Gem and Jo Take on Hair Swag

Do not be fooled by the title of this post, we do not have actual hair swag, also we don't know whether that's a good or bad thing.

We do, however, have this item which Claire's Accessories decided to call Hair Swag. Yes, that is the truth. Someone tell Claire's to sort out their product names.

This is the hair swag. It looks like 3 fancy hair clips stuck together in a line. And that is exactly what it is. 

Claire's have a couple of different versions of the hair swag, but Gem picked this one up to use during her auntie's wedding a couple of weeks ago! It has really pretty little flowers and diamond bits too, which means all together its a very cute little hair piece!

Here's how we would style this in our hair:

For Jo, we just kinda stuck it into the side of her hair with the built in clasps and that was about it. Jo swept her hair over her shoulder and curled the ends for a really pretty, classy look. 

Gem used this at the back of her head, as you can see in the pictures. The front parts of her hair are slightly twisted back from her face and held in place by clips under the hair swag. 

For a little volume and what not, Gem backcombed the top of her hair before gathering the front bits and clipping them back! 

Have you ever tried one of these? How would you style it? 

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Hair Curling Tutorial

Today we decided to show you guys how we like to curl our hair using heated curlers and a curling wand. Hope you enjoy!

How do you like to curl your hair?

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Hair We Go - Curls Edition

We love to curl our hair so we have decided to show you guys some of our favourite hair curling tools. These pretty babies help us to not look like we've been dragged backwards through a bush, so that's always a plus. Check out the video below.

What are your favourite curling tools?

Gem and Jo Review P.S. Love Argan Deep Conditioner

We are loving the fact that Primark are expanding their range of super affordable beauty products! And by expanding we mean expanding! In the last few months alone they have brought out new hair, makeup and cleansing products, just to name a few! Plus with the prices staying so low we knew we had to head to our local Penneys (that's what its called in Ireland, weird right?) and snap up a few of their products to test them for ourselves! On our last visit we picked up P.S. Love's Argan Deep Conditioner for just €1.50!

This stuff is a deep conditioning mask for your hair which means it's supposed to do more than our regular conditioner, and this mask is no different! We found it was easiest to use it while in the shower so we didn't have to have our heads over the edge of the bath for too long and end up passing out.. not good!
All we did was shampoo our hair first thing when we got in the shower then we massaged a good amount of the Deep Conditioner into our hair, paying attention to the ends before tying it up with a hair tie to keep it from getting washed out. Then we went about our usual shower business getting all squeaky clean.
If you only shave on certain days take this time to do it as the conditioner needs to be left in for 3-5 minutes.
After your clean and smell lovely thanks to the fifty different body washes you used, you can wash out the conditioner making sure you get it all out so your not left with icky sticky hair!

We like to blowdry our hair after using the conditioner because then everyone sees how pretty and shiny your hair looks and they all ooh and ahh. (Don't lie you love when that happens too!) This bottle lasted us about 3 uses but we recommend only using this conditioner every now and then because you won't see results if you use it all the time (good things come to those who wait!).

We give this product: 9/10! It's super cheap, easy to get ahold of and it does the job perfectly! In fact it could nearly be a ten! (but 10's are reserved for products that supply unicorns and/or puppies)

Have you tried any of Primark's P.S. Love range? What did you think?

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's Second Day Hair

< Click this ribbon to see 

why we've gone pink 

Water Charges. It's all anyone in Ireland is talking about at the moment. For those of you who are not from our wonderful land of green, on the 1st of October Ireland introduced water charges. Each household will be billed for the amount of water they use, that means the days of long showers and baths are over. Well not over but there will definitely be less of them.
However do not fret! We here at Gem and Jo Take The World shall bestow upon you the most valuable information to get you through these trying times. We shall tell you the secrets of having exceptional second day hair.

Dry Shampoo. 
For the best results use dry shampoo (or baby powder) the night before. This leaves the product enough time to absorb all the excess oil in your hair. Brush your hair out the next morning and you should have lovely fresh hair. If you feel you need a little more product just add it to your hair, rub it in and brush it out as you normally would.

