Amika Hair Oil Treatment Review

What did we do before the days of hair oil? 

Over the last few years I've tried my fair share of different oils - from top of the range to drugstore bargains. I've got my firm favourites but am always up for trying out something new and today I'm going to be talking about the most recent one to have been popped onto my dressing table.

Amika Hair Oil Treatment 100ml*

Amika are an independently owned boutique company straight of out New York who have recently become available in the UK! *Cheers*
Their cool and funky range contains everything from styling products to deep treatments and each product from them is infused with a range of fab, unique ingredients ready to help your hair become healthier than ever.
The 60s style packaging gives it that extra bit of cool and helps it stand out from the ever-growing crowd - I love the fun and colourful vibe.

This oil treatment is something you can use on a daily basis. 

For me I love to pop a fair bit through the mid-lengths to ends of my hair when it is still damp and sometimes once I've finished styling, it's also great to inject a bit of moisture into those dry ends at this time of year.

Full of Amika's secret ingredient Obliphica (Sea Buckthorn Berry) this stuff strengthens the hair whilst feeding it with much needed vitamins and nutrients.

The scent is fairly strong but I'm a big fan of it, it reminds me of a certain perfume/aftershave but I just can't put my finger on it as to which one! 

The oil itself is fairly thick compared to others I've used so I have been using a little less than I usually would, which can only be a good thing right? I mean this 100ml bottle should last me months and months!

The only probelm I have had so far with this stuff is the dispensing. 

The bottle comes with the plastic stopper on the top, with a tiny space for you to pierce a hole in. I did this but it was useless.

 Because the oil is fairly gloopy it just took forever to get a decent amount out (even after increasing the size of the hole!), so I've decided to take the stopper out and just pour the oil out instead.... a little risky but SO much easier - really a pump would be the best option.

The formula penetrates the surface of the hair to help seal split ends and improve shine and elasticity and I've been loving the last few weeks of using it.

Anti-frizz is something I HAVE to have in a product at the moment, I don't know what it is but my hair has been so much drier and frizzier than usual and I've been trying everything to help it get back to how it used to be and I have to say this has been so helpful.

For a 100ml bottle this stuff retails at £21.95 - a little more than your bog standard oil from Boots or Superdrug but like I said, you don't need alot so I can see this lasting for months on end!

Overall I've been really enjoying trying this out and it's made me really intrigued to check out the rest of the products in the range - especially the shampoo and conditioner!

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The Most Romantic City In The World?

Recently I was asked what I thought the most romantic city for couples was? 

Yes immediately my brain flashed up images of the Eiffel Tower, Venice and pretty beaches on the other side of the world but in reality I haven't actually been to any of these so feel like I can't choose them!

Somewhere I have been is New York City and even though I went with a best friend when I went twice back in 2012, I still saw the romantic side of the city and what it has to offer for loved up couples!

New York is the backdrop to so many amazing love stories, I mean ... Ross & Rachel, Carrie & Big, Blair & Chuck - that list is definitely endless for both soapy and dramatic relationships! The city is full to the brim with amazing tourist sights, beautiful scenery, amazing shows, delicious foods - it really is like nowhere other, the buzz of NYC is something I'll never forget. 

Like I just mentioned New York City is an incredible place to visit if you are a foodie couple and nothing epitomises NYC more than it's aray of foods! The amount of romantic,fun and unique meals and snacks you can enjoy is one of the best things about a trip!

Not only this but the sights and sounds they have to offer are literally like nothing you will see anywhere else - the for one skyline is breathtaking.
With the amount of songs, TV shows and movies focused in NYC you really could be entertained for years by it and I think just about everyone has dreamt of going to New York.

I've been challenged by MSC Cruises to create a romantic bundle of things that, for me, represents New York and it's love story atmosphere.

LOVE STORIES

The list goes on and on for these! You must all have a favourite movie or TV show which was set in New York City.

