'Directions' Hair Dye Review

I've been using the directions hair dyes for a while now, I love dying my hair all kinds of crazy colours, and I find these to be the best for me. I currently am using the colours 'Violet' and 'Cerise'. I find that violet is the perfect colour for toning my hair, but also makes for a very pretty purple alone and cerise is very pretty when lightened up with conditioner for a pretty pink.

I personally like to mix the two together with conditioner to create a toned down pinky purple colour like above. Considering these dyes are only £5 each, they're really good quality. Not only are they easy to use, but they mix well together and with conditioner, unlike other hair dyes I've tried, meaning you can create an endless amount of colours- not that they don't have a good selection, with 34 colours to choose from. 

They also last a really long time. I only need a small amount of the product to make the colour strong enough for my liking, so I'm only half way through my pot despite using them a lot of times. 

The colour lasts a really long time in your hair. I do find that the pink washes out a lot faster than the purple, but that's normal as red tones tend to fade faster than blue tones, but even the pink will last me around 2 weeks. 

Directions make vegan friendly dyes, so they won't dry out if you leave them on too long, as they're made from vegetable fats. I find the dyes are really conditioning for your hair, and I have before left the dye on my hair over night (under a plastic bag to reduce mess), which left my hair looking silky, the colour was really intense and it lasted a lot longer than normal. I really like to add a little bit of coconut oil in with the dyes and use them almost like a hair mask, they're so moisturising.

Overall, I love these dyes, and will definitely be buying more soon. I'm looking to try Rubine and Alpine Green next! So, for £5 these are a 10/10 from me.

Please remember to check the side bar for updates on what's coming next!

My Favourite Lush Products

I am a big fan of Lush product, I truly believe that everything they sell is worth the money they charge, so here are my favourites from their store so far.

1. The Charity Pot.

Not only does it serve as a killer moisturiser, but also 100% of the profits go to charity! (Except taxes, they go to the government).

2. Rising Phoenix Bath Bomb.

I've tried nearly every bath bomb lush sells, but this is one of my favourites. The scent is described as cinnamon on the website, which is one of my favourite all time scents. The bath bomb itself is layered full of different colours and golden glitter, which turns the bath an amazing colour!

3. So White Bath Bomb.

This was one of the first bath bombs I ever bought from lush, and I've been re-buying it every time since. The bath bomb itself looks pretty boring, however once dropped into the bath it reveals a pink centre. The scent is clean and fresh, which I love.

4. D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap.

I was very sceptical about this at first, but it was recommended to me so I decided to try it out. I was blessed with almost white, very thin and slow growing leg and arm hair, so rarely have to shave. This means that products like this don't normally do much for me, as I don't shave often enough to develop dry or flaky skin, but this product surprised me- it leaves me with the softest feeling legs you could possibly imagine, and you only need the tiniest bit! Plus, I love strawberries, which is a bonus.

5. Jason and the Argan Oil Shampoo Bar.

I will warn you guys, this thing smells super strong. It's a great scent but you can smell it from miles away. Nonetheless, it gives my super thin hair life and body, which is what I want from a shampoo, and it's super long lasting!

6. Mask of Magnaminty.

I wouldn't usually go for this product, as I absolutely hate the smell of mint. However, it claims to reduce redness and blemishes, and I've found that all lush products so far have done exactly what they say on the tin. My skin has been playing up the last couple months, and I have no idea why- so I needed something to help calm it down. This isn't a miracle fix for blemishes, but it will reduce them and help calm you skin over time, which is what I'm looking for. I use this once a week and I find that it really helps keep my skin in control!

Recent Haul and Review.

Link to the related instagram photo

My birthday was just over a week ago, and so I chose to treat myself to a few products I've been looking at for a while. I've had the chance to put the products to the test, and decided to review them for you all!

