My balayage journey *Que dramatic music*

Let's talk balayage! NOT dip dye or even Ombre! In my many years of trying to achieve the perfect balayage (7 years to be exact) I have come to realise that Balayage, Ombre and Dip dye all mean different things to different hairdressers.

I have always wanted that sun kissed, beachy look by turning my naturally black hair blonde, in a natural looking way. It sounds impossible but it's not. So many girls on Instagram have the exact look i'm after, and 9/10 of them are asian or naturally have black hair. Balayage is an art, especially when you can make naturally black hair look sun kissed blonde. Unfortunately all of these girls I draw inspiration from are either in America or Austrailia - the countries I soon discovered, are where the balayage gods reside.

Here in the UK if you ask for a balyage like this:

You get this:

Both styles are lovely don't get me wrong! But I can not express to people enough what a difference those tiny pieces of highlighted hair which fade up to the root make! Hair which is only dyed at the bottom will always look like a colour that's growing out, it will always look like a dip dye. Some people want that look but when I ask for a balayage, I want that sun kissed highlighted natural graduation! Not an ombre or a dip dye, but unfortunately I find that the UK hair scene is so behind on the whole balayage trend. I don't know why! it frustrates the hell out of me.

But alas, I am writing this review to tell you all about the little gem of a hairdresser I discovered in Essex. Daisy - the balayage sorceress with techniques to match the hair gods of Australia & America. Daisy owns a hair salon in the Southend/ Leigh on Sea area which is called Balayage Boutique! - the name says it all. I have had daisy dye my hair a few times and every time she listens to my hair dreams and she tells me what's realistic. I described the exact situation I have just explained and she immediately knew what I meant and what I wanted. I was beginning to think that balayage was a really difficult process which would cost hundreds because I just couldn't find a hairdresser who would give me those blended highlights & an Ombre AKA Balayage. But Daisy made it sound super easy, she just said 'Oh yeah I know what you mean, you want free hand highlights and an Ombre' I blinked in suprise, she made it sound so easy! YES Daisy that is exactly what I want!

My dreams of looking like a Californian beach babe were back on! Daisy was super reasonable in price and cost me a fraction of what local salons were charging for a 'balayage'. We bleached and toned my hair around 3 times, in the space of 6 months. Because I had dyed my hair back to black so many times, the colour was stubborn. But here are my results (excuse my messy hair - it knots within seconds which is why I've always thought the beach babe look would suit me haha) :

& here's a neater photo, my hair was cut and styled by my other favourite hairdresser @mobile_hairgf

I didn't want a clear line of thats your natural colour and that's bleach on the ends! I also didn't want a  'oh i see you've tried ombre'ing your hair but have just bleached your entire head except for the very roots' look. Sorry if i'm sounding like a sassy bitch but this hair rant has been a long time coming (7 years *echos out*). Daisy did a fabulous job of making sure my hair had the perfect blend of bleach and natural colour. I love how there are still dark bits poking through, it definitely creates a sun kissed illusion by making it seem only the parts the sun would touch are lightened. Thanks to Daisy i'm one step closer to being this girl:

I just need the beach and care free mind to follow :)

Follow Daisy on Instagram: @hairbalayard
She also runs a balayage school for hairdressers looking to master the technique
https://www.balayageschool.co.uk/

Her salon is based in Southend/ Leigh - Essex and specialises in freehand colouring. A bonding hair treatment is included in all hair packages which helps strengthen and moisturise the hair which is really important after you bleach the hair - especially for us brunettes. I can not recommend her enough. So if you're looking to transform your look - check her out!

Thank you for reading, and I hope I haven't offended too many of you. Until next time..... rant over.

- Robyn x

Feeling Down?

It's impossible to be happy all day everyday. When you look on social media and see how perfect other peoples lives look with captions like 'I love my life' or 'I'm so happy' it's easy to think wow, I wish I loved my life as much as they do theirs. But it's not real! Of course they have down days too!

I'm learning to fake it until I make it in life, and that includes being happy. When I hate how I look or feel fat, I put make up on and clothes which compliment my body. I pretend I feel fabulous, I put on my sasha fierce alter ego and honestly it's the best feeling in the world. Sometimes I think, hey why I don't I make this much effort all the time? I feel so much better when I put time into my appearance. That's the first thing. But it doesn't help the anxious butterflies I get in my tummy, or the sadness I feel I can't escape from. 

That's when I find a focus. My focus is my business, Photography & all things social media. I take some selfies for my blogging instagram, I think of new video ideas, I listen to inspiring music and I lose myself in Photoshop! My business is my hobby as well as my income. If you work a 9-5, find a hobby! I can not stress this enough, finding something which takes you away from the world and your everyday troubles is the best therapy. Do something positive which helps you or other people? Volunteer? Go for more walks? Take up photography by using your phone? Find something which opens your mind and gives you purpose.

As long as you feel you have a purpose, nothing or nobody can destroy you. Nobody can leave you feeling helpless. Find your own source of happiness, do not rely on other people to fulfil your life because this leaves you vulnerable (I still struggle with this!)

When you're at your lowest and you feel lost or depressed, you only have yourself. You have to pick yourself up and give your life meaning.

I always feel inspired to write these 'life talk' posts when I feel down or upset because it's like giving myself a pep talk! It reminds me that i'm not as weak as I feel. I have a purpose and the means to make myself happy and so do you.