HOBS SALON REVIEW & 50% OFF A COLOUR & CUT FOR MY BLOG READERS!

I'm forever changing my hair colour going from really dark to adding a few highlights and then before I know it I'm blonde with dark roots and deciding whether I should go back dark again! 

I wanted a bit of a change and something quite low maintenance as I don't always have the time to get my hair done with juggling work and a family. 

I have been using a well known large chain salon for a few years now but always felt at each appointment I was on a conveyor belt and being rushed. The money you sometimes have to pay for your hair now it should be an enjoyable and relaxing experience and not seem like a chore.

I decided to try somewhere new and made an appointment with a salon called HOBS which is not far from me in North London.

HOBS hairdressers have been focused on the needs of clients for over 25 years with each salon offering a wide range of cut, colour and hair care services.  All HOBS staff are trained at the HOB London Academy and they currently have 23 award winning salons which are open 7 days a week with selected late night openings.

So here's my experience...

I popped into HOBS Southgate Salon prior to my appointment for a consultation with a lovely lady called Ozzie who's the Salon Manager.

At my consultation I had some pictures of J Lo's hair with me and explained I wanted some subtle Highlights like hers but something which wasn't really going to notice when my roots started to show.

Ozzie explained to me that I could have Balayage highlights with an all over colour which     J Lo had in the picture. What's Balayage I hear you ask?  Balayage is a hair colouring technique which is designed to create very natural-looking highlights which grow out without developing a noticeable and obvious root. The word “balayage” is French for “to sweep,” a reference to the way in which the colour is applied. This was perfect!! Finally a technique where there was no rush in the near future to get my roots done! 

After having a 48 hour skin test for the colour I was back in a few days for my Colour & Cut appointment with Ozzie.

Here's my before, during and after pictures...

Before - Brassy mis match of colours with Roots!

Before - Rats tails spring to mind!

During...

Balayage highlights are added with foils

All over colour is applied to the remaining hair whilst the foils are still left in

After my new Colour, Cut & Blowdry

What did I think about my experience at HOBS?

Service:

I can't fault the service I received at HOBS from start to finish.  Everyone was really friendly in the salon yet still very professional.  It was a very calm, stylish and relaxing atmosphere and when the colour was developing I wasn't forgotten about sat somewhere in the corner.  I was asked regulary if I was OK, wanted a drink or if I would like any magazines while I was waiting.

When my hair was ready to be washed I was asked to be seated in a chair and my legs were elevated by a built in foot rest.  I was then treated to a scalp massage by the assistant and a electronic back massage by the chair .  

Hair Colour & Cut

AMAZING!! My hair has never looked so good and the colours are perfect.  I know that where the all over colour is a near match to my own colour I won't have to rush back to the salon in a few weeks to get my roots done.  The highlights are just subtle enough and blend really well with the rest of the colour.

I had about an inch off the length and my layers and Ozzie created this beautiful curly blowdry which shows the definition of the highlights perfectly.

Since my visit to the salon many friends and clients have noticed my hair and I get complimented regulary.

50% OFF FOR MY READERS!!

For all my Blog readers & followers, HOBS in Southgate are offering an amazing 50% off your first cut and/or colour service with their Salon Manager Ozzie. The offer is valid Monday - Thursday only and for those of you who require a colouring service.  A skin test and consultation is required minimum 48 hours prior to the appointment. .

Here's their full address and contact details:

HOBS 42 Chaseside, Southgate, London N14 5PA Tel No:020 8886 1121 http://www.hobsalons.com/salons/southgate.php

All you need to do to receive this fantastic offer is quote my name Jo Coletta Blog when enquiring and booking.

I would love to hear back from those who'll be trying them out! and even better to see your before and after pictures? Please email them to me at jo@jocolettabeauty.com.

Love Jo x

MY HOLIDAY MAKEUP & BEAUTY ESSENTIALS

Just getting ready to pack for my holiday this weekend so here’s a little look into my travel makeup and beauty bag…

Makeup Bag
Even though I love to apply makeup on others and have stacks of it in my kit, my makeup bag proves to be very different! I’m not one to really wear that much especially on holiday. So here’s the items I like to take with me:

 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser  - This is very light which I prefer the feel to on my skin but it still balances my skin out nicely and adds a healthy glow. Perfect for while I’m away as it contains a SPF20 and I tend to have a couple of colours to blend if my skin tone changes colour
Laura Mercier Golden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc - This I wear when I want that holiday glow, I just powder lightly to all the sun kissed areas of my face & body but alternatively I also use the different segments separately for eyeshadows and highlighters.
Laura Mercier Cheek Colour – This is lovely just to apply to the highest points of the cheek bones as it gives a very subtle dewy look.
Mac Eye Kohl Teddy – This is my favourite brown coloured eye pencil, as I can line the inner/outer of my eye and if outer can smudge a little for an evening look.  I also blend it all over my eye as a cream base before applying eyeshadow to prevent creasing.
Mac Nude Eye Kohl Pencil - This I line the inner waterline of my eye with to make my eyes appear brighter.  
Laura Mercier Mascara 
Powder Brush & Eyeshadow Brush from Real Techniques
Lip Brush - MAC
HD Brows Tweezers & Brow Beater Gel
Here’s my selection of holiday lipsticks that I take with me which I can also blend (left to right)
MAC: Blankerty
Shu Uemura: 520
MAC: Morange
MAC: Redd
MAC: Snob
MAC: Rebel
Laura Mercier Natural Lipgloss

