The hair tool I could never live without - ghds.

So.... this post was meant to go up FOREVER ago... but a dodgey memory card and a crazy couple of weeks later and I've finally sorted it. (sorry for the wait guys!)

The brand ghd have been in my life since I was 13 years old and I received my first pair for Christmas 2003. Until last month these were the straighteners I had used.... yes that's right - for 13 years they had been by my side!
By far the best investment my parents could have made for me at that young age haha - they had seen me through the awkward teenage years, the girls night out (every weekend) years and the 'I should probably put some effort in' years!

So when ghd contacted me and asked if I'd like to try out the brand new platinum copper luxe preium gift set* .... I nearly through my phone across the room with excitement! It had been that WEEK that I had been talking to my work colleagues about how long I'd had my ghd's and that it was probably time for a upgrade.... I couldn't believe the coincidence!

Like I said this post was supposed to go up already but I have had some major trouble with memory cards and bits and bobs (life!) - which has never happened to me before... so frustrating - so some photos will be a different quality than others, I apologise in advance! (I have to be honest!!)

Anyway.... back to the fun stuff! 
Ghd challenged me to #Glitztheseason and create a fun party look for December with the exciting new ghds and the variety of styling products they had kindly popped over!

Within these products was the 'curl hold spray' so immediately I knew I wanted curls involved somehow, curling with straighteners has been a challenge for me but I think I've finally got it down!
Something a different for me when going 'out out' is having my hair up - and I actually do love wearing it up, it's at that awkward growing stage at the moment so it's not short or long so UP was a no-brainer for me!
At this point once again.... I'm not going to lie... I had a slight bit of help from my lovely friend (what a babe!)

The hairstyle below may look a bit fiddly and complicated.... but it really isn't!

Firstly I curled my hair in the biggest bounciest curls I could manage, using the heat protect spray and then the curl hold spray to make sure they weren't going to drop!

It was then time for a million hair grips, strategic placing of curls and a mountain of ghd shine spray and a tab of hairspray and ta-da a unique up-do ready for any party! Glitz yourself from head to toe a little more with a pretty detailed grips or some hair glitter!

Let me know if you give it a go - so fantastic for more or less any hair length ... you might just need a few more grips and a bit more hairspray if you're blessed with super long locks!

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Lipstick Collection

 Anytime I get new lip product I'm excited.... when it's Charlotte Tilbury... I hit the next level! All hail Queen Charlotte and her extreme make-up perfecetness. 

The new 'Hot Lips' collection is inspired by and in collaboration with some of the world’s most inspiring celebrity women.
These include Miranda Kerr, Salma Hayek, Kate Bosworth, Helena Bonham-Carter, Poppy Delevingne, Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Kim Kardashian-West to name a few! (I know ... amazing right?)

I have three gorgeous shades from this new collection and thought it was about time I shared the excitement with you all.... (Seriously someone else please tell me new lip products also get them giddy like a kid at Christmas?)

First up - Secret Salma is a natural deep rose plum which I have to say, is my personal favourite out of the three I own! 
This shade is perfect for Autumn and has recently become my most reached for lip product!
The formula to these is incredible - the lipstick glides on like butter, so smooth and soft and leaves your lips feeling so moisturised but still with a fantastic opaque colour. 
Application is perfect because of the shape, size and angle of the bullet end and can we just appreciate the detailing on the bullet - I hardly want to use it because it will get ruined!

Next we have Kate Bosworth's piece in the collection... Bosworth's Beauty. A gorgeous classic statement pink, perfect for day or night! I love this Elle Woods style pop of pink, a go-to for those days where I want to feel super girly and fun!

Last but not least... it's the queen of the world/social media/TV/life ... Kim Kardashian, with her addition Kim K.W.
This gorgeous 'vintage styled' pink nude is totally fabulous - set to make the lips appear fuller this shade is perfect for a subtle but simple bit of glam.
I love pairing this with one of my MAC lip liners to create that irresistible nude Miss. Jenner has made famous! 

See below for ... my arm... oh wait I mean the swatches...

The Hot Lips lipsticks are priced at £23 each. Yes, these are expensive - nearly £8 more than MAC's high quality range - but I honestly LOVE them.
I mean, they are worth the price for the packaging, detailing and formula alone, not to mention the amazing colour range!
Obviously these aren't something I can afford to splash out on weekly but a monthly treat - why not! I've been trying out alot of CT products recently and have completely and utterly fallen had over heels for the brand!
Do you have any CT favourites? Let me know!

