Curlformers Curlspiration Day

TheFoundationDirectory; Curlformers Curlspiration Day

Why didn't you all tell me about Curlformers by Hairflair? I've seen these about for ages, but for some reason have never ever tried them. So of course I jumped at the opportunity when invited to Taylor Taylor Salon for a Curlspiration day, which essentially involved me getting my hair and nails done in the gorgeous Taylor Taylor Salon. If you are reading this thinking what the hell are Curlformers, well read on and let me tell you.

TheFoundationDirectory; *Curlformer's Curlspiration Day

Curlformers are the world's only patented heat free hair curlers, they are suitable for all ages (I wouldn't use them on a baby...obvs), hair types, wigs and weaves with absolutely no risk of heat damage. There are 3 different sizes, starting with the tightest curl you have Corkscrew, Spiral and Barrel. There are also 2 lengths, long and extra long. To use them you take the included styling hook and feed it through the Curlformer, then on damp hair, take a small section of hair, ensuring that all the hair is securely in the hook and pull the hair through the Curlformer (sounds complicated, but you get the hang of it very quickly). Once you have completed your entire head, you can either air dry (I have slept in them) or use the Softhood, also by Hairflair and a hairdryer to dry your hair. Once your hair is completely dry just pinch the root of your hair and pull the Curlformer to remove, then style. Voila the perfect curl. If my explanation has confused you even more, no worries there are numerous videos on the Culformers website here. 

TheFoundationDirectory; Curlformer's Curlspiration Day

On the day the long barrel Curlformers were used on my dampened kinky straight textured weave and dried with the Softhood, I absolutely loved the finished result. If you are rubbish at curling your own hair like me, or don't want to use heat on your hair, then you need these in your life!!! They also have some great brushes I have been loving, check it all out at Curlformers.com. 

TheFoundationDirectory; Curlformer's Curlspiration Day

*All photo's courtesy of CurlformersOfficial

#MyMelaricheStory; Melariche.com

I was always the makeup one in my family, even when I wasn't that into makeup, goes to show how little my mum & sister were into makeup. My mum was all about a dark plum lip (and still is) and my sister was a straight up tomboy. So I kind of felt like I didn't really have anyone to show me the way, this was way before the invention of YouTube (showing my age). I was left to my own defences, to experiment and figure out my makeup style, for years it was mostly makeup bought from mac. I dreaded going to the a mac counter (sorry some of the staff are so rude), but what choice did I have, weren't many brands catering to my melanin rich skin in my price bracket, certainly weren't any drugstore options. I'd have to save up just to afford mac at that time to be honest, which mainly consisted of concealer, mineralise skin finish powder, mascara & a flesh tone lipstick or gloss. I've felt like its taken a while for me to really find my way with makeup, it's such a shame to see that several years on the drugstore scene is not that much better than it was in my day.

TheFoundationDirectory; #MyMelaricheStory

So it's really inspiring when I see brownbeauties, taking things into their own hands, and making a change to the 50 shades of beige. Native New Yorker Jackie Taiwo, was surprised and frustrated to find that the choice of makeup and skincare for melanin rich women here in the UK is much more limited, than where she previously called home New York. Jackie has launched a website (melariche.com - an amalgamation of melanin & rich, clever) that caters specifically for the makeup, skincare and haircare needs of women of colour, and to top it off most of the brands are black owned too, I mean how amazing!!! I received items from Zao, Biolissime & PHB Ethical Beauty.

TheFoundationDirectory; #MyMelaricheStory

Zao is an organic, eco-luxury makeup brand made in Italy from 100% natural origins, it is internationally certified organic, chemical, cruelty & gluten free. The packaging is the most chic and unusual packaging I've seen a foundation housed in, and it can be refilled, meaning the packaging isn't wasted every time you need to repurchase.

Biolissime is a French skincare line that is specifically formulated to treat issues regarding to hyperpigmentation, using a non whitening formula that evens out the skin tone while increasing the skin's defence mechanism against UVA & UVB rays, therefore preventing further pigmentation issues.

PHB Ethical Beauty is a British family run business with a range of award winning handmade products, they are home to the world's largest range of Natural, Vegan Cruelty Free and Halal Certified beauty products. There's something to suit all skin types with their colour coded range of products that blend the purest organic extracts and essential oils, to treat various skin issues.

