REVIEW- Lee Stafford Hair Growth Range

 After putting my hair through hell the past few years I decided to give it a break. Dying it black at 16 then leading up to now I have been all shades of brown, and going bleach blonde in summer of 2010 you could imagine how dry and brittle my hair was.
For this reason my hair as been short for the past few years. When I was 16 I cut my hip length hair very short and dyed it black, I had a emo/scene hair style, which I liked at the time but looking back now I'm now thinking, Lauren..emo? WHY, seriously!

I haven't dyed my hair for over a year now, which is a big deal for me, I hate having roots and  get bored easily. Luckily last year was the year ombre-ing was big, and It looked like I had ombre hair.
I have naturally mousey brown hair, and the tips were lighter,it looked OK. Now, my own hair colour is fully though and feeling much healthier!
This is turning into a hair history post. I forgives;) The point I am reaching is, I am now growing my hair, and for that reason I had to stop dying it, to get it back into a healthy state, I have been keeping up with regular trims as there very important in growing hair, and I am happy to report that my hair is growing! Now this leads up to the products that have been helping me...

I will talk about the Hair growth treatment first, as they are the first products I tried in the range.

 I have gone through about 7 of these pots,there quite pricey but I stock up when theres offers on, on lee stafford products. I purchased 3 pots for £12 in boots in October 2011, and they last me quite a long time, but the question is do they work?

To a point yes they do work, but they will not magically grow your hair over night. You need to keep using them, it says to use them every wash until you see an improvement then use twice a week. That is what I did at first. What the growth treatment actually does is repair your hair, so it doesn't break, thefore helping it grow. Your hair cannot grow if you have broken/damaged ends. 

When I heard that the shampoo and conditioner was out in the range I admit I got a little excited, as the growth treatment worked lovely on my hair. Leaving it soft, looking healthy helping my ends. So I quickly went to my local boots to pick them up. I have used them about 5 times in total, you only need a small amount of each as they are quite thick.

The first wash left my hair feeling ever so soft and manageable. I have quite thick wavy hair, so blow drying and straighting takes a while, but on the first wash it took less time. I don't know why that was because I haven't had the same experience since, I use the shampoo and conditioner once a week along with the growth treatment, as  the shampoo  and conditioner seems to leave my hair quite dry. I use my Lush hair care or Tigi products on the days I'm not using these.

I should of stuck to just using the growth treatment as its working for me. I don't know what else I expected with the shampoo and conditioner, faster growing? unlikely.. The most they could do is repair my hair faster, but as I said my hair is healthier now. I will stick to using the range once a week and who knows, I may have the hair length I desire by summer! I will get back to you of course.

The heat protection isn't from the growth range but I thought I would share it with you anyway as I am loving it. I spray a light mist all over my hair before blow drying and also before straightening, it doesn't drown my hair, so it doesn't take long to dry before you use your hot tongs. The smell is great and I cannot say one bad thing about it!
Have you tried this range? or thinking to do so?

John Frieda 3 day straight: DAY ONE

I thought I'd write this review a little different. Instead of writing one post, I will write three, showing my hair on each day and giving my feedback!
Firstly,What is frizz ease 3- day straight?
3 day straight is a hair styling spray by john frieda, that is meant to keep your locks straight for three days. Just as long as you do not wet your hair.


This spray is aimed at people with curly hair. My hair is on the verge of curly. I have extremely thick wavy hair that needs to be straighten every time i wash it. So I was very eager to try out this product, which, I have been sent by john frieda to review. You can see for yourself how honest the results are.

Day one. I washed my hair as per usual same shampoo + conditioner,and applied around 8-9 sprays evenly through my hair. How many sprays you decide on is up to the individual and how long/thick your hair is.
I then combed through my hair to distribute evenly from roots to my ends. To follow I blow dried my hair straight.
Frizz ease 3-day straight also contains heat protection so there's no need for any other product, you can be sure your locks are safe.
I then parted my hair into 3 sections as I normally do when I straighten.
These were my results.
Back-
Side...
So far so good!
At one stage I did think my hair was rather sticky, however once straightened your left with non sticky silky smooth straight hair. I am very impressed right now. I shall keep you all up to date. Expect day two of the 3 day challenge shortly!

