DIY OMBRE BALAYAGE

Aloha.

Just a sneaky update this morning;

I gots myself some new hair. Okay, well it's the same hair, however it's taken a bit of a beating with a good few bleach sessions the last couple of weeks. 

I've been lusting after the ever-popular ombre balayage look and you all know how indecisive I can be.. Three months ago I had plum hair, two days later it was dark brown, then ombre, then dark again.

ugh, will I ever be happy?

After spending hours on end trolling through social media sites to find the 'perfect' look, I decided that I'd give balayage a go myself.

Disclaimer; I have ombre'd my hair myself before, but never have I tried balayage, so I figured "how hard could it be?!"

So, what's balayage I hear you ask? It's basically hair painting. Yep, that's right. You literally paint different strands of hair to create a natural, sunkissed look. It's a lot less subtle than highlights, but just adds some dimension to a normal head of colour.

Here is the finished look:

I don't think that I did too bad (trying not to blow my own trumpet!)

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FIVE THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND: SWITCH UP YOUR HAIR

1. BALAYAGE OR OMBRE;

One of the quickest and easiest way to freshen up your look over Christmas. 

Ombre is the gradual lightness from roots to ends whereas balayage tends to begin with an ombre effect, but then has highlights running through the lengths, creating a somewhat natural, sunkissed look.

Yep, you can get this professionally done at your local salon, but if you're on a budget (I mean, it is Christmas after all) then grab a box dye and give it a whirl yourself. 

I promise it's pretty fool-proof!

My favourites are:

 L'oreal Wild Ombre Kit £7.49

BLEACH DIY Dip Dye Kit £7

BLEACH Balayage Beach Lights £7

2. CUT IT SHORT;

Now this is one that I would probably recommend you visiting a salon for unless you are super-brave (which, admittedly I once did).. Go SHORT!

I absolutely love seeing an angular bob; they're sassy, chic and so stylish, although they are pretty high maintenance so this is probably not for you girls who like to roll out of bed and be ready in 5 minutes! Another downside- it's winter, so invest in a chunky knit scarf to keep that bare neck toasty.

If you don't see what I mean, pleaaase go onto Pinterest and type in 'medium bob'. 

You'll soon be itching to grab those scissors! 

3. GO A LITTLE CRAZY WITH PASTEL;

Strangely, I think that this is the only trend that I've not tried, but one that I so wish that I could pull off. You've got the entire colour spectrum out there, so go wild!

Take a look at the BLEACH London range here. 

4. GIVE IT SOME TLC;

Chuck on a store-bought mask or make your own and shiny, healthy hair will be yours...

My fave store-bought masks;

Ojon Damage Reverse Mask £34.50

John Frieda Full Repair Damage Mask £6.25

 

A couple of home-remedies;

Avocado flesh & a tablespoon of honey; leave for 20 minutes and rinse off.

Three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil & two eggs; leave to 20 minutes and rinse off.

5. GIVE A FRINGE A GO;

Cut one in yourself or, again, nip to your local salon for a couple of quid and ask for a fringe putting in. Now, this depends on how brave you are feeling- are you going for a cute side bangs or a bold full front fringe. Either way, it'll spruce up your 'do with minimal effort!

So, what are you thinking of doing?

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH MCBUSTED // CAPITAL EXPOSED

Okay, a little bit of a different post here today, but it's something that was so fun and different that I figured it deserved a mention.

So last week, I bagged myself tickets to the Capital Dino & Pete exposed with McBusted show. Basically, it's a live radio show where McBusted join them, play games, do interviews and perform live to a small audience in a secret location.. Sounds cool, right? 

We arrived at 6.30am (early, right?) and unfortunately spent an age queuing and waiting to get inside the venue. Now, me being me, I was tired and hungry, having skipped breakfast, and noticed that James had a heap of croissants next to him, so I tweeted them for a croissant. After a number of exchanged tweets, Matt eventually threw me a croissant.. I didn't actually catch it, but it's my new claim to fame.. 'Aren't you the croissant girl?'

After several hours, the show ended and I got the pleasure of meeting Dino and Pete whom my boyfriend listens to religiously (yes, I did cringily ask for a video from them directed towards my boyfriend..) but really, it was a wonderful morning and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Did anyone else go to this?