“Become an Aussie Angel” Competition: “Put a spring in your Spring”

I am super excited to introduce you to a fun competition sponsored by Aussie Haircare.
The prize: Becoming an Aussie Angel

 
Aussie is scouring the luscious lengths of the United Kingdom (and Ireland) in search for their next Aussie Angels. What's an Aussie Angel? It's your girl-next-door blogger who gets to try the latest Aussie Haircare producs when they are launched and is happy to share their Aussie Products experiences with their audience.

In addition, Aussie Angels have the chance to  participate in fun activities and events to know more about the brand, how to use the products and tips and tricks to raise your hair confidence and feel fabulous. Last but not least you get to mingle with lots of bloggers and make friends. Pretty amazing really!

What's the competition? What do I need to do?


1. You need to be an active blogger, and resident of the United Kingdom & Ireland.
2. Put your thinking cap on and answer the following question (in the form of a blogpost):

“Put a spring in your spring! Tell us:
How would you lighten up your life?
#AussieLight”

  

3.  Answer the question in the form of a blog-post on your own blog.
4. Tweet the link of your blog to @yummyhair (so Aussie know where to find it!)


Important Information


- Winners will be chosen by the Uncover Aussie team based on the most creative response that reflects the Aussie spirit. This means videos, pictures, stories or even songs can be their blog post entry – just as long as you answer the question.
- The competition closes on Sunday 20th March 2011, 23.59 GMT
- Full rules, terms and conditions can be found here or at http://bit.ly/aussielush


Further Information


- Aussie Official Website: http://www.aussiehair.com/
- Aussie Angels Website: http://www.uncoveraussie.co.uk/
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/yummyhair
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AussieHair

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My long but luscious day …

We've all been there before: at times we feel very unhappy with our skin, like it's the driest/spottiest in the whole world and that it needs some serious drastic help. So do what we do? We go and buy the most heavy duty treatment we can find. Most of the time we find that the heavy duty treatment we've found is too harsh or that we've been overdoing it. 


If you feel the same for your hair, there are some new products for you to try. Aussie Haircare has just launched a range of new conditioners called 'Lusciously Light'. The idea is give you the same quality conditioning action (and legendary gorgeous smell) but with a lightweight formula. Did they just create one lightweight product just for one type of hair? No! They went to create lightweight versions for the 6 most popular conditioners and for two of their 3 minute miracle treatments.






I was very fortunate to be sent one product of the new 'lusciously long' range to try. In true Aussie style, it was delivered to me the most amazing way: emulating the new logo, a kangaroo being lifted by balloons, I received my lusciously light luscious long conditioner lifted by a giant helium balloon. How extravagantly fabulous is that!








Like a jack in a box, the balloon sprung out and was the first thing which greeted me (and my nosy colleagues) when I untied the Aussie purple ribbon of the huge parcel. I then had to give a little presentation to my colleagues about Aussie haircare and this new line of products. I felt ever so special. After work, one of my colleagues asked me if I wanted to have a 'lift' home. Usually I would skip on the occasion (pun intended) but this time, I just wanted to walk home and be noticed with my balloon, hoping to be asked what it was.

It’s been a long week, but what a luscious ending to it !
Thank you very much. Me (and colleagues afore mentioned!) can’t wait to try this new conditioner

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Fireworks Party, Heat Damage and Aussie to the Rescue …

… Or the adventures of a stress head in Leeds…
Last Saturday I was invited to a truly fabulous party hosted by Aussie Haircare to celebrate the launch of their latest haircare range 'Take the Heat', a line of products specifically designed to protect your hair from the effects of heat damage.




In true Aussie Style, the event was superbly organised as usual and in every detail: from the gorgeous package, with colour coordinated satin ribbon to match the colour of products to the theme of the event: What a better night that 'Bonfire Night, night of fireworks' to host an event around heat damage. Perfect! The event was hosted in the sky lounge of some swanky hotel in Leeds, with panoramic views of the city.




I could not have thought of a better venue for it: while sipping out champagne cocktails, we were able to see the fireworks through the large windows, whilst in the warmth inside, all glammed up and in heels.




Before the event, all Aussie Angels were given a mission. We had to see which 'Take the heat' protector product worked best for our hair (read my thoughts on the products here) choose a hairstyle to recreate from hair style inspiration videos on the Aussie website, and reveal our hair style to the world. Best Barnet of the night would be awarded a prize. So this is when it started to go a bit pear shape. I am so mortified... {Put the kettle on, it's a long one...}

To start off, I received my 'Take the Heat' parcel later than everyone else as I had to had my parcel redelivered to a different address which left me less time than everyone else to practise. It’s my own fault really, as I work full time and never at home to receive parcels. Then, with Halloween preparations in the middle of it, I ran of time to buy a decent hair curler tool (I set myself on creating the voluminous curls hairstyle) so I ended up practising my curls with a pair of straightening irons. Needless to say, my first attempt at curling my hair using a hair straightener didn't go to plan.


