The Britney Hair Appeal - Part II

Imagine my joy when I stumbled across this little Britney treat on You Tube. Gone are the extensions in favour of shoulder-skimming locks and a wispy fringe. Ahhh, much better. Seeing Britters sans rats tails took me right back to the good old days of 'Born to Make You Happy'. I'm keeping everything crossed that she opts for a similar look for her new video. Will keep you posted. Sx

The lip colour for S/S11

Is this not the most gorgeous lip colour you've ever seen? Well luckily for you (and me) this to-die-for fuchsia shade is THE lip colour to be seen in this season. Models at the Diane von Furstenberg, Dior and Jil Sander shows rocked the hot pink pout, while celebrities like Katy Perry and Pixie Lott have added their own seal of approval. Get the look with YSL Rouge Pur Couture 7, Le Fuchsia, £22.50 (nationwide). Sx

Get the look...Alberta Ferretti

Zesty, fresh and youthful. That was the makeup at this season's Alberta Ferretti show, where the inspiration was a woodland nymph. I've mimicked the look myself using the fabulous MUA (that's Makeup Academy) range from Superdrug, in which every item from creamy lipsticks and shimmering shadows, to on-trend polish and eye glitter, costs just £1.

For this look, I applied a wash of MUA Eyeshadow Pearl in Shade 1 across the upper lid, pressing colour into the inner corner and taking up to the eyebrow. Next, still using my middle finger, I then added Shade 5 to the outer corner of the eye and up to the brow, winging out towards the hairline slightly then drawing under the lower lashline. To complete the look, I patted on MUA Lipstick in Shade 13 to my lips as a stain. I'm super impressed with the range - the pigment is impressive and the formulas easy to blend. Top marks. Sx

Win a set of Remington Curling Tongs!

As a thank you to all of your support for the blog, I'm giving away a brand new Remington Pearl Wand, £25.99, for one lucky follower - yes that's right, only people who follow the blog can enter this competition so best become a member if you want to win!

Perfect for creating tousled waves and tumbling curls, the Pearl Wand has a kinder-to-the-hair ceramic coating that uses Pearl to create smooth curls in a flash. The barrel heats up in just 30 seconds and the cool tip means you can control your curl without burning your fingers. A digital display shows you exactly how hot your tongs are (FYI, you choose the temperature, from 130-210c).

For your chance to win, please email me at besttressed@hotmail.co.uk with your full name. I will put all the entrant's names into a hat and pick out a winner (I'll post a video so you can all see it's fair and square!). On your marks, get set, email! Sx

Tesco Beauty Salon?

I've just found out that apparently Tesco are planning to launch in-supermarket beauty bars, offering exhasperated shoppers the chance to chill out with a haircut or manicure.

The beauty bar has been trialled in three stores already, but I'm not sure if I can see women going for this. I imagine it will become an option on the Clubcard vouchers scheme, which is a nice idea (chores for treats) but like my mum, my boyfriend and probably most of you, when I go to Tesco I want to get in and get out as quickly as I can. Plus if the checkouts are anything to go by, the queue for a buff and polish will be sizeable.

What do we think Best Tressers? Would you pick up a mani with your gammon steaks? Sx

Did you know?

According to new Superdrug research, over a third of UK women won't leave the front door without their makeup. In the poll of 3000 women, six in ten admitted they wouldn't think about going to work without a full face of slap on, while the average woman waits at least two and half months before revealing their au natural, makeup-free face to a new partner. True dat.

What about you Best Tressers? Would you need a full face on to brave the world or be proud to walk out of the house sans makeup? Answer in the Best Tressed poll. Sx

Jennifer Aniston gets a fringe...

Well, a temporary fringe, for this month's Allure shoot. Her covetable hair was worn with feather, eye-skimming bangs, then blown-out straight, on a side parting. Check out the pictures here...http://www.allure.com/magazine/2011/02/jennifer_aniston#slide=1

In the interview, Jennifer admits that she hated the infamous 'Rachel Shag' that spawned millions of copycats the world over, 'How do I say this? I think it was the ugliest haircut I've ever seen.' That's us told! Sx

Salon Review

Last Friday, I was lucky enough to be invited in for a cut and blow dry at HOB Salons, Camden. I'd been to the salon once before a few years ago for a reader makeover shoot but forgot what an achingly trendy salon it is. Think high ceilings and chrome finishes - it actually used to be a mock-up tube station, employed for health & safety reasons to test whether advertisements proved distracting and ultimately dangerous.

Before
Flat and limp

I saw the lovely Sean Dawson, who first sat me down for a consultation. Now, normally consultations consist of a brief welcome and an obligatory, 'so what are we doing today?' At HOB, Sean wanted to get a real understanding of my hair type and lifestyle and began with what I liked and disliked about my hair. For the record, I like the fact it's thick but hate that, when wavy, it's a tad bushy. Sean also added it was a bit shapeless (so true) and that it lacked height at the crown (also true).

As per most salons, I was then taken to the basins for a wash and condition by the lovely Tiffani. But this was no ordinary salon wash. For a start, the base of the chair lifted so you could literally put your feet up. The washing technique was interesting. A lot of time was spent shampooing (probably why my hair has felt squeaky-clean for days then) and while conditioning, the hair is brushed with a Tangle Teezer (probably why my hair was knot-free post-wash). It was as close to a spa treatment as you're ever going to get - the post-condition scalp massage was simply dreamy.

After
3 days after cut and still bouncy

Unlike a famous hairdressing chain, of which I have been a customer for many years, Sean didn't start trimming the ends, but first focussed on adding definition and volume through layering. He parted my hair on a diagonal - apparently, a straight parting will cause the hair to be thicker on one side. Makes sense. Instead of hacking into my hair (like my last stylist), Sean was precise and minimal in his cutting. As he cut in the layers on the side of my head, he pulled the hair back towards him, meaning less was actually trimmed. The reason? This will leave a little more hair around the sides where you don't have as much hair - if you think about the back of your head, your hair grows below your ears, while round the sides it doesn't. Ah, another technique that just makes sense. The blow-dry was quick and bouncy-looking, without being too 'done'. I only wanted a modest trim as I'm trying to grow my hair and actually it even looks a little longer post-cut - 'that's because there's now height at the crown,' says Sean. It still looks thick at the base but the layers have added much-needed volume at the roots. It's the hair equivalent of a bias-cut dress - super flattering, tailored to fit exactly. Sx

HOB Salons have 20 branches, nationwide. If you want to book an appointment, please visit http://www.hobsalons.com/.