Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo To The Rescue

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo is one of those products I wish I'd discovered years ago. When the temperature dips, I'm under the weather, or I feel even a teeny bit stressed, I get a serious case of scalp flare-up and it's not pretty. Red, sore and extremely itchy, I'm sure people think I have nits from all the scratching I undertake in a futile effort to ease said itchiness. Not to mention the white flakes that flutter onto my mainly black attire. Not a good look.

Scalp saviour.

Over the years I've tried a whole host of medicated shampoos and natural remedies to try and win this battle, with varying success. Aloe vera gel does a good job of temporarily soothing the soreness but is best used overnight, unless you're rocking an 80s wet-look gel 'do. Nizoral sorts out the itching and flaking, but my scalp is left feeling sensitive and my hair very dry. T-Gel didn't match up to its claim of being the "most effective medicated shampoo available" and, frankly, eau de tar isn't really the scent for me. Selsun did a good job of treating my scalp, but left my hair in a ragged state - extremely dry and smelling of sick. Not since a night out in Blackpool circa 1999 have I experienced that scent in my locks.

Happy hair.

And so to Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Special Shampoo. The skincare benefits of tea tree oil are well documented and this stuff just works. It's minty and tingly, really tingly. It's invigorating, a real perk-me-up product, and it just feels like it's doing your scalp some good. I wash once to remove any product and grease, then wash again with a 50p sized dollop and leave it on for a minute or two to really up the tingle ante. I follow with my usual conditioner (at the moment it's Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner, which I really rate) and my hair is left shiny, healthy-looking and manageable. In the ten weeks since I've been using the Tea Tree shampoo, I've only experienced one flare up which is good going.

At £13.95, it's arguably the most expensive product of the bunch, but is worth every penny and I'll definitely be repurchasing.

The Foundation Series: How to Find the Right Shade

Tinted moisturisers, BB creams, powder foundation, liquid foundation, you name it, I've tried the lot. And now, I have a cemetery of unusable bottles forlornly sitting in my cupboard. 

RIP: My foundation cemetery.

All too often, I've bought a product which looks great in the shop only to get it home and find it's completely the wrong shade. 

As I said in my ode to Nigella, a good colour match is key when it comes to your base, but this is often a lot tricker than it should be. Here's why:

1. Inept sales advisers

In my time I've been "colour matched" with foundations four shades too dark. Um, that's not really a match is it, love? I've been "colour matched" over the top of a foundation I've told them is the wrong shade. Pass me a wet-wipe! I've been "colour matched" to the shade on my wrist. I don't wear foundation on my wrist!

We trust these women because they are paid to know what they are talking about. Trust your instincts instead - if you don't feel that they've matched you correctly, tell them. If you're still unsure, walk away.

2. Bad lighting 

Shop lighting makes it really hard to buy the right foundation. What looks like the perfect match in the shop can look like it's been bought for someone else when you get it home. There are two ways round this. 

Firstly, try a couple of shades on both sides of your face - cover a decent area, not just a small strip - and go outside to take a look. Granted, you may feel like a prize poser for gazing into a mirror in the middle of the high street, but you're far more likely to buy the right product this way.

My preferred option is to ask for a small sample to take away. Most premium counters will oblige, although annoyingly, some still don't. Samples from drugstore brands are virtually non-existent, though it's worth taking in a small pot and asking if you can fill it with a few pumps of the base you'd like to try. Trying a product at home enables you to see how it looks in different lighting and how it wears throughout the day. It also means you can apply it yourself, as opposed to having a sales assistant apply it for you. Most days I use my fingers, whilst they tend to use a brush and this creates a different effect. 

3. Limited shade ranges

Some brands - the likes of Bourjois and Rimmel, for example - offer some great formulations but unless you match with one of the few, mainly Caucasian shades on offer, you're scuppered. If you do find a match, lucky you. If you're particularly pale like me, or you have a darker skin tone, you may struggle and it's worth upping your budget and shopping around. This problem isn't just confined to the cheaper drugstore brands though - I've yet to find a match at Chanel or Smashbox, who also have limited ranges.

And so, my hunt for the perfect foundation continues...

Love,

Miss Mojito
xxx

The Flawless Miss Lawson

It was not the food that excited me whilst watching the new Channel Four show, The Taste. Oh no, it was the absolute sheer perfection that is Nigella Lawson. 

Glossy nude lips, seductive smokey eyes, long lashes, a cleavage enhancing dress... This is a woman who knows what suits her, and boy does she rock her look.

There was one thing that particularly struck me though - her FACE. I demand to know what foundation that woman uses! Not a blemish in sight and matching her porcelain skin tone perfectly, it was flawless. 

I've long been on the hunt for the perfect face base and for me, colour match is key. It's not that texture and formula aren't important - they are - but buy the most expensive formulation in the wrong shade and it will never look good.

We've all seen it, and most of us have probably been guilty of it at some point in our make-up wearing lives: Yes, I'm talking Orange Face. Orange Face does not make you look tanned, it just makes you look cheap. Fact.

If Nigella were to offer advice on such things, here's what I'm guessing she'd say: 

1. One's face should always be the same shade as one's neck. 

2. One should not sport a line where one's face ends and one's ears begin.

3. One should not leave orange marks on one's collars. Eugh. 

For her foundation alone, Nigella is a lesson to womankind and I, for one, am definitely #teamnigella.

Love,

Miss Mojito

xxx

The ghost of new year's past

As we settle into 2014, and I've just about recovered from the previous night's festivities, I'm reminded of last new year's eve. 

Illness had struck and I'd succumbed to the grips of the lurgy. Red nosed and sneezing every 30 seconds, with an absolute bitch of a spot on my chin, it's fair to say I wasn't feeling or looking my best.

Never one to turn down an invitation to a soiree and with the prospect of champagne on ice waiting for me, I set about making myself look vaguely human again. This was no mean feat.

Taken just two hours apart, THIS is why I love make-up.  

Now, let us not beat around the proverbial bush. Exhibit A, i.e. the "before" shot is pretty much the worst photograph that's ever been taken of me. Could I look anymore sorry for myself? 

Exhibit B? Rosy cheeks instantly brighten a weary face. Smokey green eyes detract from the redness around my nose and chin, which my trusty Double Wear concealer did a fine job of disguising. A nude lip is suitably low maintenance for an ailing lady wanting to sip champagne of an evening. Not too shabby. Even if I do say so myself.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love make up.

Love, 

Miss Mojito 

xxx