Mane 'n Tail Daily Control Anti-Dandruff Shampoo & Conditioner

Come all, gather round and hear my story of woe. It's about my hair but is fairly woeful nonetheless. So I dyed my hair from blonde to red a few months back and started using a colour protect shampoo, for obvious reasons but found to my dismay that although it was in fact prolonging my copper tones, it was also drying out my scalp, thereby making it itchy and uncomfortable. I know, I'm glamour personified. I wanted to get something to calm my poor scalp down while not losing my colour any faster than usual but having unsuccessfully tried Oilatum and Head and Shoulders, I was delighted to be offered the chance to try Mane 'n Tail Daily Control Anti- Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner. 

In case you haven't heard of Mane 'n Tail, it originally started out as a horse grooming product, but seeing its positive effects, its makers then launched it for us humans, to huge success. It's now well loved by the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston so I'm in good company!

I actually don't hugely suffer from dandruff but I still felt that the shampoo could be of benefit to me and it definitely has been, which I can confidently say as I've been using it now for almost a month. The aim of both of these products is to relieve itching and flaking while moisturising the hair and scalp- the former due to the presence of zinc which helps to repair and heal damaged skin and the latter due to Olive Oil. Interestingly, for an anti-dandruff formula, these are also designed to be colour safe, something I haven't come across before in a product of this nature. I certainly haven't noticed any more colour loss than I normally would, that is to say, my colour still fades as it normally would with regular hair washing anyway.

Look how shiny my hair is! (Natural light)

The best part for me though obviously is that I haven't noticed that I itch my scalp AT ALL anymore, which is like a minor miracle, so I will without a doubt be continuing to use the shampoo. As for the conditioner, suggested use is to massage gently into the hair and scalp and because I also have very fine hair (I know, someone get out the tiny violin) I really can't use conditioner on my scalp- it just weighs my hair down and makes it greasy and limp. So because of that, I can't really say that the conditioner has been of huge benefit to my itchy scalp. It is a nice product in itself though and as you can see from the top photo, I've made a good dent in it from using it all the time.
Look how shiny my hair is in the bottom photo!! Also great is that there's a good amount of product in each bottle- 473mls to be exact, it smells lovely and is gentle enough for every day use.  

Both are priced at 13.95 each which I think is worth it for the amount of product you get. 

Have you tried any of the Mane 'n Tail range yet? What do you think?

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September Wishlist

Mostly at the moment I'm wishing for a decent Halloween costume for next month, or if that's not possible, for someone to come along and make me one. In lieu of that, I would also be quite happy with any of the following:

• Faux fur collar coat, HERE, Warehouse. This looks a bit light for Winter but would be pretty perfect for Autumn wear. Love that grey colour and the faux fur collar adds a nice retro touch.

• Polka dot jeans, HERE, Asos. I've been on the hunt for a pair of polka dot jeans for ages now but have struggled to find a pair with just the right sized dots..yes, I KNOW. Anyways, these are delightful and are on sale but not in my size.. so I guess the search shall continue. I just thought I'd share them with you lovely lot! I think these will be great with a pair of flat boots, chunky woollen knee socks and an oversized jumper.

• Wool Trench Coat, HERE, Ted Baker, I know, another Ted baker coat but with good cause- this is a beauty. Well structured, a beautiful , classic fit and style in a warm and heavy material. A good black Winter coat is a staple everyone should have and mine is currently on its last legs so a new one may need to be purchased. This one is way out of my price range though unfortunately. On reflection, this whole post is just a lesson in self inflicted cruelty really.

• Tartan dress, Penneys, in stores now for 17 euro. This is a terrible picture but I did the best with what I had, Penneys not having an official website and whatnot. Tartan is really in again this A/W and this Peter Pan collared-dress is a very cute take on the pattern.

• Andrea Garland Owl lip balm Necklace "Mr Hoots", HERE, Asos. I already have an owl pendant, so this is completely unnecessary but I do not own an owl necklace that also doubles as a lip balm pot. Functional AND cute. Plus he's called "Mr Hoots". That's a good enough reason to get it right there.

• Neon crystal necklace, HERE, Button and Bow Factory. The old statement necklaces are still pretty on trend for the new fashion season (good news for me, eh?) and I'm really liking this neon/diamante take on it, which I think would be great with a simple marl grey jumper.

• Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, HERE, Cloud 10 Beauty. I love the RT brushes and wouldn't use anything else at this stage but I'm really keen to try their newly released sponge, which supposedly gives a more natural finish to foundation and can also be used for cream blush. Interesting!

• Nars, Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi, Ce Soir palette, HERE, Selfridges. Oh, Nars. I want literally everything you make but especially this limited edition palette. The blushes! The shadows! Swoon.

• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil, HERE. I somehow have never tried any of these yet and have been convinced recently by some of my fellow bloggers to give them a go. I'm almost at the end of my favourite eyeliner- MAC Powersurge so I think I'll be picking one of these up when it's finished. 

What's on your current wish list?