Thanks so much for reading you beauties - I know A Yellow Brick Blog hasn't really been the same this year with it's reduced content but I am really trying hard to get back into the rhythm of things and making time to sit down and blog until my fingers hurt!

Shop the range :  

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Say Hello To Scrub Love's Mint Temptation Coffee Body Scrub

Well hello there beauty lovers of the world ... oh, how I seem to be writing the same introduction to every single blog post recently but ..... I miss blogging! I'm sat here now and loving the fact I'm here on Blogger typing away - I'm just struggling to find that time to delve in. But I'm here... so let's get on with it!

Coffee body scrubs seem to be EVERYWHERE right now and after hearing great things about them (and seeing some fabulous blogger selfies covered head to toe) when I received the opportunity to give it a go from Scrub Love I couldn't say no!

Scrub Love is a 100% natural and organic coffee scrub and this one in particular is Mint Temptation ... tempting eh?!

First up let's talk about the scent.... woah mumma it is strong! If you're not a coffee/mint person... this is not the product for you... #SozBabes.

 I decided to grab a handful in the shower to spread across my body and cor blimey it was a bit overwhelming..... baby portions from now on for sure!

Scrub Love scrubs are said to treat everything from stretch marks to psoriasis.... so as you can imagine I was excited to give it a go. Combined with rich oils and rock salt the crushed coffee beans release caffeine which is absorbed into your skin when mixed with water - increasing circulation and delivering some good-old antioxidants!

As a scrub this stuff is absolutely brilliant, my skin was left feeling softer than it has in forever, I was so impressed and the sore, dry patches I have on my legs (which could be eczema I'm not entirely sure) felt so much better!

All in all I'm so impressed, each packet is resealable which is perfect for me as I've only been using it once a week and as you only need a tiny bit I know this is going to last a good while!

Want to know more? Check out the Mint Temptation Scrub Love - here.

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The Blog Make-Over

Hello one and all - and happy weekend!

Yes .... you may have noticed, things are looking a little bit different here on A Yellow Brick Blog!

After months of not being happy with my little internet space I decided to take the plunge and have a bit of a blog re-vamp. (minus my header..... although that is still a strong possibility!) 
There are a few more tweaks to make and things to add but we are up and running and I feel so much better about things already!

This year I seriously want to up my game with this blogging lark - every year I've talked about growth and volume but my mind right now just wants to focus on the content - the stuff I'm writing, the photos I'm taking - lets take AYBB to the next level!

I'd love to hear any feedback you guys have on the new layout and if you have any requests for posts or favourite types that I already upload :)

See you soon girlies xoxo

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Raising Money This Christmas : Bloggers Christmas Online Charity Fundraiser

Hello my dear friends,

This isn't your usual beauty, fashion or rambly type post (well I could ramble on a bit...) - today I want to talk to you about something a little different.......

Whilst at work the other I was in a daydream (not the first time I might add) - I was thinking about how this year instead of the usual ritual of writing and posting out Christmas cards to everyone, I would just scrap it. Totally get rid of the idea and instead donate that money to a charity instead.
I mean these days I can contact 90% of my family online and the other 10% I can/will see over the Christmas period - with the amount of money cards and stamps cost for them to just be chucked away come Janaury 1st I feel like a charity would benefit so much more from that extra £10 or £20!

So...... this got me thinking.....

How many bloggers are there in the UK? Thousands? And with all those Starbucks and new lipsticks I spot on Instagram and Twitter - I know you can all spare £1.
If we all just gave £1, imagine how much we could raise for a charity on the lead up to Christmas!

I think sometimes we can all take Christmas for granted, we all sit here and create these gift guides and wishlists on our blogs knowing that we will be receiving and giving gifts, having a lovely dinner and being sat at home or even out in a restaurant enjoying ourselves with loved ones. This isn't the case for everyone.
This is why I have decided to create the Bloggers Christmas Charity Fund - an easy way for all of us to give a little to those in need this winter. 

After a bit of research and speaking to a few people on Twitter I have chosen the charity - Crisis.
'Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change.'

Crisis have a program called Crisis At Christmas. This provides are number of things for a small price of just £22.29 per person, this includes :

Welcoming support from people who really care

Three nutritious hot meals including Christmas dinner

The chance to shower and change clothes, have a haircut and get a health check

Expert advice on life-changing issues like housing and employment

An introduction to Crisis year-round services for training and support for the future

ALL I am asking for is each of you to donate £1. Just one British pound - something I know you can all spare (That's literally half the price of a coffee!)
Just think.... just over 100 of us bloggers and we could be changing Christmas for 5 people.

