Hair-care must-haves

How much money and time do we spend on our hair? I think we're much more obsessed with hair than anything else and it's because we believe with just the right product, cut and colour we could transform our looks.

So we come to my must-have hair products. Boy do I feel well researched, I have dozens of appliances I've tried gathering dust and I could fill an ocean with the amount of shampoo, conditioner and styling products I've thrown out half used. About my hair: it's thick and not dead straight but not nicely curly or interesting, more kinky with frizzy bits and annoying curls underneath.

I get my hair coloured at the hairdresser because I simply cannot be bothered with doing it at home and recreating an abattoir scene in my bathroom plus my towels are white and I'd like them to stay that way. Also as my hair is thick, it would be impossible to colour it at home and do a good job. So I get the roots tinted which is much better for your hair than a semi-permanent colour. However, to eek out the visit between hairdressers (and as I am getting older and have more grey), I am a huge fan of Clairol Root Touch-Up.

You put it in the obvious places (temples and parting), wait for 15 mins and rinse out.  It works wonders and costs less than £5. It's easy to apply (I ignore the brush and just dab it on - using the gloves, obviously) and it really means you can wait a few more weeks before going back to the hairdresser. It just seems to blend with your colour, I really think this is a miracle product.

To maintain my colour, I only use shampoo and conditioner designed for coloured hair. This is really important, I know it's a bit of a bore but I promise you if you don't your colour will fade faster. This is an area I have tested extensively, trust me. Also, wear a hat on holidays in the sun.

I am currently loving the Fudge range and it's not too expensive (about £7 a bottle).

And I really do love Pureology which is more expensive but lasts ages.

Both smell divine and the matching conditioners are great too. However, one needs a deep conditioner once in a while (especially on holiday) and so to Bumble and Bumble Creme De Coco Masque.

Nothing is as good as this. It deep conditions yet rinses out easily, my hair never feels heavy afterwards and it smells like heaven. It is £20 but I promise you it's worth it.

Since I am obsessed with conditioning my hair, I adore the Moroccan Hair Oil.

Glossy, shiny, bouncy hair? Yes please. All yours. If I could only take one thing to the desert island, it would be this. It also smells so good.

Combs? I have three combs. One for the shower to comb the conditioner through - wide toothed and from Origins, had it for years. One to then comb it after it's been wrapped up in a towel for 5 mins and then another  finer toothed one to comb it again after I've added my oil. I am so high-maintenance, it's almost embarrassing.

Phew, so now we have clean and perfectly conditioned hair. Time to style it! I've tinkered with styling products and have to admit, I've still not found one that's right for me. I tend to just go to the hair dryer without any additional styling products. However, I have middle to long hair all one length, it's hardly cutting edge punk.

My new Parlux hair dryer that I blogged about very recently is, as it turns out, life-changing. It is so powerful that my hair dries much, much faster.

I recommend it highly. I do like my Babyliss Big Hair but it's much more effort to use. I use a paddle brush to blow-dry my hair, round brushes just tangle up and cause me no end of heartache. I don't use an expensive one - just one from Boots that I knacker and have to replace about once a year. When I win the lottery, I would have a hairdresser to blow dry my hair all the time. I don't think Kate Middleton is extravagant having this, I so would if I were her too.

Time to hairspray! I only ever buy Elnett as it seems to do the job for me.

The very essence of hair to me. I adore the smell, the can, the fact it never changes. It comes in handy handbag sizes, it brushes out, my hair never feels stiff. I adore it. I don't use a lot of hairspray so a can lasts me a long time but I've never seriously bothered with anything else.

And after all that, I am ready to swing into the world with my mane of glossy hair (well, in my dreams!)

Nail colour of the week

Back in my comfort zone this week with Essie's Carry On from the new collection. It's a deep purple, almost black, bit like an aubergine. It's divine. I am so in love with it. Not for the faint hearted though.

Skin-care must-haves

As we move properly into Autumn, I thought it was worth doing a round-up of the skin-care products (for the face) I really would struggle to be without. I am constantly blogging about new things I try but here is my list of serious must-haves:

Origins Checks and Balances face wash. I've been using this for years and I still love it. I also love the Origins Clean Energy Oil but if I could only have one, I'd have to go for C&B.

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask. This stuff still wows me. I adore it and really believe it works, it makes your skin more even, glowy and just fabulous. I can't imagine being without it.

