Slimline VS Premium Wrap Around

Premium Wrap Around £18 (left) + Slimline £12.50 - £14 (right)

Hopefully you've seen my excited tweets/snapchats about the new cases coming out, because I'm VERY CHUFFED and want you guys to know all about them! When they first arrived I was adamant about replacing the current Slimlines completely, but soon realised this probably wasn't the best business decision. They are more expensive and not available for all the phone types that the Slimlines are. Excluding a significant part of my customer base just isn't justified when these cases have been well loved for two whole years! So although the Premium Wrap Arounds will be my case of choice from now on, I wanted to write out the pros and cons of both so you can make an informed decision on your next purchase.

Slimline

Pros:

• They cost less. I'm able to price these from £12.50 - £14 which is a competitive price, and affordable for younger teens/people on a budget.
• Slim and lightweight. These cases are ideal for people who don't like having a bulky case on their phone but want the security of protection from scratches/minor bumps and something to make their plain phone less boring!
• Case edges slightly rise over the screen of the case.
• Easy to take on and off.
• Although print is sprayed on, they are very smooth and more hardwearing than you'd think!
• Designs only cover the back of the case, leaving sides transparent, which looks very sleek.
• Easy to wipe off dirt, however can be stained over time.
• Available for a huge variety of phone types.
• 2 month guarantee.

Middle case is Slimline, two others are Premium.

Cons:

• Plastic has been known to crack. I have definitely noticed that my supplier is using an inferior plastic case type than last year, which has made me even more adamant to get the premium cases. I've never had a case crack before, and I put this down to being careful when I take the cases on and off. I know that a lot of people like to play with the corners of cases when they're bored by pinging them. This will definitely weaken the plastic, leading to cracking. Referring back to the last "pro", I am able to issue a replacement to most customers who experience any damage I deem a product fault.
• Print is sprayed on. The supplier does add a protective layer over the print to protect it from wearing, but it can be damaged over time by sweaty hands/rubbing. for about 6-7 months this was a very big issue, but I'm pleased to say the print has definitely improved over the past couple of months and seems MUCH sturdier. 
• Print is sprayed on (part 2). On phones with edges like right angles (iPhone 5, etc) this is no problem at all, the print is cut off in a straight line. However, on phones such as the iPhone 5c and Samsung Galaxies, the curved edges mean that when the print is sprayed on it spreads out. This distorts the design slightly along the edge, as it fades out to white. This is not an issue for most people, but I have had complaints.
• Print can be stained over time, but most people replace their cases every 3-4 months so this shouldn't be much of an issue (unless you're an avid fake tanner who chose a white design).
• Colours print darker. Any designer knows the PAIN of trying to get your work to print how it looks on screen. These cases do turn out darker than I'd like, which has limited my designs hugely. But this is no issue with black and white cases, which is why I've brought out a lot recently!

For two years these cases have been my best selling product, thousands of happy, returning customers can't be wrong! I just think my new alternative could make them a LOT happier...

Premium Wrap Around

Pros:

• These cases have a smooth, glossy finish just like the ones you'd find on the highstreet!
• Case edges slightly rise over the screen of the case.
• As hard cases, they offer more protection.
• Colours print much brighter. This will open up SO many new possibilities for designs *squeal*. Previous case designs will also look much better, for example the "hidden gems" pastel colours will pop wonderfully. This means some designs will not be available in slimline, such as the Cocktails one, because the colours just DON'T look right dulled.
• (A pro for me) I will finally be able to send phone case samples to potential promoters for review, because I'm so confident in the quality.

(The colour difference is really hard to demonstrate with the camera I used, as it tries to contrast colours so much! The slimline version looks a lot better here than IRL, so you'll have to trust my opinion. Also the Premium case on the right doesn't look as sharp as it is IRL because of the focus on the left case.)

Cons:

• They cost more than the Slimline cases. When I first started Sighh, the cases I saw other artists providing were Premium Wrap Around for £22-£30. I knew, however, my target market would just not be willing to pay that much. I didn't believe my designs worthy, either (they weren't). I searched for MONTHS to find a supplier who could provide me with a way to affordably stock these without bulk ordering 100+ of each design, in each phone model... (Look how many designs I have. That would be impossible.). So, I settled with the Slimline which are really good cases, just not what I've always wanted. So after two years of asking (nagging), this same supplier has managed to get the equipment necessary to produce the Premium cases for an affordable price, and I couldn't be more happy.
• Pro within the con: These are only £4 more expensive than my current style. That's not even a McDonalds chicken legend meal, which would only last seconds!
• Limited phone type availability. Currently these cases are only made for iPhones (4/4S, 5/5S, 5C, 6, 6 PLUS) and Samsung galaxies (S3, S3 MINI, S4, S4 MINI, S5, S6, S6 EDGE).
• Tough to remove (they're territorial) but that comes with all hard cases.