Thanks for reading
Lauren

Halo Hair Extensions Review

I have had the pleasure to try and review some amazing extensions from Halo hair. I have never worn extensions before, so I was ever so excited when halo offered me some to review. The last time I had long hair was when I was 16, after the chop I've always kept my locks short.
I choose the colour chocolate, if you are unsure of what colour you want you can always contact halo which I found was very helpful.
The extensions I received were 20" full head clip in Remy human hair in chocolate brown #4

The extensions come in this box pictured above.

28mm long clips with silicon tubing.
The clip is easy to operate you just slide down into your hair and click into place.

In the full head box you get:

4 pieces 2" wide with one clip

2 pieces 6" wide with two clips

Finally 2 pieces 8" wide with three clips

I also got two mini shampoo and conditioners with my extensions.
My first impressions when opening and feeling the hair was; my, how soft! This is 100% human hair, that has been treated and its just how I would like my own hair.I'm working towards this ;)
I wanted these extensions especially for a photo shoot. A couple days before the shoot i started to watch videos showing me how to apply the extensions. I took a big risk when trying these on for the first time, as I left it till the morning of the shoot, I was late for my train, make up done, 10 minutes to get my hair sorted! As I said I have never worn extensions so I was pretty nervous that I'd mess it all up. However i found the whole experience of putting these extensions in well and truly easy! I applied the two widest pieces at the bottom, one 6" in the middle and the smaller pieces around the top layers of my hair. I left one piece out as my hair looked full as it is.If my top layers were longer id of probably used them though.
I am very happy with how they looked, so natural. The photographer didn't even notice that my hair was fake! untill I told him. He thought it was my own :) I'm going to share with you a few pictures of me in the extensions from that shoot. For my next one, I'm going to go for a more wavy look and style the extensions.For before photo's to give you a rough idea how long my hair was before applying them skip to this post
Scroll to the bottom of this page for an exclusive discount from halo!

all images are copyright of the photographer.

Halo have very kindly given me my own code for my lovely readers to use on their site if you are wanting to make an order, you will receive a 10% discount! just type in the code:
HALOLOVESLAUREN

http://www.halohairextensions.com/

Anymore information or questions you want to know just send me a email :) parisboutique@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks for reading, I am having a blogging day and scheduling posts for the week including lots of hauls xx Lauren xx

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment Amazing Offer!!

Today I had to pop into town to get a few things including another lee stafford hair growth treatmeant, I hit the pan on my last, I am very impressed with it I must say, I was thinking of doing a review, but there are so many around...anyway on to the point of this post! The treatment costs £7.14 in boots, I went to the till to buy, and the lady said it is on offer, You can pick two of these up for £8! Amazing offer i must say. So if you use this or even want to try now is the perfect time to go grab them whilst stocks last. I'm unsure when the offer ends.You can buy most if not all lee stafford products in boots two for £8 so why not have a look on the website

There will be a halo hair extension review coming up this week so look out for it :)

Lauren xox

Guest post:Halo hair extensions

Halo contacted me via email, asking if they could feature on my blog, writing a guest post. I love halo extensions and making a purchase next week...
I may do a review.
check their site for more info about their products and prices-
http://www.halohairextensions.com

How to care for your hair extensions:

Caring for hair extensions So you’ve made the decision to have hair extensions, you love them, and they give you that extra boost of confidence. But now a little effort is required to make sure those luscious locks remain luscious. Whether you wear clip in extensions or permanent ones, the tips to keep them fresh remain the same. You need to take care of your hair extensions from day one of use. This can start from simply how you brush your hair- it is best to use a soft tipped brush and to gently go through your hair to avoid any tangling. Washing your extensions is another task. Before jumping in the shower slowly add water and gently brush before wash. When choosing a shampoo product, try to choose one low in alkaline as this will help keep the hair strong and reduce any chances of the extensions becoming brittle. When applying the shampoo, unless you want tangled hair, avoid rubbing the hair together- maybe use a wide tooth comb throughout washing! And for extra moisture add conditioner to the ends of the hair extensions. More conditioner than shampoo often keeps the extensions moist and reduces chances of them drying out.