Beauty Essentials:
I really love the Elemis Pro-Collagen Range and where I buy the full sizes throughout the year I tend to always receive a gift which contains the travel sizes.  I put these away as these are great for when I go away on holiday or weekend/overnight breaks.  Here's what I use...

Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser - This anti-ageing cream cleanser is purifying and balancing and really deeply moisturises my skin.
Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner - Lifts away all traces of cleanser and soothes my skin.
Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator - Gel exfoliator which is gentle enough to be used daily, leaving my skin silky soft and conditioned. I use this twice a week.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Serum - Stimulates cell renewal & really gives me a little lift!
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 50ml - Really hydrates and moisturises my skin.  Also reduces the appearance of wrinkles. 
Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask - Really lovely deep moisturising mask which I use twice a week.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Lifting Treatment Neck and Bust - Clinically proven to reduce skin crêpiness & increase skin firmness
Elemis Liquid Layer Sunblock SPF 30 - Water resistant SPF 30 protection against UVA, UVB rays and pollution.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Body Cream - This body cream moisturises and tones my skin leaving it lovely and smooth and looking firmer.
Hair Care - I like to take a treatment with me so I use Kérastase Travel size Shampoo and conditioner (not pictured) and for daily use after washing my hair I apply Kérastase ELIXIR (pictured).  This makes my hair feel really soft and amazing. Great for giving me that natural beach wavy look.

Love Jo x

UNIVERSAL CONTOUR WRAP TREATMENT

I’m off on holiday in a couple of weeks and we all know how fabulous we hope to look and feel by the time we go. 

After having a baby last year I have really struggled with losing that last half a stone and now I’m in panic mode to shift it so I can be Bikini ready. I have cut out chocolate, bread and all foods, which I found made me quite bloated, and with doing that I have since seen an improvement and lost a couple of pounds.

I decided that I needed a little extra help with clearing some toxins and losing some inches, so I decided to pop along to my local salon for a good old Universal Contour Wrap!

The Universal Contour Wrap guarantees you’ll lose at least 6 inches in just 2 hours, making it the perfect solution when you have to look your best for that special occasion and they say the 6 inch loss is also guaranteed to stay off for at least 30 days, or your money back.

The wrap is scientifically proven and was tested independently by the University of Westminster revealing instant inch loss for all those tested.

This is what it claims to do…

Toning and Firming – UCW Classic revitalises the body’s elastin and compacts areas where fat is stored, literally sculpting your body into the shape you deserve.

Exfoliating and Cleansing – During the treatment your entire body is wrapped in the warm clay and bandages, meaning every inch of your skin is cleansed and nourished so you look and feel fabulous after leaving the salon.

Detoxifying – The unique mineral rich clay solution helps to extract toxins located beneath the skin leaving you feeling revitalised after every treatment.

Skin Tightening – UCW Classic is an effective way of reducing loose skin after pregnancy or weight changes caused by dieting or cosmetic surgery such as liposuction.

After I arrived at the salon I was asked to complete a consultation card including my medical history and an optional section with what my current height and weight and what weight I was aiming for.

Once this was done my therapist took me to my beauty room and asked me to remove all my clothing and to put on some disposable underwear.

She then came back in with the bandages in a large container that were soaked in the Clay and started to measure parts of my body in different places from my upper chest to my ankle and logging the measurements as she went along.  This I made sure I watched closely to see what they were.

I was then wrapped from top to toe in the bandages that were pulled quite firm but comfortable and helped into a silver plastic suit and onto a couch with blankets to keep me warm.

After lying there for an hour listening to some relaxing music, my therapist came back and helped me out of the suit and started to unwrap the bandages.  This was quite a feeling of relief as by then I was looking forward to them coming off but when they did I felt quite chilly!

I was allowed to cover myself with a towel and to rub of some of the excess clay but was advised by my therapist to try and leave some on for at least another 12 hours. As it will continue to work into my skin.

She started to re measure the points she had measured and marked previously and overall I had lost an amazing 10.6 inches, mostly from my waist, stomach and hips, which I was even more thrilled about.

To get the full benefit from the treatment, I was given my aftercare leaflet of things to avoid these included Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Salt, Fizzy drinks, Alcohol and fried and fatty foods.

This treatment is not marketed as a weight loss treatment but I was curious to see if by losing inches will you lose any weight?  I did weigh myself before I went out and when I got back home and I did lose a pound!  Not bad for doing nothing in 2 hours!

