Catwalk by Tigi - I'm in Love

When I'm usually wandering around town on the weekend the two things I look at when I see a girl, is how has she done her make-up and what is her hair like - And then I usually take inspiration from them and try to recreate the look on myself. This might seem weird to some but I think it's a little thing that most girls do and it's how trends start.

I have been dying to recreate Blake Lively's hair for quite some time but have never quite got there! I'm very lucky to have thick hair, and lots of it. It has potential to be quite versatile but I only ever seem to have one style (I call it messy chic but I actually just don't brush my hair).

I love Blake's hair because it looks like there's no effort been spared to look that amazing, but you are fully aware she has some amazing stylists behind her. So I thought I'd put a bit of effort in to try and find the products to use to recreate her style. I've never been one to like a lot of products in my hair because I felt my hair looked weighed down and greasy, but now I think it's just a case of getting the right products for your hair.

The products that changed my mind were the gorgeous products from Catwalk by Tigi. The exact products that were used in Chris Benz's show at NYFW to create a glamourous look with a slightly trashy and imperfect twist - a style dream for me.

Chris Benz asked the Tigi Creative team to bring to life mugshots, and almost wig-like hair. Nick Irwin, Creative Stylist, did just this using Catwalk by Tigi Session Series Dry Shampoo and Work It Hairspray. After using the products myself to recreate the look I am extremely impressed with the quality of the product. To be honest though I didn't expect much less from Tigi.

The Dry Shampoo has a very light texture so your hair doesn't feel heavy at the roots, and it doesn't leave that tell-tale grey/white mark around your roots that most dry shampoos do. The hairspray has amazing holding power that stays put for the day, and doesn't leave your hair feeling dry and crunchy. Although I wouldn't walk round town with hair like off the catwalks, as above, the products allow you to create the same texture and style but more subtlety - Hello Blake Lively. The products are available from selected salons, and prices start at £11.50.

  

Saturday Round-Up!

As I've been a bit lapse with my blogging lately I thought I'd do a quick round-up of my latest and greatest beauty products that I'm loving.

First up, Benefit POWda WOWza (£19.50). This limited edition is the ultimate Benefit product for me, it has Hoola, Coralista and Bella Bamba all in one convenient box with a little brush for ease. I'm a die-hard fan of Hoola and have been wanting to try CORALista and Bella Bamba for ages. The CORALista gives a really subtle glow making you look like you've just returned from a Hawaiian retreat.

Bella Bamba gives you gorgeous girly pink flushed checks with a bit of sparkle for added glamour. The pack is small enough to take everywhere so there's really no excuse for non-stop glamour. I love it!

I've also recently suffered with the disgusting Conjunctivitus so I ran to Boots to buy the cheapest Mascara so I could use it on my Friday night and bin it after guilt free. I picked up Boots own brand 17 Photo Flawless Mascara (5.99) thinking 'it will do' and I was really surprised with the amazing eye lashes it gave me!

It has specks of gold in it so it makes your eyes sparkle, and the spooned brush gives your lashes incredible length. It has good lasting power, although the only negative is that you do get the dark patched under your eyes at the end of a long day, something which you wouldn't get with a high-end product. But for £5.99 this mascara is excellent. I bought another after my spout of Conjunctivitus and it takes pride of place in my make-up bag at the moment.

Barry M - Crackle Effect

Now I know I'm slightly behind the times with this one as the crackle effect nails has been around for ages, but I only felt it necessary to try it on an impulse buy on my lunch hour the other day.

It's all about the metallics this season so when I saw a gold sparkle crackle effect from Barry M I thought I would try the popular nail polishes. I have to say though I'm really not impressed with it. It's clever how it crackles as you watch it dry but I just think the effect looks tacky and really quite rubbish!

I'm sorry Barry M because I am a huge fan of your stuff normally,your  lipsticks are amazing. But the crackle nail effect doesn't get my seal of approval.