Dry shampoo for Dark Hair

If you are lucky enough to have beautiful golden locks or pretty light coloured hair then you don't have to deal with the ordeal that us brunettes face of trying to find a dry shampoo that doesn't leave you looking like a granny with grey hair. Many companies such as Batiste make dry shampoo for different shades of dark hair. Superdrug also makes their own version. These dry shampoos are great as they don't leave you looking like you've aged 40 years on the spot. Unfortunately these products can leave a brown powder residue on your hair and can be a bit difficult to brush completely out. On the up side, you can use these to cover up your roots if you're waiting to get your roots done. If you  just can't deal with the brown residue, get a lighter coloured dry shampoo and just rub and rub and rub a dub rub.

Dry Shampoo for Light Hair 

If you have lighter hair, you don't need to worry, there are so many options out there for you. Just about everyone out there is bringing out their own dry shampoo, from Tresemmé to Aussie and everyone in between. You can even get some really lovely smelling ones from batiste, that will make you smell like you've just dumped a tonne of roses or coconuts on top of your head.

Baby Powder

If you want the cheap option or just can't stand the smell of dry shampoo (yes there are some of us out there), you can always go for baby powder. If you just need a little bit of freshening up pop some on a big powder brush and then brush it in to your hair line. If your hair needs a bit more attention you'll need to add more product to your hair. Just like with dry shampoo, it requires a little bit of elbow grease i.e. you'll need to rub it in and it's best to put it in the night before.
The only trouble with baby powder is that it doesn't come in a spray can. It can be quite difficult to get from the bottle into your hand and then into your hair, there is no doubt that your jeans will be covered in baby powder. That, however, means you will smell lovely all day!

Hair Styles. 
Our secret for great looking second day hair? Keep it slightly messy and casual. Slicking it back Khloe Kardashion style might work for some, but Khloe's sass would definitely be needed. So here are some of our favourite second day hair styles that need a little less sass.
French Plait. 

Now we know this isn't technically a french plait, more of a dutch one but Gem literally cannot figure out how to do a french plait so this is the closest we have! The key for this style is to keep the strands loose but the plait tight, it's not as tough as it sounds. Take your time with this one and you're sure to get it right. Gem likes to slightly back-comb the very front of her hair when she uses this style, to add a little volume. 

Bun 

Ah, the humble bun. We would say this is probably everyone's favourite hairstyle. Up and out of the way, perfect for cooking, studying or just lazing around. All your need to create this style is a hair tie, a couple of bobby pins and upper arm strength. (Anyone else ever get dead arms from doing their hair, no? just me then.) Just like with the french plait, a little back-combing not only adds lift and volume, but it also hides some of that greasy hair! 

Pony Tail

Need I say much about this one? The ponytail is perfect for hiding greasy hair at the roots. Back-combing (anyone seeing a patten here?) hides the greasiness and slightly twisting the hair at the front creates a pony with a difference! You can also wrap a small strip of hair from the pony around the hair tie to mask it and create a sophisticated, stylish look. 

Keeping this look messy is key, if you make the pony too tight and slick it defeats the purpose of hiding that second day hair. 

Bandanna

 Embrace second day hair and your vintage side with a bandanna. Bandannas can hide your greasy roots and you can really play up the look and have fun with it with a sweep of red lip stick and a flick of black eyeliner.You can get bandannas in so many colours to match any outfit. No one will ever guess that you're on second day hair. 

Fishtail plait

If you're bored of the simple pony tail look, why not try to add a fishtail plait! It's really not as hard as it looks and there are tonnes of how-to videos on youtube that break it down in simple steps! Gem's little sister Sam loves this look and adds an elasticated bow headband that makes it really cute!

And there you have it, our guide to second day hair! Happy styling and here's to keeping our water charges low so we can spend more on makeup! (and food, always food.)
Thanks for stopping by and as always tell us what you think and if you have any second hair day tips in the comments!
Until next time,

Gem and Jo's DIY Hair Masks

After a hectic couple of days and dying our hair numerous times this year (Take a look at our Hair dye post Here) we decided that a hair mask would be perfect to relax and rejuvenate our hair!

