How To: Brunette to Silver-Grey Hair

So it is very well known that this is one of the hardest transitions to go through and I will say although the process was not too difficult, it did take time and it has really damaged my hair. I had to get quite a lot chopped off to stop the breakage each time I brushed it. I would only recommend this if you have quite long and healthy hair!

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STEP 1: This was the longest part for me…. getting to platinum blonde. If your hair is a light brown I would recommend skipping to step 2. First I bleached my hair with Garnier Nutrisse D+++ Bleach Lightener Permanent Hair Dye. I used three boxes and the first time I just ended up a lighter brunette. I waited two weeks then bleached it again which just made it very yellowy ginger. At this point however, my hair wasn’t too damaged.

STEP 2: The bleach I used next seemed to work so well. I’m not sure if it’s a better bleach or if it was because I had already bleached my hair twice. This time I waited three weeks between applications. I used the BBlonde Jerome Russel Powder Bleach and Cream. This was so easy to use so don’t be scared that you have to mix it up yourself! It’s also cheaper than most boxed bleaches. After this I was fully blonde root to tip but my hair was really dry!

STEP 3: To remove the yellow tones in my hair I used the BBlonde Platinum Toner. Realistically it didn’t do too much so I used the Pro:Voke Touch of Silver Shampoo and Conditioner for month to get my hair to the perfect platinum blonde. It was over this month that my hair begun to snap off and lots was falling out every time I brushed it. I had to cut a lot off and it became quite thin. I used all kinds of treatments but they didn’t really help. For this reason. I waited a long time before I went Silver-Grey. This is why I only recommend on long hair as you may need to chop a chunk off!

STEP 4: FINALLY I used L’Oreal Colorista Silver Grey Permanent Gel Hair Dye. At first it was a little on the purple side but after a wash with the purple shampoo it toned down. I will say this didn’t destroy my hair much and I’m happy with the colour. The only massive downside is I have had this colour for 3 weeks and I was my hair every 4 days and already the colour has massively faded and I can see some blonde coming through. For a permanent dye that I bought three boxes of, this is pretty disappointing so I wouldn’t recommend this brand.

Overall, it’s a lengthy and damaging process. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out but as I’ve said I really do only recommend on thick and longer hair! I also massively recommend the Pro:Voke shampoo and conditioner throughout the process as it really helped in correcting my colour during my blonde stage!

Check out my Insta @Lucia_Jayne as I will be doing more video style posts soon!

Graphic Liner Look- My Fave Products!

Hi All! Slightly different post today. I’m going to be talking about some of the products I used to create this graphic liner look. This is one of my fave looks because the products really helped it come together and they are all affordable.

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For the eyeshadow, I used the Huda Beauty Ruby Obsessions Palette. I’ve actually had this for a while but haven’t used it as I felt it would only create one type of look. After having a little play I actually think you could create both subtle and dramatic looks! There is honestly no fallout, which is perfect because the pigment is intense! In true Huda Beauty nature, the colours blend beautifully and the eye look only took about 10 mins (half the time it took me to perfect the liner of course). I cannot recommend this enough. For a high end palette it’s really affordable at £25 and there are lots of other colour ranges. LJL Rating: 10/10

Next up, the eyeliner! I used Nyx’s Epic Ink Liner. This is a cult product and if you haven’t already tried it you should! I love how black and shiny it is, and when it dries down there is no creasing, fading or smudging- what more could a girl want!? It’s so easy to use and quite easy to correct (and I did….over and over) because it doesn’t dry instantly. This is only £9 and lasts months so it’s well worth the money. LJL Rating: 10/10

Finally, I want to talk about the base! For my foundation I used B. Cosmetics Flawless Silk Foundation! This is perfect if you want a foundation that does crack or dry out. It has a really lovely glowy finish and has a medium to full coverage. It blends like an absoute dream and I think it looks so pretty on the skin. The only downside is that it is a little oily so it does easily wipe off if you touch it and putting setting powder on to prevent this can make it look slightly dull. This is only £5 so it’s well worth a try! LJL Rating: 9/10

Find me on Infleunster @luciajayne and on Instagram @lucia_jayne

Brows on Fleek

I am a huge fan of Instagram brows, and I have tested so many products to find the perfect products to achieve this well-desired look. From pomades to pencils I have put together my faves.

So my go to has to be Benefit Ka-Brow Pomade. I know I usually go for drug store products but with brow products I’m happy to branch out as they usually last over a year anyway, which makes it worth it. . Brows are one of the hardest parts of a polished look and I love this as the application is so easy to work with. I used the ABH pomade for a year and was so committed until I found this. They are quite similar, however I find that unlike most pomades, including ABH Dipbrow, this doesn’t dry up. It lasts all day, and has a very natural look to it, but you can easily build on it for stronger looking brows.

