REVIEW: Dreamy Curls Wavy Headband

There’s nothing that completes a look more than having a ‘good hair day’, but unfortunately a lot of the time in order to get the sleek salon look we have no choice other than to put our hair through a lot of trauma using heated hair stylers, which can cause dryness and breakage.

A curly blow-dry is my ‘go to’ when I get my hair done, so I was delighted to try ‘Dreamy Curls’ headband which allows you to get the look of a curly blow-dry without the heat of a hair curler or styler.

I regularly curl my hair using my instyler, and while at the beginning it was tricky to get the hang of, I find that the results are brilliant. Your hair is big, bouncy and the curls hold for a long time. However, it is very time consuming and in the mornings I generally wouldn’t have the time to curl my hair. So, I figured that the ‘Dreamy Curls’ headband would be a great option to achieve my favorite glam hairstyle with minimum effort. 

Using the headband is fairly straight forward. You simply pop the headband on top of your head and wrap sections of your hair around it towards the back of your head until the two sides meet. Dreamy curls also have a step by step video tutorial on their website which you can watch here.

The night before using the headband my hair was blow-dried as normal but not styled. I popped the headband on, went to sleep and in the morning applied my makeup and took it off before heading to work. One thing I will say is that if you move around in your sleep a lot the bad can slip off slightly, but once you’ve enough hair wrapped around it the bad should stay secured.

       The night before                     The next morning 

Overall I was quite happy with the results. There are three variations of the headband, and I went for the 4cm ‘Wavy’ band, which means the curls are slightly bigger and softer. It didn’t have the full impact of a curly blow-dry or instyler curls however I think my hair may have been too dry, and better results could be achieved if my hair was slightly damper. I was still really impressed though as you still get great results with no frizz and a nice bounce to your hair. It doesn’t take long at all to pop in your hair the night before and take off in the morning when you’re rushing out the door. The headband also comes with a step by step instructions booklet. 

I was sent the headband to do an honest review and I can honestly say that I would recommend it for its handiness, effectiveness and the great results that you can achieve from using the product. 

**This is a sponsored post.

Festival Fashion Fix

With summer fast approaching and the likes of Forbidden fruit, Longitude, Independence festival, Sea sessions and Electric picnic just a few months away it’s time to get inspired. The best thing about festival fashion is that anything goes, although technically that can be said about fashion in general it’s not always possible to pull off some of the more daring looks such as glitter roots or floral crowns while going about your day to day life! Here are some festival staples that will keep you looking bang on trend no matter what festival you choose to attend.             

                                                      BO HO QUEEN

For this look it’s all about outfit simplicity with statement accessories. Pairing block colors together to create a 'co-ord look' such as a white crop top with white shorts is always a winner. Choosing fabrics like lace or a crochet patterns adds subtle detail to the look. Long flowy skirts can look incredible but are not always practical unless you want it trailing in the mud... or drink that can normally be found at an Irish festival! Once you have your  basics it's all about the accessories. Just add silver jewellery, a funky belt, a hat or floral headband, wavy hair, vintage specks and your done!

                                                       ADD AN EDGE 

If you’re looking to make your outfit a bit more edgy there are some simple ways to so, do. Fishnets are huge this year. The 90’s staple has made a crazy comeback and will instantly make your outfit a bit funkier. Chokers, big rings a good hat and some cool boot all make you stand out just that bit more. Throw on some red lipstick and sunnies and the look is complete.

                                                      GLITTER BABE

The glitter trend is something that has been around for quite some time however it’s only recently that it's getting to be the norm to put it everywhere. Glitter roots were huge last year and will surely be making a comeback this year, but if glitter roots aren’t for you can add glitter to your cheekbones to create and extra dramatic highlight or put some on your collarbones to add a bit of sparkle!

I hope if you're still reading this that you've been somewhat inspired and are ready take on the festival season in style! Much love 

'Bloom Magic' Flowers

• ROMANCE SUR LA SEINE

Unless you've been living under a rock recently you've probably seen some of the unbelieveable hatbox flowers that have flooded Instagram lately for all the right reasons. A lot of these online stores unfortunately don't ship to Ireland however Bloom Magic Flowers will deliver them right to your door weather you're in Cork, Galway, Dublin or anywhere in between! 

• LES JARDINS DU LOUVRE

With Valentines day just around the corner there's really no better time to throw a few subtle hints at your significant other or simply just treat yo'self, you don't necessarily need a man to buy you flowers? Presents from me to me are generally the best ones anyway. 

• LE JARDIN DE MONET 

Bloom Magic have four collections including the 'French Parisian hatbox' collection (my favourite) as well as the 'celtic', 'classic' and 'Californian' collection so theres something for everyone. They've also put together a collection of Valentines day flowers. 

What do you guys think? let me know in the comments!
As always with love 

* This was a sponsored post 

Self Love, why you need to 'Love yo'self'

This is a different kind of post to what normally appears here on 'rachalesmode'. It's not a post  that I had planned on doing, but it is something that has been on my mind, and sitting here at my laptop  I feel that I need to share it.

In this crazy, busy world where there is so much going on it can be a little overwhelming trying to balance it all. College work, a part time job relationships, friendships and a million and one other responsibilities and pressures can sometimes get in the way of you focusing on you and doing what you love. The past month has been a real eye opener for me, there have been some changes in my life and although at the time I  thought that one of those changes was the worst thing in the world, it was actually the best thing that could have happened. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, if something doesn't work out it's because the universe has bigger plans for you, it's not the end of the world, it's just the end of an idea that you had.

The thing about self-love is knowing your worth. Something I've noticed is that I spend so much time trying to make everyone else happy that sometimes I forget that my happiness should be the number one priority. The bottom line is, love with all your heart, but love yourself first, because nobody deserves your love more than you do. When you're in your early twenties it's the time to try new things, to take the chance, to go on the adventure and to take the risk. It's the time to say 'I can't believe I did that' rather than 'I wish I had done that'.

So from me to me and to anyone else who needs to hear this; when life gets crazy take a step back, put it in perspective, see how you can deal with it and just do what makes you happy. The rest will sort itself out. So I'm dedicating this post to self love. It doesn't mean your selfish, it doesn't mean you don't care about other people, it means that you value yourself, and I can't think of anything more important than that. Take the risk, go on the adventure, make the mistake and live in the moment, because at the end of the day that's what life is about, and you only have one chance to live it.

With love