To top it all off (wait for it) the same day of the event, I was moving offices and carrying filing cabinets and all sorts all day. My main priority was to keep my hair clean and away from the dust, which caused hilarity around the offices as I was wearing a hat indoors {we’re talking russian/trapper type of woolie hat here , with 2 flaps at the side covering the ears} By the time I took my train to Leeds, nothing of my freshly straightened hairstyle was left. It was still shiny, definitely not dusty but flat as anything. I was absolutely mortified. There I was going to a truly amazing party (Aussie Parties are just always out of this world), my hair flat as a pancake, knowing it would be judged to scoop the prize for the best barnet of the night.


There I was at 18.30, (party was due to start at 19.30, 'sharp like my hairstyle' as said the invitation) just arriving to my hotel, with fiasco hair, with just an hour to regain human appearance and put makeup on. I don't remember the last time I was such a bag of nerves. Before the event, I had practised a makeup look, inspired by the colour theme of the product (see my look here) but I chickened out at the last minute and opted for another makeup look (and outfit) I had worn many times before. To add to the nerves, attending the event as my guest, was YouTube celebrity makeup guru glitterdollz7. I felt paralysed. I felt I had forgotten how to apply lashes, blend shadows and everything ... AAAaa. I just couldn't relax enough to apply decent makeup, I felt the glue of my lashes wouldn't stick and the lashes I would usually be able to pop them on in the dark would not sit right. It was chaos. Anyway, after lots of stress and shakes, Ellie (missy_ellie_uk)and Carly (glitterdollz7),  - my guests for the evening - and myself arrived to the event about 13 minutes late.










I felt so lucky to be there. I just couldn't believe the venue and the breathtaking views we had over the city of Leeds and the fireworks. As a surprise guest for the evening, Aussie treated us to dancers performing on the balcony, all again, superbly  coordinated with the Take the Heat Products: Red and Purple Dancers with assorted ribbons and Dancers with Fairy Light Dresses to echo the heat theme of the night:








 








I was able to meet and chat to lots of bloggers, and sample all the delicious canapés and flowing champagne. I was having fun, but still deep down, I was mortified at the thought of having let Aussie down with my hairstyle. These girlies, by contrast did extremely well. Below, meet Katy the winner of the barnet of the night, with the 2 finalists, Jen and Catherine. If  it had been me, I would have had as well included @kelanjo19 as a finalist but I am really glad it was Katy who scooped the prize as she has long hair like me, yay :). The one who is laughing her head off is Jen and the one with the gorgeous golden dress is Catherine.



  

On my wish list for Christmas, a pair of curling irons definitely. Any suggestions for brands and models which can tackle my thich long locks would be very much appreciated.

And now photo time extravaganza…


 



















 






Marylin Monroe and me




Lady Gaga and me




Thank you for the great night Aussie! 

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Taking the Heat, Aussie Style & FOTD

About 2 weeks ago I received a beautiful package from Aussie. Inside an invitation, a second chance and a big  challenge...
The invitation was to attend a very swanky party to celebrate the launch of their latest range of products  called “Take the Heat” designed to protect your hair from the effects of heat damage. The whole  range contains 5 products: a shampoo, a conditioner, 3 minute miracle deep treatment, a leave-in spray, and  a cream.

 


Oh I hear you already. You're going to say that you don't style your hair very much or that you only  straighten your fringe. Well, heat damage happens from the moment you blow dry your hair and you don't have  to be doing elaborate crimping or curling etc  to damage your hair, I have learnt.  (I am going to try to forget  all the years I've been doing stuff to my hair without using anything, same for all the years of my life I  have been walking around without using SPF).

Also inside my parcel, the chance to road test two products from the range: the 'Take the Heat Cream' and  ‘Take the Heat Leave-in Spray’. I was really excited about the range firstly because of its main ingredient:  Jojoba.


For years, when I was living in France, one of my most repurchased shampoos was a shampoo (designed  for long hair) from L'Oreal containing jojoba which makes my hair super super shiny. (he shampoo is actually called ‘brilliance’ (French for shine). Sadly, I have never  been able to find this shampoo in England (I don't think it has ever been sold here).




But anyway, who wants  L'Oreal when you can have the trademark lovely smell of Aussie Products and the friendly language and puns  on their bottles? Friendly & Amusing language on shampoo bottles, by the way has also been attempted by Herbal Essences too, although I think they went too far the raunchy way in my opinion and don’t speak to me the same.

