HAIR STYLING ESSENTIALS

Having basic products is essential to creating the perfect hairstyle, whether thats curling or straightening those luscious locks of yours. Walking into the hair styling isle in Boots can be quite overwhelming with companies selling everything from hair perfume, to oils and texturising sprays. All of these can have their purpose, but if your on a budget I recommend keeping it simple. Besides keeping the products to a minimum really does have a better effect on your hair.

I've tried and tested many hair products while working at a hair salon and here are some of my faves that don't break the bank:

1) A Good Strong Hold Hairspray: Finding a hairspray that doesn't give you crispy curls that fall out after an hour can be a challenge, Fudge Urban hairspray is a miracle that many beauty bloggers celebrate. The hold is incredible on this and can see you dancing into early hours of the morning. I find a lot of hair stylists use it, then again you can go wrong at £5. However the thing that draws me to this product is the smell, Iced raspberry and vanilla, sweet but certainly not sickly and overpowering. LOVE.

2) A Shine Spray: The best way to get that Cheryl Cole 'because your worth it' hair is using a shine spray, it adds a lovely gloss to the hair and can especially hide any dryness. It can be hard to find a spray that doesn't leave your hair greasy or sticky but I can honestly say that I swear by the Chill Shine Enhancer. Firstly the smell is just divine, I really can't explain it apart from saying it smells like apples and champagne. You can tell how long I've had this product as it is in the old packaging which brings me to another bonus, a little really does go a long way. It doesn't leave your hair with a resin but leaves it soft, sassy and satin like, perfect for that Hollywood glamour look.

3) A Heat Protector: When applying heat to your hair you've got to be careful not to damage it, split ends is not a good look. Adding a heat protector will reduce the frizz and help the heat not to damage you hair as much. Simple really, however some heat protectors can use that many chemicals it's doing your hair more harm applying them. I trust the TRESemmé heat protector and use it when ever I style my hair or dry it, it leaves it much more conditioned and I highly recommend.

4) Styling Clips: I know that it is quick just to curl your hair or straighten it without sectioning it. However I find that sectioning it gives a salon finish and makes sure that you haven't missed any strands of hair. Half curly and half straight hair is not attractive, especially since you can pick these Trevor Sorbie ones up so cheap from boots.

5) A Barrel Brush: Nothing feels better than a good blow dry and getting that volume in your hair can be achieved by using a barrel brush when drying the roots of your hair.  Purchasing a well known brush such ash Denman is highly recommended as you'll get much better results and you'll find the brush to long laster. Also my favourite trick to use a barrel brush for is if you have a fringe or side fringe to centre part it, and blow dry each side to get that perfect Kim K flick. It is so quick but such a sophisticated look.

What hair products could you not live without?

Immy xo

WHAT I WOULD WEAR TO THE RACES

Being head to toe fabulous when going to the races is essential. Say goodbye to that floral dress you wore to your cousins wedding, and hello to a sophisticated monochrome jumpsuit to look on trend for this season. Fashion at the races has been a growingly popular event that see's the light of some of Britain's most wealthiest folk. Yes, that's right, you need to be able to tell the difference between your Prada and Pucci just as much as your Frankie Dettori and Tony McCoy. 

Here's my top tips on how to make a statement without looking like you're too over dressed at Ladies Day:

1)  A Floppy Hat: We know that when going to the races a hat is a key item, however who said it hat to be as extravagant as a three tiered cake. Overall you have to take centre stage, not the hat. 

2) A Splash of Colour: To catch the attention of anyone a splash of colour is always key, however don't over do it as you don't want to end up like Elmer, the rainbow elephant. Adding a hint of colour to monochrome always looks classy. 

3) Ditch Those Courts: There is no rule that you have to wear the skinniest pair of heels in your wardrobe. Try chunky wedges or platforms, since you are going to be stood up all day and nothing is less attractive that swollen feet. 

Here's what I would wear for a Ladies Day event:

All clothing and accessories Topshop.

Click here to find out more about the #ColourMeMarch Campaign at Cheltenham Races!

Immy xo

PARIS 2015

Traveling to new places is a love of mine so when my textiles class was running a trip to Paris I jumped at the opportunity, to go to the fashion capital of the world has always been a dream of mine. It was so magically and even though we were just there for two days I wanted to make the most of it and see most of the amazing sites.

We touched down at Charles De Gaulle Airport at 8:30am and headed straight to the hotel to freshen up; it wasn’t long after that we headed on the metro to the Pompidou.

I found the pompido to exhibit a lot of modern art and was more design based. Jeff Koons showed off some of his work which was very art pop, Andy Warhol inspired. But overall I really loved the work and found it interesting.  The view from the viewing platform at the top was amazing and defiantly recommend on a clear day.

After that we re-fuelled and set off to visit the Louvre and saw the very famous Mona Lisa. The Louvre contains so many amazing pieces from artists all over the world therefore it was impossible to see it all in one afternoon. You could easily get lost in all of the many corridors, where there is paintings after sculptures, however I would love to return. The impact of when you see the glass pyramid was outstanding and completely contrasted with the 16^th century fortress. I was very impressed.

Next we travelled to the Champs-Élysées where we saw the amazing Arch De Triumph however even more amazing than that was the shopping. We headed into all the little boutiques and of corse Sephora.

Sadly it was very pricy. So we headed to familiar territories, Zara. I always find the Zara abroad to be so much better and have a much wider selection of stock. They are more daring in the trends they choose.  I purchased a MAC Prep + Prime Illuminator. 

Finally it was time to end the day, and how other to end it by eating Pizza next to the Effiel Tower and at 8 ‘o’clock watch the famous light show.  This was by far my favourite part of the trip and was such a 'pinch me' moment.

DAY 2: After a good night sleep we caught the metro to Montmartre where we had a lovely petit dejéuner. We walked up towards the Sacré-Cœur and visited the typical tourist shops and may have made some sneaky chocolate purchases. 

I found Montmartre to be a cute place and very typically french, as you got out of the main tourist spots you saw many Parisian people doing there everyday shopping and chores. 

 However the most exciting part of the day was the fabric shops. I’ve never seen so many shops selling beautiful fabrics before in my life. One of the warehouses held a fashion market which was five floors of gorgeous materials. It got more expensive and better quality the further you moved up and I saw some beautiful tweed and crocodile leather and even better but next door held all the embellishments a girl could dream of. 

Finally we shopped til we dropped in the famous La Fille Gallery. The most amazing department store ever!!!  Floors upon floors of beautiful fashion. But faster than we could blink we were on the Air France flight back to Manchester and it was soon time to say bye bye to Paris and hello back to reality. I love Paris and it has very quickly become one of my favourite cities, I highly recommend any of you to visit.  

Immy xo