 I mean... Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Friends, Serendipity, Maid In Manhattan, New Year's Eve, New York I Love You, Breakfast At Tiffany's.  There are some pretty epic love stories there!

So these were a MUST for my bundle. There is nothing better than cosying up and watching a rom-com or love story (as long as you can talk your partner into it!).

 From watching Carrie & Big finally tie the knot in the SATC movie to Blair & Chuck realising they were perfect for each other to Rachel getting off the god damn plane (thank God for the left phalange problem!) these all take place in the beautiful New York City - doesn't it make you want to have your own little love affair there?

Here's a Romantic NYC DVD marathon ...

THE FOOD

Okay, so I have invested in the greatest recipe book... ever! 

New York is seriously famous for it's amazing foods - whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack off the street, New York is the home to the most iconic American flavours!

New York Cult Recipes is an epitome of awesome NY foods so, in light of it's romantic flare, me and my the boyf decided to attempt some of the fun recipes inside and send ourselves on a tantalising, mouth-watering trip to the USA!

 First up the Tuna Melt!

Now this has got to be hands-down the best sandwich I've ever eaten! 3 slices of bread, cheese slices, a special tuna mix - fried to perfection!

This is amazing!!! I literally want to jump on a plane and go to every cafe in NYC.

Next - the USA's famous Sloppy Joe's! My boyfriend is called Joe so he is a big fan of this one!

The recipes in this book are super easy to follow and don't take long at all! We are definitely going to be trying alot more from this! Romantic trip to the NYC every weekend I say!

Last but not least.... my favourite - dessert!

Nothing says New York more than New York Cheesecake so we HAD to buy some! We seriously enjoyed this authentic yummy pudding - someone take me to cheesecake factory like NOW?!

THE SCENERY, THE SIGHTS AND THE SHOWS

For me when I think of New York the first thing that pops into my mind is the sight-seeing. Those iconic places like the Central Park, Times Square and the Empire State Building just shout romance too me! There's nothing more amazing than sharing an experience like that with a loved one.

I've included the pretty lights in some of the photos - because NY is famous for it's gorgeous lights throughout the city isn't it?! The skyline - full of lights, Time Square is one big light-fest, it just looks so perfect at night!

Tiffany & Co - what's more romantic than one of the most gorgeous jewellers in the entire world?! Ahhh what I would do to have a box full of their stunning jewels!

Last but not least - the shows. I am a huge musical fan - like huge! And I don't think there would be a night more perfect for me than in New York eating the incredible food and then seeing a show!

I have been to Broadway and I feel so grateful, my list of "need to see's" though is as long as my arm. Rent is a musical I've never seen so it was a must for this romantic bundle. I can't wait to have a cosy night in with the lights off pretending I'm on the otherside of the Atlantic with my loved one.

So there we have it - do you agree with me that New York City is the most romantic city in the world?! I love this bundle I have put together - it makes me super happy!

I dream of the day I can go back - but for now I'll enjoy the food, movies, music and everything I love about that place from the comfort of my own home! (Next on my list.... making my own NYC pizza and cupcakes!)

Thank you so much to MSC Cruises for challenging me - I've had a total and utter blast ( and Joe has too!)

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Library of Fragrance Christmas in New York Eau de Toilette 30ml Review

When I spotted this new product on the Boots website I think it took me all of 2 seconds to decide to purchase it! 

The name alone had me sold - 'Christmas In New York' - and after hearing such great things about The Library Of Fragrance from other bloggers in the past I thought it must be a winner! So I splashed out with my points and paid with my handy advantage card!

Described as a 'unique scent of it's own' this brand have promised to infuse the magic of New York at Christmas into the perfect festive fragrance. 

With a mix of festive spices, warm, roasting chestnuts and sweet apples this scent embodies all that we know and love about Christmas time.

I, myself, have New York in December on my list of things to do before I die. With all the lights, the buildings, the decorations and the snow - New York always looks like the perfect winter wonderland to get you in the spirit of Christmas, whatever your age! (I mean.. just think about Home Alone 2!)

