Living Consciously | Vegan Haircare for Dry Damaged Hair

Hello everyone,

I'm back with another update on my journey to living consciously, talking about everything from cruelty free food and cosmetics to yoga. I want to try it all. In case you missed my original 'Living Consciously' post you can check it out here.

This week I thought I would share with you the amazing vegan and natural haircare products I've been trying out. My hair has always been on the dry side and coupled with the fact that it's naturally waved (a fancy way of saying its plain old frizzy) I like to go for products that will condition and smooth down my flyaways.

While I was getting my hair done at my local salon my hairdresser used the some Pureology Hydrate haircare products on me. Pureology is great because its 100% vegan. No animal products, by-products and no animal testing! Not only are their products great for the world but they're also incredible. My hair felt instantly softer and stronger after one use. I liked them so much I bought the shampoo and condition myself at Peter Mark. They're a bit pricier than your regular high street products but not ultra expensive either. Plus their concentrated formula means you only need a little bit at a time.

I've been using them for a few weeks now and my hair is still as soft as ever and their no sulphate formula doesn't weigh my hair down.

Next up is the Aveda damage remedy for intensive restructuring. I leave it in my hair for 5 or so minutes after using a clarifying shampoo. This product contains quinoa protein which actively repairs damage and wheat protein which helps protect against heat styling damage. I once got my hair highlighted at an Aveda salon and was worried my hair would become dryer but because of the natural ingredients I haven't experienced any dryness out of the usual.

Of course I still use regular products that aren't so natural but it's a process of slotting in a few products at a time. I'm trying out a few other natural body care products too so I'll keep you updated if I find any winners.

Well that's all for now.

Thanks for stopping by,

Ciara xx

Self-confidence: Feeling Good In Your Own Skin

Hello everyone :)


As you may know, just like any other normal person, I struggle on a day-to-day basis with body positivity and self-confidence. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and the world is my oyster and I'm feeling great. But then other days, sometimes more often than I'd like, I wake up and suddenly I feel like my clothes don't fit as well, my skin is too red and puffy and I'm in desperate need of a duvet day.

Now we'd all love to be able to stay in bed and watch Netflix and drink tea all day when we're feeling rough but with life, college and work we all don't have that luxury. I've struggled a lot with these kinds of days, especially after nights when I've binged or overeaten but I'm slowly starting to come up with a few strategies to make me feel good on the outside so I can shine on the inside.

Obviously we all know self-love and body acceptance are the best ways to have good body image days all the time and that when we truly love our bodies we can reach levels of self-confidence we've never had before. However even for people without body image problems or disordered eating habits self-love and body acceptance is a hell of a lot to ask.

That's why I'm here to give you some tips on how to make yourself feel a bit better on the outside whilst you're doing the work to love yourself on the inside too.

A little bit of make-up can do a lot of good

I used to think wearing make-up was a bit like lying to yourself or covering up your insecurities. I felt that if I wore make-up I was somehow self-obsessed and superficial. But now I couldn't feel any more different. Now I'm by no means a 'beauty' professional, you won't find me sporting a perfect cat eye fleek or a smouldering smokey eye any time soon. I started off just wearing a tinted SPF with some mascara just to balance out my redness but now I've moved into dabbing on some concealer and highlighter to give my skin a glowy complexion. I know it may seem like a trivial but these little changes have helped a lot whenever I catch myself in a mirror. 

I went to get my make-up done for the Trinity Ball a week ago and picked up the Estée Lauder Double-wear concealer and their lip liner in which happens to match my lip colour perfectly so it's great for a causal look. 

Fab hair don't care

There's something about a freshly blown out mane that can give you a bit of sass in your step. Again, not really my strong area but I'm working on it. So far fishtail plaits are my forté and my blow drying technique is slowly but surely improving. Next on my to-buy list is a good curling iron so I can add to my naturally waving hair. 

Spritz it up

While I love a waft of perfume throughout the day I always, I mean always, forget to put on perfume before I leave the house. However in special circumstances like these kinds of days I make an extra effort to spray my favourite scent. A few of my personal favs are Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck and La Prairie Midnight. 

