Haircare Routine For Growing Long, Healthy Hair

I've been reading Rachael's blog for months, and always enjoy the posts she puts up because it always seems like she's put so much effort into her posts! When Rachael asked for guest bloggers, I jumped to the chance because I wanted to be part of her blog! My name is Alexandra, and you can find me at www.the-astyle.blogspot.ca To me, having long healthy hair has been something I've always wanted but was never able to tend to my hair properly. Ever since I cut my hair back in February, I've been taking extra care, and I think I've finally found the routine to ensure I have healthy hair and that it grows instead of always breaking off!

1. L'Oréal - EverCrème Shampoo & Conditionner
I've used the same shampoo almost all my life, and felt like it just didn't do anything for my hair so before summer started, I went on the hunt for a new shampoo, and conditioner. The EverCrème collection caught my eye, because of the fact that it is sulfate free, paraben free, and 100% vegan. The coconut-vanilla scent is just perfect to help me relax when I am in the shower. I've really been impressed by how it has kept the moisture locked in my hair ever since I started using it. My hair feels very soft whenever I use it!

2. L'Oréal - Deep Nourishing Masque & Macadamia Oil - Deep Repair Masque
The L'Oréal, and Macadamia Oil mask have helped me a lot, and are my two current favorite hair masks. They smell amazing, work fast, and always leave my hair feeling nourished, and soft! Even if my hair isn't looking dull, and I haven't used heat on it, I try to use a masque at least once a week, because my hair always looks and feels great after using it!

3. Macadamia Oil - No Tangle & Healing Oil Infused Comb
I have the worst hair possible once it is wet, because it gets knotted so quickly, which then results in me trying to brush my hair for at least 10 minutes. The No Tangle spray has been a lifesaver for me. Whenever I use it, brushing my hair becomes the easiest task, brings my hair extra nutrient, and since brushing becomes so much easier, my hair doesn't break off. I also try to comb my hair whenever they are wet, because it is so much easier, and is another way for me to prevent breakage. Now I don't really know if the comb has helped bring nutrient to my hair, but I know that when I use it, my hair pulls less, and gets the job done quickly!

4. Organix - Argan Oil Penetrating Oil & Lush - R&B Butter
This is my favorite part of my hair routine. I find that hair oil, and hair butter is that one product that gives me instant result whenever I use them. I like applying it in the morning before I leave my house to the ends of my hair to make sure the weather doesn't dry it up. The smell of these products is so perfect, and I quite enjoy the fact that it lingers on my hair throughout the day!

5. Hair Ties
The last step to my hair care routine might seem odd, but I find that whenever I use hair ties in my hair, my hair thanks me for it. I find that hair elastics pull too much, and my hair also gets knotted into them resulting in so much breakage. The hair ties are thick enough to hold my hair but never leave a crease in it. It also helps that they come in so many different colors, and patterns!

All of these products have helped my hair grow longer, and make sure that it doesn't dry, and break. I am quite happy with the routine that I keeping up at the moment but am always on a lookout for new products!

What do you think of my hair care routine? Which product do you like using to make sure your hair looks healthy?

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Blogging - "Am I Too Late?"

When I saw Rachael's post about guest blogging I jumped at the chance - A Is For Ayla is such a lovely blog and I'm really grateful for the chance to contribute! My name is Lily and you can find me at www.jolihouse.com, where I blog about life as a 15 year old in north west England, my outfits, trips etc. and occasionally my original knitwear designs. I properly started blogging a few months ago, and I thought it might be nice to share my favourite aspects so far! So why blog?

There are literally thousands of UK bloggers, so what can I possibly bring to this party - latecomer that I am? The beauty of blogging, I think, is it's diversity. My taste is actually quite random, as I am equally likely to be found browsing the big lifestylers like The Londoner, as I am laughing my head off at Allie of Hyperbole and a Half. I especially love it when I find posts that are just soooo relatable. You know, when you have a real 'wow I'm not the only one' moment - anyone else get this? It's especially nice to come across someone a similar age to me and from the same patch, like Rachael. As the perks of blogging go (and there are many), the social element is by far my favourite. It's great when someone new drops me a comment, and it often amazes me how much it's possible to have in common with people you've never met! I swear there's some people I could've been separated from at birth. Do you have a blogger twin?

I've always liked to write, and blogging gives me the perfect excuse to waffle on about whatever I want. It makes a change to be able to write without worrying about the exam criteria! Take OOTD posts for instance - I like the chatty ones best where people share little insights into their day. No tiny detail is too trivial for me. Love it all For this reason I try to accompany all my OOTD photos etc. with little snippets of what I've been up to, as I really do feel that it's easier to get to know bloggers who share a bit about themselves. I think inside every blogger lurks a bit of an inner nerd. It's definitely given me scope to indulge mine. It's ridiculous how long I've deliberated over the exact shade of greyish blue for my background! Someone tell me I'm not the only one to do this? Rachael's 'Layout Tips and Tricks' can help here. It feels so techie tinkering with HTML and SEO codes and the like! I can't wait to finish making my little corner of the internet look exactly how I want, so here's to a load more faffing about!

I've read a couple of articles recently saying that blogland is reaching saturation point. It would be kinda disappointing seeing as I'm just getting into it haha! What do you think? Is there infinite room for new writers? What makes you return to a blog? I'd be really interested to know.