Obviously if you would like to donate more than £1 that is more than okay - anything is welcome for such a great cause!

It only takes a minute and is all done through JustGiving so you can see where your money is and where it is going :)

DONATE HERE

With the amazing community we have I honestly believe we can change a few Christmas' out there, please share on your social medias - lets make this amazing!

Thank you,

Kirstie xxxx

50 Of My Favourite Blogs Ever

Hello you guys - I hope you are doing well!
I wrote on good old Twitter a little while ago that I wanted to share my ultimate favourite/most read blogs that I visit on a regular basis.
 Soooo many of you replied and said you would love to see it so I thought I would do a quick and easy post for you to pop in and out of whenever you fancy finding a new read!

Beauty, fashion, lifestyle, health & fitness, Disney, general awesomeness - there's literally something for everyone in this snazzy list! (and they are in no particular order..... I'm too lazy to sort it into alphabetical right now!)

1. Glambeautys

2. Sugarfixx Beauty

3. Hello April

4. My Pale Skin

5. Couture Girl

6. Mascara & Maltesers

7. Ellie's Ramblings

8. Thumbelina Lillie

9. Em Talks

10. Inthefrow

11. Dizzybrunette3

12. Becky Bedbug

13. Fifi's Looking Glass

14. Lydia Rose

15. Carly Rowena

16. Pint Sized Beauty

17. Tease Flutter Pout

18. Really Ree

19. Ugly Face Of Beauty

20. London Beauty Queen

21. Miss Make-up Magpie

22. Blonde Of Carbs

23. Not Your Average

24. Little Miss Chickas

25. Stylingo

26. Zoe London

27. Lipgloss & Lashes

28. Porcelain Shree

29. Sophia Meola

30. Tattooed Tealady

31. Copper Garden

32. Mash Elle

33. Zoe Newlove

34. Letters of Fashion

35. A Little Pop Of Coral

36. Tea Party Beauty

37. Emsy Pickle

38. Through Chelsea's Eyes

39. Let Me Go xo

40. Rosy Chicc

41. Miss Sunshine and Sparkle

42. Bombay Rose

43. Blonde Vision

44. Slight Gem

45. Ellis Tuesday

46. Hannah Heartss

47. Raspberry Kiss

48. Scarlett London

49. Things I Do, Think & Buy

50. Southern Charmed Blog

Okay.... narrowing it down to just 50 was actually really difficult....I know for a fact that there is bound to be beauties that I have forgotten (because I am so bloomin' forgetful) so I will add any on that I remember here......

Leave below your top 3 blogs that you visit the most - I always LOVE finding new reads :)

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Aussie Mega 3 Miracle Oil Review

Yes.... you've read that correctly.

Aussie, that sweet smelling hair brand we all know and love have released a BRAND new product - and I think most of us are thinking 'it's about time too!'.

It was only a matter of time before the brains behind the Australian brand thought of adding a hair oil (or 2) to their ever popular collection and when I spotted this last week I nearly leaped at it with a spring of excitement!

I LOVE the scent of Aussie and I have done ever since I was a teenager, I swear if they made a candle it would sell out in like 10 seconds haha.
 This 'mega' oil has that classic scent and with it's 3 main ingredients creates a multi- purpose formula for everyday use.
 Macadamia Nut Oil, Coconut Oil and Safflower Seed Oil work together to help protect the hair from everyday life while keep it looking and feeling fabulous.

Seeing as my Ultimate Blends oil was on it's last couple of pumps, this stuff couldn't have come at a better time for me!
I've used this every single day since picking it up and am LOVING it! 
I had my hair done (cut and coloured) last week so it's not in bad condition luckily, but this has keep my hair feeling soft and looking shiny - no dry ends here. (Perfect for this heatwave AND it smells gorge!)

Everytime I've washed my hair I've popped a few pumps of this into the ends and then added a little each day when it hasn't been washed.

At £9.99 for 100ml this is a great purchase, hair oil lasts me months and months (especially now I have shorter hair) so it's a great price for something that I will use daily!

Are you an Aussie fan? Fancy trying this oil?

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Blog Sale : Clothing

Well..... this is a quicker and easier way to sell my clothes and save for my USA holiday and I thought it would be alot easier for you girls aswell - no ebay bidding wars!

