Cleansing Conditioners and 2in1 shampoos. What's the difference?

 

Superdrug has recently brought out their own range of cleansing conditioners and to be honest when reading the back of the bottle, I thought it sounded pretty much the same as a 2in1 shampoo and conditioner. 2in1 shampoo and conditioners should be wiped off the face of the earth in my opinion. They're terrible for your hair, just ask any hairdresser. So are cleansing conditioners just a glamourised version of a 2in1 shampoo? I decided to do a bit of research online and this is what I found.

Cleansing conditioners were created by WEN hair care hairstylist Chaz Dean and he claims his cleansing conditioner is a "5in1 formula" because it's your shampoo, conditioner, leave in conditioner, de-tangler and deep conditioner all rolled into 1. Fair enough. So I checked out some Youtube reviews and pretty much everyone seems to love this stuff, especially people who dye their hair a lot and have quite dry hair. However, looking at the ingredients of these cleansing conditioners there's not really any ingredient that "cleanses". Here's a little bit more info that explains it better than I can...

"Instead of using typical shampoo ingredients called surfactants (such as sulfates, glucosides, or betains), cleansing conditioners use only a group of ingredients referred to as fatty alcohols, most commonly cetyl alcohol or cetearyl alcohol. These fatty alcohols do have moisturizing properties but they only have minimal ability to cleanse hair or remove the buildup of styling products. They certainly don’t clean hair even remotely as well as surfactant-style cleansing agent."(unknown source)

I decided to give Superdrug's cleansing conditioner a try to see what all the fuss was about and whether it was this glamourised crappy 2in1 conditioner or this 5in1 must have. Obviously you could argue that Superdrug's £4 cleansing conditioner is not going to compare in quality to the WEN £40 cleansing conditioner but I've checked and the ingredients are literally the same apart from WEN has fancier fragrances.

I used the orange and jasmine Superdrug cleansing conditioner (smells amazing I'll give it that) and I followed the exact instructions. It did just feel like I was applying conditioner to my hair. It's not soapy or foamy. After drying my hair etc, my hair did feel really soft, looked healthy and my ends did look better than they usually do. But, by the end of the day my hair was super greasy and that's unusual for me. I personally feel that this stuff is just a conditioner, it's not even a 2in1 shampoo, it's literally just a conditioner. I think if  you didn't use shampoo and just used conditioner you would get the exact same effect.

Shampoo does dry out your hair a bit and can have some harsh chemicals in them, but it's needed to break down excess oils and hair product in your hair. I read in a hairdresser blog that when using shampoo, you should just apply it to your scalp, massage it in and then let it rinse through your ends. I've been using this technique and it has been helping my ends. When it comes to deeply nourishing your hair, use oils like coconut oil and argon oil. These work really well and are natural products so no harsh chemicals. When it comes to cleansing conditioners, I wouldn't bother.

 

Gina xo

 

Tomato & Mascarpone Soup Easy Peasy Recipe

Last week I went to this small Italian restaurant called Novapizza which was absolutely amazing. If you're ever in Edinburgh then check this place out. It's a little cosy vegetarian Italian restaurant near Stockbridge with a wide range of beautiful veggie dishes. Most vegan restaurants have quite dull menus in my opinion (maybe that's because I'm not vegan) but this place has all your favourite Italian dishes that you're used to but with quorn meat and other veggie supplements. The most amazing dish that I tried there was the tomato and mascarpone soup which inspired me to make my own. So here is my very own tomato and mascarpone soup recipe on the cheap!

What you'll need:

tin of chopped tomatoes
mascarpone cheese
600ml vegetable stock
garlic
half an onion chopped
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 carrot
Tomato puree
olive oil
Salt and pepper
hand blender


I usually shop at Morrisons or the lidl and you can get all these items for less than a fiver. Some of the ingredients are your basics that you probably have in your cupboard already! In the herb aisle you can also pick up an Italian herb jar which is split up into different sections with different herbs and flavourings to sprinkle in to season and give it your own little twist.