Now this is the tricky part. With wet hair, it obviously needs to become dry which for most of us will mean applying heat. However if you have synthetic hair extensions avoid this! This will damage the hair and make it frizzle. With human hair, you can use hair dryers and straightners but make sure the heat is not too high!

Particularly as the winter months quickly approach us, taking care of hair extensions can become more difficult. Never go outside with wet hair, this will cause the hair to freeze and permanently damage the hair. When windy it is best to tie your hair up to avoid it tangling and also getting in your way as you try to walk down the street! However also remember when tying up hair extensions to not do it too tightly as the hair band could get stuck in the extensions and cause them to tangle. And don’t put too much hair spray in when styling unless you want your lovely new extensions to dry out.

Also remember, hair extensions are a great accessory for the winter. They allow you to thicken up your hair keeping you warmer and with dark tones available they will look fabulous for all the winter fashions.

Shall I go for it?

Major hair dilemma!
So I bought herbashine Ice Mahogany brown hair dye a month ago, waiting for the 'right time' to use it. Then I started reading reviews on the interwebz, mainly how bad it damages your hair and how quickly it fades!!! I'm having second thoughts, but part of me is telling me to go for it!
Have you ever used this colour, or any colour in this range?
what would you say is the best home hair dye out at the moment?
I need lots of advise!
xx

New Look, Summery Days, and Hair update!

♥ ♥ ♥

Hello my lovelies, firstly you may notice i have a 'new look' blog!
Its been totally revamped, as I get bored.
I quite like it, its not as cluttered with random pictures, so you can concentrate more on the blog posts.
but what do you think?
I made my header at silly O hour this morning, about 1am, i was tired but i just had to get it done!
It was my first experience with photoshop, and i must say its very confusing, anywhooo..one hour later and i had a header! wheey!! :)

Secondly; sorry i haven't been a good blogger recently :(
its just the weathers been so nice..I've been doing more of this.....Yes, sunbathing! ;)
..and taking lots of lovely days out with my boyfriend and daughter.
we went shibden park which is a beautiful place where i live.
Blue skies ^^.

this was on 22/05/10
the hottest day of the year I think?
we had a picnic, and took a walk up to shiben hall, which is also beautiful!

There was some lovely views walking up through the park..
I got a bit snap happy! :)

Now on to my hair....
I dyed it even blonder two Sundays back.
I was planning on going brown after all your lovely advise.
but i had a sudden urge to get a blonde dye when i was in asda.
I thought, I might as well go abit lighter before going back to dark..
it took me a long time to get to blonde so theres nothing to loose really.
So that's what I did.. I dyed it light blonde.
and it came out ok!! ...

(check out the smudged mascara! :[ )
this is what it looks like in the light,
I'm rocking my awesome bangle Abby bought me :D lavvv it!

here's another picture of the back etc, as you can see in the light its alot more blonde.

Even tho i love the blonde, im still going back to brown.
When i don't know...
for now I'm happy with lighter hair, as its summery! :)

What have you been doing on these lovely summery days?
Id love to know!

thanks for reading...
....Lauren x x

Blonde or brunette?

That is the Question! I need your thoughts lovelies. As it matters what you think. I'm hella stuck on weather to stay blonde or go back to brunette..


So here's me a couple of months back with brown (fading hair dye alert) hair.

Me blonde...
(my make up is much better above, I had foundation and bronzer ect on, where a below I couldn't be ass'd!)

I'm so not sure if it suites me to be honest. :/
If I stay blonde, I'm going to purchase tigi dumb blonde shamp + con.


and also dye my hair with a box dye...see if it makes it a nice blonde..
what box dyes do you recommend for blonde hair? is there any I should know about?
I love the colour below..But as i said I'm thinking about going back to brown, I just want to know what you think :)
x

I'm blonde..After care for bleached hair.

