So last week I went to the launch of the new Sleek LIP VIP Lipsticks with some blogger pals. I'm a big lipstick fan, and my 2016 resolution is to actually start wearing more of the lip colours I own instead of sticking to my usual, trusted three lipsticks. (sound familiar anyone?)

So I'm thinking about changing up my hair colour again this winter. It's been red, it's been purple, it's been blue (accidentally) and now I'm thinking of going burgundy.. WHO KNOWS? To be fair, it'll be any hair colour that I can get away with at work.

With New York Fashion Week in full swing, I'm frantically considering my options for LFW. I think it's probably one of the only times where I actually try something remotely trendy and where I finally wear something different. (what, no workwear and blazers??? Shock horror)

Same with the makeup, whether it's an obscure colour lip (remember this lilac lip fail anyone?) or a bold eyeshadow, it always tends to be about going outside the colour comfort zone. So what's new for eyeshadow this season then?

Enter ColourNation on Winsley Street, a London salon specialising in hair colouring, hair extensions, hair straightening and digital perms. It's on a quiet street right off Oxford Street and I never even knew that it was there - tucked away like a hidden gem, away from the buzz of Oxford Street.

Great location and very reasonable prices, given that it's a salon in Central London. But what about the results? Let me tell you what went down.




First up, I had a colour consultation with senior stylist Lucia, to tell her about what I wanted to have done. I say "tell", it was more like "show her the Pinterest collages" I had created. Does anyone else do that?!

Lucia basically then told me that every picture on there was basically a lie - Instagrammed and edited beyond recognition. Doh, dreams dashed. But could she do it? Yes, most likely. Dreams, BACK ON THE TABLE!

Lucia was careful to talk me through my options. Instead of traditional bleach, she planned to use Magma, a new type of bleach by Wella Professionals which lightens hair and deposits colour into the hair shaft at the same time. Therefore it doesn't take as long to bleach and colour hair, as well as giving a good base colour for your hair. Sounded like a plan to me!

Unfortunately, on the day of my appointment, the shade of Magma required was not available so I had to make do with traditional bleach instead. Oh well, it still did the same job, just took slightly longer.



The first step was to lighten my hair. I had the bleach applied to my hair, wrapped in foils and heated under a lamp until the ends were that perfect straw colour, without any orange brassy tone.

The bleach was washed out with a silver toning shampoo and inspected at great length. Where the colour wasn't right, Lucia took more time to apply more bleach - I appreciated this attention to detail! It was late and I was the last customer but Lucia soldiered on, to get it just right.

Next, a vivid blue purple colour was mixed and applied to my freshly bleached ends before being left to absorb and washed out one more time. Ta-da!


ColourNation itself is a delightful salon - spacious with high ceilings, it even has sofa chairs that MASSAGE you whilst you have your hair washed. What a dream! Seriously, who would believe that this little oasis of calm is right off Oxford Street?

I'd done my research and looked at their portfolio of looks on the ColourNation Twitter and Facebook page and was reassured that I had picked the right place. It's always good to look at the past work of hairdressers, particularly when bleach is involved!






Aftercare.

There's no pretending - as I mentioned in my Yahoo! Purple Hair post, this sort of colour requires maintenance! The price you pay for vibrant colour!

First of all, to help heal your hair from the bleach, some serious moisture is required. ColourNation stock a full range of Macadamia Oil which is great for fixing damaged hair and adding shine. (I've reviewed the Macadamia Oil Healing Treatment and Detangling Brush before and really liked it.)

To keep my colour fresh, I apply a mask of purple colour every other week. Schwarkopf XXL Ultra Brights and Chill Ed Stain are great for this. (I introduced these in my home hair dye post here.) The Chill Ed Stain is particularly moisturising but not quite as vibrant as the Ultra Brights. 

Mix these semi-permanent colours in with a bit of conditioner and apply to damp hair before leaving for about 15 minutes - I definitely recommend clingfilming your hair up unless you want purple streaks everywhere!



FACE VALUE DEAL ALERT: You can get 20% your colour with the same stylist! Quote my review and code YHCN15 for 20% off Colour Mon-Thurs 10-4pm at ColourNation with Senior Stylist Lucia!

By Zoe Dubs
xXXXx

Hola team - I've just been notified of a brilliant beauty opportunity by TwoFour, an award winning television production company based in London.

They are currently looking for aspiring beauticians across the UK to take part in a new TV series!

