Pennies for a Pound: July 2014

Orange is On - Fanny Crown Loving.

11:52:00

Why, hello there...

Today I bring you something a little different. Fanny Crown Paris contacted me about a competition they are running for bloggers, where we have to chance to win a dress of our choice! They've also kindly given me an exclusive discount code for all my readers to get 15% off your order, more details will be at the end of this post.

I've been thinking about doing a colour series for a while now, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to start it! For these kind of posts I'll be doing a high-end and budget friendly option, so you can see what's on the highstreat for a lot less! Fanny Crown Paris have asked me to outline how I would style one of their dresses so there's an outline for the high-end options.

So, starting off this series with Orange! I picked this gorgeous chiffon flower dress from the Fanny Crown Paris website and picked lots of accessories and make up bits that could be worn with it, of course with an orange theme.

Fanny Crown Paris Pretty Bateau Short Orange Evening Dresses

This dress would be perfect for a summer event, anything from a BBQ to a summer ball, this dress is so versatile. It has great detailing on the top half with pretty flower designs, perfect for a little glamour, then the layered chiffon bottom is nice and flowy, not too restrictive meaning you don't get too hot when you're out enjoying the summer sun. I've actually got a formal evening that I need a dress for this summer so this dress would be perfect. I picked the Nars nail polish in Madness and the Mac lipstick in Morange as these give you a more subtle pop of orange by themselves. The Nars nail polish is actually a limited edition for this summer so it's bang on trend. This Lipstick is massively famous among famous bloggers and youtubers so it's definitely a great favourite and will catch the eye of many people!
These pretty earings from Topshop are more of a coral colour, which nicely compliment the dress and it's design (you've got to have a bit of sparkle!). If you wan't to be bolder and go all-out-orange, these court shoes by Kurt Geiger are amazing! They're a bit brighter than the dress, but give an amazing pop of colour and will get all your friends asking about your outfit! Or if these are a little too bright, this Topshop handbag is perfect and practical for carrying around your summer essentials. This would be great for me as I always need a trusty handbag by my side to compliment the outfit.

Maybelline Colour sensational Vivid Lipstick in Electric Orange

Barry M Gelly Shine nail paint in Papaya

River Island Orange foldover Purse

H&M Orange hinge bangle

New Look Coral strapy wedges

So about that discount code! If you enter PENNIES4APOUND14 at the check out you can get 15% off your order! This is available from the 9th July 2014 to 24th August 2014 so get your orders in now! They have some stunning formal dresses perfect for proms, special events or a night out!

What colour would you like to see next in this series?

Thanking you,

Naomi

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a make up bag full of goodies! Enter here.

andrew barton

Guest Post | Haircare Routine - Dry/damaged hair.

09:44:00

Helloo There,

I am Danielle from Danielle Saint Blog. my little corner of the internet is full of my ramblings about all things beauty, fashion and lifestyle. If you like what you read here be sure to pop over and check me out!!

Over the past month or so I have had really badly damaged hair, so it after having a hair cut I made the decision to really make an effort to look after my hair and keep it in better condition. So I though I'd share with you the products I have currently been using and actually really enjoying. I am pretty fickle with my hair care product as I swap and change a lot until I find one that really suits me, which is where I am now.

The first thing I use is obviously is shampoo and conditioner. Now the brand is I am using is not one I had come across before, as haircare isn't really my thing much more of a make up girl. The brand is Andrew Barton and I am using the S.O.S Super Repair which is exclusive to Asda. I am using the shampoo and conditioner from the range. Seriously these smell AMAZING, they are fragranced with a stunning Brazil nut scent. The shampoo is a great cleanser leaving my hair feeling really clean without a trace of build up. The shampoo is more of a jelly texture when compared to your conventional shampoo, so you really do have to lather it up and massage through your hair and scalp. The conditioner is lightweight but it really does work well due to the high levels of Shea protein it has in it. I only apply the conditioner to the lengths of my hair as it tends to make my roots greasy (I experience this with most conditioners).

Next I give my hair a little towel dry and run just on the ends Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Anti-Breakage Serum. Again this smells amazing, just like chocolate. It is supposed to transform you hair into silky smooth locks due to its unique blend of antioxidant rich ingredients such as coconut oil, keratin proteins and avocado oil. This is a great product as it really does prolong breakage after a trim.

Before drying my hair, I pop it out of its towel give it a brush using Denman AnarKitty 'Ruby' D3 brush. Then I spray a leave-in conditioner and heat defense spray through the length and roots of my hair. The leave-in conditioner I am using at the moment is also from Andrew Barton and from the S.O.S Super Repair range. Again its a good product and smells amazing. The heat defense spray I am using is the James Brown London Heat Styling Protector. Now honestly I haven't got a clue when it comes to heat defence spray, what makes it good and what makes it bad. I just use one and hope it is doing the right thing. Then I blow dry my hair, I start my doing the front then flip my head upside down and do the rest. I find this adds a lot more texture and volume to my hair.

After blow drying I use a little bit of Andrew Barton Frizz Tamer Quick Fix Shine and Control Serum. This really does tame the frizz, it is a nice light oil which manages to keep my hair at bay for about 24hrs. Then run my brush through it all again and apply a little bit more heat protectant.

Now on to styling, I either leave my hair at this point because blow drying gives me the most lovely volumized beachy hair or going in with the straighteners. The straighteners I use are GHD V Gold Max Styler. They are amazing as I have really thick long hair so they get the job done really quickly and well. Once all straight, I apply more of the anti-frizz serum if needed, I style as required usually just as french plait to the side or up in a clip.

Twice a week I like to use a hair mask, currently I am using Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Intense Hair Mask, which you can read my review of here. Which is good and does the trick.