quite thick and clumpy. I personally love the clumpy look. Another thing I will say about the mascara is that it takes a while to dry, being a mother of two children who love me so much they don't let me have 2 minutes to myself (including bathroom trips), I need a mascara that will apply fast and dry even quicker.

Lip Art.

These shades will go with any lipstick you own! I have tried mine with multiple matte shades, I am yet to try them with any thing other than matte lipsticks. I love the look it gives and the dimension it gives to your look. However, you need to make sure your lipstick of choice is completely dry before you apply this product otherwise I find it mixes together and creates an odd colouring. The product also doesn't dry so if you have a drink or some food then you may have to reapply afterwards.

These are the results of the mascara and the Lip Art

(wearing matte black liquid lipstick with shade Pearlescent over the top)

Ink Me Eye & Body Liners.

I had been looking for a gold liner for a while for the festive period and this one did not disappoint me at all. Its easy applicable (as easy as liquid eyeliner can be to apply) and the pigment is really strong with both shades so you don't have to go over your lines again and again. I have only tried them on my eyes, I haven't ventured into drawing on my body yet, my tattooist does that for me, but I can imagine the results would be the same no matter where you applied it. I personally prefer the felt tip kind of liquid eyeliner and this application brush is flimsy BUT I still found the product easy to apply. The product does smudge so that is something to consider before buying it but as long as you don't sweat, cry or rub your eyes... you'll be fine.

Ink Me Sticker Tattoos.

I really don't have a lot to say about this product if I'm completely honest. They're not something I would usually wear in my day to day life. However, if they are something that you would wear then they are worth a purchase. They go on easy and I'm not going to lie to you all, I applied stars around cheek bone, temple and eyebrow and pretended to be Kat Von D for the day... don't judge me. 

Glitter Top Coat.

Now, again, I'm not someone who would really wear this product because in the line of work I do any nail varnish I wear will come off. That being said, the shade they sent was perfect for the festive period and I loved it! It does blatantly say in the product name that it is intended as a top coat but I am a rebel and didn't bother putting a colour underneath. It still works and its still beautiful but I would recommend putting a colour on underneath because it will make it look even more pretty. If you're someone who loves to sparkle on a daily basis (because who wouldn't if you could?) then this product is a must buy! 

Thank you's and where to buy!

I would like to thank Influenster for sending me this VoxBox and I would like to thank Rimmel London for bringing out/sending these products because I love them! You will find all of these products on the Boots website by searching for Rimmel London and then clicking on 'Whats New', they currently have an offer on of Buy 1 get 1 half price! You can also purchase these from Superdrug who have the offer of  3 for 2 on Rimmel London plus you get a Wonder'fully Real Mascara for FREE when you purchase any 3 products. Is this where I should hashtag Ad? Cause #AD. 

Thank you for reading!

Bryony x