Lauren Conrad : Beauty Book Review.

Ever since i was young i've always been fascinated in make up. I used to steal my Mum's make up and then when i was about 12 i bought my first two make up products, eyeliner and black eye shadow. I remember feeling so grown up and looking like a goth! I didn't know how to put it on so i just shoved my finger in the eye shadow and smeared it all over my eyelids. I must of looked some picture. Over the years though i taught myself to do different techniques, learnt what contouring was and knew which make up looks suited me and which didn't.

Recently though i picked up Lauren Condrad's beauty book. If only this was out when i was younger i wouldn't of looked like such a clown! I've been into make up now for almost 9 years now and even then buying this book showed me techniques i'd never thought of doing before. 

It has everything from finding out your face would suit, healthy eating tips, fitness tips, hair tips and even how to pluck your eyebrows right. This book has it all and is great for learners and even more experienced.

This is a definite must buy if you are a beauty lover like myself. You can buy this anywhere from your local book store to online.

Karina xoxo 

Dealing with hair problems.

Ever since i can remember my skin has been very sensitive and I've gone through so many products growing up, from medicated to high street brands. However i had no problems with my hair until 2011, i went through that phase of dying my hair silly colours and in the space of 4 months i went from brown and red, to purple, back to red and then my hair was so damaged it had to be dyed brown and blonde for my hair to recover, luckily though i returned to my natural hair colour, phew! (photos below.. cringe)

red and brown hair.

dark purple.

It didn't take a few weeks though for my hair to go back to the way it was before, it took many hair appointments and a lot of money for it to get fixed! Every 5 weeks i went and got the dye cut out my hair and my lovely long hair i had before went disgustingly thin and had to get a shoulder length do, which i wasn't happy about, but then again i did do it to myself!

After all that, i thought i had got rid of the worst of my hair drama, but no, i was wrong! I started to get a itchy scalp at the front of my head under my fringe, i checked and i noticed clumps of dry skin forming but i done the sensible thing of not scratching it as i didn't want to lose more hair, so i went to Tesco and bought T Gel, a shampoo for dry skin and which doctors can also prescribe you. It was my last hope, and thankfully it did work after 2 weeks! It does come back but more in the colder months so i have a bottle in my drawer to hand in case it decides to creep back up on me!

If you are starting to lose strands of hair, don't panic! Ease of hot appliances like hair straighteners, hair dryers and curlers, use heat protection and don't wash your hair to much as it can also cause hair loss! If you have the same problem as i do, buy T Gel or if your concerned visit a doctor! Don't assume the worst, it can get fixed!

Karina xoxo

July favourites

Sorry about the lack of blog posts lately but been very busy working and had a lot of personal issues going on, but that's me back now! Hurrah!

So i'm going to be telling you about me July Favourites and hopefully you will love them as much as i do and give them a shot! Please note, i have blogged about a few so you can refer to the previous blog posts (i will link them below).

I am going to start with my two Ted Baker make up bags i received, i got one for my birthday and bought one as a little gift to myself!

The first one is the leopard print make up bag. I got this as a gift from my parents for my 19th birthday which was a few weeks ago! I love this! It's so pretty and fits all my makeup in it perfectly! The other reason they bought it and i love it is that it's called, Karina. How awesome is that!?

The second Ted Baker bag is actually a toiletry bag but i bought it for a makeup bag/going out clutch!  It's a pretty light pink/nude colour with a pink bow on the front with a gold stud holding on the bow! It's so spacious inside and literally can hold everything in it, from my makeup to my perfumes, and even my eye shadow palettes!

Next is my all time favourite product of the month! This has basically been a lifesaver to my hair and made it in such good condition! I needed something for my hair to protect it from heat as it was damaging my hair that much my hair was snapping off! So i splashed out and bought Lee Stafford Shampoo and Heat protection spray! Straight away i could feel the difference of how much healthier my hair felt! It did make my hair feel a little dry at first but then as i dried it and applied the heat protection is went straight away and felt nicer and healthier! Now if you ever do buy the heat protection spray always remember spray it a arm length away as any closer it can make your hair sticky, but that's because of the natural oils in it! It cost me £23 for both. A little expensive but does wonder on your locks!

HEAT PROTECTION.

SHAMPOO

Next is the bareMinerals primer in the 15ml bottle. I have two of these, the full size and the smaller one! I got them both from my mum's friend who owns a hair salon and sells the bareMinerals products! I really am in love with this! I have heard a lot of people say that primer doesn't do much and it's a waste of money, but i notice a different when using it! All you do is a use a little bit, about the size of a pea, and apply on your face or eyes. I put it on before my eye shadow, so i apply to the lids of my eyes, do my foundation, then by the time i get around to applying eye shadows it has sunk in and it makes it last even longer on my eyes! It's a great investment! i am also really looking into buying the urban decay primer lotion as well! 

ELF cosmetics has been a huge part of my life recently, it's all i've been buying as its cheap and affordable! This is a lipstick or as they are commonly known as 'chubby sticks'. I usually apply a lighter lipstick to start off with then apply this, i am loving this at the moment! It has a glitter through it, which might not be everyone's taste but they do, do others without glitter through! It just makes my lips look amazing! And it's only about £1.50! What a bargain!

Swatch of the ELF cosmetics chubby stick

 Nearly there guys! (honest). My next product is the 'Rimmel wake me up concealer'. Now i didn't want to go along with the hype, but i ran out of my 'collection' concealer and decided after a lot of thinking to get this. Now i wasn't to sure at first as i wasn't impressed as it made my skin a little oily! I then applied the Rimmel face powder to set it and it looks fabulous! It takes away the dark circles under my eyes, and makes me look more fresh and adds a healthy glow! Definitely buy this! It's about £4.99. 

My blog on the 'Maybelline the falsies' mascara: http://itskarinax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/maybelline-falsies-mascara-review.html

My blog on the 'Rimmel apocalips' lipgloss: http://itskarinax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/rimmel-apocalips.html

My blog on the 'Urban Decay naked palette' : http://itskarinax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/urban-decay-naked-2-palette.html

Other favourites:

Favourite song: Demi Lovato - Made in the USA

Favourite App: Candy Crush

Favourite Youtube of the month: Saconne Joly's

Favourite music video: One Direction - Best song ever

Karina xoxo

Hair products

The past few years i have spent a lot of money and tried tons of hair products, but none really worked on my hair and my hair was ruined from a lot of hair dying and that resulted in my hair stopping growing all together. It only used to grow to just above my shoulders and no more. So a shopping trip to boots one day i found Lee Stafford hair growth shampoo, conditioner and a mask for my hair. I thought i'd try it out and it has done wonders on my hair so i thought i'd share this with you in case you had the exact same problem as myself!

Shampoo:

This shampoo is amazing, it makes my hair feel amazing and healthy. It was £6.99 but i got it when it was on a special offer, but it's totally worth the money! First i shampoo my hair well then i had the hair mask which does all the hair growth work you get the tub of mask and put some on your hands and put through your hair thoroughly from roots to end, it's about the size of an egg the amount you need on your hand each time you do it and you leave it in for 5 minutes.. You only use the hair mask once a week. Then you add the conditioner which you also use once a week. You can use the mask and conditioner together or do them separate days. (pictures and prices of hair growth mask and conditioner are below).

hair growth mask : £7.99

conditioner: £6.99