 These must be individuals who are not yet qualified beauticians, but who dream of learning the ins and outs of the business. 

 The series will be an amazing opportunity for such young men and women to get extremely valuable experience in the beauty industry.

So if you're thinking of becoming a beautician, or already working in a salon then get in touch with DEVELOPMENT@TWOFOUR.CO.UK. More details on the flyer above.

GOOD LUCK! 

ps - if you get this and go big-time, don't forget me!!


By Zoe Dubs
xXXXx

I don't normally win competitions, but at the #bloggersfestival last month, I lucked out and managed to win the entire Bee Good skincare range! WAHOO! 

No idea what's going to happen now - most likely will end up standing in a deep puddle wearing the world's flimsiest ballet pumps, whilst simultaneously getting splashed by a passing bus. Standard Autumn bad luck drama.

Anyway. I digress. Bee Good is a British premium skincare brand, run by husband and wife duo Simon & Caroline (how cute!!)  Given Simon's bee-keeping background, Caroline started using the excess beeswax to make products and now, the brand is stocked in Waitrose as the only British brand to exclusively use British beeswax and honey in it's products.

I was in Covent Garden the other day and I suddenly remembered - there's one thing I've wanted to do in Covent Garden for quite some time now. Nope, not the Ballet, not the Royal Opera House either - I'm talking about the Burberry Beauty Box! (Obvs..)

Opened last Christmas, it is the ONLY store dedicated to Burberry Beauty - makeup, fragrance, scarves and a selection of beauty accessories designed by Christopher Bailey especially for the Beauty Box. I just HAD to go and buy something - y'know, since it's one-of-a-kind and everything.... right?

Ridiculous self-justifications taken on board.... I spent half an hour in there and ended up leaving with this special package.




Isn't it beautiful?! Lovingly packaged, one of the best bits of the Burberry Beauty Box experience was opening the bag (Once I managed to bring myself to undo the beautiful ribbon tie of course.) 

Why? Because the great unveiling was a bit like opening Pandora's box - more and more just kept coming out! There was SO much more than just the lipstick inside... Should I have expected anything less? 

Let's find out what's in the bag.

Did you get to check out the awesome Beauty Project run by Selfridges last month? I loved the concept! The Beauty Project is meant to celebrate all definitions of beauty, via a series of events, special products, debates and workshops which were hosted by experts, visionaries and the cream of the creative crop.

It's so interesting when you really think about how we view 'beauty' and being comfortable in your own skin - it's a topic that we should really talk about more!

Today is something a bit different - no beauty review or fashion finance. Today I'm sharing some YouTube videos from The Beauty Project... and trust me, they're something slightly different - I never thought I'd enjoy them as much as I did!

Has anyone started watching that Netflix series Orange Is The New Black yet? It sounds like Mean Girls in prison, I can't wait to get cracking on that one! Or should I read the books first? I actually really like knowing what's going to happen, is that weird?

Tedious link coming up, but from a makeup perspective, orange is actually the new pillarbox red! I showed you one of my favourite Orange toned lipsticks in my No7 Gay Geranium review which is a warm toned blood orange but, when it comes to Orange-Orange, a lot of you have said that it's too hard to wear!

I kind of agree, I feel like you have to have an occasion for orange-orange (ideally an east London house party one) - I only bust out a full orange lip when I want to look less girly and a bit more modern.

But that's not to say that orange can't be h-awesome. If you're looking for a more wearable shade then coral lipstick is your one and this Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy lipstick is officially my first buy for summer makeup!

I never normally like to spend more than a tenner on lipsticks but I have to say, I am HOOKED. Read on, for the reasons why.

As a somewhat connoisseur of French pharmacy brands, think Bioderma, La Roche Posay etc, I am a bit of a Vichy fan. 

SPRING IS HERE! The sun is out, the sky is blue and Nature is blooming everywhere. Last weekend, I went for a little country adventure down in Dorset and it was a perfect time to try out (and photograph) my new Model's Own nail polish.

Bought as part of my 50% off Model's Own Nail Polish haul which I blogged about the other month, this fabulous mint green shade is Apple Pie. A gorgeous pastel green, not only is it perfect for Spring, it's also SCENTED. Yarp, a scented nail polish - best invention ever?

During my trial, I've definitely got some highs and lows to tell you about but first of all - let's take a look at the colour (modelled au naturel amongst Spring's fiiiinest purple crocuses)


What's the verdict?