beauty highlights #1

Starting a new featurette on my blog: a monthly (perhaps once every two months) post and general chatter about the beauty products that I'm currently using and enjoying. Even though I'm no beauty guru, I still receive a lot of questions about the products I use to maintain my hair, what blush colour I'm sporting, how I achieve XX look, and this felt like a nice way to summarise everything, while still being able to keep the focus of my blog on style and fashion.

Dalmatian Nail Art
The Westfield Stratford City launch in London this week saw a Dalmatian manicure at the Topshop store, designed and given by WAH Nails. Obviously I couldn't help but hop on the bandwagon, and decided to have a go at them myself. I just used Barry M's French Pink polish (so streaky, need to replace with a better pale pink ASAP) and spotted some generic black nail polish (this cost about £2 from Tesco and is perfectly glossy and opaque) on top with a little nail art tool from eBay. Apparently you can buy Dalmatian nail wraps from Topshop Unique for £7, which seems a little steep for a one-use product! It is available exclusively online here.

Lee Stafford vs. John Frieda
I am one of those people who can barely be bothered to condition their hair, let alone add extra treatments into the mix. Recently bought a conical wand, in an attempt to create loose waves to wear under knitted headbands for the winter, but I've strayed away from heat on hair for about 16 months now, so decided to pick some bits and bobs up to counteract the sudden heat. Really like Lee Stafford's [XX] treatment, I've used it about four times now, and it leaves my hair moisturised and smooth. At £7.99, the price is reasonable and worth paying as my hair is noticeable softer and growing again at last! The only thing I can complain about it the slightly dodgy scent and the tub packaging: I've wasted so much product from it slipping through my hands! I was sent the John Frieda conditioning spray about two weeks ago, and while I like the deep-conditioning idea, it always leaves my hair feeling sticky? I think I need to refine my, um, "technique" and use a little less product. I much prefer the spray packaging on this though - hello laziness!

Neal & Wolf Haircare
Overall, I am really pleased to have discovered Neal & Wolf through GlossyBox. One of the things people seem to forget is that GlossyBox aim to put you in reach of brands you wouldn't have been able to access or have heard of before, and I have found some amazing products in my boxes so far. The volumising lotion is something I picked out at the event two weeks ago, and I'm still having a little trouble with it. With the 2p sized amount I use throughout my hair, I think I'm using too much, as it can leave my hair looking volumised from the middle-to-end, yet my roots quite limp. Help a beauty-illiterate girl out, if you use this! I got the super shine spray in September's GlossyBox - some of you may have received different Neal & Wolf products - and absolutely love this. It beats my favourite Tresemme Shine Serum, and smells beyond good. Great for spritzing over your hair in the morning for a pick-me-up and to add that final, done-up finish, and something I will definitely repurchase!

HD Brow Kit
Finally, my new favourite thing: the HD brow set that came in September's GlossyBox. I actually received my box a week ago now, as did the other guests of their bloggers' evening, so that I could really get to grips with the products before sharing them with you if I wanted to. I must admit, this was the product that excited me the most, my ELF eyebrow kit had just run out, and I'd been dithering over the Benefit Browzings. The colours are super dark and pigmented, and I've had trouble with application, but after a few attempts, I'm pretty good with this palette now! I use the bottom left shade with a very light hand to fill in the ends of my brows, a tiny bit of the bottom right for the front(?!) of my brows, and then sweep all over with the nude shade to even out the colour. Perfect.

Disclaimer: I am lucky enough to have received some of these products at press events and as samples, this does not affect my opinion, and I'll always be honest about products I use. The Clinique moisturiser, Lee Stafford growth treatment, and nail varnishes were purchased with my own money, the Neal & Wolf volumiser was chosen by me at an event, while the HD Brow Set and Neal & Wolf shine spray came with my September GlossyBox. The John Frieda conditioner was sent to me for consideration.