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Beauty Things I Suck At

Oh the life of a beauty blogger...constantly trialing new products, indulging in a love for all things beauty related, never being without at least six (it's the designated number) lip products rolling around in the bottom of a handbag. You could be forgiven then for thinking that we all have make-up application sorted but you would indeed be very wrong. 

Here are my own personal beauty fails:

1) Applying false lashes. 

I love the effect of false lashes, I just hate the hassle of putting them on..particularly one of them. It doesn't matter which eye it is but ONE of them always goes awry. It's as if my eyes are like "ooh, look at you, got one right, did ya? Best of luck with the other one, then (evil laugh)". 

Generally I end up standing at a mirror trying desperately to get that one on, looking all crazed and frustrated whilst covering myself in glue. Not a great look, really.

2) Perfecting the winged liquid liner.

I love liquid and gel eyeliner. My personal favourite style is a slick of black liner, a load of mascara and beautiful red lips. Unfortunately for me, again, one eye always goes a bit wonky. I'll do one of them perfectly and momentarily I'll be all like "YES! I did it! A career in make up artistry awaits! Oh no, wait a minute..." cause I'll have then just completely ruined the other one. Fun times.

3) Applying lip liner.

Seeing a pattern here yet? As in, anything that involves creating a line or using precision is just outside of my capabilities? Yup, that sounds about right. My main issue with lip liner is more pure laziness if I'm honest. I generally can't be bothered doing it and mostly I just lash lipstick on haphazardly, which means I'm not even practising using lip liner so I'll probably never be good at it. Oh well.

Let me know in the comments what beauty stuff you suck at and please tell me I'm not alone with any of the above! This post is part of the September Beauty blogging challenge, which you can read more about HERE. 

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Where I get my Inspiration From..

 #SBBC day 14 is all about where you get your inspiration for blogging from and for me personally, it's probably a combination of a few different things. For the most part, I see something I like, be it make-up, a good book, an item of clothing, a film or whatever and I will then want to talk (i.e rant) about it at length. So really anything can inspire me to write a post. But what inspired me to set up a blog in the first place and indeed, what inspires me to keep going on days that I just don't feel like writing anything? Other bloggers, of course! 

Image Source

Before I started my own blog, I read a lot of Beaut.ie (the Irish blogging Mothership) and from there, I became familiar with the fantastic blogs of Karen from Lovely Girlie Bits, Sue from CherrySue Doin The Do, Emma from Fluff and Fripperies, Sera from The Agoraphobic Fashionista, Kitty from Red Lemonde, and YouTube wise- Sanne from Books and Quills and Estee from Essie Button. I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis but those are the ones from whom I love to see a new post popping up on my bloglovin feed- I will always click on a post from any of those ladies to read, because invariably I always enjoy them and reading or watching such well thought out, intelligent and entertaining content will in turn make me want to strive to improve my own little blog, so thank you all for your general blogging brilliance! 

If you want to find some more fantastic bloggers, HERE'S my blog roll of favourites, most of whom are Irish based blogs...what can I say, we're a talented bunch!

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Kilruddery House & Gardens

Bit of a random one today and definitely off the #SBBC track but I went to Kilruddery House and Gardens yesterday and wanted to share some of its beauty with you all. 

I had to borrow this photo from the official website as all of my own turned out very gloomy, what with the rain. You can visit the site HERE

Kilruddery is one of Ireland's most historic homes and has housed several generations of Earls since 1618. Situated in Co. Wicklow, a very short drive from Dublin, it's also quite near Avoca in Kilmacanogue, so there's lots to do in the area if you were looking for a pleasant day out. We went on a guided tour of the house itself, which is crammed full of ornate furniture, priceless heirlooms and just general loveliness. Plus, heads up brides-to-be, you can get married in the Orangery there, which actually looks like a stunning place to say "I do"!

Apple Orchard

We also went for a walk around the grounds and farmyard and stopped for coffee and lemon cake in the little tea rooms. Overall, it was a really fantastic way to spend an afternoon. If you can get out there, it's well worth a stroll about- the history of the place is so interesting and if you have kids (or are just a big child like myself), then you'll appreciate all the animals, vegetable patches, apple orchard and little mazes about the place- really, it's almost like a fairytale wandering around there and interestingly, as part of their scheduled events they have a "fairytale day" for your little ones. Very cute. 

Also on the programme list is mushroom picking & cooking lessons with the chef, berry foraging with jam making lessons, a film festival, the Kilruddery Farm market, falconry, a painting workshop, an opera festival, pilates for adults and kids (!) and my own personal favourite- a Halloween day out where you pick your pumpkin, design its pattern, watch a master craftsman (fancy) cut it out and then take part in the "design and build your own scarecrow" competition! I'm sure that one is just for kids, but how much fun does that sound! 

My own dark shot of the house, looking all Daphne Du Maurier-esque.

A lake in the middle of the gardens, very idyllic.

If you want to find out more about Kilruddery, or indeed go on one of those exciting days out I've mentioned, then you can check out their official website HERE.

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