So which would you prefer? Do you like your Sighh cases the way they are and feel no need to upgrade? Do you change your case regularly, so see no need to spend extra? Or do you prefer to invest in a case that'll last you as long as you want? Maybe you'll stick to Slimline for impulse buys and only opt for the Premium when you adore the design. Let me know!

-AVAILABLE FROM MONDAY 20TH ONWARDS-

Polly xo

The Best Roast Veg Ever

If you've watched my snapchat story at any point over the past two months, you may know this recipe off by heart (it's my favourite thing to eat right now... okay!). However, I've had lots of messages from people genuinely interested in the details, wanting to try it out themselves - plus some positive reviews from those who have - so I thought a proper post would be good for anyone curious.

It's essentially roasted vegetables and chorizo in a spicy tomato sauce. Nothing extravagant, but still very special. It's filling on its own so no need for pasta, rice, bread or any of your usual processed carbs. The batch I based this on took about 45 minutes and served 3 portions, but I regularly make it just for me by halving the amount of courgette, sweet potato and sauce. Keep reading for how to rustle up your own.

With meals that aren't an exact science I rarely use recipes, preferring to exercise my own judgement when it comes to amounts. With the ingredients themselves I usually just use up what's in the fridge, which is why I so often opt for this meal because as long as the main four ingredients (in bold) are there, it's gonna be good. What I love about this meal is that none of the components need to be prepared separately (except maybe the sweet potato if you prefer it very soft), you can just chop 'em up and shove 'em in the oven all at once!

YOU WILL NEED:

1 large sweet potato OR half a squash

1 pepper

1 courgette 

1 medium/large onion

1 mushroom

A handful of tomatoes

A handful of spinach

1/2 a chorizo, if a similar size as above *obv not if you're a vegetarian

Lashings of olive oil

A pot of pasta sauce OR plain chopped tomatoes in tomato juice

5 or so olives (to taste) OR two+ heaped spoonfuls of olive & chilli tapenade

2 cloves of garlic (or to taste)

A pinch of pepper

A hefty amount of paprika. I used smoked. Everything is better smoked. Except ur lungs.

A pinch of basil

As much cheese as you feel you need in your life. I prefer mozzarella for this dish.

Extra vegetables I'd also recommend: peas, carrots, aubergine, squash... any vegetable that can be baked. Literally.

METHOD:

Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees celsius. (It's just what I usually have it on, I guess every oven cooks differently)

Chop all your vegetables into similar sized chunks, then pop in a non stick baking dish.

Cover with a good amount of olive oil and mix so the whole mixture is covered, then add your pepper, basil and paprika. Mix again, distributing the seasoning evenly.

Pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes.

After 20 minutes take it out to give a little stir, redistribute the juices then put back in if the sweet potato/courgettes feel too hard.

Now you can prepare your sauce. Don't worry about leaving your veggies out, it shouldn't take long and they're going back in the oven to heat up again anyway.

Put your chopped olives and crushed garlic into a small bowl and mix with half a pot of pasta sauce. Pour the sauce onto the vegetables, careful that there isn't too much. You don't want the vegetables to be swimming in sauce, it's more to mix in. Any left over sauce can be kept in the fridge for your next meal!

Layer with slices of mozzarella and pop in the oven for a further 3-5 minutes.

Serve up and ponder about how together your life is right now.

People always go on about not being able to cook, but honestly if you follow the steps and don't fall asleep on the sofa while your food is in the oven, you can't go wrong! So if you make this, do let me know! I want everyone to eat all the nice foods. Also do tell me whether you found this a good post, I'd love to do more recipes :)

Polly xo

Four Inspiring Books for Designers

Books. You'd have thought during my gap year I'd have found time to open one before this month. Better late than never, I was in a very uninspired mood, searching the interwebs for hand lettering book reviews and three caught my eye. I've had the little black number on the end for maybe a year now, but hadn't had a good look at it until recently.

