Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain

Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain is the latest lip product to be released by YSL and a fist of it's kind for the cosmetics industry.
These are a lip stain that is glossy (like the name would indicate) and if you've ever used a stain you know how drying and matte they look on the lips, which is usually the reason why I steer clear of them but these are completely different.

The two shades I picked up are:

No.9 Rouge Laque, a true red (and the shade used in the promo image)

No.12 Corail Fauve, a bright coral

The texture of these is quite unique, they feel creamy when applying and cooling at the same time and you do have to build up the intensity in stages, they aren't the sort of product you can just slap on and go.
They are worth the extra effort though as once they are on they stay put for the majority of the day without touch-ups and the best part of it is that despite the glossy finish these stay put and don't bleed outside my natural lip line.

They have a pleasant scent and the packaging is gorgeous, they are well worth the £22.50 they cost.

New Hair and Tips On Looking After Bleached Locks

Over the past few months I've been gradually lightening my hair with highlights, the goal was to get as light as possible with minimal damage, not an easy task when your hair as previously been dyed dark brown but I was determined I would achieve platinum eventually.

Well as you might have noticed from the recent profile picture change that day as come, my hair is now white almost borderline grey actually because a strong toner was used (my hair likes to pull gold).
Below is a before and after:

Now obviously lightening your hair with bleach all over is an harsh process and you will get damage but if done properly and with the right aftercare you hair will be okay and it's less damaging in the long run cause unlike highlight your not overlapping colour.

Here are my tips on keeping platinum locks in tip top condition:

Don't wash your hair too often, it will dry out your hair and wash the toner away faster. Try and use dry shampoo and keep shampooing to a minimum. Also when you do wash your hair make sure you're using a purple shampoo as you do not want the blonde to turn yellow.

Hair oils are your best friend, there's loads of them on the market, the one that I currently use is the Kerastase Elixir Ultime but I've  tried several different ones and they all work pretty much the same. I apply mine to the ends of my hair every single night to help moisturise and nourish.

Use a deep conditioning treatment every time you wash! Alternate between a protein mask and a moisturising one, you don't want too much of either as it will weigh down you hair and too much protein can make you hair snap. My two favourites are the Joico K-Pack Deep Penetrating Reconstructor and the K-Pack Intense Hydrator.

Don't rip the brush through your hair, be gentle. Since it's bleached it might tangle up a lot more but pulling a brush through the knots isn't going to do it any good. Use a good detangler or leave in conditioner and it will make brushing so much easier.

Have a toner at the ready, I use one by Goldwell and it's brilliant! It works in 5 minutes flat and eliminates all brassiness.

Be prepared to embrace the roots! Now I'm not saying let them grow out till they are past your ears but there's no need re-do them every 3-4 weeks, it makes it harder to not overlap the colour. Every 6-8 weeks is plenty.

So there you have my top tips to keep your bleached hair in great condition!
What is your top tip for bleached hair?