A quicker way to make hair grow?

I am always on some mission or another. The first was to sort my skin out which I finally seem to have done (blog post soon to follow), and now my next mission is to try speed up the growth of my hair as I am so sick of having short hair. Typing this now I feel rather stupid as I know that there is nothing that will make my hair grow ridiculously quickly, but I have heard that certain things can help it a little bit, and even if I can make it grow a little bit more quickly, I am willing to try it. The other reason for me trying out these products is because I have noticed that my hair has become a lot thinner recently. I have always had fine hair but a lot of hair, so it always appeared thick. But since being on oratane for my skin, I have noticed my hair getting thinner. I believe oratane is the reason for this as it is one of the (less-common) side effects listed. I did not have this problem the last time I was on oratane, but then again, I have been experiencing symptoms this time around that I did not experience the last time. There are other possible reasons for my hair thinning so it might not be oratane. Who knows!

Anyway, so I'm hoping these products can help in some way or another. I did some research and apparently biotin (vitamin H) and coconut oil are both associated with helping hair growth, and biotin also apparently helps with thinning hair and it also is good for your nails. The only downside is that a number of reviewers said that taking biotin supplements made their skin break out. Luckily for me I am on oratane, so hopefully I shouldn't have a problem with that.

So I am taking 2 Prosana capsules a day, which are high in biotin. I am also using Palmer's coconut oil on my hair from time to time. I massage it into my scalp and hair in the evening and wash it out in the morning. The only downside I have found with this so far is that I found it quite difficult to wash all of the oil out. So in future I will use it only on my scalp and not only the entire length of my hair.

So I will let you know if I notice any differences in the length/thickness/strength of my hair, and also if there is any change in my nail growth/strength.

Love M xxx

P.S. Sorry for the bad quality pics. I took them with the camera on my phone.

My foundations

As a trained make-up artist, I love to try out new foundations. I have rather oily skin and am always on the lookout for a foundation that will stay put throughout the day and not slide off, give me good coverage but not look caked on, and not leave me looking like an oil slick. I have yet to find a foundation that scores 10 out of 10 for all of these categories. If you can recommend a foundation that you think is great for oily skin, then please let me know.

I used to use Bobbi Brown Luminous foundation. It used to work for me when my skin was more normal/a little bit oily, but then my skin became even oilier and I couldn't use it anymore because I would become an oil slick far too easily. For those of you who have more dry/normal skin, then I would suggest you give it a try. It is on the more expensive side, but it truly is a lovely foundation. It gave me such great coverage without looking caked on and felt lovely to the touch. Another really good thing about Bobbi Brown foundations is that they have a yellow undertone whilst most foundations have a pink undertone. This is good because most of us have a yellow undertone in our skin and not a pink undertone, so I try to stay away from foundations that are too 'pink' (maybelline is one of them).

Here are the foundations that I now currently use: 

From left to right:
Max Factor  Facefinity Compact (03 Natural)
MAC Studio Fix Fluid (NW20)
Revlon ColorStay Stay Active (004 Natural Beige)
Revlon New Complexion (05 Natural Beige)

All of the above are oil-free which is a must for any foundation that I use. Just a few comments on these foundations:

Max Factor Facefinity Compact:

This provides a light to medium coverage so it is perfect for when my skin is having one of it's better looking days and I don't want much coverage. It evens out my complexion and gives a lovely satin finish, just like the box says. I do find that I need to reapply this during the day as it starts to wear off a bit, but the great part is that it is like a liquid foundation and powder in one, so I just use this and there is no need to apply powder afterwards.I find this a huge plus because it means I don't tend to become oily during the day. I do think that the shade that I use (no. 03 natural) is a tad too dark for me. Another huge drawing card of this product is that I can keep it in my bag without any worry of it messing. The packaging is very convenient. 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid:

I love, love, love this foundation! The colour (NW20) is perfect because it was matched properly at the MAC store and it has a yellow undertone which I like. It gives a medium to heavy coverage so I tend to only use it at night because I like a lighter coverage during the day, but it is perfect for my bad skin days because it covers all! It is oil-free and has an SPF of 15 (sun protection is very important to me). I do find that I need to reapply my powder during the day because this does become a bit oily on my face. However, I find I need to do that with all liquid foundations. This is one of my fav foundations.

Revlon Colorstay Stay Active:

A friend who uses this foundation recommended it to me. I like it but I do not feel like there is anything special about it. It is oil-free and has an SPF of 25, but I find that my skin really gets oily with this foundation. I don't really use this foundation anymore because soon after buying it, Revlon brought out...

Revlon New Complexion:

I really like this foundation and it is the one I use on a daily basis. The colour suits my skin and it provides a light to medium (and heavier if you layer it) coverage which is perfect for the daytime. My skin becomes slightly oily during the day so I do need to touch up with powder, but as I mentioned, I need to do that with all foundations. When compared to my MAC foundation, I do notice a slight pink undertone, but it is so slight that I do not mind. 

So those are my foundations at the moment. I am always keen to try out others, so if you have any that you can recommend to someone with oily skin, then please let me know. I am keen to try out the foam and mousse foundations. I also used to use a Clinique foundation way back when which I really liked, so I think I may try Clinique again. Anyone use any of their foundations and can recommend?

I look forward to hearing what foundations you use and what you like/don't like.

Lv M xx

Review: Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Blemish Stick

Yesterday I bought Thursday Plantation's tea tree blemish stick:

My skin is usually pretty decent but lately I have been getting a few more blemishes than normal. I have heard good things about Thursday Plantation products so I thought I would give their blemish stick a try. It is an invisible gel so I could use it under my make-up (I obviously let it dry first, which it seemed to do quite quickly). So far I have used it twice, last night before bed and this morning underneath my make-up. I don't know if I just want to believe that it's worked, but I really think it has! My blemishes have already diminished in size and aren't as red as before. Also, it doesn't feel like it is drying my skin out like I have found other blemish sticks to do. It seems to be gentle and non-irritating, which is great for me because my skin is rather sensitive. I think I have just found a new favourite! I will keep you all posted on how this product works for me :)

Have any of you tried this blemish stick or any of Thursday Plantation's other products? Any blemish product recommendations?

Lv M
xoxo