All payments will be through paypal and if you are interested in anything  or would like to ask anything please e-mail me asap at ayellowbrickblog@hotmail.com with the subject 'Blog Sale' - as everything will be on a first come first served basis. 
Items you request will be yours for 24 hours and if there is no payment in that time they will go to the next person who is interested.
I've put set individual price on each item and all postage will be £3.50 for 1 item, £4.00 for 2 items and £5.00 for 3 items or more. (please e-mail if you are outside the UK)

Hope that is all okay and understandable :)

Primark Long Sleeve Polka Dot Crop Top - Size 10 - £3

Red Label (From New Look) Floral Crop Top - BNWT - Size 10 - £3.50

Motel Rocks Floral & Leopard T-shirt - Size XS (would fit upto a 12) - £3.50

 Boohoo Dogtooth Bodycon Dress  - Size 12 - £5

Primark Blue Lace High Neck Dress - Size 10 - £5

ASOS Daisy Floral Dress - Size 10 (quite short... better for petite) - £7

 Denim Style Pinafore Dress - Size 10 - £5

Primark Bright Floral Dress - Size 10 - £8

H&M Black & White Dress - Size 10 - £5

 New Look Pink Tartan Skater Skirt - BNWT -Size 10 - £8

New Look Monochrome Aztec Print Midi Skirt - Size 10 - £7

Topshop Floral Skater Skirt - Size 12 - £8

New Look Floral Midi Skirt - Size 12 - £5

Topshop High-Low Skirt - Size 10 - £8

Alice Takes A Trip Pug Sweater - Size 10 - £10

This is just a few items I have, if this sale goes well then I will upload more :)

Blogs I Love

This is a post I have been meaning to do for months.
 I love reading other people's posts like these, blog rolls, blogs I love, favourite blogs etc, as it is such a great way to find new blogs that you may never have stumbled across before! I also love the thought of sharing with you the blogs I love and who really deserve a look!

These is in no particular order (I'm not that organised...yet!) and I'll always be adding to this list - because there will always be someone I've forgotten or someone new I've found!

Glambeautys

Sugarfixx Beauty

Sprinkle Of Glitter

Tease Flutter Pout

Thumbelina Lillie

Late Night Nonsense 

thelovecatsinc

Ellie's Ramblings

Rosy Chicc

Lipgloss and Lashes

Becky Bedbug

Subtle Coral

The Bluebird & The Robin

Andrew James Blog

Ellis Rose
Mascara And Maltesers

Stylingo

Love From Sammie
Freshbeautyxox
Amy Valentine
Let Me Go xo
CourtzMelv
Birds Words
MLHauken
Oh Little Red
Porcelain Shree
Kimberley's Beauty Blog
Raspberry Kiss
Pretty Little Us
A Pop Of Coral
Peach Pow xo
Slight Gem
Blog Of Shadows
EbonyJay Beauty My Way
Oh! Leona
Tanyia Talks
I Totally Paused
Lost In Wonderland
Flores & Moda
Lydia Rose
Hello Wonderful
Southern Charmed
Lived With Love
Emsy Pickle
Pretty In Pink
Life And Louboutins
JessicaWabbit
Wonderful You
Mash Elle

Sophie Rosee

Tattooed Tealady

Em Talks 

Miss Make-up Magpie

Oh Snap Babes!

Glambambini

Couture Girl

Cosmetic Crave

Lil Miss Chickas

In The Frow
Through Chelsea's Eyes

Sophia Meola
Copper Garden

A Thrifty Mrs

Scarlett London
Fifi's Looking Glass
Gemsmaquillage

Nouvelle Beau
Ashly London
Lyon Notes
The Pulse Of Fashion
The Little Kola Blog

Katie's Beauty Blog

Tea Party With Alice

Bombay Rose

Katies World

Zoella

Fleur De Force

Tanya Burr

That's Peachy

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Fashion Train

Essie Button

vipxo

gh0stparties

Tiny Twisst

The Style Khaleesi

Squidgey Moments

Unnaked Nails

Carousel Dairy

Really Ree

Unwritten Hollywood
A Little Dust Blog
Fairy Gobmother
Not Your Average
Alicia-Rae of Sunshine
life, set sail
Vanilla Crush
Cloud Nine Indulgence
Make-up By Kate
Famous In Japan
Rach Raves
Scarphelia etc
Becca's Fashion and Life
Ramblings Of a Beauty Bird

My BBloggers Secret Santa from SubtleCoral

It's Christmas woo hooo! Well nearly... less than 2 weeks to go! 
About 6 weeks ago I was asked whether I wanted to be involved in a Secret Santa with some other bloggers (and PLL lovers..... that's Pretty Little Liars for you non-watchers!)!
 I love chatting to all the other girls and so I jumped at the chance and said YES!
This is the first of 2 Secret Santa's that I am involved in this year.