My skin felt amazing even with some of the clay still on and it did look and feel firmer with no lumps and bumps!

I did what I was told that evening and left the remaining clay on and drank plenty of water as recommended to help flush through the toxins.

How did I feel the next day?

When I woke up in the morning I had quite a heavy headache and this I put down to being dehydrated. The evening weather temperature in the UK that night was very warm and I think if I drank more water I would’ve been fine.

After I showered and removed the remaining clay and measure points! My skin still felt totally amazing and looked incredible.  My clothes that day showed no signs of lumps and bumps and I felt great!

I will definitely be having another one of these before I go away as they are recommended to have a course of three for longer lasting results.  You do have to leave 7-10 day in between though to allow time for any toxins to build up again in your system.

I paid £46.00 for my treatment and it was definitely well worth it!

To find a salon near you please visit their Salon Finder and for more information I have posted below the official video from Universal Contour Wrap for you to view,

Have you tried this treatment? If so, did you lose the guaranteed 6 inches?

Love Jo x

Blogs to follow...My holiday Skincare & Makeup essentials, Holiday Fashion and my Duty Free buys! 

HD BROWS PARTY!

I met a lovely group of girls last week that decided to throw a HD Brows Party over the Easter Holidays.

I spoke to the host Claire a few weeks prior who contacted me with the initial enquiry of booking a date and to discuss the HD Brows treatment further.

As both Claire and her friends brows had only just recently been waxed or threaded I advised them all to grow their brows as much as they can before the party so they would all benefit more from the final results.

They all had different reasons as to why they wanted the HD Brows treatment. Most just wanting to try the treatment and to start again to achieve the perfect brow shape but one of the girls was getting married in the next few months wanted a regular eyebrow treatment and routine leading up to her wedding.

After sending out leaflets, patch tests and confirming there were no medical conditions the party was booked for Good Friday.

There were five girls in total which meant Claire the host received her HD Brows treatment for FREE!.  Each lady also received a Party Bag and was given the HD Brows Portfolio book to view while waiting for their treatment.  The book contains all before and after images of what brow shapes can be achieved over time along with all the products available to purchase.

I also went through the products individually with each lady during their treatment and what was recommended for them to be used at home as part of their daily eyebrow routine.

Here are some of the pictures from the party…

The Party Bags!

Me at work!

Some Before & After Results...

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

And finally me with some of the girls after having their brows done :-)

As you can see some fantastic brow results were achieved on the day and the girls were really pleased!

If you would like more information on the HD Brows treatment or to see if I cover your area for booking a party please visit my website www.jocolettabeauty.com.

Love Jo x

MY SLEEPROLLERS REVIEW

I’m becoming quite addicted to twitter lately and I have been reading so many tweets mentioning @SLEEPROLLERS! So me being a lover of my heated rollers and big hair I had to investigate to see what these were all about.

I went onto a website called http://velcrosleeprollers.com/ and there they were, velcro rollers what you can sleep in loved by numerous celebrities!  

I placed an order and within a superb 48 hour free delivery service I received 20 of the Velcro rollers along with a gorgeous bright Pink drawstring bag to keep them in.  Priced at just £16.50.

Before - Straight Hair

I always look forward to my sleep but that night I was actually quite excited about going to bed!

I got ready for bed and brushed my hair through and was ready to follow the instructions on the packet:

Step 1 - For best results use on dry clean hair.
Step 2 - Section hair as you would with normal rollers
Step 3 – Roll your hair in the direction if the desired effect. For Big Bouncy hair roll clockwise, for the flick effect roll anti clockwise, always roll the crown of your hair clockwise.
Step 4 – Secure your rollers with clips.
Step 5 – Relax and have a great nights sleep!

All Done

Hubby making me laugh telling me he 's going to sleep on the Sofa as the bed won't be big enough!

I’m a regular at using rollers so putting them in was fine.  The rollers are like the normal Velcro rollers but a lot thinner and have sponge in the centre that makes them quite squishy! I secured them with Kirby grips just between the sponge and plastic part of the roller.

As you will see on my before picture I have very long hair which is also very thick I only had to use about 17 of the rollers and found them very light once they were all in.

I left the rollers in while I had a bath in the morning and got ready and couldn’t wait to see the results!

As soon as I started to unwind the rollers I could see it had definitely done what it advertised to do ‘Hello Great Hair’

The Verdict:
As I laid my head on the pillow I did notice that they were there and I’m afraid my sleep wasn’t that great that night.  

They did bend and squash into my pillow but this wasn’t enough for me to have a full good nights sleep.

As this was the first time I have ever slept in rollers I think this could play a big part into why I didn’t really find them that comfortable but for hardcore roller fans who usually sleep in their rollers they would probably like these. 

I would definitely use these as day rollers and to put in first thing in the morning to get ready for a planned night out as they would be comfortable enough for me to have an afternoon power nap!

I would love to hear from anyone who has compared them though to wearing normal rollers to bed?

Love Jo x