Garnier Olia Hair Dye

I have been using Olia for quite some time now - almost as long as it has graced our pharmacy and supermarket shelves.

It's relatively competitive in price when you think of what hair dyes are available on the market right now, and the variety of inventions companies have made in order to put the dye in your hair... Mousse, bowls, spatulas, flat brushes, blah blah.

Olia is easy to use and doesn't stink out your entire house; it's ammonia free. Good news for home-hair-dyers in the winter - don't freeze with the bathroom window open for ventilation like most other dyes available.

Anyway, to use just squeeze the colourant tube and the developer cream into the pot, then give it a good shake. It develops quite quickly, so it's ready to use by the time it's been shaken up and you've laid an old towel on the bathroom floor. 

I use a wide-toothed comb to comb my hair back, then follow the nozzle along those lines made. Easy. Don't forget to dye the crown of your hair too - this is often forgotten and creates patchy home-dyes!

I haven't used another dye for as long as I remember - I love this product so much I reach for it again and again, even trying out different shades. The coverage is brilliant and the shades are noticeable. The most noticeable difference you see is outside in natural light. I just dyed my medium brown hair 7.3 which was a dark shade of blonde. It did make a difference, and did lighten my hair without it looking 'fake' like bleach does. I was hoping to bend out my dark roots and very bright (bleached) under highlights - and it worked really well. My hair looks great now.

For around £7 you can give yourself a great confidence boost. I always feel more confident when I have coloured my hair.

The majority of the shades on offer are natural shades of auburn, brown and blonde. Of course, there is always the red colour although I would recommend

The only minor issue is that there needs to be a tiny little bit more liquid in the end product - for long hair it's only just enough dye. My hair is medium length, shoulder length at the front and longer at the back.

What is clean dry hair?

Well... Wash your hair the day before you intend to colour it, and avoid putting any product in it. Never put dye on wet hair, just-washed hair or on top of styling products. Next day hair with no product in it is best. Wash it at night, dry it and go to bed. In the morning, you hair should be the perfect condition for home-colouring.

Fructis Shampoo & Conditioner

I forgot how AMAZING Fructis shampoo is. I don't always see it int he supermarket, but a quality Garner product for £1 (Asda) has got to be worth screaming about, surely?

With my bank balance in a dwindling state, I'm about to ditch replacement of my Moroccan Oil shampoo and conditioner for a beautifully fragranced cheaper alternative; Fructis.

I'll be saving a whole lot of money as the shampoo and conditioner set from Regis cost in the region of £40. It lasted a few months, but seriously, I don't have that kind of money any more.

Fructis, I'm sorry I cheated on you. I really do love you.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus and iWatch

Yes, I know what you're all thinking... "Why the Plus?"

Because I had the iPhone 5 for two years on contract prior to getting the much anticipated iPhone 6. As soon as I found out they were doing two sizes I just couldn't resist it.

My husband bought it for my as a birthday present - the best one yet! (Apart from seeing Phantom of the Opera)

There was never a functional issue withy iPhone 5, I suppose, as it worked perfectly well although I always struggled with the tiny letters and frequently typed the wrong words into my texts and emails. Even I have small hands which is why I went for the iPhone 5 rather than the upgraded iPhone 4 version.

Emails - that was one of the main issues I had as I often found myself having to dictate my messages in my car at lunch time. The iPhone 6, which I got way-back-when in December is so much better.

The other issue with the iPhone 5 was that, sadly, it was awful at searching the internet and watching video clips. You'd be scrolling all over the place to read a page of text on a website.

I don't find that issue so much with the iPhone 6 - the videos are much clearer, the touch-sensitive 'buttons' easier to use and the user-friendly interface as easy to use as ever. Just better.

I could certainly see the difference by comparing the two side-by-side. The difference between the two and improvement with the iPhone 6 Plus is certainly noticeable.

We paid an upfront fee of £99 of the handset, then continued with the contract at a slightly higher rate than usual - about £5 more a month with EE. I've had a contract phone with former orange for around ten years now so I get a loyalty discount - no doubt the prices change for everyone.

I think I will be good at predicting what product is next to roll off the production line. 

I remember travelling to work with my Generation 2 silver iPod in one hand, phone in the other, thinking "I wish they [Apple] did a phone... that would be so cool" and around a year or so later, there it was. I never actually got an iPhone until the 5 came out as I had several Blackberries and LG handsets before then, and the iPhone wasn't readily available to all customers on all networks. After I finally got my iPhone 5, I thought to myself "They will probably do a watch next..." and two years later - yes they did!

I went to the Apple store the other day to look at the Apple iWatch. It was a very simple design - quite a big face but I felt frustrated about it. I tried on the navy blue leather strap with the 38mm silver bezel. It was quite chunky so probably would not recommend it for petite wrists - bearing in mind this is the smaller of the two sizes available. I almost fell in love with it until I realised it really is just a gimmick and not practical... especially for £649.00... You'd have to have a lot of disposable income to afford something like that, or an incredible amount of credit!

What I look for in a watch is the ease of glancing down and seeing the time. I also don't expect to have to charge it up every night. Another plug socket lost to modern technology! You may as well bypass the watch and just rely on your phone... or wear a regular watch for substantially less cost than the iWatch.

I can see it being banned in all future examination rooms and test centres - especially as you can send text messages on it. It also has a speaker and microphone on it. A bit of a James Bond gadget.

View the watch I tried on by clicking here.

*The Apple iPhone 6 Plus was purchased by my husband and was not provided gratis by the brand*