1. E.L.F Daily Brush Cleanser. 

£3.95 / $3.00

I bought this product in an attempt to force myself to clean my brushes more often, and I have to say it has worked. I simply spray the cleanser over the brush, then rub the product off on a towel. Although it does do a reasonable job at cleaning brushes, I can still easily see left over pigment, especially from darker coloured shadows. On a basis of price to product ratio, I feel as though this is very expensive in the UK for the small amount you get- at an equivalent of just over $6! It also has a very strong smell, which lingers on the brushes- and I have found slight damage to my brushes since I started using this. 

WARNING: This product is designed to be used on synthetic brushes and not natural brushes.

Personally, I will not be re-buying this product, however it is something worth trying out if you can find it on offer. 

2. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia.

£31.00 / $45.00

As someone who hasn't worn foundation in 5 years, I was hesitant to spend this much money on one. However, I asked for a sample at the NARS counter out of curiosity and instantly fell in love, less than a week later I bought the full sized version. I gave up wearing foundation when I was younger as I found that my sensitive skin would become irritated and break out from even wearing it for a few hours! However, this foundation has impressed me so much! Not only can I not even feel it on my face, but the foundation itself makes my skin look so clear and radiant. I do find that I break out if I wear this every day for a few days, however it a vast improvement on my previous experiences with foundation. If you have the spare money, I cannot recommend this enough!

3. M.A.C Self-Sharpening Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering.

£13.50 / $16.00

Having only ever filled in my eyebrows with my Urban Decay eyeshadow in Naked, I decided I wanted to step up my eyebrow game and delve into the world of eyebrow pencils. I knew I wanted something very thin, light and precise- and this M.A.C pencil gives me just that. It's so quick and easy to use, and lets my subtly build on the patchy areas of my brows without making them look unnatural. I cannot recommend this enough to someone who (like me) is just entering the world of drawing on eyebrows!

4. Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown.

£15.00 / $18.00

I stumbled across this on sale, and after all the wonderful things I had heard about it, decided to bite the bullet and pick it up. Choosing the right colour was the main issue for me, as I had no option but to order it online. I ended up choosing medium brown over dark brown as my eyebrows are a light ashy brown, and it matches very well (as long as I apply it with a light hand). It took a couple of tries to get it right, but now I find it easy to use- Plus it will last through absolutely anything!

5. NARS Copacabana Multipule.

£29.00 / $39.00

I honestly cannot put into words how much I love this product. Every time I have gone up to the NARS counter without fail, I would swatch this on my hand and gaze at awe in how pretty it is. So I decided that it was time to finally commit and I couldn't be happier, I want them all! I'm currently using this as my highlighter, though I am debating putting it all over my face under my foundation as an illuminator as it makes my skin look so dewy and radiant. 

6. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold.

£4.49 / $6.99

I am constantly hearing good things about the brand sleek, and decided to put them to the test with one of their famous blushes. The rose gold one is probably the most famous and is often referred to as a dupe for NARS Super Orgasm. I have to say I am very impressed by the quality of this blush- I tend to stray away from drugstore brands, as I don't wear makeup everyday and so enjoy the quality of mid/high end makeup when I do wear it. However I do really love this blush, and am considering buying more of their products in the near future. The rose gold micro glitter almost serves as a highlight, so I like to apply this blush a little higher along my cheek bones that I normally would.

NOTE: I apologise if any of the American pricing is wrong, I used google to search for the American pricing of each product- However there may be some mistakes.

D.I.Y Cream Blush.

Why use cream blush?

Cream blush is much easier to apply and gives you a more natural look upon application. Check out my 3 easy ways to create your own cream blush from various makeup/household items.

Method 1.

Ingredients:

-Moisturizer (or some kind or cream to substitute.)

-Lipstick in the desired colour (Blood red works best.)

Instructions:

-Apply a small amount of the lipstick and the moisturizer to the back of your hand and blend them well with your fingers.

-Pat the resulting substance onto your face, applying more layers for a more dramatic look.

Methods 2 and 3:

Methods 2 and 3 follow the same principles as method 1, except using different 'pigments'. The alternatives being eyeshadow/powder blush crushed into the moisturizer, or food coloring. 

Be warned, the colours can be very pigmented so apply cautiously. Please leave me a comment and tell me what I can do to improve :)