Soap & Glory, No Clogs Allowed! This is a scrub that can also be used as a mask. It's a new favourite for me. It does leave your skin a little dry but if you suffer from blackheads, it's the business. I use it once a week in the bath so my pores are all opened up and it works wonders. If you live in a grimy city, this is indispensable.

It's hard to pick one moisturiser but if I had to, then it would be Origins Starting Over. It smells lovely, it sinks in and my skin feels just right when I use it. It doesn't have an SPF though.

My contender for product of the year is Origins VitaZing. If you've not tried it yet, I must implore you to run and don't walk to your local Origins counter. It's fantastic for that healthy glow. Perfect for those of us who don't wear foundation.

Five products and we're only on the face. Hmmmm. I really would struggle on a desert island! This post is not sponsored by Origins (I wish).

Next up will be hair care must-haves.

Nail colour of the week

This week I went for Glamour Purse from the new Essie collection. This picture above is nothing like it. It's much darker and browner. More like a taupe. I really like and am enjoying a muted few weeks on my nails. After not being sure about last week's, I ended up loving it and NO CHIPS. None. Very impressive.

Nail colour of the week

I thought I'd try something more muted and classic this week so I went for another one of the new Essie collection, Lady Like. It's quite violet and not as insipid as that photo suggests. I like it but it's weird to not have a banging colour on my nails, I always go for something strong and this feels like I am turning down the volume a bit. I shall enjoy it this week but next week I plan on having something properly vampy to compensate.

Reporting back - Benefit mascara

I have used this every day this week and there has been no better test for it. Twelve hour days in the office, extreme tiredness and much stress. How did it stand up to this rigour?

Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is this does make your eyelashes look longer and fuller. It is a great brush, easy to apply, no smudging on application, no clogging and clagging so full marks there. However, it 'travels' I had to wipe away smudges of black under my eyes from about lunch time onwards. I promise you I hadn't cried (although felt like it on occasion) or rubbed my eyes. By evening, it was really smudgy. Also, a bugger to remove despite me investing in two new eye make-up removers (more on them at a later date).

In conclusion this is a great evening mascara when you might only need it on for five hours or so but the jury is still out on its staying power. For £18.50 I expect it to do everything and make me coffee.

New super-powered hairdryer

I am always on the look out for something to make styling my hair easier. In this month's Red magazine, there was a feature with a woman saying this hairdryer had changed her life. As if I could resist investigating!

Parlux is the brand hairdressers use and they have lots of choice on the website. Anyway I ordered the 3200 last week in a frenzy of online shopping and it arrived and I've only used it once so far but I can already report that it is amazing. So much more powerful than my old hairdryer. What's more, it comes in different colours! I got purple. Recommended.

Sampar Three Day Weekend

I got this little baby on the plane on the way back from France. I needed something to cheer myself up after all. It's a self tan but without the nasty smell and it's very subtle. I love it. I am so pleased with it. I normally find self tans such a faff and the smell so off-putting but this light gel is amazing. It's my new miracle product.

You can read a bit more about it here. I really recommend this.

Nail colour of the week

Oooh all the new Fall colours in today when I zoomed down to get my nails done. Essie's new collection is inspired by handbags. Whatever. I picked Power Clutch (great name) which is a gorgeous grey/blue/green. Yes, it's all those colours depending on the light. It is nice to have a more muted colour on as I've been having a colour-fest lately.

A quick review of the other colours:

I loved Carry On, a deep, almost black purple.
Very Structured is a weird orange, like terracotta. Not wild about it.
Case Study is odd, sort of beige. Not sure what to make of it.
Glamour Purse is gorgeous, a nice subtle choice.
Lady Like - nice enough pink.

You can see them all in more detail here.

Benefit - They're Real, Beyond Belief Mascara

I've been hearing very good things about this. Because I still like to believe there is a miracle mascara out there, I bought it. I only just got it today but I have high hopes. Full reportage will occur.

£18.50. It had better work.

Nail colour of the week

I have two colours to share this week. Not because I am wearing one on one hand and one on the other. Although I bet that's a craze that will happen at some point. I am just a little behind on my blogging since I've been swanning around the south of France. I bought a great new product on the plane that I will tell you about soon.

I am milking those last days of summer with these colours. I had Tangerine (bottom one, obviously) the other week and loved it. I used to hate oranges but now I am soaking them up. And yesterday I picked Super Bossa Nova which is a fabulous pink with a little shimmer to it. I am wearing it today with a neon pink top. I am very pink.

Soon it will be time for more muted autumn colours and I am liking the look of Essie's Fall Collection. Especially Carry On.

Mmmmmmm.