Today I'm going to discuss four books that I've been flicking through daily to get my creativity juices flowing (which is MUCH needed as I have a hell of a lot to design for the new school year!). Two teach you hand lettering, and the others are informative about keeping a good mindset and growing yourself as a designer.

Work For Money Design For Love | Steal Like an Artist

"Work For Money, Design For Love" is possibly the best title there has ever been. I added this to my basket instantly, without fully knowing what it was about but suspecting it held the lessons I needed. And indeed it does. I'm on page 79 out of 264 and have already gained a great deal. The author is essentially teaching you how to be a freelance designer, as he is, but also discusses working with agencies. He starts by contacting Design graduates, asking what they wish was included in their course, then addresses them. On many topics he includes anecdotes of his own working life, or cases he's heard of. Already he's touched on issues I've experienced (namely, clients assuming you'll work for free). "I feel like certain clients abuse designers. There should be a class on how to deal with them".

Professionalism is something I need to work on, and I fully believe I'll come away from this book with a strong, healthy respect for myself as a designer. This is a well rounded education, and I could not recommend it more to anyone wanting to pursue a career in design.

Now, I'm sure a lot of you creative folk would also groan at the idea of looking at a wordy page. School is out, text books have been flung into the bin with no regret. When going through manuals, I follow the diagrams. When in the Design section of the library I wearily put down the picture-less books, no matter how valuable the contents might be. Unless it's fiction, I just can't concentrate on pages of text. HOWEVER. David Airey, author of the book above, must have considered our short attention spans as each topic is short, to the point and easy on the eye, cohesive with the style of the front cover (of course). Headings are bold, followed by no more than one page of text. This also makes it a lovely read to have in your bag, as you can get through a chapter while waiting in the queue for your morning coffee.

Steal Like an Artist is also very well laid out. Its headings and illustrations are all done in what looks like a marker pen, as if you're attending a talk by a motivational practitioner who's scribbling on a whiteboard (in my head, anyway). And no wonder this is marked a "New York Times best seller", it's simply brilliant. Packed with truths nobody wants to talk about, or confess, this book is sure to enlighten you. I love the no pissing around view that everything we create is a culmination of ideas we've stolen. Being "inspired" is a very sugar coated phrase. Once you've accepted this, your mindset opens up! Steal what you love, then put them all together to create something new, something of your own. It's also packed with helpful advice on how to boost your creativity, so overall a very inspiring book!

"Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again" -Andre Gide

"What is originality? Undetected plagiarism" -William Ralph Inge

"Emulation is when imagination goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing"

Creative Lettering & Beyond | Modern Calligraphy 

Unlike most design books I own, Creative Lettering & Beyond is clearly aimed at amateurs (that's to say, people who are interested in lettering as a hobby, and didn't study it at school), with easy to follow step-by-steps and relatable projects to try out. "With the lettering projects in this book - and helpful artist talks throughout - you'll soon be on your way to developing and mastering your own unique style of lettering". Touching on the very basics of digitalising your work, I've already learned useful methods I didn't know! (as you may have seen me demonstrate on snapchat "pollyvdsz"). Split into four sections (Modern Calligraphy, Illustrated lettering, Chalk Lettering and Lettering Crafts), this book is sure to get you trying something different. It even has pages after most sections to practice in, but I prefer using a sketch book (one page is NOT adequate to try out a new technique). Tips include how to manoeuvre an ink pen, letter spacing, font pairing and how to lay out a typography piece!

Modern Calligraphy is a gorgeous book, perfect for someone who wants to get into the elegant art of calligraphy that is so popular on the likes of Pinterest and Instagram. The wedding invite and decorative print inspiration will have you making your own work in no time. Packed with useful techniques, including: watercolour, coffee painting, gold trimming, sticker making... and so much more. I positively squealed at the pages and pages showing variations of how each letter of the alphabet (upper and lower case) can be formed. Usually modern calligraphy instructions only show you one way, which may not be appropriate for your project! I like to integrate a bit of dainty and loopy, or brush painted calligraphy into most of my hand lettering pieces, but often it's the part that takes the longest to sketch out. So, I'm very happy to now be able to flick through this book until I find a style I can emulate.

So there you have it! I do hope lots of you invest in these books, I know they've helped me tremendously over the past few weeks. The peaceful relaxation that comes with reading, plus some motivational words, or a particularly interesting technique of drawing the letter "L", is the push needed to get you over that creative block.