LJL Rating: 10/10

Next is another Benefit product- they don’t get their brow success for nothing! When I’m in a hurry I use Gimme-Brow! This brushes on so easily and enhances your natural brows. So if you already have a good set of brows, I highly recommend this. The only downside is that it can look messy, so if you’re like me and prefer tidy brows, you can easily clean up the look with concealer.

LJL Rating: 9/10

Next, an underrated brand- Lottie London. Their Archival Brow Pen is only £6.50 and is  used to create a microblade effect. The end of this pen has 4 separate nibs which allow you to create natural looking brows in just a few fast strokes. This is great for either natural, bushy or insta-brows! The only flaw is that if you don’t use this with fast strokes, the product can bleed into fine lines.

LJL Rating: 8/10

Finally, for a simple pencil look, I use B. Pro Styler Brow Pencil, which is only £4.99 and is usually on offer. I use this either to quickly fill in my brows, or to neaten up the edges. The colour pay off is really strong, and the pencil is angled for ease. It also comes with a spoolie at the other end to help have a flawless look.

LJL Rating: 8/10

Overall, I do think that if you really care about how your brows look, then high end is always better. If you just like to fill in your brows, or lightly shape and define, then pencils and powders are the way to go.

New TK Maxx Haul

Firsty, apologies for the image quality- phone camera is being replaced soon!

A few months ago I had my first ever trip to the beauty section of TK Maxx and those who read my blog know how shocked I was by my finds! This month has gotten even more surprising!

I won’t go into detail about everything that I bought but I thought I’d share some of my best finds. Have a look above for what I’ve purchased (p.s. the reed diffuser was also in a set of two for £4!)

Let’s start with the most exciting…! I managed to get an Anastasia Beverley Hills Highlighting Palette for £25 instead of £45! I’ve ALWAYS wanted one but couldn’t bring myself to spend that much but wow this was such a bargain! I even saw their Subculture and Prism Eyeshadow Palettes for £25 which is insane as I paid £45 for mine! I also bought an ABH liquid lipstick and matte lipstick both for £10 instead of £18! I should note just how many different lipsticks they had available in all different colours! It was difficult not to buy more.

I’m always down to try a new foundation and TK Maxx is great for this. I got 3 foundations from great brands. Natuarally I chose an ABH stick foundatiopn for £10 instead of £25, a Revlon one for £6 instead of £15 and a Stila one for £8 instead of…. I know that most of the TK Maxxs have the Stila foundatiuon and I recommend it as it comes with a brush and a concealer and the coverage is amazing and it feels super lightweight. I also chose Cover FX foundation drops which I highly recommend to anyone who likes full coverage foundation. They mix into foundation with minimal coverage to thicken it and extend the coverage and it works so well. I got this for a huge saving of £5 instead of £36 which is insane!!!!

For anyone who loves Boing concealer from Benefit they are selling this on their website for £8 and this is a beauty must have for anyone with dark circles and saves you £10. Overall I’m so pleased with my beauty finds and have to advise that this would be a great place to get gifts for a beauty lover.

Hello Sports FX!

Hello everyone! So Sports FX has been popping up everywhere lately! From bloggers to instagram to beauty boxes so I thought it may be worth giving some of their products a little go. For those who don’t know, this is a brand for long lasting makeup even during intense physical activities. Now I won’t lie, I am not sporty by any means, but I do work long hours so having my face stay in place is important to me. If you like any of this then they can be bought online or in Sports Direct and they do hair and body care as well as makeup- impressive!

I’ll start with the Cool Down Primer and Recovery Gel. This is £10 and OWCH. I have really sensitive skin so I’m not sure if this may be why it felt like my face was burning off! It made my skin so cold that it burnt. I forced 3 of my friends to try it to and one of them found the same as me, but the other two had no issue with it. My advice here would be to perhaps avoid it if you have sensitive skin! I can’t really rate it as a primer as it was too painful for me to keep on 😦

Some of you may have already heard of the popular Blend and Go Beauty Sponge for £5. I have had multiple beauty blenders over the years and this is my absolute fave! It has so many different angles that it can be used for cream contour, liquid highlight, and ofc foundation. It’s super soft and makes my foundation apply so lightweight and flawlessy, I LOVE IT!                                                                                                                   LJL Rating: 10/10