Energise your inside

Rather than trying to cheer myself up with food I like to give myself a boost with a nice refreshing drink. Iced water with lots of lemon works wonders for me and gives my skin, energy levels and digestive system a well needed reboot. Cute glass jar is optional ;)

Wear clothes you both look and FEEL good in

All of us girls know how uncomfortable ultra skinny jeans can feel especially while we're PMSing or feeling bloated. Whenever I've had a bad night and my stomach is uncomfortable I don't particularly love the idea of a tight waistband digging into my stomach so I like to have a back up outfit on hand that I know I'll look and feel good in, even when I'm having a bad body image day. A usual go-to for me are some boyfriend fit jeans, a soft cosy jumper and a pair of comfy trainers. Nothing too fancy, an outfit that will boost my self-confidence and won't leave me pulling at my clothes all day.

So yeah those are a few things I've been doing to help me with my confidence levels and I'm sure I'll be able to add to the list as time goes on. Let me know if they are of some help and I'd love to know what some of your go-to feel happy tips are. Let me know in the comments!

Trinity Ball 2016

Hey guys,

So last night I went to the 2016 Trinity Ball and it was so much fun. I'm not the biggest festival or concert person so I was a little bit hesitant about going until I found out the Kooks were playing. They ended up being amazing live which made the night worth it!

 For my outfit I wore a dress from Lipsy that I got on ASOS and some New Look shoes. Also since I'm not the best at hair and make-up I got my make-up done at Estée Lauder and my hair blow dried so safe to say I was feeling nicely glammed up.

I thought I'd share a few snaps we managed to take during the night.

Some tips if you are going to go to Trinity Ball:

1) Bring flats! Cobble stones, alcohol, and mud do not make for a great heel situation. 

2) Wear a short dress or make sure you can tie up your long skirt. I brought a bobbin to bunch up my dress and make it midi length. 

3) Wear a coat. The last act for Trinity Ball goes on around 4am so during the night it will get really cold and you don't want to be freezing. 

4) No one cares what you look like once you're in. Get a nice photo with your heels on before you go in but after that pretty much anything goes. Wear flats, a scarf, a coat, anything!

5) If possible opt for a dress with no sleeves or thin straps just so you can dance freely without your arms being restricted. 

So yeah I just wanted to do a quick post about my night. Over all I had a great time at Trinity Ball and it was loads of fun. We were so lucky it didn't rain!

Smooth, Soft and Silky Hair?

Hello lovelies!


So I have a good'un to share with you today to get your locks in tip top silky smooth condition.

A few months ago I ordered the TIGI S Factor Smoothing Conditioner from FeelUnique because my hair was just looking a bit lack lustre and frizzy. I can safely say this stuff rocks. Every time I use it my hair always feels so soft and smooth even when I let it dry naturally which is saying something because my hair is naturally curly and a frizzy.

I wish I had bought the shampoo and conditioner as a set but I was already pretty happy with my Aussie Mega Moist everyday shampoo but as soon as I've gone through the bottle I'll definitely try out the shampoo too. 

Back off to work now!

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Updated Daily Skincare Routine

Hello lovelies!


Now I must confess I'm not one of those people who enjoys slathering on millions of fancy products every morning and night and has beautifully glowing, baby soft skin. And unfortunately I'm not blessed with naturally perfect skin so I can't afford to have too many lazy, go to bed without washing my face nights. But frankly I can't be bothered faffing about with products I have to read the back of to know what they do.

I tend to have red, clogged pored, dry and bumpy skin. When I say bumpy I don't mean pimply I mean little bumps that come up from under the skin. Usually I don't have many problems with my skin but when I can back from uni my skin was in a state.

So give my skin a reboot I've decided to gently exfoliate in the mornings following up with a replenishing gel and then a hydrating gel. In the evening times I just switch up my exfoliator for a gentle gel cleanser as I don't tend to wear much stubborn make-up that can be tough to remove.

Then (if I can remember/am bothered) I'll try to do a mask twice a week either to unclog my pores or to clarify my skin.

Cleaning the up the skin

I always go for a safe, gentle gel to leave my face feeling clean and refreshed without being too harsh. Simple is always a good choice if you happen to have sensitive skin.

I've recently been trying out some REN products and I'm really enjoying them. My skins noticeably softer and less bumpy after using the rosa centifolia gentle exfoliating cleanser and it isn't too drying at all.

Post wash repair

I use the REN clearcalm 3 replenishing gel cream after I wash my face for a more balanced and brighter skin tone.

I haven't been using any traditional cream moisturisers lately, instead opting for a really hydrating serum from Avène. 

Pamper night masks

If I feel my skin is a bit red and looking tired and damaged the REN clearcalm 3 clarity restoring mask does a great job of making my skin feel nourished and giving it a healthy glow.

