Be Beautiful Hair & Beauty Archives - Page 19 of 21

November Blog: Behind The Scenes With Sienna X…

November 1, 2016 By Be Beautiful Hair & Beauty 8 Comments

Every October, Olympia, London plays host to one of the largest beauty shows in the UK. This iconic venue is packed full of every beauty treatment you could possibly imagine. Trade shows like this are the perfect way for Therapists to gain inspiration, research new products and services, or even enter one of the biggest nail competitions in the world.

For me though, this year was slightly different… I’d been invited to spend the day with the fabulous team from Sienna X. My own tanning journey had begun with Sienna X at an event similar to this, Professional Beauty, also in London, almost four years previously. Since then, I have gone on to train with Sienna X to the highest level and can honestly say, I love it just as much today, as I did then.

Now, to give you some background… When Sienna X approached me and asked if I would like to be a part of their show campaign “Hear it from a Therapist.” I absolutely jumped at the chance! Then it dawned on me… The date of Olympia was Sunday 2nd October and I was returning back from my holiday in Mexico the day before…

There was no time for me to even think about jet-lag, I was not going to miss this amazing opportunity! After a lovely holiday, we left Cancun at 4.30pm, (10.30pm here in the UK). I knew I couldn’t allow myself to think too much about the whole time difference though. In my head, I was already trying to get myself back into UK time zone so thought; I’ll have some dinner on the plane, then pop on my eye mask, get cosy and go to sleep for a few hours… Wow, did that work. I woke up an hour before we landed back at London Gatwick! I then stayed awake all day Saturday until about 9.30pm when I just couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.

My alarm was set for 6.50am and I woke up feeling refreshed and excited for a great day ahead! I arrived at Olympia and was greeted by the team, who were all so lovely. They made me feel so welcome and really part of it. After being on the stand for about ten minutes and familiarising myself with the “show deals” for the day, Sally (one of the lovely ladies from Sienna X) approached me saying “Are you ok to do a live demo?” I was completely blown away…(I think she could tell, as she said “Or if you’d prefer, you can talk on the mic”) “No, that’s no problem, the demo will be fine, thank you” (If you are anything like me, I can’t even listen to my voice on an answerphone message, let alone, over a microphone)

I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with the show visitors, hearing their stories, sharing my own and offering advice, tips and inspiration where I could. Being given an opportunity to do a live demonstration was just one of the best feelings ever! On the train home, I was just buzzing, thinking about what an AMAZING day it had been and apart from a very dry throat from all the talking, I was on cloud 9!

A huge THANK YOU to the Sienna X show team for having me. Each and every one of you made me feel extremely welcome, at ease and part of the team! (Amy, Charlie, Daniella, Emma, Holly, Laura, Mandie, Sally and Steve)

So what has this taught me? Well, firstly it’s taught me to believe in your dreams; you never know when they will come true. It’s also taught me to feel the fear and do it anyway (great book by Susan Jeffers, definitely worth a read) and finally grab every opportunity that comes your way, because life is too short for regrets!

Love,

Nina x

October Blog: 7 Hair Products You’ll Want In Your Life

October 1, 2016 By Be Beautiful Hair & Beauty 11 Comments

There are so many products on the market, most of them promising to make your hair feel thicker and fuller after just one use! But with so much choice on the shelves, how do you know that it’s going to do what it says on the tin? TV adverts are all well and good at bringing us the latest product on offer, however, let’s face it, the models hair has had hours of blow drying by a professional team of Hairdressers and who has time for that in the morning?

I often get asked, “What products do you use?” “How can I get volume?” So, with that in mind, here are seven of my absolute favourites that I wouldn’t want to be without…

Label M Texturising Volume Spray is a real hero product that combines the benefits of a Dry Shampoo and Hairspray all in one. It’s great for both long and short hair too. The dry mist instantly provides you with volume and texture just where you need it. You can even layer the product to create a bolder, stronger style and create a backcombed look with ease.

If your hair doesn’t naturally shine, then Glam Mist is the perfect product for you. This is just purely for shine, so without any hold. Think of it as perfume for your hair to, because it smells absolutely AMAZING! The other thing I love about Glam Mist is, it doesn’t make your hair look or feel greasy like some other shine sprays can.