I’ve just spotted I didn’t take a pic of the Balance Boosting BB cream my bad! This is £12 and it’s pretty good. I don’t really wear BB creams as I’m a full face kinda gal but it’s got a medium coverage and sits comfortably                                                             LJL Rating:  7/10

Next is the Coconut Moisturising Lip Balm for £5. Now I am low-key obsessed with this as I’m convinced that lip balms aren’t that necessary but I love this as a lip primer as it makes lipstick glide on so well and it prevents liquid lipstick from cracking. I would definitely recommend this!                                                                                                     LJL Rating 10/10

They also do an angled Brow Pencil for £7. I think it’s a great idea to have it angled but it’s just so hard that you have to really drag it on the skin to get some pigment showing. I chose the dark brown shade and yet it isn’t dark at all. I also think that the price is steep considering most drugstore ones are around £3.                                            LJL Rating: 3/10

The Mist and Face spray is £8 and I’m not convinced that this is a great product really. This is advertised as keeping your makeup in place but I find that it doesn’t really make a difference to it at all.                                                                                              LJL Rating: 5/10

Finally, I have both of their brushes which as a pricy £12 each however they are double ended. I think that the buffer and powder brush are pretty average, but the duo highlight and contour brush is fab! I use both ends for contour and its amazing as I can use one side to really carve out my cheekbones, nose, chin and jaw then use the other side for my cheeks, forehead and neck. Since using this I have even received more comments about my contour so I do think it’s worth trying!                                                              LJL Rating: 10/10

Overall we’ve got a mix of opinions here! Some things I love and some I’m admittedly not so keen on, but I do have to say that I do think that this is a promising brand. They offer some great stuff, and I hope that they bring out new products in the future!

Brutally Honest Concealer Reviews

Hi everyone!!

Concealer! This is  a standard go to product for most people, whether you’re going for a full face look or a little cover up, so I thought it would be important to share my experiences. It’s worth mentioning that I have AWFUL dark circles and that’s my main use for concealer, but I also use it for strobing to add some dimension to my face. I’m going to write on 3 concealers then give a rating for a few more at the end, because I have tried A LOT of concealers!

I’m going to start with Revolution’s Conceal and Define Concealer. There has been so much hype over this but I don’t understand why! The price is £4 and the only thing I like about it is the packaging. I’ve tried a few of the lightest shades and I feel that the coverage isn’t great and they all looked pink on my skin. The product is thick so works for cut creases at least.  Let me know what you think!  LJL Rating: 3/10

Next I want to mention Maybelline’s Instant Conceal Eraser. I don’t hate this, but for £9 it’s not great. The coverage is minimal and it dries down quickly which makes strobing really difficult unless you’re super speedy with a beauty blender. Considering that this is only a few pound cheaper than a good foundation, it makes me like it even less.    LJL Rating: 4/10

I will end on a good note with my expression of love for Collection’s Lasting Perfecrtion Concealer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. It’s just under a fiver and does everything. The coverage is amazing, it blends like a dream and really highlights the high points of my face. It sits so well that I don’t need to use setting powder either!      LJL Rating: 10/10

So that’s my strong opinions on a few concealers! Have a look below to see my ratings on a few other concealers!

MUA Hide & Conceal Stick: 7/10                       E.L.F. Concealer and Highlighter: 3/10

Nip & Fab Concealer: 3/10                                  Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer: 8/10

 

Latest in Beauty Experience

HI everyone! Today’s blog will be slightly different as I won’t actually be reviewing specific products. Instead, I wanted to review a beauty box that I have recently subscribed to because I am SO impressed that I just had to share my views!!

For those who don’t know how it works, I’ll give a quick run through. You can chose from 3-9 items a month with free delivery ranging from £9-£18. Logically it makes sense to get the bigger box because then it’s only £2 per product, BARGAIN!

This is probably one of the most exciting things I wanted to blog about because it’s just great, I really have no critiques. I’ve tried other beauty boxes such as Birchbox and Glossybox, which I’m not a fan of. This box is different as it lets you chose from a huge range of products so you can get exactly what you want. This works well for me as I prefer makeup heavy boxes and I’m not too fond of toiletries, as you can probably tell from above!

The range of brands is incredible and this month included product options from O.P.I., SportsFX, Burt’s Bees, Sleek, Maybelline, John Freida and so many more! The huge range allows for you to get new products to try, and you can top up on products you usually buy for a discounted price. I was super surprised to find that two bonus items had been thrown in as well based on what I like- these were the Sanctuary moisturiser and a Ciate liquid eyeliner.

Overall, I’m in love with this company and I’m so excited to get my box for next month!