Hello my loveys!
If you had seen my last post, you will know that I very bravely decided to go blonde!
which I've been wanting to do for a while now...
actually ever since the hills started, I wanted Lauren Conrad's hair so so bad.
But going blonde isn't easy..as I said Ive been wanting my hair blonde since the hills started..and I've only just got there.
well.. dying my hair black then dark brown didn't speed up the process I guess.
My natural hair colour is a mousey brown, on the verge of a dirty blonde, its very light, but i haven't seen that colour since i started dyeing it, (first colour i ever went was black, when i was 16!)
Before having my hair bleached on Friday, my hair was pretty light, almost all the dark brown hair dye had faded. It wasnt a nice colour tho.
So what did I have done?
I had bleach applied to my hair, in little section's, which was then put in foils.
Then after waiting over a hour, I had it rinsed out, then the lady applied a toner...
and that's it! You'll see the out come at the end of this post :) or if your inpatient, you can scroll down now!


Now.. aftercare..I knew that the bleach would totally wreck my hair,which is the only downfall of going blonde the bleach way.
My hair was in great condition before hand, so there wasn't any breakage.
But yes my hair is dry/damaged. Booooo :(
For those who commented on my last post helping me with products for blonde hair, thank you so so much, you helped me alot!

I didn't have the money to splash out on a expensive purple shampoo so I picked these up in boots...

They cost me £1.99 each, and the lady in boots told me its very popular.
I was tempted to buy John frieda sheer blonde renew shampoo and conditioner, but thought id opt for the cheaper version just to see how it works.
I used it today for the first time and my hair does seem alot brighter!
But its still early days.
For those who don't know, the purple shampoo is to tone down the yellow and brassy tones in blonde hair.

Deep Conditioning....

I couldn't wait to wash my hair the next day.
I didn't have a treatment put on my hair after having it done.. so my hair was wanting some TLC!
I used Aussies miracle moist shampoo then used the Aussies 3 minute miracle reconstructor for about half an hour with my hair wrapped up in a towel.
On Sunday I went to a car boot, where thres a stall that sells cheap Avon products,
I picked myself up:
♥ Advance techniques colour protection restorative mask for coloured treated hair
♥ Advance technique intensive mask for all hair types
I cant see either of these on the site...I think there discontinued..?

Other products..

You cant beat Aussies miracle moist shampoo!
Redken anti snap- I have been using this for over a month, and it works! It made my hair happy again, and I will continue to use it now I've gone through bleaching it..
Avon heat protector, I wont be using heat much but when i do I've got this new heat protection to try out.
and last but not least..Avon's dry ends serum..this is soo good! my ends are pretty bad now so i have to apply this loads...



Okay my hair!
I have washed my hair twice since having it bleached, three times if you count the hairdresser doing it..
Its not fully blonde. Id say its more my natural colour with blonde highlights.
The condition isn't as bad as i was expecting.. thankfully!
I'l post a picture up of me posing soon, I'm too sleepy for you to see my face :P

Front....

Back.....

as you can see theres still brown tones in there..
I had to have a inch cut off the length and she put some layers in.
I'm just wondering weather or not to go back to get it bleached in 8 weeks...
I dont want to put my hair through much more to be honest,
I have a photo shoot coming up soon, I want my hair to look perfect.
I'm getting extensions so the colour has to match...
even tho i do like the colour, im sure blondes for me.
I know I'm a silly girl. I knew id go blonde then want to go back..
Brown really suites me, so maybe il go back to a light brown.
Id like to hear you opinions, please be honest!! :)

Love yooouus!

To all the blondes out there!