I really like this and use this on my own hair every day. Body Crafter is a light blow-dry lotion which allows you to create workable volume and texture into the hair. It works really well on both long and short styles. You can create volume by using fingers or a brush and for even more of a textured look, you can also be use it on dry hair.

This is another must have for anyone who has coloured hair. Brilliance Colour Shampoo is the perfect aftercare for colour treated hair. There are two variants within the range, one for fine to normal hair and the other is for thick to coarse hair. This shampoo works in harmony with the conditioner and mask, which are also available within the range. It even contains Diamond Dust to add the extra bit of sparkle…!

I cannot recommend Moroccan Oil enough. It’s a clever little product and can be used as a conditioner, styling and finishing product all in one. Not only does it smell out of this world, it also detangles, speeds up drying time and boosts shine. You won’t regret purchasing this one!

Another favourite of mine for creating volume just where you want it is, Root Shoot. This has a precision nozzle which makes it really easy to apply directly at the root. Just apply to damp hair at the root and blow dry as you wish.

Finally, Stay Styled is great for keeping your hair in place, without feeling like you are wearing lots of hairspray. The other great benefit of this one is, unlike some hairsprays that leave a coating on your hair once you’ve brushed it out, this one doesn’t. It also helps protect against UV, heat and humidity making it a great choice for home and holidays alike.

I love using products that do what they say they will and don’t ever recommend anything I haven’t tried personally. If you would like to find out any additional information about any of these products, or you have any favourites of your own to share with me, then I would love to hear from you. You can always get in touch by leaving a comment below or via my contact page.

Love,

Nina x

Photo Credit: Wella Professionals, Label M and Moroccan Oil.

September Blog: When Dreams Come True…

September 1, 2016 By Be Beautiful Hair & Beauty 7 Comments

Just over three years ago, I took a massive jump to start my own business and it was one of the scariest things I had ever done in my life. Now, to give you some background, I have always worked. Even before I left school, I was a Saturday girl and then after leaving school, I worked full time. Whether that was in the salon I later went on to manage or other jobs I had done; which included HR and Bar Management.

So at that point, to not actually be employed anymore, felt all very scary and very real. When I first began my business, I knew how to cut hair and do nails but that was pretty much it. I had no idea on how to market myself, about websites or SEO, (I didn’t even know what SEO was) blogs or social media. Not only did I have to gain clients, I needed to learn all this other “stuff” to! This was game time, I had to invest hugely, not just in my business, but in myself too. I began reading as many books as I could and working with some amazing mentors to guide me along the way. Luckily for me, I’ve always been the type of person, that if I didn’t know it, I would learn it!

I knew that I wanted to introduce a new service to my treatment menu and attended Professional Beauty in London to see what was on offer. I looked at so many different treatments from HD Brows to Eyelashes and more. I came across Sienna X, who are a professional spray tan company. Within 45 minutes, I had ordered my kit and booked my training. From day one, I absolutely loved it (and to this day, still do). I loved how I could not just enhance how someone looked, but I could enhance how they felt about themselves too!

I went on to take my tanning to the highest level with Sienna X and in January this year, became one of their Master Professionals.

I truly love all aspects of my work, but I’ve never really been one to “put myself out there” by entering competitions to win awards. However after working with my coach, in May 2016, one of my many dreams came true! I was awarded Sienna X Therapist of the Month and was completely over the moon. My next dream followed shortly afterwards… I had been asked to write a small feature for a Professional Hair and Beauty magazine… Not only that, but I was going to feature alongside my tanning guru and trainer; James Harknett. To say I was doing the “happy dance” would be an understatement!

None of this I would have ever believed possible and even though these are baby steps, it’s really made me believe in my dreams. So my question to you is, what are your dreams? What would you love to achieve? What is stopping you achieving them? Whatever it is, go for it! I recently read a quote which said; “Every Morning we have two choices, continue to sleep with our dreams or to wake up and chase them” – Unknown. How true is that?

There are many more dreams I want to achieve , but for now, it’s about showing up and chasing them! Let’s enjoy chasing our dreams and making them come true!

Love,

Nina x