Method:

Take a large saucepan and drizzle in some olive oil and bring it to a medium heat. Grate the carrot and add this and the chopped onion into the saucepan and cook for around 10 minutes. Add in your garlic, salt and pepper and some Italian seasoning, then add the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then leave it to simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the mascarpone cheese and use the hand blender to blend everything together. Keep adding in the cheese and blending until you get the desired thickness.

Serve with crusty bread or croutons. Mmm lush!

Gina xo 

 


 

Green Glitter Eyes

As we go into the party season I wanted to see what party/seasonal make up I could come up with. I always see those insta models with amazing glitter eye shadow so I went online to see what I could find that's similar and cost effective. I'm all about the 'cost effective' part. Barry M had a few glitter eye shadow pots but at £4.00 each I wasn't ready to part with my money. So I had a little browse on Ebay and I found this seller that was selling setting gel and pots of glitter. They have amazing colours for just 99p each and it's free postage AND it's buy 3 and get 3 free! Absolute bargain. The gel is £1.97 and basically you just apply the gel to your eye lids and dab on the glitter. The gel definitely works by the way. I went on a night out and woke up with my eye make up still in tact. These are the links:

Gel: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231176493483?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Glitter: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281163189083?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=580223059369&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Ooh I Found A Bargain

"Tis the season to be jolly, lalalala". It's not long till Christmas now peeps and if you're a huge Xmas fan like me  (I own 4 Christmas jumpers and I put my tree up 2 weeks ago....yeah in November) then you'll absolutely love these amazing novelty earrings I found in Primark for a bargain price of £1.50 each. I cannot wait to wear these to work!

Follow me on Instagram to see pictures of Edinburgh Christmas Market! @ginageogeorge

Red Hair - Best Red Dyes/ Maintaining Red Hair/ Removing Red Hair Dye

When I first dyed my hair red last year I really struggled to find blog posts on how to stop the red from fading because anyone who has ever dyed their hair red will no it fades pretty much after one wash. I found myself having to dye my hair every 3/4 weeks and in between that time being a weird ginger colour and wrecking my hair in the process. Split ends galore! Everything in this blog post is things I've learned myself or tips and tricks I've picked up on the internet.

Red hair dyes I have used and would recommend:

I'm a big lover of Garnier when it comes to red hair dye. I personally think that they have the best range of red shades. I've used all the red hair dyes below but there are even more shades than this! Garnier Olia has no ammonia in it so this is really good if you're trying to keep your hair as healthy as possible. I'm currently using Garnier Olia Dark Garnet Red 4.62 which has given me this amazing red wine colour which you will have seen in my latest photos.





Maintaining red hair:

I didn't think there was anything you could do to maintain red hair other than dye it all the time however, after browsing in Savers I came across Smart Beauty Colour Boost Vibrant Red. This little red hair life saver is an absolute god send. It lifts your colour dramatically and looks as though you've just dyed your hair. It contains no ammonia or PPD which means it doesn't cause any damage to your hair. It even says "no hair damage" on the box itself.

How'd ya use it?

Whilst showering after you've shampooed and squeezed out all the excess water in your hair apply a 1/4 of the bottle into the palm of your hand and apply it to your hair like shampoo. Try and make sure all your hair is covered. Leave it in for 3 minutes, rinse it out and then apply conditioner. It's as simple as that. No mixing, no carry on. However, if you wish you can apply it like a hair dye using gloves and leave it for 30 minutes to get a more intensive colour but if it's just to top up your already dyed red hair then there's no need.

Just a wee warning though, you will look like you've murdered someone in your bath, it will stain your towels and your hands (a little bit). So use black towels and clean your bath and hands quickly after use.

 

 

 

How to remove red hair dye without using harsh colour removers:

 

I absolutely hate those Colour B4 kits with a passion. Katie Price promotes it, says it all really. They not only wreck your hair but they absolutely stink and just leave your hair ginger and all kinds of fucked up. I removed my red hair all naturally by myself and went from bright red to brown hair with highlights for my graduation back in June. My hairdresser was stunned when I told her I had dyed my hair over 5 times red + topping it up with colour boost and still managed to get every last trace of it out.

