Want to get your hair cut, coloured or styled on the cheap? Here's how...

There's few things I despise more than spending a ton of money at the hairdressers.  Having gone to numerous award winning salons including Blushes, Cream and Lockonego (Ben Cooke, Victoria Beckhams hairdresser cut my hair here) I have never left feeling truly satisfied with my new style.  Yes the interiors of these salons are pristine and you do get to sip on champagne whilst having a 'complementary' head massage, correct me if i'm wrong, but shouldn't the sole purpose of spending such a vast sum of money be that you leave with the exact look that you've been dreaming about.

Last week when I was searching for a new hairdressers I came across an advert for a hair training college that were scouting for models.  Having previously trained as a hairdresser I know just how difficult it can be for hair students to find clients to practice on.  Experience has taught me that providing the training college or salon is reputable and of a high standard, very few irreversible accidents occur (as long as your trainee stays away from the bleach!).  So in due course I jumped at the opportunity to have my roots touched up for just £15.

MUA Intense Kisses High Intensity Lip Gloss Review - Kiss And Tell

MUA - Kiss And Tell £2

Kiss And Tell from MUA is a darkish vibrant pink with red undertones.  It's highly pigmented and reminds me more or a lacquer than a lip gloss.  This gloss is a very similar product to Rimmel's Apocalips as it's so well pigmented without having that horrible sticky texture.  Kiss And Tell has a sheen to its finish, it isn't super glossy but gives lips a healthy looking shine.  

MAC 195 Concealer Brush Review

MAC 195 Brush £17

This concealer brush from MAC is made entirely of synthetic fibres.  It's a small flat brush with a tapered, pointed tip.  The fibres are quite stiff which isn't ideal for blending, but if you use it to apply concealer with tapping motions it spreads and blends product evenly.  This brush is great for concealing dark under eye circles as it has thin fibres and a precise pointed tip which allow the brush to get into small and tricky areas.  It isn't however the most ideal brush for concealing spots and blemishes due to its size.

MAC Cremesheen Sagon Summer Lipstick Review

MAC Cremesheen Sagon Summer £14

MAC's Sagon Summer is one of their Cremesheen lipsticks.  It's an orange shade with warm undertones and has a sheen to it's finish.  This lipstick has average pigmentation and contains gold micro-shimmer which is slightly visible on the lips.  It has a fairly thick and moisturising formula which is comfortable and doesn't dry out the lips.  It does however enhance chapped lips due to the shimmeryness of the lipstick.

Simple Spotless Skin Deep Clean Cleansing Pads Review

Simple Spotless Skin Deep Clean Cleansing Pads £4.99**

Since my skins been a bit temperamental recently, especially on my chin where I keep breaking out I decided to give these a go.  These cleansing wipes from Simple contain 2 skin cleansing ingredients, zink and chamomile which help to remove oils and impurities from the surface of the skin.  They also contain phytosphingosine which is a natural antibateria to help clean the spot effected area and help prevent spots from spreading.  Although they don't contain any added perfume they smell really nice for cleansing wipes, I can't quite put my finger on what they remind me of but it's a sweet and refreshing scent.

Simple Spotless Skin Deep Clean Cleansing Pads

How To Dress For The Gym - Workout Outfit #1

When I first got back into going to the gym a year ago I never knew what to wear.  My old gym was quite sloppy and people just tended to wear whatever was comfortable.  However when I switched to a more upmarket gym I noticed that everyone wore make up and put effort into their appearance whilst working out.

Percy & Reed Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil Oil For Fine Hair Review

Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil £14

This month has been amazing in terms of the amount of magazines offering beauty freebies!  I got this one free with my copy of Glamour Magazine and for £2 it was such a bargain, especially as you get 30ml of product and the full sized bottle costs £14 for 60ml.  This is my first product from Percy & Reed and it claims to make hair smooth, sleek and shiny whilst also adding volume.  As well as containing Vitamin B5 which helps to nourish, add strength and repair hair whilst wheat proteins within the oil act as a heat protector.

Treseme Heat Defence Styling Spray Review

Treseme Heat Defence £4.69

I've been relying on this heat protector spray for the last 4 or 5 years and despite blow drying and straitening daily my hair's in pretty good condition.  Treseme's Heat Defence protects hair from heat damage up to 230 degrees.  It works by acting as a barrier between the hair shaft and the emitted heat.  As well as this it protects hair by making straighteners and tongs glide smoother through hair, preventing the plates from sticking which could otherwise cause too much heat to go to one area.

What's In My Bag? Beauty products I can't leave my house without!

Victoria's Secret Strawberries & Champagne Fragrance Mist Review

Victoria's Secret Strawberries & Champagne Fragrance Mist £7.49

This is my first fragrance mist from Vicoria's Secret and it smells delicious!  It has a rich sweet scent which  does actually smell somewhat like strawberries and champagne.  I first smelt this product at an airport a couple of years ago and was desperate to get it, but my flight was called before I had chance to purchase it.  As it's not widely available in the UK I didn't see it again till about a year after when I was at Birmingham airport,  this time I snapped it up the second I saw it.