When I first sprayed the cologne I was worried it smelt a little synthetic, but after letting it breathe for a bit I fell in love. For me, this isn't  scent I would use on myself, it's more of a home fragrance, like a candle. 

I have been spraying this around my flat in the evenings and with my Christmas tree up with it's pretty fairy lights, it has been making my home feel super warm, festive and cosy!

If you're looking for a special scent for this time of year and candles aren't really your thing - this fragrance is great! 

At the moment they are only £9.99 as an introductory offer on boots.com but if this scent doesn't sound like your cup of tea, they also have other Christmas fragrances that have released!

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eBay Wishlist #21

EOS Hand Lotion | Sweater | Piggy Bank | Phone Case | Mug | Sandals

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My Personalised Phone Case From Mr. Nutcase

It is sad to admit but my phone is like an extra limb. I have an iPhone 5s and I am on it for hours a day I reckon - a total blessing but a total curse at the same time.

Not only am I addicted to my phone but I love love love getting new cases for it! Is that a bit sad? 

You've probably noticed in my ebay wishlists that I am forever looking at new phone cases! There are so many and I can never choose one!

So what better for me than a personalised phone case!

 Instead of just picking one photo for the case I decided to go for one of the many collage designs they have to offer - mainly because I couldn't just pick one that I wanted!

It was so fun to make but I did spend FOREVER choosing what photos I wanted where - I'm a right fussy one me!

 Personalised Phone Case - Mr. Nutcase*

For the top half  of the case I chose....

Doll & I in her wedding party photo booth ♥ Me and my girls at the Bestival 2013 all in fancy dress ♥ A sign post from the Wizarding world of Harry Potter at Universal!

For the bottom half of the case I chose :

One of my favourite photos I took at Disneyworld in 2012 ♥ Times Square NY from our trip round the US ♥ Me & the girls in Zante getting a bit hyper ♥ Doll & I in the Magic Kingdom ♥ my little puppy Bauer!

I love that the sides of the case are clear (especially as I have a pretty gold iphone)! It looks a million times better than other cases I have and I was so happy when I saw the case in real life as it looks so much better than I was anticipating!

These case are just £14.95 on Mr. Nutcase and they do a number of different phone device's along with Apple and they even so iPads! There are also a number of different styles of case to choose from so if you aren't keen on just the back clip-on case like mine there are others that may take your fancy!
And guess what?! If you make a case on Mr. Nutcase today you can get get 10% off with discount code "Thanku10"!

I love my case so much, it's so nice to have some of your favourite photos with you at all times and it really does make your phone yours! 

What do you think? What phone case do you have?
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Kirstie's Travel Diaries #6 - JFK to LAX

Catch up with #5 here.

DAY 7 (06/03/12)

Flight #2 was upon us today, it was time to leave the chilly east side and head over to the (hopefully) sunny west side of the US and go to California!!
Yes today was the day we were off to Los Angeles and we were VERY excited. It was alwasys a  dream of both of ours to visit Hollywood, the beaches, the hills and everything else that comes with LA so the fact we were flying to that very place today was baffling! 

Google 

Our flight was at 12pm so we decided that leaving the hotel at 9am was sensible, even if there was traffic we'd still get to JFK in time to check-in and grab something to eat before the 6 hour flight across the whole country.
We hopped in a taxi that was already outside our hotel and made our way towards the airport. In no time at all we were there, lugging our bags and suitcases through departures and heading the the check-in desk! 
We met a few other brits who we had a short chat with, they were from London and on their way to Miami! (Spring break was starting soon)

We checked in all our luggage which luckily wasn't any extra and went to go through security and head to our gate. It was at this point when I looked at both mine and my friends boarding passes and realised we were sitting at different ends of the plane - not.cool.
We ran back to the guy at the desk and begged him to move us next to each other - luckily this was possible and we ended up with the awesome exit seats - hello leg room!!
The flight itself was easy peasy. So comfy with the extra leg room and the flight was actually pretty empty too! I manged to watch part of Harry Potter (DHP2), Horrible Bosses, Friends With Benefits & some of the Glee movie before we landed at LAX. (photos below are from the plane window, us being silly and my friend watching The Smurfs and me watching Harry Potter.... we are so social!)

