Review: Lee Stafford Salt Spray

My hair after using Lee Stafford Salt Spray on damp hair and leaving to dry overnight

In a bid to use less heat on my hair, I have been using the Lee Stafford Salt Spray to give my hair a little texture and to enhance my natural waves.

This product has the distinctive Lee Stafford smell. If you've used Lee Stafford products before, you'll know what I mean. The bottle says to spray 50 times to towel dried hair and then blow dry or leave to dry naturally or you can use it on dry hair. I personally don't like to spray that many times, as I feel it makes my hair too dry. I usually do about 15 sprays all over damp hair, trying to avoid spraying it too near the roots, and I don't do anything else to it (no scrunching, blow drying, etc). This gives me a nice amount of definition to my wavy hair and doesn't make it too dry. It also gives my hair a little texture, so it's not too silky soft and fly-away after washing. I never apply this to dry hair. I tried it a few times to see if it could revive second day hair, but I was left with my hair feeling greasy and crispy and the product just sat on top of my hair.

This has gone up in price since I bought my bottle. But at £7.49 for 150ml, it's a good product if you are trying to use less heat or like the beachy, boho waves hairstyle. I had a quick look on the Boots website, and there are some other salt sprays which are cheaper and some that are more expensive. I think this is a good middle ground salt spray, which I really like and would definitely recommend. However I wouldn't recommend this to someone that likes their hair to feel silky soft, as this really gives your hair a matte finish.

Have you ever used a salt spray before?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

NOTD: Off The Shoulder

2 coats of Essie Off The Shoulder and 1 coat of L'Oreal Confettis Nail Polish

This is a lovely bright mid-tone pink, which I am loving. I think this will be a firm favourite this Spring/Summer. The formula was fairly opaque and you could get away with just one coat, as there is minimal streakiness. However I did two coats out of habit and to even out any thinner areas. The brush of the new Essie nail polishes is so easy to work with, especially if you're in a rush. I definitely need to invest in a topcoat, as I never use it and managed to chip my nails a few hours after painting my nails. I hate when that happens! So I decided to put a layer of L'Oreal Confettis on top to hide the chips. Do any of you have any recommendations of good topcoats? I'm thinking of perhaps buying Seche Vite?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Boots Time Delay Daily Brightening Toning Water

For a long time, I have been a non toner user. I never really understood the need and had never found one that I really liked. I have been using this Boots toner for the past few months and I thought I'd share my thoughts on it.

This toner has a pleasant floral smell, but isn't overpowering or too artificial. It feels quite refreshing and cooling on the skin, which is especially nice in the morning and I think will be lovely for the summer. It is a gentle exfoliating toner with AHAs and I have never found it to be harsh on my skin or strip it at all. It is important to wear sunscreen after using this due to the AHAs. I have not noticed much difference in the overall tone of my skin and I don't find this gives much of a chemical exfoliation. The bottle design isn't great, as the hole is pretty big and there have been far too many times where I have poured too much onto my cotton pad.

The best way to describe this toner is average. This is a nice and refreshing toner, but don't expect miraculous brightening results. As this is part of Boots' Time Delay range, the price of this toner is affordable, coming in at less than £5 and is often on offer.

What's your favourite toner?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Handbag Wishlist

After payday, I decided that I want to save for a new handbag and I instantly set off researching which bag, because apart from actually getting the bag, that's the (only) fun part about saving, right?

The first bag I decided to look into was the Mulberry Lily. I have loved the Mulberry Lily for a long time, as all the bags I own are a lot bigger than this and I think it would be nice to have a smaller luxury handbag for days where you don't want to carry a lot. I like how it has similarities to the Chanel Classic Flap, but without the price tag. I think the oak colour would be perfect, as I love a tan accessory.

Then I had a look at the Phillip Lim Pashli. This bag seems like a perfect size bag for work, as I tend to carry a lot on a daily basis. I like how the zips can be pulled down to completely change the shape and feel of the bag. It comes in some beautiful colours, such as jewel toned greens, blues and ruby red like the one that Reese Witherspoon is carrying in the picture below.

The last bag I decided to research, before I started feeling depressed that I suck at saving, was the Prada Saffiano Lux tote. This tote seems to be one of the it-bags of the moment and I can see why. I love the feel of Saffiano leather and it seems to be one of the more versatile, hard wearing types of leather. I really like the structured and classic shape of this bag. It has a formal air to it, which would be perfect for work and can be worn dressed down by using the shoulder strap. There are so many colours to pick from, but I'm loving the lighter shades as I think they would be gorgeous for summer.

What bags do you lusting after?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

(Image credit: Google, Just Jared, Style Scrapbook)