 

Get yourself a giant bottle of the minty Head and Shoulders and a big bottle of conditioner. Wash your hair every single day with Head and Shoulders shampoo. It's a really harsh shampoo full of chemicals but because of this it strips the colour out of your hair. This will dry your hair out a little bit so make sure you apply lots of conditioner afterwards each time. Once you've been doing this for a week or more you'll be left with that weird washed out ginger colour. So, the next thing you want to do is tone all of this out so you're left with a natural brown colour as a base to work with for your next colour of choice. You will need green food colouring and more head and shoulders shampoo ( and now you're probably thinking "wtf"). The reason for green food colouring is green cancels out red the same as violet cancels out yellow/orange which is why you get violet toner for blondes which I mention in my how to maintain blonde hair post.  

 

Get a mixing bowl. Fill the mixing bowl with Head and Shoulders shampoo, apply the green food colouring and mix together until it becomes a dark green mixture. Apply this all over your hair like you would if you were dying your hair and leave it in for 15 minutes or more depending on how bad the red tones are in your hair. Once you've done this wash it all out and apply conditioner. Your hair will now have some green tones in it. Next thing you want to do is buy an ash brown hair dye. It has to be specifically ASH brown because ash brown hair dye has green undertones in it which will help to cancel out your red tones and give you an even colour. Apply this to your hair and you should be left with normal brown hair. Ta-dah! :)

 

 

 

Gina xo

 



How to maintain red hair! Coming soon!

A Winter Warmer Fruit Crumble Made Simple

As the nights get colder and you've been studying or working hard there's nothing better than a bit of comfort food. When people think about making a pie or a crumble they think it's going to take a lot of effort and if you've been working or if you're just uber lazy like me then the last thing you want to be doing is running around the kitchen. But this recipe is quick and simple and super cheap to make.

Here's what you will need:

 

Total cost: £4.24 for food. Pie dish £4.00 from Lakeland

Method:

Get your ceramic pie dish and put a couple of handfuls of frozen fruit into the dish. Then put a teaspoon of ground ginger and a teaspoon of cinnamon on top of the fruit. Put four table spoons of white or brown everyday sugar on the fruit and stir this altogether. Then sprinkle the crumble mix over all the fruit in the dish until it's completely covered. Place it in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes and you will have a delicious crumble.

I usually have mine with cinnamon biscuit ice cream and I strongly recommend you do this. LUSH!

Gina xo

My Autumn Look :)

I decided to do a wee vlog on an autumn look I've put together using my new Revolution Palette. This is my first full length vlog so I hope you guys enjoy it :) My hair updo tutorial video will be up soon. Lots of things went wrong with the footage so I need to film it again :( But meantime I have this video and I also have a rose gold make up tutorial on its way as well so watch this space!

Click here to watch: https://youtu.be/2f7ypQXjETA

Music supplied by http://www.bensound.com/

Ooh I Found A Bargain!

This is why I love Revolution make up so much! 144 eye shadows for £10 from Superdrug!! This would make a great gift for Christmas or if you're like me it's a lovely treat for yourself. Cannot wait to create different looks with all these pretty colours. They also have other make up sets too with make up brushes for £10 - £12 as well.  My plan is to collect them all in the boxing day sales. I have bought a few of the Revolution brushes already so there will be a review coming up on them soon. Stay tuned!

Gina xo

Why should you use vitamin E products?

Vitamin E is one of the best antioxidants out there and is one of the main ingredients in facial creams and other beauty products. UV light causes 80% of wrinkles on our bodies and Vitamin E can protect our skin from the damage of UV rays. Because vitamin E helps ward off sun damage, it can reduce the signs of aging including fine lines, wrinkles, and brown spots. Vitamin E is also known as a scar healer. However, before you start lathering yourself in Vitamin E, always test it in case you're allergic.