Thanks again to Rachael for lending me this space!

lily x

Drugstore Gems / Favourites

Hello! I'm Elise and I blog at elisedopson.com. I am here doing a quick guest post on the lovely Rachael's blog about my favourite drugstore products. Although I do love saving and splurging on my high-end makeup, makeup from drugstores like Boots and Superdrug will always be one I love experimenting with. Over the years I've found my top 5 holy grail drugstore makeup products, and squished them into this little post. So, here are my drugstore gems!

L'Oreal Superliner
I like to switch up and alternate with powder, gel and liquid liner to give different looks, but L'Oreal's Superliner is my best liner for creating a winged, cat-eye line. The nib holds just enough product and is the perfect shape for creating a thin or thick line with an easy wing.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
This will probably be nothing new to you whatsoever as it is a holy grail concealer in the beauty blogger world. It has a very full coverage and will cover anything from spots to freckles and red patches. For only £3.99 you really can't go wrong!

Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express
This product was actually a funny one for me because when I originally bought it, I hated it with a passion. The formula was too wet and runny yet ended up clumping my lashes, but when I returned to it a few months later I loved it. It separates my lashes (without clumping) and adds and nice, even coat on my lashes.

Bourjois Colorboost
I remember a few months back, every man and their dog raved about these. They're almost identical to Clinique's Chubby Stick with 4 gorgeous shades. My favourite has to be 'Peach on the Beach', which is a beautiful light pink colour. They glide on with ease and are very luxurious and glossy. I also recently read that they're bringing out a few more shades for Autumn and Winter. Yay!

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Yet again one of the most loved drugstore products, and rightly so it is. The perfect cheap powder for only a mere £3 or £4. It can look quite cakey if you overload it, but I suppose that's the same with any powder. It sets makeup and concealer nicely and stays all day. I really can't fault it.

You can visit Elise's blog by clicking here!

Featured Blogger #14: October

You might recognise Octobers featured blogger as she's appeared here on A Is For Ayla before now. She recently wrote a guest post on her favourite drugstore products which wen't down an absolute storm with AIFA readers and followers! You can read her post by clicking here! I've invited Elise back to be this months featured blogger as I've absolutely adored her blog for a long long time. Her photography is incredible and you can really feel her lovely personality shine through every post she writes - something that's pretty rare in the blogging community at the moment. I highly recommend visiting her blog, right after you've had a read of her blog interview below!

In less than 50 words tell us a little about yourself and your blog
My name is Elise and my blog is predominantly beauty based, with the odd lifestyle and fashion post thrown in for good measure. I am an aspiring makeup artist, and soon to be a makeup student! Makeup is my passion and I hope to share this with like-minded people :)
 
When and why did you initially start blogging
I started blogging originally on Tumblr, and then migrated to Blogger (which I must admit I think is the best of the two!). I’d been reading blogs like the likes of Zoella, Lily Pebbles and ViviannaDoesMakeup for the past few years and never had the courage to start up myself. In November last year I made my Blogger blog and have stuck to it ever since!

Do you have any tips or ideas for someone wishing to start a blog?
Remember that there are no rules for blogging! Post as often or infrequent as you like – you’re blogging for yourself! Post as often as you like and post what you like. Blogging is meant to be fun, not a chore!

Do you feel you've taken anything out of being part of the blogger community?
I feel like I've learnt that every person in the blogging community is so supportive and helpful. If you ever have any questions, post them on Twitter with the hashtag #bbloggers and your question will be answered!

 
Who are your 5 favourite bloggers right now?
Rosie from The Londoner
Ellie from Ellalogy
Celine from Vintage Teapot
Anna from Fash Boulevard
Milly from Pearls and Poodles 

Where can we find you? (twitter, lookbook, bloglovin' ect.)
You can find me lurking around the #bbloggers Twitter feed, or on my Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Any final words of wisdom?
Love your blog! If you’re not happy with it, change it. If you don’t want to post, don’t. Your blog is not a chore!

You can visit Elise's blog by clicking here!

Cheap Drugstore Makeup FOTD (Perfect For Everyday!)

I appreciate how frustrating it can be when bloggers reel off posts of high end cosmetics, the majority of which the average person wouldn't be able to go and out and buy based purely on their recommendation. I admit sometimes I'm guilty of doing this but always try to balance it out with drugstore products. It's especially important as I know the vast majority of my readers (and some of my followers) are younger girls who don't have jobs or constant income to go splashing on high end makeup. This all inspired me to do a Drugstore FOTD (Face Of The Day) - or make up look to those from outside the #bbloggers world! All the products used were from the drugstore and are listed below. Although still on the lower end of makeup, its possible to do looks much much cheaper. I was thinking I might do a really really inexpensive look for those who don't like to spend too much, almost like a 'lets see how cheap I can get a good full face of makeup without compromising on the quality' kind of post. Would you be interested to see that?  BASE Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation 100 Ivory Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in shades 1 & 2 Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Sandstorm Bourjois Delice De Poudre Chocolate Bronzer in 52 Sleek Blush in 'Guipure' and 'Crochet' Seventeen Highlighter (cant find a name - sorry!) EYES Collection Eyeshadow Pencil in Hot Chocolate & Vanilla Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara Collection Extreme 24 Hours Felt Tip Liner in Black Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 001 Dark Brown Natural Collection Eyeshadow Duo in Mocha Latte (brows) LIPS Natural Collection Lip Stick in Autumn Sunset P.S please excuse the eyebrows (aka the bane of my life) they're in the process of being reshaped;) Remember you can follow AIFA on Bloglovin' and Twitter!