We were immediately in a good mood as soon as we saw the 'Welcome To Los Angeles' sign and I think I had to pinch myself to fully believe that I was there!

Now.... this is where we had a little teeny bit of trouble! We had realised the night before in NY that we had no transport from the airport to our hotel and knowing that the traffic in LA can be ridiculous we thought a taxi could be quite risky. 
So we found a company online and called up asking if it would be okay if we just showed our confirmation emails on our phones to the driver as we had no way of getting hold of a printer before we arrived, they said yes so we thought that would be enough, we were wrong.
The driver would not accept it and said he MUST have the paper work so we ended up having to pay another $32 between us to get ourselves to the hotel which was very frustrating. (moral of the story, always plan ahead.... we did we everything but this!)
We were the last to be dropped off so we had a little tour around the neighborhood first.
 I don't remember everyone who was in our minibus but I do remember a British couple who got out the stop before us and a couple of American ladies who lived locally and were going home. We talked to them for ages and they were asking us loads about what celebrities we liked and if we were fans of Kate Middleton!

Finally we got to our hotel! The Hollywood Orchid Suites, we had booked this through hotels.com and where it had seemed like a pretty decent place, and it was.
 We had booked our stay in 2 separate parts so for the first 4/5 days we were in one room and for the last part of our stay we were in another.

Google

Our apartment was huge, full-on lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom - was amazing compared to our room in New York (which was tiny!)! 
We thought we'd have a little look around our surrounding area (before it got dark) as we knew we were really close to alot of exciting things. We were behind the Hollywood & Highland centrer and it took us all of 20 seconds to be inside it, through there you come out onto Hollywood Blvd. which is home to the kodak theatre, the Chinese theatre, madame tussdads and of course... the walk of fame! (aswell as soooo much more!)
We had heard Hollywood could be a bit dodgey after dark so after we had spotted the Hollywood sign for the first time we decided to grab some food and drinks for our apartment and get an early night so we could go out and explore everything in the morning!

As we got in the lift upto our floor we noticed a sign of "upcoming events in the area" and there was something going on the next day.... Felicity Huffman (Lynette from Desperate Housewives) was getting her star on the walk of fame along with her husband William H Macy at 11am!!! (We knew wherewe were going the next morning....)

NEXT POST - THE Desperate Housewives, a view of LA, Homes of the stars, Madame Tussauds & more.....

Kirstie's Travel Diaries #3 - Lost In New York

Catch up with #2 here.

DAY 4 (03/03/12)

This was a Saturday, after falling asleep in seconds the night before from being so exhausted, we woke up at around 8am feeling funky, fresh and ready for another exciting day in New York. After both getting ready it was around 10:30am and we decided to set off to somewhere we both had high on our list of places to see, central park. We made sure we wrapped up extra warm as we had been so so cold the day before and started towards Times Square as we knew eventually if we followed that road we would end up at the park.

 Once we arrived at Times Square we thought it was the perfect opportunity to get a quick bite to eat to fill us up for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon (you will get to learn quickly that our eating habits on this trip weren't great) and even though it was early we headed for that golden M, hello chicken nuggets.
Chicken, fries and 20 sachets of mayo later we headed in the direction of the park. Even walking through the streets of New York is exciting  you are always noticing something different and the feel and pace of everything is always so quick and vibrant. 
When we approached the park it was obvious that we were tourists so... queue the tour guides. Every 2 seconds we were approached by someone who wanted to sell us a "fantastic, unique CHEAP"  tour of the park in one of those little bike/carriage things... I forget what they are called!