While we were in college this week one of our friends sat down to have lunch with us and we could not believe how good her hair looked! It was fabulous and flowy and pretty and we wanted that for our hair too!! Definitely some hair jealously! We asked her what she used and how it looked so good and all she said was "coconut oil". We've used coconut oil before but for some reason we never thought to try it out in our hair. So after we finished work the both of us ran to Tescos and picked up some unrefined coconut oil for just €2! 

                                      

So we were told to heat about 2 tablespoons each in the microwave until it's melted and then wait a little while until it's not hot enough to melt your head or face off. When it's cooled, spread it all over your hair and all the way down to your ends massaging it in gently. The you wrap it up into a bun (you can use a shower cap or plastic bag of you want) and go about your Saturday business, which for us was watching reruns of Friends.

                           

It looks gross in your hair and unfortunately doesn't smell like coconut at all, which is very sad! However it works miracles! It really leaves hair super soft and healthy! We left it in our hair for 2 hours and then washed our hair a couple of times with our chosen shampoo until the greasiness was gone. 

Gem used: 

Jo used: 

If you want even more goodness for your hair add an egg to the hot oil and mix it all up! The egg is a good source of protein for your hair. (hair is actually 91% protein so the more the better!)

Thanks for reading guys!

Let us know if you guys have any DIY hair masks or a favourite brand in the comments! 

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's Beauty Hacks

So everyone has their own tricks they like to use when getting ready for the day or night and we thought we would share ours, so we can be of service to world and hopefully help some folks out.
Here are our favourite beauty hacks that have saved us more than we'd like to admit:

1. Wrap your hair in a cotton shirt instead of a towel when getting out of the shower/ bath. This will stop frizz and static and will dry your hair faster!

2. When travelling pack your powder makeup products such as pressed powders, eyeshadows, etc with cotton balls to prevent them from shattering.

3. Use Q tips (cotton buds, for the Irish folks) dipped in makeup remover to fix any eyeliner mistakes without having to start over!

4. When going swimming in the sea, a lake, etc spray your hair with leave-in conditioner such as This One by Aussie. Because your hair absorbs the first thing that's applied, it will be conditioned rather than dry from the harsh water. This can also be done when going to the gym!

5. If you have a plastic retainer (former brace faces like ourselves should have one), put whitening toothpaste (or a whitening product) in it and wear the retainer for a little while. It will help to whiten and keep your teeth straight!!!
Gem likes to use Pearl Drops Beauty Sleep Serum:


6. Use the wand from your expense mascara in cheaper bottles! The only reason you pay so much is for the brush, so don't throw them away! Of course sometimes you get a mascara that has an amazing brush and liquid, they're like hitting the jackpot!

7. Finish washing your hair with a blast of cold water, this will give your hair a nice shine!

8. You can also rinse your body with cold water before applying fake tan. The cold closes your pores and makes for a more even tan. However it is hard to work up the courage to turn to the cold setting in winter!

9. If you've run out of shaving gel, that stuff disappears so fast!, use conditioner instead. It gives a nice close, smooth shave!

10. For really soft feet, apply tons of moisturiser to your feet and then put on cotton socks. This works best if you do it overnight, so you don't have to walk around on soggy feet, ew.  Jo likes to use Soap and Glory's Heel Genius:





Thanks for reading guys, we hope you learned a little from our beauty hacks and that someday they will be of use to you! Let us know if you have any hacks in the comments below, we love hearing from you!

Until Next Time,
XO Gem and Jo

Gem and Jo's June Favourites Video.

Hey everyone, here's the youtube video of our June Favourites. There's also some bloopers of us acting the fools for you to enjoy (Jeans were ripped in the making of this video). For more information check out our corresponding blog post! Oh and don't forget to be wonderful and subscribe!

Until Next Time!

Gem and Jo Take on Youtube For the First Time.

Here is our very first Youtube video! You can see our full review of the products we used in our previous post, Gem and Jo Take on Hair Dye! It was surprisingly fun to make the video and we're looking forward to the next!
In this video make sure to stay until the end, we added some bloopers for you guys to witness first hand our social awkwardness!

Hope you enjoy!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and follow our blog via email too!!
Until next time!