Melariche.com is definitely the place to go if you are looking for brands and products by women of colour for women of colour all under one roof. Jackie has done a fantastic job of bringing these and many more brands together, making them more accessible for you and I.

Pre-Holiday Prep to getting Beach Body Ready - Body & Hair

Now everyone is bikini body ready, you have a body and stick a bikini on it, so don't worry, this post is not about fad diets, waist trainers or weeks of starvation, just a few things I will be doing to make myself feel a little more confident when I want to strip down (to my bikini) on the beach. Being 30+ post child there's no doubt that that I'm feeling a little hesitant about donning a bikini on my pending summer holiday, yes I know I should be brimming with confidence and have a 'no care' attitude, but here is what I'll be doing to help that attitude along a little bit. I'll have a series of posts on pre, during and post holiday preparation/reparation, for my face, body and hair as I will be going to Greece next month to be Matron of Honour at my best friends wedding, we (husband & son) decided to extend our stay a little and make it our family summer holiday. 

This post will focus on what I'm doing to prepare for the holiday, with regards to my Body and Hair;


So other than wishing I could have abs overnight, my main body prep is hair removal, when going away I opt for waxing all over. I normally wax my underarms anyway, but now we go into full leg and bikini territory (ouch). To get the best wax, especially if it's not something you do regularly, you need to schedule a wax approximately 6 weeks before the actual waxing session before you go away. This ensures you catch most of the hairs around the same length in their growth cycle for the smoothest results possible, also I would encourage some body exfoliation about 5 days prior to the waxing appointment and at least 3 days after to prevent ingrown hairs. In shower body scrubs are great for this, saves time, prevents too much mess and are effective. I've opted for my latest descovery DHC Olive Corn Body Scrub and Polish, which contains Olive Oil and Vitamin E, but in the past I've also used the one by Soap & Glory Pulp-Friction Foaming Fruity Body Scrub (here & here), which s a little less abrasive.

TheFoundationDirectory.blogspot.co.uk

Hair: So I have natural afro dyed hair, which is usually worn in a protective style, think wigs and weaves. I have done a Olaplex treatment on my hair (I bought a sample off ebay), this is a unique treatment in that it's the only one that can repair/build broken bonds, usually broken through chemical processes like relaxers, heat damage, permanent colour processes, bleaching the hair etc. This should help strengthen my hair and make more resistant to the damages that can occur from sun, sea, chlorine and sand.

TheFoundationDirectory.Blogspot.co.uk

I'm also getting an Arosci Keratin Treatment done at my hairdresser salonABV, (check them out) this will hopefully allow for quick frizz free washing and drying of my hair, to ensure I can easily wash out the sea and chlorine water with ease, nobody wants to spend half their holiday doing wash day activities. The Olaplex treatment is also recommended to be done prior to keratin treatments, to protect hair from the amount of heat that is usually applied during these processes. I haven't decided how I am going to wear my hair on holiday, so this will impact what I get done before I go.

Let me know what your pre-holiday prep consists of? Do you have any tips for me?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.


Grow Gorgeous; Back Into The Roots 10 Minute Stimulating Scalp Mask

If you've seen this post, then it won't come as a surprise to you that I like most things that come out of the Deciem umbrella, and I'm yet to not like anything from Grow Gorgeous. So when I saw this Stimulating Scalp Mask I bought it without hesitation, I've used up an entire bottle of the Grow Gorgeous Serum, and will definitely repurchase it.

I love a good scalp tingling product, I was using Lush's Roots, but realised after a got a brazilian Blowdry that it contains SLS. This is now my happy replacement, you apply this to your scalp, wait 10 minutes and rinse. It helps promotes scalp circulation, stimulate hair follicles, lifts hair at the roots to give the appearance of thicker, fuller hair. It has a blend of vitamins, caffeine, biotin and low-molecular weight hyaluronic acid!!!

I apply this to my dry scalp, apply a deep conditioner to the rest of my hair, put on a shower cap and wait at least 20minutes before continuing with the rest of my wash day routine. It's £24 for 240ml, but if you sign up to the website's newsletter they often send out discount codes, I got 20% off this.

It's here, I've also just noticed they have an intense version of the hair serum, that's definitely on my wishlist!!!

Have you tried anything from Growgorgeous?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex