Hair Growth Update

Back in January of 2013, I took part in the '4 Week No Heat' challenge. As the name suggests, you must go FOUR weeks without using any form of heat on your hair. I accepted the challenge with open arms. You can read my update, and the results! I was thrilled that my hair grew a little, and since then, it has grown more. I have been using heat since the challenge ended, but not too much - only my hairdryer twice a week, a hair curler/straightener very rarely. However, I thought I would just document the progress of my hair growth for those who are interested in having a nosey. 

This was my hair before and after the challenge...

This is my hair now. Please excuse the angle/length of hair on my right (your left) - I had my head titled slightly to the right for some reason! Also, I have worn the same top in every picture so you can see the difference. I also compare my hair to the two freckles on my chest to get a better idea of how much it has grown.

I love how much it has grown since I successfully finished the challenge in February on Valentine's Day. I think it has grown a great amount in four and a half months, particularly as my hair is usually quite slow when it comes to growing. I'm not doing anything special to my hair, just using a deep conditioner once a week, and my Avon Moroccan Argan Oil Leave-In Treatment and L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil every time I wash my hair, and combing through with a wide-tooth comb. I also use a heat-protection spray before drying/styling (review coming soon). These oils are not made to make hair grow, but I'm sure they've contributed to it by making my hair stronger and more manageable. I also don't use as much heat as I did before.

It's never too late to take part in this challenge, and as July is starting tomorrow, it's the perfect time to start! It's easier than you would think. I'll definitely do it again some time soon, it really gives your hair time to breathe. Try it for yourself!

Nails | Avon Nailwear Pro+ 'Pastel Pink'

I have been painting my nails quite a lot lately, switching up the colour more often than usual. I love pastel colours, especially on the nails. This one by Avon has to be my absolute favourite. With 2-3 coats, you have a beautifully even, opaque colour on your nails.

What are you wearing on your nails?

Nails | No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour - 'Cheeky Chops'

How perfect is this colour for Summer? It's a beautiful coral pink colour, and I love it. However, I find it starts to chip on the second day. Bear in mind that this is without a topcoat. I imagine that with a topcoat (such as OPI) it would last a lot longer. It's such a beautiful colour though.

 Available from Boots.

DIY Marc Jacobs 'Daisy' Inspired Phone Case

I have seen so many of these cases online, and I had to try it for myself. I make phone cases, but I haven't done any like this. I must admit, I'm not sure if I have ever smelled 'Daisy' by Marc Jacobs, but I might have tested it in Boots before. I've seen the perfume itself though, and the bottle is absolutely adorable. As soon as I purchased the case and daisies on eBay, I couldn't wait to receive them. I didn't have to wait long! I started last night, and it took a couple of hours due to all the little fiddly bits. I started by gluing down the daisies, then the big pearls, and finally the small pearls and diamantés. I love how it turned out, so cute and girly. I can't stop looking at my phone! If you like the look of it, give it a go! It's simple, fun and gorgeous.

What do you think?

Nail Art

I'm a sucker for nail polish, and I love nail art. I have quite a collection of nail art items and I need to start using them more. I've done lots of designs over the past years, and I know I have a folder with pictures of them all, but I can't find it - typical! Here are a couple of the nail art designs I've done over the past years...

If I make another collection of designs, I will post them on here! I hope you like the designs I've done so far.

Instagram | Two Weeks in Pictures

As usual, I'm addicted to Instagram. I post almost every day (sometimes lots of times a day) but I think that's the fun thing about it - you can post as much as you like, and I don't think it can be counted as 'spam', because that's what Instagram is for. You can follow me here!

Lemon cupcake - treat! Quite sickly though

Jess enjoying her free sample from Go-Cat! She loved it

Ice-cold water at 4.30am (I upload literally everything to Instagram!)

Duckface...just for the giggle.

My love.

My baby boy, Prince. Isn't he so elegant?

Irish band who played on my college night out.

We totally destroyed a big plate of nachos!

Back to black!

My baby girl, Jess.

Rimmel 'Green With Envy'

Stripping my hair - before I went back to black.

Neutral eyes & pink lips

Beautiful sunrise at 5am

Stalker kitty doing neighbourhood watch

My fiancé (Elijah) and I decided to be Brian and Ruth for the day. It seems our names are too rare to be put on Coke bottles!

Amazing Sunday roast I made. I'm aware it looks awful, but it was amazing!

Hearty vegetable soup I made!

My shop (and blog post).

Follow me here and I'll most likely follow back.

Nails | Rimmel 'Green With Envy'

I'm a sucker for nail polish, and I picked this one up so long ago. It's a beautiful peacock blue/green, with a pearly-looking finish...that's the only way I can describe it! I've had it ages and it's still in perfect condition, not gloopy or thick. I love the pro-cision brush - it's quite wide so you don't need to do as many strokes to cover a nail. The nail polish itself usually lasts around 3-4 days without chipping, and that's without a topcoat! The 60 Seconds range dries really quickly (probably a bit more than 60 seconds!), which means you're less likely to dent your nails by touching something so soon after painting them. I use 2 coats to get an opaque finish. Beautiful.

Favourite Quotes

I'm a huge lover of quotes; just one can describe your whole life, or stop and make you think. I've come across so many that have stuck with me, so I thought I would share some of them with you.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

♥ Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

♥ Enjoy when you can, and endure what you must.

♥ Those without friends are like bodies without souls.

♥ Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.

♥ Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.

♥ Never light a fire you can't put out.

♥ Be careful who you open up to. Few people care, the rest are just curious.

♥ Better to wear out than to rust out.

♥ What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.

♥ Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain.

♥ Live for today, because tomorrow may never come.

♥ If we can dream it, we can do it.

♥ You can build a house, but a home must grow.

♥ Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter; and those who matter don't mind.

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Something You Probably Didn't Know About Me

I thought I would share something with you; something you may not know about me. I love these, because I love getting to know people. You'll probably laugh when you read it, but it wouldn't be the first time someone's laughed at it!

I am deathly afraid of butterflies and moths, so I suffer from Lepidopterophobia - not diagnosed, but I know I suffer from it! If a moth or butterfly comes near me, I will run a mile and squeal until it's gone. People tell me it's strange, but that's how it is, and it's more common than people think. Butterflies are pretty and everything, but there's something about their wings (and moth wings) that gives me the shivers, even now as I type this. I just shuddered. I've had this phobia for years, but it got even worse a few years ago. There was a butterfly in our bedroom, and of course, I screamed. I went down to get my fiancé and brought him up to get rid of it. When we came back, it had disappeared, so I think you can imagine how terrified I was. I'll literally never forget it! I was reluctant to sleep in the room until it was found and removed, but my fiancé told me not to be 'silly'. He obviously doesn't understand! Anyway, I stayed in the bedroom, and honestly for those few days, I didn't sleep much. I was so scared it would land on me or come near me. A couple of days later, early morning, the sun was rising and light was streaming in through the windows, it was so warm. You know when you turn over the pillow to get the cold side? Yeah, I did that...and the dead butterfly was underneath my pillow. I have never screamed so damn loud in all my life. How did it get there, was it waiting for me? I'll never know, nor do I want to know. I shudder thinking about it, it makes me feel physically sick. Seeing a picture of a butterfly or a moth makes me freak out. Call me weird, but I hate them with a passion. So, there's something you most likely didn't know about me.

Is it just me, or does anybody else suffer from this?