The challenge I was given was to see which form of protection I preferred when using heat on my hair (the  cream designed for thicker hair or the spray for thin hair), choose a hairstyle to recreate from the 3 hair  style tutorials on the Aussie website, and practise practise practise to reveal the fruits of my efforts and  my luscious long locks styled by moi on the night of Event. (my post about the night here)




I tried the cream  heat protector for my dry and thick horse hair. I was a bit apprehensive it would leave my hair greasy,  sticky, dull and heavier, but it didn't. Usually, when I blow dry my hair, I feel I need to put back  moisture into it but this time it didn't leave it as dried out as usual, shine was still there and no hint  of stickyness. The best about it all: the smell and the handy 100ml size bottle which I can see myself carry  around. No excuse for damage now!

 

I am happy, I feel I have been given a second chance to look after my hair a bit more and I am going  to grab it with both hands, one 'blobette' at a time :)

With all the excitement, I got carried away and I was inspired by the purple and red colour of the advert and the bottle to create a eye makeup look.




Ideally, I’d love to recreate this look on the night. Will have the guts to recreate something that bright for the night of the event?  How did my styling challenge go? Click here to find out. I leave you with you photos of my Aussie Take the Heat Inspired Makeup Look.


 



 





Products I’ve used: Well it had to be the purple from the sleek makeup acid palette, being one of my favourite colour ever, mixed with the blue duochrome purple from MUA. The red is from the 88 matte palette (the only colour I use in this cheap and ever so tacky palette) and very dark purple and black from the 120 palette. Lashes are a superposition of 2 pairs of lashes: generic purple lashes from eBay placed on the top of eylure glamour 101. 

Below a little before and after. Excuse the bare brows. Left side shows droopy lid in all its splendour, but right eye show the purple, like I should have left it, with enough free space for the highlight, before I messed up with it… oh well …

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From Drab to Fab ... Aussie style!

Last Wednesday, I was invited to a big pampering event organised by Aussie Hair Care where I had the chance to a team of 3 professionals: A fashion stylist, a hair stylist and a makeup artist (see my post on the whole event here) Amber was the Aussie Haircare stylist and I had the chance to have a personalised session with her. I was so lucky: Not only I had the chance to get my hair done, but I was able to discover some new products, see how she used them to style my hair, learn on how to do it myself, and had a go at doing it.


BEFORE THE TRANSFORMATION…


I should point out that straight away my hair styling skills are very basic. Other than the very rare straightening for special occasions, I almost invariably let my hair dry naturally as I’ve always been scared to damage it with the heat.In fact, I should just point out that I worry about every little thing: heat damage when styling hair, worried Amber was going to show me a some fancy hairstyle which would be too difficult to replicate at home and also I was scared my hair would become all sticky, stiff, heavy from the hairstyle. Amber worked her magic and you could not shut me up: ‘check me out’ as I was cringingly (is that even a word) and annoyingly giggling across the room and proudly parading my locks in front of my 6 fellow bloggers also invited to the special. To give you an idea of the transformation, a before and after photo.





Before (on the left) is picture of my hair left to dry naturally. The hair  still looks a bit shiny but in reality it was a dry mess, the layers was all over the place, grey hair was fiercely peeking through. The last time I had a haircut was at least 6 months ago, and a colour was overdue. I was so self conscious of my hair that it gave me a kick to have a good 1.5 inch trimmed to freshen the layers and the ends before the event.

For the colour, I used a ‘semi permanent’ home colouring product bought at half price or less.com. (Country Colors, in shade 58, Canyon Red) My hair is super super dark, so this colour would only be noticeable under strong artificial and natural lighting. I really liked the result, but soon I am going to need to use a proper permanent colour done at the hairdresser’s as I really need more lasting coverage for my greys.

 

And this is the result with the hair styled by Amber:


 

To achieve this flicked out voluminous look, Amber used mainly 3 tools:
- Aussie Luscious Long leave in conditioner on the ends
- Then a generous spray of Aussie ‘Volume & Gloss’ also focused on the ends
- and a pair of Babyliss Tone curling irons. No messing around with rollers having to stay there for ages in your hair.


I was even able to try it on myself and hold the curling object and give it a go:
- Spray ‘‘Volume & Gloss’ on  locks of hair,
- roll it (from the end onwards towards myself) onto the babyliss, count to 4 or something like that,
- then gently remove the curl and voilà





Result: Bouncy curls just on the ends giving me the mane of a sexy goddess and just volume all way around. I hope this will not sound too smug, and cringy but I felt like a million dollars. I am not sure the stylist was ready for such a extreme reaction of happiness: What amazed me the most was how easy it is to do as well. Well, I need to get one of those curling irons next!

No hint of sickly elnett perfume in sight, The Volume & Gloss just smells like freshly aussie shampooed hair, and not stiff either. Could it be because of the ‘kelp’ ingredient they were talking about? 


The cherry on the cake? What, there’s more? Yep.
As if this event was not special enough, I was given a generous goodie bag with my very own Volume and Gloss and 2 other new products I’ve never tried before and I can’t wait to try them out.

How has my hair ever looked and felt that good? No.
Can I resist the temptation to post a massive close up of my hair? Sorry I can’t :P 

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