Polly xo

"This Bag Contains" Tote

Release date: 13/06/2015 | £12.50

Cardigan & roll neck crop - Urban Outfitters | Skirt - Topshop | Watch - Daniel Wellington

Photos by Beth Norton

I've been harping on about these tote bags now for weeks on all my social media, but I do hope you're not too sick of them yet! I'm just SO. Bloomin. Excited.

Originally I was going to use a supplier for these, but when I realised their maximum print was about 18cm^2 I had to look for other options. This design needed to span the entire bag or the "crumbs" would look silly. Thank goodness they were willing to sell me plain bags, and I had other means of printing. 

Charlotte (the northern Graphic Design student angel) (soon to be Sighh employee/co designer), with help from Lo and the technicians at Leeds College of Art, managed to screen print a batch of these the day before she left to go home for summer. Unfortunately most ended up with patches where the screen had dried up with paint, so for the past two weeks I've been making my way through them, paint brushes and fabric ink in hand, so they're as standardised (perfect) as possible. However I still need to sew logo tags on half of them, and iron them all...

Although I do love sleek, professionally printed products, I've always wanted to stock hand made items. They're naturally more special for the buyer as real love and hard work goes into every single unit. So when I move to Leeds for uni (squirm) me and Charlotte will be blasting out the hand printed tote bags, art prints, note pads... MANY THINGS. The thought of LCA's extensive resources being at our finger tips (for cheap) is just... YAY. I can't wait to do blog posts on the production process!

So there it is, Sighh's first tote bag. Hopefully one of many in the set! I'm thinking a for-school version would be awesome.

The Beach Bag version will be released early July! And comes with an Instagram giveaway... stay tuned.

Polly xo

My Makeup Alternatives

If you've followed me on Snapchat (pollyvdsz) for a while, you may have seen I had a big makeup clear out. This was long overdue, I'd accumulated a nauseating amount of products, many of which I hadn't touched in months. I recognised a pattern of purchasing a product, disliking it and then throwing it to the back of the draw once I'd found a better version. So in this post are a couple of examples which I hope are of interest to you. These aren't all perfect dupes, but they're my preferred alternatives. PS you might want to go make a cup of tea, it's a long'n.

The Body Shop's InstaBlur | Bourjois Happy Light Base Serum Matte | Benefit's Porefessional

First up: primers. A year or so ago I didn't know what a primer was. Forever shiny and grumbling about my foundation sliding off after 5 hours. But after watching a few months worth of YouTube beauty videos it came to my attention nearly all of them used primers. I'd heard a lot of positive comments about Benefit's Porefessional (bottom swatch) so purchased the full size (not pictured as it's grubby af) but hated it. Okay maybe hate is a strong word, but I put it on in bitterness every day. For me, when I rubbed it in, the powdery consistency turned into little bits and I had to sweep them off my face. It didn't seem to create a trust worthy layer over my skin, just an odd greasy feel that moved around when I applied foundation. After a while I let go of how much it cost and decided to look for a new primer.

I didn't pick up the Bourjois "Happy Light Base Serum Matte" *breathes* for any particular reason, I hadn't heard a thing about it but I owned and liked the Healthy Mix foundation, and you know, brand loyalty. Again, I didn't get on with it at all. The liquid formula created a layer which rubbed off into bits as I buffed in my foundation. Primers became a sour topic. I had almost resigned myself to a long life of shiny nose until Velvetgh0st passionately proclaimed her love for Insta Blur by The Body Shop (top swatch). I remember putting this off for a very long time as I'd never tried their makeup products, but my god was it worth it. This is what a primer should be. Easily blended, it creates a (non powdery or sticky) layer between your skin and foundation, leaving your skin smooth and soft. My T zone still gets slightly oily towards the 7 hour mark, but that's probably my issue. I would HIGHLY recommend this product if you're looking to get into primers, or need a new one!

Maybelline 24h Colour Tattoo in On and on Bronze | Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit

Onto cream eyeshadows. It's not news that the Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoos are good. This is more of a... "maybe don't bother spending loads on the Benefit version because if anything it wears off quicker and I can't discern any unique traits that justify the greater price." Personally I do prefer warmer tones to cool, so "On and on Bronze" suits me more than "Birthday Suit", but that's only one factor. Another is that the colour tattoo seems to go further. It's a darker colour so can blend out to a light gold and be packed on as a deeper brown. To me, Benefit's cream shadows come in a more wearable range of colours than the colour tattoos, and are still lovely as a product, but if you're going to go for a shimmery golden brown, be thrifty.