I received my present last week and after reading that it was from my "subtle" secret santa I immediately knew it was from Katie over at Subtle Coral - which I found funny as I had her as my Secret Santa too!

 I was definitely spoilt by Katie - so many fun presents and looking at everything I can just tell she has read my blog and knows me and what I like - thank you so much Katie you babe!

First up is something I was so excited to receive. I knew that whoever had sent me this parcel HAD to be a reader of my blog/twitter - because they would know I'd love this!

 I have been raving about the nivea lip butters for months and raspberry rose was one that I still hadn't tried even though so many people had recommended it! This has been in my coat pocket/bag since the day I got it - I'm addicted to applying it, yum!

Next is this adorable Christmas tree gingerbread man hanging ornament! I have just moved out for the first time so this is the first time I won't be at home for Christmas - so I have my own home and my own Christmas! So this is an amazing gift to help me get started with my decorations - it is on my tree now and goes perfectly! 

I found this really funny as I bought Katie some festive socks too (great minds think alike!)  You can never have too many and these are such a cute fairisle/striped pattern - no doubt I'll be wearing them on Christmas day!

I love tea!!! If you read my twitter bio more or less the first thing written is 'tea drinker'! I'm obsessed with green tea and black breakfast tea! I'm so excited to try out these cute tea bags from 'Hugs'! Thry are a brand I've never heard of but the packaging has me sold already! They also come with the cutest 'tea tweezers' too which are pink handed tongs ready to remove your teabag for you - such a good idea!

Last but not least is this fabulous kit from Benefit. I'm such a Benefit fan but one thing I've never tired from them is their skincare. I was ecastic when I opened this gift - the b.right radiant skincare kit, it was such an exciting surprise! 

There is more or less every product in here and I am so excited to try it all out , if it's anything like their make-up I'm sure I'll be purchasing the full-sized stuff in no time!

A massive THANK YOU to Katie for such a wonderful package of products - they are all perfect for me!

I love love love secret santa's and I hope both of mine like what I have chosen for them :-)

Just a quick little note aswell  before I go to let you all know that my post for Very.co.uk is now up - it's all about a fashion fav of mine - Boots! So if you're a fashion fan, love very or just fancy a little read of something I've done then check it out here!

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Charles Worthington Secrets Collection : Moisture Seal - Overnight Ultimate Hair Healer Review

My hair is something I really like to take care of so whenever I can I try to use intense treatments and masks to help it looking and feeling great. 
Since having my hair cut into a bob a year ago I have been on a mission to grow my hair back thick and healthy! So when I saw this mask type product the other week I thought it would be another perfect thing for me to try out!

 This is a Charles Worthington product and it is from the "Secrets Collection". The collection is a tad more expensive than your usual CW products and are all high quality treatments...... definitely worth a lookie if you fancy giving your hair an extra bit of loving!

My hair recently has been super dry and frizzy especially on the ends (I think it's down to the fact I've been running low on my Morroccanoil!) and seeing as this stuff is made especially for these problems it seemed like a god send product to invest in!

All you have to do with this stuff is pump it out of the bottle and whack it on your dry hair! It's better if you don't have any products or build up in your hair already but it's no problem if you do!

I've included some information and facts from the bottle in the photo below for you all as I'm sure the lovely people at Charles Worthington can tell you alot more than I can!

But what I CAN tell you is how I found the product.....

As you can see below the substance is a little like a thin gel, it smells lovely and goes through your hair so easily, although if you have thick hair you'll probably need a fair bit to fell like you are fully covered.
I was expecting my hair to feel really greasy like when I cover my hair in coconut oil but this stuff more or less soaks into your hair leaving you free to carry on like normal. It's more like you've used a styling product all over your hair than a thick treatment and I'm a massive fan of this!
It says it's an"overnight" hair healer but obviously you can whack it on whenever you have a spare few hours, I used it on my day off and even popped to the shop with it in my hair - it's that invisible!

I'm super impressed with this stuff and can't wait to keep reaping the benefits of it! 
After just one use my hair felt so much more silkier, smoother and alot less frizzy (thank goodness!) and I can tell that this is going to have so many positive affects on my barnett!
This stuff is priced at £14.99 and I got 500 extra advantage card points in Boots for buying it (aka £5) so really it was a win-win buy!

Have you tried any of the Secrets Collection yet?