I also use the quick fix facials exfoliating scrub mask to de-gunk those pores and give my face a good scrub.

After a term at uni my skin was suffering from stress and work and breaking out left right and centre but after switching up my skincare routine I feel there's been a big improvement and hopefully if I don't get too lazy I'll try keep it up. I think the key is to keep it simple.

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Smells so good you could drink it...

Hello lovelies!


You know when you find a scent that you just can't keep taking off the lid and smelling? One that lingers behind on scarves and jumpers and you get a welcomed waft of it as you put them on? A scent so perfect you just want to drink it?

Well I think I've found my scent obsession, Midnight Rain by la prairie. Before I came across this scent I was in love with Chloé, which I still love, but as soon as I got my first spritz of Midnight Rain it's been the one for me.

I don't even know how to explain the scent but it's sweet but not too sweet, sophisticated, sensual and woodsy all at the same time. If you want the exact notes the scent is infused with white lily, orchid, plum blossom and amber flower. The base reveals patchouli, vetiver, cashmere and musk.

Not only does it smell beautiful the packaging is amazing, shaped like a water droplet of sparkly, twinkly midnight rain. 

Happy New Year to all! I hope you all celebrated the end of 2014 and welcomed the beginning of 2015 with friends and family last night. What about resolutions? I haven't even sorted mine out yet so I had better get a move on! 

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Merry Christmas From Lush

Hello lovelies!


Hope you all had an amazing Christmas and had a wonderful time with family and friends over the holidays. I've had few days of bliss and am now settling back into real life nursing one serious food baby.

One of the gifts I received this Christmas was a Lush Christmas Present Box, which I'm sure all the bath fanatics out there will appreciate. I'm not a big bath person but when I do have one I like to go full out, bubbles and all!

I thought I'd share with you the lovely bits I found when I dug my hands through those little foam packing bits.

\

You don't even need wrapping paper for this beauty!

1) Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub 130g

2) Baked Alaska Soap Bar 120g

3) Million Dollar Facial Moisturiser 10g

4) Santa's Lip Scrub (Tastes like Cola!) 25g

5) So White Shower Gel (Apple-y scent) 100g

I can't wait to have a relaxing bath one evening and give myself a mini-pamper session.

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Favourites: Summer Lovin'

Hello lovelies!


So since my photographer has abandoned me for the weekend (she's gone off to Berlin with my other sister and my dad) I thought I'd put together a little favourites post instead. Now I have a few to go through but I've really been loving using these products over the last few weeks or so and they're perfect bits and bobs to stock up on for the sunshine filled months.

1: First up are two pretty little headbands I picked up from River Island. On a hot and sweaty day I don't necessarily want to have the weight of my hair on my neck so I pop it up in a messy bun to keep cool. These trinkets do the job of holding everything in place and making a boring bun more summery.

2: I'm practically glued to my gorgeous Ray Ban Wayfarer sunnies to keep my sensitive eye from watering in the sun and getting damaged. 

3: These two cute bikini tops are from H&M and I think they are flying out of stock at lightening speed. They're wired so there's a bit of support and they fit me really well. Hopefully when I'm in San Francisco (only 2 and a bit weeks left) I'll get some use out of them. 

4: I've been going through a nail varnish craze lately and the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shines in Blueberry and Pink Punch are so bright and summery. I have Blueberry on my toes at the moment and because I have to wear sandals at work so many people have been complimenting me.

5: To keep my skin soft and smooth for fake tanning I've been using the Soap and Glory Flake Away body scrub. It leaves my skin super soft and also smells. so. good.

6: Because I spend about an hour and half on the bus everyday I'm going into work and recently I've decided to get into reading books again, the book 'To Die For. Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?' by journalist Lucy Siegle has taken up permanent residence in my work bag. If you're a shopaholic or just interested in the fashion industry this is a great book to look into. It's all about how fashion industry and fast fashion are affecting the world socially, economically and ecologically. Don't worry it's not some fact laden series of reports, the way it's written is quite gripping and easy to read.

7: After exfoliating I slather a bit of Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea body lotion to moisturise and oh gosh it smells so light and sweet. Not only does it do it's job it also dries in really quickly which is a plus for me who hates waiting for lotions to dry in. A perfect summer body staple.

8: I've recently discovered Burberry's perfume 'Touch' and I've been using it non-stop. It's quite a mature scent so while delicious it's not exactly a summer fragrance. 