Mac Paint Pot in Painterly | Benefit Stay Don't Stray in light/medium

We had face primers, so onto eye primer! Mac's paint pots are well loved by many, and I've seen "Painterly" mentioned a couple of times, always positively. It's good to use a nude base under your eyeshadows so the colours pop, and this shade suits my complexion perfectly. I don't actually think it's designed to be a primer, but that's what I bought it as. With this in mind I found my eyeshadow didn't stay on perfectly all day, so picked up the Stay Don't Stray which you can tell from the name is actually a primer. I love the applicator, the fact the liquid quickly dries to a sturdy, nude matte base, but although it's better than not using one, my eyeshadow still wears off after a while.

So this one is tricky because to me they're both lovely and worth purchasing, but that it's not worth owning both. Personally I prefer putting on the Stay Don't Stray as it's a liquid so doesn't drag my eyelids (anyone else starting to get paranoid about causing prematurely baggy skin around the eyes?!) but does dry matte. It's very rare for me not to wear eyeshadow these days, but if I was opting for mascara only look, I would definitely use the paint pot.

Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown | Benefit Gimmie Brow in Medium/Deep

And finally, another Maybelline vs Benefit face off. Annoyingly enough I purchased my preferred of the two first; the Maybelline Brow Drama. I remember these eyebrow "mascaras" being a bit of a fad last summer, so when I saw one in person for the reasonable price of £4.99 I picked it up. The ball on the end makes it easy to comb through brow hairs and the colour isn't too pigmented so is mostly for taming them caterpillars. I don't know what possessed me to pick up the Gimmie Brow a year later but I did. This product adds more of a colour and again locks your hairs into place all day. The applicator makes it difficult for me to avoid adding on too much dark brown, but I can imagine it being great for brunettes! I agree with comments I had on Instagram a while ago that brow mascaras are best for those with thick eyebrows as they define the hairs and keep them in place. I would recommend the Maybelline version purely because it's an equally great product and MUCH cheaper!

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So there they are, my alternatives. Of course this is all based on my experience, face and makeup technique so do let me know if you actually prefer the ones I dismissed and why! Thank you for reading :)

Polly xo

Outfit Photos For Beginners

Today I shot some outfit photos for my gorgeous friend Beth (her post is coming soon) and she kindly offered to do the same for me! These photos were intended for something else I'm working on but after this post idea popped into my head, I couldn't wait.

Cardigan, top and bra - Urban Outfitters | Watch - Daniel Wellington | Macbook Skin - Sighh | Jeans - Topshop | Necklace was a custom gift | Bracelet - American Apparel

I thought I'd start this with a little disclaimer: I'm not pretending to be an expert. I'm simply here as an awkward beginner, comforting other awkward beginners. It's difficult to know where the hell to start, and easy to be put off after an unsuccessful first try. This is me going through what I found hard, and possible solutions.

1) You can't see what you look like. This is a problem. We can all take a good mirror selfie, alone in a changing room, with 20 minutes to lean around in various flattering positions... but blindly positioning yourself for the perfect shot that someone else is taking is a whole other deal. Beth, bless her, was taking a load of photos of me looking like a robot that needed the toilet because I just didn't know how to hold myself. I got too insecure and couldn't make it work (I forgot where my hands naturally fall) so had the idea of flipping up the view finder so I could see myself. This left Beth totally oblivious to what the photo looked like, but I got into a pose I liked and told her when to take the shots. Not all cameras have this feature, but if you do I think it's good for practicing! It got me back into my comfort zone.

2) Good photoshoots need planning. How did Beth's shots turn out so great? Not only does she have the gift of beauty but she knew exactly what she wanted for the photos. Going into a shoot blindly, hoping for the best, is unlikely to result in a blog post's worth of high quality photos. We sourced a nice, clean background, and know a couple of pretty doorways for the future. I think matching a colour in your outfit to something in the background looks incredible, but that can take a lot of foresight. In the beginning it's a good idea to look at how other bloggers take their photos, but having a unique style is the ultimate goal.

3) Communication. As the photographer, it's important to listen to what the subject wants before you begin, and then have the confidence to take over and direct them ("lift your arm up" "look that way, no the other way" "wait for the wind to pass, your hair is attacking you"). I specified I wanted a few landscape, neck to middle thigh photos and some up close of my chest to lips. This makes it easier for them to help you out and direct your posture. However the photographer should keep talking, telling you what part of your body they're focusing on so you can concentrate on that and not worry about your hair blowing over your face etc etc.

4) Body confidence. We don't all have it, I thought I did but it's hard to keep up when you see yourself from unflattering angles! For this you should probably posey pose in front of the mirror at home to learn your best angles, so you don't waste time during the shoot. Notice I haven't taken any full length photos -I don't think you need to! Maybe a shot of my shoes would have tied it together nicer but they were a bit muddy, so let's forgive. Full body shots are for pros who know what they're doing. Maybe one day I'll manage one!

5) Take your time. If you're a beginner, you're probably not going to take your best photos within the first minute. Me & Beth took just over an hour to hang out, experiment with shots and retake until we were happy. I have DOZENS of outtakes and managed to find the above spread throughout them!

So that's what I've struggled with myself, and I hope the post was kinda useful to anyone going through the same, or wanting to. I think I prefer being behind the camera but who doesn't want decent photos of themselves every now and then? Do let me know if it was as hard for you in the beginning & how you got over it!

Polly xo

My Lush Collection

I've just spent an hour of my evening, crouched in a bath tub, photographing this lot. What are your hobbies like?

Today I'll be going through the little Lush collection I've accumulated over the past few months, and discussing how I've found them. I think Lush is a wonderful company from their ethics to their branding and sometimes you need some natural, calming goodness.

Summer is coming, and this year I am going to wear backless tops without feeling self conscious. Want to know why? MASK OF MAGNAMINTY. This is a mask you can apply to your face, chest and back to sooth and clear skin. I don't have acne, and have never been prone to spots except for on my back since I was 15. Shower gels and brutal exfoliating with flannels didn't help so I hid myself under cardigans all summer. Sun does help, a great deal, but sunburn on spots is horrible. After using this two or three times I noticed a massive difference. Being naturally preserving, mine lasted for three months! Definitely worth your money.

Always on the look out for a shower gel who's scent will linger on my skin all day, I opted for a mini version of "It's Raining Men". It smells like honey, but not sickly sweet. You can scent your body and hair with this (it lingers on the hair well!) and I also run it into the bath which creates LOADS of bubbles.

I'm not really a bath bomb addict, preferring a soothing bubble bath or oil over glitter and fizzing, but every couple of weeks I pick one up as a little treat after a long day at work. This "Honey Bee" smells lovely. I also love the "Yuzu and Coca" Bubbleroon as it smells divine, produces lots of bubbles and I get up to four uses out of it.

I've always struggled with a sensitive, flakey scalp and throughout adolescence used anti dandruff shampoo like Head & Shoulders. However after opting for my fake dark roots (NEWS FLASH, I'm a mousey blonde masquerading as a natural brunette with blonde ends) I had to switch to "colour protect" hair products, which flared me up every few weeks. Itching my way into town and scared of more chemicals, I headed for Lush. I was recommended "Super Balm" and now here comes my mixed review...

It works. It definitely calmed down my skin; the itchy irritation vanished right after use and what little flakiness I had, vanished. However, both times I've used this (yes only twice.. for £12) it's left my roots in a ridiculously greasy, thick, hard state. I once used it the evening before work and woke up with hair that weighed a ton and looked matted. It took two rounds of shampoo to make the slightest difference and I was horribly self conscious for the whole day! This is also a preservative free product, and upon opening the tin for a photo I realised it had moulded and had to be chucked out.

The probability is I've been using it wrong. The reviews on the website are incredibly positive, which I can agree with as it's exactly what you need on an irritated scalp... but the side affects suck. If I was to repurchase, as I probably would in an emergency, I'd ask an employee exactly how to prevent greasy hair and keep the tub in the fridge.

After reading Helen's Lush mini haul which included this "Big" shampoo I decided to give it a go. It's salt based, which claims to volumise as well as soften. Like hell does it volumise. Okay, I have extremely flat hair, which may defy the most volumising of volumisers, but I was really hoping this would work. It does however leave my hair the softest it's been in months, and shiny for the fist time EVER which I'm super happy about, so I'm definitely using it up. The formula is packed with salt, which isn't the nicest to step on in the shower, so keep that in mind before you topple over in surprise. 

So that's it from me! I've had and loved other products, but I think this post is long enough without me reminiscing on skin care that once was. What are your favourite Lush products and why? Does anybody know of a scalp soothing, colour protecting shampoo & conditioner? Help a girl out.

Polly xo