October 2016 – always a blue sky girl

So, I’ve been trying to ‘buy less and buy better’ as my wardrobe was bulging at the seams with lots of ‘bargains’ that really weren’t that great. This has meant an end to big Primark hauls and the beginning of more careful shopping…

…well kind of! The other day I allowed myself a visit with the rule I could spend just £20 and anything I bought needed to fit into my AW16 wardrobe.

So what did I get with my £20? Well a pretty wonderful mix of things if I do say so myself! Take a look…

Pattern shirt – £7.00

A shirt covered in pineapples, ladybirds, stars, butterlies, hearts, cacti, eyes and much more you say? How could I say no! This is an amazing price and they also do a cute dark blue stars version. I sized up for a looser fit and it looks great with a pair of skinnies.

Brogues – £5 (was £12)

A classic brogue will never go out of style and this shoe is perfect for Autumn. I loved the no laces (I hate messy styling) and the studs add a cool edge. Plus they are super comfortable.

Leopard print blouse – £3 (was £8)

I love a bit of leopard print and this top is effortlessly stylish. Easy to throw on, with a slightly dipped hem back and the exposed zip at the back adds that bit of luxe detailing.

Gold flats – £3 (were £8)

Party season is nearly upon us and I am not a heels lover. I looked at these when they were full price and passed but for the price of a glossy magazine? I just had to!

Sunglasses – £1/pair (were £3/pair)

Ok I know summer is over but you can never have too many sunglasses. As well as a couple of designer pairs (which I keep for years) I like to have a few cheap and cheerful pairs that I can leave in the car or my handbag and dont have to worry if they get broken/lost.

So thats my mini haul! I think I stayed within my rules and have already worn the shirt and brogues loads, so for me its £20 well spent.

All available now in store at Primark

Wanting to update my hair colour for winter and looking for a new home hair dye, I decided to take the Olia challenge and home-dye my hair using the Garnier brand. Fearne Cotton has been promoting the challenge and you can upload a before and after pic to their website for the change to be entered into a competition to win a £5000 shopping spree! Also if you buy the product at Superdrug you can claim your money back too – so basically try it for free. I only found this out after I’d bought mine somewhere else but you can find out more here.

Its always a bit nerve wracking trying a new hair dye brand and after the 48hr allergy test I unpacked my hair dye and dived in hoping for the best! I needed 2 packs for my long, quite thick hair and went for shade 4.6 Deep Red.

The instructions were pretty simple and the dye mixed up easily and the packing doubled as a stand which I though was quite clever. The application was easy using the teardrop shape bottle and the product itself wasnt too runny which was good.

I wasn’t as impressed with the large, loose gloves and much prefer the tighter latex gloves I’ved used with other brands so I think next time I will use a spare set of latex gloves rather than the ones provided.

I waited the 30 minutes and then washed it off. Going for a deeper colour meant it too ages for the water to run clear but then I did use two packs.

Some tips for a home dye

Preparation! Make sure you have old towels, baby wipes and clips if you have long hair to make the process as easy as possible. Clear at least 45mins for the task – you dont want to be moving around too much once the dye is on.
Do an allegy test 48hrs before – better to be safe than sorry!
Use Vaseline to create a barrier between your hairline and skin. This really stops drips and having to wash tons of dye from yourself.
Use a timer – its important to follow the manufacturers instructions, leaving your dye on for the wrong amount if time can mean it wont look like you expect it too.
Make sure you use the provided conditioner to finish your hair, this is specially formulated to repair any damage the dye may of done while colouring your hair.

And this is the finished effect? What do you think?

I’m really pleased with the final shade and my hair was left feeling very smooth and silky as Olia is made with 60% oils and I could definitely feel that (I wasn’t sponsored to say this LOL, I didnt even get my money back remember!)

Would I use it again?

I would! Its a great price and it left my hair feeling great but I think next time I will go a shade lighter/brighter as the Deep Red was a little too dark for my liking at first look. Thats pretty typical for me as it usually takes a few washes before I’m happy with a new colour, but now its colour protect shampoo every time.

Garnier Olia hair dye – £6.99 available in all good supermarkets and chemists.