9: I'm fairly lazy when it comes to self-tanning because really I couldn't be bothered to even try bronzing my milky white skin. But to take away a bit of light reflecting whiteness the Dove Summer Glow moisturiser with gradual tan is great. I've got in the shade for fair to medium skin and it's not 'orangey' at all. Plus because it's moisturises the skin I find I don't go patchy around my ankles or knees. The smell is not too bad either.

10: I recently paid a visit to the Clarins beauty counter to pick up the Skin Perfecting BB Cream in the shade 00. OMG this is seriously the best BB cream I've ever tried. Not only does it actually suit my fairer skin tone exactly it has great coverage and doesn't give that wet oily look. Packed with antioxidants like green tea extract and SPF 25 the BB cream also evens out the skin tone. 

Take it from someone who wear so little make-up she sometimes forgets to even put on mascara for work this BB cream is so quick and easy to apply.

11: Last but not least the Tony & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray is wonderful for adding a bit of oomph and texture to second day hair. It also has a great smell. I feel like a sun-kissed beach bunny without having to deal with a grain of salt.

Hopefully I've given you a few items to add to your summer shopping basket this year.

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xxx

Christmas Gift Guide 2013

Hello lovelies!

So it's that time of year again when time seems to be going by too quickly, Christmas is just around the corner and you still haven't bought one present! I absolutely love love love buying presents for people so naturally I have most of my shopping finished but I thought I'd put together a quick last minute gift guide to give you some ideas and make fighting the Christmas crowds that little bit less stressful.

For the Girls

I'll start with the easiest person to buy for, your sister, girlfriend, aunt, cousin and any other female friends. With most girls you can pretty much hit the mark with something cute and pretty think Cath Kidston and scented candles.

Floral Wash Bag www.cathkidston.com



If you're in the mood to spoil someone...www.prada.com

Chloé by Chloé is a gorgeous scent that's rich and light at the same time. I'm so bad at describing scents but it's definitely not sweet or floral and makes for a safe purchase. I'd recommend giving it a sniff yourself to see if it seems like the kind your girl would wear.


If your 'giftee' has a Pandora charm bracelet then this cute little reindeer is a beautiful idea. This is just one of my favourites but Pandora have plenty of Christmas themed charms to choose from.



A sparkly top during the Christmas period can never go amiss and this one is from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk.



'IT' -Alexa Chung



So many makeup brands are bringing out festive holiday gift sets, this one here's from MAC.



These two tech accessories are from www.asos.com. 

For the Boys

If you've got the money to spend Beats by Dre are a great surprise for a music lover, and if he isn't a fan of the over-the-ear option why not opt for speakers or ear-buds. 

DIY Robot Speaker from ASOS. www.asos.com

Christmas Tree cuff-links from www.amazon.co.uk.

Apparently SuperDry is a safe store to buy for your guy for casual wear. www.superdry.com

Shirt from Abercrombie & Fitch. www.abercrombie.com 

Hip Flask from www.riverisland.com.

A Christmas Jumper! www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk

 Why not give your guy a scent you secretly love..

For Mothers and Grandmothers

Scented candles from Jo Malone www.jomalone.com

I've heard great things about the Laura Mercier Body Soufflé collection and this sample of the four main scents in lovely glass jars is a perfect tester gift. www.lauramercier.com

Along with the best french toast and sausages ever Avoca do beautiful mohair and cashmere blend throws that are still woven in their mill in the village of Avoca. www.avoca.ie

The Prevage line from Elizabeth Arden has gotten some seriously great reviews and while pricey, it's said to be worth every penny. www.elizabetharden.com

I don't know about you but my Nanna loves a nice brooch and this Grace Kelly inspired one from Newbridge Silverware is beautiful. www.newbridgesilverware.com They also do great Christmas baubles.

For Dads and Grandpas 

Ok, I find getting the right gift for your old man is the hardest quest of all during the holiday season never mind finding your Christmas Day outfit! 

 

These two books are a must for dads who somehow manage to burn toast.

A good quality, warm and cosy jumper is always an option. www.tommy.com

 

If he's into golfing or sport why not get him some lightweight and comfortable gear? www.store.nike.com

Ted Baker Wallet Set. www.tedbaker.com  

Merino Cashmere Tartan Scarf. www.barbour.com

 

A few years ago I got my dad the Only Fools and Horses box set and he really enjoyed it. It's nice to have something to sit down together as a family to and watch.

Right well these are just a few of my recommendations if you're doing some last minute Christmas shopping, hopefully this guide came in helpful!

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx