L'Oreal introduce their brand new range of pastel toners!

I tried pastel shades last year, doing lilac tips on white blonde hair using Rembow Crazy Colour, and mixing it with conditioner so to make it more subtle, but recently there has been a resurgence in candy hair, with Loréal bringing out their own range of toners in Lilac, Pink, and Peach!

I immediately loved the idea of bleaching my roots (I use Loréal Preference Les Blondissimes, Extreme Platinum), and having peach on the ends, a sort of ‘fifth elements’ grown out white roots look. However, if you also prey to the light blonde curse, you will know the last thing you want is it to fade to yellow, and then having to re-bleach to get rid of it. Hair tends to leave your head if you partake in this on a regular basis

So as purple tinted toners eliminate brassiness, I decided to make a return to lilac, this time applying on my routes and combing through, to leave blonde on the ends

Katy Perry, Amelia Lily, and Ellie Goulding with their pastel shades

On opening the packet, I discovered a pair of latex gloves, being a light toner, I didn’t believe I needed these. Unfortunately, I was wrong. You do, if you want to avoid the cold, of septic hands look. The box also says to leave the toner on for 15 minutes, but everybody is different, I found it took immediately on my recently lightened hair, but didn’t take for a good 15 minutes on my human hair extensions, making me very uneven

Fortunately, being temporary, I managed to wash my hair a couple of times, and start from scratch. This time, I left the dye on my lengths for 15 minutes, and on the top for 5. Towel dry your hair, and put it on in the mirror, so that you can keep an eye on it, scrape off some of the toner with a comb after 5 minutes, to see how it has taken on different areas of your hair!

If you are interested in going a beautiful pastel shade, but don’t want to pay a ridiculous price at a mediocre salon, my friend Lara Regan of Ruby Hair Design based in St. Albans, is an absolute wizard of the trend!


Lara in rollers sporting a fabulous blue, and pink mix

Experimenting with colour is Lara’s trade-mark in the industry, she also specialises in Hair Extensions (custom dyed clip-in wefts, or individual extensions), as well as Vintage, and Avant Garde Hair Styling. Lara has worked with a variety of high profile fashion clients, models, and catwalk shows around Europe.

To check out her work, please visit:
www.rubyhairdesign.co.uk
http://rubyhairdesign.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/rubyhair 

For price enquiries, or to arrange a consultation with Lara, contact:
rubyhair@live.co.uk 

Isn't it about time to change our attitude towards tattoos?

Total Tattoo Magazine article written & shot by Tina Korhonen / Image shot by Marie GC / Bonkers Entertainment Shoot by Marie GC with my radio co-host Chevy B
Upon reading Simon Doonan’s article on slate.com this week, where he described tattoos as a “sick, and twisted cult,” and “an unstoppable pandemic,” I decided to write my own perception on this popular form of body modification

Being a women, and tattooed myself, I find the tattoo arguments particularly irritating. Tattooing has been in practice for centuries in many different cultures, such as; Asia, Japan, New Zealand, and spreading across tribes throughout the world, yet people still come back to the subject of ‘prison tattoos’ stating that tattooed persons appear thuggish, and of little class

In modern culture, there is a huge divide between tattooists, and professional tattoo artists. The majority of shops in the UK push the standard tribal, celtic, and flash tattoos, which are usually just picked off a wall, and tattooed on as they are, meaning that you could be one of hundreds to adorn that very same design. If you take a trip down to Brighton beach during summer, you’ll see exactly what I mean ;)

I’ve not been known to be a huge fan of the flash process, as many tattooists print the stencils off online, rather than drawing them themselves. Some, don’t even bother to research properly, hence why there are so many people with chinese symbols meaning ‘supermarket’ or ‘kitchen’ instead of that meaningful dedication


Celebrity Tattoos: Cheryl Cole / Hayden Panettiere / Megan Fox

On the contrary, you have artists who spend hours drawing their flash work, sometimes working with a client for several weeks before the tattoo is applied, changing it to suit their requirements. My personal tattoos have all been my own ideas, of which an artist has adapted, and transformed into a reality, exploring my love of Tim Burton-esque fantastical characters

Yes these tattoos can be expensive, but you are left with something personal, and of a high quality, which will last for as long as you do providing it’s looked after properly, the days of black tattoos turning into identifiable blobs are long gone. Upon speaking to Jim4 (ex-Blood Brothers) about tattooing large pieces, he said “tattooing the skin, is like drawing on tracing paper with a fountain pen, it takes a lot of skill, and extreme concentration” hence the cost

The one comment I always receive is “Are you not going to regret them when you get older?” I wouldn’t have spent months researching, and designing my tattoos with my artists to ensure they are exactly what I want if I was going to regret them, I also wouldn’t have spent thousands of pounds, and sat through hours of pain at a time, if I didn’t want them. I am going to get older, grey, and wrinkly just like everybody else in the world, 40% of my generation have tattoos, so I won’t be the only one. Think I’ve ruined my body? At least I will have something interesting to look at, remember, and talk about as I get older

Despite tattoos becoming more popular nowadays, there are still some who view females with tattoos as part of an ‘alternative’ lifestyle, you don’t have to be into metal, or punk to have them, they should be an expression of interests, and memories, not fashion

Be smart with your ink, go to a reputable artist with a selection of ideas, and work together on your design. It may be tempting to get a tattoo before the legal age of 18, but in my experience, it’s better to wait. I got three tattoos at 17 years old, all three have now been covered, your tastes change as you get older. Boring, I know ;)

Here is a small selection of my favourite artists to check out in London for if you're considering going under the needle:Baron Tattoo @ A True Lovehttp://atruelovetattoo.com/ 

Steve Richardson @ Skunx Tattoohttp://skunxtattoo.com/ 

Wez4 @ Triple4 Tattoowww.facebook.com/Triple4Tattoo 

THE ONLY WAY IS GLOSS: I get the Cinderella treatment!

I was asked by one of my employers to review Cinderella Hair extensions, and what better place to have them fitted, other than the chosen salon of TOWIE stars Billi Mucklow, Cara Kilbey, and Chloe Simms, Gloss, in Essex. With the way that the media portray it, I was expecting to arrive into Buckhurst Hill surrounded by an army of overly tanned girls with their hair in rollers, and wearing ten pairs of false eyelashes, but I was pleasantly surprised. Also home to Lauren Goodgers shop ‘Laurens Way’ Buckhurst Hill is a sleepy, rural village, a peaceful alternative to the bustling nearby town of Brentwood

The salon looks rather small from the front, but inside it’s a busy little haven for women to socialise, and be preened for the night ahead. The salon offers cuts, colours (unisex), hair extensions, and styling at an affordable cost, and offers you the full VIP treatment. Having only been in the door five minutes, I was already having a head massage at the basin, and being offered a variety of beverages (I chose wine. Obviously.)

Not only are the staff lovely, but the salon is clean, fresh, and has a very local feel to it, with several locals including TOWIE's very own Billi Mucklow, coming over to have a chat whilst salon owner Gina started on my extensions, I felt like I had been coming to Gloss for years

Having styled the TOWIE girls for a long time, I asked Gina whether she would consider traveling with the girls for promotional shoots, and filming, the answer, unexpectedly, was no. Gina explained that whilst some hairdressers do travel with celebrities, the salon is her career, and that’s where she feels most at home. It’s this dedication to her business, which has turned it into the success it is today

I went into the salon with a broken (due to excessive bleaching) brassy blonde bob. I emerged with a perfectly blended, 18 inch, glossy, ombré style, going from platinum blonde, to dark, ash blonde. Two weeks later, the hair is looking as good as the day I left the salon, with hardly any shedding, and a wealth of compliments. Cinderella may be a little pricier than your normal Remy extensions, but you really do get what you pay for


To book your appointment at Gloss, call them on 0208 504 2585. You can also find them on www.facebook.com/GlossUnisexHairSalon and on twitter @SalonGloss

Fancy a bit of V.I.P treatment before the weekend? Gloss have MAC trained make-up artist Jeyanney in Salon every Friday, and Saturday. Why not book an appointment to have your make-up done after your hair? Her current clients include the TOWIE girls, and Katie Piper!To enquire about Cinderella Hair Extensions in a salon near you, please contact them using the information, below: Website: www.cinderellahair.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Cinderella-HairTwitter: www.twitter.com/CinderellaHairX