We actually decided against this and set off on foot alone into Central Park. Now... Central Park is BIG and I mean huge. It is 840.01 acres and it feels ten times bigger than that! 
After walking for about 45mintues we had seen so many places we recognised from TV/Films and it was all so fancinsating and beautiful BUT we had come to one resounding conclusion, we were lost. Seriously lost. 
There are lots of people in Central Park BUT nine times out of ten they are either running or tourists aswell and as we couldn't bring ourselves to ask someone who was running (way too awkward) we carried on walking hoping to find someone who looked helpful.
We had decided that we wanted to go to the zoo and we'd seen a few maps around the park but we didn't seem to be getting any closer to it! Eventually we found a police officer who kindly gave us our own personal map and told us that actually we had already gone past the zoo (of course). So we decided that the best thing to do was to head back to the main road and walk down the side of Central Park on the street until we found the zoo and thank god - it worked.

A short walk later and we were there, Central Park Zoo. We went straight in, got our tickets and had our cameras at the ready. 
First place we went to was the seal enclousre, which is actually a really pleaseant open area! We stayed here for so long becuase they were just so entertaining, jumping out of the water, coming right up and out of the sides, climbing around - they were definitely putting on a show. We had a favourite who had one eye, he/she was hilarious and we took so many photos!

We then headed over to the polar bear and wow. Such a beautiful animal and even though she (I think it was a she) was just sleeping and relaxing you could watch her for hours! There were a few view points and there is one down a flight of stairs which gets you level with the water that is in the enclousure which gave us an amazing view (hence the photos). If you were ever to go there when they are in the water I bet it is incredible. 

Now central park zoo isn't like it looks in the movie Madagascar and it isn't actually that large, so after checking out the rest of the pens and enclosures (I loved the penguins) we thought it was a good time to head out back into the city and check out some of the shops we had wanted to see. If the Zoo is on your list of things to do I would still definitely go just don't base a large portion of your day around it.

Not far from Central Park we found fifth avenue and along with that FAO schwarz. This huge toy store is known for it's 'big piano' and with it being up there with my 'things to see in New York' we headed on in. Well I am a huge big kid anyway so this store was just a playground - so much fun and some truly awesome things such as wizard of oz and harry potter barbies and huge lego statues. When we got to the big piano it was of course full of children and I didn't really fancy queuing up with them all and looking like a crazy woman so I just got a few photos.

After this we headed outside and spotted the amazing building which is the Apple store. If you haven't seen it before it is a huge clear cube on the street and the store is actually underground. You go into the cube and either take the stairs or a lift to the store below. Now obviously we weren't going to be buying anything from apple (we were on a budget here people and where am I going to pack a mac?) but we had a quick look around anyway - we couldn't not.

Now it was time for a bit of girly time and after popping into the Ugg store (my feet we freezing in Converse and I was seriously considering buying some) we walked over to the world famous Bloomingdales.
  Our mission for this store was to find the iconic 'brown bag' and after going to probably every floor we found them. I got the 'little brown cosmetic bag' and my friend got the 'little brown bag'. Bloomingdales is fab to look around BUT I'm really not a fan of people trying to sell me things, I know they are on commission but people that come up and start smearing things all over your hands and basically saying you have to buy the product - no. just no. 

A few little stores later and we decided that we wanted to head back to Times Square and check out a few of the stores we had seen there. We knew we were quite a walk away and were starting to get a little tired so we hailed a taxi and were there in minutes. We went to Sephora and Mac and both had a little shopping spree. 
The main thing I wanted to get at the time was Taylor Swift's perfume Wonderstruck as it wasn't available in the UK yet. So I headed straight for perfume section in Sephora and found it and then we both got the Viva Glam Nicki lipstick from Mac which at the time was brand new so we found that very exciting. 

We walked back to out hotel,which like I said before is about a 15/20minute walk straight down from Times Square,  grabbed a slice of pizza for dinner and went and had an early night because we knew that Sunday morning was going to be an early one.
 We were off on a day trip to Washington DC!!

NEXT POST - We head to Washington DC to see The White House, Ab Lincoln Memorial, Madame Tussauds, The Smithsonian museum and so much more....

My Make-up Storage

About a year or so ago my make-up collection was probably about 4 times the size of what it is now, but after a few extremely brutal clearouts I have finally got it down to just the stuff I love and use.
What was the point in me holding onto a lipgloss (or 10) that I've had for 7 years and never use? Or foundations I hate but kept anyway? Or mascaras that are definitely out of date? There wasn't one!
 I still buy more make-up at least a couple of times a month and it's not like I'm short of anything but it is so nice to have condensed it down and finally have it in a tidy and organised fashion!  
I said on twitter than once I hit 100 GFC followers on here (thank you to everyone single person who has taken the time to follow) I would do this post so here it is - a guided tour around my make-up storage/ my dresser!
 I'm not going to bore you with what is in every drawer but if anyone would like that then please let me know in the comments below or via twitter @KirstieLouiseS (p.s.All the acrylic drawers are from Muji.)

A - My Revlon light-up make-up mirror, the current hair oils that I am using which are Liz Earle's Botanical Shine Nourishing Hair Oil & Lee Stafford's Argan Oil & a vanilla candle from Tesco.

B - Photo frame which I actually won in a raffle and I love it to pieces and a studded hairband from Primark. (Photo in the photo frame is one I took in LA of the Beverly Hills sign.)

C - Cotton wool pad jar is actually a sweet jar from Laura Ashley which I got in the sales at Christmas & my Urban Decay Naked palette which is by far one of the best make-up purchases ever, I swear by it.

D - My powders & foundations which include Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation & Rimmel Wake Me up Foundation. 
 I use L'Oreal True Match daily but if I am going on a night out then I always use my Mac Studio Sculpt as the coverage is amazing but I don't like to use it for boring things like going to town/popping out as I think it's a waste of an expensive product and would rather save it!

E - The back holders are full of my brushes which are mostly by elf and range from eyeshadows brushes to stippler brushes and fluffy powder brushers. Then the front left is full of correctors, concealers and fixing products such as a the urban decay eyeshadow primer from the naked palette and elf's mist and set spray. Front right is full of tools and extra little things that I may need such as nail scissors, a spare travalo, nail files, perfume tester, eyelash glue and my amazing Jemma Kidd tweezers.

F - This drawer is full of bronzers, blushes and highlighters. I don't wear blushes that must but still own a few and I love buying new bronzers all the time. A few of my favourites in this drawer are Mac mineralize skin finish natural in Give Me Sun!, St. Tropez Bronzing Brick and Maxfactor Bronzing powders in 01 Golden & 02 Bronze. 

G - On the top of these drawers I keep a lot of my rings in a dish and also have a stone from the shipwreck beach in Zante, Greece where I went last year. (Google it, it is incredible and I had to take a memento with me!) I also have an American quarter as a little memory from when I went travelling.

H - These have to be my favourite drawers and ones that I use the most. I have an addiction to buying lipsticks and other lip products and condensing my collection of these was definitely the most tricky!
 From top to bottom we have ..... Favourite and most used lipglosses, Red lipsticks and products, nude and light pink shade lipsticks, dark and bright pink shade lipsticks and the bottom drawer is full of extra eye shadows (even though I mainly just use my naked palette), mascaras and eyeliners.
(With having a large collection of lipglosses and lipsticks I actually have an extra tin of them in a separate drawer but thought I wouldn't bore you with a photo!)

I keep all my day-to-day make-up (if you're interested I did a post about it here.) together in my DASH Make-up bag which I got from the store in New York as I like to have it all together rather than picking it out from different drawers every morning.

I would love to know what you thought of this post and how you store your make-up collection, leave your comments below!