I need your help pretty please!
I'm finally going blonde tomorrow, the hairdresser gave me a strand test, and confirmed by phone today that my hair will not go orange when bleeched, (thank god) but it will go a golden blonde.
I know it may ruin my hair, but I've been wanting to go blonde forever, and its a risk I'm willing to take! I need help with what shampoo's, conditioners, treatments I need to buy.
I have only ever had blonde hair when i was little, that was natural so i have nooo clue how to care for blonde hair!
However, I do know you need a purple shampoo so your hair doesn't turn yellow? -which brand is best?
-Do I avoid certain products?
-Whats your hair routine if your a blonde?
please advise me because as you can see i do not have a clue!! :)
If you could tell me what you use or even link me to your blog if you have a post, or your youtube.
also.....
Is this range any good? anyone tried it? Even if your not blonde and you know anything, id love to hear just comment below :) xx

L'OREAL Elvive Full restore 5 Hair Care

I have been meaning to do this review for a while.
I am no longer using these products, Ive moved on to lush hair care.
However I thought id let you all know what I thought about them.
When ever I buy a new shampoo and conditioner I always end up buying the whole range.
Above you will see (from left to right) The leave in conditioner, normal conditioner,shampoo + mask.

I bought this range when my hair needed a huuuge pick me up.
I dyed my hair about 6-7 times in 2009, so can you imagine how damaged it actually was?
it was dead and needed its life back. I was hoping to grow it, but il talk more about that later.
When I went to buy the shampoo and conditioner at the check out the girl told me how i terrible the shampoo and conditioner is, and that it left her hair like straw, she said its very popular lots of girls have purchased them but she didn't think it was "all that"
I didn't know what to say, I just said "oh well every hair is different il give it ago.."
and I'm so happy I did.
It worked fine on my hair, I have stopped straightening my hair for the time being, i thought it needed a little break from the heat.
The shampoo and conditioner certainly revived my hair, I'm not saying its as healthy as Cheryl Cole's hair looks in the advert (altho they are extensions :/)
but it certainly made a difference.
My hair felt softer and shiner then ever.
So i went out and bought the mask, and the leave in conditioner.
I used the mask once a week for 15 Min's. It did wonders for my hair and I'm not just saying it!
Although it worked for my hair, I'm not saying it will work for yours, every hair is different as i said so i don't want anyone wasting there money on the whole range.
If you can buy the smaller versions it would be better!
I thought that's enough restoring, and I've changed back to normal shampoo and conditioner.
well not normal, these lush hair cares are far more special then the average herbal essences!
These are natural shampoos with no chemicals, FRESH! Well hello its lush do they ever sell anything but fresh?
A full review on Big will be soon, plus the shampoo bars and a American cream review!

My hair has been cut since my last FOTD, its shorter, more choppy and more healthy!
a pic will be up soon!
Until then..
have a lovely Wednesday!
Love Lauren
x

An AMAZING offer,Hair dye,Lush Prize & Mini Haul

I went out on a last mintute christmas shop, which may i add was hectic! >.< There was a couple of thing's I needed, but like always I end up coming home with more! First off, I want to tell you all on this amazing offer, I was into tescos to get some food shopping for tonights tea and ended up in the beauty corner, as you do.... and on the bottom shelf i saw these two ambire solaire bottles and a little yellow sticker saying the price.
I normally buy the face mist, I've had many, all costing me around £6 for a smaller bottle, this ambire solaire tin is for the body, Ive always wanted to try this.
ANYWAY...I'm rambling...this 150ml bottle cost me £1.86! the normally retails at £10.99 in tescos, bloody bargain! Next to it, was the 150ml sun protection spray also retailing at £1.86 Normal price: 14.99 OH MY GOD, I love bargains, I know its winter, but I'm thinking ahead.;)
I just had to get it for my daughter. If your interested Pop into your local tesco and see if they have any of the tanning spray.. its too good to miss..

I went into superdrug next:
I bought a sleek pallete, I've been wanting one for ages..I got the original to start with, I most probably will be buying them all tho, there amazing! as I'm sure you've read on another blog, its the talk of the blogging town :)
I ran out of my Batiste dry shampoo, I normally get tropical, but this time i went for blush.
and while in the make up section I picked my mum a extra little pressie, shes always wanting some of my eyeko eye cream so I bought her one.

and finally my hair dye! I went for iced chocolate, my boyfriend was with me at the time, and he was advising me on what he likes, i dont know why but his opinion on the way i look matters alot to me, sooo..i went for iced chocolate! Il let you all know how i get on!