Vitamin E can be sourced naturally through eating nuts and leafy vegetables but if you're not a health freak then Vitamin E tablets and face cream are the way to go. You might be using or may have heard of beauty tablets that are crazy expensive to buy. Well basically they're Vitamin E tablets in fancy packaging that says "beauty tablets". Don't throw your money away, instead just buy natural pure Vitamin E tablets. I've decided to use Superdrug own brand Vitamin E products to see if they really make a difference to my skin. I've been taking 1 Vitamin E tablet per day and applying Vitamin E face cream every morning before I apply my make up. I've been doing this for almost a week now and already I've noticed my skin is developing a natural glow and strangely my hair feels healthier? Another BIG thing I have noticed is the bags under my eyes have gone down a lot since I've been using the Vitamin E face cream. I'm on a mission to keep my skin as young and healthy for as long as possible. I reckon if you look after your skin when you're young, you're more likely to have less wrinkles and ageing in the future. Below are the products I'm using.

Gina xo

Autumn is just around the corner. More info on the latest Autumn looks coming soon

Looking to achieve that healthy natural glow with Foundation?

Then you're in the right place. It's really hard to find a good foundation that gives you:

1. Great coverage
2. A smooth complexion
3. A natural glow

I don't know many girls that are 100% confident with having their bare face on show and if you have crap skin like me then you definitely don't. But just because you don't have amazing skin shouldn't mean you have to cake yourself in foundation that ends up blocking up your pores and making your skin worse.

Two foundations that I've been wearing for the past 6 months are Boujoris Healthy Mix and Max Factor Skin Luminizer. I've found that they both give great coverage, blend really well and give you a gorgeous natural glow.

My favourite out of the two is Bourjois Healthy Mix. It smells good, stays on for longer and blends in well with your natural skin tone. It's currently on offer at Superdrug for £9.99.

Bourjois is one of the high street brands out there that really focuses on quality and I recently found out that the same company that makes Chanel make up also makes Bourjois make up which is interesting seen as though Chanel charge a fortune for their make up. Overall, I don't think I've ever had a bad Bourjois product so I highly recommend you check them out!

Make Up Must Buys

I've recently started a new job and I simply do not have time for liquid foundation at 7am. However, I've managed to find two make up items that provide great coverage and are quick to apply.

My first make up must buy is the Primark foundation stick which is only £2. It's great for covering up dark circles and redness. I usually apply this on my nose, forehead and under my eyes. I was really surprised  at how good this was when I first bought it seen as though it's Primark but it's actually really good quality. I've used the max factor foundation stick before and I find it really drys out your skin whereas Primark's foundation stick is more like a concealer and gives that flawless look.

I then use the Gosh mineral powder (which is on offer at Superdrug just now for £6). I apply this with a powder brush and blend everything together. The Gosh mineral powder is amazing because it's so pigmented which means it gives you the same coverage as a liquid foundation. Literally this stuff is of the exact same quality as Bobbi Brown mineral powder. I love it.

Gina xo

Easy as Pie!

The other day I made my first pie and it was easy peasy so today I'm going to share my recipe with you. It's a really simple and delicious recipe that's easy for students and those who are looking for a cheap hot meal for supper!

Things you'll need: ceramic pie dish, chicken, 1 egg, pastry brush, puff pastry, mushrooms, onion, bacon, crème fresh, mixed herbs, and chicken stock.

Lakeland currently have an offer on their ceramic pie dishes at the moment so this is a link to one here: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/13249/Traditional-Enamel-16cm-Oblong-Pie-Dish

A ceramic pie dish is ideal because it saves you having to use lots of pots and pans. With a ceramic pie dish you can just bang all your ingredients in it and place it on the hob. It's ceramic so it acts like a pan essentially.

Method:

Once you have your ceramic pie dish, place it on the hob at the highest temperature with a tbsp. of oil. Then, chop up your mushrooms and onion and place them in the ceramic pie dish. Once they start to brown, chop up your chicken breasts and bacon into chunks and add them as well. Once the chicken is fully cooked, add your 200ml of chicken stock, 1tsp of mixed herbs and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Once you have done this, add 2 tbsps. of crème fresh, stir everything together and leave to simmer for 5 minutes or so. Then, crack open your egg into a bowl or a cup and use a fork to whisk it. Take you pastry brush, dip it into the egg and brush the edges of your pie dish. Once you have done this, take your pre rolled puff pastry, place it on the top, fold in the edges and use your pastry brush and egg to glaze your pie. Place your pie in the oven (180 degrees/gas mark 5) for around 15 to 20 minutes, checking it regularly.