Isinis Slimline 410 Hair Brush Review

Isinis Slimline 410 Hair Brush £14.09

This Slimline hair brush from Isinis has a soft pneumatic cushion which works to help prevent hair from pulling and tangling.  It is a high quality handmade hair bush that's produced in France   The brush is small and light enough to fit easily into most handbags making it convenient for use on the go.  It has a sleek and glossy design giving it an elegant and expensive feel.

Slim-Fast Diet Review

The Slim-Fast 1-2-3 Meal Replacement Diet is arguably one of the easiest and cheapest diets around.  The concept is simple, you have 1 sensible nutritious meal per day, 2 meal replacement shakes or bars and 3 snacks that are each around 100kcals.  If you followed the diet exactly your daily calorie intake would be 1360Kcals, which is 640 calories less than the average woman needs.  In order to loose 1lb of body weight you need to cut out or burn 500 calories, based on this the diet should help you shred weight pretty quickly.

How I Lost 22lbs - Maxitone Sculptress Weight Loss Protein Shakes Review

Image from Maxitone.com £24.99

Sculptress weight loss protein shakes from Maxitone come in 3 different flavours; Banana Split, Chocolate Delight and Strawberry Sunday.  All three protein shakes contain between 201 and 209 calories per serving.  They also contain 17g of protein per serving to help fill you up and repair muscles, green tea extract to help boost your metabolism, CLA which is a natural fatty acid that has been shown to aid weight loss and increase toning, and L carnitine which is a thermogenic that helps to boost your metabolism through raised body temperature.

Treseme 24 Hour Body Amplifix Hairspray Review

Treseme 24 Hour Body Amplifix Hairspray £5.50

This 24 Hour Amplifix Hairspray from Treseme is designed to add volume and hold to hair.  This product is designed to be applied straight to the roots of the hair rather than on the outer layers.  It sets very hard which reminds me of a cheap hairspray, as there's no flexibility in the hold.  It's very drying on the hair and has a really strong alcohol scent.  The packaging is unusual as it has an hourglass shape to the bottle and has a unique spray applicator nozzle.

Toni & Guy Classic Smoothing Lotion Review

Toni & Guy Smoothing Lotion £6.99

 Toni & Guy's Smoothing Lotion is aimed at taming frizz and leaving hair smooth and sleek.  My hair is very fine and therefore prone to frizzing and flyaways, this product helps to add enough weight to stop my hair from frizzing without making it flat and dull.  It also makes my hair feel smoother and in better condition, adding shine and making it feel slightly thicker which is always a bonus.

Rimmel Colour Mousse 8 Hour Eyeshadow Review - 013 Galaxy

Rimmel Colour Mousse Eyeshadow Galaxy

Rimmel's Colour Mousse in Galaxy is a shimmery lilac purple shade.  It's highly pigmented and gives an almost metallic effect once applied.  I actually picked this eyeshadow up in Poundland about a month ago and as far as I'm aware it's been discontinued which is why it was available so cheap.  Rimmel claim that this eyeshadow lasts up to 8 Hours and I can happily say that it lasts a full day on top of Rimmels Eyeshadow Primer without fading, creasing or smudging.

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick Review - Lickable

MAC Lipstick - Lickable £14

 MAC's Cremesheen lipstick in Lickable is a deep fuchsia pink shade with blue undertones.  It's highly pigmented giving great colour pay off in only a couple of swipes.  Lickable has a mostly matte finish with a slight sheen which wears off after about an hour or so.  This lipstick is extremely long lasting, I find that I only need to reapply it every 4 or 5 hours.  It does stain the lips, and when it fades it does so pretty evenly.

VO5 Smoothly Does It Tame & Shine Spray Review

VO5 Smoothly Does It Tame & Shine Spray £3.89

VO5's Tame & Shine Spray is part of their Smoothly Does It Range which is aimed at keeping hair smooth, glossy and frizz free.  Since going brunette I've noticed that my hair isn't as naturally shiny as it was when I was a blonde.  So when I spotted this shine spray by one of my favourite budget hair styling brands I was eager to try it out.

VO5 Smoothly Does It Frizz Free Smoothing Cream Review

VO5 Smoothly Does It £3.89

This smoothing cream from VO5 is aimed at reducing staticness and flyaways whilst also acting as a heat protector.  As I have very fine hair I'm often prone to frizz if I don't use the right products, especially in this cold weather we've been having.  So far this product has lived up to its name and hasn't disappointed.  It provides just enough weight to keep hair from being static, without weighing it down and making it look flat.  I have also found that it makes straightening a lot quicker and easier which shows that it's working as a heat protector.

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick Review - Creme Cup

MAC Lipstick - Creme Cup £14

Creme Cup is one of MAC's Cremesheen Lipsticks. It is a nude light pink shade with blue undertones.  I especially love lipsticks with blue undertones as I find that they help to make my teeth appear whiter.  I ordered this shade online since I don't live near a MAC counter and was slightly apprehensive about what the shade would look like, and whether it would suit my skin tone.  As it's more pink based than nude I've found it pretty easy to wear, and I think it would suit most skin tones.  It's a fairly natural lip colour on me and gives a nice groomed but subtle effect.