(Hello me!)
Here's the sleek eyeshadow palette, gorgeous colours..I feel some tutorials coming on!
any requests on a look you want me to do with these??Here's what I won on a twitter lush raffle!
I got it a week ago, but no one was in to answer the door..
so i picked it up today!
Looks very battered but o well!
Click on the image to enlarge and read what I got, by the lovely note lush gave me!
Love to all Lauren
x

Battle of the Straightener’s: Remington Shine Therapy vs. GHD Kiss Hot Pink IV Styler

In the pink corner: The GHD'S.

What made me buy them?
The colour to be quite frank, I love pink. These beauties are hot pink and limited edition, so I thought id better grab a pair before it was too late.
I was looking for a new pair of straighteners..and was unsure what to buy, I had been looking at ghds for along time, debating weather to get them or not.
I have had so many straighteners in the past....6 in total.
The pair that i currently had was a basic pair of Remington's, they had a heat controller and was great, but the smells coming form the plates started to put me off, I burnt them with all the hair products i use!
I had my eyes on the babyliss pro 230 radiance, which had some great reviews.
So i was stuck on what to choose, My final decision was this: ghds are a great trust worthy brand, if i buy these, il have them along time,
with the babyliss, I didn't know how long they would last before they broke, and they arnt cheap.
Loads of people i know have ghds, and they've lasted for a good few years.

How much did they cost?
£135 - yeah ALOT! I got a box, three ghd lip glosses a how to DVD and some ghd heat protection with them though.

Where did I buy them?
A hair dressers in my town.

My thoughts?
They are awesome, BUT, after having them a few months Ive realised how bad they are for my hair. They are really hot,which is a big no no.
No matter what heat protection I use, I still think its destroying my hair.
It doesn't have a heat controller, so its set at 200 C I believe, altho somewhere i read its a massive 320 C! Waay to hot.
They would be fab if they had a control temperature.
The final result is great, but I'm thinking of my hair in the long run!

My Final thoughts:
Advantages:

• They look pretty the colour the style, everything
  
• The plates are smooth, making it easier to glide down the hair
• The on/off switch is inside so your not switching it buy mistake whilst straightening
• Heats up in just 60 seconds
• There hard wearing, you know they wont break anytime soon, even if they do your guaranteed
  
  Disadvantages:
  
  • The temperature is too hot! they need a temp control
  • They are abit pricey
    

In the Blue corner: The Remington's

What made me buy them?
Well, if you have read the last paragraph you'd know, the ghds are ruining my hair big time.
I heard some fantastic reviews of these straighteners, so thought id try them out.

How much did they cost & where did I biy them?
I was very lucky and bought them for £40 at Argos, they had a sale that weekend,they normally retail at around £60-70

My thoughts?
I have been using them for about 3 months now.
My hair has felt so much more shiny and soft, I have been setting them to about 190c, as anything lower doesn't really straighten.
It does exactly what it says, adds shine! Thanks to the Combination of shine enhancing vitamins E and Avocado.
I have finally found the perfect straighteners! Whey!


Final Thoughts:
Advantages:

• They have temp control
• Reasonably priced
• they heat up in 15 seconds- world breaking time right?
• They have vitamin E and avocodo to add shine to your hair
• There easy to handle
• they have a lock, that shuts the plates together when off, perfect for travelling
• after 60 mins they shut done, safety first people!
• They make your hair smoooooooth
• They just do the job brilliantly.
• They have a 5 year guarantee
  
  Disadvantages:
• The control Buttons are in a awkward place, so when styling you tend to make the temperature go up or down, so annoying!
  And that's all I can think of!
  
  I hope this review helped for those looking for a new straightener!
  
  
  Lauren x