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The Canary Hair Salon and Vegan Cafe | Beauty

The Canary hairThe Canary Hair Salon & Cafe* | Bethnal Green, E2 6QA | Nearest Tube: Bethnal Green | Website

You know I love lifestyle stores. So imagine my joy when I was invited down to The Canary hair salon in Bethnal Green. Now I wasn’t giddy purely because I was getting a hair cut – although I do often feel like that – but because The Canary is a little different to most hair salons in London. Attached to their salon is a cafe. A vegetarian and vegan cafe at that! Good coffee. Good food. Good hair. You can’t ask for more!

The food

I popped by on a Saturday around 12. We grabbed a chair in the well lit space, and ordered a couple of coffees, which I handily paid for with my Drip App. I was introduced to my stylist Emma as I sipped on mine (flat white, no sugar), and I automatically felt relaxed. After my haircut we had a bite to eat. I had a blueberry muffin, and Ben tried a mushroom and tarragon croissant. We both agreed that the food was fresh and delicious. Even better, it tasted homemade.

The haircut

When I did eventually hop in the seat, we chatted about what I wanted done. I asked whether I should get some layers put in; something I hated years ago but somehow felt might finally suit me. Emma told me that she thought my sharp bob suited me style perfectly, and that layers might ruin what I was going for. She was so right, and I’m glad she said it, because it stopped me getting a hair cut I would have undoubtedly hated afterwards. No one was rushing me, and Emma seemed very professional and easy going. Conversation flowed smoothly throughout, so there were no awkward silences, and I was done in about an hour.

Final thoughts on The Canary hair salon…

As I suspected, Emma was very professional and did a wonderful job on my haircut. My fringe wasn’t exactly how I like it, but I’m pretty fussy about my hair. That said, overall I was happy with my hair cut. The Canary is still a little quiet, but with such friendly staff it comes to life. I have my favourite hair salon (because it’s directly under my apartment), but I would still go back for a coffee and to chill out. Whether you’re after a cut, or some sustenance, The Canary is worth stopping by for sure. Prices for womens cuts start at £56 and mens at £45.

You can visit The Canary at 61 Old Bethnal Green Road, London or online here.
Make sure to check out Drip App for some of London’s best independent coffee shops!

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Review: Label M Toni & Guy Powder Colour Hair Spray

I started dying my hair when I was a teenager. I was always looking for something new and amazing that would turn my almost-black hair a cotton candy pink, or a dazzlingly bright blue. Unfortunately no amount of hair mascara or wash-out hair dye would offer me the results I so desperately wanted. Since then I have gone on to have more than my fair share of dye jobs, and now I’m back to something a bit more subtle. Still, I’d love the opportunity to try out something a little different every now and again. Thankfully for me, the new colour makeover set from Label.M (part of the Toni and Guy family) landed on my doormat. 
The Label.M powder sprays come in 4 colours: red, purple, pink and blue. The colours spray in (best done around 20cm away from the hair) and wash out, making them perfect for a quick colour festival fix this Summer.
Pros:
+ Amazing pigmentation
+ Easy to apply
+ Washes out easily

Cons:
– Leaves hair matted after application 
– Difficult to brush through

Notes:

These sprays left me wanting to pull my wonderfully coloured hair out. They are the epitome of a love-hate product, and it’s all down to whether you’re willing to accept the bitter aftertaste of an otherwise delicious product. First off, let me just say that I am amazed at the pigmentation with these sprays. I have dark hair with light tips (ombré) and I can vouch that all of these colours work on both. You can see me with the purple spray above (check out my Instagram for photos of the other colours). Now, the colour may look amazing, but I was more than a little upset with what happened afterwards. As soon as the colour had dried, my hair became matted and I was unable to even comb it. The main reason this bothered me is because I never get knots. I tried putting argan oil on it (as recommended by Poppy D) but my hair felt like a birds nest. The argan oil worked slightly, but my hair was still unmanageable. In fact the only way to bring my hair back to life was to wash it out. I had more success when I used the sprays on my fringe, but my hair was still matted, just less so. This was the same for all of the colours unfortunately. So you can see my problem – great colour outcome, but difficult to work with. If you fancy using this on styled hair, such as a bun or braids, I think this would be great. Maybe even just using it on the tips of your hair would work, but don’t expect to be able to use this on a large amount of hair without having to deal with the aftermath. As for the spray transferring onto clothes and skin, I happened to get some on my top, but I threw it in the wash and it came out as good as new. The colour makeover set costs £15 for 4x50ml sprays in the 4 colours shown above or £9.95 for 1x150ml. I won’t be repurchasing these, purely because I don’t know how to deal with matted hair. If anyone has any tips I’d love to know, as I really would like to get the most out of these.

You can purchase the Label M Colour Makeover Set or the separate sprays at Label M.

