BaByliss Boutique Salon Ceramic Rollers

BaByliss Boutique Salon Ceramic Rollers

When it comes to hair, again mama doesn't have that much time. And when I am in the mood to dedicate a few minutes to hair styling then this is a trusty [new] friend that helps me out. If I have an extra 5-10 minutes before applying my make-up I quickly roll these ceramic rollers on and take them off when I finish with the make-up. I am not fond of a crispy curl, so the soft curls you get with these rollers are right up my alley. 

The rollers heat up really quickly as they are heated up from the centre as visible on the image above, this makes them the perfect temperature to work magic on those curls. What I also like about these rollers is that they are ceramic, which enables them to keep the heat for longer and the luxurious velvet coating makes the hair curl beautifully against the soft base of the roller. The velvet seems to help with making the hair shiny!

Another huge bonus is that the clips have a separate heat bar that gets them to the same temperature as the rollers and so the hair gets infused by the heat from both the inside and outside of the curl. The end result is a gorgeous soft curl/wave that looks modern and sophisticated. I have not used any hair products to achieve this look and kept the ceramic rollers on briefly, about 10-15 minutes. If you prefer more definition to the curl then keep the rollers on for longer and use adequate styling products to set the curls.

Also on a separate note. I ordered these BaByliss hot rollers from feelunique.com and along with a couple of free samples I also got a neat iPhone cover also for free! It was a great surprise as actually my old cover was all cracked up and needed urgent replacement. So thank you feelunique for being so generous, these little touches make ordering beauty products even more fun!

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Phoebe Lettice Inspired Smokey Eye & Beach Waves Hair!

Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in Pearly Onyx Black

Hey Beauty Lovers! The best thing about last series of Made In Chelsea was Phoebe Lettice's make-up, literally! Phoebe has an edgy sense of style and she has more fashion sense than any of the others put together. I also love Phoebe's attitude and her legendary eye-rolls are fabulous... Her hair and make-up reflect her character perfectly, a modern rock-chick meets 70s bombshell. Phoebe wore very little make-up but strategically placed, in most cases it was a nude lip paired up with her iconic black eyelids. She would hardly ever wear any eyeshadow in the crease line, and just go for the eyeliner, either winged or just smudged but keeping it pretty thick leaving the rest as bare as it comes.

So to create this look I decided to use Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in Pearly Onyx Black, which I have from the Christmas gift set. It's a super chic shimmering black, perfect for this type of smokey eye. Although these eyeshadow sticks are meant to be long-lasting on me they start to smudge pretty much after five minutes, I do have oily eyelids so that might be the reason. I have also tried applying the Kiko Stick Eyeshadows over a primer but I find it makes the whole thing feel too heavy and sticky on the eyelids but it does pro-long the wear. But for this look I actually like this kind of lived-in texture so I don't mind a bit of creasage. So I go straight in and apply it onto bare eyelids, keeping the eyeshadow strictly on the moving part of the eyelid, that is the key to the Phoebe Lettice beauty look. 

This look is great for hooded eyes, as Phoebe has super hooded eyes, which means when looking straight ahead you can't see the moving part of the eyelid, so it appears as if you are not wearing much at all. But as soon as you look down you reveal a nice bit of edgy blackness, which I think looks super chic and effortless! I also wing the eyeshadow just slightly to elongate the eyeshape and make it look just a little more sassy. The next step is optional as Phoebe doesn't do it often but I like to take the eyeshadow also under the lower lashes and soften the look by smudging the hard edges with a pencil brush. For extra depth I apply MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline over the top lashes also winging it out and on the waterline. Apart from mascara there is nothing else on the eyelids, no primers, no highlighters, absolutely nada!

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Hair-wise Phoebe often wears raised tops which involves back-combing, and also head scarves, all of which has that flamboyant 70s feel. But also quite often her hair is just loose and has a lot of movement, looking messy in a sexy way and super effortless. However, I decided to go for a beach waves hair look that I think it looks great with this edgy smokey eye. So first of all after washing hair, while it's still damp I applied a generous amount of Kerastase K Mousse Bouffante, which is a volumising and strong hold mousse. Then blow-drying the hair until it's 80% dry, following with the Kerastase K Spray a Porter, which is a texturising spray for that tousled effect with flexible hold. Both of the products have heat-styling protective agent!! And then I used my beloved BaByliss Soft Waves curling wand to achieve this look.

This is actually second day hair, because my hair never looks great straight after a wash or when it's freshly curled. Slept in hair looks much better on me, so you can see how well the hair kept the volume and the curls its shape. The hair actually looked great the day after too, it just needed bit of freshening-up with a touch of dry shampoo right at the roots. I absolutely enjoyed wearing this hair look together with what from now onwards I will refer to as the Phobe Lettice Smokey Eye, a new iconic signature look is added to my beauty terminology!

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Soft Waves Step by Step...

The end result: soft waves...

Step One: curl all sections of you hair and bobby pin them into place, spray them with a bit of hairspray...

Step Two: minutes later after the hair cools down take the bobby pins out...

Step Three: finally go through your hair with fingers to soften the waves and finish off with hairspray!

Things you will need: hairspray, bobby pins, heat defence spray [which I forgot to include]...

The hairspray of my choice is Percy & Reed Reassuring Firm Session Hold Hairspray!

Great for a natural hold, leaves the hair still feeling soft and beautiful to touch...

And of course you'll need a curling wand!

This is the BaByliss Boutique Soft Waves Professional 210C styler...

...comes with 5 digital temperature settings...

...including heat mat and glove...

Personally I think soft waves look is the most flattering hair style a girl could go for... And since Christmas is slowly coming closer and closer, I can literally feel the anticipation bubbling up, it's about time to start thinking about your hair, and how to make it look beautiful... I thought to share a few tips how to create a  relaxed beautiful wave, that doesn't look like you were trying to hard... It really is simple! All you need is a curling wand with a wide barrel, bobby pins, heat defence spray and hairspray!

The curling wand of my choice is the BaByliss Boutique Soft Waves Professional 210C styler... I like it because the barrel is 34mm so it's not thin, the wider barrels are great for that relaxed soft wave... Also it's a ceramic barrel, which is good for making your waves more shiny... It doesn't have a clamp, which is perfect for smooth waves as it won't create any kinks! This curling wand comes with a heat resistant glove so that you obviously don't burn your fingertips, a heat mat that you can rest the hot barrel on to prevent damaging any surface... And it has 5 digital temperature settings - 165C, 180C, 195C and 210C, I like to curl my hair with 180C, holding it for something like 10-15 seconds...

Before I start curling my hair I always spray a heat defence spray, which I forgot to include when taking the picture, but in case you want to know I used the Lee Stafford Arganoil from Morocco Miracle Heat Defence Spray, which is great for giving you that extra bit of shine... Then I do the curling, always curling away from my face, I gently let the hair slide off the barrel onto my palm holding it for a second before I pin it with the bobby pin, and that will help you to make the waves last longer! Then after I finish with the last section of hair I let it cool down for couple of minutes before going over with hairspray, I like Percy & Reed Reassuring Firm Session Hold Hairspray because it gives that very natural hold, it doesn't make the hair springy yet it keeps the shape... 

Once I am ready to get the bobby pins out I go through the hair with my fingers to get it into the shape I want and to soften the waves... Then I finish off again with a few sprays of the hairspray... Keep in mind that in the pictures the hair still has quite a defined wave, it does relax a little more after a while, and looks even more natural... I love wearing this hair, there is something about it that makes me feel happy... And you know the rule, when you feel happy you look great!

LOVE