My Hair – The In’s And Out’s

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Over the last 2 years my hair has survived a lot of bleach and has gone from far too long to the perfect length. Its taken me a long time to get it exactly how I want it and I think I have finally reached that milestone.

Where The Ombre Journey Began…DSC_0293DSC_0491The photos above show my dye free hair which was literally in mint condition and my hair after the first or second ombre session. As you can tell my hair was incredibly long and I genuinely don’t know how I dealt with it but in all honestly I think it was my comfort blanket for many years.

Why did i decide to ombre my hair? 

I thought about it for a while and then just before I started uni, I decided I wanted a change. A new me if you like. I was going to be starting a new part of my life and it seemed like the ideal opportunity.

In all honestly, you have to be very patient to be able to ombre your hair and to get it as blonde as mine is now. The problem is, you can’t just bleach it every week, you’ve got to leave it at least a few months between each bleach session and really look after your hair in between that time.

Last summer I went away to Corfu for a girls holiday and really didn’t look after my hair at all and the ends became really thin and straggly. Basically it really needed cutting and it didn’t look healthy at all. It resorted to me having to cut it but luckily, I wanted it short so it did me a favour in the end.

How Do You Go About Ombre-ing Your Hair?

Firstly, I would get yourself the L’Oreal Ombre kit which is the easiest thing to use, believe me. It comes with a little brush which makes it really easy to apply and comes with the most simplest instructions so theres no going wrong. Start with just doing the ends and then every couple of months when your hair is feeling healthy, re do it and gradually build it up higher and higher. This way the ends will always be lighter than the bits further up. I’d recommend watching a couple of youtube videos on it, just to get an idea of the best way to apply the bleach.

The Best Products For Looking After Ombre Hair…

I personally don’t use that much product in my hair. I tend to just use shampoo and conditioner for the majority.

Some people have a certain shampoo that works best with their hair but for me, I can use pretty much anything and it does the job. BUT one thing I would say is get yourself some purple conditioner. It tones your hair and gets rid of any brassiness as well as conditioning the ends. Its literally the trick to keeping your hair blonde and healthy. Use it for about a week and then after that just use your normal conditioner

I recommend John Freda Colour Renew Tone Correcting Conditioner.

My only other product or item that I have found to work wonders on my hair is the famous Tangle Teezer. Its literally changed my life. It makes brushing your hair so easy. When you bleach your hair it can get very dry and knotty from being stripped of the colour so a tangle teezer is a must have. They are pretty pricey but so so worth it. Maybe get someone to buy it for you as a present, Thats what i did!

hair 12 DSC_015s4Its taken a while to get it this blonde and I’m happy now that its how i imagined it from the beginning. I have recently had layers put into my hair so it feels really good and makes me love it even more. Also loving this length as its so much easier to deal with.

I hope this has given you an insight to my hair history and given you some tips on how to ombre your hair. If you have any questions about my hair or need some advice on ombre, drop me a comment or email and i’ll help ya out!

Charlotte Olivia

Product Rave – Clinique 3 Step System

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Clinique 3 Step System – Anti – Blemish Solutions

For years I’ve had troubled skin, tried every possible drugstore product under the sun and nothing has made any difference. I decided to bite the bullet and try out some high end skin care. After hearing a lot about the Clinique 3 Step System, i decided to buy the Anti-Blemish solutions set which contains each of the 3 products above in mini form which is prefect for trying out a skin care brand. The set was £25 which is pricey but it does last you around 4 weeks, longer if you use it wisely which i personal thought was ideal.

I absolutely fell in love with Clinique skin care after using it for a few weeks. My skin feels so much softer and nicer as well as looking a hell of a lot less spotty. I mean it doesn’t get rid of them completely but i would never expect a product to do so. Having clearer skin has given me so much more confidence in wearing less make up and wearing no make up in front of people – Something that i used to feel very conscious of. Mainly because everyone i know seems to have the beautifully clear skin which really doesn’t help the confidence levels. Believe me, I have been through many years of bad skin and trying all i can to cover it up. Obviously there is more to getting better skin than just skin care but its a step in the right direction. Drinking more water and eating less chocolate has definitely helped. You  may have certain foods that break you out and if you can i would recommend trying to cut it out because it will make a huge difference in the long run.

As you can see from the photos, I have bought the full size of each product in the 3 Step System. Firstly there is a Cleansing foam which i tend you use every other day  but should really use everyday but I’m lazy. It doesn’t feel like its doing much when you use it but it really tightens up your skin and makes your face feel clean and fresh.

Secondly, there is a Clarifying Lotion which you put onto a cotton wool pad and just wipe across your face. I use this every morning and evening and it just gets rid of all the extra dirt on your face which you might of missed whilst taking your make up off or washing your face. It does have an alcohol smell to it which does make your eyes water if you put to much on which could be taken as a bad thing but it doesn’t bother me.

Lastly, there is an All Over Clearing Treatment which out of all the products has worked the most magic. Ive put it on before bed some nights and noticed spots look incredibly reduced by the morning. Out of all the products, i would say this one if definitely the one to buy if you wanted to try any of the products out but obviously they work better together which does show once you’ve used them for a while.

Clinique 3 Step System Anti-Blemish System set £25

Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Foam £17 

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion £18

Anti-Blemish Solutions – All Over Clearing Treatment £19

Overall, I think Clinique skin care is definitely worth trying if you’ve never ventured down that road. Im excited to try out some of their other products and see how they work for me.

What do you think about Clinique? Are you interested in trying it?

Charlotte Olivia