Where to get the ingredients cheap: pre chopped chicken breast £2.50 at Lidl or 3 for £10 chicken breast at Morrisons. Puff pastry - 69p at Lidl. Crème Fresh- 90p 300ml at Morrisons. Mushrooms- 99p at Morrisons. 5kg onions - £1.39 at Lidl. Pre chopped bacon 81p at Morrisons. Mixed herbs 67p at Morrisons. Chicken stock 75p at Morrisons.

 

Gina xo

How to save on your food shopping bill

I have been a student for the past 4 years and when I moved out at 18 I had no idea how to cook and lived off Asda's savers meals 24/7. Not. Healthy. Ew. As I started to break out in spots, gain weight and feel pretty shitty I decided I was going to learn how to cook proper meals. So, I bought a recipe book of healthy meals and I soon realised I was spending £60 a week on meals just for myself! It sounds crazy but healthy food is expensive and in order to cook all of these "healthy" meals in my recipe book I needed so many ingredients. Eventually, I gave up and returned to microwave meals and takeaways. However, since moving to Edinburgh and living with my boyfriend who can't cook to save his life, I had to learn. So, my next few blog posts are going to be about saving money on food and how to make yummy healthy meals. This first blog post is going to tell you the smart way to do your food shopping so keep on reading!

First thing I did was I changed my supermarket to Lidl. Lidl is so much cheaper than Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys.  You can get a lettuce for 20p! Crazy cheap. Now, don't be judgey. Just because it's cheap, does not mean it isn't good quality. I find that the fruit and vegetables especially is much better quality than fruit and veg you get from local stores. Seriously, buy an onion from Asda and one from the Lidl and taste the difference. Or..just trust me.

I then did a BIG shop. Now, what I mean by a big shop is stocking up on all cupboard foods. Things that you should definitely have in your food cupboard is: tins of chopped tomatoes, pasta, rice and noodles. I love a lot of Asian foods because they're really cheap and easy to make so if you're like me or want to try some Asian recipes then definitely stock up on your spices. Basic spices that you will need are: chilli, tumeric, garam masala, ground ginger, cumin and cinnamon. These ingredients come up all the time so it's really useful to have them in your cupboard at the ready. It's also important to stock up on herbs and basics such as: garlic granules, mixed herbs, coriander, baked beans, kidney beans, salt and pepper, gravy granules and coconut milk. The next part of your big shop is frozen foods. Things you should have in your freezer are: mixed veg, frozen berries, pastry, meat, potato wedges/chips and bread. Now, onto filling up the fridge: butter, cheese, ham, a smoked sausage, milk, eggs, yogurt, tomato puree, chilli puree, onion, potatoes pepper and mushrooms.

Once you've done your big shop, the next time you go food shopping it's most likely you will just need to buy your very basics: meat, milk and bread. My last BIG shop at the Lidl cost me £42.80 and that included sweet treats and other bits and bobs that I didn't mention above. Pretty amazing. If you want to discover how to make 7 easy meals that you can make with all of the above ingredients then follow my blog and keep an eye out for my next blog posts. Here's a little list of what I've been cooking this week! -->

1. Spaghetti Bolognese
2. Seasoned steaks with potato wedges, veg and gravy
3. Chicken curry with rice
4. Chicken pie
5. Chilli Con Carne
6. Smoked sausage pasta bake
    

Gina's on a Budget and She's Back!

Me oh my it's been a while! Well, I'm back. I've just recently graduated from Uni woo! Except. I'm now unemployed and living off savings. Not so good. But hey it's encouraged me to reboot this blog again and because now I really am skint, I really do know how to get by scraping the barrel. Yay!

After working in both Primark and Superdrug for the past 4 years, I've gained a lot of knowledge and experience in what the best cheap products are that are out there. So, the plan is to upload a few beauty tutorials using high street products and show you how to get the latest looks for school, work, uni, nights out etc ALL on the cheap WITHOUT making your own clothes or beauty products and stuff because.......AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FO DAT.

If you want me to review any particular products or give you information on beauty or fashion stuffs then send me a message or comment on my posts.

Thanks,

Much Love

 

Gina xo