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Giveaway: Chill* Colourful Hair Dye

You’ll find it hard to meet someone who hasn’t dyed their hair, and over the last few years non-natural (think bold and pastel) hair colours have been ridiculously popular. I myself used to have a bright red shade, and my friends have hair colours ranging from pastel pink to bright turquoise. Still, it can be difficult to choose which colour, and even more annoying is the price that comes with a dye job. So I have teamed up with Chill* to offer 4 winners their choice of 2 of their hair dyes each, so you can colour your hair yourself at home. Yes, that does also mean that you won’t have to decide on only one colour, you can pick your favourite pair! You’ll be able to choose from their range of semi-permanent (up to 20 washes) dyes in a variety of amazing colours!
What can you win?
4 x Winners will win their choice of 2 x Chill* semi-permanent hair dyes

How to enter:
+ Be a follower of ‘Bloomzy’ via Bloglovin
+ Earn extra entries on Twitter, Facebook etc.
– Entrants who do not follow the rules will be disqualified.
– Twitter accounts created purely for giveaways will be disqualified.
This giveaway is open to UK participants only.
Running for 2 weeks (ending 14th June).
The prize is provided by and will be sent out by Chill*.
bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Burgers, Bleach & Bling

Follow me on Instagram: bloomzy
The last couple of weeks before my holiday have been busy, busy, busy.
I’ve been working a lot and enjoying my internship at Finchittida Finch.
Of course I’ve also managed to pack in a few fun things.
I’ve been meeting old friends and treating them to the delights of London.
I made a stop to Bleach, to be a hair model, where I had the red in my hair re-done brighter.
Tatty Devine held a workshop and I tagged along, and I made a neon ombre elephant necklace.
The odd bottle of wine, hot chocolate and burger helped to keep me going.
I finally received my Tatty Devine name necklace, which I’m utterly in love with.
I also attended the Benefit Fake Up event in Spitalfields, and met some lovely fellow bloggers.
After trying to cut back on spending I caved and bought a cute iridescent phone clutch from Primark.
I got to enjoy cuddles from a cute sausage dog at my internship this week; distracting but adorable.
At the end of the week I was sent some Manuka Doctor goodies, which I can’t wait to try out!
Finally, I’m off on holiday!
I’ll be skiing it up in Chamonix, France until next weekend.
Have a lovely Easter everyone!
bloomzy /

OOTD: Black & Red

(Hat: Topshop, Jacket: Primark, Top: Pull & Bear, Skirt: Topshop, Tights: Primark)

This weekend was all about the hair!
I re-dyed it with my favourite Colour Restore for Redheads, if you hadn’t guessed.
My hair is actually brighter than when I first had it done at the salon with this stuff.
Anyway, I love it and I wanted to show it all off.
Without even thinking about it I unknowingly matched my tights to my hair.
Looking at the photos now though, I love the contrast at the top and bottom.
Even with my clothes being black it meant I could still stand out, thanks to my hair.
I wrapped up in layers to take the fiancé for a post-Valentine’s Day lunch at one of our favourite spots.
I guess I did look very Valentine-y decked out in red, not that it was intentional at all.
I also wanted to dress to impress as I was meeting with some wonderful people – more on that later.
What do you all think of the new bright hair?
bloomzy /

Review: Klorane Shampoo & Conditioner

Klorane Pomegranate Shampoo & Conditioner, for coloured hair*
Klorane is one of my favourite beauty brands, who I’ve mentioned several times on the blog.
To me the French brand’s products are natural, but also luxurious, which isn’t always easy to come by.
After attending an event for the brand I was curious to try out their shampoo & conditioner for coloured hair.
“This [shampoo], formulated for colour-treated hair, protects against progressive colour fading and loss of radiance. Hair colour retains its intensity and shine. Its cleansing base is enriched with regenerative agents so that hair remains soft, silky and easy to style.

Used in addition to KLORANE shampoo with pomegranate, this [conditioner] repairs and regenerates the hair fibre deep down to leave it soft and supple. Protected from fading, hair colour remains as intense and glossy as the first day.

Both are hypoallergenic.”


Pros:
+ Leaves my hair soft
+ Conditioning
+ Smells amazing
+ Great price
+ Brought out my colour
Cons:
– Shampoo doesn’t lather easily
Notes:
Certain brands of shampoo dry my hair out, even though I use a conditioner each wash.
So I was very happy to find that Klorane’s shampoo & conditioner didn’t do this to my hair.
Some people might find it slightly pricey at £6 each, but it’s actually cheaper than what I would usually buy. I’ve been looking to change shampoos for a while, but I haven’t found a natural product that looks after coloured hair for a decent price, so that’s a big plus for me. The only downside to the shampoo is that it doesn’t lather easily, but that’s a problem with using natural ingredients in a shampoo, and is not down to Klorane in particular.
You can purchase Klorane’s shampoos & conditioners in John Lewis stores or online, here.
bloomzy /

Review: Colour Restore for Redheads

Colour Restore Deep Red, for Redheads*

Colour restore for redheads uses concentrated red pigment infusions to keep colour.
Most of you will know how difficult red hair is to maintain, so this is a great product to have.
I recently became a redhead again, and even though my colour has maintained well I wanted a pick up.
So I was very thankful to receive this and try it out, and let me just say, I was very pleased with the results.
Colour restore can be used as a wash-in shampoo type product to keep your colour fresh, or for something a bit more vivid, you can leave it in for up to 25 mins. I needed to refresh my hair colour so I choose to leave it in for 25 minutes, on my first use.
Before and after

Pros:
+ 3 different ways to use
+ Vivid colour and great shine
+ Left my hair feeling conditioned
Cons:
– Stains skin easily, but can be removed
Notes:
This is such an amazing product for redheads who want to keep their colour.
It’s also a great money saver for those like me who have their hair dyed at a salon.
The only downside was that it did stain, but it was removed with water and another wash.
It was easy to use, and as only a tiny bit is needed the bottle can be used more than once.
It lasts for 12 months, so I plan to make the most of it and use it as often as needed.
For those who might be worried about using it often, it doesn’t contain any peroxide, harsh chemicals or ammonia.
There are also blonde, shine treatments, colour removers and strippers in the range.
You can view and purchase the whole range here.